Tmliyl-chive

The Vanilla Kingdom was hardly what it once was, at least from what Shadow Milk could tell. The books and murals dotted around the castle he and Pure Vanilla resided in showed a far more vast kingdom. Now it was relatively barren, a few citizens outside of a couple of small villages. Shadow Milk found the lack of an audience a tad boring, but with time he came to appreciate the quiet. Especially when the world became too overwhelming.

Moments like this, for one, were greatly appreciated.

Snapdragons were a flower Shadow Milk had always enjoyed. They held much meaning, stretching from deceit to strength. To him he appreciated their nuance.

They also just looked really cool when they died and shriveled up. Like skulls. Sick.

He laid outstretched, hovering while he trimmed the extra leaves off the stems of the snapdragons. The air was humid but not uncomfortably so. That was alleviated by the opened window opposite the room from him, allowing a slight draft in to balance it out. Pure Vanilla stood across the greenhouse closer to said window, tilting a watering can, drenching his lilies.

“You've got the lilies covered for the next few days, dear?” Pure Vanilla asked.

“Yeah. Can’t believe it’s that time of year again.” Shadow Milk groaned, outstretching his arms with clippers in hand. It was only once every calendar year, around this same time, representatives from every nation would join together in the Crème Republic to discuss the current state of Earthbread. Shadow Milk held a particular disdain for them. Pure Vanilla would be gone for several days.

“Well, if you're going to complain so much, just know my offer still stands." A chuckle. "You and I both know Eternal Sugar Cookie doesn’t exactly hide the fact she’s been tagging along with Hollyberry. Cookies won’t judge if you come.” A lie, maybe not intentionally but there nonetheless. It was only him and the former beast of Sloth that had remained so intricately with the rest of cookie kind. Though it didn’t make them particularly liked.

The other three beasts weren’t exactly in any sort of spotlight like he and Eternal Sugar were. Mystic Flour Cookie kept her reign to her own lands, having mellowed out and reaching her own peace. Burning Spice Cookie was off exploring with other cookies in parts of Earthbread unseen -- something about keeping the world changing to satiate the urge to destroy what was always there. And Silent Salt Cookie, while never truly a threat to cookie kind as Shadow Milk later learned (bitterly so), was... no Cookies truly knew. While the presence of the Kala Namak's ghostly knights persisted, still fulfilling their duties to help those in need, Silent Salt was never near.

Shadow Milk was almost certain the only two cookies aware of his location were White Lily Cookie and Salt Cellar Cookie. The only two he seemed most comfortable around. A tragedy, really, as Shadow Milk had wanted to... at least try making amends. 

That left him and Eternal Sugar. They were friends, having grown closer since their personal redemptions. But he could never quite understand the level of continued infatuation (love, sure, but there were parts of it that still made Shadow Milk raise an eyebrow) Eternal Sugar held for Hollyberry.

Not that he didn’t enjoy their company. The two of them were rather close with him and Pure Vanilla nowadays. It wasn’t an odd occurrence for them to receive an invitation to yet another party hosted by the royal Hollyberryian family in their respective kingdom.

Shadow Milk Cookie couldn’t hide his disdain. “I can exist without you for a few days, but it doesn’t mean I won’t complain about it. Plus, I still feel as if some of them… y’know. I get they don’t have to forgive me it’s just…”

“That’s fair.” Pure Vanilla placed the watering can down, walking over to Shadow Milk, “That reminds me, when White Lily was here yesterday she and I were discussing some things. She… found something fascinating within the Faerie Kingdom’s scrolls.” Ah. Of course he remembered to bring that up after mentioning cookies that wouldn’t forgive him. It was awkward, Pure Vanilla being such good friends with White Lily Cookie when Shadow Milk and her still had their… differences.

“If it’s within the Faerie Kingdom, chances are I already know, genius.” Shadow Milk curved his head around, much like an owl. Staring Pure Vanilla dead in the face he only got a frown in reply. “Okay fine.” He said, cocking an eyebrow. “What oh-so-new knowledge did she have to share with you?”

“Well, you know how we’ve been talking about adding another cookie to our family?” Pure Vanilla began.

“Having a kid? Yeah, I do recall,” Shadow Milk mumbled. The conversation had been going on between the two of them for several months now. Pure Vanilla had mentioned it first, suggesting the idea of expanding their family, to which Shadow Milk initially laughed at him, telling him it was a terrible idea.

