*shoots out of the ground like a rocket* Welcome back to Fear the Jelly Walkers - Chapter 4!
*does a little dance* I'm very excited to share this chapter with you all! It's honestly one of the chapters I was most excited to write when we first got started, and I'm still proud of it (even though it feels short now.)
Random dumb factoid but if you're thinking 'oh the authors probably listen to edgy music while writing these' let it be known that I'm pretty sure I was looping 80s style remixes of pop songs for a pretty good chunk of this fic. Kept my spirits up while I was getting ready to destroy others' haha!
Anyways, without further ado, here's Chapter 4!
Something was terribly wrong.
For an hour now, he'd been hearing Cookies cry out to him. Which, to be fair, Cookies cried out to him often without truly meaning it. It didn't offend him, it was just a thing that happened. But today… by his honor, he hadn't heard this many Cookies cry out at once since the fall of the ancient cities. Cookies of all ages, calling for him to save them, to strike them down where they stood. When he'd heard thirty Cookies, he told Wind Archer to ready himself for battle. At seventy, he called for the other Spirits to aid his son. When a hundred Cookies had cried out for him in some form, all from the same place, he readied for battle himself.
Grasses swayed to-and-fro around him as they waited. Everyone was here- - except Fire Spirit Cookie. Why wasn't he heeding their call?! Where was he?! They needed to get moving. Millennial Tree Cookie didn't desire to go without his aid, but if he didn't arrive soon, they'd have to if they wanted to save all those desperate Cookies! The numbers were dwindling; each time a little voice went silent, he felt his heart drop. What was happening to those poor Cookies?
"Wind Archer- -" He began to say, but Wind Archer turned to him with a helpless shrug.
"I'll try again," he sighed, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting. "Fire Spirit Cookie, what on Millennial Tree's honor are you waiting for?!" The wind carried his call far, far away, where Fire Spirit Cookie should hear it. Peppermint Cookie, who'd been brought along by Sea Fairy, covered their mouth with a wide-eyed gasp.
"Language." Millennial Tree sighed, tugging at the sleeves to his robes.
"My apologies. I don't know what came over me."
Sea Fairy chanced a giggle at Wind Archer's expense, but they were all tense. None of them really knew what was going on; even the glimpses Millennial Tree got were hazy.
Before their eyes, red, orange, and gold swirls danced into existence, forming a portal like a window into another area. Fire Spirit Cookie seemed to be holding up the other end of the gate like a cell phone, making a peace sign as he winked at them. Magmabird was visible in the back, looking at Fire Spirit with an unimpressed frown.
"Hey," he said, looking right at Wind Archer. "What's up? Where are you guys?"
"Where are we- - what do you mean, where are we?! Where are you?! We have been waiting on you for nearly thirty minutes already, and- -"
"You waited for me? Aw, Windy you shouldn't have! But, seriously, you shouldn't have. I thought you meant to meet you guys at the city! And look at all these friends I made!" He swung the view around so the four gathered Spirits could see the horde of corrupted Cookies behind him, groaning and stumbling towards him. One walked up to him and tried to grab him by the shoulders, but instead, Fire Spirit Cookie wrapped an arm around its shoulders and focused the view on the two of them. "So this is my new bud Jelly Walker Cookie and all his cousins."
In one fluid motion, he twisted so that he was facing the gelatinous Cookie and fired on him with a blast of fire from his hands, crumbling him to ashes.
"I lied, we aren't pals."
"What are those things?!" Moonlight Cookie gasped.
"The Cookies I met up with are calling them Jelly Walkers. I think it fits so I'm keeping it. Better than calling them all Carl. Anyways, they're spreading this weird virus around, and if they bite any other Cookies, they get turned into one of these, too. Very messy. So, I sent all the living Cookies your way so they don't get hurt while I wreck these guys. I've tried my purifying flames, but it doesn't do jack shit, so we've just gotta crumble as many as we can until we think of something."
"Language, Fire Spirit." Millennial Tree said.
"Oh, Tree's there?! Hi…" He said sheepishly, ducking his head a bit.
"Just tell us what is happening to those Cookies, now. No jokes, Fire Spirit."
"These guys behind me are the victims, technically; they've been infected with some sort of virus that makes them focus on nothing else but spreading it to anyone uninfected. They can't be purified with my flames, but they can be crumbled. I've currently got the main road out of the city under control, but I don't know if there are other exits."
"Thank you, Fire Spirit. If you would please open the portal further, we will be there shortly."
"You got it!"
With a final wink, Fire Spirit tossed the portal into the air, and the edges brightened as it stretched larger and larger.
"Good luck! Be safe!" Peppermint Cookie called out, clutching their conch shell to their chest tightly.
"We'll be back soon, Peppermint," Sea Fairy assured them, giving them a kiss on the forehead before returning to the other Spirits. Wind Archer was the first Cookie to jump through the magic gate alongside Emerald Golem, the others and their Pets quickly following his lead, gold and silver armor reflecting the myriad of colors they fell through for a moment before they landed in the midst of the battle.
