Chapter Text
For as long as Pure Vanilla could remember, part of him had always been yearning for something - a light of sorts, forever there in the corners of his eyes when he fell asleep at night. Once it had been a guiding star, warm and comforting, its golden rays illuminating even the darkest of nights. Back then it had been as steadfast as the very ground he walked on, as steadfast as his future had seemed. So bright it burned. Too bright.
He'd let it go, and over the years it had dimmed, a dying light just out of reach, its only comfort the strange dreams he occasionally had, but this was fine, for he too had moved on and found comfort in friendship instead. Whatever emptiness that had been left by its absence was filled with her voice and the knowledge they shared. Of time spent together in the sanctuary of the greenhouse.
Then that too had faded, and he had set off once again, searching for it, for whatever it meant, for anything really, anything that would fill the hollowness in his soul, and many others had shared this pilgrimage. It was a pilgrimage to find a truth, to find out what he needed to reach true happiness, for all of cookiekind to reach true happiness. There he had discovered another sort of star, a cool blue that now rested at his neck, which whispered to him a sort of knowledge like that passed in the traded notes within a forbidden library. Not the same sort of steadfast, but the kind that was there when it mattered, the fearless kind which did not flinch from revelations, no matter how shocking. A light of Truth.
He could still see the golden star, faint as it may be, hovering silently at the edges of his perception, visible only due to the strange, frozen, dreamless void he had been occasionally finding himself in ever since he regained his identity. At his neck the Light of Truth pulsated, watching, taking that many-pointed form it often did in this other realm. Yet that neither were the reason for his concern.
There was another light here with them. A new light, yet as familiar to him as the others. It sang of flight, of exploration, of innovation, of contradictions, of rising above and beyond all restrictions, yet remaining pure and true to one's identity and morality. It sang of nature, of an ever-changing cycle, joyfully defiant and yet ever so similar. It sang of the wind and how it played, dancing through the trees and ruffling her hair as lilies swayed to half-forgotten tunes.
Weaving through this song was a different tune, one of sorrow, of loss, the bird falling, wings torn, a soul broken in two, yet accompanied with a sort of Solidarity, a warm hand on his shoulder to chase away the darkness of all he'd seen. Of all that had happened and all that he'd learned.
It wanted something from him, he realised. There was a whisper breaking through the silence, soft at first but increasingly insistent. A voice so achingly familiar, together with a faint scent that should've been lost a long time ago.
"…Pure Vanilla Cookie.."
His name once more on its tongue, as it sang him things to try and make him understand.
"…Pure Vanilla Cookie you must-!"
To finish by just saying his name, pleading, imploring him to…
"Pure Vanilla Cookie!"
He awoke once more.
Startled, he saw the blurry face of a child - Gingerbrave - before his mind reconnected with his staff and the world became focused once more. The first rays of dawn streamed through the airship's windows, illuminating the children, who gathered around him with clear concern. He hadn't been sleeping, he realised, which meant these visions of that peculiar, empty darkness were beginning to invade his waking mind also.
"Gingerbrave..?" He said, before quickly falling into the well-practised routine of comforting deflection. "I apologise, I was lost in thought for a moment."
If they knew of the apparently-persisting side effects of his actions in the Dark Flour War, they would be worried, so it was best to try steer the topic elsewhere.
"Are… are you alright?" Strawberry Cookie asked, ever the perceptive one and exactly the type of person he did not want to burden with his own issues. "Your dough is as white as snow..!"
He gave her a reassuring, albeit slightly strained smile. "Do not worry about me. I'm perfectly fine."
This seemed to comfort her, and he turned to glance out at the window. "We should be arriving soon, shouldn't we?"
Wizard Cookie proudly told him of the airship's current location, having been methodically keeping track of their progress the entire time, half to see if he could and half to satisfy Gingerbrave's endless reservoir of questions.
Though from the window the landscape of Beast Yeast was laid out clear to see, the sprawling forests, which he knew may very well be teaming with the great beasts of legends, seeming ever so peaceful from their soaring vantage point. In the distance he could make out vast mountains, standing as ancient sentinels against the blazing sun, bearing witness to the beginning of history and its eventual end, whilst between them flowed rivers eternally in flux, before stepping out into the silvery sea. It was clear to him now why Golden Cheese would brag about flying, and again he was reminded of the power of experience over that of words.
