Chapter Text
In the wake of Dark Enchantress’s death, there was only hollowness left inside Hollyberry's chest.
At every battle’s glorious end, the taste of victory lay sweet upon her tongue. It didn’t matter if the foe was a starving Cake Hound, jelly worms, or a dragon; that rush of adrenaline through her jam was an addicting rush she couldn’t get enough of- a feeling she had chased again and again since her youth. Yet, that wonderful joy was now absent, leaving behind a bitterness that only soured her mouth dry.
It was far from the joyful triumph she had longed for.
Even after everything, she couldn’t bear the sight of White Lily cradling the other’s crumbling body. Tears rolling down her sheet-white face as she only gripped tighter onto Dark Enchantress, a feeble attempt to force those crumbs back into place. Out of all five, she had paid the highest price- losing both herself and her other half in only the short span of a day.
There were no words of comfort strong enough to combat that grief. Anything she could offer would have been swallowed up in that immense chasm of sorrow. And she knew deep down that she wouldn’t ever be able to deliver them-it would have only made her a hypocrite.
The rest of them couldn’t afford to wallow. Dark Cacao and Golden Cheese, ever quick to act, swooped in at once to organize the survivors. Between the two of them, the injured were uncovered beneath rubble, clean-up efforts were organized, and counts were made of supplies, ships, and the fallen. So the world, ever so slowly, stitch by stitch, began to knit itself back together.
Under the influence of more than a few servings of juice, she joined them. She still doesn’t know if it’s a blessing that she hardly recalled that night- only a mindless blur of shapes and colors that imprinted themselves against her eyelids. Her dough felt it more than she remembers; a dull aching consuming her bones each dawn as she wakes- a near constant reminder of failure.
The sharpest memory that she still couldn’t lose, despite her best efforts, is of Pure Vanilla. He had stood by the edge of that yawning chasm for hours, unmoving. Simply overlooking the forest's remains, his stark white figure stood in contrast against the hills of devastation.
She had joined his side under the pleas of Dark Cacao to bring the healer back to them. She still couldn’t forget those eyes- how the milky film over his irises swirled along with the ashes in the air. His hands, covered in jam from the wounded, were clenched so tightly around his staff. She had reached out for him when-
“They’re dead.”
The words hung heavy in the polluted air- the words no one, not even Golden Cheese, had mustered up the bravery to say. It took the holder of truth himself to admit to what everyone already knew.
“Oh, Pure Vanilla… they could have escaped,” She remembers arguing back, her words fake even to her own ears. “We’ve searched for hours now, and there’s not a trace of their bodies anywhere. There’s not a single sign of their deaths- we shouldn't put the possibility of survival past them.”
The healer shook his head. A hand rose to his neck, where his Soul Jam gleamed from its place of honor.
“I can feel it within me- an absence that wasn’t there before. It’s as if my own heart was ripped from my chest, leaving behind a gaping chasm in its wake,“ His eyes lifted to hers, the clouds parting in his irises for just one moment. “And I’m sure you can recognize it as well.”
At his words, she faltered, her Soul Jam’s light dimming further. Another momentary lapse in Passion, caused yet again by the former wielder. All that was left was the agony of her Soul Jam, throbbing and pulsing as if it was stabbed through the heart. Grievously wounded, lamenting its eternal separation from the other once again.
“And it’s not just because our Soul Jams are gone, isn’t it?” Pure Vanilla continued, his voice fading as his eyes drifted back towards the ruined landscape. Hollyberry’s eyes follow his right to the spot where she last saw her. Standing with the rest of the Beasts; wings outstretched, her Soul Jam flashing with raw power- shining just the same pink as hers.
And then, the Cake Witch’s blast struck them—the sheer force of the magic so overwhelming that her vision flickered in and out between dark and light; heart suspended tight in the cage of her ribs before it all fell away into nothing.
Her Soul Jam had cried out; lost in mourning long before the shockingly cold rivulets of realization washed over her- that Eternal Sugar Cookie was indeed dead; gone forever.
“And perhaps then, we could be two halves of a soul, destined to complete one another.”
When she had spoken those words, she expected it to be a certainty-that their reunion was a foregone conclusion. Now, that promise is more of a dream- slipping through her fingers before she could think to catch it.
