A twilight night's light shone on a sleeping cookie, one who has been at rest for centuries. A fragile flower, lost to time by a curse that involved a cauldron, and witches. The shock should have fully killed her, and while it did, it also didn't, as this cookie is just half of another half, a split between two different sides, the good and evil. Within a forest far East of the Vanilla Kingdom, this cookie has finally awoken, not from the light, but from rain. It was a light drizzle, she wanted to stay down and let her dough take in the rain, but then she realized something as her well-rested eyes unfurled to reveal her scarlet eyes. It was cold, it felt draining and painful, yet she did not want to begin wilting from the cold. She wanted to get up now, but was held down by roots she once controlled. She wished to speak, but her mouth was adhered to nectar she once used as saliva in her long lost past. She wondered how long she has been in this spot for, but now didn't want to stay in the spot anymore. She forced herself to try to get up, yet her arms and legs were still asleep. She had to will her mouth open, but couldn't due to the pain of trying to work her muscles. She looked around the vicinity of the area to process anything, even a memory of how she got there would help her. She was there, looking around for minutes, until the drizzling rain turned into a downpour within a thunderstorm. The rain helped her dough soften up as it drained the rain into muscles. Even the nectar on her mouth softened up, it was enough to let her force her mouth open, and take a large breath of fresh, arboreal air.
White Lily: Ow...my mouth...I do not know where I am...but these roots...they are the bane of my start...
She tried more to pull the roots that chained her to the forest floor, but only managed to wear herself out. She noticed a stick that seemed solid enough, but it wasn't easy for her to be able to tell if it really was a stick. She nervously opened her mouth, and tried to grab it with her teeth, but the roots had her held down by the neck, immobilizing her still.
White Lily: This has to be a sleep paralysis dream...right...? Am I awake...?
She now tried to twirl her fingers, but realized yet again, that Earthbread was against her, as each of her individual fingers were held down by a root. She looked at herself, her stomach was covered in dead leaves of the Autumn season, her dress was still green, and her legs seemed scarred, something must have decided to bite or scratch at her.
White Lily: What has caused these scars to come upon me...? Oh, how I have let myself go...
She heard the sound of walking, she did not want to acknowledge it as she now didn't care about her life anymore. She heard a voice, one she found to be relevant to her time in the past, not to how familiar it was, but because it sounded like someone cheerful.
???: Hm, is someone here, I could have sworn I heard someone.
The figure wore something bright enough to make out in the dark, a sort of yellow, almost like her familiar friend, Pure Vanilla Cookie. She decided to speak up and hear if it was her long lost friend of the past, as she had nothing better to do.
White Lily: Pure Vanilla Cookie...?
The figure in the shadows stepped closer to her, unable to see White Lily Cookie, the figure stepped on her by accident.
White Lily: Ow...
The figure stepped off of her and looked at her, the figure had a brown hat, circular objects on their head, and an eye that was bright enough that White Lily Cookie was able to see it.
White Lily: What bright eyes you have...
???: Are you ok, and did me stepping on you hurt?
White Lily: It very much did hurt, now, is that you Pure Vanilla Cookie...?
???: Pure Vanilla Cookie is in the Vanilla Kingdom. I am not him.
White Lily: So who are you...?
Timekeeper: I am the controller of time, the one who cuts the fabrics of space, the most fashionable of leaders, Timekeeper Cookie!
White Lily: Too loud, I just woke up...
Timekeeper: Oh, sorry. Anyways, what might you be doing, are you still trying to sleep?
White Lily: I am actually trying to get up...I have been asleep for centuries...and the ground of Earthbread has come to reclaim me...
Timekeeper Cookie touched the roots that condemned White Lily Cookie to the ground. She wiped off the dead leaves on her too.
Timekeeper: Do you want help?
White Lily: No...
Timekeeper Cookie cut off the roots, freeing White Lily Cookie from the ground. She tried to get up, but her legs were still asleep, along with her arms. She tried to move her neck, but she really couldn't move. She looked up, getting downpoured as she did.
White Lily: Why are you out here...?
Timekeeper: I am out here in search of one of my bear jellies, you know, a large, yellow and orange, hat wearing, yellow eyed, and always laughing...have you seen it?
White Lily: I have not...
Timekeeper: Ugh, now I'm going to lose a bet with myself. I told Croissant Cookie that I would be able to find the bear jelly without cheating.
