Chapter 6 – Across the Ocean
A/N: Hey everyone. It was kinda stressful these past few weeks, but I'm glad to have managed to write this regardless of that. We finally make it to the land of Ooo!
Enjoy!
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Sam yawned and surveyed the surrounding sea for the hundredth time that night. He considered, for a moment, simply searching for land from the air, but crushed the idea. He came to realize that he tended to lose focus and forget himself whenever he put on the crown. There was a terrible chance he would abandon the family to fend for themselves in his not-so-lucid state.
Eyes drooping, a splashing noise snapped him out of his drowsiness. He looked around and saw bright eyes. A head was peeking at them from the water a good distance away, but the light shining off its eyes was impossible to miss.
He withheld a yell. His hand instinctively went to his crown, waiting to see what the thing would do. He debated waking the family but decided against it. He could handle this. They went through enough and deserved a few hours of rest.
He couldn't make out much of the thing as he squinted, but the way it watched them from afar told him this was no ordinary sea creature.
He assumed it would do something eventually, but it didn't. It followed them for a while. Always a few paces away. Sometimes it would sink back into the sea and resurface elsewhere just to stare at them. This did little for his nerves.
Eventually, the adrenaline wore off and the cool ocean breeze and gentle waves lulled him to a heavy sleep.
His eyes cracked open and the ocean had faded, replaced by blue walls. He was in a room made of ice. The sheens had engravings of intricate shapes on them, but what they meant became the least of his concerns when looked around. No doors. No windows.
"No, not again..." His legs trembled as he stood and stumbled to the nearest wall, tracing every bit of it for a hidden door or passageway. His breathing quickened and his jaw tightened. "Let me out!" He slammed his fist against the wall and caught the unmistakable glass cracking. He perked up and looked around the room, noting a few icicles in the corner. He yanked at one until it broke free and glared at the wall. I'll never be a prisoner again, he thought. Furiously, he smacked the wall over and over. His makeshift weapon shattered, but he made enough cracks. He backed away to the end of the room before bursting through and landing in a misty corridor. He was hit immediately by a feeling of wrongness as he lay on the cold floor that stifled his breath as if he just committed an unspeakable thing.
Deep thumping came from his left. He gazed into the mist and his eyes widened when a large shape pushed its way through it, walking on all fours. It moved faster and faster. Panic shot through him and he retreated into the room, pressing his back against the wall when the thumping sounded just outside. A massive blue hand with long nails slid past the opening before a white head slammed its side against the glassy floor just to glare through the crack at him with its three fiery eyes. He screamed.
"Sam!"
He gasped out as the frozen labyrinth flickered and he found his bottom half sunken into water. The only thing that kept him from falling into the water was the pair of hands gripping him. They pulled him back onto the boat. Martin let him go and backed away to the edge of the boat with his family. Minerva held onto Finn tightly as they watched him.
Panting, he finally asked. "W-what happened?"
"What happened? You flipped out on us all of a sudden!" the father said breathlessly, waving his hands. It was then Sam noticed the random patches of ice drifting around them.
"You made that, too!" Finn said from inside his mother's embrace, pointing at something behind him.
He turned and his breath hitched. Amongst the floating icebergs, a tall, tower of glinting ice crystals dwarfed them. Its sharp tip pointed to the sky. The current carried them away from it, yet it never left their sight. He gulped, head spinning. "I made that?" He could accept the snow and frost he created with his magic, but this...was scary.
"I believe you had a nightmare," Minerva finally said. "We were just talking when you suddenly got up and put on the crown. You didn't seem to hear us."
He gazed at the crown lying next to him with its red gems. Those three eyes flashed in his mind and he shuddered.
The doctor came over and knelt beside him. "Now tell me, what could have caused you to react like that?"
His face burned with shame and embarrassment. "I...I dreamed I was locked up somewhere and then I was being chased..."
Her wary face softened a little. "I suppose that's to be expected, considering what happened to you last night. Just be sure not to leave the crown anywhere within your reach when you sleep."
