Cookie Run: HeartBreak.

⚠︎ The Timekeeper

⚠︎ - mention of killing, guilt-tripping, mention of death, mention of suicide, swearing, mention of destruction, bad memories, manipulation, forceful behavior, psychological abuse, mild lying, mention of deadnaming, sentences in all caps, suspicion, mention of betrayal, physical abuse, mild sexual abuse?, sadistic behavior

GingerBrave and Croissant turned around to see a tall woman behind them. they had long, fluffy hair with different shades of red in it. she was wearing a dark top hat and a black suit with a bit of red on it. they were wearing inventor goggles just like Croissant and was floating on a strange, long pair of scissors.
"h-huh...?" Croissant asked with fear in her voice.
"who... are you?" GingerBrave asked.
"hmm... doesn't matter right now, but you can just call me the Timekeeper!"
"so... does that mean you're the Director?"
"correct! and i've heard every word you said about me on your journey."
"i'm... sorry."
"you know, i could kill you for that if i really wanted to... but you're lucky i don't feel like it."
"he doesn't even work here!" Croissant said.
"oh, Croissant... are you interfering again? you weren't apart of this conversation, and you even failed to fix the timeline! now the past events in GingerBrave's life are broken... forever."
"don't say that! there's still a way..."
"what way? show me that you can still fix it."
"alright."
Croissant put the coordinates of the kingdom in her timecraft, and it sent them back to when the kingdom was happy and Milk was still alive.
"huh? it wasn't like this when we went here before..." Croissant said.
"oh? what was it like before?" asked the Timekeeper.
"uhh... it was destroyed, and apparently Milk died later on."
"and do you know who killed him?"
"himself..." GingerBrave said.
"does anyone know why?"
"that's... not for you to know."
"don't you know everything that happened, Ti-?" Croissant asked, cutting herself off.
"yes, i do, but i want to see you fix it. add in the part where everything went to shit!"
"i... can try."
Croissant tried to retrieve what happened next, but the timecraft glitched out once again.
"what a shame... i guess you can't fix it after all. i thought you were so usef-"
"then you try! you have your Sonic Embroider, and you can travel through time better than all of us!"
"hehe... fine. hop on."
GingerBrave and Croissant got on the Timekeeper's Sonic Embroider and got sent back to the kingdom. once again, they saw when the kingdom was happy, and Milk was showing GingerBrave and his friends his small farm.
"oh, look. they're happy. they all look so cute with smiles on their faces! but then..."
the time seemed to fast-forward to the destruction part.
"...the happiness is gone. how did that happen, i wonder?"
"the Cookies of Darkness came and destroyed Milk's kingdom..." GingerBrave said.
"is that so? how tragic..."
"Timekeeper... did you mess with my timecraft only to show GingerBrave the bad moments in his memories?"
they quickly returned back to the clock tower control room. GingerBrave and Croissant fell on the floor.
"haha... how come you used my name, Croissant?" Timekeeper asked.
"it was obvious... you're the legendary Timekeeper, so that must've been your name."
"...the normal TBD workers aren't allowed to use the Director's name. you are to call me Director at all times. don't you know that?"
"yes... i'm sorry i forgot."
"Croissant can call you whatever she wants!" GingerBrave commented.
"you again... don't interfere when i'm having a conversation with someone else, GingerBasic. it wouldn't make any difference if she called me Brioche, but i am the Director, the Timekeeper."
"okay..."
"what else are you planning? you already destroyed GingerBrave's past" Croissant said.
"i don't know... he can forget it" the Timekeeper responded.
"no, he can't... it's not easy to forget traumatic things that happened to you."
"like Dozer's death?"
"what? y-yeah..." GingerBrave said, caught off guard by what the Timekeeper said.
"you know, you weren't able to prevent that, which just shows how useless you are."
"who killed him?"
"i'm not telling you~!"
"damn it...!"
"but i can tell you that it wasn't any of your trusted friends."
"that's good, at least."
"please don't call GingerBrave useless... i can tell he's a helpful and clever person" Croissant said.
"do you think i care?" the Timekeeper asked.
"no... you never care..."
"exactly, and why would i care about someone like him? he's too basic for my taste."
"you think everyone's too basic for you!"
"are you trying to insult me?"
"no... it's just that i think you have a hard time understanding others who are weaker than you. i-it's just one of your fl-"
the Timekeeper grabbed Croissant by her collar and dragged her closer to them.
"listen... i don't believe in things like flaws, and i don't care about others enough to understand them" she whispered.
"you don't really care about anyone! ugh... let me go...!"
"NO! you should understand me well enough to know that. after all, you and me are the same person."
they dropped Croissant on the ground, and GingerBrave was shocked after hearing what she said.
"so... Croissant, this is who you become?" he asked.
"ugh..." Croissant stood up with tears in her eyes.
"why are you crying again, dear?" the Timekeeper asked.
"i'm not crying... stop it... you do these things everytime we're together."
"so?"
"and GingerBrave is here to witness it!"
"i don't care."
"of course you don't!"
Croissant walked away from the Timekeeper and towards GingerBrave, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"i'm sorry, GingerBrave... i lied... i knew who the Director was, but i didn't want to say anything about it because, well..."
"i understand."
"huh...?"
"it was you who put all these horrible things in our path, wasn't it, Timekeeper?"
"shut up, GingerBrave" they said.
"i don't trust you at all... stop messing with time and my past!"
"oh, we don't care about time or your past here."
"but we're the Time Balance Department! we're supposed to fix time, not ruin it!" Croissant said.
"but i could care less about GingerBrave. he's pretty much useless, and he even deadnamed me."
"deadnamed? that is your name, isn't it?"
"yes, but like i said, workers under me are to refer to me as the Timekeeper or Director."
