Author's Note:I would like to take a moment and thank everyone who favorited/followed this story from just the prologue. I would also like to say "I love you thank you so much" to the people who commented. I really do appreciate your support.

I'm sorry it took a while to get chapter 1 up. I think the pattern I've fallen into is work on the chapter during the week, then type it up and post it on the weekend.

About this chapter... I tried really hard on this chapter but... I feel like maybe it was too much of an info-dump. If it's boring, I am really sorry. Please let me know what you think, and if you thought it was too long/boring I will work to make future chapters more interesting. I want to grow from my feedback. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy the next part of Bitter Sugar.

Bitter Sugar: Chapter 1


Bubblegum stood in the middle of the royal meeting room, staring at her brother incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What did you say?"

"Have you grown deaf, sister?" Gumball sighed from behind his desk. He spoke slowly, as if to a child. "In exchange for the support of their military, Nightos has requested your hand in marriage to one of their Royal Society."

"I won't do it," Bubblegum stated.

Gumball glared up at her from his papers. "Yes. You will."

Bubblegum glared right back at her brother. "You cannot make me, and I will not."

Gumball's eyebrows shot up as if he hadn't a care in the world for his sister's arguments. "Well, I already replied that you agreed to the match this morning. So, if you don't want to risk offending the populace of Nightos by betraying the hand of their most popular warrior and possibly starting a war where they will surely destroy us… that is on you."

Bubblegum's jaw dropped in shock. "You WHAT? You didn't even ask or consult with me before replying? I'm not some pawn you can sell off for your own gain. Contact them again, and refuse the marriage immediately!"

Gumball sat back in his chair, looking down his nose at his sister. "I am king. You are nothing. You will do as you're told for the good of the people. You're always the one going on about our duty as the royal family to serve the populace."

"I was supposed to serve them by becoming Queen after Uncle passed away! He named me heir because you never wanted to rule. Now you usurp me, claiming hereditary right overpowers a successor designation, and try to ship me off to Nightos?" Bubblegum argued hotly.

"I've heard enough," Gumball said as he stood. "You will go to Nightos, you will marry this Marce…whatever her name is, you will represent our country there for the rest of your life, and you will do it… with a smile," he grinned at her as an example.

"…Her name?" Bubblegum exclaimed. "You've sold me off to a political marriage?"

Gumball looked his sister up and down, ignoring her question. "You will also lose some weight," he commented dryly. "I hear they're very critical of the Royal class there. Don't make a bad impression of our kingdom." Gumball turned on his heel and exited the room, smacking the door shut behind him in finality.

A political marriage? In Nightos? Where she would live out the rest of her life as the Candy Kingdom representative? Bubblegum's anger overgrew her senses for a brief moment as she grabbed the nearest inanimate object, a newly framed painting of Gumball, and tossed it to the floor quickly followed by as many books as she could grab off the shelves of the room.

She couldn't believe that Gumball, of all people, was doing this to her. While growing up, her brother had always expressed his anxiety and fear of ruling. He didn't understand the people, and lived in worry that he would do one wrong thing and turn the people against him. They had been in agreement when their uncle named her the next successor of the Candy Throne.

About three years ago, the Peppermint Advisory appeared, claiming to offer help in all things concerned with running a country. Gumball had been the only one to take them seriously, and he had changed during his time consulting them. Only once Uncle had become dreadfully ill did he suddenly announce his intent to take over as king after Uncle's death. While Bubblegum had been at her Uncle's side on his deathbed, Gumball had disappeared, only to be crowned king by "birthright" the same moment Uncle passed away.

Bubblegum's lawyers were still researching the issue of "birthright" versus being named heir by the former ruler, but the necessary resources in the library were mysteriously missing. This had all only transpired a mere two weeks ago, and now Gumball was already signing a treaty with Nightos, of all places. A treaty that just happened to involve shipping her off to some dark corner of the world, never to be heard from again. It wasn't a coincidence.

Leaving the meeting room in disrepair, Bubblegum stomped through the castle and back to her personal quarters. She was surprised to find her friends, Finn the King's Champion and Lady Rainicorn, already there. It seemed Gumball had already announced the engagement to his advisors and circle of nobility. Bubblegum had been the last to hear the news.

