Jake was clutching his ears as he ducked behind cover. When the Fire siege at the Candy Kingdom started, he was seen charging alongside his friends Flambo, Cinnamon Bun, and Jake 2. But as they were met with incoming lasers and artillery fire, the group quickly dispersed in different areas of the battlefield. Ever since then, the magical canine found himself trapped inside a ditch with flame troops who also used the spot as cover. They were not safe however, as the drones Princess Bubblegum dispatched suddenly dropped ordinance near their location. Dozens of bodies were flung aimlessly as a result, but Jake and a few other troopers remained unharmed.

"It's not safe here," one grunt shouted. "We need to move now!"

Another peeked over cover and noticed there were steep craters ahead of their position. He flinched backwards from a stray bullet and returned his gaze to the point of interest until he nodded in satisfaction. "Over there," he ushered.

The first grunt looked over briefly until he said, "Alright, we'll move on my go." He watched the rest of the infantry run past them as they returned fire towards either the sky or the kingdom in general. Despite having modern weaponry to defend themselves, the Fire Army continued to sustain high casualties. As the group leader studied the field, he realized there was no ideal chance of a safe maneuver. Noticing that there was another drone approaching from the distance, he grit his teeth and made the call out of desperation.

"Move, move, move," he shouted urgently. Every second was crucial for each of them as they broke off into a roadie run. The constant earth rumbling explosions and endless hail of bullets gave everybody an adrenaline boost, rendering fatigue nonexistent.

Jake was panting loudly as he followed the squad. The helmet and armored vest that was lended to him prior to the battle slowed him down slightly, but he exerted himself nonetheless. To him, it was better to have some protection than none at all. Lots of thoughts ran through his head as approached his destination. The first one told himself constantly not to die, and the second told him to eat less sandwiches from now on. Other thoughts included his concerns for his friends, his kidnapped brother, and lastly the princess he once swore allegiance to. All of these thoughts spiraled within the canine's head as the men around him died left and right within a short time span.

He wasn't sure when he made it, but when he did, a huge sigh of relief escaped his lips. His face was covered with dirt and sweat from the ongoing battle, but he didn't care. He was finally safe and he hugged the ground beneath him like it was the only source of comfort in the entire world. It was short lived however as one elemental roughly patted his back repeatedly until Jake rolled on his side to face him.

"We need you in the fight," the grunt shouted. He then picked up a spare rifle nearby and handed it to Jake, "Those drones are still pickin' us off by the numbers. If you ever hope to live through the end of the day, I suggest you man up and start shooting!"

Jake stared at the weapon in hands and struggled to gain his bearings. The man beside him already went back into the fight, but paused moments later when he saw the canine frozen in place.

The grunt lowered his weapon, approached Jake, and grabbed the back of his head with one hand saying, "Look at me."

Jake's eyes trembled as the sounds of battle deafened his senses. All he could hear were the men in the background screaming and crying in pain until the soldier shook him roughly to break his thoughts.

"I know it sucks," the elemental said matter of fact. "But I need you to pull yourself together." He looked at the rifle he gave to Jake, "Do you remember how to use it?"

"Yeah," Jake numbly replied.

The grunt nodded in approval, "Good, let's make this simple. Just aim for the ones that are coming right us." He then lifted his weapon and started firing with tracers passing through the skies. Three of them were converging on their position.

Jake snapped back into reality and joined the shooting moments later. He missed at first, but after getting a better feel with the rifle he began to take down the drones on target, starting with the one the far left. His partner on the other hand took out the one on the far right, until he and Jake finished the last one in the center.

The grunt lowered his weapon and began to reload quickly. "That's all there is to it," he said with a comforting smile. "Oh, and be sure to fire in bursts!" With that, he patted Jake's helmet and moved towards a different area of the crater assisting other troops.


Elsewhere at the battlefield, Cinnamon Bun was hiding behind a ditch with a small group of elementals. He was mounted on Jake 2 earlier, leading the charge until the drones halted his advance. The two took evasive action from enemy fire while also avoiding running over their teammates at the same time. CB was scarcely given time to make a good call in judgement during the battle, but luckily his wolf took over and lead them both to safety.

The two stopped at a deep crater up ahead as the kingdom wall defenses opened fire near their direction. Clumps of dirt rained the air causing CB to lean forward and cover Jake 2. The pastry squeezed his eyes to protect his vision and waited tirelessly until their was a brief pause. Once the walls ceased fire, CB and a few other troops took advantage of the opportunity and moved towards another crater that was closer to the kingdom. The maneuver was still risky however as the walls returned fire just seconds later. Fortunately for CB and the wolf, the two were already settled behind cover. They were almost near the trench line network that Phoebe and her brother occupied, but the rest of the ground up ahead was flat and open.

