Marceline flew up to Ash's pad at a frighteningly early 12 p.m. She had gotten a call from Bonnibel—or maybe it should be 'Bonnie' as it was listed in her phone—saying that Finn and Jake had tracked down Ash and there was no time to lose. Apparently the wizard had been absent at the time, but the imp that lived in his outhouse-thing said he still resided there.

Her friends were already there waiting for her, hidden in a copse of trees a good distance from the house. She landed in between Finn and Jake and greeted them both with a high five. The princess she wasn't so sure how deal with.

She settled on being flippant.

"Hey, princess! I'm digging the purple eyeliner," she said, looking at the bags under the princess's sleepless eyes.

"How droll," she replied dryly. "I see you're sporting some too. Or does that just come with your normal goth vampire look?"

"What can I say? I had a lot to think about last night," she shrugged. "Plus someone work me up awful early today. Couldn't wait to see me?"

"Hardly," she said, but the smile on her face said otherwise. "As much as I'd love to let you have your beauty sleep, our time may be limited."

She added in a small voice, "And some of us were up all night working for you, you know?"

"I know. Thanks," she said, feeling a small warmth in her chest at how sweet Bonnibel—Bonnie—was.

"So what's the status?" she said turning to the group.

"We saw Ash go in just a little while ago," said Finn. "So what's the plan? We jump him, steal his magic powder, and skedaddle?"

"We also need to know if he's responsible for stealing Marceline's memories," the princess replied. "He may have hidden them somewhere, so 'jumping him' should be a last resort. Let's talk about this like civilized adults first."

"You got it, princess," said Marceline as she floated forwards into the clearing.

"Hey Ash, you butt! Get out here!" she shouted.

She could hear Bonnie face-palming behind her, but honestly being nice to Ash would have made him far more suspicious. It irked her a bit how well she knew the man and how well she remembered this place. If she was going to forget something, why couldn't it be this?

After a few moments, the door opened and out came a lanky, gray-skinned man with a single tail of white hair hanging over the center of his head and down over his face. His eyes widened for a moment and then he broke into a wide toothy grin.

"Marceline! What a pleasant surprise to see you, babe. I had heard some guys were snooping around my place, but I never expected it'd be you."

From behind his back he pulled out the pint-sized imp and held it squirming in one hand.

"You let toilet-imp go, you monster!" Jake shouted.

"Oh, and you brought a dog. You know I don't allow pets in Casa de la Ash, Marcy. I suppose you never were very smart though."

Marceline winced, remembering a time she had believed that about herself. There was a time where she thought taunting words like that were the only affection she could get.

The princess stepped up beside her and squeezed her shoulder, and she relaxed under the other girl's touch.

"You dated this weenus?" said Bonnie quietly.

"It was at a bad time in my life, okay?" There was no real other way to explain it.

The princess fixed Ash with a stern look and spoke loudly across the clearing. "Listen, Ash, we're just here for some info. Where were you two nights ago?"

"I don't see why I should tell you. What do I get out of it?"

"In exchange for answering our questions and giving us some of your magic sleep powder, I'll give you this." She pulled a large sack out of her backpack and threw it on the ground between them. Out spilled glittering gold and jewels.

Ash eyed it hungrily for a moment but then shook his head.

"Please, I'm a wizard. What do I need money for when I can just take what I want?" He scoffed. "I have a better idea. Why don't you beg me on hour hands and knees? Or better yet, why don't you spend the night with me? I've never had a princess before."

"Okay, now let's kill him," Finn said, and Marceline agreed with a hiss. She lunged forward a step until a pink hand grabbed her arm to restrain her.

"Trust me," the princess whispered and then walked over in front of Ash.

"I'll agree to your terms as long as you give us the info and the powder first."

"What? Bonnie!" Marceline shouted.

"Boo! Boo to that idea!" Jake added.

Bonnie silenced them with a look and then turned back to Ash.

"Deal?" She extended her hand.

Ash seemed surprised, but then he looked her up and down with a sleazy grin and shook her hand.

"Sure thing, babe."

He reached his other arm around her waist to forcefully pull her in close. She braced a hand against his chest to keep some distance between them. The sight made Marceline's blood heat up, and her fangs pierced into her lower lip.

"The information first, please. Did you interact with Marceline in any way two nights ago?"

"Nope, haven't seen the chick in years." He didn't seem particularly interested in her questions as his eyes roamed over her body.

"And you do you know anything about her memory being manipulated recently?"

He blinked and looked over at Marceline before breaking out in laughter.

"Wait someone was messing with her head again? Damn, girl, you need a lock on that thing. You didn't many marbles to start with!"

