Flare
Princess Bubblegum nervously paced back and forth in her chamber, constantly folding her hands over one another and biting her lower lip. Her eyes weren't looking anywhere in particular, just tracing the somewhat patterned candy floor. She was minutes away from several events; a royal meeting, a potential disaster, and an update from a good friend of hers who she hoped had made progress… on something other than protecting the Fire Kingdom.
A horn signaled to the gummy ruler that her guests were arriving. They had messaged ahead of time to say they were coming "by wolf", to which PB had informed the gumball guardians to not blast anything canine-related out of the sky. Taking a moment to calm herself, the princess then walked over to a wall and pressed a secret panel, moving the structure aside to reveal a fire pole, which she occasionally used to quickly get down to the main hall for greetings.
As she plunged down a dozen or so stories, she began to practice a welcome speech, unfortunately tossing out every idea. Eventually the gummy lady settled on winging it, like Finn usually did.
Upon arrival in the main hall, PB saw that her three visitors had already entered; their pet/transportation calmly following behind, slightly unnerving the candy people present in the room. She briefly dusted off her dress, then cleared her throat, putting on a subtle smile.
Flame Princess, Cinnamon Bun, and Finn walked as they always did, with the king leading and her two knights on either flank. The trio met PB halfway, stopping swiftly and anticipating the unavoidable conversation. The candy ruler acted first, giving a small bow.
"Welcome, Flame Princess, it's an honor to have you here."
She mentally cursed.
"Or, I mean, Flame King. My apologies, heh heh."
She nervously rubbed the back of her head, completely losing all professionalism. Miraculously, FP just shook her head.
"Flame Princess is fine, Bubblegum. We're both on the same level."
Peebles recovered from her break, bringing her hands together in front of her and nodding with a more hopeful grin.
"Thank you. Shall we go further?"
She directed the group to follow into the inner corridors, staying at tour guide distance. At one point they passed the entrance to the castle's southern courtyard, whereupon PB suggested Jake 2 might want to avoid the foreign innards of her home and relax outside. CB agreed to the suggestion, urging the loyal fire wolf to head out after a pat on the head. Once the group reached the fourth floor, Peebles decided to try her hand at a conversation.
"So, how are things in the Fire Kingdom?"
FP's face remained unchanged.
"Not so well," she replied flatly. "There's a gang of dangerous fire elementals on the loose."
PB nodded.
"Right, the Olympians."
Flame Princess raised an eyebrow, but quickly returned to her stoic face.
"Figures you would already know."
PB clenched her teeth, seeing her friendly chatter wasn't going anywhere. Upon remembering Finn beside the fire monarch however, she thought prodding the talk there would reach better results.
"I don't believe you ever introduced your new knight."
The Flame King was slightly caught off by the question but nevertheless responded.
"This is Fenrir, or just Fen. He's proven himself to be a strong fighter, even taking down an Olympian single-handed."
Finn blushed slightly at the praise, turning his head slightly away. Bubblegum smiled, impressed with her friend's growing skills.
"Amazing. I'm sure those thugs are shaken to their cores, er, matrices."
She coughed, hoping to steer away from her clumsy speech. The group rounded another corner, approaching Bubblegum's main research lab.
"Maybe," FP replied. "But there's more to it. I was hoping you'd help put the pieces together."
Peebles finally showed her smile as she opened the door for them.
"Of course. Anything for a friend."
Flame Princess briefly stared at the bubblegum princess, then silently walked into the lab, followed by her knights. As Finn passed her, he gave PB a shrug. The pink lady sighed, then nodded before entering herself and closing the door behind her.
Whistling casually into the open air, twin banana guards stood vigilantly at the front gate to the kingdom, rather oblivious, but still awake. Occasionally they would discuss the newest gossip, talk sports, or comment on the new patrol schedule. So entranced were they once the topic of jet skis came up that they failed to notice a dark, cloaked figure step out of the nearby cotton candy forest. Neither did they notice that the pink, fluffy substance caramelized as it walked past.
Only when the stranger was within earshot did the guards hear footsteps, drawing their attention to the hooded figure. Immediately, they drew out their spears, pointing them defensively at the newcomer.
"Halt! What is your business?" the right guard demanded.
The figure indeed halted, just out of spear-range, remaining motionless. Narrowing his brows, the left guard took a step forward.