"You could have told us you were here earlier," Wind Archer said as he stepped behind Fire Spirit and began firing arrows of light into the fray of Jelly Walkers. Fire Spirit turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Glad to see you too," he said. Wind Archer's cheeks turned a deep green, the Cookie fighting back a blush with a glare Fire Spirit's way before focusing on the battle before him once again.
Moonlight and Sea Fairy focused on the horde of Jelly Walkers before them as well, quickly falling into an easy flow, like a dance between the two of them as they sent out attacks. Cleansing waves chased after falling stars as the two Cookies stood back to back, ducking and weaving under each other even as no words passed between them. It was like they were one, each reading the other's thoughts and moving accordingly. Ocean Dragon and Moonlight Lantern showed the same sort of synchronization: Moonlight Lantern battered the Jelly Walkers into submission, gathering them all in one spot so that Ocean Dragon's furious Blue Whirlpool could finish them off.
Millennial Tree let the energy of the plant life around them flow through his veins, his feet lifting off the ground as he focused it all into one powerful attack. Before him were a horde of Jelly Walkers, all blindly stumbling towards him. Below the distorted voices, behind their hollow yellow eyes, he could see the Cookies they once were. Friends, family members, loved ones, reduced to a shell of what they once were. Did they feel pain? Were they calling out to him even now, in a language he couldn't understand? He couldn't focus on that. He just had to hope, with all of the power within him, that he could purify these Cookies with his light. Even just one would be worth it. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and released the light. The Cookies before him froze, letting out guttural screeches and roars the instant the bright white light hit them. The sounds tore at Millennial Tree's heart- - who had done this to these poor Cookies?-but he couldn't let himself falter. He kept up the beam, until the last of the energy left his veins and he felt his feet touch the ground once more.
The Cookies stood frozen still, thick purple jelly still dripping from their mouths, making no sound asides from a few weak moans. He held his breath, hoping to see their skin return to their normal baked hues, their eyes shift from that otherworldly yellow to something far more familiar, watch them to come to their senses and run for safety, any sign he had even begun to solve this issue.
Instead, the first five Cookies were crumbled to bits and dust, and the other Jelly Walkers slowly began to limp towards him again. He felt like his heart was in his throat. He wasn't strong enough? He was supposed to be able to cure any sickness, fix anything broken, be a light in the darkness, but he wasn't strong enough to even begin to make a change?!
"Nothing is working!" Sea Fairy called out, letting out another cleansing wave, even though she'd seen that it had no effect on these Jelly Walkers. "We'll have to crumble them- - to protect the rest of Cookie kind!"
"Are you sure?!" Fire Spirit gaped, turning away from the battle to shoot her a look. "I was hoping one of you guys had something! There's nothing we can do to save these guys?"
"We'll have to crumble them for now! We'll find a cure afterwards!" Moonlight said, swinging her moon staff to slam a Jelly Walker in the head, crumbling them instantly.
"Right," Millennial Tree said, swallowing his sorrow. If all else failed, once they found the solution, he could simply revive any Cookies that had crumbled due to this sickness. He usually refrained from revival, but this was certainly an event worthy of exception. That thought at least made it easier for them all to start giving it their all and crumbling as many Cookies as they could.
Somehow, though, this horde of Cookies was more than the Spirits could handle. The front line of Jelly Walkers was getting closer and closer to them, enveloping them, like they were tiny boats in a sea of purple jelly. In all directions, there was a foe to be cautious of. But they were taking a few risks. Fire Spirit dashed through the enemy lines in his flame form, knocking them every which way and obliterating Jelly Walkers into slimy puddles of dust. Sea Fairy and Moonlight rode just above the horde's heads on waves and moons when they had the energy, doing their best to get as many direct hits as possible. They weren't too afraid- - they were Spirit Cookies, after all, they were legends, of course this virus wouldn't be able to- -
Wind Archer Cookie let out a pained cry as a Jelly Walker leaped upon him from behind, biting deep into his neck. Within the same instant, a dozen other Jelly Walkers charged forward and leaped upon him into a dogpile. A few more trampled over the pile, racing for Millennial Tree, but with a flash of flames, they were obliterated. Fire Spirit swung the plume of fire over to the dogpile, right around the time Wind Archer had finally managed to claw his way out of the horde. The flames hit him in the back. The archer Cookie froze a moment, turning slowly to send Fire Spirit a glare. Aside from the green ichor dripping down the bites on his neck and scratches on his arms, he was fine. He did let out a growl and shot an arrow Fire Cookie's way, which he easily dodged.
"Watch it." he warned, before turning back to the Jelly Walkers before them. Emerald Golem, now shifted into Guardian Golem, threateningly leapt towards Fire Spirit as a warning. Fire Spirit giggled nervously.
