Chapter Ten: The True King

There was little talking as Bubblegum led Marceline to her secret room, holding the crown at arm's length by a pair of tongs. Her secret machine was hidden behind a wall, the space very small but filled with the most advanced equipment in all the land. Marceline looked to the back and saw a clear containment cell. What exactly did Bonnie have in mind for Simon?

Simon tripped over his own two feet as Marceline patiently and cautiously walked him inside, doing her best to keep his old bones steady. His head hung limply into his chest and swayed back and forth as she came to a gentle stop. She braced him, keeping him from collapsing onto the floor. Bubblegum stepped up to the containment chamber and proceeded to open it. Turning to Marceline the princess looked at her expectantly.

There was a strange chair inside with straps and wires that Marceline assumed was meant to hold Simon while the princess conducted her tests. It hardly looked humane but what choice did she have? Simon started mumbling again as Marceline eased him inside and tried to lower him into the chair. The old wizard hardly put up a fuss as his knees began to buckle.

"Where am I", he asked weakly as he gratefully took the seat she offered.

"Don't worry about it…" Marceline smoothed his hair as she did her best to comfort him. "I'm…we're going to make you better"

"I'm tired", he said as his head rolled to one side, eyes barely open. "Why am I so tired?"

She caught his breath smooth out and knew that he had drifted off to sleep. It had never cost him so much to use the crown's magic before and that was concerning. As she slowly backed out of the containment chamber she accidentally backed into Bubblegum who had stopped to watch her friend kindly. When they were young Marceline had been a different girl, a kinder girl. Simon seemed to bring the Marceline of the past to the present.

"Take a picture", Marceline told the starring princess, flustered.

Bubblegum turned to her machines, twisting knobs and thinking to herself that she was going to save two people today. As the strange device that connected from the ceiling to the floor a mass of wires and metal and candy came to life Bubblegum turned to Marceline, gesturing toward Simon. Marceline looked into the encasement and at Simon, one thing standing out- the restraints were unfastened. Marceline looked at her friend, asking without saying a word if she really had to.

"It will be better for everybody of he is restrained", Bubblegum calmly explained.

The crown sat on the flat surface of the machine's keyboard. If it had eyes it would be glaring at the girls meddling with its host, its servant. Marceline stepped into the chamber and quietly maneuvered Simon into proper place for the restraints. After fastening Simon in his eyes drifted open. He looked at her his lips parted as if he were parched.

"Where am I?" he asked again with a slight cough. "Why can't I move?"

"Relax, you're just in the electric chair", Marceline responded deadpanned.

"Wh-wait what" He squeaked, eyes opening slightly wider in panic.

"I'm just kidding you old jerk", she giggled softly. "You are in Bonnie's lab though, she's going to run some tests…you remember?"

"Yeah", he agreed even when he didn't remember. "I remember Marci"

She smiled, patted his hand and flew out of the chamber, closing the door before floating over to Bonnie. The bubblegum princess was adjusting the levels of her machine, hardly recognizing the space being taken up besides her. Marceline reached out and lightly pushed Bubblegum to catch her attention. Turning to Marceline with her bottom lip pouted Bubblegum was reminded of what keeping a Vampire queen in her company was like. Of course all those years ago when they had been much younger there had been time for trivial things like horseplay.

Sometimes Bubblegum missed those days, simple days. They had been family then, sisters bound by nothing more than the fact that neither had anyone. But Bubblegum had found that her destiny was more than simply being a girl. Life had made a call on her behalf, labeled her as princess, a protector of people who otherwise would be extinct today. Her duties bestowed by the diadem resting above her head had overseen their friendship. Eventually Marceline stopped trying and wandered to less virtuous circles of friends.

"I need to scan him to see exactly how much magic has attached to his aura", she explained as she flipped a switch, using her current task to stop the flashbacks of yesteryear. "It won't hurt him"

A device lowered and stopped just above Simon's head. Light shot out of it in the form of rings and enveloped Simon. As it washed over him, Simon tightened his eyes as the heat hit him like the sharp sting of his muscles falling asleep. On the screen a scan of Simon appeared and showed a thin blue wave outlining his form. Bubblegum reached out and traced the image with her finger. Two bars rose to the side of him and flashed a dull yellow. She tapped there to catch Marceline's attention.

"See this, the magical levels are very low", pulling her hand away Bubblegum tapped the side of her face as she thought aloud. "Not entirely surprising when you consider that his abilities are given to him by the crown, but still…"

"The dumb thing talks to him", Marceline pointed out as she turned to Simon, running her hand through the hair falling over her shoulder. "Even when he's not wearing it"

"It's possible that the artifact has established a link with Simon", the tone of the princess turned Marceline's head because it was less than hopeful. "If that's the case then the problem is very deeply rooted"

Bubblegum turned the machine off and lifted the crown with her tongs. Marceline opened the door for her, brows furrowed worriedly. Cautiously the princess stepped inside and keeping her distance stretched out and raised the crown over his head. Simon shot up, eyes wide and filled with fear. He flailed in the chair, bruising his wrists and ankles as he tried to get free.

"No!" he pleaded as he slammed his back against the candy seat. "Princess don't do that"

"I need to scan you with the crown on", she told him kindly. "It will only be for a short while"

"Marci!" he cried. "Marci, stop her"

Marceline floated into the chamber, past Bubblegum and grabbed Simon by the face, "She's trying to help you. It's okay, Simon. If you say or do anything we won't get mad at you"

"You don't understand Marci, how upset it is with me", he whimpered. "It will take things out with you"

"No", Marceline cooed, petting his white hair. "I won't. I won't"

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross our hearts", Bubblegum smiled sweetly as she lowered the artifact onto his head.

