ok redeemed beast (shadowvanilla as the main guys bc im BIASED.) au slash idea i had at work and now im going to incoherently put it here before i go to sleep so it doesnt vanish
DEC steals the beasts souljams and for some reason that reverts the beasts to their virtue forms or smth (eg. Smc is fount again) and they have no memory of anything. Essentially theyre back in time pre-corruption
Id like to note that DEC takes the souljams at different times bc shes not fighting all five beastsC she picked them off one by one
This takes place after every ancients awakening btw, so each have had their confrontation or whatever
Ok so plot time. Blapphire n capple find shamilk (now fount so ill refer to him as that now) and are like confused. At first they think its shamilk but realise its not. The convo goes smth like this
Blappire: “master shadow milk cookie…? Are you alright?”
Capple: “that dark enchantress cookie didnt do anything nasty did she… ooogh im so mad that she betrayed us!!”
Fount: “….my apologies…pardon me, but who are you cookies?”
Blappire: “master shadow milk cookie…?”
Fount: “Sorry, i think youve confused me with someone else. I’m your fount of knowledge, not this shadow milk cookie you speak of”
Yeah so they realise something is wrong. After mkre discussion or smth Blappire ultimately decides to get PVs help. Because he knows that despite what shamilk did to pv in the spire, pv still wanted tk befriend him so blappire ends uo deciding that PV is really the only cookie he can go to for help.
So blapphire goes to the vanilla kingdom (he has capple babysit fount in the spire) he disguises himself and manages to get PV alone
He explains the situation, telling PV that DEC stole the beasts souljams. Blappire did actually see the confrontation w DEC and SMC but didnt intervene on SMCs orders. Shamilk was the last beast DEC fought, and as DEC boasted her already won souljams, blapphire knows shes beaten all the beasts and tells PV this and takes PV to the spire where PV is like “oh wow yeah thats crazy wtf” (ok more like “Your words weren’t deceitful… It seems he really has reverted to the Fount of Knowledge”)
When fount sees PV he’s suspicious. Fount doesnt have his souljam and here comes this stranger with something that very much looks like his souljam. Due to the souljam theft /+ spell fount basically is powerless for now, but even without magic, he can see that PVs souljam isnt the same as his (which he believes to be the full souljam of knowledge yk) PVs jam is only half of his souljam, yet it seems so much purer.
PV and founts interaction has a bit of tension before PV explains how he has his souljam. Note that PV is being vague abt shamilks backstory because it just doesnt feel like the right time to dump that on fount rn
Pv takes fount (n the deceit siblings) to the vanilla kingfom. PV summons the other ancients to tell them the situation, bringing fount as a surprise guest to the meeting (ofc theres a scene where someone like WL is like “Shadow Milk Cookie. Why are you here?” *raises staff idk*)
After explaining the situation some of the ancients (DCC, GCC and maybe WL??) are kinda like “well i guess this works, cant we just keep them this way then??” And they have a discussion abt this and its kinda inconclusive
Ok from here i just have vague plot points that occur later(ish) in the story (theyre in order though)
Im pretty sure its been said somewhere that canonically (correct me if im wrong but in this au its canon so ig whatever works) shamilk is kinda physically weak. Basically between waking up as fount and gettinf to the vanilla kingdom and the meeting w the ancients and everything else fount is exhausted. As PV is taking him to his room, fount kinda stumbles and his legs are lowkey shaking. PV asks if hes ok but fount brushes it off/ignores the question, thanking PV for the hospitality and closes his rooms door.
From the shadows Blapphire speaks
Blapphire: “I suppose he is the same cookie after all…”
PV(flinching bc why is that guy in the shadow wtf): “Black Sapphire Cookie, you startled me!”
Blapphire: “My apologies Pure Vanilla Cookie,”
PV: “It’s alright. Might I ask, though, what did you mean?”
Blapphire: “You noticed it didn’t you? How he stumbled, his legs trembling like a frightened cream sheep… and then he just shuts the door. How like him.”
PV: “I did notice… where are you going with this?”