“I-I….I regret it,” Hollyberry admitted. “Not that I didn’t stay with her, but that I left her. I couldn’t say that she was even evil, but just that her methods were. I only wished for her to break out of the illusion she trapped herself in, and now she’s confined within it forever.”
His hand clutched his Soul Jam. “When our souls fused together into one, that pain, that longing, that desperation to be understood became mine for just one short moment. And only then could I fully fathom why he fell into corruption," The cookie chuckled emptily, “Afterwards, perhaps foolishly on my part, I wanted to be the one to help ease his burdens.”
She forced out a laugh, bumping shoulders with him affectionately. “We make for a pair of fools, don’t we, old friend?”
“I suppose so.” He hummed.
Hollyberry placed her shield on the ground, resting her head atop it, keeping him company for a little while longer.
It’s peaceful. In the coming dawn, birds have started to return to the branches, their chips filling the air in a rising staccato. The haze of ashes and dust has begun to settle on the ground- the sunlight cutting through them like a knife. More promises that the world is beginning to heal- promises she didn’t want to believe in just yet.
But she bit her tongue, forcing herself to accept them anyway.
“We cannot stand around here wallowing any further-not just for our sakes, or for theirs, but the rest of the cookies they died to protect," She said firmly- the embedded Light of Passion shining with her words. “We can only carry on forward for the future. For them.”
The other cookie mustered up a small smile, although the long distance in his eyes remains. “I agree. For the sake of our kingdoms, we must place our own pain aside. We must move forward, no matter what.”
He turned, his long, ornate robes swishing behind him as he left. Hollyberry lingered for one more second, eyes unable to be torn away from the devastation that Dark Enchantress had wrought.
In a sudden swell, the numbness dissipated, a cacophony of emotions climbing thick up her throat. And she swallowed it all back, shoving it back into the cavity where her other half had previously been.
For her kingdom, for her friends, and for her family.
*✧･ﾟ✦: *✧:·･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧✦ ･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ *✧･
“How about this one for the napkins?”
She holds the fabric up. Before he could even have a chance to respond, she loudly sighs, throwing the piece of fabric back on the desk.
“No, no, that wouldn’t do. This shade of pink is far too garish for an occasion like this. Much better for something…more outlandish…maybe for Carnevale Di Bacche. Certainly not so much for this.”
The cookie instead reaches down for another sample, this one a much deeper shade of wine pink. “How about this one?”
The mustached cookie gives a distracted nod, his attention not on the fabric at all, but on his wife. “I must agree, my dearest.”
Jungleberry sighs once again, balling up the fabric in her hand.
“We only have six more months," She laments. “And yet we’re no closer to a single concrete decision about anything! Nothing is grand enough for this ball- our very own wedding must be outclassed here, yet we’ve been sitting here aimlessly going in circles!”
“You must relax Jungleberry, we have plenty of time,” He reaches over to squeeze her hand, shooting her a soft smile. “And with you at the helm, there is no doubt that everything will fall into place.”
Taking a deep breath, she continues. “I think we should pivot to food. For appetizers-“
Hollyberry’s throat itches. She reaches for another glass of berry juice, downing it in one shot. It’s been so long since she’s spoken. Not that the two of them have been barreling over her, although Jungleberry has a habit of completing her sentences for her- it’s simply that she has nothing to add to the conversation.
“…I can certainly say that we must stay away from candy carbonara. With the Dark Cacao kingdom in attendance, they are sure to turn up their noses at it. I propose we move towards a more neutral option.”
“How about J-“
The clink of her empty glass slamming onto the tabletop a little too hard causes the couple to look over, suddenly realizing that Hollyberry is still sitting there.
“Are you okay, Mother?” Royal Berry asks, his soft voice tightening.
Her daughter-in-law knits her brow in embarrassment. “I apologize, Queen Mother, if I have been taking over the ball’s preparations too much in your stead. I’m more than happy to take a step back if you wish.”
She waves both of them off. “Don’t even worry about it- You two are much better at this sort of thing than I could ever be! I’m more than happy to sit back and let you take the reins.”
The couple exchanges a glance. Royal Berry’s fingers fidget together, a habit he hasn’t lost since he was a small cookie.
“It could just be best if you-”
“A short recess could be in order,” Jungleberry suggests. “There are only so many hours in the day; it cannot be worth spending all of them agonizing indoors. Go for a walk to enjoy the air. We’ll continue again tomorrow.”