Yet there was something flickering, something which gave him pause, even as he murmured an answer. Even as Gingerbrave once again thanked the Créme Republic, for their generosity. A trace of gold, flitting amongst a sea of silver, like a speck of light calling to him from the distant spires of some long lost kingdom. A strong sense of familiarity he hadn't felt in a long time, yet he could not tell where it came from. The vision? The foreign light which reminded him of her? Or perhaps the very land itself?
Instinctively, his hand crept to rest against the cool surface of his Soul Jam, however the Light of Truth did not offer an answer. Yet its silence spoke all that he needed to hear. There was something special about Beast Yeast. Something which set it apart from the other continents to a degree great enough that Dark Enchantress Cookie would choose it, the supposedly wild and harsh lands, for her fortress over other, more obvious, choices. Making it a question of what. What secrets lay within Beast Yeast? What was it that his Soul Jam seemed to recognise?
A sudden tearing noise, sharp and unforgiving, followed by the cries of the children, shattered him out of his pondering.
Quickly he turned back around, a flash of relief flowing through him when his vision was returned with the sight of the children safe and sound, shaken up, yes, but unharmed.
"…Did we just …hit something?" Asked Wizard Cookie, anxiety breaking through as the ship shuddered once again.
He could hear it straining, the noises suggesting this was no mere collision, a fact quickly confirmed by the slight glimpses of moving tentacles outside the window.
"Something's got hold of the ship…!" He said, more to shed light on the situation, and the fact that if this continued for much longer the ship would surely crash, and knowing such things in advance would help lessen the shock of it. Already he was reaching for magic, moreso to ensure the result of the inevitable emergency landing was that the children were unharmed than to attack a foe he couldn't even see. They were helpfully all gathered together, meaning he did not need to expend as much energy.
Still, he gave one last survey out of the windows, but it appeared the bulk of the enemy was hidden, either above or under the ship. Wincing slightly at a particularly unpleasant noise, he returned his focus to his friends, who were now all desperately trying to turn the helm, making them in an even more tight-knit formation.
"We're crashing!" He yelled, for that was the only way they would hear him over the noise. "Hold on tight!"
The warm glow of his magic enveloped them and their surrounding area, lifting the very floor they stood on apart from the dying ship, and they all gripped the steering wheel tightly. Subconsciously another thread of magic wrapped around his own form, as he focused on the careful timing. Remove them from the ship too soon and they would be too high up, remove them from it too late and they risked injury, although the magic would shield them to a degree.
A tearing noise resounded as the ship finally surrendered to its attacker, light magic flaring up as random shrapnel pounded against it, but holding. His Soul Jam pulsed in time to his mental calculations, the perfect countdown for the perfect timing. Then they were free of the ship, and Pure Vanilla heard it crash down behind them, smashed almost beyond recognition, trees groaning in protest.
Immediately he turned to the children, who were scared and groaning (presumably from nausea), but seemed physically unharmed. He still asked, just to be safe.
"Is everyone unscathed?"
Strawberry nodded and Gingerbrave quickly checked himself for injuries, before responding far too cheerfully considering the situation.
"Yep! All thanks to your magic!"
"Still, let's not do that again." Grumbled Wizard Cookie. "Not that we can considering we are now stranded on Beast Yeast!"
Strawberry Cookie tightened the drawstrings of her hoodie and paled slightly. Pure Vanilla opened his mouth to reply with reassurances (not that he knew how to build an airship or any other viable mode of transport off of the continent, but there would surely be a way, they hadn't even started exploring so they could not assume they were stranded just yet), but was interrupted by a foreign voice.
"One, two, three, four, down to earth those cookies soar!"
"Huh? Where is that voice coming from??" Gingerbrave asked, as the group all glanced around but saw only looming trees and dark undergrowth.
"I- I don't know. I can't… see anyone" Murmured Strawberry Cookie, as Wizard Cookie tightened his grip on his staff.
His Soul Jam pulsed slightly, curious, questing. The stranger chuckled in amusement.
"Am I here? Am I there? You won't find me silly cookies so just despair!"
The Soul Jam located the stranger almost the same moment Wizard Cookie did.
"Aha! The little rascal is hiding behind the leaves over there!" The kid exclaimed triumphantly, reaching over and grabbing the being before they could squirm away.
