Chapter Text
“My fire’s not leaving a single scorch on her!” Fire Spirit Cookie yells, exasperated.
The task to stop Dark Enchantress from causing chaos and possibly causing the end to all Cookies is a big one, they all know that. Yet it seems that no matter what they do, she remains active, cackles showing no signs of weakening. If she’s affected by anything they’re doing, she doesn’t show it.
“Just keep attacking,” Millennial Tree responds. Sweat drips down his dough, yet he remains fixated on the target. Fire Spirit wipes at his own forehead and then sends more fire her way. The explosions from their attacks send dust and wind gusting towards the Ancients, who are paralyzed, unable to move under Dark Enchantress’s spell.
Pure Vanilla’s vision began to blur. Straining, he looks to both sides of himself to see the other Ancients in the same condition, faces pressed with determination that is falling short. Dark Enchantress’s cackles ring through the battlefield, a determined, menacing shrill. It seems to drown out everything else.
Must… move…
His magic is not strong enough. Not for what they are facing.
Pure Vanilla’s vision begins to blur, from strain and exhaustion. If only he could do something…
He notices something out of the corner of his eye. It’s so subtle that Pure Vanilla doesn’t notice it at first, but he wills himself to focus. Right above Dark Enchantress’s view appears an intricately patterned circle of green. It looks like a spell. And woven throughout it….
Lilies.
Almost a second later the circle opens, blinding light emanating from its release of a cookie. A cookie Pure Vanilla knows all too well. One he hasn’t seen since…
White Lily Cookie.
She does not hesitate in her actions, immediately willing her staff to send a striking blow to Dark Enchantress’s body, to which she keels over from.
“Agh...! What… did… you do to me?!” Dark Enchantress’s voice is hoarse. She’s angry, it’s obvious as such, yet she can’t seem to recover. Her hands rush to the targeted area—her chest—and she tries to stop the black, inky blood from pouring out, though it is to no avail. The damage is done, and Dark Enchantress is distracted. Her pained groans rumble through the battlefield.
The Legendary Cookies, surprised by her entrance, look to White Lily for instructions. It’s obvious enough she has a plan. Her face is stern as she nods to them.
“Continue to distract her. My spell has weakened her, but it will not last. We need as much time as possible.”
The Legendaries acknowledge her command, and continue their attacks.
“Let’s crush this wannabe!” Fire Spirit yells, immediately charging for Dark Enchantress again. The other Legendary Cookies follow suit, using a mixture of ranged and close-combat attacks.
Pure Vanilla cranes his neck to watch the scene unfolding even closer, eyes fixed on White Lily. Wait—he can move. The spell has faded, he thinks.
Pure Vanilla takes a step forward, tension leaving his body and relief flooding in turn. The other Ancients, watching him out of the corner of their eyes, do the same, immediately getting into a prepared stance.
Pure Vanilla can only watch as White Lily propels herself forward towards them with her magic, gliding through the air. She lands a few feet in front of them. Pure Vanilla is stunned still with emotion, there’s so much he needs to say.
“White Lily—”
“There is no time,” she said, rushed. “I’m sorry. But there is something we must do, and quick.” She looks to each Ancient, whose faces all hold some form of surprise within them. Then she speaks.
“During my travels, I discovered a book that details the nature of the Soul Jams, the ones the Virtues held before they corrupted,” she explains. “It was old enough that I assume it was written by the Witches themselves.”
She continues. “The Soul Jams are incredibly powerful, as we all know. While I was reading, though, I came across new information. When one side is not aligned with the other, the power of said Soul Jam overall becomes weakened.”
White Lily holds her staff close, and places a hand on her Soul Jam, looking at it for a moment before continuing. “We cannot beat Dark Enchantress Cookie alone. We will need our whole Soul Jams, and for that we need both sides to work together in unison.”
“How will we even get them to cooperate?” Golden Cheese asks, crossing her arms. “My other half is so incredibly brutish it’s nauseating.”
White Lily nods. “Yes. You are right. We do not know how they will act, or if it will even work.”
“Yet this is our only hope for success,” Pure Vanilla says, looking to everyone. “White Lily is right.”
“And what of the Legendary cookies? Will they be alright?” Hollyberry asks.
