Secret of the Sugar Flare

Chapter 18: The Rebirth of Earthbread

By the time the morning broke and shed a dim light over Earthbread, everyone was preparing for the battle to come. Red Velvet Cookie was sharpening his sword, making sure it was battle-ready while Chiffon kept him company. Pastry Cookie practiced her archery, briefly thinking back to how Banbury Cookie used to encourage her while doing so. The memories gave her focus, and she hit every single bullseye. Black Raisin Cookie was reapplying the bandages over her hand with her crow's help. Sultan let out a low caw to let his master know he was with her to the end.

Reverend Mother Cookie had gathered scraps of discarded armor and clothes from all around Parfaedia. "Not enough for all of us..." she mumbled to herself. "But it should be enough to get us by."

Meanwhile, behind a large boulder, Meringue Cookie was getting ready. She had abandoned her bubble dress and was cleaning up when she felt over the scrap of her father's cloak on her wrist and squeezed it. "Stay strong. I'm coming."

When she emerged from behind the boulder, the others looked back at her. They were mildly surprised to see that she had wrapped a softly-colored waffle cloak covered in flowers over her bubble dress. Her longer hair was now braided, like her mother's. She carried a spear embroidered with both vanilla orchid and white lily buds, their bulbs looking remarkably like lemon and vanilla meringues.

"That's a...good look for you," Red Velvet Cookie said, slightly impressed.

Meringue Cookie tipped her chin up. "Thanks."

"But that's not going to do for your condition," Pastry Cookie said, slipping an enchanted chestplate of black armor onto her tiny friend. "Here. You out of all of us are going to need this."

Meringue Cookie recognized the faint scent of dark chocolate wafting off of it. "This armor...it's..."

"Melinda enchanted it so it would fit you and restored its durability," Black Raisin Cookie explained. "Dark Choco Cookie would be happy knowing a part of him was protecting you, in a way...he'd want you to have it."

For a moment, Meringue Cookie reminisced on her final moments with her friend, in the astral plane. She wished he was still here, fighting by her side. But even she knew that wasn't possible. The best she could do was fight on in his name. "...Alright. Let's go over the plan."

The Cookies gathered around a small slab of rock that served as their war table. "Understand that what we're about to get into is based on what we know," Meringue Cookie warned her friends. "And honestly, we don't know a lot."

"Unfortunately," Black Raisin Cookie agreed. "Which means if we go into this, we'll have to play this almost completely by ear."

"Yes..." Meringue Cookie said hesitantly. "But luckily for us, we've both got experience in that field. So, when we get to the castle, our first goal is to survey the area and see if we can find any trace of Dark Enchantress Cookie, the villagers, or my father." Meringue Cookie looked to her left. "Red Velvet Cookie?"

"Pomegranate Cookie will be my primary target," Red Velvet Cookie said. "I know my way around that castle. I'll sneak up on her and keep her and the rest of the Cookies of Darkness distracted while you find their master."

"And I'll be right there with you," Pastry Cookie said. "I will give you needed backup."

"I will find and free the villagers from the dungeons," Black Raisin Cookie said. "Once they're out of danger, I'll come back Meringue Cookie up-"

"No," Meringue Cookie shook her head. "I want you to evacuate the villagers all the way back to the city. If things get ugly, I don't want them caught up in the middle."

"Are you sure? I can't leave you to face Dark Enchantress Cookie alone."

"Black Raisin Cookie's right," Pastry Cookie added. "Dark Enchantress Cookie already crumbled Azura...and she was a Witch! Now all the stars in the sky are gone!"