Hey guys! New chapter here! I won't be a spoiler, but I will say that two robots enter the storyline of this fanfic! But before that, some foreshadowing stuff. Sort of a short chapter, but next one's gonna have a bit more.
Enjoy!
I do not own 'Adventure Time'.
Chapter 22
Love and Loyalty
'I think I'm at a good point in my life to say I'm getting too old for this… because I'm getting too old for this.' Helper Grover thought to himself as he walked through the hall. The old Helper had bags under his eyes from stress. Finn's sudden disappearance had been hard on nearly the entire island. Old Man Willow snapped at his employees more often than ever, and even his regulars were scared to go to his restaurant due to his bad mood. Sarah Cornell didn't seem to have her head on straight these days, Grover heard that the poor girl tried to shelf someone's baby by mistake. And Minerva…
Grover sighed. "May the angel Marceline save us from our demons." he muttered to himself as he approached Minerva's AI control room. The perfectly circular room had little light, mostly lit by the feint, red glow of the room itself. A centered, circular pool of water covered most of the floor. Grover knew that in the pool, several motherboards, mainframes, and processors of incredible capacity functioned at a constant frequency, water-cooled by the filtered H2O. It was a strange, but uniquely brilliant design. In the middle of the pool, a small platform rose. A mounted computer was placed on the platform.
Grover felt ashamed of it, but he hated the rare occasions when he came to this eerie place. This place felt like the machine's dominion. No form of life belonged here.
Standing at the edge of the pool was Dr. Gross and one of the Minerva-bots. Grover hid his distaste at the sight of Dr. Gross. He was the only person to openly voice his disagreement with Minerva making the Experimenter her second in command. Grover knew Minerva and Gross were friends, but the Doctor had always given him chills, even before the Pandemic.
Grover walked up to the Minerva-bot. "Minerva?" he asked hopefully.
One look into the android's blank eyes told him it wasn't.
"Yes, hello to you too, Helper Grover." Dr. Gross greeted with a sarcastic smirk.
"Ah, forgive me, Dr. Gross. How have you been?" Grover greeted.
"Oh, putting this and that together. Fixing one thing, and improving another. You know, top Experimenter stuff." Dr. Gross replied. She twirled her mechanical hands like a pair of egg beaters just to show off.
"Hmm." was all Grover offered in return. "Do you know why we were summoned here?"
Dr. Gross shrugged. "No idea. Minerva called me up and said it was urgent."
"She said the same to me." said Grover. "Regardless of what the issue is, it will be good to finally hear from Minerva again." Grover turned back to Minerva-bot. "Why have we been summoned?"
Instead of answering, the Minerva-bot presented her upturned palms to the Helper and Experimenter. "Please scan your hand prints for identification confirmation."
"Oh, who else could we be?" Dr. Gross grumbled before she and Grover each placed a hand on a Minerva-bot palm. The android's hands glowed green for a second, then the android brought her hands to her sides.
"Identity confirmed. Experimenter Casandra Gross and Helper Ted Grover. This way, please. Watch your step." the Minerva-bot turned to the pool and walked to the center computer, walking on the water like Jesus himself. Once the android had reached the center platform, a walkway rose up from the pool for Grover and Gross to walk on. The two of them walked across the pool to the platform, where the Minerva-bot was waiting for them.
The computer screen lit up, showing the face Minerva Campbell. This time, Grover knew it was really her. "Dr. Gross! Helper Grover!" Minerva sounded uncharacteristically frantic. "Thank you so much for coming!"
"Minerva, what's happened?" Grover asked. "Is it about Finn?"
"Have you found something?" Dr. Gross asked.
"I received an audio transmission ten hours, twenty seven minutes, thirty three seconds ago!" Minerva exclaimed. "It was from Finn!"
Dr. Gross and Helper Grover both gasped. "He's alive?" Grover felt overwhelmed with relief. The old Helper gave a cheerful chuckle. "The boy's alive!"
Grover looked over at Gross. She seemed as surprised as he was. But instead of relief, curiosity covered her face. She looked like she was making a new set of calculations for the unexpected turn of events. "How did he send the message? And what does it say?" she asked.
"He sent it from Seeker Kara Strong's ship. As for what it says," the look on Minerva's computer face became troubled. "That is why you two are here. I rarely find myself asking for assistance. But now, I need the both of yours." An audio waveform appeared in place of Minerva's face and began to play the message.