"Hey! My bro asked you a question."
He attempted to entice the figure by poking him with the blunt end of his spear, only to have the object melt as soon as it came within a few inches. Shocked, the guard stepped back, sadly examining his ruined weapon.
"Aw man, that's the third one this week."
The right guard shook his head.
"That's only because you keep eating them!"
His counterpart shrugged.
"Hey, I get hungry just standing here."
While the two carried on, the stranger slightly lifted his arms, then proceeded to spread his fingers, revealing them to be as sharp as knives. In an instant, they turned a bright orange, as if made of molten metal. The guards looked to the figure as they noticed the now glowing appendages.
SLASH! SLASH!
A pair of thuds echoed as both banana guards fell on their sides, groaning and clawing at the rather shallow set of cuts each of them had across their midsection. The hooded figure calmly continued past them, a wicked, sharp smile shining through his hidden face. Behind him, the two guards suddenly stopped whimpering at their wounds.
Their pupils shrank, then turned red.
Cinnamon Bun tossed the spell projector to the floor, allowing it to display the viewing portal that recorded everything Finn had experienced. He fast-forwarded through much of the fight, but PB caught glimpses of the rough ride, amazed that the human elemental was still standing there before her. Eventually, the candy knight stopped at the image of the mysterious structure, towering over the surrounding volcanic rock.
It took Bubblegum only a moment to identify the object, nodding to herself in thought while humming. FP waited patiently for the candy ruler to finish her analysis, hopefully without "sciencing out" on her. Luckily, the gummy woman chose to keep it simple, lest strain the already minimal connection she had to the king.
"This is a seismic hammer. It's usually used to break up extremely dense rock during an excavation by setting off light tremors."
Flame Princess tilted her head.
"Usually?"
Peebles looked back to the image.
"This one is abnormally large, easily triple the size of your average mining machinery."
She shook her head.
"It could be used for a variety of hazardous tasks; collapsing canyons, leveling mountains, setting off volcanic activity…"
FP stepped forward.
"What was that last one?"
Her urgent tone brought the scientific ruler out of her ranting, which she was inwardly thankful for.
"Oh, yes, with the right location one could easily disrupt the magma flows beneath the earth's crust. This hammer is definitely large enough to penetrate deep into the planet."
Cinnamon Bun took a step forward as well.
"Are you saying someone could set off a volcano with this thing?"
PB half shrugged.
"In theory."
FP and CB turned away to contemplate.
"What use would there be in messing with the magma? The Fire Kingdom is already a smoldering wasteland, no offense."
Flame Princess brushed it off.
"I know what you meant."
PB coughed to gain their attention back.
"Like I said, there are plenty of other possibilities, many of which are negative."
Although she was trying to be helpful, all the gummy ruler managed to do was worry the Flame King even more. As the two continued debating potential threats, PB scooted closer to Finn, handing him a note from behind her back. He took it and read the slip before his touch burned it into ashes:
-Pretend to need the restroom
Finn nodded to the princess as she scooted back to her original position. The flame human began his line.
"Excuse me, Princess, could you by chance point me to the men's room?"
Peebles brightened at the fake request, as FP and Cinnamon Bun broke off their conversation.
"Of course, Fen. Follow me. I could use some freshening up myself now that I think about it."
As she opened the door and let the young man out, she turned to her other two guests.
"We'll be back soon. Please, feel free to search through whatever you need."
Her generosity was mostly for show, since all her computers had passwords and the file cabinets were locked. Regardless, the two nodded, slightly suspicious, then returned to their discussion. Once PB closed the door and she and Finn were out of earshot, the princess breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was terrible. I sounded like a complete dork."
Finn was about to interject, only to receive a scowl from the pink lady.
"I mean a normal dork!"
The fiery young man allowed an amused smirk before turning it to the serious expression he'd been carrying.
"How are things here?" he asked out of curiosity.
Peebles seemed grateful for the chance to chat with an old friend.
"It's been smooth transitioning back into the kingdom. You really did do an amazing job."
Finn just grunted an affirmative. PB decided to shift to another topic.
"I've… made some progress on the restorative serum. The first stages of testing are underway. It could still be a while, but the possibility of regaining your human status is within high odds."
The hero again simply grunted. PB sighed under her breath, wishing she could break the young man's tension.
"How has it been seeing her again?"