White Lily looks back at the Legendary cookies. Dark Enchantress is still being held down, yet they know at any moment she could recover. White Lily turns back to the other Ancients.
“I trust them, as I hope for you to trust me.” She frowns, yet her expression remains fierce and hopeful. “I know I don’t deserve it, but just this one last time. I believe this is right. For all of us. So please.”
The group falls silent for a moment.
“I say we give it a go!” Hollyberry said, a confident smile emerging on her face as she looks to her companions. “What is there to lose?”
Dark Cacao nods, expression serious. “I agree.”
“I too, suggest we try.” Golden Cheese replies.
“We shall stand by you, White Lily.” Pure Vanilla says. “Through and through.”
White Lily Cookie smiles in a strong, subtle way, and holds her head up high, staff planted confidently beside her.
“Then let’s move. We must find the Beast Cookies. Do any of you know where you last saw them?”
The Ancients turn to each other, looking for answers. Pure Vanilla then speaks. “I… cannot say for sure.”
“Let us begin looking, then.” Hollyberry says, eyes scanning the vast terrain.
“This area is quite large, it may take hours to search from land,” Dark Cacao mulls. “Golden Cheese, could you take to the air?”
Golden Cheese nods and takes off, wings glinting as she soars. A few moments later they hear her voice from above.
“There! Head north!”
White Lily nods and they all head towards that direction, running past Dark Enchantress’s keeled over form. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots them, and snarls.
“You won’t get away, foolish Cookies,” She hisses, causing the ground to rumble. “This… spell won’t hold me back much longer. Soon, you will see the new world unfold before your very own eyes.”
Her remark does nothing to slow the pace of the Ancients, their feet hitting the coarse land quickly.
They soon spot the Beasts, lying amongst the destroyed battlefield. They’re unmoving, cracks splintered all over their dough, rough and deep. If it weren’t for the slight throbbing of their Soul Jams, they wouldn’t appear to be alive. It’s so unnoticeable that it barely even counts as movement. Among them all, there is a collective pause as their eyes scan across the bodies, looking for their other half.
There are a few more beats of silence spent ruminating past encounters. To see the Beasts, bodies frail and weak, lie before them is... strange, to say the least. The mental and physical anguish they themselves had to face because of the very same Cookies...
Their thoughts are interrupted by White Lily’s voice. She sticks her staff into the ground and drags it across the rubble. She’s creating a spell, and as she does so, she begins to speak.
“The two that hold each side of a Soul Jam can coexist in a curated consciousness that combines both the wielder’s minds,” White Lily says. “This is due to their natural linkage and should be something you all have experienced.”
“Hmm, yes,” Pure Vanilla thinks aloud. “I recall meeting Shadow Milk in our shared mindscape before the war.” Upon speaking, he is reminded of the Beast Cookie. His desperation, his concealed loneliness...
I hope there is still a chance. I hope we can see eye to eye, even just for a moment.
"I’ve experienced something similar with Eternal Sugar whilst in her garden,” Hollyberry Cookie says, her voice dragging Pure Vanilla out of his mind. She frowns, looking to Eternal Sugar’s burnt body.
White Lily is precise in her movements as she continues drawing the runes. It only takes a few minutes for her to finish. Four patterned circles soon lay around each Beast.
The lack of a fifth one for White Lily herself stops Pure Vanilla.
“Wait,” he says, and she turns his way. “What about your Beast?”
“We have something else we must do,” she says. “Don’t worry.”
Pure Vanilla says nothing, but gives a quick nod. White Lily begins to speak again, this time to everyone.
“It will work faster if the Soul Jams are in closer proximity,” White Lily explains, motioning to the circles. “I have left space for each of you to lay within the same circle. This is simply to hasten the process. We don’t have much time.” She frowns, casting a glance to Dark Enchantress. She is still being held down, yet the tension is high within White Lily’s mind, along with everyone else’s.
The ancients, hesitantly, lay within their circles.
White Lily begins to start the spell, the runes lighting up.
“If anything happens, I will wake everyone up,” she says. “If not though, you will be stuck in the shared consciousness until your Soul Jams resonate together.”
There are a few deep breaths among the Ancients.
The Ancients, lying with their respective Beasts, feel a heavy feeling washing over them. Soon, they lay fast asleep, drifting into unconsciousness as their other-halves lay in waiting.