TW: Brief mentions of euthanization + hand-wavey medical things
Fun fact: Pure Vanilla and the Dark Enchantress are the only ones who add "cookie" after saying a character's name. It's an old people thing here.
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His first memory was of a burning fire.
He gained consciousness, awoken by the crying of monsters. He felt a hint of annoyance at being interrupted from a deep, peaceful sleep, then faint shock upon the sight of something twisting around him. As the glowing tendrils curled around his body, he felt a searing sensation, that the prickling, biting feeling was bad. The child retreated from it, instead seeking the faint slits of light that didn't hurt to touch or look at.
He clawed with his misshapen body, scraping against the bars of the oven. The cake creatures were too large and bulky, but the child had only an arm. He was tiny enough to squeeze away. But once out of the fire, he froze. His newly formed body was still soft and he could only walk so far. Where was he supposed to go? He knew nothing of the world. Though the baking ovens were terrible, it was all he had. Accepting death came naturally, when he was baked into it.
Upon the platter, in the shadows behind an alcove, an angel watched. Red Velvet had never seen another cookie before. She was larger than him, he could tell, but not by much. On a closer glance, another small girl hovered next to her. The white figure turned to the kid and they had some kind of conversation.
He felt a stab of jealousy. Why couldn't it be him there, with the angel? The child expected to die, yet with the simple presence of a new figure, still and quiet just beyond the horizon, even something as trivial as the presence of another he yearned for more than he possessed. He did not wish to go into the cruel night alone.
He looked back at the creatures from within the oven. They were beastly things of dripping creme with red undertones. They screamed and bayed at the bars trapping them, at him for daring to escape, at the world for being borne into it. Young as he was, the half-cookie could tell he differed from them. He wished desperately for the company of something of his kind, like that white-haired angel on the platter. But she was too far away.
He slipped back into the bars, trembling in pain at the searing heat. A cake hound was clawing at the bars, farther from the fire than the others. The child hugged its fluffy hind leg and the monster let him, too intent upon breaking the oven to pay the pest any mind.
This was all he could get. At least the monsters would die with him. He watched the ghostly figure grab the smaller one's hand, trying to hide. They were too late. One of the hulking creators had noticed their scampering and headed their way. He gasped as its grizzled claws snapped them from their alcove, tossing the pair into the boiling liquid.
He buried his face into the beast's sizzling fur. It was as if the sight had truly solidified his fate. He would end up the same as the other cakes and cookies, in boiling stew or roaring flame.
Clang
He jerked up in surprise.
Drip, drip. Clang.
Something large dragged its upper body from the pot. Two horns sat upon their head, glowing liquid dripping from gleaming white hair. With a gasp, the child recognized that his angel had survived.
But she had changed.
Whatever had crawled out of that cauldron was larger, crueler. She had laughed as she rained carnage upon her creators, and he watched in awe. To his young mind, The Dark Enchantress was a hero, beating up the bad people who would bake and eat him. Glowing portals appeared in the oven as she created crystals and then shattered them, and the things trapped within, including him, ran free.
The witches fell to the ground, the pure, malevolent intent of her magic searing into their bodies like acid, melting them until only bone survived. And even the bone would hold the remains of her power, curses imprinted upon them for eternity. She wrought desolation and laughed while doing it, cold and strong and beautiful.
He decided to show himself. Her slitted red eyes focused on him in surprise. Then she smiled.
Many years into the future, Red Velvet would question whether or not it was a good thing. Whether he would have had a better life if he had just run away before the Dark Enchantress could reach out and croon.
But the child was just happy to be held.
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Pure Vanilla got up early that morning. Throughout the night, he had been haunted by the implications of what Red Velvet said. He really hoped that restless nights would not be a normal occurrence after joining the cookies of darkness, which had better amenities than Raisin village, but unfortunately the fluffy sheets did nil to calm his anxious thoughts. The healer resigned himself to sleeping poorly in the village and his castle.
He crawled out of the bed, taking the blankets with him, and promptly decided to raid the general's storage. After rummaging through endless boxes of dog feed and the occasional squeaky toy, he discovered a small case of appliances and edible food. It included the holy grail of kings: Coffee. The grounded kind, to be exact.
