Chapter Text
[Choco Thai Tea Cookie Ollie]
It all seemed so obvious in retrospect that something was up with her mind. The whole "Gretel" situation was deeper than just being isekai'd pre-mortem by a few hours, and she wanted answers.
Unfortunately, [REDACTED] was giving her the silent treatment and barely talking about anything, only giving her a sly expression.
"I'm already doing my part of the deal by preventing a certain jester from spoiling himself about you. You're welcome, by the way."
'... Fuck. So Mr. Tumblr Sexyman bait has been keeping an eye on me.'
The last thing Ollie needed was more cookies knowing she's a cannibal. The ghosts are fine, but they could talk to other ghosts or mediums, and she'd be toast. Vampire Cookie is probably going to gossip to his sister- Ollie knows from experience that siblings tell each other almost everything.
"Fuckin' hell. Ughhh..." She runs a hand down her face. "Knowing him, he's going to use that when he breaks out. I- am not ready for the fallout."
'Even more motivation to learn how to get a grip on my powers.' She thinks.
"[REDACTED]- about... Gretel." Ollie chooses her words carefully. "You didn't just send me into her story all willy-nilly, right? You- I was there. Before her death."
"Indeed." The eye in the mirror narrows, seeming amused. "Transmigrating a mortal just to kill them off in such a short time- it's not exactly good business."
"And your mind would have many problems with death, too. I assume your research has shown that?"
Ollie shudders. "Yes. I don't know if it's different for other humans or cookies, but... experiencing death and being revived causes the person to experience significant mental strain."
She looks at the candles lit at her desk, and shudders. "The returnee... is drawn to the cause of their death. They both fear... and are fascinated by it."
If she didn't have to worry about other things, like taking care of the kingdom and figuring out how to help the other cookies, she'd love to do a study on the mental effects of death and resurrection on others. It'd be a fascinating psychological study.
'There would need to be a bigger sample size than just me, otherwise I'd just be a case study... Perhaps I can reach out to ghosts, or other resurrected people (if they even exist)- ah, focus!'
She shakes her head and returns to the topic on hand. "Anyways. About Gretel... is there any way to learn about my second reincarnation? Because I know that you simply won't give me the answer, but I don't know where to start."
The higher being chuckles, regarding her with slight pride. "Mhm. Yes. The more you discover, the more I am fed. It's good that you know your role in this, little one." They extend out an inky black hand from the mirror, the human-like appendage looking uncanny and out of place in the cartoonish world.
Within it was a singular blue crystal. Ollie raises an eyebrow. "This is... a crystal? Like, the premium currency? It's got that familiar diamond shape. "What's this got to do with finding out my previous life?"
"Think of it as... purchasing the storyline of a "season" that has already passed." [REDACTED] purrs. "If you collect enough crystals, you can use them on your laptop to unlock memories."
They gesture towards her laptop, and she holds it up reverently. The hand opens it up, and as the screen flickers on, they press the crystal against it. It gets absorbed in a flash of light, and a pop-up appears.
Ollie stares at it. "Wait, how the fuck do I have 500 crystals already? I didn't do anything to get them, if I recall..."
"Think, Olivine. What do you do to get crystals?" [REDACTED] says, leading her to the conclusion.
"You... pay for it using money. Play the game. Go on adventures-" Ollie freezes up. "The adventures."
"There you go! Now you understand." The higher being uses it's summoned hand to pat her on the head, before it disappears back into the mirror. "You can't stay inside forever. You need to go out! Make some more friends!"
"... Just so you know you sound so suspicious right now." Ollie narrows her eyes. "But fine. I was planning on going out on an expedition to test my powers anyways..."
She glances towards her backpack- it's zipped open, with tons of supplies and non-perishable foods in it. Her sleeping bag and tent are stacked nearby.
"I hope I understand what the hell's up with my body before I hurt someone again." She mutters.
"Mhm. I'll see you soon, then." [REDACTED] says. "I've got an audience to manage."
The darkness in her bathroom subsides. Ollie lets out a relieved breath, hunching over the white-chocolate sink and staring at herself in the mirror.
"... Ugh. I hate having to deal with them." She turns around, expecting to be alone, but yelps and scuttles back as she sees a wide-eyed Strawberry Gelatin Cookie and a terrified Braised Cranberry Cookie.
"How long have YOU two been here?!" She yelps. "Dude! I was talking to someone!"
"Who in the Witches was that?!" Braised Cranberry Cookie demanded. " What- I felt like I was going to crumble on the spot in it's presence! Ugh!"
"That... being... it felt like undiluted power. Infinite knowledge." Strawberry Gelatin Cookie whispered. "Is that a god?"
"Ugh. Unfortunately, yes. That prick is the guy who revived me." Ollie sighs, closing the bathroom door behind her and dragging her supplies over to her couch. "They're the one who brought me back to life as a cookie."
"[REDACTED]. The Embodiment of Discovery."
Braised Cranberry Cookie blinks. "That's a stupid name."
"Braised Cranberry! You should show some respect!" Strawberry Gelatin Cookie says in a hushed, frantic tone. "Who knows what they'll do to us if they heard your insult?!"
