Cookie Run Sugar Linkage Episode 1: Sweet Beginnings
For Candace, who created a cupcake bakery that dazzled the world.
Table of contents:
Prologue Part 1
Prologue Part 2
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
Prologue Part 1: Legend of The Ancient Five
Ever since the beginning of the very first civilizations, humanity has been blessed with a most otherworldly power called a Linkage. What’s a Linkage, you may ask? Well, it’s certainly not something you’d find in genetics textbooks- more specifically, the way in which two separate genes which are located close to each other on a chromosome are often inherited together! Instead, it’s the power to connect with individuals from other realms and share their powers via a powerful connection with them.
The tools needed for this undertaking are a Linkage Treat or any other Collectible Item, which serves as the evidence of the Partner Character’s connection, and the Tasty Compact or any other item that allows one to transform, the very key to the Multiverse itself.
In Bakerton, there were five Linkers who were stronger than the average Linker- There was Jonah Ramirez, a Freshman in University who believed that the truth shone brightest in the darkness of deceit, Eliza Regale, a fashion designer whose passion was so radiant, it made even the most slothful person leap to their feet, Donnelly Hyun, a martial artist who set new resolutions and never gave into apathy; Natalia Jameel, a benevolent CEO whose abundance flowed like wealth but never caused destruction, and Priscilla Magdelene- a University Teacher who believed all living beings deserved freedom, and broke the seemingly endless silence.
Their Partner Characters were none other than the Ancient Cookies- Pure Vanilla, Hollyberry, Dark Cacao, Golden Cheese, and White Lily, who empowered them as much as they empowered their subjects. But however, fate had different plans for them. Priscilla was secretly making homunculi in hopes she could make someone sturdy and strong enough to survive even the most extreme environments. This will be my biggest project yet! She thought.
But when she was found out, she retaliated, and was caught up in a massive explosion- making her develop a second, more evil personality- Patricia Magdelene, who sought nothing more than chaos and destruction. “Madame Patricia, NO!!!” Jonah yelled as he mustered up what little strength he had, despite being hit by the blast.
But as her friends held onto the belief that their friend was still within Patricia’s body, they used every ounce of their strength to save her. “Everyone… Let’s converge our powers. We are going… to save Priscilla!” Jonah said, with his allies agreeing.
They did so- but at a cost. Their Linkage Treats were damaged badly, and Priscilla was rendered comatose. “PRISCILLA!!!!” Jonah wailed as he held the comatose body of his mentor.
Jonah and the others laid their friend to rest in a hidden mausoleum, and not wanting to deal with their experience, they went their separate ways, promising to reunite one day. And thus, begins our tale…
Prologue Part 2: From Earthbread to Earth
A Few Months Later…
“Good morning, everyone. I hope that you all had a good night’s sleep last night, but there is something we all want to discuss with you.” Pure Vanilla Cookie replied as he took his seat in The Cookie Castle. “What could that be, Pure Vanilla Cookie?”, replied GingerBrave as he read the room around him- something appeared to be very off. “Thank goodness you’re here, Gingerbrave! We were just contemplating about what we should do about the impending threats of Dark Enchantress Cookie, The Five Beasts, and Longan Dragon Cookie!” Hollyberry Cookie explained as she pulled out a whiteboard and began to draw on it.
“In short, we were wondering if we could send at least you, because you are ‘Earthbread’s Bravest Cookie’; considering how you and your friends have dealt with evil and stuff like that.”, said Dark Cacao Cookie as he moved the pieces on a chessboard, as if to display how they would strategize. “Well, given that we did send him, Pure Vanilla, and his friends all the way to Beast Yeast… I’m saying yes! After all, we have to start somewhere- and with GingerBrave, I think that we have a place to begin.” Golden Cheese Cookie replied, preening her golden wings.
“That’s a great idea! What do you think, GingerBrave? And don’t worry, you can bring a friend or two to accompany you on the trip. You shouldn’t have to go alone- because the people in that world are as tall as The Witches themselves.” White Lily Cookie informed, sketching out a picture of what she thought the residents of Earth looked like.
“Don’t worry! GingerBright and I will go to Earth, and hopefully you guys can catch up!” GingerBrave said cheerfully. “But what’s Earth like? Is it like our Earthbread?”, inquired GingerBright.
