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It had been awhile since Dark Enchantress had fallen. They hadn’t believed it was possible. Yet it happened as they watched from a distance. It had been a while, yet they remember their reactions like it happened only moments ago.
Red Velvet had picked up Chiffon and held him close as he used his cake arm to hold Poison Mushroom’s hand. Dark Choco pulled out his sword, holding it ready for battle and also in effort to comfort Poison Mushroom as they clutched his cape. Licorice had to hold Pomegranate back until she gave up and turned to cry into his shoulder, soaking his garment.
Dark Enchantress was defeated by the ancient legendary heroes they thought had long been dead. Yet they were all there. Pure Vanilla, Hollyberry, Dark Cacoa, Golden Cheese, all of them. Lead by the cookie they’d never thought would make it; GingerBrave. All of them had been defeated by him at one point.
Yet as they watched Dark Enchantress be defeated and as White Lily ran to Pure Vanilla, embracing in a desperate kiss, their hope and dream were shattered. Crumbled to pieces like they were nothing. They had destroyed the palace just to get here. It was hardly anything but rubble at this point.
They had no where to go. Well, one had someplace to go, yet they did not feel ready to face the destruction his actions had caused. Surely their names had spread across Earthbread. They would have heard what they had done and they certainly wouldn’t let them live amongst them! They’d most certainly attempt to kill them!
More worried about shelter and their inability to survive in the wild, then turned to those who sought to bring them down. Their enemies. Red Velvet drew the short straw and was the one who would have to approach them.
They approached the cookie kingdom with caution and fear. They could easily lie to them and lock them in a prison cell until their corpses turned to dirt. Yet they wanted to also make things right. It was going to be difficult, yet they were willing to do it.
Red Velvet’s cake arm twitches as he approached the crowd, swallowing hard. He looked over his shoulder to see Poison Mushroom holding Chiffon in their lap, trying to calm the both of them down. He nearly bumped into GingerBrave because of his lack of focus on what was in front of him.
He took a deep breath before speaking.
“We meet again. I…see you got my message…and brought along friends.”
“All cookies are my friends! Well…most of them,” GingerBrave replied, enthusiasm, excitement, and what sounded like acceptance in his voice.
“Listen. I know I’ve done stuff that could be considered unforgivable, but…I need you to HELP ME-“ Red Velvet’s voice filled with fear as he crashed to the Earth face first. He rose his head only for it to be pushed back into the Earth again by paws scampering across his head.
There was a familiar bark and laughter. When Red Velvet finally looked up again, he saw that Chiffon had knocked GingerBrave to the ground and was now attacking him with a barrage of kisses.
Chiffon must have saw another familiar face in the crowd as he ran off, bolting into the crowd and barking as he went. Red Velvet chuckled.
“I’m sorry about Chiffon. He’s mostly harmless. He only causes harm when he knocks you over. I trained him myself, so I can assure you, he doesn’t bite.” GingerBrave laughed.
“You named him Chiffon? You do realize that chiffon is a type of ca-. You named a cake hound after a cake.” Red Velvet nodded.
“That’s…that’s adorable!”
“Just like all cake hounds. I…I was the general of the cake hound army before Dark Enchantress was…destroyed. They still listen to me, don’t worry.”
GingerBrave nodded before getting up and lending a hand to Red Velvet.
“Listen. I know me and the others have done some unforgivable things…but please. I ask of you to let us live among you. Put us to work. I’m not sure about the others, but I will anything and everything you ask of me in return for shelter and safety. If you don’t want to, you can kill me on the spot. Right here, right now.”
GingerBrave pulled out his candy cane.
“GingerBrave! I will NOT let you hurt him!” Pastry, who had been pulled out of the crowd by Chiffon, now stood in front of Red Velvet protectively, with Chiffon in front of her, growling.
“Why?” Pastry took in a deep breath before turning to Red Velvet, forcing him to his knees and then kissing him deeply. In front of everyone. Red Velvet closed his eyes immediately and grasped Pastry to encourage her to continue and to hold her close.
