Chapter Text
After the war and Shadow Milk's plan backfiring on him, the remaining near dying beasts were taken back to the Vanilla Kingdom despite the other ancients trying to reason with Pure Vanilla, but his heart was set.
Aloe vera was used on Eternal Sugar's burns, both her and Mystic Flour were given physical therapy sessions. Mystic often stood in place not willing to move, when she tries, she considers it hopeless. Her body tingles so much that she barely feels it now. Ignoring it.
Golden Cheese asked if Sugar was sure she wanted her hair cut short.
"Cut it all! it's all caramelized anyway...."
Nowadays she floats around high from the floor on a cloud, her wings now incapable of flying from the burned feathers and the cries she'd let out when she tried to open them.
Then there was Burning Spice.
At the start, he spent most of his time in bed and when he wasn't, he was sitting anywhere he could hugging a bucket to his chest that filled itself with vomit every ten minutes, his body doesn't care if his stomach is empty, he coughed up what he could.
No one could sleep in the same room as him, he wheezed with every breath and coughed so hard, it was surprising when strawberry jam didn't come up onto his arm.
But, after 2 long years of healing from burns, chronic nerve damage and muscle weakness, the 3 beasts were considered fully recovered.
Eternal Sugar had started to practice flying once more as Mystic Flour went back to being able to cross her legs again to meditate.
As well for the beast of destruction, despite Pure Vanilla's protests, the stubborn tyrant had gone back to swinging his "weapon" to, in his words, compensate for the lack of training during his recovery.
(It was really just his sudden bursts of adrenaline whenever something in his body suddenly started hurting.)
Meaning, finding the biggest stick he can and swinging it like his parashu. The upper roots of his hair where the mercury made contact were too damaged and weren't capable of providing the necessary spices to summon a weapon that big, maybe a dagger or a scimitar at best, but those weren't good enough.
So, the Vanilla king entertained his antics.
He watched him swing, warning him to be careful about hurting himself. He watched closely, not minding Burning Spice's irritation when he was forced to stop when Pure Vanilla spotted the slightest bit of pain on his face.
"I am fine!"
"Where does it hurt?"
"..."
"..."
"... Shoulders."
"Alright then, come."
And he was banned from the training grounds for the day. Pure Vanilla wasn't taking any risks.
The others visited, either from concern or curiosity, it's hard to say with all the excuses they make. Hollyberry checks on Eternal Sugar, seeing how she's handling being away from her and if her burn wounds healed up good enough.
Golden Cheese checks up on Pure Vanilla to see how he's fairing with the equivalent of 3 immature children on his hands, plus Mystic.
Dark Cacao.
At first he rarely visited, not caring about the beasts, when he did visit it was just because of Pure Vanilla.
But, one day, Dark Cacao found Burning Spice in the training grounds swinging a stick as per usual.
There was no strategy behind the Beast's swings, just mindless beating at the air.
So, as the others watched, Dark Cacao started fighting with Burning Spice to test of the beast truly knew how to fight properly.
Unfortunately for the king, he did.
The mindless swinging turned into calculated moves.
They kept swinging, blocking, clashing, the king and was fast but the beast was going at the speed of light despite his initial ailment.
Until he wasn't.
Dark Cacao was able to get an opening and turned his sword to the side and slam it into Burning Spice just as he his body started aching again. It sent the beast to the floor, with the tip of Dark Cacao's blade right between his eyes.
While Dark Cacao saw it as a victory, Burning Spice was focused on the strength of the one pinning him down, his face turning a brighter shade of red than originally.
After that day, Burning Spice practically begged as he and pressured and instigated more matches between him and Dark Cacao.
At first, it was just sparring.
Quick matches that still made his jam boil.
Then it was admiration.
Dark Cacao put up quite the fight, and he was too stubborn to be beat.
Now, it was attraction between both of them.
They had started talking more and more after matches, becoming closer than Burning Spice had ever gotten with Golden Cheese, and Dark Cacao with Mystic Flour.
After another year in the Vanilla Kingdom to ensure that the beasts were truly healed, yet still powerless, they were sent off with their other halves.
Eternal Sugar happily obliged and left with Hollyberry.
Golden Cheese, though, was extremely reluctant to take Burning Spice under her wing.
"I'd rather not bring him to my kingdom, digital or not, he's destructive." She glares at the beast sitting across from her, who returns the favor.
Dark Cacao clears his throat "I as well am uncomfortable with Mystic Flour being anywhere near my people." In response, she snapped open one eye and looks at him.