"Well, I guess everyone will be disappointed when I tell them it's not happening," Bubblegum insisted, smothering the urge to destroy the nearest inanimate object again. "I refuse. My place is here, with my own people."

Lady Rainicorn spoke gently, as she always did. "My lady… Jake is trying to reason with him now. While the entire court knows you would never willingly agree to leave your kingdom, Gumball has created a difficult situation by already agreeing to all the demands put forth by Nightos."

Bubblegum huffed, facing the window. "Well, at least I know I still have friends at court."

Finn cleared his throat before speaking. "PB… Jake pointed out that your denial would leave a rift with Nightos over a broken marriage contract. Gumball… he announced he's prepared to offer Nightos the Lemon Lands if it comes to making an apology."

Bubblegum turned to her friends, shocked for the second time that day. "Give away our lands? He can't do that! I built that city up from nothing for the orphans and refugees of the last war. He can't just start selling off boundaries to appease damaged egos. There won't be a kingdom left!"

"He can and he will," a grave voice announced from the doorway. Jake, Lady Rainicorn's husband who served with her as joint head of the international advisory, closed the door behind him. "Gumball knows that Nightos is overpopulated. He thinks they'll jump at the chance to acquire more land."

"He's just making empty threats to force me along with his stupid plan," Bubblegum kicked the couch.

"Yes, he is," Lady Rainicorn agreed. "Although I'm not sure they are so empty."

Jake stepped before Bubblegum. "Princess… I'm not convinced the former king's sudden loss of health was natural. If the Peppermint Advisory had anything to do with this, they will not hesitate to come after you next."

A collective gasp from the other members of the room seemed to echo off the walls. It was Finn who spoke first. "Jake… are you suggesting… the former king was murdered?"

"I can't prove it," Jake's shoulders sagged. "However, it is a strong possibility. Unfortunately, I believe that the safest place for you may actually be Nightos, Princess. For now."

"For now?" Bubblegum repeated.

Finn smacked his fist into his opposite palm. "I see. If we can find a way to remove Gumball from the throne before he produces an heir, you'll be next in line. Even if you're married to someone in Nightos, you'll have to return, as is your duty as a member of the royal family."

An odd silence spread through the room. Finally, Lady Rainicorn stepped forward to take Princess Bubblegum's hands in her own. "My lady… you are intelligent and discerning. You are fair and responsible. Take everything we have said into consideration, and think about it."

At that, Rainicorn motioned for Finn and Jake to follow her from the room, leaving Bubblegum alone to think. The pink princess paced her room in circles. She wasn't comfortable with leaving the fate of the Candy Kingdom in her brother's hands, not after everything he had done. There was no telling what kind of damage he could do before she returned… if she returned. Ending up dead, however, was a much more permanent fate than living as the foreign ambassador to Nightos.

Bubblegum stopped in front of her dresser, staring at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe she was about to make this decision. Her brows furrowed, angry at the injustice of it all. Glancing to the right, she reached forward and grabbed a piece of chocolate, chewing it furiously to spite her brother.


- 2 weeks later -

Gumball wasted no time in shipping the princess out of his country, accompanied by Rainicorn, Jake, five personal handmaidens and five personal guards trained by Finn to stay with her in Nightos. Rainicorn and Bubblegum sat opposite one another in the bumpy carriage.

"We've been traveling over a week and we still won't arrive until tomorrow or possibly the next day," Bubblegum complained. "The distance alone will make visiting and contact improbable. I doubt holospheres will even work this far apart."

Rainicorn smiled. "Jake and I will stay until after the wedding to help you settle in. I'm sorry your brother couldn't make it, Princess."

"Ha!" Bubblegum's face contorted with sarcasm. "Couldn't make it? Like that bastard would bother if he had all the time in the world. Do you know what he said when I went to tell him I agreed to the marriage? 'Yes sister,'" she deepened her voice, waddling her head in a poor imitation of her brother. " 'I know. I already made the decision for you, remember?'"

Rainicorn tactfully changed the subject. "At least you have the handmaidens and guards to stay with you indefinitely. They all volunteered for the job. Your people care about you."

"Rain…" Bubblegum became serious. "You need to keep an eye on the Peppermint Advisory. Gumball changed after they showed up. I've a notion they are mostly responsible for this political marriage of mine to Marceline Abadeer."