"If it makes you feel better, that's just a placeholder name. To be 'redacted' is to be censored or obscured for legal or security reasons." Ollie begins zipping up her backpack. "Their real name, as I have been told, is prone to causing insanity or instant death to those who hear it."
"Ah." Braised Cranberry Cookie eeps out. "I see."
Ollie sits down, and proceeds to tell them about her discoveries about her past self. About how she was apparently reincarnated twice, and...
"Apparently, because of my previous death at the hands of the witches, I have... become the embodiment of gluttony." She looks down at her hands. "I'm basically tied to the concept itself. And- how I express it can differ depending on the choices I make."
Because gluttony, in it's general definition, wasn't just eating a lot. It was consumption. Consumption of knowledge, of love, of concepts.
Ollie was starved of romantic love before she died. She hungered for knowledge as a student, and she lived to eat instead of eating to live.
Strawberry Gelatin Cookie looks at her with anticipation. "So... you are saying that you are destined to become a ravenous monster?"
"No! I mean- I could be, if I didn't control myself. I need to make sure that I express gluttony in a more... positive way than what the usual is." Ollie thinks hard about what that could entail.
"If I can control it, aim it towards consuming the enemy instead of my allies... I could turn the tide of the upcoming war with Dark Enchantress Cookie."
Because with the small amount of CRK lore she knew, Ollie reckoned that Dark Enchantress cookie was THE potential man- er, woman, of the series. Not as strong as some of the other forces like Millennial Tree Cookie, the Sugar Swan, or the Witches- but still a threat.
"I don't want to be a monster. I want to have friends. And... I may be greedy for saying this..."
"But I want to live."
[Alchemist Cookie]
"You said you wanted me to meet up with... her? I've got experiments to run and results to verify! I can't just go on a trip and leave everything here!" She pouts.
Alchemist Cookie was currently watching a flask bubble up. She uses a tempered-chocolate scraper to gently take some powder out of a tube, weighs it, and then pours it inside the bubbling flask.
Immediately, a precipitate formed in the bottom. She continues her work while Vampire Cookie lazes around in the background.
"But like- hey! She might be pretty cool to you, I don't know..." He swirls his wine glass. "I hear she's been researching the Witches. And knows some stuff about them."
"Hm?" Alchemist Cookie furrows her brow. "Why bring that up? You know how the cookies in Earthbread are... not exactly on the same page with us about the Witches."
Both Alchemist Cookie and Vampire Cookie were witch-baked cookies that knew what they did to other cookies. That itself was a rarity in Earthbread, where most of the cookies were natural-baked by other cookies and have long forgotten what the witches were like.
It was a quiet agreement between all those who knew the truth to stay quiet about it, lest the fragile peace in Earthbread truly shatter. Who knows what the native cookies would do, if they realized that the gods they worshipped planned to eat them like cattle.
"She knows. I'm pretty sure she's a Witch-baked cookie too." Vampire Cookie comments. "But she's different. Cursed. I had a talk about her, because she was all suspicious coming back from the forest with jam all over her mouth-"
"What?"
"And like, she's apparently got to eat life powder or something. Whenever she uses a lot of her energy." He says, trying not to sound worried. "I mean- she ate dirt right in front of me to prove the point. Dirt. Straigth from the ground-"
"How??? How does she not get sick from that?" Alchemist Cookie whirls around, putting her experiment to the side for now to express her sheer bafflement. "There's so many problems with eating the magic that makes up Earhtbread's- well, earth, and that's not even counting the problems that come with life powder oversaturation-"
"Beats me. We just talk sometimes about how to handle our problem." He shrugs. "She's not my kind of person- always a huge busybody running the whole Kingdom's operations. I swear..."
"Hmph. If that's the case, she should be taking a break. I can't believe I'm saying this..."
Alchemist Cookie's got no idea of what it means to manage an entire kingdom, but judging from how fast the Cookie Kingdom is growing and all the businesses and cookies are popping up- it must be exhausting.
"I know, right?! But every time I try to see her, she always ends up getting nervous or brushing me off for work! I've only ever seen her relax at night- and she doesn't sleep!"
"She doesn't?!"
Vampire Cookie can't hide his exasperation and concern now. "The only time she's free is at night, and she just-does more paperwork or her research! It's terrible! I feel exhausted just watching her!"
"And what do you want me to do about that?" Alchemist Cookie sighs. "I can't just slip a sleeping potion into her food, Vampire Cookie! That's not right!"
"What?! No!" He shakes his head. "She said she was going to the Giant Icing Ridge woods, near the Dark Cacao kingdom. Something about wanting to 'test her strength'?"
"So... you want me to accompany her?"
"Yeah! Me and Werewolf cookie are going to head on along to help!" He grins. "I mean- she'll finally take a break from all her work, right?"
"I suppose so." Alchemist Cookie sniffs, and sighs as she takes out her flask from the flame, setting it down to cool. "Although, it'd be such a waste to keep my alchemical mixtures here... I need to get my spare stash of chemicals and bottles."
