Chapter 3: Weight of the World

It wasn't until seven o'clock that Marceline remembered to get ready.

She was told to dress fancy but, having never gone anywhere that desired it before, she had nothing nice to wear.

So, instead, she slipped on her dark purple strapless dress and black and grey striped tights. She fastened on her shiny black shoes and tucked her hair behind her ears.

Deciding not to bring her bass, she flew out into the night, at exactly eight o'clock.

When she got to the Candy Kingdom, it looked completely deserted. Normally at this time, you could still see a million little lights on and pieces of conscious candy wandering the streets… but not tonight.

Tonight, it was so dark that Marceline feared she wouldn't be able to see anything at all, if not for her vampire vision.

Not a single person was on the road, and every candy house lay undisturbed. Other than that, the Candy Kingdom looked exactly the same as it had the last time Marceline had seen it.

The night air was cold and the winds whipped her hair around her face. Her eyes glowed red as she stared up at the Candy Castle. A few of its many windows were lit up brightly from the inside.

She flew to one of the top windows; one with its light on. She peered inside and saw that everything was pink, from the ceiling and the walls, to the furniture and the person on the bed. Marceline recognized her immediately.

Effortlessly opening the window, Marceline flew into the room, and the girl on the bed, her face previously shoved into a pillow, jumped to her feet.

"Marceline!" Princess Bubblegum cried, furiously wiping her face. From the looks of things, she had been sobbing terribly into her pillow.

"The meeting is in a few moments," the Princess hiccupped from her tears, "I was just waiting for you…"

Marceline cut her off, one hand in the air. "Bonnie, I don't think I'm going to this meeting."

Princess Bubblegum's gaze was sincere. Tears started to resume falling down her face.

"Bonnie," Marceline said carefully, inching towards to crying Princess. "What's wrong? What's this meeting about?" With a sudden lurch forward, Bubblegum landed in Marceline's arms, sobbing loudly and hiccupping wetly.

The Queen cautiously laid her arms around the Princess. She shushed her softly and whispered in her ear, "What has gotten into you? Where's your pumped up spirit?"

PB lifted her head and looked her in the face, her own eyes flooded with sweet – tinted pink – water. Her shoulders were shaking harder than they had been before, from the urge to hold back her tears.

Marcy half-carried, half-dragged the Princess out onto her little balcony. Moonlight coated the whole of the Candy Kingdom and all of its blacked out windows.

Bonnibel cleared her throat quietly, tears dripping from her chin onto the railing of the balcony.

"Marcy," she said quietly, watery, "I need you, Marcy. Help me." Marceline didn't speak a word, just stared at the Princess, waiting for her to continue. The Candy Princess wrapped her arms tightly around Marceline and clung to her like a life support.

"I was in my room, readying for bed," the pink girl suddenly said, "I was wearing the band shirt you gave me. I was tying my hair in a ponytail. They found me, Marcy. The Royal Guardians found me and thought me not fit to be Princess. They took the shirt… They… They ripped it, not me."

Marceline was trying to keep up, as the Princess was speaking quickly.

"They are to take my crown tomorrow morning, Marcy," the use of Marceline's nickname so much gave her stomach a flip. "I am to be banished from the Candy Kingdom!" She was stuttering by the end of it, but Marceline's jaw still dropped.

"They saw you with my shirt and thought you were a bad Princess?" Marceline concluded, trying to understand. "Why would they do that?" She was getting upset and you could hear it in her voice, see it on her face.

"I don't know why. I was singing one of your songs when they found me in my room. I don't understand!" The Princess's tears began to pour harder now, running down her face in streams.

"They can't do that, Bonnie," now Marceline's eyes were filling with tears. "They can't just cut you off from the Kingdom like that. You're an amazing princess. You haven't done anything wrong before right?"

Bonnibel gave a little smile at that. "And you have taken great care of this place so far right? So what makes them think that because of what you wear or what you sing you are unfit to rule?" Marceline was practically yelling now.

"That's not all," Bonnie whispered, "I… I told them that I had your shirt and that I was singing your songs because I thought of you as a friend. And that part is true. I don't hate you, Marceline the Vampire Queen."