"...Hey, mom. I hope this reaches you."
Grover and Gross's eyes widened at the shock of hearing Finn's voice again.
"So uhhhh… I'm alive. Thought I'd… start off by letting you know I survived that whole thing with dad and the Guardian. I'm in our old homeland, although the people here call it Ooo nowadays. Oh yeah, by the way, our homeland is now a series of kingdoms ruled monarchies where the eldest princess is put on the throne."
Dr. Gross became even more engrossed… see what I did there?
"This place is…in no way, like Founder's Island. There is so much crazy stuff here that it would take me forever to go through all of it, and you'd probably think I've lost my mind once I was done. I know what you're thinking, mom. But don't worry, I'm fine. So is Kara, although she had a little… accident. Got in a fight with some of my friends. They're great guys, don't get the wrong idea about them."
Helper Grover's mouth hung open. He licked his lips once they had gotten dry.
The sound of Finn clearing his throat played. "Let's see, what else? I got a job… kind of, and a place to live. It's really nice here mom, I kinda like it here. In fact, I love it here." There was a pause. "Listen mom, I need to just come out with it… I'm not coming back."
The Helper and Experimenter were both taken back by this.
The audio played the sound of Finn sniffing. "I… I found myself here, I found my purpose. I'm staying here in Ooo to be a Helper for the people here. I… I hope you can forgive me for this, for leaving. I need to do this, mom. you might not understand that, but that's how it is. I'm not saying I never want to see you again, I really hope one day we'll see each other again. Tell Mr. Willow that I'll miss his cooking, although tell him I never actually liked his cod and clam chowder. I know he's like, super proud of that dish, but I never actually liked it. Thought I'd get that off my chest. Tell Helper Grover I always looked up to him, and that I always thought his mustache looked kinda funny. Like a caterpillar had crawled under his nose."
Grover reached a hand up to his mustache.
"Tell Sarah… oh boy… tell Sarah that I… always valued our friendship. She's always meant a lot to me. Tell dad he was a terrible father, that should go without saying, but I'll still miss him regardless. And mom,"
The audio played Finn sighing.
"I'll miss you the most. I love you, mom. More than anything in the world… Goodbye."
The audio recording ended. The audio waveform was replaced with the teary-eyed faced of Minerva.
No one said anything for a while. Grover was the first to speak. "So these… these kingdoms. This… Ooo. Finn has found a place among them."
"There are actual civilizations in our homelands?" Dr. Gross asked in amazement. "Entire kingdoms?! It must have been an unforeseen result of the Apocalypse. A series of civilized mutants that have established monarchies across the world they now call Ooo!"
"And Finn has befriended them, and has been given a place in their society." Grover looked at Minerva on her computer. "And, by the sound of it, does not wish to leave."
"But he has to come back!" Minerva cried. "I can't let him stay in a land run by mutants! Finn needs to come home!"
"Does he, though?" Grover asked calmly. "He did say in his message that he found his purpose in this 'Ooo' place. And by the sound of it, he meant it with great passion and determination."
"He already has a purpose!" Minerva argued. "The island is his purpose! Humanity's survival is his purpose! He was meant to become a Helper, like you and I! For his own safety, I need to bring Finn back!"
"Minerva, he's not a child anymore. He's eighteen, he's an adult. He's a kind, clever, and strong young man who has won the trust and companionship of these kingdom denizens. Finn never thought he could live up to his own potential on Founder's Island. But now, his horizons have been expanded, and he wants, dare I say, needs, to figure out his own life on his own. You may be his mother, Minerva, but that does not mean you must dictate every factor of Finn's life."
"...But… But I-"
"-love your son, and don't want to see him go." Grover finished. "I know. But my dear pupil, any mother will tell you that they have to leave the nest at some point. You need to trust Finn to figure this out on his own."
Minerva kept trying to come up with some kind of retaliation against Grover's wisdom, but came up only with a defeated and broken sigh. "I just want to see him." Minerva finally said desperately. "I just want to hold him in my arms, and know that he is indeed safe, and that he wants all of this. I… I need to know he's okay."