Finn was knocked out of his distant stare, turning his head to give the princess a difficult look. They kept walking as he sighed.
"I can't say I don't like being around her all the time."
PB grinned somewhat teasingly.
"All the time?"
The young man nodded.
"Cinnamon Bun and I are never more than a dozen feet away from her. It's necessary, with all the Olympians are capable of."
He chose not to dwell on the incident with Hermes. Peebles was suddenly more chipper.
"Have you spent any time with her that's not exactly 'guard duty'?"
Finn shot his friend a quizzical look. She just shrugged, waiting for an answer. After returning his sight to the corridor ahead, he finally replied.
"Occasionally. She's really mellowed out. She still has her strength and her passion but she knows how to transition between the two."
He smiled.
"It's been nice to get to know her again."
PB's hopes grew as she smiled out of the hero's view.
"A good memory for when this is over and I move on to the next task."
And just like that, the candy ruler's hopes died. Seeing as she wasn't getting anywhere with the conversation, the gummy monarch stopped, motioning towards the door to her lab.
"You go in first. I'll follow in a minute."
Finn tilted his head to the side. PB rolled her eyes.
"Girls take longer. It'll look less suspicious."
Nodding, the flame human walked over and entered. Inside, Flame Princess and CB were no longer discussing, rather leaning on the table awaiting their return. As soon as Finn caught their attention, the two straightened up and approached.
"We have what we came for. When Bubblegum gets back we're leaving."
The hero gave his king a questioning look.
"Already?"
FP folded her arms and gazed nonchalantly out the nearby window.
"I don't have the best relationship with her, Fen. It's best not to interact too much."
Her knight pondered the statements.
"Wouldn't it be better to build bridges?"
The flame king sighed, closing her eyes.
"I don't think it's possible. Too much has happened."
She looked at Finn.
"And you should know what kind of person she is; always hiding something."
The fiery lady corrected herself upon seeing Finn frown and turn slightly away.
"Not like that, Fen. I respect your need to keep some things to yourself for good reason, but Bonnibel is very different from you."
The flame human didn't show any sign of lightening up. Thinking for a moment, the fiery ruler hatched an idea. She smiled and stepped up to her guardian.
"How about we go for a walk? I guess it can't hurt. And, admittedly, a change of scenery is rare for us."
Flame Princess felt her matrix warm as the young man's face finally showed a distinct smile, however small it was. He nodded. Just then, Peebles stepped into the room, fulfilling the timing she'd insisted on to Finn.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
FP turned her attention to the candy monarch.
"Would it be possible to join JT in the courtyard?"
Bubblegum seemed taken aback by the request, not out of nerve but surprise. She hadn't expected the fire elemental to remain in her kingdom any longer than necessary. After quickly gathering her wits, the pink woman replied.
"O-Of course! Please, follow me."
The group quietly filed out of the lab, returning to the corridor and heading downstairs to the ground floor. Just as they were nearing the entrance where they'd previously left Jake 2, Flame Princess turned to her fellow monarch.
"Thank you, for the information."
Again, PB was a bit caught off, but swiftly smiled.
"Certainly."
She kept it brief, not wanting to push her luck. Bubblegum pushed open the doors, gesturing for her guests to exit first. As they emerged into the open-air, the visitors took a moment to admire the area. While Flame Princess didn't care much for its ruler, she still felt a certain degree of wonder for the Candy Kingdom. Its contrast to her own domain was staggeringly obvious, with a rainbow of colors, textures, and attractions that her significantly militarized nation lacked.
"Come on," she insisted to Finn, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. The hero briefly felt his matrix heat up.
As the two made their way over to JT, who was slurping up some water from the courtyard's central fountain, CB hung back with bubblegum, the two candy people watching their companions from a distance. One candy person had found the nerves to approach the fire wolf who had finished taking a drink, carefully stepping closer to him before holding out a hand to try petting it.
JT sniffed the caramel-glazed limb, then gave it a lick. The candy person giggled, then went further and rubbed the fur on the canine's head. Jake 2 panted and wagged his tail, showing his enjoyment. Flame Princess and Finn caught up to them, with the fiery lady kneeling down to talk to the diminutive resident of the kingdom while Finn patted JT's side, earning a lick to the cheek.
Both PB and Cinnamon Bun grinned widely.
"They seem so healthy for each other."