White Lily: I think I can find it...is it supposed to be around here...?
Timekeeper: There's one in every dimension, so I'm trying to find the one in this dimension.
White Lily: Well...I hope you can find it...I'll just stay down here...in the ground...while it's raining...
Timekeeper Cookie poked White Lily Cookie's arm and was able to tell she was still drained. She checked to see the outcome of if she left her, or if she took her with her so that White Lily Cookie could recover. Timekeeper Cookie then checked to see what her outcome is supposed to be; she went through multiple timelines to see what she should do. Soon enough, she decided what she should do.
Timekeeper: Would you like to possibly come back to my workplace? I'm the director, and we could help you recover.
White Lily: Is there a catch to this...?
Timekeeper: No, of course not, that would be rude! I'll just help you.
White Lily: Fine...just get my staff...but don't-
Timekeeper Cookie cut a rift open after she freed the staff, she then grabbed White Lily Cookie, and took her with her to the TBD. White Lily Cookie crashed down, and her staff landed on her. There was immediate shock for ones in the area. No one saw Timekeeper Cookie coming out of the portal either.
String Gummy: Intruder!
Croissant: It might not be a-
String Gummy Cookie blasted White Lily Cookie's head off with a really strong string gummy shot, decapitating her.
Director Croissant: String Gummy Cookie, why did you do that to her!? We could have kept her as a prisoner and interrogated her!
String Gummy: No chances.
Coffee Candy: I heard a gun shot-
White Lily Cookie's head hit Coffee Candy Cookie's head, and fell. Coffee Candy Cookie screamed, loud enough to make Baguette, Dark Fondue, and Maple Taffy Cookie run over.
Maple Taffy: Aye, Coffee Candy Cookie, what are you screaming for!?
Dark Fondue: I was busy working on schedules, why are you interrupting that!?
Baguette: Being loud is wrong dear, please explain-is that a head?
Coffee Candy: It hit me and fell! I'm scared!
Baguette: Hm, fret not, we will see what happened.
Croissant: We have literal witnesses! String Gummy Cookie shot a cookie's head off!
Director Croissant: His defense was that this cookie was an intruder.
Baguette: Blasting or firing a firearm with no regard for others is against the rules.
String Gummy: This cookie fell from above us, likely collecting information for some evil organization.
Timekeeper: Or, that was our guest.
Timekeeper Cookie floated down on her embroiders and looked at White Lily Cookie's body.
Croissant: Director! Don't be mad at String Gummy Cookie, he was only trying to defend the area!
String Gummy: I don't regret it.
Dark Fondue: Next time, just follow the rules and not fire recklessly.
Timekeeper Cookie picked up White Lily Cookie's head, it was wilting. She turned her attention back to the body, which seemed to still be full of life. She put the staff into White Lily Cookie's hand and watched as White Lily Cookie's head regrew from her body. Once it fully regrew, White Lily Cookie began weeping, her face was still on the floor.
Coffee Candy: Ah, don't cry! You'll be fine now miss...what's her name?
Timekeeper: I forgot to ask...what is your name?
White Lily: I am White Lily Cookie...
Her voice was muffled by the floor. Timekeeper Cookie picked her up and was surprised by how light she was.
Timekeeper: Good grief, this damsel is more light than a normal croissant! Dark Fondue Cookie, get this cookie food please!
Dark Fondue: As you wish, Director. Come along White...Lili Cookie?
White Lily: Lily.
Dark Fondue: I thought it was lili because you were muffled, ahem, anyways, come along.
Dark Fondue Cookie took White Lily Cookie to the lunchroom to feed her. Maple Taffy Cookie went to String Gummy Cookie for information about any anomalous activity in other dimensions. Director Croissant, Croissant, Baguette, and Coffee Candy Cookie talked to Timekeeper Cookie about the new face.
Coffee Candy: Well she's cute, can we keep her, Baguette Cookie?
Baguette: Coffee Candy Cookie, my dear, that is an entire new profile that would have to be watched and kept safe, and we still do not know if this cookie is an ally.
Timekeeper: She's an ally.
Croissant: Director, I think that we should send her back, what will her dimension do without her?
Timekeeper: Her dimension thinks she is dead, so it wouldn't really hurt it to remove one cookie from it early.