Millennial Tree Cookie just smiled. “You see, children, Earth is a lot like our Earthbread, but with a very large difference- everything there isn’t made out of dessert. Instead, the people of that realm are of flesh and bone, not flour and sugar. But that doesn’t mean they’re capable of great things, just like you are,”, he explained.
“Then I think it’s officially settled- GingerBrave and GingerBright should be our ambassadors to the human world!” Pure Vanilla said with a smile. “Yes!!”, yelled GingerBrave as he jumped up with excitement.
“Are you ready to go, GingerBrave?” Strawberry Cookie asked her friend as she helped him with his backpack. “Tell us what you see there!” Wizard Cookie added as he activated the gateway.
“Have fun, you two!” King Custard Cookie III shouted as his two friends made their way towards the gateway nearby. “Tell me if ya find anything shiny!!” Chili Pepper Cookie yelled as GingerBrave and GingerBright stepped into another world for the first time- our world.
Chapter 1: Bakery Boom
At the same time on Earth in the city of Bakerton, in the uptown area of the city, a pair of twin siblings woke up to a Saturday morning- Cedric Grimsley and his twin sister Clara Grimsley. Their shared room was full of things related to sweet treats and baking in general- from the candy themed pillows to the walls akin to that of a gingerbread house.
A gumball machine stood in one corner, and a bookshelf full of recipe books was in another corner. It was very clear that the twins were very passionate about baking, and the room smelled of cinnamon, vanilla, and hot cocoa powder- for it was located above the bakery they and their family owned, aka The Crispy Cookie.
“Cedric! Clara!” A voice yelled. It was that of the twins’ mother, Sarah Grimsley. “Come down for Breakfast, you two! We’re gonna get the shop up and running just like we always do!” Thomas Grimsley, their father, said.
“Oh, I can’t wait to start the day off right. It reminds me of when we were little and our big bro Benjamin made us cookies whenever we were sad!”, replied Cedric as he leapt out of bed, tugging the hand of his sister. “Yeah, it feels like yesterday since he left for college.” Clara said as she yawned and got up.
After the siblings got dressed in their everyday wear and raced downstairs to the family bakery, two massive plates of s’mores waffles were waiting downstairs, covered in fresh whipped cream and topped off with chocolate sauce. “Mom, Dad, you really know how to start off a day!” Cedric said as he and his sister began to dig into the delicious treats.
“Well, we have another surprise for you two,” began Sarah as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through the text messages she had recieved the other day. “It’s your big bro Benji- And he’s coming home from college today for his temporary break!” Thomas Grimsley said with a grin.
The moment the twins heard those news, they jumped to their feet and squealed. “Big bro’s coming back!!” Cedric said as he hugged his sister. “And it’s for a week, too! I wonder if we can make something to surprise him!” Clara replied. But their squealing was quieted down by their parents’ gentle gaze. It was time to open up shop.
Chapter 2: Sounds of Sweet Success
A few hours into the day, Cedric and Clara were running around helping out their parents, with breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and various other baked goods seemingly flying off the shelves the moment a customer came in.
“Anyong-Saeyo!” replied a voice that entered the bakery. It was Hwa-Young Kim and her young daughter Mina, who was the twins’ classmate. “Hi, Cedric and Clara! How are you two doing? Oh, I’ll take a strawberry cupcake, please!” Mina said as she pointed to one of the pink cupcakes with creamy vanilla icing.
“And as for you, Mrs. Kim?”, Thomas said as he wrote down the order. “I’ll just have a cappuccino alongside a croissant, please. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, so Mina and I stopped here,” explained Hwa-Young, letting Mina play her Switch at one of the nearby tables.
“Mrs. Kim, I hope that you can take it easy. Have a wonderful day!” Sarah said as she handed Hwa-Young and Mina their orders. After the Kims left, another classmate of the twins arrived- it was Adrien Potter, with his parents Chauncey and Sandy Potter. “Do you mind if we can get… a scoop of marbled swirl ice cream for Adrien, one scoop of mint chocolate chip for Sandy, and a scoop of spumoni for me? We know you’re no sweet shop, but our son’s been feeling something sweet- so we had to play along with him!” Chauncey replied, smiling.