"You know, I hear she's got some science knowledge, too..." Vampire Cookie goads his sister, snickering. "I mean, I think I heard her muttering about being in a lab before..."
"Ah. I see- that would be more interesting, talking to a cookie with education in the sciences..." She thinks out loud. "Hm. Perhaps it won't be a total waste."
A while for Alchemist Cookie to pack for the balloon expedition- stuffing all the chemicals she needed into neat little containers, making sure she had a way to heat them up in the extreme cold- it was a lot of work.
She sighs, hauling her pack behind herself as Vampire Cookie lazily slings his own bag behind himself. She raises an eyebrow.
"What? I can just sleep in the tree." He says, scoffing. "I've slept upside down a ton of times as a bat."
"It's still going to be cold, dummy." She gives him a soft whack over the head. "At least pack a blanket! Or a thicker coat!"
"Sheesh, fine, fine!" He complains.
They stop in front of the small park next to the balloon dock- it's a rather cozy place, with tress and flowers planted around in a careful manner.
Choco Thai Tea Cookie was currently sitting on one of the log benches, kicking her feet... and munching on some chocolate brownie crumbs in a cup.
Vampire Cookie narrows his eyes. "Choco Thai Tea..." He says, his voice turning more suspicious. "What's that in your mouth?"
"... Heeey, Vampire Cookie! Nice seeing you around!" She lets out a nervous laugh. "Oh, and Alchemist Cookie! It's good to meet you!"
"Choco Thai Tea Cookie." He grabs the cup out of her hand and gives it a sniff. "Hey!" She complains.
"You're eating dirt again?!" He says, holding it out of her reach. "I told you it's not healthy! You can get enough life powder from normal food!"
"And I said I could eat this normally with no consequences!" She pouts. "Give it back!"
Alchemist Cookie takes the cup with some curiosity, then grimaces. Yup, that was definitely chocolate dirt. Mhm.
"Choco Thai Tea. If you're going to need to eat the same way I do, then you'll at least find something more... sanitary to eat? Like leaves? Rocks?"
"I HAVE been, dude- I don't want to eat anything that's too hard to obtain. I don't want to ruin the environment!" She complains.
"... You just like eating dirt, don't you."
"I mean. Yes. That too."
Alchemist Cookie tilts her head as Choco Thai Tea Cookie turns her attention to her. "Sorry that this is your first impression of me."
"Don't worry. You're just a bit- eccentric!" Alchemist Cookie shakes her hand. "I would know, as a fellow researcher."
Choco Thai Tea Cookie lets out a brisk laugh. "Oh, yeah! I'm not exactly an official researcher- I didn't finish college, but I've still got fourteen years of education under my belt."
She circles Alchemist Cookie like a curious creature. "Alchemy involves magical components, which I'm not exactly able to perform. I've had some experience in chemistry- non-magical in nature."
"Of course. Chemistry is important to alchemy as well- although it's usually the concepts and rules." Alchemist Cookie explains. "Instead of focusing on the elements, we focus on the magical properties and how they interact with each other."
Choco Thai Tea's eyes sparkled. She might have hated having to pass her General Chemistry courses back when she was alive- but she loved learning about it.
"Oh! I'm not the best at chemistry- I'm more of a biology person myself, but- yeah!" She gushes. "Are you familiar with VSEPR? Uh, hybridization and all that? I've always had problems with that."
She skittishly rubs the back of her head, her wafer antennae twitching and falling flat. "I've forgotten most of that, but I still remember intermolecular and intramolecular forces well. Pretty good at acid-base reactions, too."
Alchemist Cookie's eyes sparkle, and she pushes up her glasses. "Inter- and Intra-molecular forces play a role in alchemy, too. Although, most of them are changed through magical interference, like how some unstable reagents are stabilized through magic circles..."
Choco Thai Tea isn't as good as her in terms of alchemy, but she kept up with the concepts as quick as her. And not only that, but Alchemist Cookie got to infodump about her profession without them getting bored or uninterested!
"Oh, fascinating- what process do you use to extract precipitate from mixtures? Is there a spell that imitates using a vacuum filter?"
"Extraction spell. It's very useful- it can specifically target chemicals in herbs and such, or for purifying substances as well."
"Ooo, can it target multiple chemicals at the same time, or just one at a time?"
"I usually do one chemical at a time. It's very difficult to focus on multiple chemicals- you have to understand it's properties, how to break the intermolecular bonds, how the molecule is connected..."
"Oh wow. That genuinely sounds like a pain to memorize."
The two of them chat together, all until Vampire Cookie walks back with Werewolf Cookie, who is sniffing the air and hunched over as he approaches the two.
"Hey! Eggheads!" He waves them over. "Werewolf Cookie's here! We can go on that expedition now!"
[Werewolf Cookie]
He has no idea why this was a good idea in the first place. When Vampire Cookie approached him, he wasn't sure as to why he'd done so- sure, the other cookie was a fellow 'monstrous' cookie like him, and he'd come to an understanding with him- but he was still reluctant to interact with other cookies.