Dr. Gross, who had been quite silent, stepped forward. "I could go find him for you, Minerva." she offered. "I would need a little time for preparations, but I could go to Ooo and see how Finn is doing there. When I see him, I can bring him up on a video chat, or just bring him back here for you, no sweat."
Minerva considered the idea. Then she nodded. "You leave ASAP. Take what you think you will need."
Grover didn't seem too crazy about the idea, though. "Minerva. Perhaps we should just send a team of Seekers to look for Finn, instead of… our island's most prized Experimenter."
"Sending Seekers did not work so well last time, now did it?" Minerva asked before addressing Dr. Gross once more. "Remember; you are not going there to cause any trouble. We don't know what these people are like, and the last thing we want to do is make us look like a potential enemy."
"I have called this meeting of Ooo Princess Royalty to discuss an important issue concerning all of our kingdoms." Princess Bubblegum started from her place at the front podium.
The princesses of Ooo were in the Candy Castle auditorium for the meeting Princess Bubblegum had called for. All of the princesses had been brought together. Even Flame Princess found the time to make the meeting. Although, the princesses sitting next to FP were sweating bullets. Her fire was burning hotter than usual. She looked angry to be there, like all she wanted to do was burn the place down and dance on the ashes.
Bubblegum was dressed in a finely tailored, purple business suit with her crown on her head. Like she wanted to address her fellow princesses as a royal, but also express how serious the matter of discussion was: Business suit-serious. "Four days ago, we were attacked by a vessel of extraordinary technological capability, piloted by a super soldier of incredible strength, speed, and endurance. The origin of this craft: Founder's Island. A remote, uncharted island inhabited by Humans, a race long thought to be extinct."
"We remember what happened!" Slime Princess cried. "We were there on the beach! We were all almost killed by Kara crazy-Strong, and her flying metal manta ray-try saying that five times real fast!"
"Yes, and we were horribly outgunned by Kara, who only had one hovercraft and her own raw strength." said Bubblegum. "And there are more of her, more of the Seekers. And more hovercrafts, far superior to anything we have here in Ooo."
The princesses began mumbling nervously to each other.
"Kara Strong came to our land of Ooo on a mission to find our beloved hero, Finn the Human, and bring him back to Founder's Island." Bubblegum continued. "Her attempt was, fortunately, unsuccessful. However, what will happen if and when Finn's mother, the leader of their island, decides to send an army of Seekers, in an armada of hoverships?"
The nervous chattering increased.
"In our current state, we would be no match against the Human's scientific prowess. Kingdom by kingdom, we would fall in the Human's attempt to get to Finn."
"And let me guess; this is the part where you say we should band our forces together, probably under your banner, hogtie Finn, and either hold a knife to his throat so the Humans will back off or hand him over so they'll leave?" Flame Princess asked.
Bubblegum narrowed her eyes at Flame Princess. "I believe we should build up on our defenses in a unified effort, yes." she calmly replied. "As long as Finn is here in Ooo, we are at the risk of an invasion we statistically cannot fend off."
Flame Princess crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Now allow me to translate for the rest of the audience. These Humans have technology and scientific capabilities that are far superior to anything you've ever created, and that threatens your position of power, just like my Fire Giants did. And now, because you're scared of Finn's people coming for him and laying waste to your work in the process, you want all of us to help you out. And, since you have the best possible bargaining chip to use against the leader of Founder's Island, a.k.a, her son, Finn, you will not be afraid to use it if push comes to shove."
"What kind of monster do you take me for?" Bubblegum demanded.
"The kind that locks a baby in a cage so she can sleep better at night." Flame Princess replied coolly.
The whole room was dead silent for a long time.
Bubblegum took a deep breath. "I did not call this meeting to blow the warhorns and rally the troops. I called this meeting to discuss an amalgamation of our defenses in case we are assailed by the Humans. Reverse engineering Kara Strong's hovercraft has provided little to no results of any true usefulness, and the one person who might be able to tell us more about the Humans and their tech, I do not wish to involve in any of this."
"But he has a right to know about this." Flame Princess argued, knowing full well who PB was referring to. "We're already discussing the possibility of going to war with his people behind his back. After everything he's done for us, we owe it to Finn to be honest with him."
"Telling Finn about this now, of all times, is not a good idea." PB warned. "He's been a little down in the dumps since he watched his sister-figure reduced to the mindset of a ten-year-old."
