Finn lay on the floor of his home breathing deep, ragged breaths. There was joy and elation at saving Marcy from her father, but it was washed away by something far larger and more powerful.
He gritted his teeth as the pain hit him. The searing, lightning pain of thoughts and memories beyond count, once lost, now returning to him in a flood that tore at the halls of his mind.
He remembered a name his name.
He remembered...
Obscurus!
Peppermint Butler looked at himself in the mirror as he put on his tie. A party to celebrate a momentous occasion! he thought. Indeed, what Finn had done in the Nightosphere was no small achievement, but this was not what made Peppermint Butler smile.
What made him smile was the thought of just how far Finn had come, and how this all began over a decade ago at the summit of a ruined keep.
Peppermint stood in the rain, staring at his opponent. His opponent, a foul and ancient vampire lord, stared back in mild amusement.
"Tell me, little breath mint. Why have you come to me this oh so damp evening?" he asked, smirking at Peppermint.
"To destroy you, monster of the night!" he shouted back defiantly.
The vampire only laughed. "Pray, tell me how, oh courageous fool," he spat.
"With this!" Peppermint yelled as he drew out the rune and began to cast the spell.
The vampire shrieked as it hit him. "What vile, contemptible mage-craft is this, that you send flying my way?" he shouted in anger.
"A spell gifted to me by the demons of the Nightosphere, that will strip you of all your strength, thus allowing me to end you, monster," Peppermint smirked.
The vampire fell to his knees as he weakened, blue lightning encasing his body. At last he looked up at Peppermint and shouted, "This will not end me! We will meet again, Breath mint!" Then, in a flash of blinding light, he was gone, and in his place lay something Peppermint did not expect. A helpless babe with a glowing symbol on his chest. The symbol matched the rune the demons had given him. As Peppermint lifted the child up the rune faded and was gone. Now he would, as the demons promised him, be able to destroy him forever with ease, and yet, he could not. There was no part of him capable of killing this child.
So instead he allowed it to live, and watched as it grew, with no memory of its former self into the greatest hero he and Ooo had ever seen.
Peppermint smiled. He was proud of how well this had turned out.
He walked out into the main hall where the party was in full swing. He was about to go greet the late guests when he was caught on the arm by one of the servants.
"Milord," he whispered, "Lord Finn wishes to speak with you on the balcony." Peppermint was surprised at this. Finn neither cared for titles, nor did he usually request to speak to him. Of course this night was for Finn so he would indulge him.
He stepped out onto the balcony and saw Finn looking off into the stars. He was not in his usual attire, instead he wore a pair of black dress pants and a black button-up shirt, with a pair of well-polished leather shoes.
"The party inside is for you, sir, surely you wish to enjoy it to the fullest?" he asked politely.
Finn gave a small laugh. "You may dispense with the niceties little one," he said.
Peppermint wondered at this remark, when Finn turned, revealing the top buttons of his shirt to be undone.
Peppermint's eyes widened in horror. There, on his chest, was the rune, glowing like fire.
It's nice to see you again, Breath mint...
Author's note: I apologise for the short chapter, and I hope to make them longer in future. As per the norm I own nothing but the concept behind my sort-of OC and AU. Everything else belongs to Pendleton Ward. All constructive criticism is welcome.