"Why are you here...?" He mumbles, hiding himself behind a tree. "You know I don't like going out of the forest... I might harm other cookies."
"This is important, Werewolf Cookie." He says. "You've heard of Choco Thai Tea Cookie, right?"
"Her... of course. She was the one who helped welcome me here to the Cookie Kingdom and let me live in the forest nearby." Werewolf Cookie says.
She was a very polite cookie, if not distant and forgetful due to her constant workload. He'd only talked with her once before, and it was during their introduction.
"Hey, you're Werewolf Cookie, right?" The cookie in front of him was rather small but with notably messy hair. Her eyes were an unsettlingly orange hue, gleaming with a sort of hunger.
"... Yes." He says. "I am sorry for being so close to your kingdom. If you wish for me to leave, I shall-"
"Nah man, you're fine being in the forest." She chuckles, pushing up her glasses. "I'm more worried about how comfortable you are there. Are you sure you don't want a house or something? Or at least a tent?"
"I already have a perfectly good cave." He says bluntly.
"Damn, bro's really playing Minecraft." She says jokingly. He has no idea what she's saying. "But seriously. No bed? No blankets?"
"I would... appreciate a blanket, yes." He says.
"Ah, sure man! Lemme just-" She disappears for a few minutes before coming back to him, holding several woolen blankets and a comfortable pillow.
"I hope these are good enough!"
Werewolf Cookie contemplates on this. There was something off about Choco Thai Tea Cookie- his instincts screamed at him back then that she was something completely terrifying- but that was wrong, right?
Surely a cookie that small and unassuming couldn't be a threat to him, a scary wolf!
Vampire Cookie fidgets with his sleeve as he tries to choose his next words. "Well, she's got... a problem with controlling her own urges. You know, to... eat."
"... I don't follow." He says bluntly.
Vampire Cookie looks around to see if there's any other cookies around them near the forest. His voice lowers into a whisper.
"She said this to keep this a secret, but... she's got... issues with trying to get life powder." He winces. "Choco Thai Tea's been eating anything and everything with life powder- dirt, rocks, plants- but it's not enough sometimes. She's the one scaring off all the wild cake hounds."
'Right, the cake hounds running around the forest, the ones that keep on... whimpering and acting scared?' Werewolf Cookie blinks. "She's been the one keeping the cake monster population down?"
"Mhm. She's worried that even with that, they're eventually going to run out and she might... starve. And lose herself." Vampire Cookie makes a worried face. "... We both know what it means for cookies like us."
Werewolf Cookie nods, and then sighs. "You want me to help her control herself? To train?"
"Yes- apparently she's going to the Giant Icing Ridge. Something about testing out her limits somewhere she can't hurt other cookies." Vampire Cookie fiddles with his cape.
"... But isn't it full of incredibly dangerous monsters? Even I can't defeat the stronger ones there."
"It's... risky, but I'll be there with Alchemist Cookie, too. I'm sure we can handle a bit of cold, can we...?" He asks.
And with that, the two of them went to where Choco Thai Tea Cookie and Alchemist Cookie were. The two were chatting their ears off about Alchemy, and Vampire Cookie couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Hey! Eggheads! Werewolf Cookie's here! We can go on that expedition now!"
The balloon ride to the Giant Icing Ridge was boring- Werewolf Cookie was wary at the height they were flying at, but the Dark Cacao Kingdom and the Ridge were much closer compared to the Hollyberry Kingdom or the Vanilla Kingdom.
The only problem, however, was the cold. Flying up so high made the wind whip at their dough. Alchemist Cookie and Vampire Cookie shivered, trembling. Werewolf Cookie was thankful that he had a thicker fur coat.
"Ah, shoot. You guys cold?" Choco Thai Tea asked, rummaging through her backpack. She pulls out a thick, woolen blanket. "Here. Don't worry about sharing with me, I packed another one.
Vampire Cookie nodded and accepted the blanket, draping it over himself and his sister. "T-Thanks." Choco Thai Tea, however, doesn't take a blanket out for herself as the continues to push through the cold.
They landed, the balloon being securely tied to a nearby tree in the forest clearing. Alchemist Cookie raises an eyebrow when Choco Thai Tea Cookie pulls out more licorice ropes and attaches them to the basket.
"Huh? What are those for?" She asks.
"Backup." Choco Thai Tea Cookie says. She wraps the thick cords around more trees, securing them with carabiners. "I-If one of the cords gets cut, then there's a few m-more holding them down. We don't want the balloon to float away."
She grunts as she shuffles back into the hot air balloon and turns off the burners, carefully letting the fabric drape down on the clearing. "And... there. Not b-bad."
"How'd you learn this? I mean, yeah, Gingerbrave and his buddies learned how to use the hot air balloon from some of the Bear Jellies working here, but..."
"Oh, t-that? I decided to read about it after I went on that expedition towards the Hollyberry Kingdom. Didn't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere later, haha!" She laughs nervously her teeth chattering from the cold.
(Ollie's hand nervously clutched the laptop in her backpack.)