"Oh, dear." said Wildberry Princess. "How bad is he?"
"You haven't left the house in four days, man." Jake said. "Everyone's worried about you."
Finn and Jake sat outside on a long bench near the pond. The canine companion had come over to check on the distraught Human of Ooo. Susan was on the other side of the pond, having a staring contest with her own reflection.
"I've been trying to get Susan settled in." Finn replied. "You try getting a giant woman with the mind of a toddler to live in a treehouse without breaking anything."
"Still though, dude. You don't want to go from Hero of Ooo to Hermit of Ooo. All of the princesses are at a get together or something right now, so we can sort of do whatever we want."
"I agree with the dog." said Shoko, who sat on the log bench next to Finn, opposite of Jake. "Let's go do something, it'll be good for you."
"What about Susan? I'm afraid to leave her here alone with BMO."
"How very considerate of you, Finn."
BMO walked up to Finn and Jake. "I am fine with more roommates, but not when they can crush my software with a single swing of their fist!"
"I'm sorry, BMO." Finn apologized. "On the bright side, Susan is doing a lot better now. She doesn't break anything and knows not to try to play with you without permission."
"Permission she is never going to get." said BMO. "Why could you not bring home another friendly robot like me instead of that!"
The three of them (or four if you count Shoko) looked over at Susan, who was starting to freak out and kept smacking the pond.
"Oh, dang." said Finn. Before he get up to calm Susan down, the three Water Nymphs emerged from the pond. Susan was frightened by their sudden appearance, but the Nymphs all put a finger to their lips.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
The sound was incredibly soothing, like the gentle flow of a creak or a small waterfall. BMO was immediately put to sleep mode. Finn and Jake let out a loud yawn. Even Shoko began to look drowsy, as if the sound had effect on the very core of Finn's mind.
Susan's eyelids began to grow heavy. She dropped to her knees and yawned. Cherry and Sherry both exited the pond and approached the left and right side of the Seeker while Merry walked up and gently pressed a finger to Susan's forehead.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." they all said again. "Rest."
Susan let out one more yawn, then fell onto her side and began snoring.
The three Nymphs then swan across the pond to the amazed Human and Dog. "How the flim-flam do you that!" Jake exclaimed quietly, as not to wake Susan up.
"It's an old Water Nymph trick." Merry explained. "All species of Nymphs are generally beings of tranquility and respite, and Water Nymphs are the most famous for this."
"Back in my day, the Water Nymphs used that trick on any handsome, unlucky hunter or traveler that stopped by their home for a drink and basically roofied them." Shoko said. "Then they literally made love to them until they died. Not a bad way to go, really."
Finn didn't tell Shoko to shut the hell up like he so very much wanted to do, since there were people around. But at the same time, he took a small, nervous step back from the Nymphs.
"We can watch over Susan while you are away, Finn." Merry offered. "We promise to keep her safe and sound."
"See, man? The Nymphs got this." said Jake. "Now go out and do something."
"Like what?" Finn asked.
"Well, I think BMO might've had the right idea. You should try to build a robot for BMO to hang with." Jake suggested. "Your island is, like, full of science wizards, right? Should be easy for you."
Finn rubbed his chin in thought. "I never actually tried to build a robot before."
"Ah, how hard can it be? You oughta go route around the Candy Kingdom junkyard for parts. I go there all the time to pick through all of PB's old discarded science junk for spare parts and stuff. Although to be honest, the place gives me the heebie jeebies. I swear, it feels like I'm being watched every time I go there."
"Bubblegum probably has a security camera watching the place," said Finn. "But, I think that might be nice. Building a bro-bot for BMO-try saying that five times real fast."
"There you go!" Jake encouraged. "I'd go with you, but I promised Lady I'd come with her to visit her parents. So that's gonna suck."
"Why? Do they not like you?" Finn asked.
"The opposite. They like me a little too much. Every time I see them, it's 'why haven't you married our daughter yet?' and 'you should meet my friends down the street' and 'you and Lady should move into the Crystal Dimension, we know some great apartments'. I just hope they don't ask to meet you. They'll probably want me to fry you up into a frittata or something."
"...Okay… I'm gonna grab some tools and then take off. Merry, Cherry, and Sherry, take care of Susan."