"do you think i care about some shitty name?" GingerBrave asked.
"what...?"
"i'm more curious about how you and Croissant are the same person."
"oh, yeah... sure, we are the same, but i don't look like her at all, which i'm proud of. who would want to look like a nobody such as her?"
"she's not a nobody! she's-"
"I DON'T CARE."
the Timekeeper opened her Sonic Embroider and snapped it closed, pushing GingerBrave back and making him fall on the ground.
"GingerBrave...!" Croissant said, trying to run towards him, but she was stopped by the Timekeeper. GingerBrave got to his feet and looked suspiciously at them.
"tell me everything, Timekeeper... how are you and Croissant really connected?" he asked.
"fine... i used to be a young girl who figured out how to repair different things, and then i ended up building my own timecraft! i was recognized by a group called the Time Balance Department for my work, and that's how i joined them. i learned how to travel through time and helped them fix different timelines, though, as time went on, life got boring for me... i kept learning how to travel through time by myself, but my coworkers grew suspicious of me. they later turned on me, so i was left to run this place by myself. one day, when i was travelling alone, i just happened to meet someone who changed my life... that's all!"
"i... partially believe that."
"and now you know... truthfully, i'm getting tired, mentally and physically..." Croissant said.
"that would be because you're weak, Croissant. you truly are. you don't know how to change time or distrust" the Timekeeper commented.
"...this is all your fault. i hope you know that."
"my fault? hehe... this is truly your fault for joining the TBD in the first place."
"i felt hopeful in that moment, but as soon as i met you... i felt like leaving. you were constantly mocking me and telling me that i wasn't good enough for this job."
"where would you go if you left?"
"somewhere else away from you."
"that would be impossible. i can be anywhere, anytime! plus, i work with one of the best villain groups in this world."
"damn it..."
"join me, Croissant. together, we would be unstoppable! i would care for you and give you everything you wanted."
"you don't even care about me...!"
Croissant had tears in her eyes again.
"i care about you, but not in the way you would imagine. there are multiple times when i could've killed you today, but i didn't. you're one of the top people i care about."
"why are you saying this...? i don't even remember the time or date because of you. i even forget my own name sometimes..."
"you were always harsh to yourself, Croissant... so i'm harsh to myself as well! that is why i abuse you."
"stop..."
"we were always dumb, and it's understandable how you fell behind in class. don't you remember that?"
"y-yes, but..."
"you don't even spend time with any of your friends. you spend all of your time here, knowing damn well that all of your dearest friends will eventually leave you. stupid..."
the Timekeeper pushed Croissant to the ground and started kicking her in the stomach.
"STOP DOING THIS TO CROISSANT!" GingerBrave yelled.
"interfering again? i told you multiple times not t-"
"GingerBrave... you need to get out. if you're not careful, she'll come after you too."
"it's you who needs to leave! i don't want you to be used by Timekeeper any longer" GingerBrave said.
"there's no way she's leaving me, and i don't need to listen to someone like you."
"but... i'm scared of you. i truly am" Croissant said.
"really? after the sweet times we've spent together during our relationship~?"
"we don't have a rela-"
Croissant was cut off by the Timekeeper giving her a non-consensual kiss. they then whispered something in her ear that seemed to frighten her.
"now then, what are we going to do with GingerBrave?" Timekeeper asked.
"you better not do anything bad to him..." Croissant said.
"i don't know... i might just send him back to the oven where he belongs. what a useless cookie!"
"what...? but... i don't deserve that! where are my friends?" GingerBrave asked.
"oh, you'll probably never see them again. they will be useless to you in your future, anyway!"
"but GingerBright... she was always bright and kept us going. Strawberry was quiet, but she offered a lot of help. Skater kept us company, and so did Zombie."
"sounds like a useless bunch... you don't deserve to see them again."
"yes, i do."
"you know, it's interesting seeing the pain and suffering of others. that's what i live for! i'm a twisted person. everyone here knows that for sure."
"look, if you just give me one more cha-"
GingerBrave was cut off by Timekeeper pushing him back with her Sonic Embroider. he fell on the ground and hurt himself.
"i'm not giving you another chance."
"leave him alone already...!" Croissant yelled.
"no. i'll send him back to the oven and start his journey all over again!"
"no...!"
"you need to get out of other people's businesses. i know what will make you shut up~."
Timekeeper pulled a syringe full of an odd liquid out of their pocket. she pulled Croissant's head down and injected the contents in the nape of her neck, which made her scream in pain. she fell on the floor and started moving around frantically.
"now that's taken care of, have fun in your new life! BYE-BYE~!"
Timekeeper then opened up their Sonic Embroider once again and cut GingerBrave with it. Croissant let out a final scream.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!"

and then, everything turned black. nothing could be seen. no sound could be heard. no smell was in the air. it felt as if nothing existed, and everyone was dead. the only feeling was that of dread, and the pain of being stabbed in the heart twelve times. then, something came up, something quite familiar.

____________________

note: another chapter done! this chapter concludes Part 1 of this story, and Part 2 will still be in this book. i'm sorry if this chapter was a little boring. i'm still learning how to write twisted characters and their backstories. i hope it was still enjoyable, though. also, Timekeeper mentioned a brioche in one part, and a brioche is a French pastry which is kinda like a croissant. they also use they/she pronouns in this story. thank you for reading and i'll see you in Part 2!

- Sky