"We need to unite in order for justice to be done!"
"Past crimes must be paid for! No exceptions!"
"A crime against a princess is a crime that warrants death!"
Finn leaned back against the wall of the candy house. He let himself slide into the shaded grass, and was soon joined on the ground by Jake. What did this stuff mean? Finn read the slogans over and over again, trying to make sense of them. He must have read it twenty times in the past 10 minutes. Below it was a picture of a crown- the type of crown that a princess would wear. Finn scratched his head. Justice? Justice for what?
Finn turned to his brother.
"Jake, does this make any sense to you?"
"Nah man, I'm not about this political biz. But it looks like the princesses are up to something."
"Well, yeah I figured that much. But what could this need for justice be?"
"Well, why don't we just go and ask them?"
Jake turned Finn's head to the left. The pair stared as princess after princess made their way into and through the candy kingdom. Many of them plaid in black, weighted garb. The mass of princesses headed towards the castle. The sheer number of princesses in attendance combined with their, for the time, being seemingly motivated by a single factor gave the group the appearance of army ants rather than people.
"Hey Finn, what do you call a group of princesses again? A communion? A committee?"
"More like a snore-fest." An all too familiar disembodied voice snickered.
"Marceline how long have you been here?" Finn asked.
"Oh, you know, a couple minutes. I came here to drop Simon off for a quick doctor's check. I was going out to get a bite to eat, but thought I'd stop by and say hi to you bozos."
"I could get something to eat." Jake piped up.
"In a bit Jake. Marceline, do you have any clue of what this could mean? We found it blowing around near our new home." Finn asked.
"Lemme see that." The vampire snatched the poster out of the blond youth's hands. She scanned it, then gazed at the group of princesses pouring through the kingdom. An uncharacteristic rattle of fear escaped her throat before she flew towards the castle- kicking a cover of dust and grass onto her friends.
"Sheesh. What's her problem?" Jake asked.
"I think we should follow her. There might be trouble, and I think I've figured out what it is." Finn sighed.
"Okay, but could we get something to eat first? I'm sure Marceline can handle whatever trouble comes knocking."
"If we let Marceline handle this, there are going to be a lot of funerals we're going to have to attend."
Simon had just finished with the nurse. He had been told that Doctor Princess had stepped out for the day. "Something about a large gathering she had to attend" the sentient poundcake had chirped. Instead, he was meant to see Bubblegum herself. Somewhere down the hall, he heard doors being open and shut in quick motions. He had flinched the first time, but had gotten used to it. While curious, he had promised Marceline to not leave the office until Bubblegum certified he was medically fit. No need to make Marceline angry by playing hooky. He stared out the open window into the cloudy sky in an attempt to distract himself from the situation. Given her experience with Finn, Bubblegum was probably the better medical examiner for the only other human in Ooo. Besides, Marceline would probably be happy to come back to a room containing the both of them, he mused.
The door was forced open in a blur. Before Simon could register what was going on, something unseen was holding him in the air and trying to drag him through the window. He reflexively kicked and flailed out before something inside grabbed him. He turned and quickly understood the situation, at least partially.
Women and girls all dressed in black, all wearing crowns, tiaras, and angry expressions were beginning to pour into the room. Those that were outside were attempting to squeeze though the doorway in vain. The first one, a figure made of rags, sunk what could only be described as paper mâché like teeth into his arm in an attempt to prevent his escape. She was soon joined by multiple others, digging their nails, teeth, or anything they had and attempting to wrestle him back into the room. His unseen savior of course was no slouch. But he knew this savior wouldn't want to risk hurting him-or worse- in the process of trying to rescue him.
A voice rang out within the cacophony of princesses. A single word: stop.
Marceline momentarily relaxed her grip on Simon. Bonnibel could hopefully stop this madness. At the very least, she could provide a distraction so that the others would release Simon from their grasps. Even if Bonnie failed, Marceline could get Simon away before she went to town on his would-be abductors.
The lesser princesses seemed to part ways as Bonnibel approached the man still hanging halfway out the window. Marceline materialized and took the moment of clarity to adjust Simon's position. His captors did not anticipate the move, and lost their grips on the scholar- now solidly being hugged against Marceline's body outside the window.
"Marceline." Bubblegum started.
That tone. It was her bad news tone. It was the tone she used with her candy people when they weren't going to get an extra piece of fudge. It was the tone she used with the wannabe suitors who used to decorate her halls like living statues. It was the tone she used with her before they were kicked out of the crown when Bubblegum had first met Simon.
"They wanted to kill him. I convinced them to agree to a trial." She continued.
Marceline froze for a second. Her eyes grew red, her face contorted, and she bared her teeth. She pushed Bubblegum aside and addressed- rather screamed at- the crowd.
"If you think I'm going to sit around and watch Simon get put on a kangaroo court for crimes he didn't commit then you're all about as dumb as you normally look! And what did you think I would do if you hurt him? Lay back and accept it?! I would have hunted every single one of you down and…"
A finger brought itself to her lips, while a hand brought itself to her shoulder. For a brief second, she considered biting both clean off but mentally kicked herself when she saw the individuals the hands belonged to. She sighed.
"A trial is perfectly reasonable. I did a lot of bad things, and they deserve a chance to get justice for them." Simon started.
"And I got them to agree that as long as we can prove that Simon is the man you know him as, and that the Ice King is a completely separate entity, then all charges will be dropped." Bubblegum interrupted.
Marceline looked at the princesses. Many were still recoiling in fear from her earlier threats. Some of them stared angrily at her. One of them, Muscle princess, held a makeshift wooden stake in a trembling hand. Marceline almost laughed. They came ready to fight her, but when the time came, they couldn't even do anything.
"Simon shouldn't have to go on trial. He wasn't responsible for any of that, and you know it Bonnie."
"I shouldn't have had to go through a lot of things Marceline. Neither should have you, or anyone currently in this room." Simon quietly interjected.