"The Abadeer family?" Rainicorn inquired. "Isn't that the current ruling family?"

"Yes, although it doesn't mean much in a country where rulers are decided by popularity and not blood or lineage…" Bubblegum grumbled, obviously put off by the barbaric traditions of Nightos. "I couldn't even find any decent research materials concerning Nightos in our library. Everything was about its founding thousands of years ago, nothing about current matters. The only thing I know about this Marceline is that people call her 'The Vampire Queen'. What a silly nickname."

"My lady," Rainicorn looked downtrodden. "There is a reason most of the countries in Ooo avoid Nightos. There's also a reason it's nicknamed the 'Sphere of Chaos'. I'm afraid that in our attempt to protect you from your brother, we may have thrown you into an equally dangerous situation."

"Tell me what you know," Bubblegum requested.

The rest of the journey was spent discussing the strange construction of politics and public opinion in Nightos. There were various levels of "classes"- the top most being the Royal Society. Rather than one family who ruled by succession, each family held one spot on a Royal Council that advised and supported the current ruler. The ruler, however, was elected through a competition called the Inheritence Ceremony. Every house put forth their best contestants that the lower classes, referred to as "fanizens", supported.

This was where the system got tricky and became difficult to understand for Bubblegum, no matter how Rainicorn tried to explain. The houses were rated by popularity, but their level of public approval was not necessarily judged on competency. Things like fashion, personality, how one acted in interviews, etc. were considered very important. There were even people whose entire job was to point out the negative aspects of the royalty to try to tear them down. One wrong move, even in one's personal life, could mean the end of a royal's "career", as it was called.

The current king had reigned for a long time, meaning he had managed to hold the public's favor. Supposedly much of his popularity had to do with his adopted children, twins originally from the royal Vampire clan. Bubblegum knew she was being married off to the older of the twins, Marceline. That, however, was the extent of her knowledge.

By the time they finally reached the outer lands of the Nightos capitol, Bubblegum's head was filled with as much information that she didn't truly understand as possible. As they made their way through the streets of the city, Bubblegum moved the curtains of the carriage window to look out.

"Shouldn't we… I don't know… wave?" Bubblegum asked. It's what she would do back home for her people.

"I'd rather not risk assassination on the first day in Nightos, my Lady," Rainicorn sounded tired. Obviously Jake had given her strict orders not to allow the Princess Bubblegum to do anything rash, including wave out the window.

Bubblegum continued her quite observation of the Nightos citizens lined up on the edges of the street. While the state of buildings and roads greatly improved the closer they got to the central area, where the Royal Society lived, Bubblegum found it particularly interesting that even the lowest classes did not seem particularly underfed or uncared for. The people were not attractive by any means; in fact most of them were decidedly unattractive sporting malformations or missing entire limbs.

"Why do the people look like this?" she asked, wondering if Rainicorn even had any idea.

"While it is regarded as a place of insanity, Nightos also has a policy to never turn away anyone looking for sanctum. You could call it a collection of outcasts from the other kingdoms," Rainicorn tugged the curtain a bit more tightly around her window.

"Doesn't that pose a lot of risk?" Bubblegum wondered aloud. "It seems the opportunity for foreign spies to infiltrate the capitol would be immense."

Rainicorn coughed a bit before answering. "The current king, Hunson Abadeer, has made a name for himself for his hazardously strict laws concerning illegal activity. One of his first acts as king was to go on a scourge throughout the kingdom of Nightos, rounding up any and all possible rebellious infidel. He is not known for his mercy."

Bubblegum could tell Rainicorn knew more details than she was admitting, but the multicolored woman obviously didn't want to discuss it further. They had been close friends her entire life, and Bubblegum suspected that Rainicorn was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her Princess there. Especially now that they were seeing it first hand.

Flickering lights caught her attention, making her pull the curtain open a bit wider. People holding large metal boxes were screaming towards the carriage, lights flashing from the tops of the devices. Rainicorn quickly returned the curtain to properly cover the entire window without comment.

"Were those cameras?" Bubblegum asked in surprise. Such technologies were severely regulated in the Candy Kingdom, only professional workers with the proper license could obtain such things.

"Do not make the mistake of thinking you are in the Candy Kingdom, Princess," was all Rainicorn said.