Both had said the same exact line, not having meant to say it out loud. After turning to stare at one another for a moment, they burst out laughing.
"Heh, sorry," Peebles continued, rubbing the back of her head.
CB did the same.
"Well, you spoke the truth, so it's welcome."
The knight suddenly scrunched up his face.
"Too soon?" he asked timidly.
PB shook her head, in good spirits.
"No, I probably deserved that."
Cinnamon Bun was initially surprised how well his former ruler took the joke, but eventually, regained his smile.
"Seems Flame Princess isn't the only one who's lightened up."
Bubblegum shrugged as both looked again at the scene ahead of them. Jake 2 had tackled Finn to the ground and was playfully gnawing on his head while the flame human laughed. FP was sitting beside them, doing the same.
"I know many people don't accept my way of doing things."
CB turned to the princess once more as she went on.
"But it's who I am, and I'd be stupid to think there won't be those who disagree with my methods."
The candy knight found a grin.
"I understand. You kept us safe and happy, regardless of the occasional bouts of madness. For that, I still have respect for you, even if I don't show it."
Peebles nodded.
"Thank you, CB. I appreciate that."
Finn and FP had drawn a crowd of candy people to them, who were now taking turns mock bull riding JT. Seeing that the fire wolf was occupied, the two stood up to continue their stroll. CB and Bubblegum started over to join them, nearing the exit to the courtyard that led back to the kingdom's open grounds.
As soon as those doors opened however, the serene atmosphere was torn apart.
Screaming candy citizens ran in all directions, some diving for cover while others desperately searched for something to defend themselves with. Several houses were on fire and debris was spread lightly across the streets. The group stared in utter astonishment, baffled by what in Glob's name was happening.
"Ach mein Glob! What is this?!"
While PB quickly grew hysterical, Finn reacted, putting two fingers in his mouth and whistling. In a split second, Jake 2 came rushing over to join them. CB jumped on first, followed by FP, Finn, and Bubblegum. The fire wolf sprang upwards, gaining height as he spiraled into the sky.
From the air, the damage didn't seem as heavy, with only a few blocks of the kingdom in chaos. Noticeably, the area-of-effect was spreading from the main entrance to the city. PB asked Cinnamon Bun to fly over to one of the gumball guardians, who were both active, but looking around at the ground in confusion.
"Gumball guardians, what's happening?"
The titanic robot looked to its creator, but lifted its arms in uncertainty.
"We don't know. The candy people just started getting really angry."
Looking back at the ground, the group saw dozens of citizens running all over, breaking various objects and property, violently arguing with cowering individuals, or beating each other up. Scanning the area, PB spotted one of the guards who were in charge of the main gate. She pointed to the banana person, who was chasing a fellow guard with a fire ax in hand.
"Grab that one!" she ordered the robot.
The guardian bent down and swiped the ax-wielding maniac, causing him to drop the weapon. Bringing him up to their level, the massive robot held the helpless berserker to his ruler and her companions. The banana guard started madly bashing the hand holding him.
"LET ME DOWN! JEFF OWNS ME MONEY! I'M GONNA GUT THAT SLIMEBALL!"
Unnerved, but not repulsed, PB examined the guard closely. She spotted a set of claw marks across his chest, which at the same time appeared to be burns.
"Banana guard, what happened?" she attempted.
The captured patrolman shifted his gaze to the candy ruler, only to grow angrier.
"IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR EIGHT DOLLARS AN HOUR?! HOW LONG UNTIL I GET A DECENT WAGE, PRINCESS? HUH!? HUH!?"
He aimlessly threw his fists in the gummy woman's direction. Peebles suddenly reached into her dress, producing a thin, tube-like object. After placing one end to her lips, she blew, shooting a dart out the other. Upon striking the banana guard's skin, the man instantly began to grow weaker, until his ravings subsided completely, indicating he'd been knocked out.
The pink lady turned to her company.
"I need to get him to my lab. Can I ask you three to help crowd-control?"
The visitors all looked to each other, with Finn and CB both watching for a reply from their leader. Finally, FP nodded. Peebles returned the gesture, jumping off JT and onto the gumball guardian's waiting hand. The giant began walking towards the castle, where Bubblegum would undoubtedly begin working out the cause of the hysteria.
Jake 2 descended into the streets below, dropping off his passengers and barking in anticipation. Cinnamon Bun directed the wolf to try corralling any unaffected citizens to the far side of the kingdom then turned to his king.