The clouds behind Marceline began to part. She felt the sun singeing her back followed by The Moon's recovering powers take effect. For the moment, it was the least of her concerns.
"I promise you that the trial will be fair Marceline. Like I said, it will be about proving who Simon is, and who he isn't. The fact that he's willing to participate already says a lot." Bubblegum narrowed her eyes at the princesses to her side. Both looked to the ground, but said nothing.
Marceline looked at her girlfriend. Bubblegum had only met Simon twice, but had a rough outline that as far as Marceline was concerned, he was her family. She had spoken with Simon yesterday when coordinating the doctor visit and the pair seemed to get along well.
Marceline floated inside the office. Bubblegum shut the blinds as Marceline released Simon.
Running, followed by a crash into a pile of bodies and lots of groaning came from outside. From the crowd struggling to peer into the doorway came Finn and Jake, panting.
"We… came…. to warn… Simon…" Finn started.
"Did... we… make it?" Jake finished as he doubled over.
"Yeah, you did. Actually guys, I have a special job for you." Bubblegum turned to her champions.
Finn collected himself. "What's that PB?"
"You two will guard Simon before and during the trial. You can escort him to one of the castle's guest rooms to act as his quarters until it begins."
"Criminals belong in the dungeon!" a voice squeaked from behind the door.
Marceline's head snapped up. She raised her hand and shifted it into a claw. She was ready to tear the tongue of whatever idiot had opened their mouth. Bubblegum rested her hand Marceline's shoulder and spoke.
"We agreed that since the Ice King captured me for longer and more often than anyone else, I would be in control of this trial. If I say Simon stays in a guest room, then he stays in the guest room. Is that clear?!"
No princess responded. Instead, many began shuffling outside of the doctor's office and allowed for Finn and Jake to escort the academic to his waiting chambers. As they departed, Simon turned to Marceline.
"It'll be okay Marcy. I'm sure we'll get this all straightened out."
"How could you let this happen Bonnie?!"
Marceline threw a plate against the dining room wall, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. A still infant Peppermint butler moved to pick up the shards, but was quickly dismissed by Bubblegum as Marceline threw another.
"I know you're upset. But this was the only way to get them to calm down, Marceline."
"I didn't need them to calm down! I could have handled all of them!"
"For how long? Could you have kept them away from Simon forever?"
"Yes! He was already living with me, and they would have never tried to come to my house! They only came for him today because Dr. Princess told them about the appointment when she joined them!"
"Marceline, you know that wouldn't have worked. Simon would have wanted to get out of your house at some point. Or you wouldn't have been home, or they would have ordered guards to attack or something. They wouldn't have stopped."
"And you think they'll stop after I prove that Simon isn't the man, they think he is? Heck, are they even going to listen to what I have to say?"
"I don't know. But it was our best bet. They can be reasoned with, I promise. Afterall, like I said before Ice King kidnapped and harassed me more than all of them combined. But I know that Simon isn't the Ice King. And I was able to forgive him for what he did."
"There's nothing to forgive him for. He wasn't in control of himself, that stupid crown was."
"That's not how he sees it, and you know that."
Marceline recoiled as if Bonnie's words had smacked her across the face. She reached for another plate.
"He shouldn't blame himself." She said as she sent it flying into the wall.
"And you shouldn't be destroying my favorite dining set. But here we are."
Marceline slumped against the wall and held her knees against her chest and sighed.
"Sorry Bonnie. I guess I got carried away, huh."
Bubblegum walked over and sat next to her.
"No, I should apologize. I found out about this last night and didn't tell you. I tried to get them to back down for hours. But they wouldn't budge. I only got them to agree to this stupid trial because I reminded them that you might just destroy all of their kingdoms in retaliation."
A faint smile broke across Marceline's face. She shut her eyes and tilted her head up.
"I'm just worried, Bonnie. I just got him back, and something is already trying to take him away again."
Marceline felt arms reach around her, and a head rest itself on her shoulder.
"I can't say that I completely understand yet. But I really, really hope that I do after the trial."
"Can I go see him? I want to talk about how we should do this."
"Of course. But I can't go with you. I need to appear to remain neutral."
"Those idiots think you're going to be neutral in this bunk?"
"They… aren't really the most thinking inclined generation of princesses I've interacted with."
Marceline knocked on the door sculpted out of frozen fudge. The door creaked open and produced an outstretched eye and mouth.
"Anyone else with you?"
"No Jake, it's just me." The appendages retracted through the crack at the statement.
"Opening one door coming right up!"
The door opened and Marceline stepped into the room. As far as imprisonment accommodations went, Simon seemed to be doing well for himself. A fluffy looking bed, sturdy table, a colorful and non-vomit stained floor. He even had a small library in the corner of the room.
Marceline looked to the table. Simon and Finn were locked in the end of a chess match. Simon held most of his pieces, save his queen, rooks and a single pawn. But had managed to capture most of Finn's army. Finn was desperately trying to find some move he could make to save his doomed king. Simon on the other hand was trying his best to not look bored. He turned his gaze to meet Marceline as Jake walked over towards them. Jake also began studying the board closely, but got no closer to finding a solution than his brother.
"So, Finn, looks like Simon beat you. At least you got his queen and castles. That's more than I ever did."
"No, Jake grumbled. Simon gave us those pieces at the start when we asked him to go easy on us."
"Wait, you played him 2 on 1?"
"Jake wants to practice for the upcoming doubles chess tournament." Finn responded, finally giving up on saving the game.
"I still don't understand why people would play this as a tag team sport. It's certainly changed in the past thousand years." Simon said.
"Speaking of the past thousand years." Marceline spoke up. The three turned their attention to her as she floated over.
"Simon, we need to prove that you're not like the Ice King. Before you say it, I get that you feel you're responsible for him, but that isn't what you're on trial for."
"So, what am I on trial for if not my crimes?"
"You're on trial to see if he is, well, you. Mentally I mean. The three of us know that you as you are now would never even think about thinking about doing the messed-up stuff you did because of the crown. We just need to prove that to them."