"Thank the witches," he sighed happily.
He lit a small fire under a water beaker. After studying the cups with some revulsion, he cleaned them with a spell and tore a pack of bean powder into the cutest mug. A slow sprinkle and stir of boiling water, and the brew was complete. He blew on the mixture slightly to cool it. It tasted stale, but was still decent coffee.
Satisfied, the healer went on his way. He thought to watch the sunrise. Until the general assigned him to a task, he had nothing else to do. Might as well enjoy the beauty of nature while he had the chance. Pure Vanilla strolled to the edge of the fourth platter, humming a light tune. He quieted at the faint sounds of movement from the edge. Someone had gotten up before him? He snuck toward the noise curiously.
He found Dark Choco, up and alert, practicing his sword forms. It was five a.m. and he was already shirtless. Pure Vanilla stifled his sigh.
First Red Velvet, and now him. Sure, Dark Cacao prided his soldiers on waking up at the crack of dawn but did that have to apply to his son as well? Surely not all of the cookies of darkness got up this early in the morning.
Even so, he could admire the discipline. As he spectated, the prince swung his sword about in a way that preceded his powerful lighting attack. One step to the side, and then down.
GOOOONG.
He jolted when the large sword slammed into the platter, causing the whole floor to tremble and reverberate in an ear-splitting fashion. He cringed and shoved his arms over the sides of his head. Dark Choco himself seemed shocked at the sound he caused, picking up his sword within seconds and looking around wildly. He finally saw the healer, who was sporting a truly amazing bedhead while dragging half his sheets with him.
"Uh- Good ni- good morning, Pure Vanilla." He stuttered with all the grace of a teenager being caught exercising in their bedroom.
"Good morning." Said healer took another sip from the chipped puppy mug.
"How long have you been watching me?"
"Long enough. Excellent arm strength, by the way. I doubt anyone else could slam a sword hard enough for the entire Hollyberry kingdom to hear." He chuckled as the prince deflated in embarrassment.
"I didn't think it would be so loud," he said petulantly.
"Unfortunate." Pure Vanilla was completely unsympathetic. "If Red Velvet wasn't aware you were training earlier, he certainly is now."
He buried his face in his hands with a groan.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about! Getting exercise is good for the body. There have been so many studies about the effects of a routine, such as better stamina, improved upper body strength, better endurance, and more."
"Stop that."
He took another sip of his coffee, savoring the taste. He placed it on the ground and folded his blankets. They were placed on a nearby cupcake. Pure Vanilla took his place in an open area close to the platter's end, where the lands were unobstructed. His flower craned forward, trying to provide its owner with the best possible view. He felt a surge of quiet affection at its effort, and made a greater effort to enjoy his "sight".
After a moment, he heard Dark Choco settle beside him.
The sun sat on the horizon, tinting the whole desert in a way that made the sand appear like molten gold. The reflective metals burned brightly in the desert sun, casting wavering rays of light upon the large metal tower and across the backs of sleeping dogs.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The prince stared at the rolling dunes as though he had never seen them before. "I guess... I rarely ever spend time looking at the scenery."
"Have you been here before?"
"I have, but only once or twice. I dislike the cake tower. Something about it is deeply unsettling." Dark Choco replied.
"I can see what you mean. There's an inherent kind of sacrilege in turning the gods' ovens into factories of war, not to mention the strange remains or malicious magic lingering around." Pure Vanilla swung his legs over the edge. Although the dry and dusty breeze on the higher platter levels stung his dough, it was still more pleasant than the stagnant air at the base of the tower. He pointed at the bones buried in the sand. "Have you seen those white structures there? They don't come from dragons or cookies, but they are definitely from a living creature."
"Really? I had assumed it was a weird desert landform." The prince scooted closer, peering over at the desert. "It's so large, what could it be anyway?"
Pure Vanilla paused for a moment, then responded. "I imagine they might have been the witches."
Dark Choco's head practically snapped to him. "What? No, how could you think that?"
