I neither own Adventure Time, nor I wish to own it. I want to live in Adventure Time though. Real life sucks in comparison.

~~o~~

Chapter 6 - Tales of the Alternate Universe

Thinking of the future is hard. It can certainly take its toll on anyone, what with worries and anxieties it could bring. It is especially hard when you are falling. I mean literally falling, not metaphorically.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAKE, DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm trying Finn, believe me, I'm trying!

Wind continually whip their faces as they plummet to the ground on unfathomable speeds. The land of Alternate Ooo seemed to be getting closer to them, not the other way around. This was the meeting Finn was not excited for. Falling to the ground is not really a heroic death now, isn't it?

"Why can't just Prismo teleport us safely on the ground?!"

"I dunno, man! Beats me!"

"What did you say?"

"I said I don't know!"

Finn frowned, he can't hear Jake well but his brother can hear him. He suddenly panicked, thinking that he finally became deaf because of the punishing winds. That is until he realized Jake is a dog. Dogs have better hearing than humans. Jake the Dog, the magic dog. Magic...

"Jake! I need wings!"

"Dude, have you finally gone insane? That's - wait, that's cool!"

Jake deformed his body and made a makeshift wings to act as a glider, attaching himself to his brother's back. The dog was barely in time to save them both; they were so close to the ground that Finn could already see that the trees below them are apple trees. The Jake-wing drifted along the breeze and gracefully carried him on a nice ride, affording a decent view of the world below them.

"Things look very much the same. Are you sure Prismo sent us to the correct universe?"

Jake paused for a while, busily avoiding a bird that berated them with a thick accent. "There's only one way to find out. To the Tree Fort, dude!"

"Sounds mathematical! Faster, Jake!"

"Finn, we're not really flying. This is called gliding, Jakey style!"

"Whatever, whatevs. C'mon!"

Finn shifted his weight to the left and tried gazing at the distance. He could see the Candy Kingdom, alright. It served as a passable landmark to locate their Tree Fort, which they did. Landing smoothly on the relative location where the Tree Fort should have been located, they were quite disappointed that there was no tree at all.

"AltOoo then. This tree won't even support my buns." Jake snapped a twig out of the measly tree that should have been their Tree Fort. It barely towered Finn's height.

"AltOoo?"

"Alternate Ooo, bro."

"Wow, that's rad of a name for this world." Finn extended his arm and shared a fistbump with his dog brother.

The bright morning sky seems to project a perfect mood for an adventure. This AltOoo excites his boy heart to no end. Everything new is exciting, and this world is certainly new to him. It is practically begging to be explored.

"C'mon Jake, to the Candy Kingdom!"

"Oh, wait now my bro-ham. Remember what Prismo said earlier?" He stared at Finn, being grave serious all of a sudden. That should be an achievement for his buddy.

"Let's see...limit the people who will know our presence, remember the true mission, and never bring back to home anything that belonged here." He counted in his fingers all three most important things Prismo ordered.

Jake looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, that means we can't bring any loot, treasure or FOOD! That sucks big time."

"Jake...look at the brighter side. We could...We could...I can't think of anything on the brighter side." Finn scratched his head in frustration. "Jake?"

"What's our mission again?"

"Man, don't tell me you forgot already?"

The dog plopped down on the grass and absentmindedly petted the small tree. Finn followed suit, feeling the familiar tickle of the grass as they sway in sync with the wind. The ever present smell of leafy plants always accompanied the breeze sweeping across the grasslands

"I kinda didn't heard everything *grumble* *grumble*."

"Meh, you're just busy stuffing your face with that pickles."

"So, will you just tell me or not?"

"Okay. Prismo asked us to take down Ice Prince before he accept the full power of his bionic arm, or something." Now that he thought of it, it seemed silly.

"That supposed to make sense?"

Finn nodded, look sideways, and then nodded some more. "You trust that Prismo guy so much, why stop now?"

"You're right. So let's beat that Ice Prince and get back home!"

"Awesome!"

Finn gazed at the Candy Kingdom again, plans forming in his head. They could storm the Prince's lair; it should be in the same place as the Ice King's. The only problem is that Prismo said that guy is bazillion times more dangerous than that old crazy fool and it would be stupid to attack him where that guy lives.

"Stake out."

"Steak? Where?!"

"Jake...I mean let's hide somewhere in Candy Kingdom and wait for that guy to appear."

Jake took out his jar of pickles and started munching noisily. "Where would we hide, dude?"

"On top of Princess Bubblegum's room. That tower is high enough to let us see anyone approaching."

