Night had truly fallen by the time Peppermint Butler pulled the carriage into the courtyard of the Nut Castle. A slight wind bent the tops of the walnut trees and gently stirred Bubblegum's hair, which cascaded over her left shoulder in soft waves. She shivered and Celia touched her hand and offered an encouraging smile. Bubblegum smiled back, but inside her stomach was twisting painfully. This would be the first time she saw Walter again since the breakup. He would be older – older than she was! – and he might even try making small talk all night out of some misplaced notion of courtesy. The conviction and certainty she had felt back in her room had dissipated over the course of the carriage ride, and now all she felt was a gnawing anxiety.
Peppermint Butler jumped down from the carriage and opened the side door, bowing to the Cotton Candy Princess as she descended regally, then to Bonnibel as she followed somewhat less gracefully. Celia turned to their most trusted servant, "Thank you, Peppermint dear. As soon as you take care of GummyHorse, I command you to go and enjoy yourself! This is your night for celebration as well."
"Yes, your Majesty," Peppermint Butler replied with a bow. He closed the carriage door, hopped back on, and shook the reins to get GummyHorse moving towards the stables on the side of the castle.
Celia then took Bubblegum's hand. "Well, shall we gumdrop?"
"Of course, Mother," Bubblegum murmured, following her mother's lead as she strode towards the entrance.
Cashew Butler must have been watching for them, because the door swung open before they could knock. "Greetings your Majesty! Lady Bubblegum!" He gushed. "Do please come in, the Duke has been eagerly waiting for your arrival!" Mother and daughter stepped into the grand hall, which was shockingly and echoingly empty. Cashew Butler shut the door behind them and then stepped around in front of the two royal ladies. "If you'll both follow me please," he requested. They began walking through the empty room towards a corridor off to the right. "Due to the high number of invitees this year, the Duke thought it best to move the Ball to the back gardens," Cashew Butler explained. As they worked their way through the halls of the Nut Castle, Bubblegum began to feel a strange vibration that started as a pulse in her bones. It grew stronger as they moved towards the back of the castle until it was accompanied by a low, steady thrum that began to take over the rhythm of Bonnibel's heart with its own insistent beat.
"What ever is that sound?" Princess Celia asked as they neared the back door that led out to the gardens.
"That, your Majesty, is the special entertainment that the Duke booked for tonight," Cashew Butler replied as he reached the door, grabbed the handle and turned to them. "Now, without any further ado, Princess Celia, Lady Bonnibel," he threw the door open, "Welcome to the Nut Ball!"
The gardens were completely different from how Bubblegum remembered them. The stately rows of peanut plants and winding rambles designed for relaxation and meditation were gone. They had been replaced by a huge open square where Candy People of all shapes and sizes were dancing wildly to the pounding beat that had intensified the moment the door was opened. Awed by the changes, Bubblegum stepped forward. A smorgasbord of sweets, confections, and treats was laid out at the far end of the square, and on the right, petite tables covered in neat white linens were arranged in a pleasingly patternless scattering. On each, a small candle set in a nut-shaped glass holder cast a subdued glow. From her vantage point on the terrace, the irregular orbs of light resembled a flock of fireflies holding itself aloof from the rest of the activity. It was enchanting.
Beyond the line of tables, the rest of the gardens stretched into the darkness. Hanging peanut-shell lamps provided the only tethers of gentle luminescence over the hedges, pathways, and benches. Bonnibel couldn't see it, but she knew from experience that deep within the confines of the gardens, at the center of those winding pathways, was a wooden gazebo surrounded by hazelnut trees.
Suddenly Bubblegum felt a hand on her shoulder and she squeaked slightly in surprise, a sound which was lost in the general din. She turned to find her mother clutching at her as the Candy Princess watched everyone dancing with shining eyes. "This music is so... energetic!" Celia shouted gleefully, leaning close to be heard over the oddly harmonious layers of rhythms and chord progressions. Before Bubblegum could nod in agreement, Celia hiked up the hem of her dress and ran down the steps to join the writhing crowd of dancing Candy Citizens.
