It had been eight years since Finn had defeated the Lich King, master of all evil in the land of Ooo. The world was still bright and full of adventures, but at this point it was night time. Finn brushed out his golden hair and dressed himself in pajamas. His hat lay hidden in a drawer, as it aged on his adventures; it became weak and almost unrecognizable. The brownish-red one-piece was not an option for him, especially in the heat of this summer. He wore only a clean pair of boxers as he strode over to bed. He thought back to his younger self, how he was so foolish, but at the same time brave and caring.
The adventures that he and Jake had weren't easily forgotten. They became legends by beating "The Farm" in a brawl. They battled all sorts of evil, discovered all sorts of good. He had seen countless horrors and wonders: Flame Princess dying, Jake's puppies being born, and of course the day Princess Bubblgum chose a suitor. He shuddered. He wasn't the only one disgusted by this turn of events; Marceline the Vampire Queen disliked him as well. He was a candy citizen, and he had a strange way of being. He did not care for anything or anyone. He always kept to himself. Bubblegum would've been better off picking the Ice King.
Finn looked at Jake's old bed and sighed. He missed his best friend, now a supportive father, much like their own father. He moved to the window. The night breeze was refreshing, and Finn felt the stubble on his face stand up. A shave would be in order for the morning. He yawned, and went to sleep, ready for the wedding at the Candy Castle. He was not pleased at this situation. Bubblegum was his friend, not a love interest, it had been this way since the time he met Flame Princess. His dreams were always filled with her warmth and beauty. He loved her, and cried in his sleep at every dream. He couldn't save her. He couldn't stop her father from destroying her. It was sickening to dwell on, but it was burned into his mind, the event and how he had failed.
In the Candy Kingdom, Princess Bubblegum sat on her bed reading, a breeze flowing through the balcony. Her suitor was on the other side of the kingdom, in his home. She frowned, he was far from her first choice, but at this point she needed to produce an heir. She thought to her young friend, Finn, a true hero, and a sweet guy. There was no way she'd ever like him as anything more, but that was just because she had already found someone else.
A bat flew in through the window. Marceline appeared in a flash of smoke. Bubblegum smiled softly, she was getting older, unlike Marcy. They both knew this, and it hurt. Marceline flew over to her and said softly, "How are you?"
"Fine" Bubblegum looked up from her book, her face bluntly annoyed, "Knocking would be more acceptable."
"Sorry Princess. I'm just your problem again." Marceline smiled. They laughed at this.
"Marceline, I've been thinking…"
"Yeah…I'd expect that from you."
"I've decided to marry Truffle…and don't get me wrong; he's a good choice, thoughtful and refined, but I cannot imagine being with him." Bubblegum said flatly. Marceline blinked and frowned, "What's your crazy plan this time?"
"Well I was thinking of searching the multiverse and finding the Land of Aaa."
"What?"
"Ice King wrote a fan fiction about Finn and Jake, actually everyone, as the opposite sex. I've been thinking, and searching for the parallel."
"You really don't like Truffle, do you?"
"No. My heart belongs to the only person I've ever felt connected to." She smiled softly at Marceline. The ladies blushed simultaneously. Marceline flew to her and kissed her forehead, "Bonnie, you will never be forgotten. I never felt as lost and alone as when Truffle became your future king." Marceline usually saved her poetic side for serious matters and songs. Bubblegum smiled and said, "I'm so sorry Marceline. You know that this wasn't my plan."
The Vampire Queen smirked and asked, "For old times' sake?" Bubblegum motioned Marceline onto her bed. They silently embraced each other, and smiled at the warmth the other provided. Marceline looked the princess in the eyes, and slowly kissed her softly on the lips. She felt the princess smile. The progression was slow and precise as the candles faded.
On the other end of the kingdom, a candy man paced in his secluded cottage. The dim candle light provided enough visibility for him to see a snail on his windowsill. He stared downward and said, "Welcome back, Master." The snail's eyes glowed with an eerie green light, emanating from itself.
