Chapter Text
An echoing silence wrapped itself around the walls of the grand hall. The soft tremors in the floor ceased and smoke clouds from the remnants of magic dispersed, revealing cracks and dents in the blue marble flooring.
A small group of heroes resided in the middle of the room, standing proudly from the top of the grand spire. Despite their victory, though, heavy pants of breath escaped them due to clear fatigue. Wizard Cookie gripped his staff tightly as he leaned forward, hand resting on his knee. Strawberry Cookie copied her friend by putting the majority of her weight against the pink sucker she always carried, using it more as a post to rest her back on than any actual weapon. The third and final of the trio, GingerBrave, was already on his knees, taking dramatic gulps of air to clear the dizziness in his head. The children, exhausted from the several previous trials they faced within the spire, did little to hide their state once the main threat seemed to finally be handled. Once the beast before them finally stopped for just a few seconds.
Shadow Milk Cookie was on his knees too, gasping worse than the three children. His staff was discarded a few feet to his left, his icing was melting from stress and irritation, and his head hung low with hands resting against the cracked floor beneath him. Worst of all, his lively hair split and dripped in several directions, smearing the eyes that usually appeared among the shadows of it. The drips in his hair trickled even further as his body shook from anger. Anger towards the cookie standing right in front of him.
Pure Vanilla Cookie. The recently awakened hero stood tall before the Beast, shielding the children with his new shimmering robes. He appeared to be the only one unaffected by the recent fight. The only hint of fatigue anyone could possibly spot was how the Ancient Cookie leaned slightly more against his staff than usual. Besides that, though, he held his head up high. Being a literal beacon of glowing light among the dark shadows of the room. Through his now illuminated staff, he stared down at the Beast Cookie with a sense of sadness, taking in the crumbling cookie before him. "Shadow Milk Cookie..."
"Pathetic... Fools..." Shadow Milk mumbled under his breath. His voice was raspy, exhaustion clear, yet a hint of brokenness mixed in with it. He gritted his teeth, fury still boiling inside him. His head leaned further towards the ground in disgust. "You're nothing... nothing..."
"Pure Vanilla Cookie! Now!" Wizard Cookie exclaimed, stepping closer to stand next to the elder. His energy was regained once he noticed the fallen state of their foe. "Now's our chance!"
"Yeah! We got'em now!" GingerBrave encouraged as he and Strawberry Cookie rushed over to their friend's side as well. He lifted his candy cane with newfound determination. "We've got your back, Pure Vanilla Cookie."
Pure Vanilla, though, did not respond to them. His attention was too focused on the weakened cookie. His frown grew even further when his eyes finally opened. "It doesn't have to be like this, Shadow Milk Cookie. Please-"
A soft cackle escaped from the back of the Beast's throat, and it only grew in volume as he lifted his face towards the ceiling. His body shook, icing melting even further against his dough. The joyous laughter was tainted with the cookie's frustration, his burning hatred. Hatred for the cookie before him. For his hypocritical words. For his own current situation. For... himself. "How kind of you, oh great GREAT beacon of light. Truly a grand gesture. Offering pity to a beast," he spat through clenched teeth. His head then snapped back down to send a chilling glare right at the hero. "Mark my words: one day, your kindness will become your undoing."
Pure Vanilla's brow creased from the other cookie's words. His eyes squinted, features twisting even further with slight hurt. "Shadow Milk, my offer was not out of pity."
"Ha! Now who's the liar?" Shadow Milk replied while his rough voice melted into more distorted giggles. "You think of me as a fool. Such a fool!"
"I might have tricked you during your games, Shadow Milk, but I would never lie about-"
"SHUT UP!" Shadow Milk screamed, startling the group of cookies. The children jumped when the Beast rose back to his feet. Due to the shakiness in his limbs, though, he hovered off the ground a few inches, easing the pressure off his dough. He stared down at the cookies, at the glowing hero, with a sneer, no longer hiding his disgust behind his laughter. "You really expect me to believe you? You expect me to believe you care about anything else but protecting your precious little gnats? Your precious, pathetic lil' cookies from my wrath!?" Another sickening laugh echoed from the Beast, squeezing his eyes shut to hold his bruised stomach. "Oh! OH! You're more of a schemer than I gave you credit for! A sick, HYPO-critical goody-two shoes of a-"
Shadow Milk's rant was cut short due to the loud clank of metal. The Beast opened his eyes and looked down. The illuminated staff his other half carried was now lying on the floor, discarded just like his own blueberry staff.