"We should split up, each of us taking a different side, see if we can cut them off."
Her knights agreed, taking up positions as numerous maniacs began charging down the street. FP held out a hand and fired a simple beam of flames, drawing a line in the candy dirt to block off the entire road. Although aggravated beyond what they already were, the candy people could not overcome the searing heat. Cinnamon Bun brought out his lance, knocking out supports in the corner buildings, causing them to topple over and bury the path in rubble.
While the two of them were busy, Finn found no sign of life down his alleyway. He scanned the dark street ahead more carefully, sure that he saw movement, natural or otherwise. Eventually, he spotted a cloaked figure drift almost silently across the path. Narrowing his eyes, he made a dash for it, leaving his companions to hold back the remaining rage-induced populous.
Rounding a corner, Finn spotted the cloak again, only this time in a clearing, which the candy people had already ravaged. It stood motionless, facing away from the flame human. Caution in mind, he formed his lava vine sword, now taking slow, steady steps towards the unknown being.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
The cloaked figure showed no jerk of surprise, but turned just the same, now staring down the hero from beneath its hood. The stance remained as Finn finally stopped approaching, on guard for any potential attack.
"I asked you a question."
For a moment, there was nothing. In an instant, a pair of glowing eyes appeared within the hood's black crevice. This was quickly followed by the most horrifying smile the young man had ever witnessed. Its curvature and incredulously defined teeth shook him slightly, causing him to tighten his grip on his weapon.
"And so you expect the answer…"
At the figure's words, Finn finally froze up completely. The dark, heavily fractured speech sent a chill down his spine, a sensation he had only felt when facing the Lich.
"An introduction is what you seek, to which I reply Ares, and yet, such valuable time is thrown to the wind…"
The cryptic nature only made Finn's mind spin. The very aura of the individual before him caused the surroundings to appear irrelevant and even nonexistent. He could swear he heard screams and roars in the back of his head. The figure took a step forward.
"Retreat holds little use to one who seeks it, after all, you have already come forward, why back away…?"
By this point, the flame human was utterly confused and disoriented. Strangely though, he could feel his matrix heating up, despite the earlier chill. The increased heat coincided with each step the figure took towards him. Finn no longer blinked, staring at the glowing face.
"You want to strike, to cut me down, it is not a question, but a statement and therefore, the truth…"
He suddenly tapped a glowing claw against Finn's sword, instantly causing it to start burning up. He didn't even notice the being was now directly in front of him.
"However, you do not possess what is necessary, and I do not refer to strength nor numbers, no, I seek the hidden answer which you already created, the only difference between my death and yours is the time required to recall which of us was last standing, and the other bleeding all over the ground…"
All five of the figure's molten orange claws suddenly appeared, ready to strike.
"Fen!"
A blast of flames caused the figure to disappear behind a wall of fire, removing the influence tangling itself into Finn's psyche. As the cinders of Flame Princess's attack faded away, he heard both the fiery ruler and his fellow knight approaching. Strangely, he could not feel the presence of the mysterious figure anywhere.
"Fen, what was happening?"
She bent down to his level.
Wh-when did I fall to my knees?
The monarch gripped his shoulders, shaking the young man as he continued to question how much time had passed. It was then that he felt a searing pain on his chest. His arm automatically brought his hand to the area of sensation, only to touch a set of gashes in his skin.
"When did he-"
His pupils shrank, then turned red.
When you think of Ares' voice, think of The G-Man from Half-Life.
I've been feeling more focused, so that channels into more updates for you guys. Whoo!
TheMentalAdventuer: I did my best, factoring in passage of time.
Ventus Uzumaki: Thank you.
Forgotsurname: In due time my friend, in due time.
Mr. Joystick: Sorry to keep you waiting.
nrbuer: Glad I pulled that off, they're my favorite parts.
Fiery Crusader: If there are any in here, it's probably by pure subconscious act.
Awolfx9: Thanks so much. I never get tired of the fight writing.
Guest32: I always assumed like any other person, at least that's what the show implies. Also, glad I could give you something to look forward to.
MUTO TOHO: Wow, that's actually a very complex psychological topic.
CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl: Thanks, for both those things.
LexiLou12: I try, still human but you get used to editing.
Broken In7: I may have skimped on that part.
Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!