"I doubt there's much else they could be. This place, the holy oven, the origin of so many cookies in the world were baked, had been long since abandoned. And there lie the remains of creatures unknown to cookiekind. It's just the easiest conclusion to draw."
"But if that were true, it would imply that someone on Earthbread has the power to kill a god. That gods can be killed in the first place. Would they be so special in the first place, if they are mortal beings like us?"
Pure Vanilla had always believed that every cookie should have a place upon Earthbread, not because they were created to do so, but because each of them was a person in their own right, unique and receptive to the world. Throughout his rather lengthy life, he found that, sans a few, people generally tended to be good. Whether the witches created them or not mattered little to him, except for their baking process. He couldn't care less if they were gods or regular old cookies.
On the other hand, he and White Lily had tried so hard to discover the secret of life and failed. The two Institute students had never been able to create a real, living cookie, so maybe the witches were special after all.
He had simply lost interest in pursuing "life" after the school had shut down.
As for who killed the witches, Pure Vanilla also thought it obvious, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to mention it to Dark Choco. The prince didn't act like he was so fervent in his servitude to the Dark Enchantress but he would get in trouble if- wait, did he even know that the sorceress used to be White Lily? He seemed reticent to talk about his inclusion into the cookies of darkness but otherwise had no qualms about giving him information. Oh. Oh no.
"I assumed that someone like you would put natural phenomena of the world on a more untouchable pedestal, like the kind who believe the witches are good and everyone deserves to live happily."
"That stings a little, Chocoling."
"I don't mean it's a bad thing, just different. I suppose that my memory of you wouldn't be completely fitting, since it has been so long. And- don't call me that!"
"Since you have brought up the past, I might as well do the same. Plus, Chocoling was such a cute nickname. Won't you let me use it again?"
"The other cookies would lose their minds."
"That wasn't a rejection."
"No!"
"Please? Selectively?"
"It has to be in private."
"Public, as long as nobody's listening."
"Deal."
How the hell should he break this information? Perhaps he could ask about his father first. It was definitely a sore topic, but Pure Vanilla truly wished to know how his old friend was doing.
"...Do you know how Dark Cacao cookie is doing?"
"He's alive."
"Well, I wasn't sure of that before, so thank you." It was difficult to be positive about such a wealth of information. At least the boy gave him something.
"I don't know about the other ancients, unfortunately. They seemed to withdraw from existence after the Flour war."
"I know the location of one other from our group."
"Really?"
"Yes, right in our castle base."
He blinked, uncomprehending. "You?"
Pure Vanilla sighed. He really didn't want to say it. "White Lily is the Dark Enchantress."
Dark Choco gaped. "You- you have got to be shitting me right? Please say this is a joke," he begged.
The healer gave him a succinct shake of his head.
Dark Choco looked as though his world was falling apart. He couldn't blame him. Pure Vanilla had reacted much worse when he initially discovered the news. The prince drew in upon himself, as though he could protect himself from the world. "Why must everyone I admire end up this way? Father exiles me, you join the cookies of darkness, and it turns out that my Aunt was our master all this time? Is anything I believed in true?"
Dark Cacao did what? He bet that emotional expression-deficient cookie did so in an unplanned outburst, he was usually smarter than that. Tossing his problems (not that Chocoling was a problem) out of sight was out of the ordinary for his behavior. He hurt his son greatly, from what he had picked us thus far. "The next time we meet, I am going to have some words with that man," he whispered.
"Chocoling, I am not a perfect person. Not even a good one. And as much as it pains me to admit, Lily wasn't either. I don't understand what transformed her into the creature she is today, nor what drove her to incite the Flour War, but ultimately, that's not the reason for my return to the castle. I came here because of sentiment." he muttered the last word, as though it were something vile. "You are right to feel betrayed. Anything less would be too dismissive of yourself."
"It is a wonderful thing to admire others' qualities, to believe in them as people, but as for us- I guess you just drew an unlucky lot." It was a sad, utterly pathetic condolence, and the other man knew it too.
Dark Choco huffed, mouth twisting into a weary grin. "That does reassure me, that it's okay to feel this way. Because as much as I do care about you, I cannot bring myself to trust you."