Simon tilted his head back and closed his eyes as if accepting death. He knew in his heart that he was too weak to fight it now. His energy shifted instantly. The girls backed away as his expression shifted.

Simon went rigid. An icy chill filled the small space and the girls scrambled out of the chamber. Fallen onto the floor Bubblegum kicked her foot out and closed the door. They propped themselves on their elbows and looked back at Simon who didn't look angry, but frightened. Bubblegum leapt to her machine and started the comparison scan. His magical properties were off the chart.

"I've never seen readings like this", Bubblegum gasped but noticed a bleep, a side energy forming in her diagram. "And look here…along with the ice magic there's another energy source…it's…it's ghost energy"

"Ghost energy?" Marceline looked from Bonnie to Simon and back again.

"Yes", Bubblegum confirmed as she gave her friend a nod. "Likely the spirit of the person who possessed the crown before Simon found it if I had to guess"

"Well…that explains why I can't fight him when he shifts", Marceline worriedly bit her knuckle as she stared down at her feet. "Vampires can't fight ghosts and he's emitting ghost energy"

"Again, you are correct", Bubblegum ran her fingers over some dials and inspected the updating data. "And this ghostly energy is what's driving him mad in order to control his actions. It's living through Simon. Maybe if I can focus the energy I can find a way to eradicate it?"

"Do it Bonnie"

Marceline's face was serious. This had a good chance of getting answers and despite her fear of fighting a ghost the Vampire Queen was more than willing to move forward. Simon was mumbling, arguing with the voices in his head and though Marceline knew he was in torment she also knew that this was the only way. A strange sound hummed from deep within the machine and a violet light shot forth and into Simon. His readings began to change.

He screamed. It was harsh and deep like the breaking of bones. And in that scream his voice shifted, changed to an inhumanly howl. As it dried Simon's voice hoarsely skipped a beat and suddenly he was chuckling, laughing.

"Why isn't it my two favorite girls?"

His voice sounded like the Ice King they knew only with clarity that was an unnerving wickedness for the princess and queen alike. Both of the girls felt horrible energy emanating from his body and backed away as his body faded with the fogging of the glass. A creaking noise bore a crack that shot from the ground up. Marceline got to her feet, pushing the frightened Bubblegum behind her.

"Ice King!" Marceline shouted her voice stronger than she thought it would be.

"Why yes…that is me, isn't it?" he chuckled darkly. "The Ice King", the fog lifted and both girls sighed when he remained in his restraints. "And how wondrous it is to breath again, to see again…"

"You'll be doing neither shortly"

Bubblegum collected herself and leapt up to her machine intent on reversing the polarity and returning the control to Simon, but a shockwave left the Ice King and shattered the glass. The Vampire Queen got her friend out of the blast radius in time. Skidding to a stop amongst the broken glass now scattered about the floor Marceline hissed when her breathing made the small shards in her back sting.

Bubblegum's legs shook slightly as she was set down. She clasped her hands together and tried to see where her friend had been hurt but Marceline was quick to brush it off. Without fail her healing factor kicked in and the glass pieces fell one by one to the floor while the recovering wounds pushed them out.

"See?" the Ice King snapped as bitterly as the winds swirling out towards the girls. "This is why I chased that woman into the fire, I could tell she was trouble", a crooked smile cracked across his blue face. "Are you trouble too, princess?"

Ice grew in shards around the chair till the candy was brittle and he broke it apart like an ice cream cone. Ice King licked his lips as he narrowed his sights on the princess. He stepped forward and Marceline pushed her out of his sight. His white eyes followed the grayish flesh to the face of Marceline. This time he wasn't smiling. His face flattened.

"Marceline", he said her name and chills ran up her spine. "You know how he hates to see you frown. Smile!" he laughed while wielding his powers. "Smile!"

Icicles shot up from the ground with a simple wave of his hand. The girls weaved around them, a few close calls in the process. Marceline felt the subzero chill in the air, the madness consuming her friend's soul. Did he truly intend to kill them?

As they pressed their backs to the wall catching their breath the temperature continued to drop. Their lungs burned when they inhaled and turned to frost when they breathed out. Ice King laughed mockingly as his feet rose from the floor his body carried by a controlled frosty gust. He looked down upon them with contempt, like they stood between him and everything he ever wanted. Yet he did want them.

Simon was on the backburner, his memories and desires mingling with that of the Ice Kings. They were dull now, but still etched in the back of his skull. Destroying both of them would crush Simon. It would probably give him the will to end himself. He'd have to keep the one that meant more to the human. That would give him a reason to keep the crown, to keep living.

"I will keep one of you", he said flatly, the ground beneath him freezing over. "Which one…which one is his favorite?" he looked from the princess to the queen and snickered. "You've wondered in the past, haven't you Marci? If he loved you more", he smiled with an open mouth so that his jagged teeth showed. "His bride to be or his little girl…which one, which one"

Ice King lowered himself and the ice spread to the adjacent walls and ceiling. Snow fell around them but it wasn't beautiful, it wasn't magical. It was just…cold.

((Author's note))

Next we get to see who is Simon's favorite! Who do you think it'll be Marceline or Bubblegum?

R&R only two chapters left!