After what must have been a few hours, the carriage rolled through a great gateway decorated with stone inlay that looked suspiciously like giant bones. Bubblegum couldn't help but be critical of the poor taste. They passed even larger estates which she imagined to belong to each of the Royal families. Only when they approached an unnecessarily large staircase did the carriage pull to a stop along with the entirety of their caravan.

Jake appeared at their door, ushering them out of the carriage. Bubblegum would be happy to never ride in one again after this, her muscles were so sore.

"The entire Royal Society is waiting in the King's Hall to receive us," Jake informed them after speaking to a footman. "It's this way."

"Is it common for Nightos Royalty to force all of their guests to walk a giant flight of stairs before they will receive them?" Bubblegum griped, not bothering to keep her voice down despite the presence of guardsmen and women everywhere.

"We are to first be seen to our rooms to change. Please keep your comments to yourself until we are in a safe, private place my Lady," Rainicorn quietly chastised, following her husband up the stairs.

Bubblegum frowned before she stomped up the marble staircase after her friends, followed by the handmaidens and guards that had accompanied them. She could already tell this was the beginning of a very bad experience. She hoped said experience could contain itself to just today, and not the rest of her livelihood here.

Once they reached the top of the staircase they entered into another large pair of doors into what seemed to be a waiting room. Bubblegum wiped the sweat from her forehead, frowning at the damp stains and streaks of dust that appeared on her clothes. The sound of a door opening pulled everyone's attention to the exit.

An extremely pale, almost dead-looking, man stood- no, floated there in the doorway. Black slacks were topped with a red jacket sporting gold buttons. His black hair was short, but bobbed around his pointy ears and bright red eyes. "Dignitaries of the Candy Kingdom," he said, bowing despite the lack of floor beneath his feet. "Welcome to Nightos. My name is Marshall Lee Abadeer, and it is my pleasure to receive you."

Bubblegum's brows furrowed. From the natural speed at which he spoke, it almost sounded as if he had just introduced himself as Marceline, Bubblegum's intended fiancée. This couldn't be true, as he was various obviously a man. There was only one solution.

"You must be the younger sibling," Bubblegum grinned a greeting, curtsying like Rainicorn had trained her. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

A smile twitched at the man's mouth, which the Princess now realized held sporting sharp fangs. Overall, he made a rather intimidating image. She could only imagine what his older sister must be like.

"No need for such formality," he assured her, waving a pale hand. "I do believe we should get to know one another very well, as you will be gracing our halls with your presence for… a while."

Bubblegum gave no reaction, and when the silence dragged out Jake jumped to the rescue. He quickly introduced himself and assured Marshall they were ready to be escorted to their rooms so they could change quickly. They wished to change quickly, in order to be received by the King of Nightos.

"Of course," Marshall nodded as he turned out the door again. "I'll have the footman escort you momentarily."

"Alright," Jake addressed the five handmaidens as soon as the door was closed. "Girls, can you get Bubblegum presentable in under a half hour? We shouldn't leave the King waiting for too long, despite having been traveling for a week. I think that-"

The door opened again, revealing a different footman from before. "The King will receive you now," he said, bowing at the waist.

"Receive us?" Jake and Rainicorn said at the same time, exchanging a look of confusion. "Aren't we to be taken to our rooms?"

"The King will receive you now," the man repeated himself.

"S-Surely he just wishes to greet us unofficially after our long travel," Jake stuttered, nervous hands fiddling with his dirty clothes.

Bubblegum followed the footman, Jake, and Rainicorn without comment. She had a suspicion something was afoot, but she knew voicing any worry would just increase Jake's discomfort. She noted the way Rainicorn placed a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder, allowing him to relax a bit.

It quickly became obvious that Jake's nerves had been well-deserved, as they approached a set of extremely large marble doors. The sounds of a large group of people talking and laughing, a soft tune playing in the background, and the clinking of glasses came into the hall. When the footman moved to open one of the doors, Bubblegum saw Jake and Rainicorn's faces turn white.

The door opened quickly, despite its massive size. Immediately, every person in the room turned to stare at them in the doorway.

"Announcing: The Candy Kingdom Delegation. Lead by Lord Jake and Lady Rainicorn, leaders of the International Advisory for the Candy King. Announcing: her Highness, Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom- sister to his Majesty, King Gumball of the Candy Kingdom," the footman announced at the top of his lungs.

