Chapter Text
It all happened so suddenly..
Just as Shadow Milk Cookie flew towards Pure Vanilla Cookie, he broke the soul jam that was once his, breaking the bond that the two once had. A loud and feral growl emitted from Shadow Milk Cookie, his face having a permanent scrowl on it, his sharp teeth grinding together in unimaginable frustration.
The entire spire had been engulfed in a bright golden glow, causing all of the cookies from within to cover their eyes from the harsh light.
The golden light surged outward, radiating from Pure Vanilla Cookie’s very core. It was overwhelming, causing Shadow Milk Cookie to snarl, stumbling mid-air as the energy seared through him, a sensation both foreign and infuriating.
“ No. . no, no, no! ” he bellowed, his hands flexing as if he could grasp the light and crush it between the pads of the dough. But it was too late. The bond had shattered. The hold he had over Pure Vanilla’s soul jam was gone, and with it, the last remnants of control he had clung to.
Shadow Milk’s irritated and enraged expression automatically dropped down into one of pure awe when his had finally vision adjusted, the golden light dimming down just so much that he could now take in the form of the cookie in front of him.
Pure Vanilla Cookie stood at the center of the light, his form no longer fragile, no longer trembling beneath the weight of deception and doubt. His robes, once dulled by shadow and despair, now shimmered with an ethereal glow, each fold of fabric now moving like liquid gold.
His flower staff, the very emblem of his power, pulsed with newfound brilliance. The gemstone that used to have blue eyes decorating it now was replaced by a bright sun that swirled in its place.
Shadow Milk Cookie could only stare.
For a moment, his rage had been stripped away, leaving nothing but raw, unfiltered awe. He had became quite fond of the symbol of truth, the one who carries the other half of his soul jam like it’s his. Hell, he even managed to corrupt his soul jam himself.
But, now, he looked untouchable.
The golden light around him was not the gentle warmth of a flickering candle, nor the delicate shimmer of morning’s first light. No—this was something far more radiant, something that demanded to be seen, to be felt. It was blinding, and overwhelming, and yet Shadow Milk Cookie could not look away.
His fingers twitched, instinct begging him to reach forward, to grasp at the strands of light curling around Pure Vanilla’s form, as if doing so would confirm that this was real—that he was real. But he did not move.
He could not. Pure Vanilla Cookie’s golden eyes met his, and Shadow Milk Cookie felt his breath catch in his throat.
There was no fear there. No hesitation. No remnants of the broken, helpless thing he had tormented in the abyss.
This was something new. Something stronger.
Shadow Milk Cookie swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“ You. . . ” His voice came out quieter than he intended, almost breathless. The eyes within his hair darted wildly, each one absorbing the golden glow that surrounded Pure Vanilla Cookie. His own body betrayed him—his gaze softened, his claws flexing—caught between instinctive rage and something far more unsettling.
This wasn’t the Pure Vanilla Cookie he had spent so long tormenting, unraveling thread by delicate thread within his web of lies.
This wasn’t the fragile thing he had dragged into the Dark Side of the Moon with him inside of his soul jam, the one who trembled beneath his whispers, who questioned his own truth.
This was something new. Something stronger.
And it set his very being alight with frustration.
“ You. . Traitor! ” he hissed, his voice gaining back some of its usual venom, though it wavered at the edges. He forced himself forward, inching closer despite the way his own shadows recoiled from the oppressive warmth.
“ You liar! You little . .! ” The Beast Cookie couldn’t even speak due to how infuriated he was with Pure Vanilla, being extremely close to pulling at his hair just to calm himself down.
The words felt wrong the moment they left his lips, but he refused to take them back.
Pure Vanilla Cookie simply watched him, his golden gaze unreadable, unwavering. His presence did not press down on Shadow Milk Cookie with hostility, nor did it carry the weight of vengeance. It was simply there —radiant, undeniable, a truth that could not be twisted.
Shadow Milk Cookie’s breath quickened, his hair rising even more as if grasping for something, anything to latch onto. He knew he should strike. Should lunge, should do something before this feeling swallowed him whole. The longer he stood there, staring into the light, the harder it became to convince himself to move.
Because in that moment, despite everything—despite the rage, the bitterness. . he could not deny the thought that whispered throughout the very edges of his mind.
' He’s beautiful. '
And that realization left him more breathless than the light ever could. Shadow Milk Cookie didn’t even realize that his hair had flattened back out, the eyes now looking less strained from what they had been a minute ago. The tension in his body had loosened, just enough for doubt to slip through the cracks.
For the first time, he wasn’t baring his teeth in anger. Wasn’t laughing in mockery. Wasn’t seething with venomous and deceiving words ready to spill from his lips.