"I can hardly believe you're the same guy, and I saw him turn back into you." Finn added.
"Yeah, dude. I don't become all sad or angry when I'm around you. Plus, you don't smell as bad anymore." Jake quipped.
Marceline slapped him across the back of the head. Jake turned towards her, but said nothing. Instead electing to rub the back of his head and hope nothing more painful would come his way.
"It's true that I don't think like that. But how are we supposed to prove that? I can't really prove my intentions or current lack thereof. And its not like any of them knew me from before."
"Why don't we go into your memories, like we did for Marceline?" Finn piped up.
"Go… into my memories?" Simon cocked his head.
"Yeah. Jake and I have a bit of this magic memory powder stuff from a long time ago. We sprinkle it on you and you go to sleep. Then, we blow it on ourselves and we'll enter your memories. We could see what parts you were there for, and what parts you weren't. Since you don't have recollections of being the Ice King, you shouldn't have his memories."
"Where did you get… never mind. It's a good idea, but how can we show the princesses that? Do you have enough for all of them? And I don't know if I like the idea of so many people crawling around my head… there are a lot of memories I have buried. Memories I would rather not have resurfaced."
"Dang, he's right, dude. We only have memory powder for like one of us to go in." Jake sulked.
"Pardon me." A voice blared from the walls. The group looked around, before Simon pointed them to a blinking green light in the corner of the room.
"PB? That you?" Marceline asked.
"Yeah, its me. Don't worry, this kind of interaction is allowed, and I only just started watching. Anyway, I won't pretend to indulge your notion that the powder is magical, but if you can choose someone to go in there, I can attach sensory cameras to them and to a screen for everyone to watch. We'll be able to see and hear everything they perceive."
"That works. I guess we just have to choose who goes joggin in your noggin Simon." Jake added.
"It should be me." The group turned to Marceline.
"Are you sure Marcy? There are some things I would imagine you wouldn't want to see again…" Simon frowned.
"If anyone is going to go into your head to prove your innocence, its going to be me. Besides, I don't trust either of these dorks to not mess you up somehow. Or to visit memories you don't want us seeing." She responded.
"I should warn you, Simon. Every memory that Marceline sees will be seen by everyone in the room. But you're also going to relive them. So, if you're going to make an outline or anything, you'll need to plan for embarrassment and any repressed pain you might have." Bubblegum warned.
"Okay then. I guess this will be the best plan we're gonna come up with. Let's get to making an outline." Simon smiled.
"It's a good thing you came up with it so fast. The trial starts in an hour." Bubblegum interjected.
Hundreds of princesses clad in black spilled into the opulent throne room and clumsily filed into their seats. Some were eagerly waiting the opportunity to pass judgement on their prisoner. Others looked reluctant to do so. Bubblegum entered the room and took to her pink throne. The majestic main doors closed with a thud and a silence came over the room.
To their right, the small side doors opened. Finn and Jake escorted Simon onto the makeshift bed that had been set up for him to lay on. Hisses and boos, jeers and mocking came from the crowd, but neither the escorts nor the prisoner paid them any mind. Finally, Marceline entered, lugging wires and a television.
As Finn, Jake, and Marceline set up the wiring and television, Bubblegum addressed the royalty.
"Princesses of Ooo. We are gathered here today to determine the fate of a man accused of being responsible for heinous acts against all of us. Unlike regular court trials in Ooo, there is no doubt that the crimes were committed by the individual in question. Instead, we are here to determine if the defendant, Dr. Simon Petrikov, can be held accountable for these crimes. His defense, made up of Marceline the Vampire Queen, Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and himself allege that he was under the influence of the crown. Further, that he has little recollection of, and little to no power over the actions committed within his maniac state during the previous thousand years."
Bubblegum paused and allowed the princesses to murmur amongst themselves as she caught her breath. She looked towards her friends, who had finished setting up the wiring and screen. Marceline had hovered over to Simon and had caught him in a bear hug. Finn and Jake had the bag of powder that was anything but magic ready to go. Bubblegum turned back to the princesses and continued.
"I myself have personally seen the inside of the crown, and as you already know, am in agreement with their conclusion. This trial aims to convince each of you of the same. In accordance to Princess day rules, the final verdict will be decided by a two-thirds majority of relevant voters. I, as well as Marceline will be counted towards the not-guilty verdict."
"Guilty!" a voice broke from the crowd. One or two others echoed the statement, but soon quieted down.
"May I remind the room that voting comes after the presentation of the defense's evidence." Bubblegum said, slightly miffed.
"Marceline will be going into Simon's memories, and will seek to display his personality, actions, and intentions from when she first knew him. Also, relevant will be any memories he has of his time as the Ice King, as well as memories from before he met Marceline, if deemed applicable and agreed upon by Simon."
Bubblegum turned towards Simon who gave a thumbs up from the prison of a hug. She continued.
"Very well, let us commence the defense."
Finn and Jake approached Simon. Marceline released him from the hug and moved out of the way. Simon sat up and looked at Finn.
"Good luck dude." Finn mumbled as he blew the powder onto Simon.
Simon's head span, he felt woozy, and eventually began to fall backwards. Marceline caught and eased him onto his back as the sleep-inducing powder began taking its affect.
Marceline adorned the wiring and sensory cameras and looked to Bubblegum for approval that they were setup correctly. Bubblegum nodded her head and whispered good luck to her.
"Okay, your turn girl." Jake said.
She turned to the dog and got a face full of powder. She sat down on the foot of the bed and curled into a ball. Finally, she went to sleep.
Marceline woke up to a familiar sight. She was on the outskirts of the ruins of a city. All around her were the rubble of destroyed buildings, never ending fires, broken glass, and what remained of skeletons. She smelled smoke and burning rubber from every direction. In the distance she heard the crying of a little girl. She followed the noise and came across a man with long silver hair and matching beard. He too had heard the crying. He quickly picked his gear up, and turned. For a minute, she thought he could see her. This was proven false when he bolted right by her. She followed as quickly as she could. Eventually Marceline came across what she hoped would be the first of a long series of powerful memories.
