KLARION HOVERED at the centre of a dim room, summoning large red hands made of energy that he held over a holographic image of the earth. There were more than ten continents on the globe and several points came aglow. On the floor were large dishes that burrowed underground, each filled with the DNA of beings from all over Ooo.

Klarion chanted a spell and several hieroglyphic symbols appeared on the dishes, projecting them on the globe. Klarion chanted louder and energy swirled on the globe, creating a storm that can be heard outside. The energy arms fizzled and disappeared, diminishing the symbols lights as well.

"No, no, no, no, no! What happened?" Klarion frowned.

Klarion moved over the dishes and saw that some were now empty. He summoned a crystal ball and swiped his hand over it, summoning a live feed of a black demon.

"Send out the minions; we need more DNA." He commanded.


FINN, JAKE, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Phoebe, Happy, Gray and Marceline moved down the streets of the Candy Kingdom.

"Ugh! I can't believe that just happened." Phoebe growled.

"What're we going to do now? We're basically back to square one." Gray looked around.

"Those sneaky demons - why couldn't they face us one on one!?" Natsu frowned.

"Actually, that wasn't a demon." Marceline said.

"What?"

"What was it then?" Erza turned to her.

"It was a Door Lord and those creatures usually work on their own." Marceline said.

"So, it means the demons are in leagues with someone else." Erza stroked her chin.

"Whoever it is, we need to take 'em down before they get away with their plan." Jake said.

"Let's check in on PB first." Finn walked on.


THE GUYS stood in the hallway of the Candy Kingdom Palace and sounds of crashes came from inside Bubblegum's lab.

"Huh, it's always the same when I come here." Marceline said.

Bubblegum burst out of the room and pressed her back against the door, pushing back a large creature whose hand lurched out.

"What is that?" Finn jerked back.

"A demon!" Bubblegum grunted. "Guess it wasn't exactly dead."

Bubblegum pulled out a grenade from her jacket, tossed it into the room and slammed the door shut. An explosion erupted shook the door and she dusted her clothes, clearing her throat.

"The lab will be fine," Bubblegum adjusted her glasses. "Oh, Marcy, what're you doing here?"

"Hey, girlfriend, just hanging with the guys." Marceline pocketed her hands.

"Hmm, okay ..." Bubblegum grew suspicious and turned to Finn. "So, what've you found?"

"We've hunted down some demons and ended up in the Badlands when a Door Lord got us back here." Finn said.

"A Door Lord?"

"Yeah, we think they're in leagues with someone." Marceline said.

"Anyway, we weren't able to find a corpse, but we got something that you could probably analyse for us." Finn drew out the jar from his bag and handed it to Bubblegum. "It's a jar we took from a demon - they're using them to collect Candy People."

"That's terrible, but I should be able to get something from it." Bubblegum received it.

"So, what have you found?" Finn asked.

"Nothing substantial still; I only know that they have magic similar to the Enchiridion, but nothing else." Bubblegum said.

"Well, that sucks." Finn huffed.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'll get back to work. Try to get some more DNA in the meantime."

"Sure thing, Peebles."

"See you later, or whatever." Marceline said.

The guys headed out and Bubblegum became uneasy. "Don't get Finn into any trouble!"

"Ha, yeah, right!" Marceline laughed, gaining a growl from Bubblegum.

Natsu looked at Marceline smirked. "Girlfriend, huh? Do you two hit from time to time?"

"Not into that stuff." Marceline said.

"What? You don't wanna make out in front of me?" Natsu asked. "It'd be fun, for me."

"You're sick, man."

"Hey, it's called being progressive."

"Or being a pervert." Marceline said.

"Do you two eat each other ou -,"

Erza punched Natsu, knocking him off his feet. Bubblegum opened the door to the lab when she saw a device buzzing in her pocket. She drew it out and saw a light beeping on the screen.

"What the?"


THE GUYS sat in the park: Finn paced around, Lucy read a book and Marceline floated above, playing her bass.