"Truffle," said the snail, in a deep, raspy voice, "You have done well. At dusk tomorrow, I have a final task for you…" Truffle said, shaking, "Yes Master, I shall obey."
"You will not fail me." He paused and hissed, "I have a gift for the Princess," he handed the candy a small bottle, "The Poison of Ages." The snail hissed with a malevolent grin forming. Truffle looked at the bottle and nodded.
"With this act completed, will you need any more assistance my King?"
"No. I shall be able to destroy the one who nearly killed me…Finn the Human."
It was nearly dawn, as Finn awoke. He looked out the window to see a rather large bat flying in the direction of Marceline's home. He smiled. The morning was coming quick. Finn descended the ladder to the main kitchen area. Breakfast was essential in every warrior's life. He made bacon pancakes, an old favorite.
After breakfast, Finn went up to shower. He laughed a little, and searched around his bathroom, remembering the time he hid in Marceline's closet with Jake, and the incident of leaving the closet to make sure the coast was clear. He removed his shorts and climbed into the warm embrace of the shower. The water felt good, cleansing his body from his sweat and tears. As he cleaned himself, he thought about Marceline and Bubblegum.
Over the years, the two girls had gotten closer. It was closer to romance than friendship, but Finn thought he was just over analyzing. On some nights when he guarded the Candy Kingdom, with the Banana Guards, he heard quiet, harsh breathing coming from Peebles' room. It sounded like there were two women in there. He never questioned the princess, but he knew that something was up, and he played scenarios in his mind to try to deduce the suspicious noise. It wasn't his business.
He turned off the shower and dried himself off. Towel around his waist, he approached the sink, and wet his face. He applied shaving cream, and pulled a razor across his face to remove the unwanted hair.
He smiled as he finished his task. His face was smooth, there were no cuts, and he had removed all the shaving cream from his face. It was perfect. He searched his room for a suit and tie. The sun was rising high over the trees. He dressed himself, and fixed his hair. A glance in the mirror caused him to frown, "What is Peebles doing? She doesn't even like any of her candy subjects in that way. I guess…she has to do this…for them." He sighed and smiled weakly, Bubblegum was always looking out for her citizens. In a way, she was their mother and their father rolled into one.
Finn went downstairs and checked his clock for the time. Suddenly the doorbell rang. He climbed to the base of the tree house, and opened the door to reveal five puppies with horns. They were red, orange, green, blue, and purple. The red one was called Red; The orange one, Daisy, the green one Scott, The blue one Charlie, and the Purple one Lilly. Finn smiled to see Jake, an older yellow dog with his rainbow bride, Lady Rainicorn. Jake came in and hugged Finn, "It's good to see you bro."
"UNCLE FINN!" cried all the puppies in unison. They stretched out to reveal all the rainbow colors that they possessed. Finn smiled and hugged them all at once. The smallest two, Daisy and Lilly, were the most open about being happy to see him. The boys all started to detach themselves from him, and fell back into their original shapes. Lady Rainicorn had on a new translator, the voice was much better than that of her old one. Finn remembered the other translator, it wasn't flattering, but he could at least understand her. That time was a good time, she never felt the need to wear it again, after that, but she seemed to have decided to wear it around him. It was very polite of her. Finn appreciated it.
"Good Morrow, Lady." Finn said and bowed. Lady smiled and said, "Hello Finn, it's nice to see you."
"Would any of you like some Lunch?" Finn asked everyone. He always kept soy-human in the refrigerator, just in case there was a random visit from his adopted family. He had expected this visit, and had some traditional Rainicorn food ready, just in case they were hungry.
"Why that would be lovely, Finn!" said Lady. Jake smiled, and Finn led them to the kitchen area. He heated up the dishes in the oven. When they were ready, he served everyone their favorites. Jake had spaghetti, like Finn. It was pleasant. Everyone talked and laughed. The cute little girls kept asking silly questions that Finn answered anyway. The boys requested seconds. Lady went bright red, but Finn was a good host, and supplied them with more food.
"They're growing up fast." Finn commented. He remembered when he went through his growth spurt how much food he could eat at a time. It was a lot.
