CANDYLAND - 1. Quest

Chapter 17 - Evil guardian

 The four cookies decided to take a break at Ocean Cookie's ice palace, in order to regain their energy. After all, they have fought soft-serve zombies, sugar trolls, jelly monsters, and a cake dragon! The legendary Red Velvet Dragon of all!

In one of the many guest bedrooms, Marshmallow Cookie was looking at her phone. She was looking at an article in the Candyland Journal. It said:

Previous rulers: where are you?

Darkness roams around Candyland, previously a colorful happy world. The less crazy version of Wonderland. The past queen of the Light Kingdom, Marshmallow Cookie, along with her previous partners have been reported missing. Detective Nut Cookie had questioned the parents of the missing cookies. « Our daughter, Marshmallow Cookie? Oh, we don't know what happened to her. We already lost our eldest son, Espresso Cookie, nearly six years ago. Losing her daughter was heartbreaking, and we hope that she'll be found soon along with her friends. All we know is that her disappearance has to do with that witch, S'mores Cookie. I simply just wish that Empress S'mores would cease to exist, and King Sugar would come back. » said her parents. You hear it, folks! It's heartbreak for everyone in Candyland, not only Mr. Mint Chip and Mrs. Latte Cookie. What we want, now, is Queen Marshmallow. We want Queen Pancake! We want Queen Ice Cream! We want King Maple Syrup! We want the old Queen Skittles! We want King Sugar of Candyland, not Empress S'mores!

Your fav journalist,

White Chocolate Cookie

Marshmallow Cookie felt tears running down her face. She went to the rest of her friends and said:

— We need to grab the last artifacts. Candyland needs us! They don't want Empress S'mores, they want us! she said, while showing them the article on her phone.

After they read it, Pancake Cookie said:

— Sigh. I guess we can skip our break and go grab the next artifact, the one of the Light Kingdom.

— The Light of Wonders!

— According to my calculations, if we skip our next breaks but grab snacks along the way, we'll be able to grab the last artifacts in time, said Maple Syrup Cookie, putting down his calculator.

They had made their choice: they were going to find the Light of Wonders at this moment, even if they didn't fully gain all of their energy back from fighting the past few days. After all, you know what they say... All or nothing! It's the saying.

🍭🍭🍭

They were near the limits of the dark forests, but not too close to that place. Close enough to be near the Fountain of Dreams, a sacred landmark brought from the founders of the kingdoms in Candyland, thousands of years ago. They say that if you make a wish at the Fountain of Dreams, the fountain will do its best to make your wish come true, depending on the pureness of your Jam-heart.

It was at the Fountain of Dreams that the Light of Wonders was first found and where historians have written about this ancient artifact and its history. I mean, how else are the teachers meant to teach their students about the ancient artifacts (more known under the name of the Five Artifacts), at school?

They say that the Light of Wonders is stored at the top of the Fountain of Dreams, and only the heart of a pure cookie could be worthy of its connection and bond. It is with the connection of the artifacts that our four cookies are hoping to be able to defeat Empress S'mores and Queen Skittles. To get rid of their dark magic once and for all.

— Is it me, or is this artifact easier to get? After all, the Geode of Magic was guarded by S'mores Cookie's monsters, same for the Crystal of Ice, and the Wand of Shadows was guarded by a literal half-cookie half-dragon, AKA the legendary Red Velvet Dragon, a red velvet cake dragon, said Marshmallow Cookie with confidence.
— I wouldn't be so sure of that... said Pancake Cookie, turning her friend's head to a different direction.

Once Marshmallow Cookie saw what her friend was talking about, she was too shocked to even speak...

There were chocolate manhorses!

And sugar trolls!

Ugh... At least it's not the Red Velvet Dragon from the towers, earlier! That dragon had drained the energy out of me, to be honest. These are just chocolate manhorses and sugar trolls, it's not that bad... right? she thought to herself. But she was wrong, obviously.

The four cookies were able to fight off those candy-monsters in no time, and they hurried back to the Fountain of Dreams in order to grab the Light of Wonders and get out of there immediately, to grab the last artifact.

Clearly, luck was not on their side... A twizzly-gummy guardian had appeared out of (literally) nowhere and was now guarding the Fountain of Dreams. As if things could get any worse!

— You shall not pass! yelled the guardian. To prove thy worth, you shall need to fight I!

Pancake Cookie whispered to Ice Cream Cookie:

— What language is he even speaking?

— I think it's the language that Shakespeare Cookie used to speak, she replied.

— Shakespeare what now?

— Damn, you don't know anything, now do you... Shakespeare Cookie was the best actor, author, and theatre director in the history of Candyland, you big ol' goof!

— Oh! So this twizzly-gummy knows Shakespeare Cookie? then said Marshmallow Cookie.

Ice Cream Cookie and Pancake Cookie facepalmed.

Anyways, it wasn't the time to talk. That Shakespeare Cookie wannabe was challenging them to a fight in order to see if they were worthy of the Light of Wonders!