"There's gotta be something we're missing here; a clue or something that can help us figure out what the demons are after." Finn said.

"You said the demons weren't eating their victims, right?" Marceline said.

"Yeah, they just collected them Danny Phantom style," Jake said.

"Yeah, it's too bad nobody's gonna get that reference." Finn said.

"What's Danny Phantom?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, thought so."

"If that's the case, they must be collecting them for something." Marceline said.

"Well, I'm out of ideas." Lucy put the book down and removed her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I've been reading for hours and I've found absolutely nothing that's gonna help us."

"Maybe we should just call the mission a bust." Gray huffed.

"No, no, there has to be something we're missing here." Finn sifted his mind.

Screams came from nearby and the guys tensed up. A nearby building exploded and a massive, black wolf demon wearing a collar with jars on it, with six white wings on its back jumped into the street. Fireballs shot out of mouths on the beast's wings and the jars sucked Candy citizens in.

"Okay, hold up, hold up, a wolf with six fireball-spitting wings?" Gray raised his brow.

"Attack!" Finn drew out a sword and charged forward with the wolf.

"Oh, so nobody's questioning this."

"Nah," Marceline hovered up to him. "I'm totally with ya there. I mean, I can turn into way worse."

"And here I thought you were hot for a second." Gray backed away.

"Aw, you're sweet." Marceline sprouted out six, black arms, gaining a scream from Gray. "Ha!" She reverted to normal and looked around. "Boop."

"Marceline!" Finn called frantically.

Finn sliced the wolf's necklace off and it smacked him aside. Erza, in her Lightning Empress Armour, fired a bolt at the beast and it flew out of the way.

Natsu leapt into the air, "Fire Dragon -," The beast shot him with a fireball.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray summoned a large hammer of ice.

Gray swung at the wolf, but it blew him away with a powerful roar. The wolf flapped its wings and shot fireballs rapidly, destroying things the street around it. Phoebe swooped down and sprayed fire on the wolf, but it had no effect.

"Oh, come on!" Phoebe frowned.

The wolf slammed its fists against the earth, sending out a shock wave that knocked the guys off their feet. Jake jumped up with an enlarged fist and threw a punch at the wolf. The wolf bit his arm and thrashed him about, tossing him through a nearby building.

"Marceline, help us!" Finn yelled.

"Hmm, I don't know," Marceline scratched her chin.

The wolf howled and opened its mouth wide, sucking several candy people in with a vacuum pull. Finn got caught in the pull and he drew his sword, stabbing it into the ground. The rocks broke apart and he got pulled in.

"Marceline!" Finn shouted.

"Alright, alright." Marceline flew toward him.

Marceline turned her arm into a black whip and wrapped it around the wolf's leg, yanking it off its feet. She sprouted wings on her back and shot towards the beast, turning her fist into a giant arm. Gray watched the fight and scratched his head.

"What am I looking at?"

Marceline punched the wolf and it rolled on the ground, skidding to a stop. The creature shook its head and smashed the road with its paw, breaking it apart and sending up rocks that knocked Marceline down. Phoebe pushed glass aside and stepped out of a damaged store she trudged out of. She saw wounds on her body and growled, her eyes turning black.

Phoebe's body burst into flames and she screamed angrily, drawing everyone's attention, including the wolf. Phoebe lunged at the wolf and it tried to push her back, but it quickly got overpowered as she pinned it down. Phoebe smacked the beast's paws aside and punched it in the chest, causing blood to spurt out as she crushed its heart.

Standing atop the corpse, the girl screamed loudly and her body went ablaze, burning the carcass she stood on the process. The others slowly get to their feet, watching the bonfire before them.

"Whoa, dude ...," Marceline's eyes widened in shock.

"What's happening?" Happy rubbed her arm.

"... Phoebe?" Finn moved toward her.

Phoebe looked at Finn and flew off, crashing through the roof of a nearby building. He looked around and frowned.

"After her!" Finn yelled.