"Yep. They are." Jake replied.
"So Finn, how are you doing?" Lady asked softly.
"Fine I guess."
"That's good. I thought that maybe you might be upset about the wedding."
"Nah. Bubblegum is a friend, and it's not my choice, so why change it?"
"Uncle Finn, do you have a girlfriend?" asked Daisy. Jake hushed her and took her to another room to explain. Finn excused himself and requested that everyone make themselves comfortable. He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He imagined himself as a kid again, Flame Princess by his side. They were both smiling and holding hands. Finn had a gauntlet on that kept his hand safe. He looked again to see his current self, alone and saddened. Lilly knocked on the door. Finn came out and she hugged him, "Sorry about Daisy…she didn't know…" she was crying. Finn hugged back, and said, "It's alright Lilly. I miss her…"
"I know, my brothers don't talk about it, and Daisy just keeps waiting for you to be happier."
"Don't cry…it's alright. I swear to you, it'll all work out." Finn assured her. She sniffed, and smiled weakly at him. He smiled and repeated himself. Jake came up and asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah man, we're good." Finn said, "We just had a small heart to heart."
"Yeah, okay. Can I talk to you in private?"
The sun rose over the Candy Kingdom. Princess Bubblegum was in her laboratory, searching for the land of Aaa. Her work consisted of making a machine, which would cause a Trans dimensional rift. The machine was almost complete; it just needed the right quantum signature to join these two worlds. She struggled and toiled over her mathematics and ancient books. These books were written just before the Mushroom War. They discussed M-theory, which interested the princess. She did multiple tests, until 10, when she had to prepare for her ceremony. She left the room a mess.
After she left, a small blue puppy came in, Charlie. He had come early with his family to set up. He was curious about the Princess' lab, and strayed off to see it. Everything was laid out, and he stuck his busy nose in everything. He was into science and a genius by far. It was suspected that he might have even been smarter than Princess Bubblegum. He found the missing piece to the puzzle and set up the machine.
Bubblegum headed back to clean up. When she saw her door open, she grew suspicious. Upon re-entering, she saw Charlie and smiled with relief.
"Charlie," she said, "you know you're not supposed to be here, especially now."
"I know…" he said, hanging his head. Bubblegum smiled and started cleaning up. Charlie offered to help and she accepted. The work got done faster that way. When all was said and done Charlie asked, "What's this for?"
"I'm sure you can figure out that part." She smiled.
"I was just wondering if you were planning something else."
"Well, I was going to find and combine two universes traveling at the same speed. It would only affect the people in Ooo, and hopefully Aaa. I just can't figure out what the quantum signature for that universe is."
"I already punched the numbers into the machine." Charlie proudly smiled. Bubblegum checked, and saw that he was correct. She giggled, "You really are a genius." Charlie blushed with pride.
"But," she said, "It's too late to use it."
"Wait, why? Why did you build it?"
"Honestly, I wanted to find Prince Gumball, the male version of me. That way I could just rule with him, I'd at least know him better than Truffle."
"I understand." Charlie regretted asking this. His mind was racing and he had a plan.
The sun was high in the sky as the guests filed in. The Ice King, all the other princesses, the candy subjects, and the legendary Billy were present. Jake and Lady's family were sitting in the front row. At the end of the row sat Finn. The two mischievous pups, Red and Scott were restless in their seats. The darling girls, Daisy and Lilly, glared at the boys for being so rude. Charlie silently thought to himself. Finn looked around, the decorations were stunning, and the court yard was packed. He quietly sighed, "I wish Flame Princess were here." Jake, who was seated next to him put his hand on Finn's shoulder and gave him a concerned look. Finn shrugged him off, and stood, "I'm going to the bathroom." Jake nodded. Red and Scott looked at each other, confused. The Girls looked at each other as well. They seemed to know what was bothering Finn. Charlie got up and said, "I have to go too. May I go with Uncle Finn?" Jake nodded. Charlie dashed off into the castle behind Finn.
