Well Begun Is Half Done

Brimming with confidence, Evelyn holds up the cookie-filled jar.

Evelyn: Gertrud, you are going to eat one. I will have two of them, they should contain roughly the amount of sugar my Bee Sting Cake did. If it was not enough, I have some juice bottles with me just in case. And if it was too much, we can simply take an insulin shot.
Gertrud: Oho. Somebody has been thinking this through thoroughly this time. Not bad.

Gertrud flashes a slightly cheeky grin, making Evelyn react with a smile of her own and open the jar. She takes out three cookies, handing her friend one of them and beginning to eat the other two right away. After they finish, Evelyn shoves the glass jar back into her bag.

Evelyn: Okay, we are done. Bee, lead the way. Where is that thing?

The little one sticks its head out just a bit, but enough to see what's in front.

Bee: Just follow the trail you're on for a bit. A little further ahead, you'll have to turn left.
Evelyn: Understood!

Bee returns right back into its hideout in the bag and they run off, Evelyn twitching from her back pain at first, but eagerly continuing nonetheless.

Evelyn: How about everyone else? Will you bring the people here to the safe area again?
Bee: Not yet. We are a bit too far away at the moment. Keep going, I will activate the spell as soon as we are close enough.
Evelyn: Alright! Gertrud, you heard it. We should hurry.
Gertrud: Right.

Both women hurry along as fast as they can - walking quickly rather than running - and eventually turn left where the path splits into multiple ways. A familiar dome expands around them, causing all the people under it to vanish at once. With nobody left to wonder about it, the odd bee flits out of Evelyn's bag, this time with the Honeycombat floating beside it again.

Bee: Good job! Now we only have to go straight ahead, it's very close!
Gertrud: Is it just me, or are we headed to THAT place?
Evelyn: That also got me wondering. I am sure that this way was-

"GAAAAAAAAH!"

Evelyn: There it is! Where the scream just came from! We should get ready to face it!

Both take out their glucose meter and the lancing device to prick their finger, force drops of blood out so they can hold a test strip to them and insert these into their magical testing devices.

Evelyn+Gertrud: Blood sugar rush, go!

The glucose meters glow in response, and their dresses of power miraculously appear from the shiny, honey-like mass enveloping the women while their hair color returns once more. Both create their respective weapons in between their hands, Evelyn her caramelized almond-tip spear and Gertrud the blackberry shield, and quickly grab them. As they continue ACTUALLY running into the direction Bee described, the latter of them changes to a miffed facial expression.

Gertrud: ...I swear, I am going to make a record of that stupid phrase so I won't have to repeat it ever again.
Evelyn: Honestly, I get your point. I am not comfortable with saying that out loud, either. Who came up with that nonsense?!
Bee: Attention, you two! The enemy is in plain sight!
Evelyn: As well as the final destination. I knew it! This is the Amari Town University grounds! Why is a monster here?!
Gertrud: Who knows? Let's just get this over with as soon as possible. I don't plan on missing out on my favorite TV show!

The group stops, altering to a watchful posture as they examine their next opponent. An approximately one-meter-high chocolate cupcake, funnily actually sitting inside a teacup, glares back at them.

Cupcake monster: Why hello, did you also come for the bake sale? I heard it is held around here somewhere, but all the people who were supposed to sell them were gone all of a sudden. Can you help me out?

The magical trio looks around, realizing there really must be some kind of event as there are many tables with several cakes atop of them. Afterwards, they throw a thousand-yard stare at the living pastry.

Gertrud: My gosh. That thing actually got manners. I might feel a little bit sorry after I crushed it.
Evelyn: I am not so sure if we should even fight it. That one seems different somehow.
Bee: Don't let your guard down. All of them are cannibals, so it is bound to show its true colors eventually.
Cupcake monster: Hey... are you ignoring me? If you did, that would be so mean... I only want to try various types of cake here. In fact, it would be so much more fun with others! Please, accompany me! I also wanted to share some cake!
Evelyn: Are you really certain about it, Bee? Usually, they just eat the stuff they find. This one left everything as it was. It could have stolen some cake, but apparently did not.
Cupcake monster: Come on, let's go! I want to enjoy this!

Playfully, the creature hops behind the team, softly pushing them toward the neatly decorated tables. As they stumble to the bake sale area, the big, cute eyes of the cupcake sparkle with excitement.

Cupcake monster: Hush hush, hush hush, toward the tasty pastry!
Evelyn: H-hey, slow down!
Gertrud: Just my thought! Stop dragging us there, we can walk by ourselves!
Cupcake monster: But...! But...! I just can't stop myself! Dun da dun...

Now the odd sweet treat hums, making the trio look at each other rather confused.

Evelyn: Uhm... the more I see, the more I struggle to consider it a hazard.
Bee: I give you that, this one is weirdly tame. I don't like this at all.

In front of the blissfully overloaded tables full of all sorts of sweets they stop, and the strange cupcake monster admires them happily.

Cupcake monster: Wow, what a broad selection! What should we try first?

"Hey! What's going on here?!"

A woman, seemingly a bit younger than Evelyn, approaches the weird bunch. Her grey hair, with still a hint of a reddish color left in them, falls down halfway of her back, a part of it styled to a chignon. Her ruby eyes, covered by slim reading glasses, glare at them in a determined manner. She grabs the glasses to readjust their position, perfecting her professional look with the deep purple skirt suit she is currently wearing.

