"Stop, thief!" cried a voice as a tall, yellow-skinned, goofy door-hat wearing gymnast broke into my kitchen from a… wait, that isn't my front door. In fact, I've never seen that door before.
"Yo, door-bro!" I call out, holding up my ax-bass. The man-like creature turned his glaze to me with that dumbfound look on his face. With a swift movement like I had never seen in my thousands of years of existence, the man was in front of me. "Hey! Why are you breakin' into my home?" In response, the weirdo made a dash for my favorite picture. "Oh, no you don't!" I lifted up my bass and threatened to crash the sharp ends onto his hand, but he drew back and I ended up hitting the ground-man, was I off-and knocked my picture over. "Shoot! How dare you-!" Light. Bright, hot, burning light. Damn it, I hate the sun when it gets like this..! I was weak and useless to its power as I fell onto my knees and backed away from the door the Door Lord created, hissing in defiance, I had no choice but to surrender.
"Marceline!" called the same voice from before. It was Finn's voice… When did he get here? "Are you okay?"
With a weak voice, I answered, "Yeah…." Through my hazy eyes I saw Jake and… Princess Bubblegum. Odd, she wasn't wearing her usual getup. Instead it was replaced by a pink hoodie with a single magenta stripe, her long hair now up in a pony tail instead of down. And, of course, she had on a simple pink dress and pink boots. She looked so cute, too. I haven't always been a big fan of change but, this was nice… It was just B.G. being B.G.
"Don't worry," Finn responded when my three-second observation was over. "We'll get him…!" With that, Finn plunged through the door containing the big ball of evil. Then Jake and Bubblegum followed along.
My first impulse was to pull Bubblegum back in here, to have her stay away from the thing that corrupted my skin and left burn marks. But, I realized she was immune to the Sun's fierce power. I wish I was immune to it, too… Sometimes, I felt really left out of things like the adventures Finn and Jake go on, or the parties that Bubblegum throws during the day…
With a final sigh, I pulled together my extra large sun hat and my very long, yellow, rubber, cleaning gloves, grabbed my ax-bass and headed out along with them, floating right behind Bubblegum who was redder in the cheeks as she paused to take a few breaths when they were stopped by some door that was covered by lumps with neutral-or was it displeased?-faces. The stone that outlined the door had some writing on it. This Door shall yield to No Command save for a Song from a Genuine Band.
"What is this cripper-crab?" asked Finn as he threw his hands up in frustration.
"It's the door of the Door Lords, Finn," stated Bubblegum. "We used to lock but they kept breaking out… because they're Door Lords."
Bubblegum had a good heart, but it was just so much fun to tease her and watch her get flustered, I couldn't help but put my own two cents in. I looked down at my hand and smirked. "They broke out because you let them live…" I chimed. All Bubblegum did was growl… Darn, maybe I can squeeze out some more from her later, but her growl was utterly adorable.
"The door said it will open for any genuine band. Let's try making a song just like the door said..!"
"Can I be the jerk of the band?" Shoot, I wanted that! Oh, well, bass and/or lead singer for me. "Because that's the important part of a band's success." With that, Jake scrunched his face up.
Wait a minute… all we need to do is make a song and we can go through? "I know how we can get through this door," I reported to the whole. "We're gonna lay down a chill jam…." I strummed my bass a bit and looked down at the cheering Finn. "Just keep it cool, got that, princess?" I couldn't help but tease her again. Her pretty pink face would always get a bit pinker.
She huffed and took off BMO's face. She sat down with the little, cute robot dude and started to press buttons, causing him to giggle. Jake got out his viola and started to play wonderfully as Finn laid down some beat-boxing noises.
I strummed my bass some more and floated up a bit.
"La da da da da, I'm gonna bury you in the ground…
La da da da da, I'm gonna bury with my sound…
I'm gonna drink the red from your pretty pink face, I'm gonna…-"
"Marceline," called Bubblegum from where she was. "That's too distasteful…!"
She… doesn't like it…. Couldn't she tell that this song was meant for her!? She doesn't even know what this song was going to imply…! "Oh… You don't like it…?" Well, if she wants something a bit more tasteful, I'll give it to her! "Or do you just not like me?!" I floated back to the top of the door and started to play my bass again.
"Sorry I don't treat you like a goddess, is that what you want me to do?
Sorry I don't treat you like you're perfect, like all your little loyal subjects do!
Sorry I'm not made of sugar, and I'm not sweet enough for you…
Is that why you always avoid me, that must be such an inconvenience for you,
well…!
I'm just your problem…~!
I'm just your problem…~
It's like I'm not even a person, am I…?
I'm just your problem….~
Well, I shouldn't have to justify what I do…~
I shouldn't have to prove nothing to you…~
Sorry that I exist, I didn't mean to be on your black list, but
I shouldn't have to be the one that makes up with you….! So,
Why do I want to…~?