Finn wandered the castle, looking at what would be the home of a queen, rather than a princess. He sighed. Bubblegum was his first crush, first love, but not his most wonderful blessing. He looked in the mirror and saw Flame Princess' face, concerned but happy staring at his reflection. He lowered his head. He could never love again. He would always miss her. His heart was wounded beyond repair. The poor man couldn't even begin to describe his guilt, his pain, his love, to anyone. He moved slowly, unaware that he'd passed the bathroom. He trod into the Lab, and sat on the ground.
Charlie was right behind him. He entered the lair and tapped Finn's back. He looked up.
"Uncle Finn…What's wrong?" asked Charlie.
"It's nothing, Charlie…really." Finn replied.
"Then why are you so miserable? I know you miss Flame Princess," Finn cringed. Charlie continued,"But you can't keep hurting yourself like this. She would want you to be happy."
"I...I don't think that I can…no one was quite like her."
"Look at it like this, the next girl won't be a replacement, just a different love."
"You know you're smart for your age, but I could never do that, not when my heart belongs to Flame Princess." Finn smiled. Charlie looked at the machine and said, "I wonder…if Fiona misses Flame Prince…"
"She's a fictional character, created by the Ice King."
"I beg to differ, and I can prove it."
"No." Finn said sharply. Charlie stared at him with his arms folded. Finn stared back.
The ceremony was over. Bubblegum was now queen. Queen Bubblegum and King Truffle invited everyone into the dining hall. It was beautiful. Daisy and Lilly looked at all the décor. Red and Scott were impatient while waiting for food. It was a merry time, except for Marceline. She hid, hanging on the ceiling as a bat. She noticed that Finn and "Little Blue" as she called Charlie, were absent from the festivities.
However her main concern was a strangely estranged snail on the window. As a bat her hearing was better as she focused in on the unknowing snail.
"Do it. She will die." It repeated constantly. The new king, she saw, was shaking and nodding his head, slightly. The Princess was talking to Jake and Lady Rainicorn, and as this occurred, Truffle pulled out a bottle, and poured it into her drink. The snail hissed the word "yes" over and over. Marceline looked at the bottle, and flew out into the night.
Queen Bubblegum came over to her seat and smiled. There was a loud crash as a menacing Marceline charged over and drank the poisoned drink. Bubblegum gasped and slapped Marceline. She fell as her skin bubbled and then the Vampire Queen vomited. Bubblegum gasped, and screamed, "Marceline!"
In the Lab, Finn heard the commotion and jumped into action. He raced to the dining hall to witness the horror that was afoot. Marceline was dying. The kingdom frenzied. The Puppies tried to calm them and remove them from the situation. Lady joined her children, while Jake was trying to help Marcy.
"Get Truffle. Get the snail. Poison. Bonnie." Marceline forced herself to speak. Finn heard and hunted down Princess Bubblegum. He found her in the crowd, and grabbed her, "Peebles, it's not safe for you!"
"What about Marceline?" she cried.
"WE NEED TO SAVE YOU! MARCELINE KNOWS WHAT SHE DID! THAT POISON WAS FOR YOU!" Finn snapped. Bubblegum started to cry and fight to get to Marcy. Charlie, in the lab, smelled the poison, and knew how to make the antidote. He concocted it quickly but precisely and raced to help.
As Bubblegum fought her champion of old, Finn lost grip and she fought her way to Marcy's side. She cried and held Marceline. Finn was running through the thinning crowd to find Bubblegum. Truffle was standing over her, ready to slice her head off. Finn screamed his battle cry and tackled the new "king" to the ground, fighting for the knife. They tossed and turned until Finn forced the knife into Truffle's heart. He gasped for breath as Finn hollered, "WHERE'S THE SNAIL!?" He pointed to the window and called out, "Master, KILL ME PLEASE!" Finn pressed all his weight onto the knife, and dragged it down Truffle's bloody form. There was silence.
