A/N: Short chapter here, but it's as long as I think fits. Princess Bubblegum seems to be one of the more divisive characters in Adventure Time; some people love her, some think she's candy Satan. I always thought of PB as being an anti-hero of sorts. A genuinely kind and good person who's experiences and responsibilities have shaped them into a more cold figure than the idealistic young Finn. I also think she's probably got a few inner demons in there, but don't most people? Anyway, if you enjoy, please let me know. If you hate it, please let me know anyway.
Chapter Two: Bonnie
Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum sighed as she examined herself in the mirror. The Candy Kingdom Economic Summit was coming to a close with a formal state dinner in two hours. While the pink princess was looking forward to resuming business as usual without the added stress of long meetings regarding the sugar/meat trade, entertaining royal dignitaries, putting up with her Banana Guards' incompetence at organizing security for the event, or the other four hundred and twenty tasks to juggle, business as usual wasn't exactly a picnic, either. Re-focusing on the task at hand, Bubblegum found her dress ill-fitting and her hairstyle didn't really match the formal gown. Debating on whether to try a new outfit or make this one work, she decided on the latter. Judging that her current form was unfit for the attire, she strode to her nightstand and picked a flower from the princess plant resting there.
Taking a deep breath, Bubblegum popped the sweet flower into her mouth and let it swiftly dissolve. A surge of magical energy shot through her, and focusing on her desired shift, felt her body begin to soften. Her features began to change in subtle ways; her hips widened, her legs became fuller, her waist slimmed, and her chest became more buxom. When the transformation was complete, Princess Bubblegum looked herself over in the mirror again. The process had gone exactly as she desired. The dress fit perfectly now, hugging her body like a glove. Still conservatively proportioned, it showed off enough of her womanly charms to make her unusually beautiful but without losing any class or taste in the process. Her hair was drawn back to shoulder length and styled into a bob.
It was a secret borne of personal vanity with a hint of cultural and personal privacy that no one, living or deceased, had seen Bubblegum in her "natural" form for over 800 years. Were she to go back to her form at the time of her birth, she would greatly resemble a smaller, detached version of the sentient pink ooze from which she spawned. It was very early in her childhood that she discovered that the same forces responsible for locomotion in her natural form could be applied to allow her to shape her body into rudimentary forms and shapes, allowing her to use various forms to accomplish specialized tasks. Refining on this process, Bubblegum gained greater control of her shape, as well as gaining the ability to change her overall consistency. These developments allowed her to semi-permanently alter her physical characteristics, at least until she willed them otherwise. As an amorphous mass, she could theoretically mold herself into any form she chose, though doing so required massive amounts of energy. It was simpler, therefore, to keep a basic general form and only make minor alterations to it as needed. Unbeknownst to many, her princess plant was not so much a magical appearance alteration tool as it was a catalyst and fuel source for her own natural abilities.
Satisfied with her appearance, PB decided to go through her closing speeches one more time for good measure. They were stale, boring, and largely passionless, but Bubblegum didn't even have to read her notes to know them word for word. She sighed and frowned again. For the first time in many months, Princess Bubblegum felt as old as she really was. Her sweet demeanor and youthful appearance hid a very worn and tired soul. She had put so many of her personal passions on the back burner or abandoned them altogether for the sake of her people and what she felt was her calling and responsibility of rebuilding society. Though she wouldn't give it up for anything, sometimes her responsibilities made her feel so… lonely.
Aggressively pushing the thought aside, Bubblegum reminded herself that she was adored by thousands of her candy people "children". Peppermint Butler always listened to her most personal inner thoughts and worries and offered support that only a loving companion could give. Her champion, Finn, always came running to her aid when she called, and even several times when she didn't. Finn… Bubblegum hadn't received any transmissions from him in over five hours since she helped him past that blast door. PB began to worry. This was not the first time she had broken into an Old World military base, either personally or by proxy. Civilian ruins were generally easy to access, but had either already been picked over by survivors and scavengers, had worn away to age and neglect, or held little significance to her mission to rebuild society. For example, once she had found a convenience store and determined its use, other convenience stores she'd uncovered didn't yield much, if any, new data. Military bases, on the other hand, were often well armored against the bombs that laid ruin to so much else, were durable enough to withstand the years, and had technology more advanced and better preserved than civilian counterparts. The price, however, was that many remained guarded, intentionally or otherwise, by their very contents and defenses. Land mines, automated turrets, radiation leaks, toxic chemicals, and a host of other potential hazards made studying these places dangerous.