The Nymphs all gave a thumbs up. "Can do." said Merry. "We'll want something in return for babysitting her, though."
"Like what?"
The Nymphs glanced at each other. "We'll think of something."
"I like where this is going." said Shoko.
Finn rode Billy's old bike up to the Candy Kingdom front gates. The two banana guards on duty gave an impressed whistle. "Sweet ride, Finn." Said the one on the left.
Finn dismounted the bike and took his toolbox out of the saddlebag. He had Nothung strapped to his back. Finn felt like wearing the sword was like wearing a uniform, and he didn't want anyone thinking he was quitting his job. "Thanks. You guys mind keeping an eye on it for me? I was gonna dig through the junkyard and make a robot."
"No, problem. We valet bikes." Said the one on the right. "Quick warning, don't go into the castle. Princess Bubblegum is in a meeting with all the other princesses."
"Yeah?" Finn asked. "What are they meeting about?"
Left banana guard shrugged. "No idea. No one tells us anything."
"Oh, okay." Finn walked into the kingdom. "See ya."
"Later, Finn!" both guards shouted. They then looked over at Finn's motorcycle.
"...You think we'll get in any trouble if we take that thing for a ride?"
"...Naaaah."
The junkyard was full of junk… was Finn's first analysis of the place. Hills and piles of discarded scrap and a multitude of other things laid before the curious Human. Founder's Island didn't really have a junkyard or dump or anything like that. On the island, everything was either fixed, recycled, or incinerated.
Finn put his toolbox down and clapped his hands together. "Welp… time to make a robot."
(about an hour and a half later)
It was the saddest piece of machinery Finn had ever seen.
Finn had found an old microwave and attached it to a set of rover wheels. Then he taped a tin can stuffed with wires on the top of the microwave. He screwed a two pronged marshmallow skewer to the side of the microwave to act as an arm. And to top it off, Finn had taken a black marker and drew a not-very-happy looking face on the tin can.
"...It's a damn good thing I didn't become an Experimenter." Finn said to himself. He pressed the start button he had installed into the robot, but not nothing happened. "Hmmmmmm." Finn rubbed his chin. "Maybe it just needs a kickstart."
Finn walked over to his toolbox and began searching through the contents. He pulled out a yellow glass bottle with a lightning bolt sticker on the front.
"Bottled lightning." Finn walked over to his robot. "Alright, buddy. I bought this bottled lighting from the back of a magazine, and it was meant to go in smoothies as an energy booster. So, it may or may not power you up." Finn positioned the bottle at the robot. "Here goes nothing."
Finn uncorked the bottle and instantly regretted doing so.
With a loud roar of thunder, the lighting shot out of the bottle and struck both Finn and the robot. You ever been struck by lightning? It's not great, even when bottled. Finn couldn't tell if his nervous system was getting jump started or was shutting down. When it was finally over, Finn was sent flying backwards. He landed painfully on his back, but the robot remained stationary. Finn found the strength to stand back on his feet. He carefully approached his robot, like it was an animal he didn't want to frighten away.
Finn reached down and tapped the machine… no reaction.
Finn sighed. "Well this was a complete waste of time, and that stupid bottled lightning was expensive."
"What is 'expensive'?"
Finn jumped back. The robot's heat lamp in it's microwave body lit up and it's skewer arm moved up and down. The robot moved it's body so it's face on the side of the microwave was looking at Finn. Finn had no idea where the face had come from, but it was now staring at him with a curious look on it's face of unknown origin.
"Hello. Are you my creator?" the robot asked.
Finn stared at the robot in astonishment for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yes. Yes I am." he proudly declared. "My name is Finn."
"Ffffffiiiinnn." responded the robot. "Finn is my creator." the robot's voice was childish and innocent, much like BMO's, but it sounded more mechanical. "Creator, what is my purpose?"
"I have no idea." Finn said. "Can you do anything?"
"Well… I think I can do this," the robot's microwave door flew open and a pie shot out of it. Finn quickly ducked before the pie could hit him in the face.
"Woah! That's incredible!" Finn exclaimed.
"I am pleased that you are pleased, Creator." said the robot, clearly proud of itself. "It appears I am capable of making pies and launching pies. I am a never ending pie throwing robot!"
