(I had so much fun with this again)

"Oh my! Wildberry Cookie didn't mean that, did he?!" Golden Cheese Cookie exclaimed, eyes wide as she listened to one of Hollyberry Cookie's stories.

"Certainly!" The pink queen nodded with a smile. "I was just as suprised. Really, who would prefer standing guard outside the castle rather than join the party inside?" She leaned back in her seat. "Then again, he is a walking rulebook... But that's Wildberry Cookie for ya."

Pure Vanilla Cookie, White Lily Cookie and Dark Cacao Cookie simply sat by the table, enjoying the sunlight, sipping their tea and just relaxing whilst they listened to their companions.

Ah. How they enjoy times like this, just in each other's presence and strengthening their friendship. It's been a while since all five of them were able to spend some time together.

...Then again, that's still not how it used to be. That's not how it was from the very start. Which most Cookies of Earthbread might've forgot.

Once they weren't five, but six. Six Ancient Heroes to keep up the balance of the world.

Who was the sixth, you may ask?

C/N Cookie was her name.

During the Dark Flour War, she had abandoned her peers to flee onto one of the enemy's airships, ensuring her own safety and ignoring that of those who cared about her. Exactly the opposite of what the Light of Harmony should do.

The other five avoided every chance to talk about her, even when their hearts painfully begged them to do so. Just to say something.

But it's all in the past now. All that was left was a broken bond with somebody who was most likely dead.

So what would they say if somebody found an old tapestry or photo of them all together? What if somebody asked who that pretty H/C lady was, or if they found an odd hint to her?

"Merely a traitor." Dark Cacao Cookie answered coldly once one of his priests confronted him about a painting he thought he burned.

"Someone I used to know." Hollyberry Cookie would say casually, trying to shake off her uneasiness with a laugh when Princess Cookie showed her an old photo that she found.

"A hero, once..." Golden Cheese Cookie uttered almost absent-mindedly to the servant who'd cleaned her chambers and stumbled across a small art piece of stained glass that showed C/N Cookie and her symbol.

"A confidante so close but so out of reach..." White Lily Cookie breathed, blinking away her tears as Silverbell Cookie asked her about the letters they used to exchange and that she still stored under her bed.

"An old friend, and a great leader." Pure Vanilla Cookie mused, his eyes roaming over the field of C/N Cookie's favorite flowers in the castle's greenhouse.

---------------

The Ancient Heroes walked through the dark, weapons pulled out. They had decided to do a little exploring for once, and stumbled across an odd monument-like cave.

But they stopped in their tracks when they made out another presence. There, stood a Cookie with their back on them. Their looks were hard to make out, but their H/C mop of hair, seemingly glistening dough and F/C dress seemed almost too familiar.

How... uncanny.

"...C/N Cookie?" White Lily Cookie choked out.

The figure perked up slightly and turned. But instead of those once so bright, caringness-filled optics, the Ancient Heroes were met with a single E/C eye. Dull, yet that spark of ever-present determination was still there.

Yup, it was C/N Cookie.

"Ah, hello, old friends." She spoke.

"How...what-"

"Oh my-"

"What happened? Where were you all along?"

A small smile tugged at C/N Cookie's lips. "What, jumping right to questions? No greetings of reunion?" She tried to joke, but everyone just stared at her.

After some more moments, the silence seemed to hang heavier in the air, becoming more and more unbearable. "We thought-" Pure Vanilla Cookie took a shaky breath. "We always believed that you were dead."

C/N Cookie tugged lightly at the bandage wrapped around her head that covered her left eye. "Me? Dead?" Chuckling, she shook her head. "No."

Hollyberry Cookie shifted on her feet uneasily. "Why are you here, C/N Cookie? You're..." She trailed off, furrowing her brows. What she wanted to say most likely was "a traitor". But now that her old companion stood right there, she felt a little queasy. The others did too.

Tilting her head, C/N Cookie gave them a long look of question. She hummed, studying them with her wise eye. "I see now.... that's how you think. But, my friends, I can tell you with certainty that I'm no betrayer."

Pure Vanilla Cookie looked a little astonished, his heterochromia eyes even opening up. He looked over his shoulder to peer at his friends, all of them having a similar expression. 

The male loosened his guard, clearing his throat. "Well, I suppose you may tell us your version of the story. Of what happened... back then."

Nodding gratefully, the H/C-ette took a step forward. "Do you remember that very fateful day? Of the war that lasted no longer than that, yet caused so much chaos and desctruction?" She started.

 "When I got onto the airship, I had no intent of staying with Dark Enchantress Cookie's evil troops. As quickly as I could, I placed bombs of mystical fire around, making sure they'd go unnoticed and would wipe out every enemy on the ship. My idea had proven successful, even when I didn't go out quite unharmed, as you can see."

"That eyepatch only adds to your good looks, by the way." Golden Cheese Cookie said helpfully.

"So, even though what has had to be thousands of foes died in the fire, Dark Enchantress Cookie was still able to conceal Earthbread with darkness for many years, whilst all of us were in deep slumber." The Light of Harmony finished off with a sigh, looking guilty.

"C/N Cookie... Perhaps now that you're here, we're in need of  your aid. Dark Enchantress Cookie is still out there, and she is readying for war once more." Dark Cacao Cookie explained.

"He's right." White Lily Cookie rubbed her wrist uncomfortably. The E/C-eyed female looked at her with raised eyebrows for a moment.

"You're still wearing the cloak I gave you." It was probably supposed to sound like a question, but the words left C/N Cookie's mouth as a statement of observation.

White Lily Cookie's eyes widened a little, before she nodded shyly, her face going red. "Um. Yes, I suppose so." She stammered, fiddling with the hem of said green cloak.

"My dear old friend," Hollyberry Cookie interrupted. "You must come back to us so we can fight alongside each other once more! We need you!"

Harmony's Wielder flicked her gaze between her five old confidants. She looked sad, in a way. But a little happy too, maybe. Pure Vanilla Cookie extended his hand for her to take, and she hesitated.

But she knew this was what she had to do now. To bring back peace, and perhaps some relationships too. She still had duties to fulfill.

"I will fight with you until the very end. This time, I promise." C/N Cookie spoke, taking Pure Vanilla Cookie's hand.

And so, the six were reunited again.