Blapphire: “Master Shadow Milk Cookie would crumble me for saying this but… I’ve got evidence that his dough is actually quite fragile.” (words words words) “Once, on the rare occasion where Candy Apple took him off guard, she tackled him—as she does, like a rabid dog—but as my Master was unprepared, she managed to tackle him to the floor. Usually Master holds his ground see, but this time, Candy Apple caused them both to fall to the floor, she’s not that strong a cookie too, much less when she’s fangirling or what-not. And once they landed on the floor, for a fraction of a second, I saw a crack in Shadow Milk Cookie’s dough”
Basically shamilk is lowkey fragile, but he usually insta heals himself or in battles, just casts an illusion to hide the cracks until he has time to heal himself just an fyi
But yeah pv just ponders on this — shamilk probablt floats bc it doesnt exert himself lolsies
Some plot of smth. Fount gettinf to trust and open up to pv idk idk
Ok this scene takes place WAAAYYYY after any of the above stuff. By now, fount knows of shadow milk cookie and what hes done After running errands or whatever pv sees fount struggling they sit down and chat
Fount asks pv if he prefers him as fount, if he would even want shamilk back
Pv pauses, but ultimately says that he would like shamilk back because keeping him as a time capsule before his fall, before his change, feels wrong. It is wrong.
Fount pauses too, before agreeing. He says that despite knowing what shamilk what HE has done, he feels incomplete, he feels wrong and he also longs for the freedom shamilk has. That even if shamilk has committed horrible crimes, he knows that being someone like shadow milk, free from his responsibilities and pressures of being a virtue, having an identity, is something that he craves
More deep conversation between pv and fount
Pv admits he has an idea of how to bring shamilk back. Fount asks what. Pv suggests that if he gives fount his souljam briefly, that it could give enough power to get his shamilk back — because they share the same souljam, PVs souljam can ‘awaken’ shamilk
But pv admits that hes scared to try. Because what of shadow milks reaction when his memories are back, and he’ll lose fount
Fount tells him he wont disappear. He compares himself to truthless recluse. How deep down, just like PV and recluse, Fount and shamilk are the same cookie, and fount will always be somewhere within shadow milk. Fount jokes that despite how much shadow milk tries to bury him, fount will forever be part of who shadow milk is as a person(cookie…)
Fount asks if the other ancients are on board with bringing the beasts back and Pv goes “lol no” so when fount asks ‘why suggest your idea now? why prepare me to bring shamilk back if you dont plan to do it now?’
Pv says they can do it now. Hes willing to try
Fount asks if hes sure. If this idea works, then shadow milk comes back and he has the souljam. Fount asks PV why hes doing this
Pure vanilla: “Because I trust you. Because I trust him, Shadow Milk Cookie”
This is meant to be a rlly deep conversation rlly heartfelt stuff yk
They discuss more things. Pv worries abt shamilk returning and fount tells him that its highly likely shamilk will remember *this* as in his time as fount now
They do the thing and it works, via the souljam, shamilk is back
Shamilk: “You’re so stupid, Pure Vanilla Cookie…”
Pv: “Shadow Milk Cookie…!”
Shamilk, staring at PVs souljam in his hands: “Handing over your souljam to me after all I did to you to get it… did something happen to your brain after my spire?”
Pv: “The opposite, nothing has changed in my mind Shadow Milk Cookie, I still want… to be your friend.”
Shamilk: “What a fool.”
PV: “What you said before… as… Fount, is it true? Do you recall…?”
Shamilk: “…you’re such a silly cookie. Maybe you could fool me as that soft-hearted moron, but telling such a lie as ‘I trust Shadow Milk Cookie’. Who do you take me for?”
PV: “It was not a lie.”
Shamilk: “Then why lie to me now?”
PV: “…” “When I said I trust you, that was not a complete lie. While I don’t trust your actions, I trust the cookie inside you, I know you, Shadow Milk Cookie. I do not trust most of what you do, but I trust the cookie you are.”
Shamilk; “The Fountain of Knowledge is gone.”
PV: “Not him alone. I have faith in who *you* are, Shadow Milk Cookie.”
Brief conversation before pv asks if shamilk will return his souljam. More conversation the ultimately ends w shamjlk giving PV the souljam. But due tl shamilk being weak still and the souljam being the inly thing giving him energy he kinda half passes out onto pv
They make more conversation as shamilk is crumpled into pv, shamilk giving half assed responses before pv suggests they go to sleep
Bc pv cbb to take shamilk to his own room they sleep in the same bed. Theres conversation here btw where shamilk questions pv abt this threatening to kill him in his sleep
Ok im lwk too tired to continue elaborating but basically pv shows ancients shamilk, shamilk talks, ancients get other beasts back, and they fight DEC win and shadowvanilla kiss the end idk man