"Pure Vanilla Cookie!" The trio of kids exclaimed in shock as Pure Vanilla stepped forward.
"What are you doing!?" Wizard Cookie gasped.
"Pure Vanilla, be careful!" Strawberry cried while she clutched the large sucker tighter, quivering with slight fear.
While his friends voiced their concerns, for once, GingerBrave remained speechless. He just stared wide-eyed as the elder shuffled forward in his long, flowing robes. Pure Vanilla clutched a chunk of the fabric to keep himself from tripping, yet still, fatigue became more evident in the Ancient's posture without his staff, causing his steps to grow shaky. Regardless, he continued on for a few feet until he stood directly in front of the Beast. He might have drawn a bit too close to the other cookie than he intended, but without his staff, Pure Vanilla only had the blurry, blue form of a cookie as his guidance for direction.
Despite the closeness, Shadow Milk didn't move. He remained in the air, staring in disbelief as the Ancient Cookie turned his face up towards him. He no longer carried a smile, but his expression remained soft, gentle. His brow pinched with a newfound sincerity before holding up his hand.
No more weapons. No more tricks. No more games. Shadow Milk watched, slightly slack-jawed, as the cookie stood there with literal open arms. "I want to be your friend, Shadow Milk... Please..." he muttered the last word with such an earnest plea. An absolute, authentic request.
It shook Shadow Milk to the deepest parts of his jam. A ringing filled his mind after that, blurring the corners of his vision as his eyes remained glued on the other cookie's face. His dough buzzed as Pure Vanilla's words repeated over and over in his head. He was frozen, barely having enough consciousness to remain floating in the air.
Never had he heard such... such...
Both his mind and even whispers from his Soul Jam tried to come up with alternatives to Pure Vanilla's actions. Reasons for his absolutely bizarre, insane behavior. He didn't want to believe him. He couldn't believe him. No one could be this earnest... this forgiving. It HAD to be a trick. There was no other reason... No other...
Shadow Milk took one last look at Pure Vanilla's face, meeting his gaze. Not once in these precious few seconds did the Ancient Cookie's eyes falter, nor did his expression twitch with trickery or even uncertainty. He was leaving himself completely open to Shadow Milk's wrath. He could quite literally grab a hold of the cookie, fly him to the edge of his spire right now, and just-
But Shadow Milk didn't... want to. He didn't want to do that, nor did he have the energy to do so. Yet, he quite frankly didn't want to take the other cookie's hand either. That would mean everything he went through. Everything he built here. All the cookies' lives he destroyed... would have been for nothing...
Could such a monster like himself even take another path?
Without even realizing it, Shadow Milk's hand began to rise. His dough inched towards the other's hand in such slow motion that it felt like time itself was moving at a snail's pace. The closer his hand grew to Pure Vanilla, the worse the buzzing inside him became. He felt a warmness in his chest that grew more overwhelming by the second.
His hand just barely brushed against Pure Vanilla's before that warm feeling inside burst into an exploding fire.
Shadow Milk gasped. He leaned forward, eyes squeezed tight as he clutched the main source of where the pain resided. His hand reached up towards his Soul Jam, feeling the jewel's tremors and the heat that almost burnt his dough from just a mere touch.
"Shadow Milk Cookie!" Pure Vanilla exclaimed in alarm. He felt the Ancient's hands reach for him before Shadow Milk collapsed back onto the ground. The Beast curled in on himself, trembling from the overwhelming fire over his dough. To mimic his pain, the walls in the room began to shake and groan along with him, startling the group even further.
"What's happening?! Is he hurt?" GingerBrave asked, finally gaining back his voice due to the vibrating floor beneath his feet. He rushed over to aid Pure Vanilla.
"Careful! This could be another trick," Wizard Cookie warned, moving to pull his friend back. The lightning wielder turned his attention to their elder. "Pure Vanilla, please, you need to be careful with-"
"Something's wrong. His dough is burning up," Pure Vanilla said with a hand resting on the Beast's back. He was nearly oblivious to the crumbs that dropped from the ceiling above. Pain filled grunts and groans escaped Shadow Milk as the jester wrapped his arms around himself for fear of being split in two. Pure Vanilla's eyes widened once he spotted the wild ends of Shadow Milk's hair beginning to flap around like tentacles, dripping more and more. His attention then finally turned towards the room, taking in the growing tremors of the spire. His face scrunched up with severity before he looked back at his friends. "Quick, someone hand me my staff."