Simon saw the little girl in an outfit torn to ribbons. She had a slight cut on her leg and was crying. Crying out for anyone to come find her. Simon dropped his bag and ran to the girl without hesitation. He dragged his finger around her cheek and dried her tears. He looked around while Marceline made sure to match his gaze. Finally, he started off towards a broken window. He reached inside, nearly slicing his arm open on the broken glass and dug around. She peered inside. He was aiming for a specific toy, and she saw why. So many of them were partially destroyed, covered in ash, or had wears and tears. But one was in near perfect condition. He finally managed to pull it out, and raced back to the little girl. By now she had calmed a little bit, wondering where the man had gone. As he returned, he presented her with the toy. A stuffed red doll with a button face and stich for a smile. The little girl hugged the doll and looked up at the stranger who she would eventually find see as her surrogate father.
"My name is Simon Petrikov. Can you tell me your name?"
"Marceline. My name is Marceline Abadeer."
Marceline felt a tug at her heart strings accompanied by tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite knowing what would happen word for word, second by second, thinking about this moment always made her emotional. She just hoped the room full of princesses couldn't see her like they saw the scene in front of them. With any luck, they were crying too.
"Well Marceline, that's a nice name- but a little long. How about, I call you Marcy and you call me Simon? Does that sound fair?"
"Mhm. But what about him? What's his name?" The little girl asked holding up the doll.
"Well, I guess that's for you to decide. After all, he's your new friend."
Little Marceline's eyes lit up. She stared intently at the doll before looking back at Simon.
"What kind of animal is it?"
"I'm not completely sure. It looks kind of like a pig and a bear rolled into one to me."
"Okay. Then from this day on, your name will be Hambo!" She said to the doll. "Do you like that name?"
She raised the doll's head to her level, placed a hand behind its neck and bobbed it up and down and spoke in a high pitch voice.
"Yes, I like that name a lot!" the doll mimicked.
"Marcy, I know that you don't know me. But I think it might be best if we stuck together. That way, neither of us would be alone and we can keep each other safe."
"I have Hambo to keep me safe. But we should come with you to make sure you stay safe too!"
"Well, that settles it. Simon, Marcy, and Hambo. We'll make quite the team." Simon chuckled.
Little Marceline stretched out her hand. Simon took it, and the pair began walking out of the ruined city. As they did, the scene began fading to white.
Familiar memories whirled by her. Some of them light hearted and familiar. The pair sang songs by a campfire. Simon taught her to read, write, to do math, and to read musical sheets. They played tag, hide and seek, and other games Marceline suggested.
Other memories were unfamiliar. Marceline saw herself having nightmares. She would turn this way and that before beginning to cry in her sleep. At some points, she would almost scream herself awake.
But every night without fail Simon would be awake and be watching over her, ready to calm her down. He stroked her cheek, would give her Hambo to hold onto, and would speak with her in a soothing voice until she would calm down. In some cases, these memories looked like they lasted for hours. Night would become dawn and Simon would still be tending to her.
"Why don't I remember this?" She asked herself.
And without fail, just before Marceline would wake up, Simon would return to his own sleeping bag. He'd settle in and pretend to be asleep. Of course, Marceline would wake up soon after- and having him asleep just wouldn't do.
She jumped on around, and sometimes on top of him. Sometimes she poked him. Other times she'd sing until he got up. Marceline floated to his perspective. He never made a face of frustration or annoyance. He never sighed or tried to fight her morning rituals. He got up, tired as he might be, and carried on. Because she needed him to. He would get ready to make her breakfast, pack up, and they would be on their way.
"Hey PB?"
"Yes, Finn?"
"Uh, the outline that Simon and Marceline made… some of these memories that we're watching weren't on them…"
"What?"
"Yeah… he didn't mention some of these at all…"
"This might be bad. It means that some of the memories he didn't want us seeing- private or painful ones- are going to be displayed to everyone. Including Marceline and him. I'll try to pull her out…
Another session of memories. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner times. But specifically, in some of the worst times of the time they traveled together. Food was often scarce in the apocalypse. But looking back, Marceline never went hungry. No matter what, Simon always found enough for the both of them to eat. Or so she thought.
Dinner time after a long day of travel. Marceline had gotten a splinter on her foot from playing on a log Simon had asked her not too. He ended up carrying her the rest of the day after removing it. It hadn't left him any time to find anything for them to eat for the day. Simon went to his emergency rations. As luck would have it, there were a little bit of beans and canned veggies left for the pair to split. Not enough that either would be satisfied, but enough that they would manage. He cooked the canned goods while Marceline laid down. He had just scraped the goods onto their plates, giving her slightly more than himself when Simon heard his stomach growl. It would be the first food he had all day. But then another sound.
"Simon, my tummy hurts. It feels empty."
"Shoot"
Wait, was this Simon's voice? But he hadn't said anything. Marceline studied his face.
"I can't have her be malnourished. If there's even the slightest chance that the splinter cut got infected…"
It was certainly his voice, and he certainly was not speaking. She, and everyone listening in, was hearing his thoughts.
Without word or thought, Simon scraped his food onto Marceline's plate and brought it over to her.
"What about you, where's your food Simon?"
"Oh, I couldn't help myself sweetie, I gobbled it all up like a turkey."
"Simon we're supposed to eat together!"
"Sorry, I promise I won't be a turkey next time. But you better eat up because I think I hear a turkey coming."
Little Marceline began laughing. Actual Marceline felt tears forming again.
"Gobble. Gobble. Gobble."
"Simon, stop!" she laughed.
How many times had he done this? How many times did he go the day without food so she would have slightly more?
Memory after memory of similar scenes played out. Sometimes he was still a turkey, other times he was a bandit. Sometimes he just said he wasn't hungry and that he would eat after she had gone to bed. She believed him each time.
