Chapter 6

"Kendra!" Marceline called, flying over the part of the city where Kendra had been.

Marceline was on edge. Kendra knew that Marceline was stronger than she was. She had just seen Marceline dispose of around thirty vampires, and as far as she knew, Bubblegum still had her superpowers, so the fact that she had challenged Marceline made her think that she was very confident, which meant she probably still had a trick up her sleeve.

"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, Marceline..."

Marceline spun around, and flew down an alleyway, trying to follow Kendra's voice.

"You've really forced my hand… This thing tends to drive me a little crazy…"

Marceline rounded a corner and found Kendra. She was leaning against a building, twirling something around her hand. It was a solid gold crown, embedded with three red gems.

"But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Marceline backed away in terror. After a couple of seconds, she realised that it wasn't Simon's crown, but it was a very similar design, and was probably just as dangerous. Before Marceline could stop her, Kendra lifted up the crown and put it on her head. Kendra's eyes glowed red and her fangs elongated. Her hair flapped around like it was being blown by strong winds.

"My new reign of vampires will be christened with your blood!" She cackled madly.

Marceline flew at Kendra, fists raised defensively, ready for anything… Or so she thought. Kendra moved like a blur, dodging Marceline and punching her to the floor of the alleyway as she passed. Then she kicked her so hard, she crashed through the wall of the nearest building and out the other side, onto the street. Kendra had become impossibly fast and strong, Marceline didn't see how she could beat her, but she was certainly going to try. Kendra strolled through the hole Marceline had made and walked towards her. With the crown on, it didn't seem like the sun fazed her anymore. Marceline got up and flew around Kendra, using all of her combat expertise to catch her off-guard, but it was no use. She threw a punch at Kendra from behind, but she dodged it effortlessly, then turned around and grabbed Marceline's fist. Marceline gasped in pain as Kendra began to squeeze. She collapsed to her knees and winced as the pain became unbearable.

"I really love this crown." Kendra grinned. "But my research led me to believe that its brother is even more powerful! Maybe after I've killed you and your girlfriend, Mr Petrikov should be next on my list…"

Marceline's pain vanished in the blink of an eye as she was consumed by rage. She stood up and jabbed Kendra's neck with her fist. While she was stunned, Marceline followed with a kick to her chest and another, directly in her face. Although she let go of Marceline's fist, Kendra didn't seem that hurt by Marceline's attack. As Marceline scrambled backwards, desperately trying to draw up a battle plan, Kendra walked over to a street sign and tore it out of the ground like a weed. Marceline stared at Kendra, and the next second she was staring at a hazy, red blur, shooting towards her. Marceline's duck was so close, she felt the metal pipe scrape her cheek as it was imbedded in the wall behind her. Kendra pulled out the street sign and attacked Marceline again and again. Each blow got closer and closer to piercing Marceline's heart, and she still felt like Kendra was holding back to torment her.

After a while, Kendra shot forwards so she stood directly in front of Marceline and drove the sign down, past her shoulder and into the ground behind her. While Marceline was stunned, Kendra seized her by the neck and pinned her against a wall.

"The mighty Vampire Queen…" Kendra teased. "Daughter of an unholy god, wielder of unimaginable powers, and a bit of shiny headgear is all it takes to put you in your place…"

Marceline reached up for the crown, weakly. Kendra laughed and threw her at the ground. The red gems in her crown gleamed and she took a deep breath. Like some terrible dragon, she exhaled fire, which engulfed Marceline. She screamed in pain, fully accepting the battle to be lost. She only hoped that Bubblegum would have had the sense to run while she had the chance… But once again, Bubblegum defied her wishes.

A loud creaking sound made Kendra stop roasting Marceline and turn around, just in time to see a colossal mass of concrete and soil hurtling at her from above. She raised her hands and the thing slammed into her with such force, it embedded her up to her shins in the concrete. Marceline looked up in bewilderment. The shop she had left Bubblegum in was alive! Glowing balls of light shone from the windows that were its 'eyes' and it had mighty limbs made of concrete from the road, and it was with one of its enormous feet, that it was pressing down on Kendra.

Bubblegum stood on the building's roof, dramatically, her ball gown rippling in the breeze.

"SIE WERDEN NICHT VERLETZT MEINE VAMPIR!" She screamed at Kendra.