He hugged his knees and averted his eyes from the family and the tower. "I didn't mean to doze off while keeping watch. I just-"
"It's fine. You had a tiring night just like we have."
He decided not to mention what he saw last night. Nothing seemed to be amiss about their boat anyway and they were startled enough as it was. It caught him off-guard when Finn crawled over to his side, whispering.
"I didn't know you could make something like that. That's so cool."
He couldn't help a weak smile. "Me neither. I definitely prefer plain snow though."
"Oh, sure!" The boy then reached for his rumbling stomach. "I'm hungry."
"Right. We need to start thinking about food," the doctor said, leaning to stare at the water. "I'm not sure if fish this far into the sea would be safe to eat. For all we know, it could be infected with mutagenic wastes."
"And this is where I come in!" Martin beamed as he revealed an odd wand-like gadget. He held it over his mouth and pressed a button, causing a tube of something like cake to pour into his mouth while a jovial song played. "Awesome, right?"
"Me! Me next!" Finn nearly tumbled over in his rush to get the gadget.
Minerva hummed. "That's good, Marty, but we might be adrift for days. We can't live off sugar alone. We need real food and drinkable water."
Chewing through a mouthful of cake, Finn perked up. "I just remembered. I have stuff in my backpack!" He unzipped it and showed them a bagful of snacks and two bottles of water.
Martin whooped, ruffling Finn's hair. "That's my boy!"
Sam noticed Minerva's frown deepening.
"Finn, why do you have all this food in your bag? Even some of your toys, too."
The child winced. "For...emergency? We had all those scary guys outside our house and…"
"In fact, why were you wearing a raincoat in our attic last night?"
"Uh…"
"Guys, quiet!" Martin said.
"No, I would like to know-"
"I mean, quiet. Look!" Her husband pointed to an unmistakable large shape in the distance.
Finn gasped. "Whoa! It's a ship!"
Sam shielded his eyes from the sun just to get a better look. It reminded him of those old ones used for trading. "They're heading to the ice tower." They must have seen it rise from afar. "We have to get their attention somehow!"
"No, we shouldn't!" Minerva said.
Martin stammered. "But they could rescue us!"
"We left the island hours ago. Whatever is steering that ship, it's not human."
"Oh." Her husband muttered. "Then, in that case, we gotta get away from here." He grabbed a piece of driftwood and quickly rowed in the other direction.
Sam watched the distant ship in wonder.
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They drifted for hours with nothing but the sound of waves and sea birds to break the uncomfortable silence. It was afternoon when the sky burned with an orange color that something new happened.
"Hey, am I losing it, or is that land I'm seeing?" Martin said suddenly.
Wiping the sweat from his brows, Sam narrowed his eyes and saw it, a shore. A line of green trees stood beyond the sand.
"I-It is!" he stammered.
"I don't believe it..." Minerva said.
The father grabbed his piece of driftwood. "Quickly, row!"
"R-right!" he did the same and assisted him until they made it to the beach. He had no shoes, so his feet kept sinking into the warm sand. He smiled as Finn ran with his dad, jumping around and cheering. He scratched his beard as he took in the place. "This is certainly more…green than I expected." He thought of all those documentaries and books on the island that often insisted on the desolation of the world outside. Nothing but monsters, they said.
Finn's mother seemed to share the same train of thought. "This doesn't make any sense. No life should exist here. How did this place survive for so long with all the toxic wastes?"
"Who cares? We'll live, Min!" Martin said, laying on the ground and waving his arms over the sand.
"Well, trees mean food and water," Sam offered timidly.
"It also means someone else might be living here. After seeing that ship, I say we stay right where we are and not take any chances," she said while her husband hurried over to pull the boat in to make sure the tide didn't steal it away.
Sam went over to help only to be stopped by the man's extended hand.
"I got this, Sam."
He caught onto the curt look the other man gave him and the fact that he called him by name instead of gramps like he always did. It stung more than he liked to admit. He backed away and joined Finn who was showing his mother a colorful shell he found. He gazed into the woods and bit his lip.
"I'm going to check the area." He forced a smile when he became the center of attention. "The beach seems safe enough for now, so you guys will be okay here. I have the crown in case I run into any danger."