"Ah. I see." The words twisted in his chest like a knife. For as justifiable as his feelings were, it truly hurt to process that the sweet little boy he had loved, had near treated like his child, would be leery of him. He pulled his knees closer to his body and hugged them.
The prince cringed. "Sorry."
"It's fine," he replied hollowly.
The conversation trailed into a heavy silence.
Red Velvet arrived a bit later to fetch him. He picked up on the uncomfortable tension in the air, but he didn't seem to care, gesturing for the healer to follow him. Pure Vanilla stood up and gave the dark prince a nod, then left with him. Dark Choco refocused on the remains and contemplated what had been revealed.
"Recently, a large batch of cake hounds had been baked." Red Velvet said, apparently unaware of how he trampled over the emotionally delicate situation. "The few days where they first leave the oven have the highest mortality rate." Pure Vanilla perked up, his professional healer experience slotting into place. "Mother told me that she needed more soldiers, and I thought it would be quicker to bring you along so that most of the puppies survive, rather than making more batches where so many pass away."
"What causes the cake hounds to pass away? If they are born with deformities then I can't provide any quick solutions." Healing worked by replacing the dough, jam, and ingredients that had been lost, based on the body's existing blueprint. If the blueprint came incorrect then the problem becomes far more complex.
"Don't worry." the general reassured, hound-like teeth glinting. "Mutants are very rare."
How many ones like you have been created? He wondered.
The tower's base was filled with large ovens, the origin of cookiekind. Now, however, they had been converted into cakehound factories, pumping out hundreds of beastly soldiers for the Dark Enchtrantress's armies. These recently-baked hounds, untrained and not yet able to discern between friends and enemies, fought among themselves. The general swerved between the carnage with his trained dogs, separating the warring groups in displays of domineering power.
"Golly, this is quite violent."
"If only you could have arrived a week ago. They are acting mellow in comparison," He explained while prying two dogs apart teeth first with his bare hands.
Charge-types are something else.
The general pinned one cakehound to the ground, one arm under its neck and the other down the side of its ribs. It whined, bothered by the distraction. "Check it for injuries."
Pure Vanilla dropped to a knee beside him and ran a quick scan. The dog came back relatively unharmed but for a few scratches on its nose. They disappeared without any effort on the healer's end. "Done."
Another soldier for the Dark Enchantress.
"You gave the Twik the worse end of the fight for sure" Red Velvet spoke to the dog. "Damn hope she doesn't hold a grudge."
The other hound spat at this one in frustration, but the general's trained soldiers rebuffed it. He stepped past them, crouching in front of it. "C'mere girl." The dog growled in annoyance but allowed him to hold it. On cue, Pure Vanilla checked for injuries. This time, the damage was more serious. "Several gaping wounds to the sponge, internal hemorrhage near the neck, and an unpleasant laceration on the flank."
"Can all of that be healed?"
"Of course, though I will have to extract the frosting that had been pushed into the cuts. She may find it painful. Spelling her unconscious would be best."
Red Velvet moved aside so he could get space, giving nonverbal permission for him to knock the hound out. It wasn't necessary. With a wave of his hand, it slumped over in dreamless sleep.
Pure Vanilla slowly extracted small bits of hair from the wounds. Once clean, he used quick flashes of heat to disinfect the wound. He regrew the sponge last- it was the easiest part.
"I thought healing magic worked instantly."
"It can, when wounds are light and new. Since some of these injuries have lasted for over a week, we should err on the side of caution."
He nodded as the blue-tinted glow of his healing faded. The dog awoke with a whimper, calming when she saw the general. Free of pain, it acted much friendlier and tamer than before, though that didn't stop her growling at the others.
"Let's move on."
One by one, they went through the injured dogs. Some of them bit and snarled, some whined, and some allowed them close without any protest. They all behaved much better after a round of healing, their mood much improved from week-old injuries being properly healed.
Pure Vanilla, who only experienced negative things from cake creatures (other than briefly meeting Chiffon) studied them with interest.
As they moved across the dunes, Red Velvet noticed a cakehound that appeared to be heavily injured. "Oh dear, Mallow is in a bad state." he snapped his fingers and his guards prowled over to the hound lying on its side.