"C-Call it being overprepared... but I like having the knowledge just in case stuff goes wrong."
"Mhm." Alchemist Cookie nods approvingly. "It makes it feel... safer, I guess. More reassuring."
"N-Never let down your guard, though." Choco Thai Tea says, her eyes narrowing under her glasses. "You'll never know when something's about to pop up, especially in a p-place like this..."
They trudge on towards the snowy peak. Choco Thai Tea pulls out her weapon- a large fork-like spear. The others get an unsettling feeling from it.
"It's eerily quiet..." Vampire Cookie remarks. "Is there any of the monsters around here? Especially- woah!"
Right as he's about to walk beside a tree stump, something pops up from the hole in the middle. A Mountain Ent lets out a small, grumbling squeak, and some licorice cake hounds emerge from the dark.
"Stand back." Werewolf Cookie readies himself for battle, and so does everyone else. He's the first to charge in, taking a swipe at the cake hounds.
Vampire Cookie turns into a bat, swooping down at the Mountain Ent and biting it. It lets out a pained hiss and attacks back with it's roots, shooting out of the ground to grapple him.
"Alchemist Cookie!" He yells. His sister pulls out a flask of chemicals. "Got it!" She throws it, making the glass shatter and explode on the ent. It succumbs with a ghastly wail, and the licorice cake hounds let out a loud howl.
More cake hounds and Mountain Ents pop up from the snow, circling the four cookies. Werewolf Cookie grits his teeth and transforms into a large wolf, howling as he jumps back into the battle.
He slashes his claws at the Licorice Hounds, which yelp and back off, growling. The Mountain Ents begin attacking as well to avenge their fallen brethren, their roots tangling up the others.
"Why are there so many of them?!" Alchemist Cookie yells. Choco Thai Tea Cookie grits her teeth. "I don't know- maybe something happened near the Dark Cacao Kingdom?!"
(She knew exactly what happened. The Great Wall had fallen, and while most of the licorice monsters were pushed back, the local wildlife would be much more aggressive from the attempted invasion.)
(That'd also explain why there were so many licorice cake hounds...)
She uses her fork to sweep a ton of the monsters back, sending them flying. Choco Thai Tea begins tapping into her latent strength, channeling it into speed and force.
"Take THIS!" She stabs several Mountain Ents, cracking their stumps in half. They die with furious screeches, and she wipes the sweat off her... dough? Huh. Cookies do sweat.
In the middle of battle, Choco Thai Tea licks her arm, and- yup, that was sugar water. Cookies sweat sugar water.
Werewolf Cookie, however, is trying to struggle away from another Mountain Ent, kicking his feet and clawing at the roots. "Get... off me!"
There's a roar in the distance. A hulking, biped figure stomps forward from the trees, and Alchemist Cookie yells. "That's a sprinkled yeti! What are THEY doing out here, so close to the base of the mountain?!"
"I don't know! You're the smart one here!" Vampire Cookie yells back. He rushes towards Werewolf Cookie, worried that he wouldn't make it in time-
And Choco Thai Tea Cookie comes barreling down, spearing the monster through it's head and letting out a snarl. Her teeth are bared in a way that doesn't look like a smile- but more like a warning.
"Hah!" She spins herself around the hilt of her fork, cocking back her leg. The resulting kick beheads another sprinkled yeti, and by now the monsters begin to back off, realizing that there was a bigger threat in the cookies' group.
Choco Thai Tea lands down on her legs, crouching. The gaze in her eyes is downright hungry, and she wipes the drool from her mouth.
"I'm feeling a bit peckish from the fight... you don't mind if I have a little snack in the middle of this, now do you?"
She unhinges her mouth- and a 'SNAP' reverberates through the snowy air. The top half of the sprinkled yeti is sheared off and completely gone, as if it were ripped off by an invisible force.
Choco Thai Tea makes a chewing motion, then swallows. She lunges towards the fallen body of the other sprinkled yeti, her mouth open.
What follows is a blood- er, jam-bath. Vampire Cookie, Alchemist Cookie, and Werewolf Cookie look on in horror as frosting and jam go flying into the air, the small cookie burrowing into the monster's body like a starving parasite. The Licorice Hounds witnessing this whimper and run off, and the mountain ents wisely burrowed away into the ground.
Jam splatters on the white snow. Choco Thai Tea Cookie leans back, letting out a guttural growl, then a pleased chittering noise, before digging back into her prey.
"A-ah-" Alchemist Cookie looks terrified. Vampire Cookie stands in front of her, similarly tense. He's getting light-headed and hungry from the scent of jam, but his instincts scream at him to NOT steal from the being in front of him, Witches forbid.
Werewolf Cookie is staring at the sight in front of him, wide-eyed. It's hard to believe the monster- no, the cookie right in front of him was the same hard-working, sweet cookie that greeted him in the Cookie Kingdom and allowed him to stay in the forest.
'And to think, this is what happens when she loses control... will she go after US next?'
Suddenly, there's a thundering roar from the forest. Choco Thai Tea's antennae twitch, and she looks up from her feast, her hazy eyes narrowing. She lets out a low hiss and growl, before sprinting off into the distance, leaving the sprinkled yeti carcasses behind.