Mustering all the strength she had left, Marceline shot to her feet, pulled the street sign out of the ground and drove it through Kendra's chest. Kendra screamed as she turned into thick, red smoke, from the toes up. As her face began to fade, the crown glowed brightly and, a moment after Kendra dissipated, it exploded. Marceline slammed into the wall behind her, and the giant building creature began to topple backwards, Bubblegum flailed her arms, trying to keep her balance as it fell. Marceline swooped around the living building, and as it crashed to the ground, Bubblegum fell into her arms. She looked up at Marceline, with her usual absent-minded warmth.

"Did we win?" She asked, quietly.

Marceline smiled. "You bet."

Bubblegum smiled happily and narrowed her eyes. Slowly, her skin and hair started to pale, just like her old body had, before it died.

"Bubblegum! No!" Marceline cried.

She sat down on the ground and cradled Bubblegum's upper body, desperately. The shop picked itself up and turned around to face them, it moaned sympathetically. As it leant forwards, several objects rolled out of its open door and rained down in front of it. Marceline turned around and her eyes widened, a cautious smile crept across her face.

"Well I'll be damned…" She muttered.

Lying on the ground, having just rolled out of the shop, was an intact can. On the rotted label, was a barely visible picture of a chicken. Marceline picked it up and pierced a hole in it with one of her fangs. She held it up to Bubblegum's lips.

"Here, drink this." She said, hopefully. "You're gonna feel awesome in a moment."

Bubblegum got a lot better, and her fatigue quickly started to fade. Over the next few days, she became more and more coherent, like she was rapidly maturing. Once she fully understood it herself, she had explained to Marceline the life-giving properties of the slime from her cocoon. Then, with Marceline's help, she had rounded up all the remains of her old body, divided it into hundreds of tiny piles, and distributed the remaining goo between them.

Around a week after Kendra had been defeated, Marceline and Bubblegum sat on top of a large pile of rubble, watching the commotion in the city before them. The building that had saved Marceline, along with several others Bubblegum had animated, was busy tearing down the ruins of the city, while the little people, made from Bubblegum's old body, (which she had dubbed 'Candy People') were busy gathering the rubble and building new houses. It warmed Marceline's heart to see a city alive with things that didn't want to kill her. It was exactly how she had always pictured the world before the war. The sun had just set, and the two of them were enjoying the cool, night air.

"There's still one thing I don't get, Bubblegum." Marceline said, without taking her eyes off the Candy People.

"What's that?"

"You never told me how you killed all those vampires outside the stadium. I've never seen anyone move like that!"

Bubblegum smiled. "Well the whole reason I was sick was because my new bod wasn't ready for all the energy from my old one. It would have been if I'd woken up when I was supposed to, but because I woke up so early, I had to let it all go. I was lucky to survive at all, even luckier that I had you to nurse me back to health." She smiled gratefully.

Marceline smiled back. She put an arm around the pink girl's shoulder and hugged her. Suddenly, Marceline realised the implications of what Bubblegum had just said.

"Wait, then why did you wake up this early if it was gonna kill you?" Marceline asked, pulling her arm back.

Bubblegum averted her gaze awkwardly and didn't answer. Marceline thought back to before Bubblegum had awoken. "The explosion…? Or…" She gaped at Bubblegum in disbelief as it dawned on her. She remembered Bubblegum coming to life, just as the vampires were about to finish her off.

"I couldn't just leave you to die!" Bubblegum reassured her. "You're my best friend!"

Grinning broadly, Marceline wrapped her arms around Bubblegum and kissed her cheek. "You're my best friend too… Princess."

Bubblegum cringed. "Oh, don't call me that."

"Well you do have subjects." Marceline pointed out.

"Not really. I need to review the serum before they'll have their own free will. Right now, they're basically just robots. But by the time I've cracked the equation, they might have built quite the kingdom…" She admitted thoughtfully. "Think you'll stick around? The Guardians might have their work cut out for them." She asked, referring to the living buildings.

Marceline smiled. She was clearly tempted, but she shook her head. "There are still vampires out there, and I plan to finish what I started. And now I have something to defend from them. If the Candy Kingdom does get attacked, I promise you it won't be by vampires."

Bubblegum smiled at her.

"Well I'd better see you again…"

"You will." Marceline promised.

She stood up. Early in the night was the perfect time for her to head off. She didn't want to leave Bubblegum, but that wouldn't be any less the case the following night, and her detour had been long enough. Bubblegum stood up and hugged Marceline.

"Auf wiedersehen… Vampire Queen."

"See ya… Princess Bubblegum."