Bubblegum felt her knees wobble. Over two hundred people, dressed in some of the finest clothing she had ever seen, were staring open-mouthed in their direction. Jake and Rainicorn had been lecturing her the entire trip on the importance of physical appearance in Nightos, as well as the necessity of a good first impression for the first peaceful contact between the two nations in centuries. Right now, they obviously met neither of those requirements.

The footman began walking straight into the hall, down the large maroon carpet that lead to the throne dais at the other end. Bubblegum nudged Jake in the back, snapping him out of his shocked stupor as he followed the footman. Bubblegum followed with her eyes trained on the floor, trying to convince herself it wasn't as bad of a situation as it seemed. The muffled laughter that began drifting through the hall at their entrance proved otherwise.

After being paraded in front of what was surely every last member of the Royal Society of Nightos, they arrived at the foot of the King Hunson's dais. Jake and Rainicorn both bowed to one knee, their palms held open in front of them. Bubblegum, also being royalty, stayed standing, but kept her eyes trained to the floor.

"Friends!" King Hunson boomed from above them. "Stand, stand, please!"

Once Jake and Rainicorn had stood, Bubblegum raised her gaze to the king above them. His skin was grey, but not as lifeless as his adopted son's had been, and hung around his body a bit too loosely. This did not seem to hinder his movement, as he clapped his hands together excitedly.

"We are relieved you are finally here! However… I thought you would have at least liked an hour or so to change…" he tilted his head in confusion.

An awkward silence filled the air. Jake glanced at Rainicorn, who gave the smallest shake of her head.

Seeming to understand the situation, the king turned to the footman who still kneeled. "Why have you brought them here and not to their rooms?"

The man didn't move as he answered. "I was ordered to present the Candy Kingdom delegation to your majesty post haste."

Hunson's friendly demeanor dropped instantly. "By whom?"

"By… by…" Bubblegum glanced at the man, seeing his face contort in confusion and possibly pain. She decided if there was ever a time to take a risk, it would be now.

"It's not a problem at all your Majesty," she spoke clearly, her voice carrying throughout the large room. She bobbed a curtsy when King Hunson turned his gaze on her. "We deemed it more important to present ourselves before you. Besides," she forced a smile and moved a bit so her dress would twirl around her ankles, "Surely you've heard the 'dusty traveler' look is the latest fashion?"

A horridly silent moment passed, and Bubblegum thought she had only made matters worse until King Hunson's friendly demeanor suddenly returned with a boisterous laugh. Bubblegum giggled politely, quickly followed by the rest of the hundreds of people around them. She only hoped they were laughing with her joke and not at her.

Once the tension had passed, Hunson and Jake began speaking together. Bubblegum allowed herself to relax the tiniest bit, hoping the crisis had been averted. She began to glance around, taking note of the impressive architecture. A flash nearby caught her attention, and she looked into the crowd to see one of the members of royalty trying to hide a smaller camera in their sleeve. Of course, no amount of joking could change the fact that a princess had entered a royal welcome in dirty, dusty traveling clothes.

Deciding to ignore them, Bubblegum looked back towards Jake and the King to see another person approaching them from the dais. A tall serious-looking woman floated down the stairs slowly, her waist-length black hair trailing after her. She was clad in a dark suit, the blouse a deep violet covered in gold buttons. A gold chain kept a ceremonial cloak secure around her shoulders. When Bubblegum looked into her face, she found the woman staring straight back at her. The red eyes' gaze was intense, making Bubblegum blink in surprise. There was no doubt who this person was.

"Ah, there you are," Hunson turned to the woman as she came to land next to him. "I'm sure this is who you've been dying to meet, eh?" he grinned at Bubblegum, who startled at being addressed. "This is my daughter, Marceline Abadeer of the Vampire clan, known as the Vampire Queen, and also… you're fiancée."

Marceline took three precise steps towards Bubblegum, her eyes never breaking contact. Standing so close to one another, Bubblegum found herself looking up slightly. Marceline suddenly broke their gaze, bowing to one knee with her right fist held to her left shoulder.

"Princess Bubblegum," she spoke smoothly, her voice assured and strong. She spoke no louder than necessary, and yet everyone in the room seemed to hang on her coming words. "I, Marceline Abadeer, welcome you to the humble country of Nightos. If you would accept, I would offer you the usage and protection of my house's name."