"Wait, we can't just- Strawberry Cookie!" Wizard Cookie exclaimed when he turned to find the young girl dropping her sucker and rushing over towards the glowing staff.
She picked up the item with ease before looking in her concerned friend's direction. Her icing brows knitted together. Sorrow soon melted over her face. "I... I don't think he's faking this, Wizard Cookie... The Spire is reacting to his pain," she muttered from underneath her hood. The two held eye contact for a second more. They then both jolted from the sudden louder cry of agony coming from the terrifying beast, which was followed by a large crack in the floor right beneath their feet.
"Oh, crumbs, we're going to be buried!" Wizard Cookie exclaimed, finally caving.
"Hurry, friends!" Pure Vanilla ushered them along. Strawberry rushed to his side, but by the time she handed him the staff, the echoing whoosh of magic flooded the room.
The group of cookies turned their attention to the end of the hall to find a black and blue portal that appeared out of thin air. Two new cookies entered through the swirling vortex, searching the room with quick speed. Black Sapphire and Candy Apple.
Their eyes darted towards the heroes within seconds, and looks of alarm consumed them once they spotted the crumbling blue form. "Master Shadow Milk Cookie!" They both shouted before dashing towards the fallen cookie.
"Oh no, not good. Not good," GingerBrave gasped once he saw the enraged gaze of Black Sapphire. He then watched as the showman raised his staff, making him jump with fright. "REALLY NOT GOOD!"
"Oh no you don't!" Wizard Cookie shouted. He rushed towards the front of the group and shot out a blast of electricity.
Black Sapphire brushed the electricity aside with a wave of his dark magic and continued forward with a flap of his wings. Candy Apple was practically seething with fury as she sprinted closer to the group. She brought out one of her candy apples and aimed to pound the wizard into the ground. "Get away from my precious Shadow Milk Cookie!"
GingerBrave, though, raced over in the last second and blocked the little one's attack with his candy cane. "Hey! Back away from my friends!" he demanded before shoving her back. Candy Apple growled, swinging her weapon more and more against the other cookie.
With her out of the way, Wizard Cookie was able to focus his attacks on Black Sapphire. He continued blasting beams of lightning to counteract the other's magic. Wizard Cookie tightened his grip on his staff, holding back the shivers of fear as the furious showman flung back each of his attacks and crept closer and closer. "Uh, I could use a little help over here!" he called out to his friends behind him. "I can't hold him back for long!"
"It's not working! My-My magic, it isn't-" Pure Vanilla panicked after the light from his staff flowed over the trembling Beast. Strawberry Cookie's insides twisted with even more unease as her attention drifted from the devastated look over her friend to the curled up, withering form of Shadow Milk. The pain-filled cries grew louder as Shadow Milk's hands moved towards the sides of his head. His howls synced along with the echoing groans of the Spire as the walls began to creak and sway.
Strawberry Cookie gripped the icing strings of her hoodie in an attempt to calm herself. "M-M-Maybe he's not injured. Maybe it's some magic thing or maybe-maybe-"
Shadow Milk could barely hear the chaos around him. His mind was too consumed by the constant roars from deep within his Soul Jam. Cries of outrage and pain, demanding that whatever was happening to him cease, but it wouldn't stop. His dough just kept getting hotter and hotter to the point he thought that this new body he just acquired was about to burst into flames any second. The very jam inside him felt like it was boiling, twisting, and bending until it seemed his limbs could possibly snap in two. The dark shadows of his eyelids soon lightened gradually while the heat of his dough continued, and that's when he finally started to hear the voices around him again.
"Shadow Milk Cookie- Shadow Milk!" Pure Vanilla cried. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I want to-I'm trying help but-"
"Don't listen to him, Master Shadow Milk! I swear we're coming! I'm coming to save you!" Candy Apple screamed before swinging her weapon faster and faster against GingerBrave's candy cane, who started to fumble from the weight of the sugary treat thrown his way. Strawberry Cookie, though, soon joined the fight and threw her sucker in Candy Apple's direction, allowing GingerBrave to catch his breath for half a second. He then dashed over to Wizard Cookie's side to help him.
Shadow Milk managed to crack an eye open from the many calls, and that's when he noticed it. He had thought the glow from behind his eyelids was simply the Ancient's magic, but instead, it was coming from a crack. A crack in his dough.
Shadow Milk froze. A chill ran over his body, despite the intense heat. The glow was coming from him, and it was spreading. More and more cracks sprouted over his body with crumbs of his new form falling onto the floor.
"Shadow Milk Cookie!" Pure Vanilla gasped. His hand that rested on the Beast's shoulder tightened in horror.