One of the more feral dogs prowling around used this as an opportunity to attack. The second that the general's guard left his side, it lunged.
"Red Velvet cookie, look out!"
The dog went for the back of his neck, but only snagged a bundle of the general's mane. Red Velvet was unbothered. He jerked his head, and the cake hound flew off. He took this in stride, using the opportunity to push the dog onto its side.
"Hair." He gave the healer a thumbs-up. Pure Vanilla huffed.
The healer kneeled beside this dog. It snapped and snarled at them both from its position. Its teeth had been broken into serrated edges, yet it continued to struggle and attempt to bite them. Pure Vanilla raised his staff, then hesitated. He had always known that the cake hounds he healed would become fodder for the Dark Enchantress's war. The realization that what he was doing may directly lead to other cookies' deaths only just hit him, though. This dog displayed nothing but savagery. It had attacked Red Velvet, the person who (from what he's learned) cared about his dogs more than anything. It reminded him of those heartless, mindless summons that would consume his waking moments, even after his memories had been lost.
He saved the hounds from before because bits and pieces of their soul shone through, but as for this one...was there anything worth salvaging?
All he needed to do was put a bit more magic into this dog while healing, break the cap just slightly. The general wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
"Healer? Is something wrong? I won't let him bite, if that worries you."
"Sorry for my absentmindedness." He fixed the dog's chipped teeth. What one Earthbread was he thinking? To use his magic like that...
They continued on with the healing, Pure Vanilla agonizing over the way he nearly euthanized the hound and Red Velvet none the wiser.
As he fixed the cakehound the soldiers had been protecting, he considered his perspective on cakehounds.
He may be Pure Vanilla, but the king did not take precedence. First and foremost, he was a healer. He must not turn away patients if they lay before him. Up close, the dogs obviously had their own feelings and personalities, even if they were not as advanced as cookies. Therefore, he should treat them as patients rather than pawns of her.
Mallow had been fully healed. Pure Vanilla stood, once again secure in his choice.
All of a sudden, one of the soldiers started baying. Alarmed, the general sprinted toward the sound, the blonde following closely behind. The cake hound was digging in a corner. Red Velvet dropped beside it and helped. They gasped as the send parted to reveal matted fur.
"I must have missed this one in the original count," he commented guiltily. The general gently brushed the sand off of it. This cake hound was tiny, almost half the size of its companions. It must have been bullied badly. As Red Velvet checked the puppy over. It barely squirmed in his grasp.
"Several large bites on the right hind leg, but thankfully not much else," he noted. "This one's a runt. She wouldn't be much good in battle if she survives."
"That doesn't mean she should be in pain," Pure Vanilla chided. He lifted the puppy out of the general's arms and into his lap. The puppy yipped as the cool wash of healing washed over it, the bites fading away and frosting regrowing over skin. The puppy snuggled against him, and if he wasn't already sitting, her cuteness would have bowled him over.
Red Velvet stared at him, mouth slightly open. "What? She deserves to live. Be a little kinder to your company." The words were somewhat compensation for his earlier thoughts, but the dog was such a cuddly thing. All the good things in the world should be hers.
"I just made an offhanded comment about her battle prowess, it had nothing to do with whether I wished she could survive. I would've asked for her to be healed anyway." Pure Vanilla finally discerned his expression: the general was marveling at him. "Thank you, for doing so without my prompting. You are a decent cookie."
The praise made discomfort rise in his chest, but he didn't want to say anything and ruin the hybrid's joy. Red Velvet was smiling softly, a new expression that he hadn't shown the healer beforehand. "It's...just the right thing to do. Anyone else would have done the same."
"I doubt it," he said matter-of-factly. "If every person were like you, I wouldn't need to be here at all."
If everyone was like him, there would be bigger problems. Just one managed to unleash a homicidal sorceress upon Earthbread. He refrained from mentioning this aloud.
"You should name her."
"What?" Pure Vanilla was thrown off "W-why?"
"She only survived because of you. I think it's fitting"
He gently stroked a hand over the puppy now sleeping in his lap. Strangely enough, he felt glad he got to name the hound he saved; it was an honor.