Hollyberry shifts awkwardly in her seat, reaching back for another glass of juice to take a sip, the drink smoothing back down her nerves. At least, until she sees her son’s faraway stare into the distance.
Her stomach drops, the pleasant churning of wine swiftly fermenting into sour milk.
She reaches a hand out to grasp his shoulder, searching for anything to say to soothe his worries. Right before it could reach its destination, the office’s doors burst open with a deafening slam. Her hand instinctively flies to her shield, jumping over the desk to throw the royal couple behind her.
Her general stands in the opening, heavily panting, beads of sweat glistening on her temples. Her eyes dart between the three Cookies, a sudden flush of embarrassment creeping over her cheeks. She hastily salutes as she ducks her face downwards.
“Queen Mother… I apologize for my sudden interruption,” Raspberry Cookie rushes out. It’s rare enough for the composed general to have a single strand of hair out of place, but this is the first time Hollyberry has seen her so out of breath.
Hollyberry frowns as she lowers her shield to take a step forward. “Raspberry Cookie?”
A minute passes before she catches her breath again. When her head eventually lifts, a grim expression has settled over her face - her eyes flashing with a intense ferocity.
“Eternal Sugar Cookie is here.”
For the first time since the second Dark Flour War’s end, since that fateful day where Dark Enchantress Cookie had finally crumbled into flour, taking the five Beasts along with her, her Soul Jam starts to sing. She can hear it calling out towards its other lost half, that desperate longing settling back into her own heart- a feeling that she thought would be lost forever. Without thinking, her shield lowers towards the ground.
“Where is she?”
“She’s in the palace gardens, right by the main fountain near the entrance- flew right down from the sky and has been simply…sitting there,” Raspberry’s face scrunches up. “By now, I can only guess that the entire kingdom knows that she’s alive.”
“Is anyone keeping track of the wretched beast?” Jungleberry speaks up. Her words, riddled with detestation, squeeze her heart tightly.
She stands up straighter, her hand coming to rest on her scarlet hilt nestled in its scabbard. “Rest assured, my lady, that I assigned the first cohort to stand guard while I went to find both of you. Wildberry Cookie was sparring with the soldiers before her arrival, so he’s leading them in my absence.”
Hollyberry hoists her shield back up. “Stay here, Royal Berry and Jungleberry. Raspberry Cookie, take me to her.”
With a curt nod, she turns on her heel to sprint back down the hall, her striped hair flowing elegantly behind her. Hollyberry follows her without hesitation- racing through endless corridors, sprinting across the lavish ballrooms, and flying down the ornate grand staircase, her feet barely touching each step. When she throws open the doors, she’s greeted with a swarm of her own soldiers practically falling over themselves in a mad frenzy. In the chaos, she couldn’t see through the thick crowd to the fountain.
Raspberry Cookie joins her, grimacing in horror. The royal Hollyberrian cohorts are normally a well-oiled machine, steadfast and single-minded in their goals. But now, it’s like watching a rabid pack of Cake Hounds fighting for a scrap of meat.
Before Raspberry Cookie could shout for order, Hollyberry slams her shield onto the hard, sugared floor, the loud echo resounding throughout the garden. Each legionary spins around, their eyes comically widening in shock at the sight of the two cookies. Obediently, her soldiers silently fall back into formation, revealing the beast herself.
Eternal Sugar Cookie is perched on the fountain’s edge, both sets of wings serenely folded over her. Her eyes are shut, unperturbed by Wildberry standing mere few feet away. In many ways, she hadn’t changed a crumb from the last time she saw her. But stark against the tropical hues of the garden, Eternal Sugar is a mere phantom of her former glory.
Drained of all shades of pink, purple, and blue, her icing and dough have melted into various hues of grey- a wilted flower. Her halo is broken in two clean halves—still floating, but now it forms the shape of curved horns rising above her head.
But yet, even despite her haggard appearance, Hollyberry only feels pure unadulterated relief that she is alive.
At the sight of her, her Soul Jam nearly jumps out of her shield. Its own unbridled joy is infectious- clawing, quivering, and fighting just to reach its other half that is so close but yet so far. She grits her teeth, digging her heels into the ground to resist that magnetic pull forward.
“Eternal Sugar.”
Her eyes flutter open, those delicate eyelashes battering against her cheeks. It takes a second for recognition to settle in, and suddenly she beams- lighting up her face with a renewed flush.