When she pulled away, it was quite obvious that Red Velvet was worked up and wanted to do so much more. But alas. GingerBrave walked over to Red Velvet and looked him dead in the eyes.
“I will gladly let you into the cookie kingdom! There are a few houses that need to be renovated on the far side of town that you can occupy once you finish. For now, there’s a few places you can stay. We could gladly use your help! After all, everyone deserves a second chance! But if you try anything…oh! Can I meet the others!?” Red Velvet laughed.
“I won’t trying anything. Chiffon. Go fetch the others.” The cake hound barked before running to get the others. After a nice chat, meeting the others, and a tour of the kingdom, they arrived at the houses that GingerBrave had earlier mentioned.
“Why…these houses amazing! It might take some time to get them all ready for us to live in, but we potentially make it happen! It’ll take a lot of resources, time, effort, and help to get it done though,” Red Velvet remarked as Pastry held his arm.
“We have most of the resources and there are plenty of cookies that would help! We’ll all put our top notch effort into it!” GingerBrave said enthusiastically.
“Thank you. You could’ve left us to die in the wilderness. I cannot thank you enough. Wait…where’s Poison!?” Pomegranate began to panic, looking around frantically as well as Licorice.
“Don’t worry. I see them playing with Chiffon down the way…and he’s with another cookie,” Dark Choco said as gestured down the lane. Sure enough, there Poison Mushroom was, playing with Chiffon and another cookie. Onion to be exact. Both were being watched over by BlackBerry.
Pomegranate gave a sigh of relief and Licorice relaxed his muscles. Dark Choco and Red Velvet exchanged glances at each other before looking back at Licorice and Pomegranate again.
“Speaking of Poison Mushroom…who’s going to watch over them. They can’t be all that old. They’re one of us. We came this far with them. We can’t abandon them now! They were brought in by Dark Enchantress for a reason!” Red Velvet look around as he spoke, noting that he had struck a cord in Pomegranate’s heart.
“I’ll take them in. I…I’ve always wanted to have a kid and I…I want them to live a good life. We all do. I accept the full responsibility of having him as my child,” Pomegranate said with a wavering voice.
“Woah, woah, woah, Pomegranate. Don’t be so rash! At least let me help you raise them! We’ve only had to watch over them for two weeks at most in one sitting. You just agreed to look after them for YEARS to come! You’re going to be exhausted if you don’t let someone share the responsibilities!” Licorice barely even thought before speaking and was hardy aware of what came out his mouth.
“Oh My GoOdNeSs YoU lIkE PaStRy! LoOk At YoU, cRuShInG oVeR PaStRy! Look at YOURSELVES! You two want to be with each other yet you’re both so SCARED. TAKE YOUR CHANCE ALREADY!” Red Velvet was more than irritated. He had seen Licorice and Pomegranate fall in love right in front of him, yet they would never confess to each other. They both trusted him enough to confess about their feelings for the other, but he had been sworn to secrecy.
“Red Velvet. Be glad that they’re taking in Poison Mushroom together. At least it’s a step in the right direction,” Dark Choco whispered to him as they watched Pomegranate and Licorice flush and shy away from the eyes of others.
“Who’s going to live where?” GingerBrave piped in.
“Pomegranate and Licorice should have the house at the end of the lane, seeing as it easily accommodate for their needs seeing as they’re taking in Poison Mushroom. Dark Choco probably wants to live alone, so he can have the house I’m leaning against. He seems to like this one anyways. Then Pastry and I are across the street from Dark Choco. Sound good?” Everyone nodded.
“Alright then. It’s settled. We should start tomorrow at dawn if possible,” GingerBrave stated, still enthusiastic as ever.
They nodded and helped prepared for the morning. Dark Choco tried his hardest not to be seen by his father, who was walking about the kingdom. Red Velvet continued to loose Chiffon over and over again only to find him giving sloppy kisses to cookies. Pomegranate and Licorice switched between taking care of Poison Mushroom and helping the others prepare.