"Alright," Martin shrugged, turning away.
"Are you sure about that?" Minerva said and he nodded. She gave in. "Very well…just be careful out there. We don't know what might be living on this island."
Finn opened his mouth, only for his mother's hand to pull him to her side. "The rest of us will wait here until you come back."
He hesitated at the gaping entrance to the forest. Glancing back at them one more time, he took a deep breath and stormed in before his mind could talk him out of it.
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Minerva didn't know what to make of their situation.
They somehow ended up on what she assumed to be a large island that defied everything she had ever been taught back home. She could hear birds and other animals all the way from the beach yet didn't dare to go near them, not when this…serene façade could fall any second and something would pounce on them. The horrible mutants in the illustrations she had seen kept haunting her thoughts, with their melted faces, gnarly claws, and twisted limbs.
Dusting his hands, her husband approached her with a knowing grin. "You seemed to be handling this quite well."
She smiled despite herself. "It's just so odd. The scientists and researchers from our island have done their fair share of seafaring in the past, yet our records insisted that the land beyond our home is uninhabitable."
He grunted. "Maybe they didn't find this place. Who knows? I'm not complaining though. I thought for sure we were gonna go nuts back on that boat."
He was missing the big picture here. If life could thrive outside the island despite all odds then this would suggest that their understanding of the world was flawed, but she refused to accept that. Everything they knew was based on centuries of research and observation by hundreds of humans. They couldn't all be wrong.
It's just impossible.
She was about voice her concerns when her husband looked past her. "Annnnnd Finn's gone. Again."
Turning to the pile of shells the boy left behind, she ran a hand over her face.
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Sam trudged through the forest, mindful of the roots and vines in the way. His eyes darted to every sound in the trees while his grip on the crown grew painful. It was like waking up on the Founder's Island all over again, where everything was unfamiliar and daunting.
But this time it's different. His confidence grew. He wasn't the same lost old man who woke up with a hazy memory and no clue where he was. He had magic and a family-
Well, the former at least. He thought glumly, certain Finn's parents hated him by now. He wouldn't blame them, not after everything that happened. Even Minerva was probably being nice to him out of politeness than anything.
That was why he was here, wasn't it? This was his chance to make amends and help the family. Maybe if he found them shelter or some supplies they might consider forgiving him. He strongly wished luck would simply be on his side just this once.
It was at that moment that something burst from the bushes and shrieked at him. He tumbled on his back, heart pounding while familiar laughter filled the air. Tilting his head, the giggling blonde child had him sighing. "Finn, you've got to stop doing that! What are you even doing here?" he said, panicking once it dawned on him that the weaponless boy followed him through the forest.
"Hey, I wasn't gonna let you come here on your own." Finn walked out of the bushes, holding a thick branch like a club and reaching for his hand. "We go together, remember? Besides, this is our chance to finally be on a real adventure!"
This kid. Sam's eyes misted and he ruffled his hair. I guess I owe him this, at least. He gazed at the forest path and considered his options before smiling down at him. "Alright, just stay close to me, okay buddy?"
Beaming, the boy nodded.
They made their way through the thick forest, and he found himself appreciating how quiet it was compared to the bustling human island. He came across a few berry bushes and mushrooms but had no way of knowing if they were edible or not.
He went to grab a handful of purple berries, and something darted out of the bushes. It fled into the forest with a quiet gasp. The red creature was clearly an animal, with pointy ears and a long tail, but he could have sworn it ran on two legs just before it vanished between the trees. He blamed it on the stress from the other night. Maybe the doctor had a point.
Finn meanwhile stopped making silly noises long enough to ask. "Hey, uh, grandpa?"
He raised a brow, sensing something from the overly innocent note of his voice. "Yes?"
"Could maybe I put on the crown?"
Sam's jaw dropped.
"I wanna do cool magic, too!"
"No! You-" He took a deep breath and composed himself. "Sorry, buddy. I don't think your mom would appreciate it if you turned blue and grew a beard like me."
"Aw, but I like blue!"