"It's too far, buddy," CB said breathlessly as he dismounted. "You can make it, but not me."

The fiery hound looked down and whined in protest. His saddened expression told CB he would not leave his master.

The pastry sighed, "That trench line up ahead is your only chance of survival. If you stay here, you'll just be a big target for those things up there!" He gestured at the drones for emphasis.

Jake 2 pondered in deep thought amongst the chaos until an idea surfaced. He glanced over the edge to gage the distance and then returned to bark confidently at CB.

"What is it?"

As if to answer his question, the wolf moved further down the incline of the crater until his nose focused on one particular spot. Moments later, he began to dig rapidly with his front paws, astonishing the pastry and the troops beside him. Because Jake 2 was a giant wolf, the opening he formed was large enough to fit a person.

"Grab your shovels, men," CB ordered.

The troops provided covering fire toward the skies as each one entered the tunnel at a time with their own tools in hand. There were eight men following at first, but the last two were unable to enter as they were suddenly struck by a missile at the last second. Their screams of terror were instantly silenced from the unforgiving explosion along with the entrance of the tunnel collapsing.

CB looked back as he crawled behind Jake 2 and said, "Keep moving!"

The men complied. They didn't have much of a choice when they thought about it, and they especially didn't want to suffer a similar fate like their comrades. Being buried alive was neither an option and the men clawed the dirt vigorously being sure to not get separated from each other. It was a disorienting experience, and the ground rumbling around them did not make it any easier to handle. CB didn't know how much longer the trip would take, but he trusted the canine's instincts.

"I'm feel like I'm going to be sick," one follower said warily.

"Come on," the one in front of him ushered. "We can't be too far."

He shook his head a couple times and prayed he would reach the end. Much to his surprise, a light was shone at the end of the tunnel as Jake 2 exited first.

CB stayed at the opening and ushered the remaining elementals to move faster, "Hurry up!" They were near the edge of the trench line now, but they were still vulnerable from an aerial attack. One by one, each trooper dropped feet first into the network with their backs resting behind cover. They were directly below the kingdom's wall defenses line of fire and so far the drones haven't acquired them yet.

"Nice and easy," the pastry said as he pulled one guy out with a helping hand. More than half the group had made it to safety and CB could not help but thank the deities for watching over them during that one instant.

It was too soon, apparently.

The last soldier was suddenly stuck as he made his exit. The gear and armor he had on his person was trapped beneath the dirt that only his head and arms were free. CB's heart started to race, but he continued to exert himself and stay focused. One drone in the distance noticed the pair and began its strafing run with a trail of bullets making its daunting approach. Fortunately for CB, the drone never came into range as a friendly missile stopped its flight abruptly.

"Please," the trapped solider panicked. "Get me out of here!"

CB grunted as he pulled the elemental's arms with both hands but to no avail. "Somebody give me a hand?!"

One trooper climbed out from cover and approached the pastry's side. The two pulled simultaneously from both arms but the man remained helpless. "Hold on," he instructed. He then looked over to CB, "We need to dig him out, fast!"

After a brief moment, the two stopped and held the man's arms in place. "On three," CB ordered. "One, two, three!"

The soldier budged slightly from the ground but it was still not enough.

"We need to dig him out just a bit more!"

The pastry hung his head in dismay and used his hands to start clawing the dirt again. He was getting exhausted, but the soldier's pleas urged him to continue. When they stopped again to pull, they finally made progress and freed most of the soldier's body. Step by step, the elemental rose on his feet as he recomposed himself. Most of the adrenaline had worn off from the effort and the man stooped over with his hands placed on his knees. Shortly afterward, his arms were lifted to rest on CB and the other grunt's shoulders.

"Nice and easy," CB said.

The three moved slow considerably until one of the men in the trenches pointed behind them, "Incoming!"

A stray missile made its ominous approach amongst the confusion. Drones and nearby explosions obscured its vision, but the projectile remained unhindered and continued its harrowing path. As each second passed, the three men were paralyzed with fear until the others yelled at them to snap back into reality.

The trooper assisting CB jumped into the trench first and positioned himself to catch the other. CB adjusted his stance to ease the other elemental and struggled to keep calm as the sound of a high-pitched whine quickly rose in volume. Once the two elementals were saved, the pastry squatted on both knees and arched himself to drop below the trench line. Instead of dropping straight down however, the missile exploded nearby on impact which sent the pastry airborne a good distance from behind. He could feel his body burning from the blistering heat, and the last thing he could recall were the men calling his name.