Soon enough, the years we’re passing by. Red Velvet joined the guard to help defend the kingdom against the monsters that lurked. He ranked up to be a general and he took his job seriously. With the help of the other general, Madeleine and the cake hounds, he helped keeping the cookie kingdom as safe as possible.
However, Red Velvet refused to part from his cake hounds, so it was fairly common to see Red Velvet being knocked over and attacked by cake hound kisses. Chiffon would get jealous and attempt to fight them off, but Chiffon being the loving cake hound he is, would always see someone else and go to attack them with slobbery kisses.
Dark Choco also joined the gaurd. However, he’d always disappear when Dark Cacao was around. Only Dark Choco knew why. Perhaps he was scared? Or something had happened in the past? It didn’t bother anyone and everyone is allowed to have their secrets.
Both Red Velvet and Dark Choco would occasionally work at the smithy to help with backed up orders. The smithy had been a huge help in the building process of their homes so they decided to thank them in their own way.
Pomegranate found work at the Jellyberry Orchard. The orchard was away from most other establishments, so it was very peaceful and quiet. She had fallen asleep while on the job several times. However, between working and taking care of her child, it was to be expected. She had largely over-estimated how much she could take on and was now paying the price. It was a price she was willing to pay for Poison Mushroom.
Licorice did all sorts of odd jobs around the kingdom. All current places of work were appropriately staffed and didn’t need help, so he picked up the loose ends of things and helped the cookies tie the knots, dot the i’s and cross the t’s. It was tedious work, but it was better than nothing to him.
Poison Mushroom couldn’t be happier. They were able to play with Onion and Chiffon on an almost daily basis and was the adopted child of Pomegranate and Licorice, who took very good care of them. Dark Choco would let him hide underneath his cape as he played hide and seek with their friend/crush and Licorice would bring home toys or trinkets for them. Their favorite was the stuffed mushrooms that they sleeps with every night, although they refuses to admit it to those they aren’t close with. Plus, in Poison Mushroom’s opinion, Pomegranate always told the best bedtime stories.
And throughout the years, romance blossomed and continued to grow. Red Velvet took his chance and proposed to Pastry and had a double wedding with Madeleine and Espresso. A few years later, Pomegranate and Licorice were pronounced husband and wife.
One morning as the sun continued to rise over the horizon, the smell of pancakes and bacon filled the house. Licorice was making pancakes for, himself and his family. He wanted to surprise Pomegranate, letting her rest on the cloudy Saturday morning.
He flipped the pancakes the best he could with one hand. He was holding Poison Mushroom against his hip. Poison had awoken from a nightmare and had came out of their room, crying. They asked politely if Licorice could hold them and a few minutes later, they were out again, holding their stuffed mushroom as well as clinging to Licorice. He didn’t mind. Anything to help his child after a nightmare.
Licorice looked over at Poison Mushroom and smiled, placing a kiss on their forehead before turning his attention back to cooking. Unknown to him, a tiny smile was on Poison Mushroom’s face.
Pomegranate quietly approached her husband, placing a kiss on her child’s head before wrapping her arms around Licorice, causing him to jump slightly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Pomegranate said before placing a kiss on Licorice’s cheek.
“It’s all-right. I’m unhurt. How are you feeling? You can go back and rest for a while more if you want.” Pomegranate sighed, resting her chin on Licorice’s shoulder.
“I’m feeling well. I’m just a little tired. You should see our child’s face. They’re smiling in their sleep. Would you like me to take them so you can focus on making breakfast?” Pomegranate walked to Licorice’s side, ready to take Poison.
“Please. They woke up from a nightmare and asked me to hold them so they’ve been there ever since. You know how much they love you. Breakfast is almost ready.” Pomegranate took Poison from him, making sure that Poison had their stuffed mushroom with them.
“Have a shroomy,” Poison Mushroom mumbled in their sleep as Pomegranate laid them on the couch, covering them with blanket. She chuckled.