The puppy was brown with a few white spots and it had large flopping ears, reminding him somewhat of a mushroom cap. He giggled as it awoke with a snuffle and gave it a fond scratch.
"Truffle cakehound."
"So it will be."
After checking over the last of the hounds, they returned to the tower to eat. Red Velvet dug through his meager supplies for a while until he sheepishly admitted to not having regular meals and hunting every few days. He received a lecture about the dangers of lacking sugar in his body.
White Lily obviously neglected to teach her son about health. Everything he told him was fresh information. The hybrid left that talk with determination to find some meager scraps and a newfound wariness for his mortal frailty. He managed to dig up some old jellies from a barrel in a corner, much to Pure Vanilla's faint dismay at their state.
The healer, concerned over the jellies' freshness, cooked them over a fire. He split the food into three portions, leaving one for Dark Choco. The warrior will come to eat eventually. He snacked on his jellies and ignored the general's obvious observation to the best of his ability.
Come back to me. A voice echoed in his head. Pure Vanilla growled into his lunch.
Red Velvet froze, morsel halfway to his mouth. "What?"
"Apologies. Our master is calling me."
"Oh. You'll have to leave soon." He seemed rather disappointed.
The jellies were somehow less appetizing than before. He set the plate aside.
"Healer?"
"I'm going for a walk. There's no need to follow me, please just enjoy the meal."
He didn't wait for Red Velvet to respond. Pure Vanilla quickly descended the levels, cringing as the heavy air and ominous magic settled over him. He immediately remembered just how much better the higher platter levels were compared to the base of the tower.
He wanted to go off alone to calm down, but the irritating curse infecting the whole area made everything worse. Even he was beginning to feel unbearably jittery, when spastic energy had never been a part of his nature. The healer decided to stay rather than get any closer to the base. In his state of mind, that would be asking to do something stupid.
He felt a bit guilty for ditching Red Velvet so suddenly, but he couldn't stay there. Hearing the Dark Enchantress's voice in his brain was frightening during their first meeting, and the dissonance it caused hadn't improved whatsoever. He had to convince himself that the message wasn't just a byproduct of his mind, and after so many years of White Lily's echoes, suddenly hearing the real thing disturbed him greatly. It was as if the demon that spent years sitting upon your chest suddenly reached out and strangled you in your bed.
"Deep breaths, deep breaths," he mumbled, doing math equations in his head to draw his focus off of such bleak topics.
"...Euck..."
A dark figure climbed onto the level, movements erratic.
Pure Vanilla snapped out of reverie, his own suffering forgotten. "Dark Choco cookie, are you alright?!"
The prince wavered between him and away. He made a snap decision and stumbled over to the edge of the platter before dropping to his knees and throwing up. Pure Vanilla hurried over to support him. The healer pulled his shoulder-length hair out of his face, gently patting his back as the man continued to heave.
"Can I heal you?"
"No" he panted, "no more magic."
He waited for the prince to recover slightly. When the color started to come back to his face, Pure Vanilla sat next to him and asked.
"What happened?"
"I touched the witches' remains. The residual magic probably messed with her enchantments or something." He slumped over to lie on his back. "Urgh, that felt awful."
"You have active enchantments attached?" Though he spoke calmly, the healer was distressed. How had he forgotten to check the prince for magical interference? Dark Choco was proud and kind-hearted. The chances that he had been forced or controlled into joining the Dark Enchantress were actually quite high, and the healer should have taken that into account. The list of things he had to make up for was growing. "If they have forced anything upon you, I can attempt to undo the spells." He raised his staff-
Dark Choco struck the staff out of his hand, sending it skidding off into the distance. Pure Vanilla froze as his world was plunged into darkness; the flower had gone past the range where he would be able to connect to it. He couldn't tell where it went and briefly panicked.
After a second, he recalled that he could still use his magic, but before he cast the spell, Dark Choco brushed against him. "I'll get it." He halted the spell as the prince's footsteps became fainter then louder again. An image flickered into his mind as they got closer. Pure Vanilla saw himself getting closer in third person, and reached out to take his beloved staff.