The guys made chase: Jake grabbing Finn, turning into a giant and running off, Natsu flying with Lucy in is arms, Erza jetting off and Marceline soaring with Gray in her hands. Marceline hissed at Gray and he jerked back, gaining a laugh from her.

"Oh, you're cute," Marceline laughed.

Marceline kissed him on the cheek and he cringed in fear, making her laugh harder.


THE GUYS moved through the woods where fires ran rampant as they chase after Phoebe who was up ahead of them.

"Man, how're we gonna catch up to her? She's so fast!" Jake panted.

"I got this!" Finn said.

Finn drew out a ball from his jacket and chucked it at Phoebe, causing it to explode and coat her in a colourless liquid. She writhed in pain and crashed on the ground. The guys landed and she thrashed about, screaming wildly.

"Whoa, what was in that thing?" Jake turned to Finn.

"It was just water!" Finn said.

Phoebe continued to scream and her voice changed, sounding heavier and almost non-human. Finn looked at her in worry and the flames on her bod began to recede.

"What do we do now?" Gray asked.

"I don't know …" Finn grew worried.

Phoebe screamed and staggered to a stop, collapsing on the ground. The guys exchanged looks and Finn slowly moved toward her.

"Phoebe?"

"Man, what is she?" Marceline raised her brow.

"You're asking that?" Gray asked.
Phoebe stirred and Finn helped her up. He looked at her and her eyes turned back to their normal orange.

"Finn …"

"Phoebe, what happened?" Finn asked.

"I don't know I ... I felt like I was being ... Drawn somewhere." Phoebe looked around.

"You were trashing up the Candy Kingdom, what was that about?" Jake asked.

"I did?" Phoebe looked around and saw the fires rising.

"Phoebe, what happened?" Finn repeated.

"I ... I think I saw where the Enchiridion was." Phoebe said.

"What?" Finn frowned.

"Where'd you see it?" Erza walked up to him.

"It was a little fuzzy, but it was somewhere off in the Badlands. I can't remember much else." Phoebe said.

"Then we need to get there right away." Finn said.

"But how? It'll take us days to get there and whoever took it would have probably donked up things by then." Jake said.

"Hmm, I think I do know someone who might help." Marceline said.

"Take us there." Finn said.

"I don't know." Marceline pocketed her hands

"Marcy, the fate of the world hangs in the balance." Finn frowned.

"Okay, but only if this guy comes along." Marceline grabbed Gray and he pushed her off

"Get off!" He frowned.

. "I love messing with people." She laughed. "Come, I'll show you the way."


THE GUYS sat around a campfire and Finn turned to Marceline. "So, Marcy, who're we gonna see exactly?"

"Oh, this old lady named Inza Nelson, the wife of Kent Nelson who was the last person to wear the Helmet of Fate. They say he disappeared years ago, but she lives in the woods nearby. She must know how to open a portal or track the Enchiridion or whatever." Marceline said.

"Wait, you know about the Helmet?" Finn asked.

"I dabble. Why?"

"I have it!" Finn smiled.

"Whoa, really?" Marceline asked.

"Yeah." Finn reached for the bag.

"Whoa, it's better to keep it hidden; I don't know what might happen if you touch it a lot." Marceline said.

"Oh, okay." Finn said.

"Yeah." Marceline yawned. "Well, see you guys in the morning."

Marceline sprouted wings and flew off into the night sky. Erza looked to Phoebe who sat alone. She moved up to Finn and looked to the others, seeing that they were busy.

"Um, Finn, do you have a minute?" Erza asked.

"Yeah?"

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about Phoebe." Erza said.

"What about her?" Finn asked.

"I feel there's something off about her."

"Yeah, don't worry about her."

"You sure?" Erza asked.

"I'll handle it." Finn turned Phoebe.

Finn walked up to Phoebe and saw that she hadn't noticed him. He sat down and looked around, tapping his knees that were bent before him.