He was just watching.
Pure Vanilla Cookie still stood in the center of the golden light, unshaken, unyielding. It should have made him furious—should have stoked the fire in his chest, should have sent him lunging forward with his claws bared, ready to strike at the Ancient Cookie for even thinking of trying to trick him like this again. And yet . .
He felt small beneath that glow. Shadow Milk let out a growl of some sort, muttering something under his breath when he realized what he was doing, even what he was thinking about, was extremely and utterly dumb. His stance shifted, causing Pure Vanilla to tilt his head slightly, watching him with that same unwavering calm.
The movement was subtle, but Shadow Milk Cookie felt it—felt the way the Ancient’s golden gaze followed him, like he was truly seeing him. Not as an enemy. Not as a shadow of his former self. But as. . something else.
That realization made his jaw tighten.
His fingers twitched, itching to lash out, to reclaim some sense of control. But every time he tried to summon his anger—to remind himself why he was here, why he hated Pure Vanilla Cookie, his mind kept dragging him back to that moment.
The moment his vision adjusted, when the golden light had finally settled, and he had seen Pure Vanilla in his awakened form.
From that exact moment, he had thought — no, realized — how beautiful he was.
Shadow Milk let out a low growl, dragging a clawed hand down his face as if that would somehow scrub the thought from his mind.
Pure Vanilla, who had been standing in front of him for over a couple minutes, raised an eyebrow, his stance still relaxed while he waited for the Beast of Deceit’s next move.
Not long after, Shadow Milk Cookie grabbed hold of his hair, pulling at the tendrils in irritation as he hovered higher above the ground, his eyes clenched shut as he let out a roar, one that didn’t sound like any noise he had made in front of Pure Vanilla before.
His eyes grew wide when he opened them, glaring down at the Ancient Cookie, grinding his teeth together as he felt his hair rise in his grasp.
“ I WILL DESTROY YOU!! “
Pure Vanilla Cookie did not flinch, holding his staff protectively in front of him.
The golden light surrounding him flickered in response to the sheer force of Shadow Milk Cookie’s roar, but it did not wane. It did not cower, did not yield. It remained just as steady as it was when he first changed into this new form.
Shadow Milk Cookie’s breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling with the weight of his fury. His grip on his own hair tightened, sharp claws trembling against the strands that writhed in response to his boiling frustration.
The Beast of Deceit flew forward, his sharp teeth on full display as he bum-rushed the cookie in front of him, only for a gust of white light to hit his form.
Pure Vanilla stood tall, letting out a breath after the fight that had shaken the very foundations of the spire. The golden glow around him slowly softened, no longer a blinding radiance but a gentle warmth that pulsed with the steady rhythm of his breath.
Shadow Milk Cookie lay a short distance away, his body trembled with every breath, his vision blurred at the edges from exhaustion, frustration, and something else he refused to name. His stance, once full of confidence, now wavered.
His entire form felt heavy, as though the very light that had repelled him now pressed down on his shoulders, suffocating yet strangely. . . grounding.
The blue aura that surrounded his form clung to his dough, flickering erratically, twisting and writhing as if they were alive, uncertain whether to solidify or melt into the ground.
His hair, once flowing with grace, now lay tangled and erratic, the eyes within it blinking unevenly—some sluggish, some squeezing shut as if recoiling from the radiance before them.
Thick, inky tendrils curled and frayed at the ends, dripping black goop onto the stone floor beneath him. The puddles pulsed, shifting with his ragged breathing, as though his very essence, his being, was struggling to hold itself together.
Yet his grip on his staff remained ironclad. His claws dug into it, pressing down so hard that cracks threatened to form along its surface. Even as his strength wavered, even as his mind teetered on the edge of something he couldn't fully comprehend, his grip did not loosen. Because if he let go—
If he let go, then what would be left of him?
His glare burned into Pure Vanilla, but it lacked the same raw hatred it had carried before. His breathing was uneven, chest rising and falling in sharp, ragged bursts. He was struggling—not just physically, but internally, fighting against something that had rooted itself deep inside him.
Something that had started the moment he saw that light.
The warmth in Pure Vanilla’s gaze did not waver. He simply stood there, watching, waiting.
Shadow Milk’s lips curled in frustration, his teeth grinding together so hard it hurt. His claws flexed against the staff, his body twitching as if debating whether to attack or retreat.
But he did neither. His body ached, his dough felt heavy, and the remnants of the attacks still lingered in his chest—not painful, not burning, but… warm. Too warm.
Pure Vanilla took a cautious step forward. His staff, still pulsing with golden energy, hovered at his side. He did not lower his guard, but there was no malice in his stance.