Director Croissant: Won't she miss her dimension? We will have to ask her before we just keep her like a pet.
Timekeeper: She's my pet then, I'm keeping her.
Director Croissant: I say that's a bad idea.
Timekeeper: I say it's a better idea than leaving her for dead in the dimension she was just in.
Coffee Candy: Isn't it greedy for us to decide her fate-
Director Croissant: Yes!
Timekeeper: No!
Croissant: Let's just ask her then...
She spoke nervously with a visible sweat droplet. Baguette Cookie stood by Croissant Cookie to state she felt that it should be asked.
Timekeeper: Fine. Let's ask her, but if we have to send her back, I'm making sure she doesn't die, I mean, did you see her! There were so many times she would die in that dimension when I checked her life, and she is light due to malnourishment!
Coffee Candy: Let's just check with her.
The group of five went to the lunchroom, only to see White Lily Cookie pushing away the food she was given.
Dark Fondue: Please, miss, eat some of this bread, even the jellybean stew is good, try it.
White Lily: What's the point...I don't even want to have energy...
Dark Fondue: Keep hold of your staff, I think that's one of the things keeping you alive.
White Lily: That is the entire point...I don't want to be alive...
Dark Fondue Cookie's mood of scheming went from a sly smile, to a saddened frown.
White Lily: I thank you for the offer...but I gave up the moment I got my hopes up on thinking Pure Vanilla Cookie would help me...being saved by another cookie basically crumbled all hope and motivation in me...
She let her face fall onto the table.
Croissant: Is she referring to you...?
Timekeeper: I think so...
Director Croissant: This is a sad moment.
Baguette: Well, I'm not really worried about that. White Lily Cookie, do you want help when you get back to your dimension?
White Lily: No, I think I'll just let my other half crumble me...
Coffee Candy: No, White Lily Cookie, don't you have anything going for you?
White Lily: Not really...I've been lost for centuries, and I doubt any of my friends are alive...or still like me once they find out who Dark Enchantress Cookie is...
Timekeeper: You can make amends with them.
Croissant: Director, did you ever find the bear jelly?
Timekeeper: If you let me use my stuff, I would have by now.
Croissant: Mhm...
Timekeeper: I'll do it later. Be patient.
Croissant: We'll see.
Director Croissant: Well, she doesn't seem to want our help, so let's let her leave.
Baguette: Agreed.
White Lily: I'm going back...? Fair enough...thanks for having me as a guest though...
Timekeeper: Did you even eat?
Dark Fondue: She didn't. Her reasoning for doing so made me sad.
Timekeeper: Just do this then.
Timekeeper Cookie went to another room.
Baguette: Come on, we have work to do. Leave the Director to her own devices.
Coffee Candy: Alright-wait, but we still have seven minutes of a break!
Baguette: That's the point, let's go.
She walked away.
Coffee Candy: She is hard to understand, I can't tell if she wants to hold me, or make me sort papers.
Baguette: I'll make you sort your grey matter if you don't get over here.
Coffee Candy: You heard that?!
Baguette: Yes, now get over here so I can test this baguette. The lunches are going to be more healthy. Also, I'm seeing if baguettes can be on the menu.
Coffee Candy: Ooh, new lunches!
She went away in search of the next menu item. Croissant, Director Croissant, and Dark Fondue Cookie were still around White Lily Cookie, but decided to leave to do the rest of their work. When Timekeeper Cookie returned to White Lily Cookie, she asked on where the others went.
Timekeeper: Where did the others go?
White Lily: To work, probably...
Timekeeper Cookie seemed unamused by the response. She inspected her pitcher that was filled with caffinated water, then looked at White Lily Cookie, who had thrown her staff to another corner, and was waiting for her dough to go stale. Timekeeper Cookie poured the pitcher of caffinated water on White Lily Cookie's head, making her flinch as her dough absorbed it.
White Lily: Ah! Oh, just water-coffee water...drat, now I'll feel like I was in my college classes again...
Timekeeper: How do you feel?
White Lily: I feel energized...
Timekeeper: I have an Idea, let's go out and see your friends!
White Lily: I don't think-
Timekeeper Cookie grabbed White Lily Cookie's fallen staff and handed it to her, as she then threw White Lily Cookie into a rift that landed her into the Vanilla Kingdom.