Dark Choco gave it back, hands shaking slightly. "Aren't you upset?" he probed cautiously, as if awaiting some kind of punishment.
Pure Vanilla shook his head. "Not at all, this was my fault. I shouldn't have scared you. Next time I'll telegraph my movements." He expected a retort that 'he wasn't scared!' but nothing came.
"Healer, I should be clear about why I reacted this way."
"But I thought you didn't trust me? There's no need to confess the reason if you're uncomfortable."
"I think...talking about why I am here is okay, if not how I joined. A few others know anyways." The prince took a deep breath. "The enchantment that I had mentioned is constantly active. It acts as a barrier to protect me from a curse I had acquired, and in exchange, I serve the cookies of darkness. My life for my sanity." He sneered. "It's abhorrent, isn't it? That monsters choose to live just to hurt others."
Pure Vanilla was horrified.
It's a selfish decision, I know, to join the cookie who had hurt you so much, that had caused the flour war..."
"Oh, Dark Choco..."
The prince abruptly went silent, awaiting judgment.
"Staying alive isn't selfish. If the Dark Enchantress was your only option, then so be it."
"It is wrong! Pure Vanilla, you don't understand- I've killed people! I was cursed because of my lust for power. I've ruined my life, and now everything beloved to me- my Kingdom, my friends, the ancients- I can't think of them without the memories being tainted by my stupid fucking actions!"
Dark Choco exhaled, stunned by his own outburst.
Pure Vanilla was equally shocked.
"I-I didn't mean to scream at you...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it won't happen again, I swear-" Dark Choco murmured, quickly driving himself into another frenzy.
"Shrooms have hallucinogenic properties."
"Huh?" The prince broke from his spiral out of pure bafflement. "What?"
"Dark Choco, are you back with me?"
"Ah..yeah, I am."
"Listen to me." Pure Vanilla said gravely. "Whether you wanted power or not is irrelevant. Did you know about the consequences of... whatever caused the curse?"
"Of course not."
"If not for the curse, would you serve the Dark Enchantress?"
"No..."
"I won't pretend that these are good things, Chocoling, but they are not solely your fault. Claiming to be a monster would be an insult to true monsters- they hurt others without rhyme or reason, without any excuse of duress."
The prince dragged a hand over his face and let out an exhausted bark of laughter. "I change my earlier statements. You are exactly the same man as you've always been."
What does that mean, exactly?
"Pure Vanilla...I may not have faith in much of anything anymore but I don't- I don't want to live that way." His gaze burned intensely.
The prince wanted to believe in him. Of course he did. Once again, he experienced the urge to tell the boy that he wasn't trustworthy and dependable, to dismiss the olive branch before him. He didn't want this burden. He had just freed himself out of old-set expectations of perfection and goodness, and here someone was, imposing them again. But Dark Choco was pleading, in his way, because he had no one else to rely on. The thought hurt.
Chocoling was worth it. It may be another weight on his shoulders, but he would gladly bear it for him. "It's okay," he said tenderly, "I'll try to be someone you can trust. I'll protect you."
The prince practically fell into his arms. He whispered small comforts as the boy made choked gurgling sounds, the dying remnants of repressed sobs. Pure Vanilla brushed one hand through his silken hair, a comforting gesture from long past.
I'll protect you, so that you'll never need to cry again.
Red Velvet was staring at them.
The healer continued hugging him. Do you mind? he mouthed. The general shook his head and kept staring. He then tried waving him off, which he seemed to understand. Red Velvet scooted backward behind a confection and smacked it loudly in the process.
The next instant Dark Choco was standing some distance away from him, eyes teary and face flushed in embarrassment.
"So these are the dangers of being unsugared?" the hybrid asked gravely.
"Wrong side effects, and even so they don't occur this quickly-!"
After much fussing, the prince managed to sit on a soft surface and keep down a meal. Although he said he felt better than before, he was still obviously unwell. Unfortunately, Pure Vanilla needed to leave and return the Dark Enchantress's summons. Due to the others' illness and work, he elected to go by himself. Dark Choco was worried for him, but concurred that he could make the journey.