Shadow Milk let out a shuddering breath, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out.
Pure Vanilla stopped just a few steps away, his golden eyes steady as they met Shadow Milk’s own. “ It’s over, Shadow Milk Cookie. . ” he said, voice as calm as ever. The snarl that came from the Beast’s throat was low, rumbling from deep within his chest. His grip on his staff tightened until his claws dug into the smooth surface, the cracks along it splintering further.
The sheer patience in Pure Vanilla’s voice made his insides twist—not with rage, not with hatred, but something deeper, something he didn’t dare name.
His entire form trembled, his shadows writhing at his feet, curling around his legs like restless serpents. His hair, still disheveled and erratic, twitched with irritation, the blinking eyes within them narrowing.
Even now, even as his body threatened to collapse beneath the weight of exhaustion, of that light, he couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand how Pure Vanilla still looked at him without fear.
Like he was something worth reaching out to.
Shadow Milk’s jaw clenched, his fangs bared as he forced himself to his full height, his form shaking as he stood. Even as his body protested, even as his breath came in uneven bursts, he refused to let himself look small.
His voice came out rough, edged with something unsteady. “ D-Don’t talk to me like that. . ”
Pure Vanilla’s expression remained unchanged. “ Like what exactly? ”
“ Like— ” Shadow Milk’s breath hitched, his fingers twitching against his staff, his hair swaying and sharpening, the goop from them now dripping down onto his bodysuit, causing the cookie to tense at the odd texture that felt foreign to him. His glare sharpened, but it wasn’t as steady as before. “ Like I need your pity . ”
Pure Vanilla exhaled softly. “ It’s not pity. ”
Shadow Milk’s entire body tensed. His mind screamed at him to lunge, to lash out, to do something —but he was still frozen in place. His body wouldn’t move, wouldn’t listen, and it infuriated him. His own instincts, the ones that had kept him fighting for so long, were failing him now.
The golden glow around Pure Vanilla hadn’t faded, but it was softer now, pulsing gently like a heartbeat. It wasn’t blinding anymore. It wasn’t overwhelming. Shadow Milk began to laugh softly before it crescendoed into something that sounded more hysterical than what his laughs normally sounded like.
His laughter echoed through the spire, raw and jagged. His shoulders shook, his fingers twitching against his staff as his body trembled with the force of it. The eyes within his hair blinked erratically, some squeezing shut while others darted around wildly, uncertain, unsettled.
“ This . . HAH.! ” He gasped between his laughter, baring his sharp teeth in a twisted grin. “ This is ridiculous! ” His voice wavered, uneven, cracking in places he hadn’t meant for it to.
He took a staggering step back, but his own body betrayed him—his knees nearly buckling beneath him. His laughter faltered for just a second, but he forced it out again, louder, more unhinged, like if he could just laugh hard enough, he could drown out the warmth still curling inside his chest.
Pure Vanilla stood still, unshaken, watching. That only made it worse.
Shadow Milk’s fingers curled so tightly around his staff that his claws dug into the surface, splintering the wood further. “ You— ” His breath came out in a harsh exhale, his laughter finally dying down into something breathless, something strained. His throat burned.
His entire form ached. “ You think—what? That this little show of yours is enough to— what , exactly? Fix me? Make me fall to my knees and weep? Beg for forgiveness? ”
Pure Vanilla did not answer right away. His golden eyes remained steady, unwavering. “ No, ” he said simply. “ That’s not what I want. ”
Shadow Milk’s stomach twisted. His smirk wavered. His eyes, glowing cyan and cerulean with barely restrained fury, flickered with something else. Something more fragile. More real. The golden light pulsed again, steady, patient.
Shadow Milk felt his form twitch as warmth brushed against him once more, not pushing, not forcing—just existing.
He let out a low, shuddering breath, his hair falling around his face, the remaining eyes within them blinking slowly, their erratic movements stilled. His fingers twitched, then relaxed—only slightly. His smirk had faded entirely now, leaving something else in its wake.
Something lost.
Something exhausted.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was quiet. “ . . .Then, what do you want, Pure Vanilla? ”
Pure Vanilla’s expression softened, just barely, the weight of Shadow Milk’s words settling between them. The way his name left the Beast’s lips had sounded uncertain, quiet, almost hesitant.
It wasn’t spat out with venom, nor was it laced with mockery or deceit. It was unfiltered, the usual playful and cocky tone of his voice completely disappearing.
For a moment, he said nothing. He simply observed Shadow Milk Cookie, the way his body sagged ever so slightly, the fight draining out of him in waves, leaving behind something brittle, something uncertain.