Charlie burst through the door and rapidly made his way to the dying vampire. He held a needle and stuck it into her arm. He hit a vein. He proceeded to inject the cure into her as he tried to stop the blood. Bubblegum held her love tightly, and wept as the breathing slowed and stopped. Marceline's eyes opened and breathing softly, she said, "It's…alright now…you're…safe…Bonnie." Marceline went limp, and she started to turn white, rather than blue. Her fangs shrunk down to normal canine teeth. Charlie looked at her with horror. The vampire was no more. What remained was a human girl.
"MARCY!" shouted the Princess. She leaned in to kiss the girl softly, but Charlie pulled her back.
"She's still got the poison on her lips and in her veins. She will be okay, I swear that to you." Charlie said calmingly.
"She…saved me…I..I..I-I…can't let her go…" replied the Queen sobbing. Finn placed his hand on her shoulder, "Mi'Lady, the traitor is dead. Marceline will live…and age…and die. She's human."
"Finn…you have no idea how much she means to me…"
"I do. I loved Flame Princess past the end." Finn turned away. He gently let the water fall from his face, "We need to save her," and to the blue puppy, "Charlie, go and get Marshall Lee." Charlie slowly nodded and stared shocked.
"NOW! We have to fix this before it's too late!" Finn screamed. Charlie quickly nodded and ran as fast as he could to the lab. Bubblegum looked at Finn, and said, "You knew about the machine?"
"Yes."
"And you know how I feel about Marcy?"
"Of course…"
"Then you know that I couldn't leave her. Not like that."
"I understand the feelings, but you're the Queen. If you were to have died today, Truffle would be king…and he's the one who tried to kill you."
"How do you know?" Bubblegum asked suspiciously. Finn held up a bloody bottle, and handed it to his Queen. She gasped. Finn nodded slowly, "He is dead now. He tried to behead you, but I got to him before that could happen." She wept. Finn patted her on the back and hugged her, "She'll be fine. I promise."
In the lab, Charlie activated the machine. The sky outside stormed, and the world shook. Each second felt like the land was tearing itself apart. The thunder crashed. Lightening blitzed the sky. But the rain didn't fall. The time passed suddenly, and there was screaming once more.
Outside of the castle stood twelve distinct people; a young woman, wearing a blue gown with long golden hair and a sword on her back; a cat that could stretch and bend her shape at will, wearing a pink bow; a pink and sophisticated man wearing royal garb; a slug; a small candy woman dressed as a bride; five kittens with horns, in different shades of gray; A long black and white unicorn; and a slight young man with blue skin and messy black hair. Around them were racing candy people, whom the kittens tried to calm.
The slug smiled, for she saw her other self, a snail. The snail smiled too, as they snuck off together into the night. The pink man, the blue lad, and the young lady looked around.
"Fi, I don't think we're in Aaa anymore." said the blue lad.
"Dude…you might be right." Fi, the young lady, said. Just then the double doors to the castle crashed open. A bloodstained young man in a suit exited and called out, "IS THERE A MARSHALL LEE HERE!? WE NEED HIS HELP!" the blue lad looked up, "What do these losers want?" he flew off to the door.
"Fiona," said the pink man, "We should make sure they don't try to kill anyone."
"Good idea Gumball." Fiona said. She may have once liked him, but now she had no romantic interest in him. She raced off to the castle dragging Gumball by the arm. The doors were still open. Upon entering she noted, "This palace…looks like yours!"
"Where are we?"
"The lump I would know!" Fiona said bluntly. She saw a candy person, dead on the floor. She gasped softly, and continued on her way. Following the voices she heard, she knew that she had to be close. There was a bright light coming from the end of the hall. She burst in to find a hospital wing. Her face went pink out of embarrassment. She saw a girl, on a bed, dying. Marshall was talking to a candy woman, who resembled the Prince, and the man in the blood stained suit. He looked oddly like Fiona, golden blonde hair and his face strangely resembled of her own. She gasped. Finn looked over.
"So, the Ice King wasn't just making people up in his old fiction." he said calmly.
"Who are you? Where are we?" Fiona spat.
"Well, as of now you're in a cross between dimensions. This is the Land of Ooo," said the woman, "I am Princess-well Queen as of now-Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom. This is Finn the Human."