Vampire Cookie snaps to attention, realizing what he had to do. "Everyone! Follow Choco Thai Tea Cookie- we need to make sure she's under control!"
The three rush towards their friend's path, following the reddish-pink trail behind her.
[Dark Choco Cookie]
"Gh- I should have taken more weapons leaving the kingdom!" He laments, holding a regular chocolate sword in his hand as he clutches his bleeding shoulder.
Dark Choco Cookie didn't regret defecting from Dark Enchantress, not one bit. She and her minions had convinced him to do such evil acts, and he'd swore to atone for his foolishness.
But even as he'd cast aside the Strawberry Jam Sword, he'd needed a weapon so he could defend himself against the wilderness of the Giant Icing Ridge. He'd swiped a simple sword from the armory- one that the rest of the Dark Cacao kingdom's soldiers wouldn't miss.
And yet here he was, facing down the fearsome Frozen Peak Prowler by himself. If he'd had taken a ranged weapon, like a bow and some arrows, then maybe he wouldn't have been in this predicament.
'Witches damn it!' He curses to himself silently. The monster roars, before sniffing the air and growling.
Dark Choco Cookie, despite having a worse sense of smell compared to the wild beast, smells it too. The heavy, sickly-sweet scent of strawberry jam.
He tenses up. 'No... what if it's another cookie in danger?! The scent will draw this monster straight to them!'
'I must defeat it, or else!'
He rushes towards the Frozen Peak Prowler, jumping up high. His blade sinks into it's back, making it roar out in pain and annoyance.
"You shall not hunt another! Your battle is with me and me alone!" He grits his teeth, and lets out a grunt as the monster bucks him off it's back.
He lands on the ground deftly, but the Frozen Peak Prowler takes a swipe at him while he's still getting his bearings, knocking him back. Dark Choco Cookie's knees buckle, and he barely manages to dodge the next attack.
'If only I weren't tired from the previous battles at the Dark Cacao Kingdom... I cannot believe that I might die to a mere wild beast.' He thinks.
Dark Cacao Cookie sighs. He closes his eyes, readies his blade to block the next attack, and...
A feral shriek cuts through the air, followed by a violent snarl. The Frozen Peak Prowler looks up from it's prey as the scent of jam thickens.
There is a cookie lumbering towards the monster. She's got wild, unkempt chocolate hair, and in her hand is a jam-stained fork. In fact, her entire body was covered in strawberry jam, dripping like gore from her soaked clothes and her dough.
She looks up at the monster, breathing heavily as her breath fogs up in the cold. Dark Choco's heart freezes in place as he sees not fear, but hunger in her eyes.
The monster and the cookie stare at each other for a moment- before both spring into action. The stranger cocks her arm back and throws her fork like a spear, cutting through the air and making a loud 'BOOM' as it impacted against the monster's side.
The beast lets out an angry roar, turning it's attention from Dark Choco Cookie to the jam-soaked stranger. She leaps back nimbly, pulling her weapon out of it's side and stabbing again.
The former prince of the Dark Cacao Kingdom scrambles away from the fight, panting. He runs behind the outcropping of stone in front of him, peeking out.
His instincts told him that if he'd joined the battle, he'd be in the crossfire of two wild beasts. Even if that stranger looked like a cookie... her demeanor was anything but.
The Frozen Peak Prowler growls, before summoning spirits to do it's bidding. Choco Thai Tea Cookie's eyes narrow, and she glances towards the empty air besides her.
The spirits fly past her and towards... seemingly nothing, before they're locked into battle with an invisible foe. Choco Thai Tea jabs at them with her fork, dispelling them, before turning back to the main enemy.
The monster takes a swipe at her once she was distracted- and it's paw hits her. She doesn't budge. The Frozen Peak Prowler growls, confused. It slams it's paw down again, but it feels like it's akin to hitting concrete.
Dark Choco Cookie watches with equal parts fascination and horror as the cookie slooowly turns around to look at the monster with a blank expression.
"... Dinner's ready." She finally says. The arm holding the oversized fork cocks back once again, and-
'SSCHLK!'
The weapon brutally spears through the Frozen Peak Prowler's face. It tries to roar, wobbles, then collapses onto the snowy ground, dead.
Choco Thai Tea Cookie takes the fork out, and gives the dead body a few more jabs just to make sure it was dead- head, torso, and then another to pin it down by the abdomen.
She climbs up the monster's body, opening her mouth, and begins to slowly tear apart the frosting and dough of the monster.
Dark Choco Cookie stumbles back, his eyes wide in horror. It was a macabre sight- a small, bug-like cookie feasting on a monster four times her size, eating it raw. Ice cream melted in her warm maw and dribbled down her jacket, staining it.
'Is this a wild cookie?! Has she been lost in the Giant Icing Ridge for her entire life, and- THIS is how she eats?!' He thinks. 'No- her clothes are odd. They aren't scraps, but they also don't look like attire that the Dark Cacao kingdom wears...'