They stopped when they came across a grove of strange pink trees, and thankfully the discovery was enough to distract Finn from further asking him. Lost in awe himself, he marvelled at them up close.
"Pretty," he heard him murmur.
Good thing he looked down just in time because it took all of his willpower to stop himself and the boy from walking straight into a net. Someone had set it on the ground with a cupcake as bait, poorly covering it with a few leaves. At this state, anyone could see it from anywhere in the clearing.
"Is that supposed to be a trap?" Finn said, raising an unimpressed brow.
"Yep, which means your mother was right. There is someone living here." That spelled bad news for them. As badly done the trap was, the idea of something here capable of plotting and trickery made him feel unsafe. They had to turn back and warn the others. "Hey, do you smell that?" he stopped and his long nose twitched.
The boy sniffed the air. "Smell what?"
Sam's brows furrowed as he thought hard about the familiar scent. It made him think of something in the garden in their house's front yard for some reason.
"Stop right there!"
They stiffened when several people jumped from behind the trees and pointed their spears at them. Their attackers were…living bananas, with chocolate covering their heads.
His mind sputtered.
"D-drop that weapon you're holding!" one of them demanded.
Finn's bewildered eyes met his for a second then looked down at his stick in confusion before doing what was told.
"Good. Now keep your hands up…whatever you are," the one who seemed to be leading them said.
"Like seriously, what are you?" another added.
"We're..." Sam swallowed, trying to get his thoughts together. "We're humans." The answer came out far too hesitant as he was still unsure about himself.
The banana leader turned to the others. "Does anybody know what that is?"
"Nope."
"Well, we're taking you two in, anyway!"
His hand slowly inched toward the crown.
"Hey, I said keep them up!" the leader snapped, and it struck him then. They didn't realize the power the crown held. They were just terrified of them. Even as he looked around, he noted how most of these 'soldiers' were shaking despite outnumbering them by five. Ignoring their weapons and the absurdity of what they were, none of them seemed to know what they were doing. "Now move…please?"
I still need to keep Finn safe. He motioned for the boy to follow his lead.
They walked for a while until they climbed a hill and were greeted by a walled city standing in a valley of pink trees that put the human city to shame in its strangeness. A moat full of what appeared to be syrup surrounded it.
"Move, you two!" the leader said, putting on a tough face. They made their way down toward the city gate. He glanced at Finn who was gazing around with wide eyes and gulped when what he first assumed to be giant statues turned out to be men with glass heads who peered down at them. He threw a protective arm around the boy as they passed by one and the gate was lowered.
The moment they stepped beyond the wall, he took in the bright colors and sugary smells. The houses were made of cake, the trees were lollipops, and the citizens were living candy. Muffins, chocolate bars, and ice cream cones on legs, all staring and murmuring as they were escorted by the guards. He worried he might faint.
I must be dreaming. I must be! He thought, half dazed. Of all the stories he heard on the human island about what became of the world, nothing could have prepared him for this.
They stopped at a bench under the shade of a big tree. A pink woman was drinking tea with a peppermint candy man in a suit beside her holding a tray.
"Princess, we got them!" the lead guard said.
"Princess?" Sam blinked as she rose from the bench, stepping into the light with sharp yet intrigued eyes. He didn't know why, but his lips turned up into a wide grin as he stared at her. "I can't believe it. A real princess!"
"Yes, I am," she said, grimacing under his attention.
Finn tugged at his sleeve. "Grandpa, you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, absolutely!" He shook the trance away with a nervous laugh.
"Thank you, my loyal guards." She told the banana men. "Now, who are you two?"
"I'm…I'm-"
"Name's Finn!" the boy said. "And this is my grandpa, Sam!"
"Y-yes," he mumbled.
She raised a brow and put her hands on her hips. "And what exactly are you?"
"Humans. We're humans," he quickly said.
"What?" The burning curiosity behind her eyes intensified. "I did have some suspicion, but I didn't think it was possible. There haven't been any humans around here for hundreds of years! Where did you come from?"
So, the islands really were the only place where humans dwelled. He tried to smile. Even though they were basically captives, maybe they could talk their way out of this. "We came from overseas. You see, we-"
"We're wanted back home," Finn offered.
