Milk Cookie x Reader : By My Side

Lotus Dragon Cookie (part 1)

-Not Y/N POV-

On his way to the Lotus Paradise, he almost started to regret his decision... But, he knew that diving into danger alone wouldn't scare Dark Choco Cookie. 

However, to his surprise, the guards of the palace stepped aside to allow him inside. It seemed his presence had been expected...

Squinting his eyes, he cautiously ventured inside the Palace... Yes, he could be gullible and naïve at times, but he fought evildoers often enough. He knew when it was time to keep his guards up... sometimes.

Walking right into the lair of a dragon that cursed countless people was one of those times.

"Oh, it's you." Hydrangea Cookie's voice startled Milk Cookie. She was standing behind him like a statue, calmly smiling at him. 

"The dragon's kind servant!" Milk Cookie hurried to her. "I believe your kingdom may be in danger! The dragon is not what they seem!..."

"...Is that so?" She replied, not even bothering to blink. "Well... the dragon wishes to see you..." She pointed the way to the dragon's throne room. "Perhaps they want to hear your... complaint..."

"...Don't worry, I won't let your kingdom down. I'll make sure everything is okay!" And so he headed down the way she was pointing... 

He just had to follow the faint sound of the dragon playing their mandolin... and quickly enough, he found himself into the same room where they first met the dragon, with those intimidating scaly pillars leading him to the silk veil...

The calm music almost made Milk Cookie feel bad about disturbing the peace as he approached the silhouette of the dragon, but he knew it had to be done.

"...Dragon! It is I, Milk Cookie! I know the secret of your wish-granting powers!"

The dragon stopped playing, and stared at him through the silk. Milk Cookie... This annoying cookie... If it weren't for this cookie's unusually strong will, it would have been so easy to claim the human's vitality... Even luring him away from the human turned out to be insufficient to finally take the human for good...

...It seemed the dragon wasn't replying, so Milk Cookie spoke again. "...In the name of Cookie kind... I cannot allow you to poison cookies with dark magic!!"

"Dark magic?... How insulting... A dragon's powers are beyond any magic that a Cookie can wield. You know nothing."

"I know that you're making cookies miserable!" 

"Miserable..." The dragon said. "I make them happy, in exchange of their vitality. This island was once brought to nothingness by a storm. The land was devastated, nothing would grow... and the cookies here were starving... But I changed that. I gave these cookies a chance to be happy, forever... and in return, I used part of their life force to bring life to this island. Prospering, endless and colorful gardens full of life and food... It is all thanks to my powers that this island is now a paradise!"

"...A paradise full of cookies who are drowning in illusions!... This isn't real happiness!... You are tricking them into a lie they cannot escape from, and draining them dry...!"

"Oh? Is that what you think?... How... naïve of you." The dragon smiled behind the veil. "I'll have you know, most cookies of Hortensia Town are aware of the nature of my powers."

"...Huh...?"

"Tell me, ever since you realized you were under a spell, you've been feeling better, haven't you?"

"...This is because the celestials protect me!"

"Fool..." The dragon hissed. "You realized it was an illusion, decided you didn't want it, so it stopped... Don't you see? I don't force anyone to be under my spell... The cookies of Hortensia Town are willing to give in to my powers. Whatever their little minds need, I can provide. Unlike foolish cookies like YOU, they know it's best to embrace what makes them happy... just like your friend almost did." They said with clear bitterness in their voice.

Milk Cookie was speechless a moment, then shook his head. "My friend would never give in to your powers willingly..."

"Are you sure...?~ What if I told you their wish couldn't possibly come true in reality anyway?~" The dragon said with a smile. "This is... the only way for them to be happy."

 "You're wrong! We can make our wishes come true! Your illusions are not a true way to be happy... They just need help to see there's a better way!"

"What if I told you your friends are most likely dead?~" 

Milk Cookie was pale for a moment, then glared at the dragon, but didn't say anything.

"...You poor thing... denying such a chance at happiness..." The dragon sighed. "...So you really desire for all the cookies to be freed from my powers?" 

"Yes. I would like you to stop, please." Milk Cookie said with a frown.

"There is... one thing. Something that could allow me to let go of all cookies, and still keep the island healthy and full of life."

"There is?... What is it??" Milk Cookie's eyes widened hopefully.

"Your friend."

"...Huh?... Y/N?..." Milk Cookie was squinting an eye in confusion. "...Wh-what about them?..."

"Your friend is not a cookie, they are a being much greater. A being with enough vitality to keep this island a paradise for generations... If I have them... I won't need cookies anymore~"

Milk Cookie frowned. "...There must be a mistake... My friend is a fellow cookie, like me!"

"Oh, but I'm not mistaking... I heard their wish. Your friend is not what they claim to be. They even lied to you about the wish they made... You should know your 'friend' is selfish... and their kind do not think of you as friends, they think of you as food."

Milk Cookie glared. "ENOUGH! I will not let you spew these absurd lies about my friend!"

"...So I take it you won't let me have your friend, in exchange of the freedom of all the other cookies?"

"...Well... I don't know why you want my friend so badly, but I can tell you're just trying to convince me to give up on them! I'm not that gullible!" He readied his weapons. "You're not taking my friend! We'll find a way to help these cookies find happiness without your help!"

"...What a shame..." The dragon struck their mandolin, making a glowing blast of sound towards Milk Cookie, and sending the silk veil flying. But at the same time, Milk Cookie rose his shield to summon to celestial light shield, blocking the blast. 

Although the dragon still kept their permanent calm smile, she was staring at Milk Cookie with savage eyes. "You are nothing but a nuisance to me."

Milk Cookie was scared. Despite being a warrior, he's always been better at keeping people safe during a battle. But fighting? He never enjoyed hitting cookies and creatures, no matter how hard he trained... Without Purple Yam Cookie and Mala Sauce Cookie, it was going to be a lot harder to take down a dragon... 

But he couldn't run away or yield, not with what was at stake. He had to make it through.

His only hope for now was to stand his ground and endure, hopefully tire out the dragon, and stay alert for an opening to strike... 

Milk Cookie prepared himself for another blast, but instead... the dragon started playing regular music... although menacingly, as a giant lotus flower started to glow behind the silk veil. 

Milk Cookie was getting... sleepy.