"Mathematical!" Finn cheered. "Let's call you… N.E.P.T.R for short."
"Neptr?" The robot gave the name a test. "...I like it!"
"I can't believe I created you!" Finn said. "I'm better at making robots than I thought!"
"Not quite."
Finn and Neptr spun around to see who had spoken. They didn't see anybody though. Whoever was speaking was hiding.
"The robot is made from a prototype pie making device Princess Bubblegum created years ago. The lightning must have recreated the machine into the one you now call N.E.P.T.R. So in truth, you just got insanely lucky… apologies for bursting your bubble."
Finn drew his sword. "Who's there? Who are you?" he demanded.
In a blink of an eye and a blur of red, something knocked Nothung out of Finn's grip. Before Finn could even recover from the shock, the same blur knocked Finn to the ground.
"I am superior, it seems." It wasn't really a taunt, it sounded more like the voice was just joking. Although, whoever was speaking sounded even more mechanical than Neptr, but held an air of nobility in the way he spoke.
Neptr moved closer to Finn, who was still on the ground. "Creator, I am scared." said the pie-bot. "What is happening?"
Finn picked up Nothung and stood back up. "Alright, look. Whoever you are, just come on out. I didn't come here to start anything, and you're scaring Neptr."
There was only silence for a long time, long enough for Finn to begin thinking whoever it was had just left. But then, a figure emerged from behind a pile of scrap metal. It was hard to make out much detail, a dirty, white cloak covered most of his body, but the rapier in his hand made Finn get in a fighting stance.
The stranger raised his hands in surrender. "I have no desire to fight you." he said. "I must apologize, the sight or your sword awakened an old instinct in this old robot."
Finn lowered the blade he had aimed at the figure and tilted his head. "Robot?"
The figure hesitated for a little bit, then threw off his cloak revealing… a gumball machine with arms and legs.
Finn blinked in confusion, but Neptr approached the gumball machine with a friendly smile. "Hello fellow robot!" he greeted. "I am Neptr! Who are you?"
The gumball machine smiled and gave a warm chuckle. He sort of reminded Finn of the Gumball Guardians, but the glass dome of gumballs was his torso and the red machine part was his body. His limbs has circular joints and were stick thin. "Hello, Neptr. I am Rattleballs."
Finn studied Rattleballs, as he called himself, and decided he wasn't going to hurt him or Neptr. Finn sheathed his sword and stepped forward. "Uh, hi." he greeted. "I'm Finn."
"The Human of Ooo. Yes, I have heard of you."
"That rhymed."
Rattleballs stepped forward and offered a handshake. "It is nice to meet you."
Rattleballs still had his sword in his hand, but Finn didn't sense any hostility from him. So he smiled and shook the robot's hand. "Same."
"Rattleballs, why are you all alone in this junkyard?" Neptr asked. "Were you also born here? Did Creator create you too?"
"Finn is not my creator," said Rattleballs. "Princess Bubblegum created me many, many years ago."
"Really?" Finn asked. "Well, you're no piece of junk, so what are you doing here?"
Rattleballs didn't respond right away, he took some time to think. "I believe I can trust the two of you with my life's story, so I will tell you."
"Hooray!" Neptr cried. Rattleballs took a seat on a large tire and Finn sat on the ground next to Neptr.
"Hundreds of years ago, Princess Bubblegum worked tirelessly to establish her kingdom on these grounds." He began. "But she needed fighters to defend her and her people from the still hostile and dangerous world. The Gumball Guardians were a grand addition to the young kingdom's line of defense, but the banana guards back then were naive, slow, and borderline useless."
"...They… they kinda still are." said Finn.
"They're not as bad as they used to be, believe me." said Rattleballs. "The princess decided to create a new squadron of defenders. Thus, me and my brothers were built. A group of mechanical warriors that were nearly unstoppable in combat."
"Cool." Finn commented.
"Things were nice, for a time. We followed the princess's orders with fierce loyalty and protected the kingdom from outside threats. We were fighters, we reveled in battle. But, the princess became fearful of our violent nature. She decided that the safest thing to do was have us all destroyed. I was the only one to survive. I escaped my demise without the princess finding out."
"...What?!" Finn exclaimed. "Woah, that is… that's cold!"