"This is supposed to be a bake sale, but nobody is here! What's that all about?!"

The others just stand there like they were caught committing a crime.

Evelyn: Bee! Now we were seen by another person, in this appearance! Why is she here?!
Bee: Oh... seems like she came here after I activated the spell. This is unfortunate.
Gertrud: Unfortunate?! This is what you call our exposure?!

"It's true, I just arrived here. I am the one in charge of this occasion. And... wait. A TALKING BEE?! And don't I know you...?"

Evelyn: Do something, Bee! She is going to expose us at this rate! ...Hold on a second. It has been a while, but this accent... you are Ume, right?!
Ume: Now I remember, Evelyn! What on earth is happening here?!
Evelyn: It is... complicated. Why are you in Amari Town? Oh right, we got no time for this. You should get out of here for now.
Cupcake monster: Why do you want to send her away? She could finally sell us some of these pastries!
Ume: ...AND THE CUPCAKE TALKS, TOO!! I thought it was just a statue!
Cupcake monster: No. I'm very alive and very hungry. Sell us some cake! Pretty please! Cake, cake, cake!
Ume: Huh?!

Now the living pastry bounces around wildly, then starts circling Ume in impatience, causing her to draw back a little. At the same time, Gertrud leans forward to whisper into Evelyn's ear.

Gertrud: Evelyn, who is that?!
Evelyn: I thought I told you. She is my penfriend from back when I was abroad, Ume. We still exchange letters, but I haven't seen her for a long while, this is why it took me a moment to recognize her.
Gertrud: Ah. That one. I recall her. But why is she in our town? You told me she lives abroad.
Evelyn: That exactly is the question. I have no idea.

While the two costumed women mumble to one another, the cupcake monster jumps along a v-shape, super hyped and trying to animate Ume to give it some cake.

Cupcake monster: Come on, come on, come on! Let us try some! Pleeeeeeeease?
Ume: Hmm... It appears you won't leave me alone until I get you some and for some reason the others just won't turn up... okay. But just one. If you want more, you have to be patient and wait for the bake sale volunteers to return.
Cupcake monster: Really?! We get some? Cool! Hey, you guys over there! The nice lady treats us to a slice! I want it cut to equally sized pieces and enjoy it together with you!
Gertrud: What?!
Evelyn: That is...

Surprisingly, Evelyn's face shows an enchanted smile now, holding her cheek as she melts away with her amber eyes sparkling.

Evelyn: ...So incredibly endearing!
Gertrud+Bee: EVELYN! Pull yourself together! This is not the time!
Ume: Come over here, I prepared some small slices so we can share them!
Evelyn: You heard her. Let us not be unpolite and take up on her offer.
Bee: Oof... now they've done it.

Everyone gathers at where Ume is, Gertrud and Bee following visibly reluctant. Then Ume offers each of them a paper plate with a tiny piece of plum cake and plastic fork on each of them.

Ume: This is the plum cake I made, so just this one is on the house. We need to make money from this event, after all.
Cupcake monster: Wow! That smells so delicious!
Gertrud: ...Just a second. Did you use the oval or the round plums for that?
Ume: The round ones, of course!
Gertrud: Excellent.
Bee: Why does that make any difference?
Ume: Well, we can't risk any plum moth larvae in our cakes, right?
Bee: LARVAE?! AND SHE JUST CASUALLY ANNOUNCES IT LIKE THAT!!
Evelyn: Because this is pretty common knowledge.
Bee: ...Oh.
Gertrud: Right. Better a good old plum than a damson in distress.
Bee: Now YOU are the one dropping an awful pun.
Gertrud: Quiet, insect. Or I'll get the flyswatter again.
Bee: Urg!!

Flashing a friendly smile, Ume quickly changes the topic to brighten up the atmosphere.

Ume: Evelyn, it's wonderful to see you again after such a long time! It was a nice surprise that we ran into each other like this! I was planning on letting you know I moved here just recently, but you know... things got busy and I had many things going on here.
Evelyn: Do not worry about it, I understand that very well. I had some business I had to take care of lately, too. So why did you move here?
Ume: Out of the blue, I was offered a job at Amari Town University. And I thought "well, why not?" and accepted.
Evelyn: Oh, good for you!
Ume: Thanks! But tell me, what about the strange clothes you are wearing? And these replica weapons?

Ume's eyes scan the women in front of her, causing them to blush in embarrassment.

Evelyn: Uhm... this is my dress of power. I feel fired up wearing it.
Ume: YOU do cosplay?! Okay...? Anyway, let's celebrate this fateful meeting with the cake!
Cupcake monster: Yippie!

Everyone eats their share, changing to a satisfied grin afterwards. The cupcake eats its part eagerly, chewing on its cake in delight. However, the mood changes drastically as its chewing rate decreases and its gaze becomes empty. Suddenly, it shifts to a frightening smile.

Cupcake monster: More... MORE...

Then it quickly grows to double its previous size and lunges at Ume out of the blue, but Gertrud quickly takes her shield to guard her from the sudden attack.

Gertrud: Great, there we have it! Look at what became of it!
Evelyn: But... I thought that maybe it was different...
Bee: See, I told you it was vicious! You need to face the facts, Evelyn. No matter their appearance, in the end they are all evil offspring of the Dark Queen and the Dark King. And now that it has tasted blood, it started a frenzy to get more!