Why do I want to….~?!
To… To bury in the ground, and drink the red from your- UGH!"My eyes glanced down and there she was, looking up at me with a look of bewilderment and fascination. Then, I noticed what I was about to say right in front of her! I-I can't finish the song! I don't know what to replace the ending with! If I tell them the rest of the song, they'll know! Glob, why did I have to pick this song to sing! I looked over and saw the faces on the door were going back to their displeased selves. Wait… does this door want the truth? How well was I doing anyway?"Stop staring at me!" I cried out at mostly the innocent Bubblegum who really didn't do anything as I floated down and came face to face with her. "You threw me off!"
"C'mon, everybody! Don't stop now! The door was just responding!" Finn exclaimed, obviously excited that they were making progress. And, they were. It was actually going along very well, but… ugh, why did Bubblegum have to look at me like that?! "We have to find what was missing!"
"I know what was missing, talent!" Wow, Jake could play the jerk of the band pretty well. "I'm getting out of here, you hacks! Talentless hacks!" He cried before storming off.
"Yoiks," I said to amuse him and then chuckled to myself.
I noticed Finn had sat down and reached into his bag. "Maybe to be a genuine band, we need to be nicer to each other and hang out as buds! Let's take a noodle break!" Before my face and before Bubblegum's face, Finn held out a block of dried noodles. "C'mon, it'll help!" He offered. Well, we can't have just dried noodles. I floated back to the door where we escaped from my home and into this unknown land with the accursed Sun. "Wait, don't you go, too!" Aw, he was upset, that's so sweet of him.
"I'm just going to get stuff to cook that." I laughed a bit when he had already taken a huge bite out of the block of noodles. On that note, I escaped into the door and grabbed a few things returning only a minute later. "I'm back, yo!" I called out to make my presence known. I saw BMO and had him come over. "C'mere, baby." I said as he laid himself to let me plug a wire into him to heat up my portable stove-thing which was already set with a pot of water.
A few hours had past and I was finally able to rid myself of that huge sunhat of mine along with my gloves. "Pasta, water…" said Finn for some reason. "Getting hotter…! A song about noodles?" He offered happily.
"No!" Both Bubblegum and I barked with serious looks on our faces which quickly vanished when we all started laughing, enjoying our pasta under the stars.
"For our next attempt," started Bubblegum. "I want to be the lead."
"Sounds cool, my bud," Finn responded. It seemed like a good idea to me, too. If she can handle a kingdom and science experiments, I'm sure she can handle music, too. From out of nowhere, Jake, who now appeared to be some punk d-bag, walked into their territory.
"Jake, you're back!" said Finn, stating the obvious.
"Shut your face!" commanded Jake who was still obviously pursuing the jerk-band member role. "I came back for the music…!"
"BMO," Bubblegum said to the robo dude. "Execute song structure alpha." As Bubblegum pressed a few buttons, BMO made a little tune. After that, she just started to instruct everyone to do something. Only after a few moments of playing, it was getting hard to keep up with the beat. Jake threw down his viola, and keeping with the same tune on my bass was getting to be a pain. "Just stick to my blueprints!" Bubblegum offered to help keep us going, but BMO, the poor little robo dude, had a little melt down and couldn't keep up.
"One more time?" Finn suggested to her.
"I may have…" Bubblegum began, red in the face. "…miscalculated…."
Well, this seems like the perfect opportunity to tease Bubblegum. I've always wanted to see just how embarrassed the perfect princess could get. "Ha!" I exclaimed. "You weren't as perfect as you thought!" She really wasn't, and, for so long, I wanted to teach her that it's fine to make mistakes. This is just a prime example that she should have listened to me. "Guess you can't judge me anymore…." I got right up to her face, a huge smirk practically painted on my face.
"I never said you had to be perfect!" Bubblegum retorted. Is the girl really starting to grow a pair? I like where this is going. It's about time she released some anger.
"Alright, time out, guys," Finn said in a nervous tone.
But, of course, it went unheard as I sucked together some saliva and spat it out at her. And when it land, Bubblegum did nothing but stand there in horror, gasping and getting prepared to say something, but no words were forming. So, instead, she decided to just walk away, Finn calling after her and I, for some reason, edged her on by hissing at her. Glob, I was such a jerk….
"Whatever…!" I started as tears were beginning to form. Wait, tears? I never cry! Then again, I never felt like such a jerk before, nor did I feel this upset, even when Ash and I broke up. Why on Earth did I have to anger her? She didn't deserve any of that. All she was doing was trying to help us get through that door, and here I am being a total butt to her and saying she's not perfect. I really couldn't stand to see myself, and I'm glad I can't. "Ugh!" I cry in frustration as the tears I kept hard to fight back were stinging and the lips that wanted to release my tears quivered. "I'm out of here, too!" With that, I got my bass and flew towards the door from which we were brought here. And as I left, I could only here Finn saying my name. Did he see my tears? He sounded a bit worried, but I hated myself so much I began to ignore those around me… I guess you could say it was a bad habit of mine. My mom always said it's because my friends are a part of me and since I hate myself it was in my nature to ignore them.