"You'd be surprised how cold the princess used to be." said Rattleballs. "I will never say Princess Bubblegum is, or ever was, a bad person, but you would hardly recognize her back in my day."
"Geez." said Finn. The last thing Bubblegum struck Finn as was a cold blooded monarch.
"Personally, I believe it was the Princess's falling out with the Vampire Queen that caused her to lose so much of her compassion." Rattleballs said. "She was never the same after that whole mess."
"You mean Marceline?" Finn asked. "How far back to the two of them go?"
Rattleballs chuckled. "So you don't know the whole story, do you?"
"The whole story?" Finn asked curiously.
"It is not my place to tell, I'm no gossip monger. But, you should know that they were once very close, and their parting was hard on both of them."
"Oh." Finn replied.
"...Who is Princess Bubblegum?" Neptr asked. "And what is a Vampire Queen? I have only been alive for a few minutes, so I am greatly confused."
"I have been living in this junkyard for hundreds of years in hiding, fearing what Princess Bubblegum will do to me she were to discover that I am still functioning." Rattleballs continued. "I live a lonesome but peaceful life, tending to my plants, and perfecting my swordplay against non-existent foes."
Finn thought long and hard, then stood up off of the ground. "...Do you think, maybe, you could teach me a little swordplay?"
Shoko appeared by Finn's side. "So I'm not good enough for you all of a sudden?" she asked.
Rattleballs regarded Finn curiously. "How much training have you had at swordplay?"
"Well… none. My only combat training experience comes from my former incarnation who used to be a sellsword and thief for hire. She spent nine years in a dojo going through brutal training regimes day in and day out. And now, I can see her standing next to me."
"Try not to sound so disappointed." said Shoko.
"Hmmmmmmm." Rattleballs stood up and began to pace around Finn. He examined the Human with a thoughtful look on his face. "The only form of martial art you know is a sellsword's brutish fighting style. What was the name of the dojo your previous incarnation trained at?"
Finn looked at Shoko, who whispered into Finn's ear. "The Stone Will Dojo."
"That wretched place?" Rattleballs asked in disgust. "That was where they mercilessly trained orphans and unwanted children, then sold their services to the highest bidder."
Shoko's face darkened, Finn could even feel her gloom.
"Their fighting style was effective and efficient, but rugged and uncoordinated." said Rattleballs. "I will teach to wield that blade with precision, coordination, confidence, and most importantly, with purpose."
Finn's eyes widened. "You mean you'll train me?"
"Yes. I will train you. I sense great promise in you. After all, Nothung will not let just anybody wield it."
"Sweet."
(after several hours of grueling training)
"Creator! Creator! That's our man! I'm a microwave with two wheels and one tin can!" Neptr cheered.
"Keep your guard up," said Shoko. "Never give your opponent an opening."
Finn and Rattleballs circled around each other with their blades drawn, Rattleballs with this rapier and Finn with Nothung. Rattleballs had proven to be a stern mentor, giving Finn little to no quarter in his training. The Human was covered in cuts and bruises, but still found the strength to stand against the battle-bot.
"You still fight with the grace of a mercenary." said Rattleballs. "You must understand that your sword is not the weapon. A sword is a sharp piece of metal you fight with. You are the weapon, Finn." Just to prove his point, Rattleballs tossed his sword aside. "Come at me!"
Finn charged at Rattleballs, who, to Finn's surprise and frustration, managed to dodge and counter each one of Finn's attacks. In a few minutes, Rattleballs once again had Finn knocked down.
"Wielding a weapon does not make you a warrior." said Rattleballs.
"Then what does?!" Finn asked, he was beginning to get fed up with his training.
"Purpose." Rattleballs replied. He offered Finn a hand to help him back up. "What do you fight for, my friend? Why do you wield Nothung? Why do you desire to be a better swordsman?"
Finn hesitated before he grabbed Rattleballs' hand and was hoisted back on his feet. "...I was born on an island." Finn began. "On that island, my only wish was to be a Helper. All I wanted to do was help the people I cared about, in any way I could."
"Very honorable." Rattleballs commented.