After the 14th or 15th time Marceline was curled into a ball. Another thing she had noticed looking back on these memories was his weight. He was losing so much of it.
And as luck had it, the next memory was of them in a small home. Simon was in front of a bathroom mirror, just having stepped out of the shower. He studied himself. His rib cage poked out at him, desperate to escape the loose hanging flesh prison his body had become. Even when he was the Ice King on one of his extreme diets, he had never looked this bad.
"How could I not notice this?"
"Simon, are you almost done in there? I want to put some makeup on Hambo!"
"Of course, Marcy, one second!" he called.
He quickly dressed, but made sure to stuff cloth and stuffing under his suit. After filling it up, he looked as she remembered him.
There was one memory in particular she didn't want to see again. One she knew Simon wouldn't want her, or himself, to relive through. But she felt it was essential the others saw it, and was able to convince him to include it. The pair had been chased into an alley way. Mutants drooling radioactive ooze from their orifices were closing in. Simon had put Marceline into a car.
"Simon, you promised."
Simon unhooked the crown from his belt and raised it above his head. Both younger and older Marceline stared wide eyed. Only the latter heard what he said to himself.
"You have to keep it together Simon, for her."
He dawned the crown and began singing. Marceline recognized it as the weird song he tried using to cheer her up earlier that day. As ice and snow were blasted in every direction but the car her younger self resided in, she saw him begin to break down. She saw him beginning to lose himself in the madness, but she also saw him fight through it and return from the brink. He recovered the chicken soup and spoon fed it to her. They hugged and said they loved each other. More tears stung Marceline's eyes.
They were in the woods. Little Marceline was sleeping while Simon carried her. She looked to be twelve now. She certainly wasn't as easy to carry as she had been in the previous memories, but Simon still made due. He was running carefully through the bush and trees, hoping not to wake her.
Marceline looked behind him. What could be chasing them? Why was there so much she didn't seem to remember? Certainly, she would have woken up if they were being attacked. Or maybe this was testament to his abilities to keep calm and collected during his sane periods in their final two years.
A crash behind him. Something had come from the sky. She looked up. At first all she saw were clouds and a rainbow. But as she looked closer, she saw them. Rainicorns. Tens of them, all looking down, all trying to strike. Rainicorns ate people. And right now, she and Simon were on the menu.
Another one crashed behind him. It nearly took the backpack off him. She recognized this one. They used to go through it together. Its where he carried Hambo, as well as a couple of his own possessions- books he would read to her, some of his old published works… his last photos of Betty…
She watched him dodge and weave through the bush faster than she thought he could move. He kept one arm and most of his body over Marceline at all times. At first, it looked like he was trying to keep her from waking up by blocking out the sound and air from hitting her face. But it dawned on her. Simon was trying to keep the Rainicorns from seeing her. She heard his disembodied voice again.
"If worst comes to worst, I can find a cave and put Marcy down. I can write a note to her and try to use myself as bait to drag whatever these things are away…"
Another voice, this one with a more sinister tone enveloped Marceline.
"You can use the crown. It will protect you."
Simon physically cringed at the thought.
"I'd risk hurting her. I can't do that. Not anymore. Not when I'm barely hanging on as it is."
Thankfully it didn't come to that. Simon found a crevice- small enough he could squeeze the both of them through. He dove for it and managed to land right in front of it without waking the little girl in his arms.
"Man, how could I ever sleep through this as a kid…"
She took a guess. He was holding her, and would stroke her face and whisper if she stirred- just like he had done when she had nightmares. She would quickly return to sleep.
He was able to push Marceline through to safety. He and began making his own way through. As he did, something snagged onto the bag. He turned his head around to see the strap in one the attacker's mouths. It desperately pulled at him, trying to get him into the open enough to tear into him. He thrashed about, banging his shoulder in the process.
"Mother!" He huffed.
The beast was soon joined by several others, all pulling and tearing at the bag. Simon looked at the bag and the contents in it.
"If I do nothing I'll get pulled out, but if I let that bag go, I'll lose everything we have left… that I have left of…"
Simon made his decision. He unhooked the bag from his back. He desperately reached into it as it was being pulled out, hoping to scavenge a single object from the soon to be doomed backpack. He fished around and felt what he was looking for before locking onto it. He triumphantly pulled his hand out, and Hambo with it. He took one last look at the bag, his books, and his last picture with Betty before watching helplessly as the bag and its contents were torn apart by hungry mouths.
He made his way to Marceline, Hambo in tow. Now she was beginning to wake up.
"Simon? Where are we?"
"Sorry, Marcy. There was a pretty bad storm. I had to move us, but I couldn't take anything."
"Are you sure you didn't have one of your visions again?"
Now she was the one cringing. How was he not angry at her for that? Even if she didn't know any better. She waited, but no disembodied voice followed the comment either.
"Maybe I did, and if so, I'm truly sorry kiddo. But I did manage to save one thing."
Simon produced Hambo from behind his back. Marceline's tired expression melted into happiness as she hugged the doll.
"Well, at least you saved Hambo."
More memories flashed in the blink of an eye. This time, they were not drawn out- but rather brief snippets. But one thing stood out. They were all of her. All of her AFTER he had become the Ice King. They jammed out and played music together. They played basketball. She told him a story from his Fionna and Cake universe. A dinner party with him and Bonnie. And then some she didn't know he was there for. So many of her concerts, her first tour with the scream queens, a couple of her birthday parties after she became a star.
Even though he didn't know it, some part of him did remember her during his possession. At least, it remembered that she was important to him- even if he couldn't remember how. She wasn't sure if this would help his case, but she hadn't seen any memory of him trying to steal and marry princesses – yet. She blinked. A flash of light surrounded her. Her eyes were forced closed as it grew brighter.