“Oh, Hollyberry!”
She rises to her feet, her wings and arms unfurling from her sides. Instantly, Wildberry throws his arm in front of her to stop her in her tracks, followed by the rest of their soldiers brandishing their blades.
Eternal Sugar’s nose wrinkles in annoyance as she shoots a withering stare towards the Hollyberrian cookie, whose expression impressively doesn’t change. Nevertheless, she sits back down, pouting.
“You survived.” Hollyberry can only think to say.
“I did,” She says, her smile flickering perilously at the ends. “And so did the rest of my brethren. Although we have gone our separate ways….for the most part.”
“Why are you here, Eternal Sugar Cookie?” Raspberry Cookie impatiently cuts in. “This is the first emergence of a beast since Dark Enchantress’s defeat. Why now of all times to come back?”
Eternal Sugar’s smile falls away, her hands dropping back into her lap as she struggles for words. Her eyes meet Hollyberry’s- the shine dulling back over, further accentuating the dark circles ringing underneath.
“I…I so desperately need your help,” She admits softly. “And I would much prefer it if we discussed it alone.” The last word was accompanied with a pointed look at Wildberry.
Raspberry Cookie was the first to object. “Queen Mother will not stay with you alone!”
“....It’s a rather delicate matter, so much so that I would prefer to only speak with Hollyberry.” The other cookie insists. Her eyes remain locked on hers, something stirring in her longing gaze.
Hollyberry doesn’t move, ensnared under those haunted eyes, rimmed by purple. Finally, she takes a deep breath, knowing what she has to do.
“…I must ask everyone here to leave.” She says, and a riot breaks out.
“Queen Mother-!”
“She cannot be serious?”
“We can’t leave her alone with her-!”
Once again, she bangs her shield against the ground, leaving no room for argument in her tone. “Wildberry Cookie, Raspberry Cookie! Please, come here.”
The two cookies immediately crowd her, their worries evident on their faces.
“She’s an active threat, Hollyberry Cookie.” Raspberry hisses out between gritted teeth. “She once endangered the entire Hollyberrian kingdom from a continent away- imagine what havoc she could wreck inside of it!”
“I agree.” Wildberry murmurs thoughtfully. “Please, we cannot risk this, especially so soon after the war has ended.”
“She was a threat, a long, long time ago,” Hollyberry agrees, shooting a quick glance at the beast. Eternal Sugar has focused her attention on a butterfly, reaching a hand out for it to perch in her hand. “But I doubt that she can put up much of a fight against me outside her Garden.”
“But-“
Hollyberry quickly cuts her off. “Both of you, listen to me. Have I ever led the two of you astray? Even after the countless battles we have fought together, side by side, do you still not trust my judgement?”
After a short moment, both cookies shake their heads.
“Then I expect that the two of you can follow me on this. Please organize the cohort to calm the citizens. I imagine a few of them are quite petrified at the sight of her.” She chuckles lightly, hoping to defuse the tension.
A sharp smile shoots across Raspberry’s face. “With pleasure.” Without wasting a moment, she immediately waves her sword in the air, barking orders at the terrified soldiers.
Wildberry lingers behind. Even beyond his passive expression, she can still see that unbridled panic in his eyes. She reaches her hand out to grasp his shoulder, shaking him slightly.
“I won’t let my guard down,” She promises, keeping her voice under a whisper. “Nothing will happen to anyone under my watch. Trust me, Wildberry.”
The cookie considers her gaze, before returning a firm nod. “...Be safe.”
He follows after Rapsberry Cookie, flanked by the rest of the cohort, leaving her and Eternal Sugar alone in the garden.
“You’ve never looked more marvelous, my dearest!” The beast chatters away happily. Hollyberry winces; the joy strangely out of place against the pallid hues of her dough.
“How...how did you survive?”
“Oh… you’re even better in person,” Eternal Sugar reaches her hands out, but still doesn’t touch her- as if she’ll shatter into pieces. Her decadent scent had faded away, replaced by an acrid smell of mothballs that makes her nose itch. “I’m so pleased to see that you’re doing so well- I would have expected nothing less from you.”
“Please, just tell me what happened-”
“Oh, you really are right in front of me…I just can’t believe it that you’re real! I missed you so much, my dearest; I could hardly stand the time we were apart. Your beauty, your power, your-” She babbles on manically, a sort of mad fanaticism overtaking her.