"HEY!! You can't just grab me like that!" Snapped the stranger, glaring up at Wizard as Gingerbrave walked over to peer down at them.
"Wow, well spotted Wizard Cookie!"
Wizard peered down at them suspiciously. "Who are you?"
There was a flash of green as the being became a cookie, surprising everyone, save the Light of Truth, which appeared to now be satisfied with whatever it was trying to figure out.
"Put me down you dough-blob!"
"You can transform into a cookie?" Gingerbrave asked, seemingly baffled.
Pure Vanilla had heard of such beings, though he now wondered how many were on Beast Yeast. Perhaps he could ask someone (perhaps the stranger, although they were definitely getting off on the wrong foot here) later.
"Well obviously" Said the stranger, looking at Gingerbrave with slight disdain. "For it is I, the Master of Survival in the land of Beast Yeast, Carameleon Cookie!"
"Carameleon Cookie?" Repeated Strawberry.
"Ah! I've heard of this creature before!" Said Pure Vanilla, recalling a specific lesson of the academy, one of the few White Lily actually enjoyed attending. "You're able to blend into your surroundings, correct?"
"Aren't you a cute little cookie!" Gingerbrave said to Carameleon Cookie with unnecessary (but classically Gingerbrave) fondness.
"Cute?! You dare call me cute!" Disdain quickly turned to anger. "That's rich coming from a bunch of clueless cookies who nearly got themselves eaten by a Jelly Squid!"
"…Jelly Squid?"
"Oh, so that's what's currently squashed under the remains of our airship! Just look at its tentacles sticking out; its absolutely massive!"
"Yeah! But you know what? Nothing can easier than avoiding them, 'cuz they can't even see! Only a complete crumbs-for-brains would have a huge, noisy thing flying around it" Carameleon dissolved into laughter.
"A Jelly Squid?" Pure Vanilla mused, starting to feel the beginnings of excitement. "I heard those went extinct in Crispia eons ago… Beast Yeast truly is full of peculiar and ancient lifeforms!"
Perhaps that was why Dark Enchantress Cookie chose this place? Nevertheless, he could not deny his curiosity at just what was hidden here. It was the kind of feeling that reminded him of his academy days. With a pang of sorrow, he realised White Lily would have loved this place… If only they'd gone and explored it together…
There was a faint, but persistent rustling up ahead.
"Yeah, I don't want to sound like I'm chickening out already or anything, but this place does seem rather dangerous.." Said Wizard Cookie, eyeing the surrounding forests wearily.
"That's what I'm saying!" Interjected Carameleon Cookie. "Rookies like you lot will get eaten up in no time!"
"As long as we stick together, it will be okay!" Replied Gingerbrave. "We knew this expedition wouldn't be easy, but we can take whatever is out there!"
Carameleon Cookie rolled his eyes dismissively, but such confidence was great at raising the morale of its target audience - effectively carrying out Pure Vanilla's role for him.
"Exactly" He said, smiling. "Although we must remain on our guard."
"Hey! Listen to what I'm trying to say!" Interrupted Carameleon.
"And what's that?"
"I, the Master of Survival in the Land of Beast Yeast, will accompany you! That's what!" The cookie glared at Wizard.
"Huh? But we're perfectly fine on our own?" Questioned Gingerbrave.
"Pleeeaase. I know all there is to know about Beast Yeast, so don't ya think you'll have a higher chance of survival with me on the team?"
'Factually incorrect', whispered the Light of Truth, but Pure Vanilla opted to ignore it this time, for even though it was impossible to know absolutely everything about an entire continent, Carameleon Cookie could still be knowledgeable.
Especially considering this was a scouting mission.
"And of course, there are certain.. benefits to travelling with you big cookies… It's a win-win situation! You'd be foolish to refuse it!"
"…Wouldn't this just be a good deal for you?" Murmured Strawberry Cookie.
"Still, having someone with us that is knowledgeable about this land may come in handy, don't you think?" He replied, the fact that this would benefit Carameleon only further convincing him - for it sounded like the small cookie wished for the group's protective benefits, and what kind of hero would he be to deny that?
"See! That's what I'm saying!" Responded Carameleon, seemingly now pleased with Pure Vanilla's existence.
They hopped onto Gingerbrave's head, much to the latter's surprise. "Off we go then! Into the deep forests of Beast Yeast!"