“ I want to understand, ” Pure Vanilla repeated, his voice gentle, unwavering. “ I want to understand you. ”
Shadow Milk Cookie clenched his teeth, his claws digging into his bodysuit, causing the dough underneath the fabric to throb and sting. His chest tightened, the warmth lingering far longer than he wanted it to.
He had spent so long weaving lies, masking himself in theatrics and deception and now, being under Pure Vanilla’s steady gaze, every layer felt like it was peeling away, leaving him bare, and exposed.
His lips parted as if to say something—anything to break the silence, to push away the weight pressing down on him—but no words came. Instead, another sound slipped through.
A shuddering breath.
He hated this. Hated the way his body refused to obey him, how the exhaustion clung to his very being like a sickness he couldn’t shake. He was the Beast of Deceit, the Cookie of Knowledge, now the embodiment of chaos. He wasn’t supposed to be the one faltering, that had never been an option for him.
He had built himself this whole persona, one that he perfected to the last-minute detail, but it all just crumbled in front of the new holder of his soul jam like it didn’t even matter. Yet, here he was.
The sound that left Shadow Milk Cookie’s mouth not long after was somewhere between a laugh and a gasp, ragged and uneven. His shoulders shook, whether from exhaustion or frustration—he couldn’t tell anymore.
His own laugh sounded foreign to him, broken and brittle, nothing like the amused sneers or delighted cackles he usually wielded like weapons. It was hollow, empty, devoid of its usual confidence.
“ Heh. . ” he forced out again, this time louder, as if trying to reclaim some semblance of himself, some sliver of control. His breath was uneven, his cyan and cerulean eyes flickering wildly. “ Do you — do you even hear yourself!? Do you even realize what you’re saying? ”
His hands twitched at his sides, his claws flexing. His entire body felt too heavy, too weak, and the sheer vulnerability of it made his skin crawl.
“ Why would you deliberately want to understand me? ” he spat, though the usual venom wasn’t there. “ There is nothing to understand! ” He clenched his fists, his claws digging into his palms, the sharp edges leaving trails of tension.
His hair flared up again, the eyes within them opening wide, pupils dilating with unspoken emotion. “ What about your good for nothing friends?! Fighting me won’t bring them back. . ! “
Pure Vanilla didn’t recoil, didn’t shrink away like so many others had before. He simply watched, steady and unmoving, his golden eyes reflecting something Shadow Milk couldn’t place. Just as Shadow Milk said this, the sound of footsteps echoed in the distance, interrupting the fragile silence between them.
The heavy sound of steps grew louder, and for a moment, Shadow Milk Cookie's gaze flickered to the side, his tension spiking as he waited for the next attack, the next threat .
“ Pure Vanilla Cookie! “ Shadow Milk Cookie’s expression freezes, his eyes darting to the scene of GingerBrave, Wizard, and Strawberry Cookie coming to Pure Vanilla’s side, relieved to see that their friend is fine and out of the Beast Cookie’s control.
His eyes snapped back to Pure Vanilla, his claws still clenched, the tremors in his hands threatening to overtake him as his gaze flickered between the Ancient Cookie and his friends.
“ My Friends! I’m so glad you’re alright! ” GingerBrave’s voice rang out with relief as he reached Pure Vanilla’s side, his usual cheerfulness tainted by the weight of the situation.
Strawberry Cookie’s gentle smile flickered with the same sense of warmth, while Wizard Cookie stood with a guarded expression, his sharp eyes constantly darting between the two cookies.
Shadow Milk Cookie’s chest tightened at the sight. The connection between Pure Vanilla and his friends was so. . . real. So warm.
A stark contrast to the cold, bitter isolation that Shadow Milk had clung to for so long. And there they were, standing together, a united front— and he was on the outside of it all .
The trembling in his hands became more pronounced. His claws dug deeper into his palms, but he didn’t care. It was as if the pain was the only thing that kept him grounded in the moment.
Watching them made Shadow Milk feel something foreign. Something that made his chest ache with a deep, gnawing at his heart in a way that made him stiffen, not being able to ignore how it was making him feel. They were so alive, so full of warmth, standing together with a sense of belonging that he could never seem to reach.
Their bond was so undeniable, so natural—and he was nothing but an outsider, watching from the edges, feeling that connection slip further and further from his grasp.
His breath became erratic as the emotions inside him twisted, spiraling out of control. Anger. Desperation.
Loneliness. All those things collided in a way that left him gasping for air, as though the very weight of them threatened to crush him.
The scene made him think back to when he used to be with his friends. He hadn’t been with them besides being inside of the Silver Tree in eons. But, now, it was different. The pain was sharper than ever.
' Why did they have to make it look so easy? '