“Mr. Potter, we are a bakery, a sweet shop, and even a candy shop all in one! Now here you go!” Sarah said as she served up 3 perfect scoops of ice cream into eco friendly disposable cups. “Your family’s bakery is the legitimate best, Cedric!” Adrien said as he left the bakery with his parents. “Anytime, Adrien!” Cedric shouted as his classmate left the room.
Upon the departure of the Potters, the Midas family with their young son Richie arrived inside the bakery. “Can I have one of those pastel de nata custard tarts, please, please, please?”, begged the elementary school aged boy. “You surely can!” Clara replied as she took a custard tart and placed it in a bag. “You truly are someone with a heart as sweet as your job.” Liam Midas replied as he paid for the tart. “I’m sure something big will await you!” Ivy Midas, Richie’s mom, said as she and her family left the bakery.
And so it went on, through the day, with more and more customers arriving to the bakery. Janessa Cortez had arrived for a Spicy Lava Cake for herself, Matthew Regale ordered a mixed berry tart, Kiera Hyun had bought a case of dark, milk, and white chocolate macarons, and so on, so forth.
But while they helped with orders, make delicious foods, and bring happiness to the customers that entered, the twins didn’t know that they were watched- and by teeny, tiny, people at that.
Chapter 3: Sentient Treats
A few hours into working alongside their parents, the twins decided to head into the kitchen to work on the surprise for Benjamin upon his return. “Hmmm… How about we make something that could really show how much we love him?” Clara asked her brother as they flipped through the recipe book.
“That’s a great idea, sis! How about we make him some of those gingerbread cookies? With royal icing! You know, the ones he makes around the holidays!” Cedric suggested as he flipped to the page with the recipe on it. As the kids chattered away, two very small figures the size of crayons peeked out from behind a candy jar.
“Wait a minute- is this supposed to be a witch’s house?!”, said the first one, who appeared to be a gingerbread boy with blue eyes, a scribble of white icing for hair, a candy cane, and skull candy buttons. “I dunno, but those two might just be witches!”, replied the other, a gingerbread girl with a chocolate frosting ponytail, a gingerbread dress, purple eyes, and a lollipop, both carefully tip-toeing their way towards the twins.
“Wait a minute, bro- are those two cookies walking on the kitchen counter?” Clara said, seeing the tiny cookies walking out of the corner of her eye. “Y-Yeah! But cookies aren’t supposed to be alive!” Cedric replied. The two cookies, hearing the voices of the twins, immediately ran for cover.
“It’s ok, little guys! We’re not gonna eat you,” said Cedric as he reached out his hand to the tiny little cookies, in which the boy cookie stepped onto courageously. “Who might you be? My name’s Cedric. You’re in my family’s bakery, The Crispy Cookie!” Cedric said, dusting off his apron. “The name’s GingerBrave! The bravest Cookie on Earthbread!” GingerBrave said as he gave a thumbs up.
“Oooh! And my name is Clara, and I’m Cedric’s twin sister! What about you?” Clara asked curiously as she picked up the tiny cookie. “I’m GingerBright! And GingerBrave and I both come from Earthbread!”, she said with a wink and a smile.
The mention of the world known as Earthbread got the twins perked up. “Wait. Earthbread? What the heck is that?” Cedric asked as he placed GingerBrave back down on the counter, while his sister placed GingerBright on the counter as well. “Earthbread, eh? That’s a good question!”, replied GingerBrave.
“It’s a world made entirely of and inhabited by living Desserts- like the both of us! But however, dark forces are threatening it, and we need some more help to combat those forces.” GingerBright informed the twins.
“So, our friends, the Ancient Heroes and Millennial Tree, decided to send GingerBright and I to this world to find the legendary heroes known as Linkers!”, finished GingerBrave. “So, we’re supposed to be these super awesome heroes known as Linkers?”, questioned Cedric, with his sister nodding in agreement.
Chapter 4: Baking Up a Plan
GingerBrave smiled and said, “Of course!” “Maybe we might be able to help you out- you’ve gotta make something that they call a ‘Linkage Treat’.” GingerBright replied as she and GingerBrave hopped onto their new friends’ shoulders, and they walked towards another part of the kitchen.