"Choco Thai Tea Cookie!" A voice rings out from the woods. Three other cookies- clearly foreigners, judging from their outfits, ran towards her. They stopped just short of the treeline, looking nervous at their companion's bloodlust.
Dark Choco Cookie simply observed from afar, suspicious. Were they under Dark Enchantress' employ as well?
"Choco Thai Tea, you- you need to snap out of it." The one with the cloak says. "I know they're only monsters, but- you're going to get noticed if you leave that much jam behind."
Choco Thai Tea groggily looks up from her feast, blinking away her trance. She looks down at the massive corpse of the Frozen Peak Prowler, blinking. "Huh. I- actually did that?" She asks, baffled.
'... Is she unaware of her own strength? Or was she not of her own mind when fighting?' Dark Choco Cookie wonders.
She glanced down at her own clothes, grimacing. "Dang it. All my clothes are dirty now... I've got to wash them and get spare ones."
"Wait, you've got spare clothes?"
"Well, yeah, Alchemist, I prepare for everything." Choco Thai Tea Cookie groans, taking out a backpack from behind her and rummaging through it. Her previous bloodlust seems to have died off, replaced with... sluggishness.
She moves much more slowly now that the adrenaline has worn off, and the cold finally hits her. Choco Thai Tea's antennae are twitching like wild, and she takes a spare set of clothes. "A-ah- I'll change. Somewhere more private."
"Um- y-yeah. That would be good." Vampire Cookie gives her a shaky thumbs up, still staring at the massive corpse in front of them.
"Look after my meal! That's my food supply for today and tomorrow- you guys go eat the stuff you packed!" She shouts, scrambling down the corpse and going deeper into the forest.
Dark Choco Cookie still doesn't trust her, but he'd at least give her the dignity of dressing herself alone. He huffs, intending to not follow her- but unfortunately, the cookie decides to use the same rocky outcropping he was hiding behind to change.
Dark Choco Cookie lets out a nervous shout and Choco Thai Tea Cookie screeches, covering herself right as she took off her shirt. "FUCK!"
She throws her fork blindly towards his direction. The weapon hits a tree right next to him- and proceeds to crack it in half. Dark Choco Cookie freezes as the wood creaks and falls down with a 'CRACK-THUMP!'
"..."
"..." They're both awkwardly silent for a moment.
"Hey." Choco Thai Tea Cookie wheezes out, looking skittish. "Can you uh. Move. I'm changing here, dude."
Dark Choco Cookie backs off with his hands up, knowing that he'd be torn to pieces if he stayed here. He ends up going to the other cookies in the area, revealing himself.
The three look at him just as awkwardly as her. "... So uh." Vampire Cookie looks at him up and down, before shrugging. "Hey."
"... Greetings to you as well."
"I'm guessing you didn't mean to stumble upon us?" Vampire Cookie asks. "We're- not exactly locals around here."
"I can see that."
Dark Choco Cookie regards them up and down. All of them weren't exactly bad in the way that set off his instincts, but he did feel wary of them, seeing that they were associated with... her.
"Are you with Dark Enchantress Cookie?" He demands, narrowing his eyes. "Do you seek to harm the Dark Cacao Kingdom?"
"What? No!" Alchemist Cookie hastily shakes her head. "We all hate her. She's nothing but trouble, if you ask me!"
"We're from the Cookie Kingdom." Vampire Cookie explains. "Choco Thai Tea Cookie wanted to train herself to... not lose control, as you can see. And we couldn't exactly let her loose in the woods near where we live, because it's much calmer and less dangerous than... here."
Dark Choco Cookie glances at the brutalized Frozen Peak Prowler laying in the snow. "And that is her... losing control?"
"I mean, I guess so? She was lucid enough to not attack us, if that's any reassurance." Alchemist Cookie observes the corpse in front of them. "Fascinating... Choco Thai Tea Cookie said that she's unable to perform magic at all, but her strength? It's unnatural."
"No magic at all? Then how in the world did she defeat... those sprinkled yetis?" Werewolf Cookie wondered out loud.
"Beats me. I say it's good she got rid of all those monsters, they were unusually violent and rowdy." Vampire Cookie shudders. "But did she really have to eat them like that? Eugh..."
Choco Thai Tea Cookie returns from the back of the stone outcropping, wearing a thicker, dark jacket and a pair of boots. She's licking the spare strawberry jam off her spear, which makes the others wince.
"Choco Thai Tea! Don't do that, it's filthy!" Alchemist Cookie chides. "Who knows how many magical diseases you can get from monster jam!"
"... Alchemist, buddy. I'm immune to most diseases." Choco Thai Tea Cookie deadpans, finishing off her fork. "And besides. I'm eating the monster, remember?"
She sighs, pushing up her glasses. "Fine... but at least cut the monster up into parts so it's easier to eat." Alchemist Cookie says. "And it's less of a curse on our eyecing..."
"Eh? Oh, sure."
The newcomers had introduced themselves and set up camp next to their air balloon. Dark Choco Cookie had followed them, needing a warm place to stay for the night.