Shadow Milk stared at the sight. Dread fell to the pit of his stomach to the point he felt sick. Between that and agonizing fire over his body, he couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Then, slowly, a soft giggle slipped from his lips. "Wow, whaddaya know... Dark Enchantress Cookie did a real lousy job building me this body, heh."
A part of him revelled in how his words made Pure Vanilla seem to squirm, but the feeling was short lived, fleeting compared the heaviness weighing on him. Before he could accept his fate, though, he paused again. He took a second look at the cracks to notice that, despite the supposed crumbling, his form wasn't disappearing. Instead... there appeared to still be dough underneath.
Puzzlement filtered over Shadow Milk until his gaze trailed down to the dripping pieces of hair that fell over his shoulder.
His eyes soon doubled in size once he spotted something among the melting icing. Underneath the smeared eyes and shadows that slowly began to wash away from his hair was a frighteningly familiar sight. Texture that resembled the starry night skies above.
Shadow Milk's throat became dry before anger burst back to the surface. "No, no, no, no, not YOU! I never-never-" Shadow Milk trembled, fumbling back to his feet. Pure Vanilla moved to stop him, but the Beast was already floating away from his reach and back up into the air. "NEVER want to see YOUR face again! Get OUT! Get OUT OF MY BODY! YOU- YOU- ARGH!" Shadow Milk screamed as fire exploded over his form again. To match with the splitting of the floor, more light filtered over his cracking dough while pieces of the outer layer crumbled and flaked off.
"What's happening!?" Wizard Cookie exclaimed. He and the other cookies slowed their movements until the battle stopped altogether to stare up at the melting cookie above them.
"Master Shadow Milk Cookie!" the Beasts' minions cried out in horror as well.
Pure Vanilla remained still as a statue. He swallowed the sick feeling that twisted his insides and tightened his throat and took in the sight before him. Gradually, a new sense of clarity dawned over his features. He adjusted his staff to get a better look before the answer was laid out right in front of him. "He's... His body is... purifying."
"You mean, he's- He'll no longer be a Beast Cookie?!" GingerBrave gasped. He looked up and watched in slight awe for a few seconds. He then soon cringed when he heard yet another scream from the cookie above. "Is it... Is it usually this painful?"
"He must be resisting the transformation. We have to make sure it finishes!" Wizard Cookie announced in protest.
"Not on my watch," Black Sapphire growled. With another quick flap of his wings, the cookie shot up high into the air. His hands stretched out until he grabbed a hold of his master's shoulders, hovering right in front of him. "Master Shadow Milk, please, you have to fight this!" he shouted over the growing tremors of the Spire. "Don't believe these cookies' trickery. You're still the Master of Deceit! Remember your dream. Your dream to consume all of Earthbread in your lies and illusions."
"He's right! Don't believe them! They want you to change when you're absolutely perfect just the way you are!" Candy Apple called out from below as she raced closer to her master, jumping over cracks in the marble.
"Hey! You're saying we're tricking him when you're pushing him to your side just as much!" Wizard Cookie argued.
"Yeah! If he's transforming back, then that means he wants to change back into a good cookie!" GingerBrave announced with a hand on his hip. His resolve, though, faltered once his gaze lingered back on the crumbling form of the Beast yet again. His brow creased with a knot of worry lodging in his chest. "... R-Right?" he asked before turning his attention to Pure Vanilla.
"SHUT UP! You're the ones who are trying to control him! You lousy, bland, good for nothing pieces of dough!" Candy Apple screeched before taking out one of her candy apples yet again. Despite her outrage, tears pricked the corners of her icing-filled eyes. "I won't let you take my precious Shadow Milk from ME!" She charged forward, nearly hitting her targets, until Strawberry Cookie blocked her attack once again.
Shadow Milk gritted his teeth. Shivers consumed his icing and made him crumble further and further. The shouts and arguments, though, soon made both the glowing cracks in his dough and the trembling of the tower stop. The cracking dough paused just long enough for Shadow Milk to let out one loud scream in pure frustration. "SHUT! IT! SHUT IT! ALL OF YOU!" he cried out as he slipped out of Black Sapphire's hold.
Shadow Milk finally opened his eyes, taking in the distorted colors and blurriness in his vision. There appeared to be three Black Sapphires in front of him, all looking at him with a knitted brow of unhidden concern, which was surprising for the showman. Shadow Milk hesitated for only a second from seeing the broken look of his minion before growling in further outrage. "You... ALL OF YOU just want me to be your puppet. Your little puppet. Play my itty bitty, yet oh so so so important part, hahaha," he spoke with such strain. His words puzzled the other cookies, but Shadow Milk continued to giggle regardless as if he was the only one left in the room. Tears welled up in his gaze, and his eyelids soon drooped with newfound heaviness.
