Chapter Text
“Now for the final question!” The Beast’s voice echoed everywhere, above, below, and maybe even within their own minds. White Lily’s friends dangled from puppet strings high, high, high, above. They struggled and fought with all their might, but the threads would not give.
“What will the new Guardian of the Seal choose… Saving her little friends or defeating Shadow Milk Cookie?!” The Beast appeared from the shadows before them, blocking the way to the tree. He loomed over them, a giant grin spread across his face as if he already knew what was going to happen next.
Of course, because he rigged the odds in his favor.
“The correct answer is… Well, why don't you come on stage and see it for yourself?!” He cackled, a delighted look in his mismatched gaze. “A warm round of applause for our new star please!” The sound of cheers and clapping from a nonexistent audience manifested, and White Lily Cookie couldn’t help but find it mocking.
“Everyone…!” She felt her heart twist as she watched the threads entangle her friends’ limbs.
The children called to one another in fear. Gingerbrave tried reaching his hands out to Strawberry Cookie and Wizard Cookie, but the two were too far out of reach. Wizard Cookie was doing everything he could to keep his staff from being snatched away from him. Meanwhile, Strawberry Cookie had retreated as far into her sweater as she could.
Pure Vanilla Cookie was putting up the biggest struggle out of all of them. Though it seemed the strings tired of him trying to ruin the game, and not only was his staff yanked away, but the strings also began to constrict like a serpent. The crushing force elicited a pained sound from the Ancient Hero, making White Lily’s panic escalate even more.
“The rules couldn't be simpler! The moment you make a move to attack me, Shadow Milk Cookie, the necks of your precious little friends will crumble to dust!” The Beast cackled. “On the other hand, should you decide to free your friends, they will be saved immediately! But, alas! Their lives will come… At a cost to you!”
She had to choose.
She only had one chance.
What should she choose…?
“Your dream was to build a better world…” The Elder’s voice whispered in her mind. Somehow, some way, despite all the lies and illusions that had blanketed the Faerie Kingdom, she knew this voice was Real. “A heart that beats for all of Cookiekind… Is also a heart that beats for one’s friends….”
“A heart that beats for one’s friends…” White Lily whispered to the empty air. “...Is a heart that beats for all Cookiekind.”
In a brilliant flash of light, her new power manifested. The scent of lilies overwhelmed the sour scent that had permeated the air since Shadow Milk Cookie’s arrival.
“Ooooh, finally! I see you’ve made up your mind!” Shadow Milk Cookie’s grin grew wider.
“White Lily Cookie…?!” Silverbell Cookie’s wings shuddered in awe.
“That power…!!!” Mercurial Knight Cookie’s shock caused him to muster enough energy to stand despite his injuries.
Save her friends and forsake the world? Or forsake her friends to keep the world safe?
White Lily Cookie decided to choose option three.
She couldn’t help but feel a distinct sense of deja vu. Here she was, standing in the same place she had been all that time ago. Here she was, once more giving her all to save this kingdom; one of the few places she could truly call home. Here she was, once more sealing the Tree with a single decisive swing of her staff.
Shadow Milk Cookie, ever the egotist, assumed that her spell was going straight for him.
Only to be crushingly disappointed as her attack circumvented him and headed straight for the Tree.
“NO!” He roared, and for a terrifying second White Lily was afraid that the puppet strings would crush her friends right then and there.
Instead, they dissolved, releasing Pure Vanilla and the children to safety.
In an instant, it was over. The Silver Tree shined once more with brilliance as the seal, once corrupted by Dark Enchantress, was renewed. The oppressive aura that had arrived with the Beast of Deceit was reduced to nothing.
“You… YOU…!!!” Shadow Milk Cookie hissed and growled, his voice distorting and warbling as his soul was losing its grip on their world. “I only gave you two choices…!!!”
A vine snaked forward from the tree and with a swift strike, it constricted the corrupt spirit. A fitting outcome after his previous treatment of White Lily’s friends. He shrieked in anger, kicking, flailing, and clawing at the vine that began to drag him back into his prison. In this moment, he was more akin to a wild animal than a Cookie. Twisting his body and limbs at odd and sickening angles to try to find some sort of leverage to free himself.
White Lily Cookie cringed at the disturbing display and moved to shield the children’s gazes.
“It’s okay…” She said with a gentle smile. There were happy tears in Strawberry Cookie’s eyes. Gingerbrave looked up at her as if she had hung the moon itself. Wizard Cookie, ever curious, tilted his head to try to see the horrifying display behind her. “It’s over. Everyone is safe–-”
But in that moment, both Ancient Heroes made a grave mistake.
They turned their backs to the enemy.
“How dare you ruin…” Shadow Milk Cookie spat, suddenly sounding closer than he had been a moment prior. “...MY MOMENT!!!”
“Look out!” Wizard Cookie, the only one who had kept his eyes on Shadow Milk Cookie, tackled Pure Vanilla Cookie’s midsection. He might have been small, but his surprise shove was enough to knock the Hero of Truth off balance and force him to take the few precious steps needed to save his life.
Shadow Milk Cookie had used the last of his strength to lunge forward and make a grab for Pure Vanilla.
But, instead of grabbing up the Ancient Hero… His fingers wrapped around the tiny Wizard instead. A sickening 'crack!' echoed throughout the clearing, causing everyone present to cringe.
“WIZARD COOKIE!” Gingerbrave and Strawberry Cookie reached for their friend, but their hands fell short as Wizard was snatched up. His hat and staff were lost, plummeting to the ground as he was whisked away.
With an enraged roar, Shadow Milk Cookie was dragged back into the Silver Tree.
