Warning: There's a lot of exposition in this chapter! Sorry!
Chapter 10: Gramma Nutt Takes a Stand and Reunion!
"So let me get this straight," Gramma Nutt said, sitting with Meringue and Crème at a table made of peanut butter brittles. "When you got to the other realm, which is known as Earth by the inhabitants, you sealed the Princess's powers away as well as yours. This in turn erased your memories and stopped the natural aging process as you four wondered the world for sixteen years until the Princess, now known as Sugar, received the Lollypop Wand after she accidently opened the portal to this world, which gave the monsters an opportunity to wreck havoc and prepare for Lord Licorice's arrival. But she was able to transform into Soldier Candy and absorb these monsters into the wand, which were eradicated inside, and that was when the four of you instinctively showed up. She recognized the magical Scents you left, which activated your powers and made you remember who you were."
"Except for me," Meringue interrupted. "I already knew who I was before I met Soldier Candy, because I gave that ability of recognition to Kit Kat, who appeared out of the portal, which was still open from the time we took the Princess to Earth. But I was able to close it somehow, even though I don't have royal blood."
"I can explain that. After you four left with the Princess, the King, Queen, and Duke of Swirl went into hiding. You know what happened to me, but I kept them informed through secret messages. Lord Licorice was rallying the monsters and he eventually convinced them to go into the portal, which had shifted to a different location on the other side because it was drawn to you and Crème's power, even though they were dormant. Then when I mentioned the invasion, the Duke of Swirl immediately went out into the open and used his power to seal the portal up, which got him captured in the end."
"The Duke of Swirl got captured?" Crème was confused. "Then how was he able to get to Earth and aid the Princess?"
Gramma Nutt looked down. "I…had predicted that the Princess was going to open the portal from the other side, and Lord Licorice would rule the other realm. He jumped for joy when he heard this, but I hoped that it wouldn't come true. But when the portal was reopened, the Duke of Swirl made a deal with Lord Licorice to bring the Princess to him once the second invasion was underway."
"So he helped Soldier Candy in order to find the Princess, and gain her trust so that she wouldn't suspect his intention to kidnap her. But he got severely weakened during the second invasion, and that was also when Soldier Candy transformed into Princess Lolly. He was out cold when this happened, as she alone halted the invasion and closed the portal. But now that we're back here with the Princess, the Duke of Swirl is in serious danger because he couldn't keep his promise."
Just then, a fluttering of wings caught their attention, and they looked outside. Beyond the field was a looming cloud made of bats, and there was one person standing on top of it. His fluttering black cape and red hair told Meringue that it was Lord Licorice. She took out her Lemon Whip, and Crème did the same with her Vanilla Foil.
"Wait," Gramma Nutt said, halting them. "Let me talk to him. In the meantime, head for the basement. There's an underground passage that'll take you inside the Gumdrop Forest, and from there you can get back to the others."
"But Gramma, you know he'll kill you once your treachery has been unveiled!" Meringue said, looking at her.
"Yeah! Come with us!" Crème replied.
"I thank you for the kind offer, but I'm old, and I'll probably slow you down," Gramma Nutt smiled, and walked out the door. "And besides, why would he kill his own mother?"
The door slammed shut. Meringue and Crème wasted no time, and went down the stairs to the basement. Sure enough, there was an underground passage behind a pantry door with a cake symbol on the door handle, and a map lying in a hidden alcove on the other side of the door. Marmalade-filled lanterns lighted the passage itself and the walls were coated in chocolate shell. As they navigated down the passage, they heard explosions above, but continued without looking back.
Back in the field surrounded by the Gumdrop Forest, Pepper and Aroma were dismayed that Lord Licorice had gotten away, and were now facing the four women who were the only ones left, as all the other monsters had been destroyed by Princess Lolly's magic staff. She was currently trying to break through the icy barrier that one of the women created, which was starting to weaken as the woman was becoming exhausted. She had long white hair with blue highlights, and wore a long blue and white dress with a sparkling tiara made of snowflakes. The energy for the barrier seemed to be coming from a white staff she carried with a large snowflake on top of it.
"Frostine," Aroma muttered, suddenly recognizing the woman.
Then the woman, Frostine, noticed her, and the barrier was automatically eradicated. But the rainbow beam coming from Princess Lolly's staff didn't stop, and the four women were blasted into the air. Quickly, another woman snapped her fingers, and a large dragon with wings made of chocolate-covered wafers appeared underneath them. They landed on it, and flew away without a moment's notice. The three girls watched them leave, while Kit Kat found a red gumball near the place where the four women were, and ate it.
"You knew that person?" Pepper asked, picking up Commander Dandy.
"Yes, but I don't know why," Aroma said, hugging her Mint Spear close to her.
"If you two weren't so busy trying to shoot Lord Licorice down, you could've helped me defeat those four women before they got away!" Princess Lolly shouted, stomping her staff impatiently.
"And what if we had protected you? Lord Licorice might've had a clear shot and killed you while we had our backs turned to him!" Pepper said, storming up to Princess Lolly.
"Kill me? Give me one good reason why he would do that!"
"You have something that he desperately wants." Pepper glared at Princess Lolly, and tapped the lollipop at the end of her staff. "The King told us before we took you away that you had been bestowed with the Rainbow Pop Staff, a relic that had been passed down through the Candyland Queens for generations. It's power is said to be so great that it could destroy Candyland if its user wished it, and that was the reason Lord Licorice went to war against the Candyland King."
"So the Lollypop Wand that Sugar had been using up until now…was a toned-down version of the Rainbow Pop Staff?" Aroma asked.
"No," Meringue said, as she and Crème came out of the forest. "The Rainbow Pop Staff was within the Princess all along, but the Lollypop Wand was a different tool altogether. It acted as a medium for the Rainbow Pop Staff's power, until the Princess manifested, and that was when the Lollypop Wand transformed into the Rainbow Pop Staff."
"Meringue! Crème!" Aroma cried, and hugged them both. "I'm so glad you're alive!"
"But where are Sugar's parents?" Pepper asked.
"They're with Gramma Nutt and…she's being attacked by Lord Licorice," Crème was suddenly overcome with even more guilt than she was before.
"We've got to get over there and help her! Sugar's parents might get killed if Gramma Nutt fails to fend Lord Licorice off!" Pepper said, charging towards the direction Meringue and Crème came from, but Princess Lolly stopped her.
"You said my life was more important than theirs, right?" Princess Lolly said, looking between Pepper and the forest in front of them. "Therefore, their lives are of no concern to us, and if Gramma Nutt can keep Lord Licorice distracted long enough, we might have enough time to make it to his palace and take out those four women, who are clearly his generals, before he gets back."
"How can you be so cruel?" Crème shouted, getting everyone's attention. "When I swore to protect you when you were a baby, I thought you were going to be a kind, sympathetic Princess who never left anybody out! But now I see that my pledge was pointless. You're cold-hearted, rude, and you only care about your own safety!"
Those words lay a heavy silence over the whole group. But the one who was the least phased by them was ironically the Princess herself. Instead, she fainted, and was bathed in white light as her hair and clothes changed back into Soldier Candy. While this was going on, Kit Kat was shaking all over as he magically grew bigger and bulkier. The girls watched as both transformations occurred, and were left with more questions than answers.
End of Chapter 10