Marceline wasn't sure where she was anymore. She wasn't in any specific memory. More like, she was surrounded by a couple of balls of different shades of light. Almost all of them were either yellow or black. But her eyes fixated on the few differently colored balls. One cyan, one green, one red, one brown, and one pure white.
She reached towards the cyan one first, and a flash of bright light enveloped her.
She found herself in a car. In the front seat were a man and woman. If she had to guess, in their early to mid-thirties. She floated to see their faces. The woman she didn't recognize, but the man had a striking resemblance to Simon. But there were key differences. He didn't have glasses, and his hair was black, not brown. Meanwhile the woman has brown hair. Both were slim and olive skinned with black eyes. Well, this was Simon's memory. So, where was he?
"Are you looking forward to the party, Simon?" The woman asked him.
"Yeah, mom. Thank you so much!"
Marceline quickly became aware of a third person in the car. She spun around and came face to face with a young boy. He looked a little older than she did in most of the previous memories. But he looked much scrawnier than Finn had when he was that age. Marceline decided that he was about eight or nine, but wouldn't be surprised if he was a little older. Boys sometimes took longer to develop.
Simon— kid Simon— looked exactly like she'd expect him too. Scrawny, short limbs, messy and poofy brown hair, a ridiculously over-sized pair of glasses. He even wore a bowtie identical to the man driving, likely his father. Man, if only she could take a picture. She'd never let him live it down. Still, looking between him and his dad, it looked like a little duckling trying to follow and copy its mother in mannerism.
"And I'm glad dad got to come this year! You're always busy with work!" Simon shouted excitedly.
"I might work a lot, but I've never missed your birthday, have I?" the driving man teased.
"No, you never had. And you always have the best presents." Simon chirped.
"Oh what, you don't like my presents Simon?" his mother laughed.
"No, mom your presents are great too! But dad's presents are always so cool."
The pair chuckled to themselves.
"Well, Simon I think you'll love your party this year. Your mom and I were able to get you and your friends a private tour of our work. You can all watch us launch a satellite into space!"
This was heart-warming. Simon had never spoken to her about his own childhood. But the topic had simply never come up. She smiled. When this was all over, she'd ask him about his parents. About his other birthdays, his friends, what a satellite was, and everything he liked to do as a kid.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by tires screeching. She looked forward to see a swerving car coming at them. Simon's dad was able to pull off the road in time to dodge a head on collision. But he wasn't able to maintain control of the car. The vehicle began to spin as the driver lost control. Despite not having a physical form, Marceline instinctively tried wrapping herself around Simon. But of course, this didn't work. She turned and found Simon's father desperately fighting to regain control of the car, while his mother yelled at Simon to pile as many things from the trunk on top of him. Simon obediently listened.
The car span, crashed, and died against a road sign. Marceline looked up. Her immediate fear was that Simon had been killed- only to realize how silly of a fear this was. She saw him poke his head out from the clothing, pillows, and other clutter he pulled from around him like his mother instructed. She studied him and made sure he wasn't hurt.
The bright light began to return as she turned around. She heard Simon calling out to his mom and dad, but receiving no response. He tried digging himself out of the clutter, but wasn't able. Neither parent moved to check on him or each other. As Simon continued to struggle to get his parents to respond, it became increasingly clear that neither of them would.
And Marceline was now surrounded by the balls of light again. The once cyan ball now having turned yellow. Marceline wanted to vomit. A second ago she was watching what she assumed to be a heartwarming moment. But it had been one of the most painful memories of her caretaker's life and she just made him relive it, on top of every other memory she had witnessed today. She looked at the other memories and hesitated.
Why hadn't she been pulled out of this powder spell gunk yet? Hadn't the princesses seen enough? She had, and Simon certainly had.
Static in her ear, followed by a familiar voice.
"Marceline, its me."
"Bonnie, you need to get me out of here, NOW!" she wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But all she could muster was a hoarse whisper.
"I can't. We've been trying to pull you out for the past thirty minutes. I- I think you need to finish those memories…"
"Why would I need to do that?!"
"Its only a theory… but I think its Simon's subconscious. You see, those yellow balls likely represent the memories that he holds. The black ones those that he has no memoires of- the pure Ice King ones."
"Some of the memories I saw were of me when he was under the crown. Where do those belong?"
"If they were of you specifically, I would assume to the yellow ones. It must mean that he held on to you somehow. Even after the crown messed up his psyche. In any case, those multi colored balls don't belong. They should be yellow or black…. When you entered that last memory…. It turned yellow.
"So, I have to make him relive potentially damaging memories for us to wake up and prove his innocence…"
"I'm sorry Marceline. If I had known this might happen, I would have never even entertained a trial…"
"We can give that apology to Simon together after we prove him innocent."
"Right. Over and out."
Marceline sighed and reached towards the green ball.
"Please, please don't be a bad memory…"
She was in a library. A very, very large library. Surrounding her were young adults. Many of them piling book after book onto carts and taking them to desks to leaf through.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught someone. A young, red headed girl in a green sweater.
"Betty." She mumbled and moved towards her.
Betty reached for a book and grabbed it. She tried pulling it, but it didn't budge. Marceline floated above and examined the other side. On it, was Simon in his typical formal attire. He had grabbed the same book.
Marceline laughed. This wasn't a sad memory at all. This was when he first met Betty in the library! He had told her this story a million times. She started narrating everything before it happened- Betty releasing the book and it hitting Simon followed by HIM apologizing to HER and insisting she take it first. Then he would donate a couple of his own books to her charity, followed by her casually giving him her number so they could coordinate future book donations, and the start of their relationship.
Marceline laughed. Compared to the rest of the day, this was heaven. Simon got to see himself be mushy and junk, while she got to actually watch it happen live. Not that Simon was a bad storyteller, but even as a little girl Marceline always wanted to see how it had actually played out. Had they really met in a library or was it just something Simon made up for her imagination? As it turns out, he really did meet the love of his life in a library of all places. Go figure.
Well, at least not all of the memories were bad. This one proved it.