"Finn!"
The princess narrowed her eyes. "Is that so?"
Sam shook his hands frantically. "It's way more complicated than that. I swear!"
"It doesn't change much. You still need to be punished for your deeds."
His thoughts came to a screeching halt. "Deeds? What do you mean?"
"Drop the act. Someone's been causing trouble around here and scaring all the candy people. While everyone's descriptions of the culprit vary, you're the most unfamiliar face around."
"That can't be us. We just got here today!" Finn said.
He nodded. "Yeah, what proof is there that we did it?"
"Well, the banana guards surely must have caught you in the act." She turned to her guards who fidgeted.
"Uh…we sorta found them in the woods and thought…"
She groaned and rubbed her temples, mumbling quietly to herself before turning to him. "My apologies, then." She folded her hands and bowed her head. "I realize I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Princess Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom. We shouldn't have been so quick to assume. It's just been rough running my kingdom with this thug going around terrorizing my people."
Relieved, he smiled. "I-It's okay. I'm just glad we're not in trouble."
"Not so fast. I still would like to know why you're 'wanted' where you came from."
He winced. "It's kind of my fault-"
"They were jerks!"
The princess looked between him and the boy confusedly.
"I…I guess I have to explain."
"I have time."
After leading them to her garden and taking a seat, he went on telling her as much as he could about what happened between them and the Seekers.
"Fascinating. I used to find relics of the old world all the time, but I had no clue what became of the rest of your civilization," she said, putting her teacup down.
"So…." Finn began, his hand reaching for the cookie plate the butler left in front of him. "Are you guys made of goo? Mutants are supposed to be made of green goo."
"Finn!" Sam hissed while the princess cocked her head.
"Mutants? Don't be silly." She giggled. "What you see around you are the lovely candy people. I made them in my lab," she said as if it was the most normal thing ever.
He stared. "Uh…that's, ah, wonderful." He quickly changed the topic. "So, yeah, we really didn't want to leave our home, but my magic got us into so much trouble that we had no choice."
"Sorry, but there is no such thing as magic," she said, surprising him. "As a scientist, the mere concept offends me."
"What?!" Finn muttered, getting cookie crumbs everywhere. "But I've seen it. Grandpa can fly and shoot ice from his hands!"
"People call anything they can't explain magic. I'm not saying what you saw wasn't real, but it doesn't paint an accurate picture of things. It's not your grandfather that's doing the 'magic', it's the crown." She rubbed her chin. "Which leads me to believe it's some sort of piece of ancient technology. Cryokinesis is one way to explain your ability to make ice. As for the flying, it probably has something to do with reversing the way gravity affects your body mass."
While Finn gave an annoyed scoff, Sam blinked. The princess' argument sounded reasonable enough. In fact, he wished it was true as it eased away his fears, but the way his memories faded, the alluring pull it had on him, and all those eerie things he had seen couldn't possibly be the product of some machine. "So…we're off the hook?" he asked nervously.
"It seems so. Since you're new in Ooo-"
"Huh?"
"Ooo. That's the name of this land." She gestured to their surroundings. Finn giggled at the name, and Sam sighed. Somehow, considering how bizarre this day had been, this shouldn't surprise him in the slightest. "I can arrange for you to have a house here. We could benefit from having another doctor around. Doctor Princess has her hands full these days."
Brushing off the giddiness that overcame him at the mention of another princess, he glanced down at the white coat he was wearing and stammered. "No, no! This belongs to Finn's mother. I'm only wearing it because…my clothes were taken before we escaped," he mumbled, face flaming up.
"I see. Well, the offer still stands."
He thought it over. Jumping at the first chance for a place to stay might not be the best choice. He had no idea if he could fully trust the princess. She probably wanted a means to keep an eye on them while they were here. As surreal as the thought of living in a city made of candy seemed, it was certainly better than camping in the woods where some beast might stumble upon them. What if they run into this thug she mentioned?
"I need to ask Finn's parents first," he said, but from the way Finn was jumping up and down in his chair, the boy's mind was made up.
