CANDYLAND - 1. Quest

Chapter 4 - Queen Skittles: Missing

 Pancake Cookie was trying to cheer up her friend, Marshmallow Cookie. The party had ended far earlier than expected after the mysterious witch and Skittles Cookie vanished from sight. « Why was everything going wrong tonight? Today was meant to be perfect. It was meant to be my twenty-fourth birthday, meant to be the day I reunited with Espresso Cookie », she thought to herself.

The only thing that could actually cheer the young cookie up, was seeing her big brother. But not even he wanted to see her after all of this time. Not even he would've wanted to turn that frown upside down...

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In the deep forests of the Shadow Kingdom on the other side of Candyland, Skittles Cookie was tied up to a chair in some super secret hideout. She was unconscious, there was tape covered over her mouth preventing her from even speaking. Once she woke up, she saw a figure approaching her. This figure looked familiar, as if she had just seen her a few minutes or hours ago. When she was fully conscious, she realized who was standing right in front of her...

It was the party crasher of her friend's ball. It was S'mores Cookie...

She tried to speak, but the tape on her mouth was stopping her. We couldn't even understand a word she would say. Until finally, the witch took off the tape from her mouth.

— You wicked witch! Why did you kidnap me?!!? she yelled. Answer me! Do you know who I am? I'm Queen Skittles, queen of the Love Kingdom! And you? You are nothing but a witch who ruined my best friend's birthday!

Skittles Cookie's rage showed.

— At the moment, you might see me as your enemy... But soon, you'll see me as an ally, she said.

— No, said Queen Skittles.

She took a deep breath.

— I know who you are, witch. You are my enemy!

— Hmph. I guess that you want to do things the hard way. Welp! Time to bring in the alter ego...

The witch, S'mores Cookie, injected a needle near Skittles Cookie's eyebrow, on her head. This last one started to pass out, she tried to resist, but she felt light-headed. As if she was being drugged of some sort. Staying true to her besties, Marshmallow Cookie and Pancake Cookie, she tried to fight back by chanting:

— You are my enemy... You are my enemy... You are my enemy...

Until she passed out.

Forty minutes later, she woke up. Except, she didn't feel like herself. Her eyes were more evil-red than usual. She looked more evil than usual. She didn't represent love and reconciliation anymore, but evil and darkness.

— There, said S'mores Cookie. That's more like it!

She let go an evil laugh.

Once Skittles Cookie was fully awake, she looked confused. Where was she? More importantly... Who was this cookie in front of her?

— Huh? Who are you?

It worked! thought the wicked witch to herself. The spell worked! The brainwashing and amnesia spell worked!

S'mores Cookie had spelled Queen Skittles, erasing all of her memories from her past and brainwashing her. This was a disaster! How could she run an entire kingdom, if she doesn't remember her own name?

— I'm S'mores Cookie, your best friend!

— Oh... And who am I?

— Did you forget? You're Skittles Cookie, queen of the Love Kingdom! I guess that you really hit your head hard, huh?

She was confused. Was this girl really her best friend? In reality, this cookie was nothing but a witch who ruined her real best friend's birthday party. Like said before, this witch was simply her enemy. But now that she is being brainwashed... What will happen?

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Back at the castle, Queen Pancake and Queen Marshmallow were panicking. Queen Skittles was still missing! And the main suspect was, for sure, the wicked witch who crashed the party: S'mores Cookie. But what was more important, was finding the missing ruler of the Love Kingdom. Without it's queen, how is it meant to be in balance and not fall into chaos?

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Two weeks after Queen Marshmallow's birthday, everyone was still miserable, especially the citizens of the Love Kingdom. Their queen was so kind-hearted and loving. When you look at her kingdom, it shows! The Love Kingdom stands for it's title: the kingdom of love, the kingdom filled with love and kindness.

But once Queen Skittles went missing, the kingdom wasn't the same as it was before. It was more gloomy, more sad. It was the same for all of Candyland, by the way! S'mores Cookie's threat to summon monsters and bring back the Dark Age filled everyone's heart with fear and distrust. Nobody trusted one another anymore in this joyful and colorful world! And King Sugar needed to find a way to stop this from continuing. Queen Skittles had to come back, one way or another!

Whilst Marshmallow Cookie was on her throne, looking at a picture of her, Pancake Cookie, Skittles Cookie, Maple Syrup Cookie, and Ice Cream Cookie from when they were still in training, one of her loyal maids ran to her.

— Your Highness, she's back! yelled the maid with a smile.

— Who's back? she asked.

— Queen Skittles, she's back! replied the maid.

Marshmallow Cookie ran out of her throne and ran to Skittles Cookie to give her a hug. But this last one was even more confusing.

— Uh. Who are you? asked Queen Skittles.

The wholesome moment was destroyed after that last question. How come she doesn't remember or even know who her own best friend is?

— It's me, Marshmallow Cookie! Y'know, your best friend! she answered.

— Oh, I know you... You're the one who replaced my best friend, S'mores Cookie! You're the one who stole the Light Kingdom from her! she screamed in anger and rage.

Marshmallow Cookie was confused.

Replaced? Queen Marshmallow doesn't even know who S'mores Cookie is in details! All she knows is that she wants to bring chaos and darkness upon Candyland.

— Y'know what? I call war on the Light Kingdom! yelled back Skittles Cookie.

She was in shock. Her own friend was calling war on her kingdom? How could she? More like why would she...?

— My army will make sure that you are the first to perish or surrender during this war.

And then Queen Skittles exited the Light Palace.

What has happened to my dear friend, Skittles Cookie? she thought to herself, while crying.

She called the other rulers of the kingdoms of Candyland for an emergency meeting at her castle, the Light Palace. They all arrived quicker than expected, which is good, I suppose.

— Queen Skittles is being brainwashed, she concluded. We know that the prime suspect of her disappearance two weeks ago was S'mores Cookie, and we know that she's a witch. The last time we saw her, we could hear Skittles Cookie yell for help. So my conclusion is that the witch kidnapped Queen Skittles and used her dark magic, erasing all of Skittle Cookie's memories and brainwashing her, replacing her past memories with what she wants them to turn into. It's like that she convinced her that she used to be queen of the Light Kingdom and got replaced by Marshmallow Cookie.