Marceline allowed this memory to fade, and found herself in front of the remaining multi colored balls. She picked the next one in the sequence, the red one. Maybe this one would be about valentine's day or something.
Marceline found herself in a small, square, red hole. She heard muffled singing from outside of it, but couldn't make out the lyrics. But oddly enough, she recognized her voice as one of the singers.
She looked down and spotted three familiar figures who were being forced increasingly close together. Finn, Simon, and Betty. Each looked hopeless. Finn slumped in defeat.
"I always thought I'd go out saving someone." He sighed. Simon reached and put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.
"Hey. No one gets to choose how it happens. The important thing it that we're here together." Simon responded.
A brutal, yet simple honesty. Far from Simon's normal optimism and cheerful tone. Yet he still tried to calm and reassure Finn, even in his own final moments- and the final moments of the love of his life. He still made sure to try to be there for Finn. She shouldn't be surprised. This was Simon after all.
A small entrance opened up in the room. Finn grew excited and stepped through. Simon tried to convince Betty to no avail. They shared a quick kiss before Betty shoved him into the hole and out of the room, and the image of Betty grew farther and farther away.
And once again, Marceline was back in front of the colorful orbs of pain and pleasure. Only two left now, she mumbled as she reached towards the brown ball.
This was her tent. The one she made while waiting for Simon all those years ago. But that was impossible. He never came back…
She saw him. Sitting on a hill overlooking the tent she had just been staring at. He was still himself. Unlike the last time she had seen him, he wasn't wearing the crown. Had he made progress in combatting the crown's influence at some point?
"If I can just see her once… then I can go. I'll never bother her again. And even if I wanted too… I can't let her see me like this…"
So, he did want to come back to her… but then why hadn't he? He was clearly here.
Simon's head flicked around. Marceline turned to see what could have gotten his attention.
Moving swiftly towards the tent was a lean, tall figure dressed in black. It moved at a surprising speed- one faster than any human could. By the looks of it, it was on two legs. So just about any animals Marceline could think of were out as well.
As the figure approached, Marceline got a closer look and noticed two distinct features. Grey skin and long fangs. The fangs were borne and the now familiar opponent was closing in.
Before she could say anything, she heard Simon call out to her would be attacker.
"HEY I'M RIGHT HERE! COME AND GET ME!" Simon screamed at the top of his lungs.
The Empress turned in his direction. Partially startled, but mostly intrigued. In an instant she darted towards him.
Simon ran as fast as he could. But no matter how fast he went, there was no escaping this vampire.
She caught up with him in a matter of minutes and eyed him.
"Aren't you the handsome fellow. Normally I'd just drink your blood and turn you. But I would actually feel bad about doing that to you."
"St-stay back! I have this crown, and I'm only partially terrified to use it!"
"Oh please, what's that gonna do other than look good on my head." She stepped towards him.
Simon dropped the crown on his head and quickly shot uncontrolled snow, followed by very well aimed ice bolts at the vampire. Surprised, the Empress didn't dodge. The bolts landed onto her shoulders. She hissed and quickly removed them before turning invisible.
"What is this…?" Simon questioned.
Footsteps. Simon looked down, causing Marceline to look where he did. Although soft, sure enough someone looking hard enough could make out the imprints of feat in the snow and mud.
Harnessing the crown, Simon created a single snowman. He turned to it and instilled life. The snowman began tossing and turning before zoning in on its prey. It collapsed onto it, breaking apart in the process but covering its target with snow- making her visible. Simon fired a single bolt. The Empress screeched and swore. He had barely missed her heart. He prepared to fire again before she turned around.
"This isn't worth the fight. There was a much easier meal down there that I'll take instead. If you're smart, you'd leave before I decide to come back- or tell any of the others that you're here."
Simon's eyes widened as the Empress moved full speed down the mountain. She had made it a quarter of the way down before he managed to call out to her.
"Stop. You win, let's make a deal." Simon slumped to his knees and took off the crown.
This piqued her interest. She returned to the surrendering man and knocked the crown away from him.
"You certainly caused me enough trouble today… but you seem to have some interesting powers when wearing that crown. You want a deal, here it is. I let you live and let the little meal ticket down there go free. In exchange, you become my servant, my brood. You make me an army; you do what I say when I say it. And you address me as Empress. Got it?"
"Yes, Empress."
"Good. Now look into my eyes, servant"
Simon took one last look towards the tent, and looked into the vampire's eyes.
Marceline found herself face to face with the final memory orb. Pure white. The others seemed to have followed some kind of pattern. So, this one probably had to do with his time as the Ice King. She just hoped it wouldn't be brutal- or show any semblance of consciousness.
She found herself in his old castle. He was nearing the final stages of his physical transformation, and was surrounded by penguins. He seemed to be mumbling something over and over as if he were in a trance. She drew closer.
"Freeze the world over, protect it from the comet. Freeze the world over, protect it from the comet."
He was staring into the gems of the crown without seeming to be seeing them. In his own little world about a comet. He must have been truly gone at this point… but could he really freeze the world if he wanted?
A sharp scream filled her ears as he clutched his head.
"No! I won't do it!"
He was arguing with himself now. Pacing back and forth repeating the same couple of lines and same mannerisms. He was clearly in anguish, but she had never seen this part of the Ice King. Forgetting she was simply an observer; she reached out as to try and comfort him.
A sharp pain split Marceline's head like it as being was being cut open by an axe. Only about a thousand times worse. She held her head and looked to Simon. He was holding his head in the same way. Was… was she feeling his pain?
A disembodied voice, one much deeper than Simon's entered her ears.
"Freeze them. Save them. Blanket the world in ice and save it from the catalyst comet."
The combination of the voice and pain was unbearable. Before long, Marceline was doubled over in a ball waiting for the memory to be over. The viewing princesses be damned, she needed out.