Bonnie pushed him away fully and spoke in a deadpan tone, "Did you steal her memories or do you know anyone who might have done so?"

"Uh, wasn't me. But hey, it could be anyone as long as they had the powder."

"And who else might have it?"

"I trade it to Wizard City every once in a while, but I don't know who exactly gets it. Chill." He seemed off put by her intensity.

"Anyone? Wonderful," she grumbled. "And the powder?" She held out a hand.

"Right here, babe."

He pulled a small pouch off his belt and handed it to her.

"Now why don't we come inside?" He moved to her side and reached an arm around her shoulders to guide her into the cabin.

"Of course, I always keep my promises. But first I'll need to have my research equipment moved here. Even if I'm spending the night, I'll need to continue my work. Oh, and if you touch me again," she said, pinching his hand and removing it from her back, "there will be severe consequences. I promise you that too."

"What? But you said…"

"That I would spend the night. Nothing else." A victorious smile formed on her face.

Marceline flew up to the princess, feeling the tension drain out of her. She had been torn watching the scene play out. On the one hand, there was no way that she was letting Ash do what he wanted, but at the same time, did she even have the right to tell Bonnie what to do?

It worked out though, thank glob. Perhaps if she had had her memories, if she had known Bonnie better, she would have realized it was a clever ploy all along.

She took Bonnie's hand, wondering for a moment if she was being as bad as Ash, but then she felt Bonnie squeeze her hand back.

"Go on and wait for tonight like a good boy." She shooed Ash back towards the house. "I think several of us will be staying here just be safe."

Ash growled in frustration. "You, you liars! You're going to regret messing with me. I knew there was trouble when I heard someone was sneaking about, so I invited a few friends over."

He turned to shout back into the house. "Longshanks! Noodler! Get out here!"

Two men rushed out of the house to stand at his side. One was barely three feet tall with squat arms and legs and a round body. Except for the fact that he had green skin and was wearing clothing, he looked remarkably like Starchy from the Candy Kingdom.

The other was tall and lanky with long, yellow, noodley arms that seemed to flop about instead of having rigid bones. He was dressed in some sort of white and yellow spandex outfit with a picture of elbow macaroni on his chest.

"Gentlemen, these fiends stole from me. Let's show them what happens when they mess with wizards," Ash said as he raised his tree branch wand.

"I'll be the one teaching you a lesson," Marceline said as she squared off in front her old boyfriend. Maybe giving him a pummeling would be good catharsis.

"Uh, we'll get this thing then," Jake said as the Noodler cackled maniacally and flailed his arms about. "Dude stop. It's grossing me out."

That left Bonnie facing Longshanks.

"Uh, hi. I'm mostly here for moral support," Longshanks said.

"Then give up and get out of here." Bonnie jabbed a finger towards the horizon.

"Yeah, uh, I would like to but I kind of owe Ash a favor. Maybe you could give up?"

"Not in your lifetime, buster."

Bonnie studied the little sea green man, trying to figure out what his power was and which of the devices on her backpack would be most useful in dispatching him. The sooner she resolved this, the sooner she could go assist her friends, who were already locked in action. Marceline and Ash were zipping around at high speed in the air above the cottage. Finn was riding atop a giant-sized Jake, and the two of them were trying to ward off a deluge of penne that came spraying out of the Noodler.

"Oh. Okay. Well, here we go then." Longshanks raised his wand and incanted in a loud voice, "Acto tibia grownum!"

The glow from his wand entered his legs and they began to expand at an alarming rate. They grew taller and wider until his body, which remained the same size, was barely visible in the distance, perhaps a few hundred feet in the air. It looked like a tiny pea on top of tree trunk-like legs.

Well, she certainly wasn't expecting that. She quickly reevaluated her list of inventions and mentally selected a few that might work.

Longshanks seemed to say something, but at that distance it just sounded to Bonnie like a mumble.

"What? I can't hear you," she yelled up.

"What?" Came his louder reply.

"I said, I can't hear you!" she shouted louder.

"Oh! I said I'm going to step on you now!"

"Okay! Got it!" She gave him a thumbs up.

"Wait, what was that?!"

"What was what?!"

"Did you do something with your hand?! I didn't bring my glasses!"

Bonnie put a hand over her eyes and sighed. She hadn't gotten enough sleep to deal with this.

"Forget it! Just get on with it!" she yelled.

The wizard started moving, thank glob. He raised one giant foot and brought it down at her in a ponderous but deadly motion. The shadow of the sole was wide enough to eclipse her whole body, and the rushing of the wind as it descended made a low rumble.