"Plus isn't it better for you to remain? For your health?"
It took a second, then his eyes lit up.
"I see. I'll stay here for the time being, and return to the castle once recovered. Unfortunately, that may take a while," he stressed the last word at Red Velvet.
Pure Vanilla laughed. Chocoling was going to stay away from the Pomegranate cookie and The Dark Enchantress as long as he possibly could. Excellent! He could just wander off to where the cursed remnants of her magic doesn't touch under the excuse of being sick and have the general vouch for his absence.
The point flew over Red Velvet's head, but he agreed anyway. "Yes, of course. Can you make it back alone?" he addressed Pure Vanilla.
"I am quite alright. But what about the hounds? Does anyone need to be on standby so they don't hurt each other?"
"Most of the injuries were caused when they were newly baked. At this point, I can deal with the aggression. No one should be grievously injured."
"If there's anything they need, feel free to contact me."
He nodded, satisfied. "Safe travels...Healer. Come back anytime, Truffle will be waiting."
"Goodbye, P- Healer cookie."
"Farewell! Don't murder each other while I'm gone." He gave them a jolly wave and tossed his staff over his shoulder, venturing back out into the desert.
Once he left their sight, Dark Choco dragged his confused companion away. They needed to have a long conversation about what was to come.
The journey back was much quieter and faster than the first time around. Though the two cookies of darkness weren't the most talkative of people, they had both conversed with the healer throughout their journey. He found that he slightly missed it- not just because it reminded him of the days of old, when he would adventure with his friends, but he found them both to be pleasant company. Without them, hours passed by without anything of meaningful happening. The days blurred together.
There was one upside to being alone, though. Pure Vanilla could practice his darker spells without anyone spectating. There were no eyes on him so he could forego his masks entirely. Pity the creatures that would attack him; they met a painful end indeed.
The castle appeared in the distance. He strolled onto the old teleporter and in a blink, the ruined houses of the Vanilla kingdom rose around him. He bypassed the patrolling bots machines guarding the castle, ignoring the comforts of his room to report directly to her.
Pomegranate exited the meeting room just as he arrived. The priestess, upon noticing him, closed the double doors behind her. She positioned herself directly in front of them, blocking his way. "Why are you here?"
"Excuse me, I need to enter. Our master has asked for me."
"Answer a query of mine first."
He frowned.
"Healer, do you believe in fate?"
What sort of question was what? Whatever her intent, he supposed answering couldn't do any harm.
"No, I believe that everyone has the power to make their own decisions. Fate is what a goal someone makes and achieves for themself."
She scoffed. "What a shame. I had expected better from someone so dear to her." The priestess held her head high as she walked past, too proud to shoulder check him despite obviously wanting to.
Pure Vanilla watched her retreating back in confusion. What was her deal? He had obviously failed some kind of test, but she had asked such an open-ended question about a concept as abstract as fate. He recalled that the most skilled members of the pomegranate village were rumored to have the ability to see the future, but whether those rumors had any substance, he never confirmed. Perhaps that was the reason. He still failed to fathom what bearing Pomegranate cookie's question had.
Are you here, my darling servant?
Pure Vanilla pushed the speculation aside. He had more pressing things to deal with.
The entrance to the meeting room loomed before him. He took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. The Dark Enchantress was kneeling on the ground where his seat used to be. She beckoned him forward with one hand and he complied obediently.
"How was the trip?" She smirked at him. "Was it fun? Did you reconnect with Dark Choco cookie? Oh, but I don't see him here. Perhaps he wanted to avoid our discussion. I wouldn't put it past him"
He cut to the point. "Why did you summon me?"
She tittered, the high sound unmatching with her monstrous frame. "Oh, don't be a joy killer. I thought you'd have questions."
"What sort of questions?" He couldn't help but express suspicion.
"What happened in the cake tower? Are those skeletons of the witches?" She leaned forward, serrated teeth in a sweet grin. "Why did I start the Flour War?"
"I find it hard to believe you would give me the answers so freely without some sort of motive. "
"My motive...I suppose I do have one. It is simple. Pure Vanilla cookie, I want you to suffer."