Bubblegum stared after her for a moment and then shook her head at her mother's antics. Her attention was then drawn to the wooden stage that dominated the left end of the square. The construction of the stage was rough, or else it was intentionally made to look like shoddy craftsmanship, and it stood out from the delicate and deliberate arrangements of the rest of the decor. It was some kind of modified proscenium style stage. Though it lacked the proscenium arch that gave that style of stage its name, Bubblegum was certain that the audience was only meant to view it from the front. Large speakers stood like sentinels on the left and right ends, and spotlights hung like bats from beams that supported the top. The lights were dim and irregular, and did a better job of obscuring rather than fully revealing the figures on stage.
The musicians themselves were even rougher-looking than the stage they stood on, and they played on strange devices that looked like mutated cousins of instruments that Bubblegum was more familiar with. A skeleton sat at a collection of different drums that all seemed to be part of a whole, considering the way he was flailing at all of them. His rhythm was remarkably steady, though his technique hardly appeared conducive to producing a measured beat. A ghost and a zombie held modified lutes hung from straps around their shoulders. The lutes had only 6 strings, but perhaps their long necks allowed them to achieve the same range of notes as their brethren. Finally, a second skeleton manned what looked to be a pair of pianos stripped of everything but their keyboards. They must have been computerized in some way for Bubblegum could clearly hear the piano notes coming through the speakers, though there were no hammers or strings involved.
All of the whistling choirs and string orchestras in Ooo could not have prepared Bubblegum for music such as this! It was wild, it was disorderly and unorthodox, and strangely enough, Bonnibel was thoroughly enjoying it.
And underneath the music from the lutes, the pianos, and the drums, that pounding, insistent thrum that rattled Bubblegum's very bones persisted. Bubblegum moved over to the edge of the terrace and leaned against the railing to get a better look, her foot tapping unconsciously along with the music. She eyed the musicians on-stage carefully, but none of their motions seemed to match up with the pulse of that beat. Then a movement in the shadows above the spotlights drew Bubblegum's eye and she realized that a figure was concealed in the flyspace above the stage. The mysterious musician in the rafters must be responsible for that driving beat.
And then on some hidden cue, the music swelled to a deafening crescendo, mirrored by an ecstatic roar of appreciation from the dancing Candy People. The music drove faster and faster to some breaking point that Bubblegum couldn't even fathom. She realized that she was shouting as well, jumping up and down and leaning over the railing, caught up in the frenetic energy of the performers. The shadow player hurled out of the rafters as the music hit its heart-pounding conclusion and landed center stage. As one, the band played their final note and let it ring out into the night.
The mystery musician remained hunched over their instrument for a long moment, then slowly stood up straight. It was a woman. A tall, pale woman with a mane of coal-black hair that reached nearly to her feet. She was dressed as no woman in Bubblegum's limited experience had ever dressed, wearing flat black and white shoes, ripped black jeans, a red-stained gray shirt and leather jacket. She looked out over the cheering crowd before her and grinned, releasing her hold on her Axe-shaped instrument. She pushed a long strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind one pointed ear before releasing her own exultant yell and pumping her first into the air.
Bubblegum was transfixed.
The mystery player grabbed the microphone. "CANDY PEOPLE!" She shouted, energy positively pouring out of her. "Are you having a good time?"
The answering cheer from the crowds below made her grin even wider. "Well that's good to hear cause we're having a good time too!" Her voice was low and rich, and being so close to one of the huge speakers on the stage made Bubblegum feel like she was drowning in it. "We've got another song for you guys, do you want to hear it?" Another cheer, and this time Bubblegum joined in, yelling at the top of her lungs and waving her arms around in her enthusiasm. Drawn by her movement, the mystery player glanced over. For a moment, her eyes lingered on Bubblegum, and the Candy Heiress met her gaze and found she couldn't breathe.
Then the woman looked away. Bubblegum drew in a quick breath and felt blood rushing to her cheeks in a furious blush. What in Ooo had just come over her? The mystery musician turned to her band, "I guess they want to hear it!" She called out to them. She played a couple opening notes and the rest of the band picked up the beat, launching into the beginnings of a new song. The woman faced the crowd again, her eyes scanning over it and flicking over to Bubblegum for another brief instant.
"All right Candy People get ready!" She shouted into the mic, "This one's for the Duke of Nuts!"