"Very well." She leaned over and whispered to her butler who nodded and walked away. When he returned, he brought a light brown shirt and a pair of shoes.
Sam looked between the butler and the princess who nodded with a smile and accepted the gift. "Thank you."
As he and Finn left the candy city, he asked the boy to wait for him while he hid behind a tree to change. He took off the doctor's coat and removed the ring that kept his ponytail together. He frowned at the item. Where did he get this thing again? He felt he should know. Shrugging, he put it away. If he forgot, then it was probably not important.
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"Finn! You there, little bud?" Martin called out.
They had been searching the forest for the boy all afternoon. At one point, the trees shifted pink the further they went, which was weird but hardly mattered in their situation.
"I can't believe we would lose him here of all places," Minerva said, hugging herself. "What if he's in danger? What if a mutant already got him?"
"Min, we need to head back. It's gonna get dark." When she gave him a disbelieving look, he added. "I doubt he's gonna run off this far into the woods. Maybe he's back at the beach. We wouldn't know unless we go and see."
She knew he was right and sighed. "Fine, let's-" Her eyes darted to the bushes. "Do you hear that?" A soft humming came from beyond the thicket. Eyes wide, she rushed in, expecting her son or Sam at least, only to stop. A brown, round person was sitting near a cemetery, humming while unaware of their presence.
"I think I finally lost it, Min…" Martin mumbled. "You're seeing that, too, right?"
"Y-yes…"
They stepped through the shrubs and approached the thing. The creature reached their knees in size and wore a blue hat. It held a shovel in its hands.
"Hello?"
The creature spun around and looked all the way up just to meet their gazes. With a mustache and two small eyes, it screamed and startled them. Curling up on itself, it whimpered. "Stay away! Starchy tastes bad!"
"It…it talks?!" Minerva touched her forehead, a million questions swirling in her mind all at once. "Nothing I've read suggested that!"
Martin blinked. "And he's…made of chocolate?" He turned to her. "Has food become sentient or something? Is that what we're dealing with here?" He reached out to touch him. She grabbed his hand.
"Don't! It can still hurt you!"
The mutant's gaze drifted to something behind them, and he screamed even louder before darting away with his shovel. They glanced back and saw nothing but trees.
He scratched his head. "What was that all about?"
"It doesn't matter. You shouldn't have tried touching it!"
He snorted. "The little guy looked more scared of us, to be honest."
"This is serious. The creatures here were made from the toxic energy released during the old war. You could have lost your hand or worse!"
"Alright, alright. From now on, if I see more talking food, I'll run the other way."
Rolling her eyes, she took a deep breath to clear her mind. "We shouldn't have gotten distracted. Our son is still missing, and we need to find him. These things can talk and look innocent enough to fool him into going near them."
He huffed. "I'm sure he's not lost. He's probably run off with Sam if I had to guess."
Catching the sudden curtness in his voice, Minerva realized there was no avoiding this conversation and crossed her arms. "You're still angry at Sam, aren't you?"
"Huh?" He blinked and scoffed. "What are you talking about?"
"Martin…"
His oblivious smile dropped, and he threw his hands into the air. "Fine! So, what if I am? Am I wrong to be mad? Just a month ago, we were fine and making plans for which island we will go to for summer, and now we're not welcome in our own home! You're telling me you're not the least bit upset about the mess he made?"
She frowned, realizing those were almost the exact same words Dr. Gross said to her. Thinking of that woman now brought a sour taste to her mouth. "I didn't say that…"
Martin rubbed his temples. "Look, I get it, okay? I know he didn't mean for this to happen. The guy will probably feel bad if he stepped on a bug, but it doesn't change the fact that he cost us everything. Our home, my barbershop, and your job!"
"Yes…my job," she murmured.
He faltered. "You alright?"
She sighed. "I always took pride in being a doctor. I wanted to believe I was making a difference in people's lives, that I was making things a little better for them. Looking after my patients was my life." She hugged her arms and turned to face the towering trees. "But when those Seekers came for me, when I heard they were going after you and Finn next, I was scared. Terrified even, because I remembered all those injured Hiders who resisted capture they sometimes brought in, many of which I nursed back to health."