Sprinting to the side, she dove at the last moment out from underneath the boot. The impact from its collision with the ground threw up dirt and leaves in a halo around it. Bonnie rolled to her feet and pulled a rifle with a smooth blue barrel from her backpack. Best to start simple. She slammed a battery pack into its underside and took aim at his shins. She pulled the trigger, and an orb of green energy arced and connected squarely with Longshanks' leg.

And did absolutely nothing. Even his pants were unsinged.

She tossed the gun aside as another foot descended towards her. Again she dove out of the way, and the shockwave bounced her along the ground.

So conventional weapons were out. Could she tie his legs up? The rope of her grappling hook might be long enough, but she wasn't strong enough to loop it around those massive legs and pull it taught.

Maybe it was time for some improvisation. As she ran in front of Longshanks, she cracked open another energy pack with a knife, being careful not to spill the vibrant blue acid within on her hands. She then pulled out her Expand-O-Foam, a small pink cube that would disperse into a fluffy cloud on impact, perfect for cushioning falls.

As the next foot plunged towards her, she dropped the cube into the acid and left the concoction behind her so that it was crushed underfoot. She repeated the procedure, hoping that her mental chemistry was right, and left a second mixture to be crushed as she dodged his other foot.

"You're doing great! One more time, please," she shouted up, waving at him.

She sprinted fifty feet in front of Longshanks, far enough that he would have to take a large stride to reach her. The wizard leaned his body forward to make the large step, however when he went to lift his foot, sticky pink gum glued it to the earth. His other foot, which tried to slide out to catch him, was similarly pinned.

Like a falling tree, Longshanks tilted ever so slowly and then gained momentum until he came crashing down into the forest with a thunderous boom of splintering wood beneath him. Bonnie heard a faint groan as the wizard, still alive, lay still.

Brushing the leaves and dirt from her clothes as best she could, Bonnie looked over to find the other fights similarly done.

Finn and Jake had the Noodler tied up. His own arms were knotted around him like a strait jacket, with one arm passing over his mouth to serve as a gag. Finn was pulling a piece of linguini out of his nose and muttering about not eating pasta for a week. Jake was passed out on the ground, his stomach looking like he had consumed a wheelbarrow's worth of food.

Ash was on the ground as well sporting a black eye and some fresh lumps. Marceline snapped his wand in her fist and leaned over him.

"If you ever touch my friends again," she whispered, "you're dead." She flashed her fangs at him savagely.

The vampire looked up and jumped when she saw Bonnie watching.

"Oh! You're already finished." She flushed as she floated over to Bonnie.

She never noticed before that the tips of the vampire's pointy ears turned a faint color as well. She smiled, thinking of the reaction she'd get if she reached up and grabbed one. The other girl always tried to play it cool, but she was delightfully sensitive in certain ways.

Her smile faded as she came to her senses. Marceline was already confused enough as it was. She shouldn't force her feelings on the girl, especially now that her memories were gone and she didn't feel the same way.

Bonnie just had to hold herself back for a few days. Not a big deal. She had been holding herself back for years. Then they would find Marceline's memories and everything would go back to normal. And if they didn't…if they didn't…

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Marceline gently held her arms and looked over her for injuries. "I wanted to go help you earlier, but Jake said you could take care of yourself, so I just…" She gestured back to Ash.

"I'm fine." She tried to smile reassuringly. "That guy was a piece of cake. There's nothing that science can't overcome."

"Looks like it. I see it also gave you a rad hairdo." Marceline leaned forward and pulled a couple twigs and a whole maple leaf from her hair.

"Please, it's called fashion. Look it up." She took the leaf and suck it back behind her ear like an ornament. Marceline gave her a lopsided grin.

Even if the vampire didn't know it, her reactions and gestures were so familiar. But that familiarity combined with the distance she had to hold herself at made her ache.

"We should get to the castle to proceed with the next step," she said abruptly. "Finn, Jake, you ready?"

"No, I think I'm going to be sick," said Finn, hoisting Jake onto his back.

"Yeah, what he said," Jake mumbled with his eyes still closed.

"Come on, you babies," Bonnie said, patting him on the back. Then unable to resist, she added, "You're stroganoff to deal with this."

The vampire barked a laugh as she took Jake's limp form to help out. "Yeah, what are you alfredof?

"Please, no…" Finn begged.

"Alright, fine. Maybe we should give them a break," Bonnie sighed. "They do seem…shell-shocked."

"You're monsters," Finn said in response to Marceline's laughter. "At least I know you'll run out of puns sooner or later."

"Run out? Impastable!" said Marceline.

Finn groaned as they headed back to the candy castle.