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Encounter in the Ice Cream Temple is the fourteenth episode of season 5, A Crown of Candy.
Recap[]
"We see our intrepid heroes poised on the edge of this platform. Behind you, the steps lead back down into the rest of the Temple of Ice Cream, and in front of you, floating over the mist, are these huge spiraling, levitating ice cream plinths. You see the tall tower of ice cream in front of you, and a dark, chocolate cinnamon egg on the top of the tower. You feel the presence of a candy road going to a realm of pure, sweet, candy dreams on the other side of the mist. Sugar-Plum Fairy, revealing that, through the long ages of Candia, since the arrival of the Bulbian Church, she has sought to avoid the fate of the other spirits of the Sweetening Path, and hide Candia's magic away where no one else could find it. Beyond Calorum, and it seems, to the Princess Ruby, beyond life itself. The shadow of Jet has spoken to you softly across whispers. Here, in this strange place, you draw your bow. When it becomes clear that the Sugar-Plum Fairy, through the mortal workings that were under her command, had been steering your family, to what degree, you cannot know, into ruin, so that when you arrived here, seeking the shadow of your sister, her offer to follow the Sweet Road into the mist would be as tempting as possible. You draw your bow, and as you go for your weapon, I assume everyone else goes for their weapons, as well. The Sugar-Plum Fairy widens her eyes. The chamber freezes. You feel powerful magic move through time, faster than you can see the hundreds of faces that this spirit has worn. Dozens of sweet voices ring out. The Sugar-Plum Fairy says, 'My true form, you wish to see? Let it never be said that a fairy did not grant wishes.' So many faces, so many wings. The true form of the Sugar Plum Fairy appears."
Synopsis[]
In heart of the Ice Cream Temple, the group stands at the edge of a platform. As they face the Sugar-Plum Fairy drawing their weapons she reveals her true form. The Sugar-Plum Fairy goes to attack the party with with ice but Saccharina steps forward and snatches the spell out of the air. With the Sugar-Plum Fairy's retreat, Cumulous jumps from platforms to the spire. The Sugar-Plum Fairy calls out to the temple itself and as he lands a icicle impales Cumulous. Liam shoots the Sugar-Plum Fairy but only manages to mess with her illusion. He eats the magic seed thinking he wants to fly but actually just wants to be not be seen so him and the rest of the party become visible due to wild magic. He does an end zone dance but no can see.
Ruby takes a leap of faith and hurls a rope and swings on to a platform. She hears below her aunts cheering. Amethar throws javelins at her and strips more of her illusion away. Theo remembers a conversation he had in the past with Lazuli about the nature of magic and who can affect it and realized anyone magical could move the platforms in the temple. Saccharina thunder steps with Theo to a platform and using the Winter Scoop she moves it towards the spire. After failing to attack Saccharina and Theo the Sugar-Plum Fairy embeds her shadow onto Ruby. Liam jumps onto a closer platform with the marauder trio and takes some shots at the Sugar-Plum Fairy getting rid of her last mirror image. Ruby swings into the alcove wit the dragon egg, ties her rope around Cumulous and shoves him down towards Theo and Saccharina. Amethar jumps onto the platform with Liam, jams payday into it while willing the platform further. He then launches javelins at the Sugar-Plum Fairy hitting her but in the process Ruby takes on half the damage. Saccharina heals Cumulous, jumps to the dragon eggs, and lights a bonfire underneath it. As the fire engulfs the egg it cracks open and a small cinnamon red dragon leaps up into her arms. The Sugar-Plum Fairy looks over possessively at the dragon.
Down of the platform, Jon Bon hurls an ax at the Sugar-Plum Fairy hurting her and Ruby absorbs half the damage yet again. Their entire platform is attacked by ice. Cumulous having been brought back from the brink launches himself at the Sugar-Plum Fairy. Just as he grabs on and attacks she stabs her hand into his stomach and he is paralyzed. Liam immediately shoots at her before piloting the platform like a boat through the mist underneath Cumulous. Amethar snatches him out of the air tossing him to safety on the platform before recklessly attacking the Sugar-Plum Fairy. She goes from look above everything to visibly injured in two strikes of Payment Day. In an unprecedented act of cooperation, Ruby and Saccharina thunder-step to the platform under the Sugar-Plum Fairy leaving Cinnamon the dragon inside his alcove. Saccharina sets a bonfire under the Sugar-Plum Fairy. She is followed by Ruby who steps forward with Flickerish in hand a lit by arcane fire. She casts a shadow on the wall of the cavern as tall as the mountain itself with a long long braid. She leaps forward the Sugar-Plum Fairy says "Can't you, can't you come home with me?" Ruby replies "Why don't you come home with me" and buries Flickerish into her by the hilt and the Sugar-Plum Fairy's many faces go flying out as she screams and diminishes. Ruby has ended this being. As the Sugar-Plum Fairy falls into the endless mist Saccharina comments that she softened her up for Ruby and only allowed her to finish off the fairy. Ruby seriously contemplates pushing her off their lollipop platform.
As the mist recedes Ruby hears voices comforting her and the familiar shape of Jet hugs her one last time before they all leave this place. Below as the mist clears and a vast treasure of arcane artifact are revealed. Saccharina tells Ruby she doesn't know why she is still trying to reach out to her and walks out of the cavern with Swifty and Jon Bon behind her, Gooey at her side, and Cinnamon around her neck. Gooey tells her that with this dragon she finally has a family that has chosen her and they are the most dangerous force in Candia.
Back at the platform as Ruby expresses that she doesn't know how many more times she will have to say goodbye to Jet but maybe that all that is left to do with the loss of loved ones. Theo interjects himself and tells her that she owes it to Jet to live and that Jet's dream was to have the common people rise up and that is exactly what Saccharina is doing here. He turns to Amethar and points out how neither of them even wanted to rule Candia so both Amethar and Ruby need to pull it together and get behind the new queen. Amethar bites back that he is but they have suffered a lot in the past two weeks from literally dying twice, to being dethroned and on the run, to his daughter dying. Theo says that Saccharina doesn't know them and walks to follow his queen out of the temple. Ruby goes to talk to Saccharina at tells her she can either have be her sister or her queen but she cannot be both. Saccharina chooses to be her queen.
As everyone else leaves the temple, Liam hangs back to investigate the caverns treasures. He notices that further below where Cinnamon's egg rested, at the base of the spire is a warmth. He ventures and finds and old lair of dark Chocolate and cinnamon with ancient chocolate eggshells and recognizes this dark place from his dreams. At the middle of the nest a small ember glows. As he approaches the light glows suddenly, so red and bright it fills his vision, and a hand reaches out to grab Liam's throat and pulls.
Locations[]
Featured Characters[]
The Taste Buds[]
- King Amethar of House Rocks
- Princess Ruby Rocks
- Sir Theobald Gumbar
- Liam Wilhelmina of House Jawbreaker
- Cumulous Rocks
- Queen Saccharina of House Frostwhip
- Princess Jet Rocks (†) (mentioned)
New[]
Returning[]
- The Sugar-Plum Fairy
- Gooey
- Swifty
- Jon Bon
- Princess
- Yak
- Archmage Lazuli of House Rocks (†)
- General Rococoa of House Rocks (†)
- Saint Citrina of House Rocks (†)
- Princess Sapphria of House Rocks (†)