At the time, she had smiled and shrugged it off as a necessary part of helping the island, but now she couldn't anymore. Her stomach clenched. "Looking back on it; how many times did I clean up their messes for them? Who was I really helping?"
"Sorry…" Martin looked away and rubbed his neck. "That still doesn't mean I gotta be okay with what he did."
She realized what was on her mind was a little different than her husband. While he was fixated on Sam's actions, it was his demonstrations of power that unnerved her the most since that night. If he could bring down the guardian, their ancestor's strongest creation, and summon that crystal tower in the middle of the ocean, then what else was he capable of? Could he freeze the land if he wanted to? Were they safe whenever he was using that crown?
"What I'm saying is that a lot happened too quickly. It's all so confusing, and I'm still trying to figure out why this place is full of life when it shouldn't be, but we can't waste time fighting with each other. We can all talk things over later once things have settled down and we have a roof over our heads."
He heaved a long sigh and gave her a thumbs up. "You got it, Min."
She smiled and turned to check in the cemetery. Her husband yelped. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Something pulled my hair," he said, messing with his ponytail.
She looked around the clearing. "But it's just us here."
He looked ready to insist on it when a new voice joined in.
"I knew I smelled humans nearby. I just couldn't believe it."
They froze, looking around for the source of the voice. It sounded like a girl giggling.
"Who said that?" Minerva called out.
"Uh…Min?" Martin's voice shook as he pointed above her.
Before she could question him, the weight of her hat vanished, and she looked up to see it flying.
A girl with pale skin and flowing black hair appeared, floating while playing around with her hat. "No way. You guys still wear these silly little hats? It's been ages since then."
She couldn't work through what the girl was saying when she caught the glint of her long fangs. Her body went rigid. In a split second, her husband grabbed her hand and they fled in the other direction. He screamed and his grip slipped from hers, causing her to stumble.
She looked back, and her eyes widened. The girl's arm had somehow stretched and grown, clutching around her husband. His captor floated down, tsking. "Now that's just rude. We didn't even get to chat," she said as her eyes shrunk, and a row of sharp teeth spread in her mouth. "It's not every day you run into the vampire queen. Why don't you stick around? I'm sure we're gonna have a blast."
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Sam pulled at the hem of his new shirt. It turned out to be a bit bigger than him, but he wouldn't say no to new clothes. Neatly folded, he carried the doctor's coat in his other hand. Finn meanwhile had the gift basket the princess gave them, full of sweets. He was honestly grateful for the little bit of fruit here and there as he didn't know how much sugar he could consume today without getting sick.
"I still can't believe what she said about your magic!" Finn huffed.
He considered the boy and whispered. "Don't listen to her. She just never seen it herself. I'm pretty sure it's real."
Grinning back, the boy hummed. "Just wait until mom and dad hear about this. I mean, we found a whole city made of cake! I wish the kids back home could see us now. They used to make fun of me all the time!"
A disconcerting thought came to mind. "By the way, did you ask your parents before following me there?"
The boy's face twisted with a guilty grin. "Uh…"
That made him stop and kneel to his level, setting a hand on the child's back. "Finn, I know you mean well, but you have to think about your parents, too. They care about you, and you're always trying to run off without saying a thing to them."
"Sorry." Finn's head dipped and he looked away. "I'm sure they're fine. They're still at the bea-"
A distressed cry reached them, a familiar one. He followed it with the boy in tow and froze at the sight of Martin struggling in the grip of a girl in the air, her sharp fangs inching toward his neck. Minerva was watching below with her hands over her mouth.
"Dad!" Finn cried out.
Steeling himself, Sam ran ahead, the crown just on top of his head. "Hey, leave them alone!"
The girl glanced over with a bored frown and her face went blank with shock.
"Simon?"
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A/N: Thanks for reading. Nice to finally get to exploring Ooo. In case you're wondering, characters like Bubblegum and Marceline have their early season 1 personalities here, so they lack the development they got later in the show.