Past memories began to resurface, whirling through his mind and torturing him. Memories he had buried long, long ago. It caused the Beast's smile to stretch to an unnatural level. He turned his frightening gaze down towards the rest of the cookies, yet he seemed to be almost staring right through them. Like they weren't really even there. More giggles erupted over the jester's mouth as he rambled on, clutching the side of his head while his vision blurred further. "Play my part, play my part! Do my duty, spread my power, and give it to ungrateful, PATHETIC cookies, who don't deserve to even LIVE ON THIS PLANET!"
"Shadow Milk Cookie!" The Beast stopped. He snapped his head around, and turned his full attention onto the Ancient, who remained to be the only cookie left with enough courage to speak.
The Beast's face twisted into a pure scowl, sharp teeth gritting with barely contained emotions. "YOU, OH! Oh, I bet you're just LOVING this!" he shouted, seemingly regaining some of his senses and awareness of the present moment. His razor fangs then flashed into a cruel grin once again, causing a chill to wrap itself around each and every other cookie in the room. The Beast flew closer to Pure Vanilla until he remained only a foot above him. "Finally ridding yourself of the Beast once and for ALL!"
Pure Vanilla's brow pinched before his frown grew too. He opened his eyes once more to stare right at the other cookie. Sorrow consumed his features. His shoulders dropped low. "Shadow Milk..." he muttered, studying the Beast's expression and processing his words. "What do you want?"
Shadow Milk flinched. He tensed from hearing the other's tender question. "W-What?"
Tears welled up in Pure Vanilla's gaze while his grip tightened around his staff. "What do you want?" He repeated, gaining back some volume in his tone. "Don't think about any of the other cookies in this room. Just... tell me what you want right now in this moment."
Silence cut through the room. A heaviness settled into the air and froze every cookie in their place. Everyone else just simply stared and watched the two elders as their entire focus remained on each other. Shadow Milk's mind became blank as his chest rose and fell with quick breaths. His large eyes stayed glued on Pure Vanilla, who was stunned into silence himself. The Ancient's words rang through Shadow Milk's mind once again like an irritating yet harmonious sound that struck him right through his core over and over.
There were so many things he wanted. Needed. Deserved. So many voices clamored for his attention inside both his head and even Soul Jam, demanding for him to take action. To simply crumble every cookie in this room and be done with this whole matter entirely.
Yet... once again... He did not have the energy, nor care to do such things. Likely because, there was one single thought that spoke louder than the rest, overpowering all of his senses.
Shadow Milk focused back down at the Ancient Cookie. As the seconds ticked by, the pillars holding up the ceiling trembled and swayed while the floor continued splitting like hard candy.
The majority of the cookies began to grow wary, crying out their desire to leave or fear of being crumbled. Even Pure Vanilla broke eye contact for a few seconds to keep his balance from the shaky ground beneath his dough, but by the time he looked up again, he gasped. The glowing cracks over the Beast were spreading once again, much faster than before.
"Master Shadow Milk Cookie!" Black Sapphire & Candy Apple cried over the chaos in the room.
While he would never admit to nor ever want to show it, tears pricked the corners of Shadow Milk's eyes when he heard the desperation in his minions' call. Yet, of course, the one to spot his tears was the literal glowing cookie, who refused to take his eyes off him even now. With his staff pointed upward, Pure Vanilla's eyes grew twice their size, carrying a sense of brokenness too. A level of fear for the Beast cookie's well being that Shadow Milk had never witnessed from any other soul before.
One last chuckle slipped out from Shadow Milk while more bits of his hair dripped and spilled onto the floor below in large pools. "What I want... right now..." he muttered, pondering the question a second more. As the glowing light and heat of his dough consumed his vision and consciousness all together, he settled on that one single thought that spoke louder than ever before.
I want... to be free.
A flash of light exploded over the room, blinding every cookie, followed by a sickening crack of dough.
Everything settled once the light dimmed. The Spire remained standing, and a new yet faintly familiar face appeared where the crumbled dough once remained. Before any other cookie could take in the sight, though, they noticed that the fresh figure could no longer carry the strength to hold himself up with magic, leaving him to plummet faster towards the ground...
Leaving every single cookie left to panic.