So, there I was, floating away from Finn and Jake and trying hard not to even glance at Bubblegum. She of all people shouldn't see me cry…. Wait, is that Finn singing?
"Everyone, Bubblegum, I'm so dumb, I should've just told you what I lost
Was a piece of your hair…!
Now it's gone, gone forever,
But I guess it doesn't matter when I just had all of your hair….~
Oh, just had all of your beautiful strands and were even my friends…." Finn looked up and saw the door brightening up. Guess he figured out what I figured out a while ago.
"What am I to you?" Am I playing my bass?
"Am I joke or am I your brother?
What am I to you?
Do you look down on me because I'm younger?
Do you think that I don't understand?
I just wanted us to get together and play in this band,
Last night was the most fun I ever had,
Even liked it when the two of you got mad at each other," Finn pointed at Bubblegum and I and I couldn't help but smile as I looked into her eyes and she looked into mine. And then, that awful feeling was lifted. I might not be too happy with myself still, but the look in her eyes wanted to make me cry from how beautiful she was, it made my heart pound as I felt this overwhelming feeling in my heart take over my mind and soul-yes, I have a soul, some vampires have souls, get over it.
"Oh, you are my best friends in the world.
Best friends in the world, you are my best friends in the world.
That's right, I'm talkin' about the two of you girls.
And you, Jake,
I wanna sing a song to you and I refuse to make it fake…!
What am I to you?" What the hey, I'll help out my bro-human.
"Am I joke or am I your brother? What am I to you…~?
Do you look down on me 'cause I'm younger?
Do you think that I don't understand?
I'll forget that I lost a piece of your hair,
I'll remember the pasta that we shared over there…~
You are, You are my best friends in the world…!
You are my best friends in the world…!
That's right, I'm talking about the two of you girls…
And you, Jake….
I'm gonna sing a song to you (Ahhh….~) and I refuse to make it fake
(Ahhhhh ahhhhh….~) Make no mistake that I'm gonna sing a song that feels so real, it'll make this door break….!"
Well, I guess the song worked, for now we came face-to-face with a hardly-lit room. And there, sitting on the floor eating a sandwich, was that weirdo yellow Door Lord who threatened to take my prized picture.
"It's over, Door Lord!" claimed Finn.
"So hand over our schtuff!" Jake followed.
And all the Door Lord did was shake his head and started to say something that Finn didn't understand. "I totally get it," I said to the Door Lord. "He may have stolen our treasures…" I started to explain, then I allowed Bubblegum to finish, in which she responded with, "… And in doing so he showed us…" from this point, Jake stepped in to help explain. "That the real treasure is friendship!" With this, the Door Lord looked pleased that we had figured it out.
But, we weren't amused, so we kicked the snot out of him and got back our belongings, which Jake handed out.
So Finn's missing treasure was Bubblegum's hair? I should probably give him the talk some day….
Jake got his "blankie" back. Didn't see that one coming.
Lil' robo dude got his controller back, and the cutie started to act like a cowboy.
Then he took out a black rocker shirt and handed it to me. "Marceline, here's your rock shirt." Wait a minute, that's not mine. I mean, it was, but I gave that to…
"It's mine!" called out Bubblegum as she raced towards the shirt. "That's mine…"
She still had it? I'm surprised. I thought she would've thrown it out right after I gave it to her. "You… kept the shirt I gave you…?" I could feel my cheeks get warmer and pinker.
"Yeah…" she confessed. "It, uh, means a lot to me…" When she said that, I could feel my heart pounding. So, she does like me…! The awful feeling from teasing her earlier had returned, but I'm glad she likes me. This whole new feeling made me want to cheer and finish that song from earlier. Then again, I never have seen her wear it.
"But, you never wore it…"
"Dude, I wear it all the time!" she said as she pulled it on over her dress. "As pajamas." She wears that shirt as part of her pajamas… A whole new feeling began to take over as images of the cute princess wearing nothing but this shirt and her underwear flashed into my mind. It made my cheeks burn a bit more as they dusted from pink to red.
"Wait," said Finn, as he looked at me. "If that's Bubblegum's shirt… what were you missing Marceline?"
Why was I there? I mean, technically nothing of mine was stolen, all that happened was the Door Lord threatened to take my favorite picture, but it's still back in my home. I guess you could say I was missing you guys, I thought to myself. So, there I was, blank in the face as they found out I didn't have a reason I could out-right say.
"Wait a second, wait a second!" Finn exclaimed excitedly. "You don't have a thing! You just wanted to hang out with us!"
As much as he was right, I had a reputation to uphold. So, I turned into my ultimate form and chased after him. And, finally, we could all go home.