"Finn, I thought Prismo said this guy doesn't kidnap Princesses?"

"Have you got any good idea then?"

"You know I don't! HAHA!"

Jake enlarged himself and placed Finn on his back, starting to walk casually towards the Candy Kingdom. A sense of adventure always summon butterflies in Finn's stomach, a kind of giddiness he can't make sure what. But he can't help feel a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him he is lacking one important thing.

"Jake, I need a sword."

"Choose Goose?"

"Where does Choogs live anyway? His stall could be all over the place!" Jake contemplated for a while, then pointed at the Candy Kingdom. "Let's go ask those Banana Guards!"

Finn nodded, silently wishing the alternate universe Choose Bruce have more awesome things than the one in his own universe. Urging Jake to speed up, they reached the front gates of the kingdom. Finn pulled up a part of his bear hat to cover half of his face. Prismo said to limit people who will know their presence so they will need a disguise. Well, specifically, he needs to hide the fact that he is a human.

"Who goes there?" One of the Banana Guards standing at the gate spoke with false bravado.

"I'm Davey, the Noodle Ninja." Finn let his arms and feet wave with such fluidity, they look noodles alright.

"And I'm Zeke, the Stretchy Potato!" Finn looked incredulously at his brother. Everything could go wrong in mere seconds if the guards found out who are they. The two Banana Guards looked at each other then frowned at Jake, seemingly lost in thoughts.

"Uh, dude? We know you're a dog."

Jake let out a defeated sigh."Well, that's a bummer. We just want to ask if you know where we could find Choose Goose."

"Choose Goose? His stall is located in the kingdom's marketplace nowadays. Just follow this path." The Banana Guard pointed to their left, where a bustling street stretched on and on.

"Thanks guys!" Finn patted both of the sentient bananas and passed through the gate, following their directions. Jake followed suit, whistling his Bacon Pancake song. Their adventure haven't really started yet but things are already going fine.

As they passed the candy people, Finn heard bits of conversations. The central topic among this talks really intrigued him so he nudged Jake and scooted closer to clumps of people. What he heard made him tense.

"...Princess Bubblegum found a human boy?"

"Yes, and probably the last."

"I wonder where he came from, that boy?"

"Apparently, my contact on the castle said the boy was found in some ruins, slumbering inside a machine that freezed him."

"Wow, that is some awesome info Waffle Willy!"

"I've heard the Princess plans to introduce the boy to the kingdom tomorrow, and let him train with Joshua the Dog to become our newest hero!"

Finn relaxed a little, realizing he was not the one being talked about. Still, Prismo said the Finn of this universe was too far gone as the Ice Prince. So who is that human? He looked at Jake questioningly, who just shrugged.

"A new hero, huh? Too bad that Ice Prince behaved himself now. I kinda want to see some serious fight."

"Mr. Creampuff, how could you say that? We want peace, not skirmishes."

So that Ice Prince no longer does bad things. Finn was confused by that fact. How could Prismo and Cosmic Owl say that that guy is bad news? He is not kidnapping princesses and not terrorizing innocents anymore.

"C'mon Jake, let's find Choose Goose and get a new sword."

"There he is!"

They approach the stall placed strategically along the road, providing it advantages in being easily seen by potential customers. Choose Goose really knows how to operate a business. Making sure his Noodle Ninja disguise is still on, he waved at the goose. He's very much the same one from his own universe, a duck wearing a silly lute suit and moves awkwardly, as if always tired or lazy.

"Hey there Choogs!" Jake waved an extra large hand at him.

"Oh I really achieved fame, that a complete stranger knows my nick...name!"

"Hehe, me and my buddy Davey just kinda figured it out. Right, Davey?"

"That's right, Zeke."

"So what brings you to my store, which has everything you can ask for? "

"I need a sword, I really awesome-sauce sword!"

Choose Goose pulled a string behind him, parting a curtain that revealed a rack containing three swords of varying appearances. Finn looked at them, struck with awe. Compared to the Armor and the Nerdicon Glass, these things looked awesome-sauce alright.

"This left one here, can incinerate anyone who will interfere." He picked up an orange sword inscribed with unreadable signs. It really looked familiar. With a swish, the blade burned with intense flames and glowed a lively orange.

"Hey, Finn, I mean, Davey! Isn't that the one that spider dude found somewhere in the woods as present for his girl?"

"How did you knew that fact? I found it stabbed and a dead spider's back. "

"Nevermind, Choogs. Tell us about the other two swords." He shot an apprehending look at Jake for being too mouthy.

