Betty had her fair shair of experiences when it came to foggy mornings. Before the Mushroom War, she would slowly drive on her way to work being mindful of any cars or pedestrians that could suddenly be right in her path. The stop lights and street lamps somewhat helped with the visibility, but in the end Betty could only see ten feet from her surroundings. The crazy fact of it all was that a few other drivers didn't seem to care regardless that they traveled above the speed limit. Betty was certain they would be involved in a massive collision, but somehow they managed to disappear into the distance without leaving a mess. It was a mystery to say the least. She couldn't tell if those people were either lucky or if they had a skill that allowed them to travel recklessly under a large obscurity. When she finally reached one of the high rise buildings to start her job as an office worker, she would look outside the window and notice the fog reaching high enough to engulf some of the nearby buildings but stop just before the rooftops of a few others. Her mind would wander briefly as she imagined the city would be overrun with giant monsters, only because she watched a couple of movies with Simon in one of their dates. After another moment, she would shake her head with an internal chuckle and then start her job before her boss could call out across the room to do so.
It was an understatement to say that today was different.
The fog's thickness in the Grasslands was similar in terms of limited visibility. But instead of traveling through it for recreational purposes, Betty had to deal with the random strafing runs deployed from a portion of Bubblegum's drone fleet, the uneven terrain, and the lingering stench of death that seemed to reach everywhere. Groans and cries for help could be heard in all directions, but Betty could not find a source to come to their aid. Every time she tried, her gaze would meet a deceased elemental with either a frozen expression or a pile of ashes spilling out of a set of knight's armor. She felt agonized that she had to ignore the calls out of necessity, but she also felt concerned about her overall safety as well. Bullets and ordinance rained down from the skies unpredictably and Betty was paranoid that one of them would eventually claim her. The only way she was able to avoid them was to wait and observe the tracers and smoke trails before making a daring move to go forward.
She stopped at another trench line as she progressed further. When she did, her stomach churned when she saw a row of dead troops lying down in various positions. Rats could be seen scurrying across the dug in passageways and flies hovering in small clusters. She was only there for not even a minute before she decided bypass it altogether while avoiding the drone strikes.
As time passed, Betty stumbled into one crater after another. Her body was fueled purely out of adrenaline as she feared staying in one spot would mean certain death. At the same time, she worried her legs or feet would be caught into a mess of barbed wire that scattered the field. Her left hand constantly clutched the compass that showed her destination, but it did not tell her how far she needed to go. This became even more unnerving as Betty was frequently forced to take detours from strafing runs that made traveling directly become impossible.
"Everyone's counting on me," Betty thought. "I can't stay out here too long or else I'll lose everybody." She looked at the compass again and prayed that she didn't have to travel to far. If there was one thing she couldn't bring herself to do was check the time on her phone based on her departure. She had to assume that she was doing well in general or else she would rush under pressure and endanger her life in one fatal mishap. The gumball guardian's absence was supposed to make traveling the Grasslands easier, but all it seemed to do was to make it possible or so the elementals thought.
Breathless and covered in mud, Betty spotted another trench network that seemed to be in the compass's direction. Hope flickered into her eyes as she picked up the pace and soon her feet dropped into the passageway below. She tucked away her compass at that moment and followed the path, being mindful of any doors or openings that could lead to an underground bunker. She would sometimes be disoriented as a nearby explosion would sprinkle dirt around her and her hands would brace the trench interior before moving forward again. Images of Simon and Marcy being happy together as a family raced through her mind as she finally spotted an entrance and before she knew it her hand was rapping the door like a crazed lunatic. The elemental trooper that answered it opened it as quickly as he pulled her in. Afterward, Betty embraced the elemental and cried into his shoulder relieved that her journey was finally over.
"It's ok, miss," the trooper comforted as he patted her back. "You're safe now. It's over."
"Thank you," Betty sobbed as she slowly recomposed herself. ""Thank you so much.."
A few minutes passed until the trooper broke the hug, "Flame King told us you would be here for Marceline. Would you like to see her now?"
Betty blinked and lifted her head in realization as she heard the name. As she tried to compose herself even further, she nodded eagerly in anticipation and braced herself for the next task she was about to embark.
The vampire was seen resting with a pained expression on her face as Betty approached her bedside. An IV fluid was attached to her left arm and her face and body was covered in cuts and bruises. Betty didn't want to know the extent of Marcy's injuries as she looked at her as a daughter and proceeded to nudge her awake. The vampire's eyes were closed as she remained motionless and then Betty leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"Hey Marcy," Betty began with tears pooling in her eyes
"M-mom?" The vampire answered weakly as her eyes fluttered open.
"Times have taken a turn for the worst since you left and I need your help," Betty continued with hesitation. She grasped Marcy's right hand and took a deep breath. "...Simon's been hit," Betty admitted. "The Candy Kingdom sent out a gumball guardian unlike no other and it has to be stopped."
"W-what? No.. it can't be," Marcy eyes began to water.
"Simon's ok," Betty amended. "He'll hold out just fine. But before you can help us I need you to make a quick recovery."
Marcy was puzzled by this until her mind clicked in realization. "No!" She protested weakly. "It's too dangerous.. I could kill you!" She turned away with tears running down face.
"I know it's a bad idea," Betty nodded in understanding. "But a bunch of lives, including Simon's are at stake. If I don't help you with this now, it will be too late for everybody."
Marcy's tears continue to run as she contemplated.
"I trust you," Betty affirmed. "Because I love you with all my heart and soul. I know you'll make the right choice."
The vampire closed her eyes with a frown of reluctance. After a while she nodded to herself in resolution and said, "Just give me a small cup. No more no less..."
Betty nodded gratefully that things were being set in motion in her favor and then she glanced at the nearby elementals saying, "Whatever happens.. Promise you guys won't intervene?"
The troops became tense upon her warning and quickly backed away to the farthest walls and corners.