But over time, Shadow Milk had pondered it in his mind. A cookie the ultimate blend of himself and Pure Vanilla? It sounded ridiculous, almost too powerful. The thought was cute though, a small cookie with blonde hair like Pure Vanilla’s and blue mismatched eyes like Shadow Milk’s…

The idea of a child seemed more and more fascinating with each passing day. Such clueless creatures, ones that were malleable. Something about that innocence made Shadow Milk’s heart swell with a feeling he couldn’t quite put into words.

So he’d brought it up again, apologizing and reconciling that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. That didn’t account for the truth they quickly realized, what with their split essence. “Darling, I thought we’d already figured out it was-”

“Impossible? It’s not.” Shadow Milk’s eyes widened, his body snapping around to process what had just been said. Pure Vanilla continued. “White Lily Cookie believes there’s a method of baking a baby that would be possible with… combining our Soul Jams, much like we did all those years ago.”

“Combining our Soul Jams?” The jester raised an eyebrow, settling onto his feet. Floating made them equal in height, but it felt too casual. Even though he now towered above the vanilla cookie, it indicated his attentiveness to what was being discussed.

Previously he’d used that difference in height to his advantage, Witches those memories made him feel nauseous now. Shadow Milk had long since given up on that. Now he only stood like this if there was something important being discussed -– like now.

“Yes, combining them.” The process itself wasn’t… difficult. But what it required of the two of them was something they didn’t exactly jump at the chance to do.

It was essentially being in each other’s bodies. At the same time. Combining their Soul Jams was combining their entire beings, even if just for a moment. Every thought they had, all their memories, they could see it.

That was how Pure Vanilla had learned the truth about Shadow Milk when they first faced down. He’d reached into his deepest thoughts and found the loneliness he never had wanted to face. Loneliness he immediately called out, seemingly taunted. Loneliness that Shadow Milk later accepted and embraced, alongside Pure Vanilla.

He continued. “Lily told me of a certain Faerie spell crafted from those with split or incomplete life essences. Similar to us and our soul jams. We can splinter off a part of our combined power into another cookie.” Pure Vanilla fidgeted with his hands, “However, there’s a downside with it. There’s… not exactly dough involved, not in a traditional sense.”

“No bake?” Shadow Milk tilted his head.

“Not quite.” He sighed. “One of us… would take on the splintered part of our Soul Jams, and grow the baby… inside ourself.”

“Pregnancy, huh? Of course we can’t do this like normal cookies,” the former beast creased his eyebrows, “Cookies only put themselves through that if they don’t have access to baking ingredients. Or if they just want to do it.”

“Yes. It would appear… it’s our only option.” Pure Vanilla said. “I’m not opposed to it. I’d be fine carrying them.” Them. Already personifying someone who merely stood as a concept.

Shadow Milk stood still now, thinking. It was nearly unheard of. And to think that was their only method? A far more intricate one it seemed. Usually it took more of a tango to create a pregnancy, but combining their Soul Jams?

He thought. He thought for a long moment. Pure Vanilla clearly had grown lost on how to continue the conversation. He’d seemed so sure about going through with the pregnancy part… but Shadow Milk wasn’t certain his heart could stand seeing the cookie go through that. Not after what he’d already witnessed him suffer at his own hand. Truthless Recluse, the product of all Shadow Milk had convinced Pure Vanilla he was, had been the cookie’s lowest point. Shadow Milk had orchestrated that. It felt selfish to expect something like this out of him. To ask Pure Vanilla to sacrifice his body to something that was merely an aspiration, not a need.

Shadow Milk stood straight. “I’ll do it.”

Shadow Milk had created monsters and atrocities that ruined those around him. Maybe now he could create something different. Better. The thought made his heart race, but he ignored it.

“You’ll- what?” Pure Vanilla seemed surprised by that. Did he really expect--

“I said I’ll do it. I know the process. Won’t be a walk in the park but I know what to expect.” Shadow Milk crossed his arms, his face displaying the same expression.

“Shami, with so much love you’re…” Pure Vanilla trailed off. “You’re dramatic, which I do love, but don’t you think I’d handle it--”

“You have duties to attend to around the world. I simply stay around this kingdom doing my own thing. It’s logical. I’ll cope.” He levitated, his legs finally limping as he laid on his side. “I’d like to see you try changing my mind.” A playful demeanor smeared into his previously blank attitude. Pure Vanilla raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing.

But he simply sighed and shook his head, smiling.