When they arrived, two recipe cards- one for Heroic GingerBread Cookies and another for Cute Gingerbread Cookies, were given out to the twins. “Hmmm… what could these bad boys be for?” Cedric questioned. “All you have to do is to follow the instructions and get the right ingredients for the job- And it looks like they’re all right in front of ya!” GingerBrave said.
“O-OK, if you say so!” Clara replied with a smile, tying up her dark hair a little more before she and her brother started baking. After preheating the oven, she and her brother gathered all the ingredients they would need for baking the delicious cookies they were going to make.
“Technically, when baking cookies in our world, the Witches would often use something called Life Powder. It gives desserts their sentience! But here, we don’t have any, and that’s probably for the better.” GingerBrave explained as Cedric started to mix the dry ingredients whilst Clara managed the wet ingredients nearby.
After mixing up the dry and the wet ingredients together, the twins rolled out the dough and started to cut it with a knife, but GingerBrave and GingerBright decided to hand them a few cookie cutters- Ones of a boy, sword, and shield for Cedric, and ones of a girl, bow, and heart for Clara.
After cutting out the shapes of the cookies and placing them in the oven to bake, the twins decided to make some royal icing to top the cookies with once they had cooled. “Now while the cookies are baking, you’ve gotta say a few magic words to really help it all come together! That way the Crispy Energy can flow through it!” GingerBrave instructed. “It’ll ensure that your Linkage Treats will have not just the best flavor, but also something that makes them stand out.” GingerBright said.
“Ok, here goes- A little bit of sugar, a little bit of spice…”, began Cedric as he held his hands together. “…Let these Linkage Treats come out nice!”, finished Clara just as the oven timer rang out, signaling the completion of baking.
The moment the twins opened the oven, a batch of golden brown gingerbread cookies ready to be eaten laid on the tray. “Oh my god, it worked! It really did work!” Cedric cheered as he hugged his sister. “We actually made something all on our own!” Clara exclaimed.
After frosting and plating the cookies, GingerBrave scratched his head. “Hmmm… something’s definitely missing here!”, said the small cookie as he looked at the completed treats. “What if we add something like your candy cane? And Clara can add GingerBright’s lollipop to her Linkage Treat!” Cedric replied as he looked at GingerBrave’s candy cane and GingerBright’s pink lollipop.
“You just read my mind right there!” Gingerbrave replied as the twins ran over to get the finishing touches. The moment they added the finishing touches, a flash of light consumed both of the plates, causing both of the twins to block their eyes. “You two just made your Linkage Treats!” GingerBright cheered ecstatically. And before the twins’ eyes, two things were created from the flash of light- their Linkage Treat and a macaron-like compact.
“What could this be?”, Clara said as she took what appeared to be a macaron that fit in the palm of her hand. “That is the Tasty Compact- you insert the Linkage Treat in there to transform!” GingerBrave informed. The twins were excited at the thought of becoming these so called Linkers, but they weren’t the only ones who had seen what had occurred.
Chapter 5: A Not So Sweet Corruption
Outside the bakery, and peeking in through the back window, were three figures- a college age student wearing a black hoodie, pants, and sneakers, a buff man wearing nothing but a clean white shirt, a wristwatch, and jeans, and what appeared to be the student’s pet Siamese cat.
“Can you believe it, Licorice?! They’ve made their Linkage Treats and gotten their Tasty Compacts ALREADY!”, the college student said as he peeked in through the window. “Oh, and are those StinkerBrave and StinkerBright inside the place?! Because if there’s anything, it’s that those two kids are their Linkers, Edgar!” Licorice Cookie said.
“Then it’s time we take them down, eh, Schwarz?” replied the buffer man as he took out his own Tasty Compact, while Edgar did the same. “It’s Choco Werehound Brute, not Schwarzwalder, Simon!” Schwarzwalder corrected him.