"But everything changed when I found myself in Ooo. I found new potential in myself. The potential to become something more. I'm the guy who stopped a war between the Candy and Flame Kingdoms. I'm the guy who found a crap load of treasure in the Shadow Thief's lair after fighting shade demons. Heck, I even taught myself to do this," Finn summoned an ice knife. "Ooo… is the best thing that has ever happened to me." Finn stared at his ice knife. "And I need to be the hero they need me to be, I owe to all of Ooo. They welcomed me with open arms. I have a really good thing going here." Finn took a deep breath. "A couple days ago, my… my sister came to get me. Against her own will, she was about to drag me back to the island, where I would never leave. She got a lighting bolt to the head, and now she… isn't the same."
"And now, you feel like a failure." Rattleballs summed up.
Finn nodded. "I need to do better. Or else… something worse could happen to someone else I care about, because I wasn't good enough to prevent it."
Rattleballs studied Finn with an unreadable look on his robot face. "You can see your previous incarnation?"
The question confused Finn, but he nodded his head. "Yeah, I can see and hear Shoko. It's both a blessing and a curse, really."
Shoko flipped Finn off in response.
"You are haunted by the ghosts of your past, as are all of us." said Rattleballs. "But the past is the past, what's done is done. Things don't always go according to plan. Bad things happen, but good things happen as well. We rise and we fall, it's all a matter of if we're willing to keep on our feet. People like you and I, we fight for what we believe in. Sometimes, we have to watch as all of our brothers are ordered to line up to be smashed into cubes. Other times, we are swept away from our home and then watch as our sister suffers damage to the dome."
"That rhymed."
"You don't have to point that out every time. It gets a little annoying after a while."
"...Sorry."
"Finn, you fail when you give up. If you truly wish to protect Ooo, then you must never give up on Ooo, nor yourself."
Finn thought back to when he inherited all of Billy's stuff. 'Do what you can, and don't fret over what you can't. Being a hero isn't about being invincible and fearless, it's about being strong and courageous.'
Finn sighed. "What do you do when you feel defeated?"
"You keep fighting, until you or the enemy is defeated," said Rattleballs. "If you want to be Ooo's hero, then you have to be strong. For your sake, and Ooo's."
Finn gave it some thought, then determination flooded his features, and he raised Nothung in challenge. Rattleballs smiled, then picked up his sword and charged at Finn. Rattleballs and Finn traded blows. Little by little, Rattleballs took it less easy on Finn as they dueled. But, Rattleballs was proud and impressed by Finn's new found capability. The Human seemed to have dug up a hidden skill within him. Finn fought and pressed forward, countering and returning each blow. Never letting up, and never giving Rattleballs an opening.
Then it happened. Rattleballs decided to end the fight by knocking Finn to the ground. However, when Rattleballs attempted to deliver the ending blow, he was surprised by Finn's quick counter. With one powerful stroke, Finn knocked Rattleballs' sword right out of his hand.
The only sound that could be heard was Finn's heavy breathing. Finn blinked a few times, like he just realized he had beaten Rattleballs. "...I...I… What happened?"
Rattleballs let out a hearty laugh. "You look as surprised as I am, my friend! Celebrate, dear student! You have proven you are truly worthy of wielding that blade!"
Finn stared at his sword, a well of pride forming in his chest.
"Hooray! Creator is a master!" Neptr shouted.
"Not bad, Finn. Not bad at all." Shoko said proudly.
Finn continued to stare at Nothung, then he smiled and looked up at Rattleballs. "Thank you."
"All credit goes to you, my friend." Finn's proud mentor replied.
"Still though, I wish there was some way I could repay you." Finn said. "Maybe I could talk to Bubblegum about putting you back in the force?"
"I appreciate it, Finn, but I do not think the time is right for me to reveal myself just yet." Rattleballs said. "So if you want to repay me, please speak to no one about me."
Finn wanted to do more for Rattleballs, but chose to respect his wish. "Okay, I won't say anything to anyone. I promise."
"I promise not to tell as well… that rhymed… but it felt so right." said Neptr.
Rattleballs smiled. "Thank you, my friends. Now, go. Ooo needs you to get to work, Finn."
Finn smiled. Then picked up Neptr and walked away.
Rattleballs watched as Finn walked away. "...Ooo is going to be okay, I think."
I know a lot of you were hoping to see Rattleballs in this fanfic, so you're welcome. No requests for Neptr though… poor Neptr.
Next chapter… should I say it…? Okay, I'll say it… Nightosphere.