"Play nice, boys. And stay focused." Millennial Tree said. He was more than just a bit relieved that his son was alright, however- - the knowledge that he was a Spirit didn't matter when he'd watched him go down. With that comfort, he returned to the battle.
The comfort didn't last. One instant, Wind Archer Cookie was standing tall, firing arrows and taking down Jelly Walkers in droves. The next, he'd dropped his bow, a scream ripping out of his throat as he clawed at his chest, dropping to the ground and writhing. Another scream tore through the air, and he clutched his stomach, his cries shifting to coughs, as if he were choking on something.
"Wind Archer?!" The Spirits gasped, rushing over. Before Millennial Tree could reach his son's side, Moonlight Cookie held him back. Following its owner's suit, Moonlight Lantern pushed itself against Emerald Golem, who had shifted back into its Pet form to be by its owner's side. It made a low chirping noise, trying to call out to Wind Archer, but its cry couldn't reach him.
"I have to- -" Millennial Tree breathed, but Moonlight stopped him.
"Whatever's happening to him, if none of us can fix it, it can't get to you. If you get infected, all of Cookiekind is doomed." she said, her eyes steel as she looked at him. Not even the softest of smiles graced her face anymore. This was deadly serious, even for Spirits.
Fire Spirit kneeled beside Wind Archer, a hand on his shoulder. "Wind Archer? Wind Archer?!" He said, eyes wide. He lifted his fellow Spirit up into a kneeling position, attempting to assess the damage.
The world moved in slow motion a moment. Millennial Tree stood frozen to the spot as Fire Spirit jumped back, shouting for them all to run. Moonlight Cookie stepped in front of him, a split second before Wind Archer turned around. Three glistening purple arrows soared through the air, one headed straight for the two of them. With a twirl of her moon staff, the attack was deflected harmlessly to the ground. But Fire Spirit and Sea Fairy had both been felled by the arrows, and they doubled over in pain, struggling against some internal force as the Jelly arrows dissolved into their veins. It wasn't long before they were screaming, falling to the ground, writhing in pain.
"Sea Fairy!" Moonlight gasped, rushing to Sea Fairy and holding the water Spirit in her arms. Her eyes widened in panic as she saw the Spirit's blue ichor sludge into purple jelly, her hair shifting to bright pink even as she desperately gasped to breathe against the jelly filling her mouth and lungs. Against all logic, Moonlight chose to still hold her close and give her a final comfort. Ocean Dragon joined Moonlight, licking Sea Fairy's face in an attempt to heal her before it was too late- - but instead of a positive response from Sea Fairy, it was left with a sickening Jelly taste in its mouth.
Millennial Tree was left to stand in horror as Wind Archer limped towards him, his bow and arrow pointed down to the ground, drawn and ready to strike in an instant. His eyes were a hollow, neon yellow like the Jelly Walkers they'd all been fighting against together just moments ago. His skin was a sickly purple, a splatter of thick jelly oozing from the gem heart in his forehead. The sickly sight made Emerald Golem, the stalwart protector, quiver with sorrow and fear.
"You need to run. Now." Moonlight Cookie insisted, fighting back tears as she finally tore her gaze from Sea Fairy's face. Ocean Dragon sobbed at her side.
"But, Moonlight- -"
Was that a tremble in Millenial Tree's voice? His eyebrows knit together as he desperately looked between his son and the last Spirit standing, his golden eyes wide in… fear.
"As long as you're alive, there's hope for these Cookies. There's hope for us."
She chanced a glance over to Fire Spirit, orange ichor still dripping out of his mouth alongside purple jelly as he limped towards the two of them.
"You have to get out of here! Don't let her win! You have to save us all!" She gasped, barely managing to bite back a scream as Sea Fairy suddenly lunged upwards, biting her on the collarbone. "Go! Now!"
Millennial Tree didn't have the strength to do anything else but nod, turn tail, and run. Wind Archer's jelly arrow zoomed between his antlers, missing his head by just a few inches. Moonlight was right- - he had to go back to the Sacred Forest, he had to return to his trees. Even if it took him sleeping another millennia to purify this land again, to stop this virus and save these cookies- - it was what he would do. But he had to reach his forest, unscathed.
Though he already had plenty of wounds to lick when he got back.
That's the end of the chapter! Let us know what you think!
This chapter was beta'ed by the amazing violetinfidel and worriedindigo, who can be found on Twitter and Tumblr!
Today's the 16th, which means tomorrow's August 17th-the one-month anniversary of us creating the doc and starting to write this fic! It feels so long ago and yet like no time has passed at all! Wild, isn't it?
Have we shattered your hearts with these past four chapters?! I hope you're ready for more, because this next chapter gets a bit... dark. So stay tuned and buckle up for Tuesday, we're going to revisit some Cookies we've already watched suffer and then heap it on even more. Dark, Darker, Yet Darker... muahahahahahahaha!
See you all next time!
~Ani