"I…Can't… would hurt everyone… kill everyone… kill her…"
Eventually, her pain subsided, but its memory didn't end. She looked up. Simon was still clutching his head and repeating the phrase. Only now it was less frequent. Further, it was now constantly interrupted by his once silly actions- swaddling the penguins and calling them his babies, trying to make friends with anything he spotted. Years seemed to fly by in this memory. The outer landscape changed, kingdoms rose and fell in the distance, and Simon completed his transformation into the Ice King. He kidnapped princesses, expanded his kingdom, increased his penguin army. Yet the memory still didn't end. A mirror made of ice remained in the corner of the room. Marceline peered into it. She made out Simon's figure- his original figure- clutching his head, repeating the fight with himself over and over again. This Simon remained in complete anguish, even as the body continued with its hijinks and general idiocy. At one point, Marceline recognized two voices outside of the kingdom determined to save a recently kidnapped princess. Sure enough, Finn and Jake entered the lair and fought with shadow of the academic. All the while, the man in the mirror continued to hold his head and repeat his internal conflict. The world around her, save the mirror and the man in it, changed. The Ice Kingdom, Wizard City, her old Treehouse. It didn't matter what setting, or what action the Ice King was doing. The Simon in the mirror continued to whither in pain.
After what felt like hours, the memory finally began to wear itself out. Marceline felt herself rising as if she were being lifted up. She looked down: by now the Ice King was standing inside of the shrinking red cube from before, and was beginning to revert back into Simon. Lights began flickering and she blinked herself out of, and then back into existence.
She was back in the throne room now. She slowly sat up, head pounding. She looked around. Finn and Jake were standing over her, while Simon was still asleep. No princesses were in the room. Neither was Bubblegum.
"Where-?"
"Shh. Don't talk." Finn put a finger to her lips, which she promptly slapped away.
"Don't you shush me! Where are they?!" She yelled.
"Deliberating. Or, I guess coming up with an apology." Jake smiled.
"You mean?"
"Yeah, Marcy. We saw… everything… especially those last couple of memories…" Finn stammered.
"That last one… about freezing the world… I don't know what it means." Marceline confessed.
"We'll explain it in detail one day. But that crown makes its user want to freeze the world for some reason. We saw it in an alternative universe where Finn wore it. He went crazy in like a couple of minutes though. Hey you were there… but you kind of died though… sorry." Jake said.
"What…?"
"Crown bad. Make people crazy. Make them in a physical and mental pain." Jake repeated.
"Jake get hit if no apology." Marceline threatened.
"Sorry!"
Stammering came from the other side of the bed. Simon slowly rose before realizing he didn't have the strength in him. Marceline caught him before he could fall. Finn and Jake excused themselves to check on the princesses. For a while, the makeshift family sat on the bed in silence.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Marcy." Simon finally managed to say.
She looked at him for a moment. Exhausted didn't begin to describe him. He stared at the ground, unwilling or unable to meet her line of sight. A tear made its way down its face from behind his glasses.
"I never wanted to tell you because I didn't want you to worry or feel guilty. But now that the cats out of the bag, I imagine I'm in a bit of hot water." He chuckled nervously and slowly lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Just go easy on me- I really am sorry."
Marceline gathered all of the strength she could muster. She brought him into a hug and cried into his shoulder. Ironic. He was the one who had to live through that in the first place, who had to relive the most painful moments of his life. Yet he was still concerned with how she was processing it- himself be damned.
"Don't you dare ever apologize for any of that. Not now, not ever." She sniffed.
"Okay."
"And Simon?"
"Yes, Marceline?"
"Thank you, for everything."
The deliberations had taken several hours, but conditions were finally drawn. The room had determined that Simon was proven without a doubt to be completely different in personality, morality, and general being than his crown possessed state. He had been given a full pardon, and an official apology for his attempted kidnapping by the princesses. Afterwards, he returned to the doctor's office for a long overdue checkup.
Bubblegum completed her medical examination, and determined that while Simon was physically the pinnacle of health, his mental state left much to be desired- although it was undoubtedly an improvement over the past thousand years. While formal therapy in Ooo likely wouldn't suitable, she recommended Simon follow through on any coping system he deemed necessary. More importantly, she recommended he made an effort to prioritize his own mental being.
"No more locking things up just because you don't want to feel like a burden to others." She lectured.
Simon couldn't bring himself to argue. He just slowly nodded at her. He looked to his left to find Marceline judging his response- seemingly ready to pounce onto him if it wasn't what she was looking for. Thankfully, she smiled at his agreement.
The office seemed cramped despite being occupied by just three people. It was funny. Simon had been used to small spaces and never had a sense claustrophobia. Maybe it was just atmosphere of the room. For the first time since he had proposed to Betty, his mental state was being presented to an external audience in complete truth.
Bubblegum put the clipboard she was holding down and slowly walked over to the pair. She put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to tense up. He caught her looking at Marceline who nodded at her. Bubblegum cleared her throat.
"Before today, I didn't really understand why you were so important to Marceline. Needless to say, I think everyone in that room got the memo." She joked. Neither Simon or Marceline made a sound. Tough crowd. She continued:
"In any case, I want you to know that you have people here for you. Marceline especially, but you'll have Finn, Jake, and me as well."
"Like he'd need anyone but me." Marceline responded. This got a laugh from the three of them.
Simon turned to Bubblegum, and for the first time since walking into the office looked her in the eyes.
"Thank you, princess."
"Don't call me princess. Call me Bonnibel."
In the coming weeks, Simon, found that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't allowed to do anything for himself. Marceline wouldn't entertain the idea of him lifting a finger, regardless of how much he protested. He found himself flooded with expensive and exotic gifts, foods, and books. What he didn't mind was the attention. Anything and everything he held interest in doing, he found Marceline at his side ready to come along. In some cases, she had managed to drag Finn, Jake, or Bonnibel into the situation as well.
Eventually, Simon and Marceline struck a deal. They would continue to always be there for each other: as equals, as family, and as themselves. No more repressed pain, no more silly secrets, no more hidden misery.