Marceline looked up at her again, raising her hand up as if expecting something. Bubblegum stared at the woman, caught in her gaze again. She didn't realize she was staring until her jumbled thoughts were interrupted by Jake clearing his throat.

Blushing a bit from embarrassment, Bubblegum took the offered hand and curtsied again. "I accept the offer, Marceline. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Marceline stood, her face still stoic. "The pleasure is mine."

"Well then," Hunson practically yelled as he smacked Jake on the shoulder. "How about we have a drink then, eh?"

Another flash appeared in the corner of Bubblegum's vision, making her frown. Were the pictures still really necessary? Surely they had already gotten enough embarrassing photos to make the rest of her life here a misery. She looked up to find Rainicorn, but was surprised to see Marceline glaring in the direction that the camera flash had come from.

"It's not a problem," Bubblegum said, making the woman look back at her. "Please don't worry."

Without reply, Marceline reached up and unclasped the chain around her neck causing the cloak to fall from her shoulders. With one fluid movement, she wrapped the material around Bubblegum's smaller shoulders. The dark velvet wrapped around her body completely hiding any sight of her poor clothing.

"Kovmir," she called, and a man Bubblegum hadn't noticed appeared at their side. "You and your men escort Princess Bubblegum and her delegation to their rooms safely."

The man bowed and summoned more men, all dressed in the same warrior's garment, to lead them from the hall. Marceline turned to Bubblegum one last time, taking her hand gently and raising it to her lips. A chill went down Bubblegum's spine at the kiss. The Vampire Queen's touch was cold.

"I would not have you ridiculed while under the protection of my name," Marceline informed her quietly. "Please rest and enjoy dinner. We will meet again tomorrow." She released Bubblegum's hand.

Unsure of how to respond, Bubblegum didn't move. Rainicorn tugged at her elbow, leading her away. Bubblegum glanced over her shoulder, noticing similarly dressed warriors taking the footman who had caused the debacle away. They exited the large hall much more quickly than they had entered, everyone taking a deep breath when they were finally away from the staring eyes of Nightos royalty.

Once the man named Kovmir had deposited them safely, he returned to his other duties. Jake flopped onto a large, plush couch with a giant sigh. "I must say Bubblegum," he said as if exhausted, "you may not think you have what it takes to handle international relations but you sure did save that situation just now."

"Yes," Lady Rainicorn smiled at her like a proud mother. "You handled yourself perfectly."

"Well, except for the part where you kept staring at Lady Marceline and forgot how to reply," Jake snickered.

Rainicorn smacked her husband on the head when Bubblegum frowned. "The Lady Marceline is quite interesting," the woman commented.

"Yes," Bubblegum said, staring across the room at a large painting on the wall. "There are many interesting things here. Like footmen who forget who gave them orders to 'accidentally' present foreign dignitaries to the king before allowing them to rest, and consequently make a spectacle. Also, like the royalty who, rather than hold themselves with dignity, laugh and take pictures of am embarrassed foreign emissary. And finally, as you mentioned, the Lady Marceline. It is rather interesting when my fiancée greets me for the first time by acting as if she needs to protect me from pictures, and have her own personal guard escort us to our rooms our very first night here."

"How do you know those were her personal guards?" Jake asked.

"The chain," Bubblegum shrugged the cloak she had received off of her shoulders and held the chain up for inspection. "The sigil, here at the end? It's the sign of Lady Marceline's personal house. The guards she spoke to held the sigil of her house, not of the castle. They are her personal guard, not the king's. They answer to her."

"I'm surprised you noticed such a thing," Jake mused.

Bubblegum sat back in her chair, her fingers playing over the soft fabric of the cloak. She didn't need anyone to ride in and save her from an embarrassing situation. If Marceline thought that Bubblegum was going to be a weak-willed wife, constantly needing support and protection, she would soon learn otherwise. And everything else that had happened only made Bubblegum more suspicious. She suspected their embarrassing introduction to the king and Royal Society had not be an accident. But who held to gain from causing the new Princess embarrassment?

"We will have to be more careful," Bubblegum said seriously. Jake nodded in agreement, while Lady Rainicorn stared at the floor despondently.