Pure Vanilla looks at the two pairings before recalling something.
"Dark Cacao, you and Burning Spice have been growing close, yes?"
The king nods and looks at the beast diagonal from him.
"And Golden Cheese, you and Mystic Flour have been talking a lot, correct?"
"That is correct"
Burning Spice gasps and jumps up "A trade!"
All eyes go to him and Pure Vanilla snaps his fingers, smiling as he points at Burning Spice "Precisely! Burning Spice goes with Dark Cacao and Mystic Flour goes with Golden Cheese!"
Mystic Flour sighed "I supposed it'd fit. A warrior in a kingdom full of will powered cookies like him. And in a digital kingdom, I won't be able to do any mental damage if I tried."
Golden Cheese glanced at her and Mystic Flour reassured her "I won't."
"Then it's settled!" Pure Vanilla claps his hands together with a smile "When you're ready, you both can pack your things."
Burning Spice practically bolted out of the room and Mystic Flour stayed, excusing "I have no need to, there are no possessions in my room that I hold meaningful nor useful."
Golden Cheese smiles and stands "Then let us travel back." She quickly remembers how she traveled to her current location "You don't have wings."
The beast shakes her head and the Radiant Queen winces
"I got here by air travel... would you like me to carry you?"
She waited for the response, before Mystic Flour nodded. And they were off, with Golden Cheese gently picking up the beast and flying off.
Burning Spice ran down the halls to the room he was placed in, grabbing all he could fit into his hair and a small bag.
He didn't do much with his room the way Eternal Sugar did hers, he spent more of his time outside in nature. Even while recovering, he spent most of his time in bed or knelt by the toilet, longing to roam the outdoors without his path swaying into the bushes or losing his breath after a few steps.
He glances around the room before leaving and walking down the halls, not realizing who was following him before hearing the faint sound of the jingly menace above him. He halts and looks straight up, watching as Shadow Milk misses it and veers forward a little.
"Clown."
"Hot stuff~"
They never got along during his stay. In fact, none of the beasts got along with Shadow Milk during their stay.
Eternal Sugar often got into loud arguments with him and while they usually just start flying a few inches taller than the other with each exchange, it just ended in Eternal Sugar's wings reinjuring from the reflex and a two hour long lecture from Pure Vanilla.
Mystic Flour tried her best to ignore it, but the man loved to instigate. She, unfortunately, was his favorite person to play "How much can I say before she raises her voice?" with.
Burning Spice stares up at him before scoffing and continuing his walk, but that didn't stop the jester from prying.
"So, I heard you're leaving today."
Burning Spice sucks his teeth, his spared antenna twitching as his irritation grows. "That is right."
"What's in the bag? Sounds jingly."
Burning Spice takes a glance down at his bag, sighing "... My jewelry." And that made Shadow Milk gasp dramatically, his levitated body spinning upside down as his hands meet his cheeks in cartoonish shock "But you're already wearing all the jewelry I usually see you in?" He starts flying around Burning Spice, poking every piece of gold he's currently wearing with an annoying 'bop' sound.
Bracelet.
Necklace.
Anklet.
"Stop." The tyrant finally snaps and Shadow Milk backed off with a small "Alrighty."
He kept following him.
Burning Spice reveled in those thirty seconds of beautiful silence before Shadow Milk gasped in realization.
"Your old jewelry! From our old days." He tried his best to ignore how the playwright's voice had softened at the last bit.
"Yes."
Shadow Milk giggling and kicked his feet midair "Ohhhh I remember you back then! O Lady Paprika Spice, the Herald of Change! Aw, a story so tragic it's almost comedic. But then again, isn't existence itself like-"
"Shut up."
Burning Spice grabbed Shadow Milk by the hat.
"I am not your friend. I will never refer to myself as such again, not after what you tried doing." He releases him.
"Stop trying to cling onto the miniscule amount of empathy I have for you. Run to Pure Vanilla if you want the friend you try so hard to convince us and yourself you don't need, but I, nor Sugar and Flour, will consider you our friend."
He keeps the eye contact with Shadow Milk, watching for any chance before scoffing and continuing his walk, leaving the clown to just watch before disappearing into the shadows again.
How would Shadow Milk take that? He didn't know, and honestly right now, he didn't care. He's grown bored of the Vanilla Kingdom and he craves a change in scenery.
Maybe this'll be good for him.
Maybe this'll be the change he needs