“Eternal Sugar Cookie.” She says, gripping her arms tightly- her dough deathly cold to the touch. The other cookie freezes. “Please… just calm down.”
Her wings droop back to her side, exhaustion suddenly overcoming her.
“…What happened to you?”
“I’m ruined…” She weakly replies, her body going limp in Hollyberry’s arms. “I’ve tried to keep it together for you for so long, I promise, my love, I really did. I spent ages adoring my beautiful paradise, only wishing and wanting for you to return to me, as I knew you would. I was so close to perfection….B-But then, she ruined everything.”
It all makes sense.
“The only reason the Beasts could regain physical forms was because of Dark Enchantress Cookie," White Lily had told the ancients an eternity ago, crowded together in the smoldering ruins. “She crafted new dough for them…vessels that would be strong enough to handle their Soul Jam’s full strength. She is the one who gave them their power back, and thus their loyalty is tied to her.”
So naturally, when the Beasts turned against her, that exchange could be reversed- a clever contingency plan.
“You’ve lost your powers.” Hollyberry realizes- and the other cookie simply wails.
“She took everything from me...my cookies…my angels…even my own garden is rotting away…I’m left with nothing!”
“What do you mean?”
“They all left me,” She sobs, shimmering tears cutting across her sugared skin. “When my jam thawed, each and every single one of my precious cookies chose to leave for the outside world. Everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve done for them to secure their own Happiness was for nothing!”
Her hands lunge for Hollyberry’s own, her grip deathly tight. Eyes wide like a crazed animal, her white pupils a pinprick in the sea of phantom pink.
“Please…just come back with me…back to my garden,” An anguished fever undercuts her words, her grip somehow tightening further. “If I only just had you, I know I can make my garden flourish once again. And then everything will be right, just as it should be.”
“I’ve told you this before- I cannot come with you, Eternal Sugar Cookie,” She gently chides, tugging her hands out of hers. “You must wake up from this illusion you’ve trapped yourself in.”
In turn, Eternal Sugar collapses to the ground, her long hair spilling out onto the cobblestones in cascading waves. Her earlier sobs increase into pure howls of agony- as if Hollyberry had pierced her very heart with her refusal. Those screams tear free from her throat, the sound of them so terrible that Hollyberry worries she’s on the verge of coughing up her own jam from the strain.
She reaches for the crown of her head, lightly raking her fingers through those dismal locks— a desperate bid to soothe her. Gradually, her cries quiet down to mere whimpers. The cookie grabs for the edge of her cloak, pressing her face against it to dry her tears.
“I need you… please,” She woefully murmurs into the fabric, her sweet tears staining the fabric a dark mulberry. “I just need my Happiness back.”
Her arrhythmic breaths come out haggard from overexertion, breaking that twilight stillness that had settled over the garden.
Hollyberry lowers herself to the ground as she sets her shield aside. She reaches for Eternal Sugar’s chin, tilting her face upwards towards the light. Even lacking all of her hues, Hollyberry still finds her so utterly beautiful- reminding her of the first time they’ve met.
Ever so gently, she murmurs. “I’ll give you a deal.”
Eternal Sugar raises a shaking hand to brush aside a stray tear. “A…deal?”
“I will not come back with you to your garden. My people need me, and I need them. I will not budge on this, no matter what you say or what you do.”
The other cookie sniffs, wavering dangerously on the edge of despair that she just managed to pull herself back from.
“But instead, you can stay here…with me.”
Eternal Sugar clasps her hands together as if in prayer. “I…can stay here? With you?” She repeats hoarsely, rolling the words around in her mouth.
“I expect that no harm will be done to my citizens, nor that you’ll try to take over my kingdom to replace your own paradise.” She says firmly. “You will be here as a guest, and that means following my rules. No matter what.”
The cookie throws her arms around Hollyberry, her downy wings encompassing her entire body- two pieces sliding perfectly together. Tears soak into her dough, springing forth from exhilaration rather than agony.
“Oh, my dearest, thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Hollyberry hesitantly reaches up a hand to the small of her back, pressing her further into the hug. She only nuzzles in deeper, letting out a deep breath of self-satisfaction. Even after the moon starts to rise steadily in the sky, shining down upon them, Eternal Sugar doesn’t make a move to pull away. And Hollyberry doesn't force her to, just yet.