In a flash of purple light, Edgar and Simon were dressed and their hair was styled and dyed. Edgar now had his locks halfway dyed indigo, a necklace of fake skulls, a hooded robe that made him look like The Grim Reaper, and a massive scythe that resembled Licorice Cookie’s. Simon now had a punk rock biker outfit that resembled that of Schwarzwalder’s design- spiked collar and headband with horns included- with him and Edgar’s outfits having carrying cases for their Tasty Compacts in the form of candy in its wrapper. Even Count Whiskers, Edgar’s pet cat, had gotten a devilishly delightful makeover to look like Bat Cat.
As the twins ran outside, they immediately stumbled upon the trio, and Cedric gasped in shock. “Hey! Mr. Old Rags! Did you just step out of a fantasy convention? Because there are none going on now!”, he said while Clara did some finger guns. At those words, Edgar gasped in horror. He had never been called that before! “D-Did you just call me Mr. Old Rags?!?!”, he yelled.
“Yes, we did.” Cedric replied with a devious grin. “Grrr… Well, my name is Edgar Mortis, and I, Licorice, Simon, Schwarzwalder, and my companion Count Whiskers mean BUSINESS!!” Edgar screeched, and then turned to Cedric and Clara’s classmate, Dennis Blazer. “Huh?! Sir?! What the heck are you, like, doing?!” Dennis replied as he picked up his skateboard.
“Face the might of the feeling that is despair! Awaken, Desweetener!” Edgar and Licorice said together, with the former swinging his scythe as if to reap the boy’s life, but instead summoned what appeared to be a linzer cookie with a diamond shaped cutout that flew into Dennis’ chest.
“Agh… AGH… AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!” Dennis yelled as he was corrupted against his will. In a burst of dark energy, Dennis was gone. In his place was a skateboard with the arms and legs of a Cake Monster. “What have you done to Dennis?!” Clara said. “Oh, Edgar decided to use him as an example of what happens when someone is foolish enough to cross our paths!” Simon replied, with Count Whiskers meowing in approval.
“Well, we’re gonna save him, whether you like it or not!” Cedric talked back, taking out his Tasty Compact, while Clara did the exact same.
Chapter 6: Sugary Sweet Combat
“Sugar Linkage, Decoration! Gingerbread!”, shouted the twins as a bright flash of light consumed both of them. When the light faded away, the twins were wearing outfits based on their Cookie partners- with Cedric donning a gingersnap colored shirt with skull buttons, shorts in the same color, heroic blue sneakers, and his hair was halfway dyed white. He was also holding a candy cane while the carrying case for his Tasty Compact appeared as a piece of hard candy still in the wrapper, colored blue and white.
Clara wore a gingersnap colored knee length dress with candy buttons, ankkle length white socks, adorable purple shoes, and her hair was styled up in a cute ponytail. She was also holding a lollipop while the carrying case for her Tasty Compact also appeared as a piece of hard candy still in the wrapper, but colored purple and white as opposed to her brother’s blue and white.
“Oh my gosh, sis! We look absolutely amazing! And I think this looks even better than what we thought we’d wear!” Cedric exclaimed as he and Clara looked at their new outfits. But Edgar wasn’t playing around. “Get them, Desweetener!”, he shouted as the massive fiend ran towards them.
With their instincts kicking in, the twins double jumped into the air, causing them to gasp and panic a little as they saw how far they were above the ground.”It’s ok! The first jump is always the most difficult one.” GingerBrave said as he perched on Cedric’s shoulder. “So take it easy and take down your enemy!” GingerBright replied.
With the twins listening to their cookie partners, they leapt back down to the ground, even landing a kick or two on the Desweetener. But this only made the foe a little more agitated, as it began shooting projectiles at the twins. Thinking quickly, Cedric knocked back the projectiles, and Clara blocked an attack with her lollipop.
“You’re taking this like a Meringue Duck to water!”, cheered GingerBright as she saw the twins use their weapons to gain the upper hand, then switch over to combat with their hands. As the twins overpowered their adversary with nothing but their smarts and their inner strength, Edgar was dumbfounded. How could two Linkers, new to combat like this, manage to overwhelm a Desweetener?!
But soon, the Monster was becoming very tired and panting for breath. “Now’s your chance, you two!” GingerBrave cried out as he pointed to the foe. “Don’t mind if we do!” Clara replied with a smile and a wink.