"If you choose the middle route , I'll present you the the sword from Citadel of Truth." He picked up a long sword with a hilt that resembles a sleeping number eight." The blade itself emits a blue aura that slowly creeps towards them.

"Uh...I think I've heard that place before. What does that sword do?" Finn felt skeptical, like he was learning something he shouldn't even know.

"If you use it to slice , why, it will dispel all lies !"

"Man, I think I don't understand that one." Jake twiddled his fingers absentmindedly.

"You two are tricky buyers , but no worries, I always take care of my...customers! "

"That's lame."

"Zeke! Be quiet!"

Choose Goose dismissed him, assuring them he doesn't mind what the dog said. He picked up the last sword. It looked pretty normal, a gleaming blade set on a simple looking hilt. The grey crossguard slightly resembled the one on his broken Demon Blood Sword, just a bit smaller and simpler.

"Behold the blade of utter destruction, a sword that's powered by your imagination!" He swung the sword in a semi-circle, but nothing happened. "Lately I'm drained , and I can't be entertained..."

"What's wrong?" Finn was really let down now, he expected the sword to be really special. Suddenly, Choose Goose handed him the sword and motioned him to give it a swing. Feeling foolish, he swung the sword fiercely.

"Woah! Davey, look!"

Finn inspected the sword, which now looks almost completely the same as the Demon Blood Sword. "This is so math, Zeke! I was just thinking of Dad's sword and it changed to it!"

"But, look, you did not got some details right." Jake pointed at the handle, which lacked the red cloth that hid the summoning chant for Keeoth.

"Well, I'm not really focusing...Hey Choogs, how much does this awesome-sauce sword costs?"

"Because you are a new entry , you can get that sword for free !" Choose Goose threw colorful bits of paper into the air, as if congratulating them.

"That's swell, Choogs!" They both shouted with glee. Finn doesn't really have much money in his backpack.

"Just tell other people the word , where you got that sword !"

Finn nodded in appreciation, heck it is a new sword for free! He only felt bad after realizing he can't bring it with him back to his own universe. It would have surely been a good help back there. Maybe Choose Goose in his own universe has this kind of sword too?

"Hey what is this sword called, anyway?" He asked the goose merchant, obviously curious as to how to call the sword in his hands.

"Be ready to bask in the glory of the Imatari !"

He twirled the sword in his hand, feeling the familiar grip of the Demon Blood Sword. Finn focused on another sword he had, the one Jake got for his birthday years ago. He marveled at the split-second transformation of the weapon into the Root Sword.

"This Imatari is so math. Thanks Choogs! Count on us to advertise your shop!"

Sheathing the sword on his back, he felt it change form into its original appearance. They waved at the goose and proceeded towards the general direction of the Candy Castle, which can be easily seen anywhere in the Kingdom. It is a complete copy of the Candy Castle from his own universe, right down to the different hues of pink used for walls and such.

"Wish we could at least introduce ourselves to the Peebubs of this universe."

"Nah, Finn. We can't. C'mon, get on my back and let's go up to PB's tower."

The actual climb upwards Princess Bubblegum's tower was an easy task for Jake, and in mere seconds they were already chilling at the top. The height kind of made it a bit hard to spy on the people below, but it did afford a perfect view of the surroundings. Finn certainly believed this was a great idea. He took out his awesome Imatari sword and swung it around.

"You know Finn, I'm just worried about that sword."

"Why, bro?"

"It's beefed up by the power of imagination, right?"

"Yeah, and so?"

"Dude, your imagination sucks, remember?"

"I can manage. I'm a fledgling drea-"

A soft crying cut off his monologue, easily getting his attention. It seemed to have come from the open window of Princess Bubblegum. Jake eagerly stretched and bended himself downwards and towards PB's room. The dog visibly tensed, making Finn worry.

"Dude, what's wrong?"

"Finn, you've got to see this!"

One of Jake's appendage coiled around him and placed him inside the candy royalty's room. Finn looked around the room, confused at first at what should he be seeing. That is until he saw in the corner of the room the girl he had been secretly wanting to see in this universe.

"Flame Princess?"

~~o~~

The show-stopping battle between the two Finn is on its way! Well, maybe not show-stopping...I dunno. Finn is on Candy Castle, Ice Prince is on his way, and Sawyer is somewhere in the Candy Kingdom Hospital.

Ooobserver: Yeah, I think Sawyer is a bit too skilled in that chapter...Maybe I'll edit some parts to remedy that sometime.

Read and Review guys.