And Wizard Cookie had been taken with him.
Shadow Milk Cookie’s illusory realm all but vanished in an instant. The Faerie Cookies who had been under the Beast’s thrall returned to their senses. The flowers bloomed, the birds sang, all of nature seemed to be celebrating as the world once more became balanced…
But what should have been a moment of revere and congratulations among the Cookies gathered, remained silent.
The silence was broken by Gingerbrave falling to his knees.
“WIZARD COOKIEEEEEEE…!!!”
The ambient sound of joyful celebration within the kingdom served as unfitting background noise for White Lily Cookie’s troubled thoughts.
She had grown rather fond of this bridge during her extended stay with the Faeries all those years ago. The water was always so peaceful, and the scent of flowers always helped clear her head.
They had lost so much today…
Elder Faerie Cookie and Wizard Cookie.
Gingerbrave and Strawberry Cookie were completely distraught. She had seen the children earlier amidst the party-goers. Strawberry Cookie was entirely reluctant to participate in the celebration. She only sat on a bench, clutching Wizard Cookie’s hat as if she were afraid it would vanish just as quickly as he did. She refused to make eye contact, refused to speak… She probably wouldn’t even be eating if it weren’t for Gingerbrave constantly bringing her fae-made treats to try.
Speaking of Gingerbrave, he was participating in the festivities, but he only left Strawberry’s side for moments at a time. He kept trying to talk to her, to cheer her up, to try to alleviate her pain, and to get her to have a little bit of fun. However, it was clear to any cookie watching that he was hurting just as much as her. His refusal to part ways with Wizard Cookie’s staff was all the proof that was needed.
They had lost so much today…
“You seem troubled,” Pure Vanilla Cookie commented from where he had appeared behind her. He always knew when she needed him most…
“There has to be… something we can do…” White Lily Cookie said, voice laced with deep-seated concern. “Surely, he is still alive…? But to get him out would mean to break the Seal. But we can’t just leave a child in the hands of that monster--! ” She brought a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound of her voice cracking. Terrifying images of what might be currently happening to their smallest friend flashed through her mind. They made her heart squeeze with fear and grief.
“At the moment… I am not sure how to proceed other than trying to get in contact with our allies in Crispia…” Pure Vanilla stood next to her, watching the way the lights glimmered off the water’s surface. “Shadow Milk Cookie and his kin hold no regard for life other than their own. I am unsure whether or not the Beast of Deceit took his wrath out on Wizard Cookie immediately after being sealed away again. But…”
He gently took White Lily’s free hand in his own and held it firmly. His warmth already alleviated White Lily’s fears.
“I swear to you and the children, that if Wizard Cookie does still breathe, I will do everything in my power to get him back.” His eyes held such hope, that White Lily Cookie knew he meant every word.
Forsake the world and open the Seal to save Wizard Cookie?
Or keep the world safe and leave a child to a fate never meant for him?
In the garden created by the fae, overseen by the light of the full moon, White Lily Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie promised to find their Option Three.
Wizard Cookie stirred as consciousness returned to him in waves.
What happened? When had he passed out…?
“Little cookie…”
His entire midsection ached and the sensation made him squirm in discomfort. He remembered an almost crushing force closing around him just before things went dark. It had hurt. A lot.
“Oh, little cookie~”
A chill ran through Wizard Cookie’s dough, more from an oppressive aura nearby than the cold within whatever chamber he was in. It was similar to how it felt before he and his friends had escaped the Witch, a threatening aura that screamed danger whenever it was nearby. And this one felt as if it were right on top of him, ready to pounce.
“It’s time to wake up now…”
He felt something poke his sore midsection and cringed. He tried to wiggle away but found his limbs restricted.
What…?
“I said, WAKE UP!” A sharp jab knocked the wind out of Wizard Cookie. He snapped awake with a startled yelp and instinctively tried to curl into a ball to protect his damaged torso.
He was suspended high in the air on puppet strings, the force of the jab sent him swinging back and forth like a pendulum over a bottomless void. He was hit with a wave of vertigo at the sight and panicked, suddenly afraid of falling. Wizard Cookie uselessly kicked his feet to try to find any sort of purchase, but this only succeeded in causing him to swing more which in turn only caused him to panic more.
“What’s going on?!” Wizard Cookie exclaimed, his eyes darted around to try to find anything familiar. “Wh-Where am I?!”
He hadn’t been expecting a response.
“Oh, you silly silly little thing! Do you really not remember what happened?” A familiar voice giggled in the dark. It came from the left, then the right, then above and behind. Wizard Cookie uselessly turned his head to try to find where the voice was coming from, only to be met with nothing.
When it looked like Wizard’s momentum was finally dying, he was nudged again from behind to get him swinging again, much to his chagrin.
“I-I remember… White Lily Cookie casting that spell to reseal the Silver Tree…” Wizard Cookie scrunched his eyes closed in an attempt to help him pull his frazzled thoughts together. “And then… And then I pushed Pure Vanilla Cookie out of the way of an attack. But after that things get all… Fuzzy.”
There was a pause.
“Am I dead?” The last thing he remembered before blacking out was a lot of pain, so it seemed only reasonable to assume he had met his demise.
This question startled a roll of cackling laughter from the shadows. “Dead?! Oh heavens no!”
Wizard Cookie paled as Shadow Milk Cookie’s massive form emerged before him. Despite the cheerful smile on the King of Deceit’s face, his eyes held no warmth. The small cookie trembled as the Beast’s mismatched eyes fixed him under their gaze, making him feel as if he had been pinned under a microscope.
“But I’m going to make you wish you were.”