It was a horrifying sight to see. Every bed in the Candy Hospital was occupied by a sick candy person. Moans of pain and fits of coughing were what majorly filled the room. Every patient was either sleeping or coughing violently, tossing and turning while doing so.
Finn didn't know what was happening. Bubblegum had told him of a sickness that was spreading through the Candy Kingdom a few weeks back. It started with some minor symptoms, such as coughing and minor fatigue. As time flew by, the sickness had gotten worse and almost everyone from the Candy Kingdom is now bed ridden, severly sick. Instead of small coughing fits and minor fatigue, the symptoms were now extreme aches all over the body, trouble in breathing, and a black ooze-like substance coming out from the mouth - which is what caught the numerous working staffs' attention. After receiving a call from Peppermint Butler, Finn and his brother Jake came to the hospital as fast as they could. They were horrified when they arrived, seeing all those sick candy people. They were more horrified when the candy butler led the two to the princess' room.
The candy princess was lying down on a bed in the middle of the room against a wall, white sheets wrapped around her body. Numerous thin tubes were inserted into different spots on her arms. The princess herself wasn't looking good either. Her breathing was off and raspy, her skin was pale, losing its pink hue, and her face and arms looked like she hadn't eaten or drank in days. There was also a bit of the black ooze - the same seen on the numerous patients in the other room - dripping from her mouth, drops landing on the bed.
As the two heroes approached to the side of the princess' bed, Doctor Princess got in their way, holding a clipboard. Before the doctor could speak, Finn asked, "How is she, Doc?" The doctor sighed and stared at the princess before answering, "She's not doing good. Everyone isn't." The doctor looked back at the two, with a face showing worry, "We don't know what this is. We looked through a bunch of books and none of them mentioned one thing that could be whatever this is." The doctor looked down at her feet and ran her hand through her hair, "We tried everything. Medicine, herbs, rituals, everything. And none of them worked."
The two heroes looked at each other with worry. Whatever this sickness is, it's not going to stop anytime soon. And if enough time passes by, a lot of people will die. The two looked back at the doctor and asked, "Is there anything we can do?" The doctor sighed, "Right now, we can only hope something comes up that can help us know what this is and make a cure for it."
One of the numerous staff members walked into the room, donning a nurse's uniform and a clipboard in hand. "Doctor Princess? We need you at the other room." The doctor glanced at the two heroes and the princess before walking out of the room with the nurse. The princess slowly turned her head at the two before speaking in a raspy voice, "Finn..." The two heroes looked at the princess and approached her, kneeling at the side of the bed. "Princess, are you okay?" Finn asked. "Finn..." The princess moaned, coughing shortly after.
Just as the princess was about to speak, the doors burst open from behind the group and a familiar figure flew its way to the side of the bed, right beside the two heroes. "Bonnie! Are you okay?!" Marceline shouted, looking over the princess with worry and sweat all over her face. The princess turned her over to Peppermint Butler who was standing by the bed on the other side. "Pe... Pep..." The princess called. The butler walked up to the bed and asked, "Yes, milady?"
"F... Fla... Flas... sk..." The princess moaned. The butler thought for a moment, trying to find out what the princess said, when it hit him. "Princess, are you sure?" The butler asked. The princess slowly nodded before coughing violently, some ooze landing on the butler. The three figures on the other side of the bed looked at the butler in confusion. "Flask? Pep, what she talking about?" Jake asked. The butler sighed and looked at the ground before walking to the doors. He looked to the three and motioned them to follow him. The three obliged and followed the butler out of the room and through the halls.
They stopped at the doors of the princess' personal library. The butler opened the doors and looked back at three, motioning them to follow him inside. The three walked in, the butler closing the door behind him and locking it. The library was small and cozy, the only light source being an orange light bulb hanging above a study table to the left. There was a shelf covering the entire opposite of the door, filled with books of different kind. Finn turned to the butler and asked, "Peps? What's going on?" The butler ignored the human and walked up to the shelf and pulled down a book that acted as a lever. A loud rumble was heard when the floor slowly opened up to a set of stairs. "Whoa, cool." Jake said when he looked behind him. The butler walked to the opening and motioned the three to follow him down. The three looked at each other and shrugged before following the butler down.
The spiral staircase was dimly lit, only being lit by torches mounted on the walls. The walls and stairs themselves were moldy and crumbling, looking like they were made centuries ago and was poorly maintained. As the group went down, the butler started, "Centuries ago, long before Marceline and the princess met..." The vampire raised her eyebrows in curiousity. "...there was a doctor who travelled Ooo, searching for the sick and curing them. He was known as the Flask Doctor" The three stepped off the stairway into a small, dimly lit room containing a single shelf half filled with old books, table and chair. The butler grabbed a thick book from the shelf and dropped it on the table, having difficulty doing so due to his small height. Dust flew from beneath the book, causing the two heroes to cough. The book looked really old, signs of wear and tear were everywhere. The cover was blank and made of leather, splotches of mold scattered throughout.
The butler got up onto the chair and opened the book. He flipped through the pages, stopping at one. "The Flask of Wellness?" The three asked. "Yes. This was what the doctor used in order to heal his patients. It can produce a magic liquid endlessly. All you have to do is drink it and you are rid of any sickness you had. Although there are exceptions, like mental illnesses or ones brought on by a curse or wish. He was around for a good ten years before he disappeared." The butler explained. "Disappeared?" Jake asked. "He just stopped going around one day. Some say he had grown tired of doing it. Some say he was captured by Death for basically cheating him. Some even say that he went bonkers and jumped off a cliff. Who knows? All we know is that the Flask is still out there." The butler said. He took out a map from in between the pages and gave it to Finn. The three looked at the map that was in the human's hands. A red circle was drawn over a group of mountains with red writing saying "His shack is here" next to the circle. A path was also drawn on the map, going through many areas, some familiar to Finn.
"We once tracked the doctor to a shack in the Northern Mountains, which is where we guessed he lived. And if that was where he lived, the Flask must be there." The butler said. "And you want us to get it?" The vampire asked. "Yes. Right now, it could be the only way to stop this illness." The butler replied. "But we're not even sure it is there." The vampire retorted. "No offense intended, but do you really want to see the princess and everyone else die?" The butler asked. The vampire paused for a bit before hanging her head down. "No." The vampire replied. "Good. Now the travel there would be at least five days. Here." The butler said. He pulled out three small pink gems from his pocket and handed it to Finn. "These gems will be able to send you guys back here at the palace. Just crush it and you'll teleported here." The butler explained.
"Well, we better start packing." Jake said, turning around to the staircase. "Yeah, me too. I'll meet up with you guys at the treehouse." The vampire added, as both her and Jake walked to the staircase. Finn went to follow, but was stopped by the butler. "Hm?" Finn turned to the butler and asked. "Be careful, Finn. This trek could be very dangerous. It has been centuries since that path was taken, there could be many obstacles in the way. Remember, if you fail, everyone will die." The butler said. Finn nodded before turning around to follow his brother home to pack up.
The adventure for the Flask is on.
So, this is like the first ever fanfic I've ever written. Ever. If enough people like it, then I'll continue writing. Until then, peace.
nul