For Finn, these hazards paled in comparison to the likes of things he'd already defeated. The Lich, Darren, demons, monsters, and wizards; none could hope to best Finn, and most of those had been defeated at some point before he'd grown up. Finn was more skilled and lethal than ever before as he entered adulthood, and it seemed that there were few obstacles he could not overcome. While such physical hazards were always on PB's mind when she planned a mission like this, and she in no way underestimated them, she found herself more concerned with the psychological hazards. She told Finn and Jake that they were to investigate a dungeon she'd uncovered, despite knowing full well that a United States military installation was no dungeon. At the time, it had seemed to be a perfect solution to some of the potential problems the information could have caused. The Candy Kingdom had benefited greatly over the years from her successful attempts to reverse-engineer various systems and devices she had gained from these places. This gave the Kingdom an edge over the others, allowing it leverage in trading, increased influence, and maintaining a balance of power. If other kingdoms caught on, all of this would be disrupted by their own advances. Common knowledge had it that PB had invented these marvels in her lab in the Candy Castle. It was a half-truth at best, and one that troubled her ethically, but one that worked to her advantage so she didn't dare squander it. It was for the greater good in the long run. Bubblegum used this advantage to better Ooo. She shuddered to think of what the likes of Lemongrab would do with it. Besides, Finn and Jake were always pumped to loot a dungeon, and there was no sense in dampening the spirit of adventure that made them so successful with heavily classified information. There was an eighty percent likelihood that neither Finn nor Jake would discover anything amiss about this assignment at all; she hated to think of her friends this way, but they weren't exactly in possession of genius level intellect.
Upon reflection, however, she began to realize the full extent of what could go wrong with this plan. Despite his physical and mental toughness, Finn was a sensitive soul deep down, and especially so with people he trusted. Bubblegum knew that Finn still struggled with his being the last of his kind. A pre-war military base could provide a very unpleasant reminder of this for him. Military installations often contained examples of the most potent societal symbols built into their aesthetics. In the event Finn and Jake realized this and Finn was hurt emotionally, she would have to either admit that she lied to them for the safety of her Kingdom, or lie further to shield them from the truth. Neither was beginning to look particularly appealing. Guilt began to gnaw at her at the realization that she had semi-willingly manipulated someone she cared about. She'd tried for several years to reform some of these questionable habits, but manipulating people was just so easy.
"Princess! Finn and Jake have returned from their mission. They urgently request your immediate presence at the Candy Kingdom infirmary." Peppermint Butler had entered without Bubblegum's notice, and the sudden sound of his voice startled her. Once she absorbed his words, however, an icy feeling began to wash over her.
"What happened? Are they okay?"
"Yes, Princess. They say they found something requiring your immediate attention."
Princess Bubblegum immediately set out for the infirmary. It was about a ten minute brisk walk from her chambers. Peppermint Butler in tow, she began to question him further. "Did they say anything else?"
"They said that they found a man in the lowest room, and they're not sure if he's alive. Doctor Princess and Doctor Ice Cream are at a loss as well. There is one more thing, however…" Peppermint Butler paused his speech, unsure of how to report the unusual details.
"How can they not be sure he's alive?" asked PB with a puzzled look on her face.
"He's trapped in… something."
"Describe it to me."
"It's a glowing blue field of magic or energy or something. I've never seen anything like it!" That was saying something, since Peppermint Butler was several centuries old himself and regularly practiced demonic rituals, was friends with Death, and was one of the only people other than Bubblegum to regularly witness the workings of PB's personal laboratory.
"Hmm, is it doing anything else?"
"Princess, that other detail… he's human."
Peppermint Butler's words froze her in her tracks. Finn had found another human? A million thoughts rushing through her head, she unfroze and broke into a run.
A/N: PS. I've been fiddling around with the idea of adding a romance subplot to this story if only to give romantic writing a try. Lemons aren't really my thing, so don't expect those unless I get overwhelming demand for it. Please let me know what you think.