"So, Phoebe, things were pretty intense out there, I wanted to see if you were okay." Finn said. Phoebe remained silent and looked away from him. "Look, I don't know what happened, but I'm here for you. You can tell me what happened."

Phoebe huffed and turned Finn. "Look, Finn, I haven't been telling you the whole truth."

"What is it?" Finn asked.

"I wasn't a prisoner of the Fire Kingdom for the entire four hundred years I was there. For the first two hundred, I was ... Their queen."

"Yeah, you said they did that as a sick game." Finn said.

"No, you see I was their literal queen." Phoebe said.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"I was told that I was the next Flame Queen and I didn't understand it at all. I was lost and confused and I guess I just wanted to be around someone. It was pretty foolish, wasn't it?" Phoebe said.

"But, they were demons." Finn frowned.

"Well, they didn't seem that way at first. They seemed like me; people whose lives were in a mess and needed some direction. I reluctantly accepted it and become their ruler." Phoebe said.

"... So, what changed things then?" Finn asked.

"Ruling the people of the Fire Kingdom seemed normal at first, except for the fact that they had fire powers obviously. Everything seemed good, but I slowly started to change and so did everyone else. I started hearing voices and the more I heard them, the more violent I became. I became a dictator and an oppressor." Phoebe said.

"You did?"

"I thought I was just letting power get to my head, but it was way worse. I became violent and started torturing my subjects. I was a monster. It was that time that there was an uprising and the tables turned. The demons took me down and they had a new ruler who presided over them. After he died, I became their entertainment as the kingdom fell into complete chaos." Phoebe said.

"But, if they weren't demons the whole time, what changed them?" Finn asked.

"I don't know, but it felt like it all happened overnight." Phoebe said.

Finn sifted his mind and she turned to him.

"Finn, I don't know what's happening to me and I don't really know what I am anymore." She held his hand. "What ... What do you feel about me now that I've told you?"

Finn sifted his mind and turned to her. "I'm glad that you told me."

Finn stood and walked off. Phoebe watched him leave and tears welled up in her. Lucy saw him walk past her and saw Phoebe seated alone. She became worried.


THE GUYS walked down a footpath. Finn looked at his map and Marceline flew up ahead.

"Ah-ha, here it is!" Marceline said.

Marceline flew onward and the guys followed her, ending up at the gate of a large, grey fortress adorned with gargoyles and magic symbols around the yard. The guys walked up to the gate and Marceline looks around.

"How is a place like this hidden in a forest? How'd we not see it earlier?" Gray asked.

"Hmm, something is a little off." Marceline studied the gate. "Ah-ha!" Marceline pushed the gate slightly open. "Much better."

"Wait, how's that supposed to -,"

A rumbling came and silence fell, quickly interrupted by a whooshing sound as a white female figure appeared before them.

"To go beyond this gate, you must answer this riddle." Figure said.

"Oh, come on, Inza, this again?" Marceline groaned.

"I can bring tears to your eyes and resurrect the dead. I form in an instant and last a lifetime. What am I?" The figure asked.

"Okay, I've got this -,"

"A fart!" Natsu cut off Marceline, causing the figure to disappear.

"Ugh! What the hell was that?" Marceline growled at him.

"What? A fart brings tears to your eyes, forms in an instant and can last forever, especially if it's Lucy's,"

"Hey!" Lucy frowned.

"Plus, if timed right, they can resurrect the dead with how funny they are."

Erza growled and moved to punch Natsu.

"Wait, let me do it," Marceline said and smacked Natsu, sending him flying through a nearby tree. "You dumbass! You donked everything up!"

The ground rumbled and broke apart, causing the guys to jump back as a creature climbed out. The dust settled, revealing a giant, grey snake with several heads that slithered toward them. It spat lightning about and fired an aurora beam out of its main head's forehead, burning down the forest around them.

"Again, what am I looking at?" Gray shook his head.

"Nah, I've turned into worse." Marceline said, making Gray step back. "No, I'm kidding," She chuckled. "But, yeah, we're totally screwed."

The beast charged at them.