“I’ll be right back with your shroomy.” She quickly fetched Poison Mushroom’s shroomies as they called them. She made sure her child was comfortable before walking over to Licorice.
“Morning love. Did you sleep well?” A shiver went down Licorice’s spine when Pomegranate kissed the base of his neck gently and when her arms wrapped around his waist.
“Not really. I couldn’t stay asleep. So forgive me if I’m slow at responding today. I’m not very well rested.” Pomegranate sighed.
“Red Velvet and Pastry offered to watch over Poison Mushroom today so we could rest. Would you like me to take them up on their offer. Chiffon loves play with them and they’re always so happy after being with them. You’ve been putting me and Poison over yourself lately. You were the one who said that I’d get overwhelmed if I tried to raise Poison alone. Why don’t you listen to yourself? I’m not mad, I’m just concerned for you. I’ve noticed you’ve hardly slept the past couple of days. You know that’s unhealthy!” Licorice sighed. He knew that Pomegranate was right and even if she wasn’t, she had her way with words. She could easily persuade him into it if he didn’t agree.
“Please. I-“ Licorice yawned, “I’m too tired think and I really just want to cuddle.”
“H-Have a shroom-,” Poison Mushroom sneezed,” have a shroomy!” They had quietly snuck up in their parents and overheard their conversation. Giving their parents a shroomy was their way of trying to support or help them.
“Oh Poison! Are you sure? This is your favorite one…,” Licorice crouched down to be at eye level with his child, He wasn’t about to talk down to them! Poison nodded as they held out the stuffed mushroom that Licorice accepted and thank then for.
The three of them happily chatted until breakfast was served. With a little help from Poison Mushroom, Pomegranate set the table.
“Pancakes! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome and enjoy.”
It was nearly noon when a knock came upon the door. There was also a barking cake hound that Poison recognized.
“Chiffon! Red Velvet!” They scrambled to the door with their things in hand and a joyful smile as Pomegranate opened the door.
“Red Velvet! Thank you so much for watching over them this afternoon. Licorice has been overworking himself…again.” Red Velvet laughed.
“At least we’re here to help ease both your burdens. Not that Poison is a burden. I…if I’m to be honest, I want a kid of my own, but I’m too scared to bring it up to Pastry. Watching over Poison makes me feel like a father. I actually enjoy watching them. They also enjoys being with Chiffon, Pastry, and I. They likes all of us really. Anyways, enough of my rambling. Tell Licorice I said hi!” Pomegranate nodded and waved as they walked to where Pastry was waiting. They clearly intended on taking them to the park or to get them a treat.
Pomegranate closed the door and retreated to the bedroom, where Licorice was already laying on the bed, his back facing the door. When she went to lay next to him, she noticed he was holding the stuffed mushroom he had been given earlier.
“Licorice…?”
“My child gave me their favorite mushroom and I’m going to protect it with my life.” He looked up at Pomegranate, who only smiled and scooted closer.
“Oh Licorice. No one’s going to steal it!” He chuckled.
“I know. Just holding the mushroom like this reminds me of the day SHE brought them in. They were so tiny…and tired. Yet they chose US out of all people. They looked like they were gonna go to Dark Choco for a good minute.” Licorice wrapped his arms around Pomegranate’s waist, pulling her close.
“Yeah. They would only sleep with one of us or both of us. Other wise, they wouldn’t sleep at all. Those were interesting times. Now, they’re fond memories.” Licorice shifted so he could rest his face in the crook of Pomegranate’s neck. He made a noise akin to a groan after doing so.
Pomegranate began to ramble for a bit. She wasn’t sure how long she had been talking before she realized that her husband wasn’t giving any sort of response. She careful move so she could see her husbands face. He was asleep, holding the stuffed mushroom in one hand and holding onto Pomegranate with the other.
“Good night, love. Sleep well.” She kisses Licorice’s forehead and returned to her previous position, running her hand through Licorice’s soft hair until she herself fell asleep.
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The End~!