'I am used to the wilderness, and yet I feel like I need a brief respite after all that has happened yesterday...' He thinks. The others are gathered around a makeshift campfire, with Choco Thai Tea off to the side tearing chunks off the beast's dough.
That small cookie had hauled the massive corpse over to their camp. Not dragged- hauled. She'd hoisted it over her shoulder and tried to carry it all the way back, putting most of it's body weight on her shoulders.
Dark Choco Cookie couldn't help but be impressed by her strength- but it seemed like it made her hungrier using up her power, because afterwards she managed to eat two of it's front legs and a hindleg.
"Ughhh..." Choco Thai Tea grumbled, burying herself in the snow. "I tried resting in the tent, but it just feels wrong when I'm in the snow... is it some kind of weird instinct thing?"
"Huh?" Vampire Cookie tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You might not know this, but I think I'm part bug." Choco Thai Tea Cookie scratches her neck. "I'm not sure what kind... cricket? Grasshopper? I dunno, something with powerful hind legs."
"How can you not know what species you are?" Werewolf Cookie asks. "Did you not have parents before?"
"Yeah, but these changes are new." The bug-like cookie winces. "I only started becoming bug-like after the... accident. And I have no idea about mom or dad's ancestry, because they were really quiet about their past..."
Alchemist Cookie thinks for a while, before answering. "Bugs usually don't do well in the winter. You said you might be a type of chocolate grasshopper?"
She gently lifts up Choco Thai Tea's arm, pulling back the jacket sleeve to reveal small spikes on the other cookies' arm. They're subtle, easily hidden inside the sleeve, but Choco Thai Tea Cookie yelps and pulls it down. "Cold!" She hisses.
"Hm. If that's the case, then your body might be getting ready to go into hibernation." She says. "Chocolate grasshoppers lay their eggs before winter, and those eggs don't hatch until spring. Maybe since you're a cookie, it's less fatal and more... uncomfortable?"
Choco Thai Tea looks at her own hands. She has been acting rather sluggish, and compared to when she defended Gingerbrave and his friends against Pitaya Dragon, she was less capable...
"That might be the case."
Dark Choco Cookie, on the other hand, is not sure how much more of a shock he can take. This cookie managed to slaughter a small horde of aggravated monsters, single-handedly take down a Frozen Peak Prowler... and this was apparently her at her weakest?
He shudders to think about how she would be if she wasn't hindered by the cold. Choco Thai Tea Cookie pauses in her glutting herself on the monster's frosting fur and ice-cream insides. "Oh, right- Dark Choco Cookie, I think I've heard your name before. Uhhh... You lived in the Dark Cacao Kingdom, right?"
He winces. "... You could say that."
Choco Thai Tea Cookie blinks, before shrugging. "Damn man, I was about to say that I know you're the former prince, but sure. I'm no snitch."
Dark Choco Cookie buries his face in his hands with a groan, and the rest of the cookies stare at him in wonder. "Woah! You're saying he's the prince of the Dark Cacao Kingdom?!" Vampire Cookie whistles. "Not bad."
"Former prince. He- ah, got exiled and disowned." Choco Thai Tea winces. "Now that I say that, I shouldn't have brought it up. Sorry, Dark Choco."
"It's... not a problem. Just do not speak of it again."
The five of them are silent as the fire crackles, the cream wolves howling in the distance. Nighttime in the Giant Icing Ridge was always dangerous, but Dark Choco cookie doubts any monster was dumb enough to mess with them after seeing the bloodshed.
"Anyways. Uhhh... if you need a place to stay, the Cookie Kingdom is open to all." Choco Thai Tea Cookie offers. "You might need to wait, though- I hear Gingerbrave- one of our founders, that is, is bringing over some diplomat from the Dark Cacao Kingdom, and Dark Cacao Cookie might check the place out."
"So if you want to come over after that's all over..."
"No." He shakes his head. "As... harsh as this place is, I must endure. Countless travelers will have to face the Giant Icing Ridge alone, and I must help them."
He straightens up. "It is my duty... and my repentance, for the mistakes I have made."
All four of the other cookies stare at him and blink. Choco Thai Tea Cookie simply shrugs. "Sure, dude. But uh- you sure you don't want supplies at least? We can send some over, make sure you're comfortable and all that."
"... It would be appreciated, but I do not need much." He says curtly."
"Ah! Right, you Dark Cacao warriors and your whole 'self-reliance' thing..." She thinks out loud. "Sure, man. You can have my tent and blanket- I've got plenty back home, and the others brought their own."
"But would that not make you cold?" He asks, worried. Vampire Cookie crosses his arms as well. "Choco Thai Tea, what is it with you and working yourself to the bone? First you overload on paperwork in the kingdom, and now you're offering your own tent when you clearly need it, in this cold-"
"No, no, I'm fine!" She waves her hands, squeaking. And to think, this was the same cookie that tore through monsters like a feast. "As a grasshopper-adjacent cookie, I think I've figured it out- I'm going to sleep buried in the dirt!"
"Choco Thai Tea, no!"
[Sketches]