"What!?" Fiona gasped, "The Ice Queen wasn't full of poop? There is a guy version of me?"
"Yeah, sorry about the confusion." Responded the queen sheepishly. Finn looked over at the girl on the bed. She was changing color, from blue to white. Fiona said, "Who is she?"
"Marceline…the chick version of me." Marshall interjected. Charlie waddled over to her and Gumball and explained what needed to happen, "Marceline saved Queen Bubblegum's life by drinking Truffle, the new king's, poison. She almost died, it was the Poison of Ages used, you see, but I gave her the antidote and she's in need of another transformation. The poison made her human, so she needs a vampire to bite her. The more closely related the vampire is, the less likely she will die-"
"She hates her dad as much as I hate my mom (if she is me), so he got cut out of the picture, and her mom is nowhere to be found." Marshall yelled over. He sunk his fangs into the bite marks on Marcy's neck. She gasped and screamed. The boy kept himself anchored in her neck. Blood was oozing, and she was regaining her blue color. When her shade had changed from white to light blue, Marshall let go and gasped for breath. "Dude, I taste awful!"
"Shut up!" Marceline floated over him and snapped, "Who do you think you are?"
"Marshall Lee, the Vampire King." He smirked. She hissed.
"There is no King! I'm the Queen pal!"
"Well then. These guys didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"I'm not from Ooo. I'm from Aaa."
"Where the lump is that?"
"Another universe apparently."
"Oh my glob! Finn, what's going on here?" Marceline screamed. Finn turned to her and said, "After you drank that drink, you started turning human, and nearly died. Marshall saved you."
"And how did he get here?!"
"Bubblegum's machine caused some dimensional rift or something. I'm not much of a science guy. Ask Charlie for details."
"Alright…I guess I have to thank you for saving me Bonnie, and Lil' Blue…so thanks."
"Ahem…" coughed Marshall Lee, "What about me?"
"Oh. Thanks." Marceline said flatly. He sneered. She didn't really like him all that much, and the feeling was mutual. Gumball looked at the newly instated queen and said, "Truffle…was going to kill you?"
"Yes," replied Bubblegum, "he tried again immediately after that using a knife. Finn saved me yet again." They both looked to the bloody man, he was somber and cold looking. Fiona went up to him and asked softly, "Is there a Flame Princess?" Finn looked at her, with sad eyes, "No. Not anymore." He said. Fiona hugged him, and said, "They're both gone…" she was starting to cry. Finn hugged back, trying to console her. To his dismay, he shed tears as well.
Gumball ran to the courtyard and called out, "Truffles! Come here!" The candy woman stepped forward, and followed the Prince as he headed to the palace hospital wing. The trek was silent. Truffles felt inside her pocket. A knife and a bottle of the Poison of Ages resided there. Upon entering, two large bats swooped down and encircled Truffles.
"There is reason to believe you have betrayed your kingdom." said Gumball harshly, "Empty her pockets Marshall. Marceline, attend to the rest of her." They nodded. Marceline turned into a fog and searched under the wedding dress. Marshall emptied her coat pockets to reveal the weapons. Truffles gasped, and the humans looked over. Fiona was filled with rage. She pulled the crystal from her necklace, and it morphed into a sword. She stood there waiting for an order from the prince.
"Who put you up to this!?" he commanded an answer. Truffles cried and said, "She isn't dead. She reigns on! You cannot defeat her! Long live the Queen!"
"Which Queen?!" snapped Fiona, who now had the sword to the candy's throat. She whimpered, "Find the slug…" The Prince nodded to Fiona, and she cut the candy to bits.
"The slug? Wait…THE SNAIL!" cried Marceline. She looked around. Everyone looked at her surprised, and she answered the unanimous question, "Truffle was in league with a snail…but it was a powerful evil snail…it sounds stupid, but…"
Bubblegum furrowed her brow and said, "What are you saying, no snail is that evil or charismatic." Marceline frowned, "It wasn't like any snail I've ever heard…it sounded ancient, dead, and a nasty dude."
"That sounds like…" Bubblegum stopped and screamed, "THE LICH KING!"