“Activate Link Move!” The twins cried as they leapt skyward. “Ginger…MAYHEM!!!” Cedric yelled as he ran at mach 5 towards the Desweetener, kicking it in the chest. “Ginger…SPICE!!!” Clara replied, following up with a massive version of her lollipop, smashing the Desweetener in the head.
“How Sweet!!” The Desweteener cried as it went up in a purifying blast. “Enjoy your meal.” The twins said as the monster faded away to reveal an unconscious Dennis still trapped inside of what appeared to be a gift box of darkness. Edgar felt embittered by this, and grumbled. “This isn’t the end, you know!” He said before retreating with his allies.
“Alright, we did it!” Clara cheered as the surrounding area returned to normal. “Great work. All that’s left to do is to rescue the victim! And your Linkage Treats are the key!” GingerBrave said, pointing to. the massive giftbox. “It’s time… to feel delicious!” Cedric, said allowing his Linkage Treat to enter the box and destroy the Linzer Cookie of Darkness on Dennis’ chest. In a flash of light, Dennis was free at last!
Chapter 7: Baking Good
The battle was over, and Dennis opened his eyes to see the twins comforting him. “Are you ok, buddy?” Clara responded, worried for her classmate. “You bet I am. That was some weird feeling.” Dennis replied. “You bet it was, buddy.” Cedric said as he helped up his friend.
Back at the bakery, the twins put their cookie friends back down on the counter as a teeny tiny door opened. “So, we’ve got more Linkers to find?” Clara inquired as GingerBright prepared to leave for Earthbread with GingerBrave. “You bet! And we’ll tell you when we can help find the next one. Check ya later!” GingerBrave said as he and GingerBright passed through the door back to Earthbread.
After decorating the leftover cookies with the remaining royal icing , Sarah and Thomas took Cedric and Clara all the way to the airport to see their brother. The moment they reached the pickup area, a much older boy hurried out, wearing a backpack and carrying a suitcase.
“Big bro!!”, the twins exclaimed as they ran out of the car and hugged their older brother. “It’s good to see the two of you again, eh?”, asked Benjamin as he returned the hug. As the Grimsley kids got into the car, Cedric handed his brother the soft and chewy gingerbread cookies, which were snug and safe inside the box.
“You made these… for me?!” Benjamin exclaimed as he saw what his younger brother and sister had cooked up for him. “It’s to thank you for all the times you made us sweets when we were down.” Cedric replied. “Well, you two, I do love the cookies, but you guys are the sweetest siblings ever.”, he replied, giving his siblings a side hug as they drove home.
Elsewhere, Edgar, Simon, and Count Whiskers had returned to an undisclosed location, namely that of a dark base with candles that glowed crimson within the darkness. “We have been… defeated by those Linkers and failed to take their Linkage Treats!” Edgar yelled.
“So, you failed to do so, eh?”, resounded the voice of a woman. “Then it’s only a matter of time before we bring out… the big guns. Ahahahaha… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”, cried the voice which came from the silhouette of what appeared to be a woman, all dressed in crimson and raven.
As delicious as the surprise of their big brother coming home from college was, what was even more amazing than that was the fact that Cedric and Clara had become Linkers, with their lives practically altered forever.
Epilogue: A Berry Good Idea
Back in The Cookie Kingdom, everyone else was contemplating on who to send next to Planet Earth so they could find the next Linkers. “Easy, easy, everyone! We’ll all have the chance to go to this brand new world.” Clotted Cream Cookie said, breaking up the bickering.
The moment everyone stopped bickering, Moonlight Cookie smiled and said, “Now, since GingerBrave and GingerBright found their Linkers, who wants to be the next cookie to find their Linker next?”, she said with an air of grace in her voice.
At that moment, the normally shy Strawberry Cookie raised her hand. “I’ll go find mine next! I wonder what they’ll be like, though!”, she replied, hurrying up to Moonlight and coming near the table.
Hollyberry just smiled as she looked through the database. “Your Linker is a Korean American girl named Mina Kim, who is also from Bakerton. All we know is that she likes video games just as much as you!”, replied the warrior of passion.
Strawberry Cookie blushed with excitement. She couldn’t wait to meet her Linker and help protect the worlds of Earthbread and the human world! But no matter who the cookies met, one thing was for sure- this adventure was only just taking shape.
