The next day, Phoebe woke up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. She got up and stretched her arms and back, ready to start the morning. Her gaze darted over to the desk where she left her paperwork, but shook her head to herself.

"I need to wash up and have breakfast first," she said in her thoughts.

The fire elemental plopped her dress on the floor as she stepped inside the magma shower. Yesterday was a long day like any other, but her mind kept on dwelling about the oncoming second battle. She ran her hands through her hair and shoulders to relax her muscles. Phoebe was always stressed when she governed her kingdom, but the war added more than she could typically handle. She spent her past days coordinating her defense forces on the homeland while keeping track of her older brother's offensive strategies. There wasn't really any room for Phoebe to have time for herself, but when she did, she made the most of it to unwind.

"Work," Phoebe thought bitterly. "That's always been the only thing I've ever had time for."

It made her depressed knowing that she was handling her royal responsibilities alone. She missed going back to the outside world, having fun, and just being carefree. Although she traveled outside of the kingdom several times already, it didn't feel the same since all of her trips were work-related. The change of scenery usually helped with her emotions, but the current conflict was too overwhelming to ignore. Perhaps when the war ends she could finally take a break from her obligations. Of course she expected there would be more duties involved even after the fact, but she would still have the chance to take a break nonetheless.

Phoebe rested both of her hands on the tile wall as she leaned forward under the shower splay. A soothing sensation coursed through her body as she let out an audible sigh. Then, she stood back up and threw her hair back. The shower head was shut off moments later as she wiped herself dry with a nearby towel. She dressed herself back into her royal armor again quickly and stared at the mirror.

"You can do this," she said to herself with a look of determination.

After leaving the bathroom, the young ruler picked up her cell and began making a call.

"Good morning, your majesty," Cinnamon Bun answered. "What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, CB. I was wondering if I can have my breakfast delivered to my chambers if that's okay."

His eyebrows lifted in surprise, "Uh, sure. Not at all, princess! I'll have it brought to you in about 15 minutes."

"Thanks, CB," she hung up her phone.

"Weird," the pastry thought. "Usually she tries to skip breakfast and I have to be the one to talk her out of it. I wonder what came over her now."

And so, Phoebe meditated as she waited for her first meal of the day. She found peace and tranquility whenever she did this, and it tremendously helped her to maintain a healthy state of mind.

Suddenly, she flicked her eyes open when she heard someone at the door knocking.

"Your highness," CB said. "Your food is ready!"

"Thanks, I'll be right over in a sec." She stood up and approached the door.

The pastry guardian walked inside with a food tray in his hands. He looked around briefly until he found the coffee table and placed the food there. Then, he pulled a chair for his ruler and ushered her to sit. Phoebe nodded and unrolled her napkin that had the utensils and prepared to eat.

CB lifted the tray cover and scratched his head on the side, "I wasn't sure if you wanted to eat a lot or anything so I just ordered the kitchen staff to make somethin' light."

Phoebe shook her head, "No, this is the right amount. Thank you again."

He bowed, "Anytime. If you need anything else, just let me know. I'll be outside at the door."

She nodded and wiped her face after chewing, "Actually, I've been working on something very important lately that I need your help. I'll tell you more about it later after I'm done."

"Certainly, just take your time and eat slow."


At the Candy Kingdom, Princess Bubblegum and Peppermint Butler were conducting tests on their latest experiment.

"Phase 1 of the process is complete. The subject is ready for additional tests," the candy butler said.

Bubblegum grinned as she reviewed her notes on a clipboard, "Excellent, let's not waste any time and initiate phase 2 at once!" She looked through several monitors that indicated Finn's vital signs and brain activity. Then she picked up a syringe nearby filled with a green liquid and carefully injected the serum into Finn's neck.

Seconds later, Finn's eyes shot open and let out a bloodcurdling scream. His muscles tensed and his body began sweating instantly. The candy monarch fought hard to maintain her composure and quickly searched for another syringe nearby. After a split second, she swiftly injected the next serum on Finn's chest. The results were almost instantaneous as his body became motionless.

PB wiped her brow in relief, "The serum and sedative have been successfully administered. Now we just need to let nature take its course.

"Have you done this before," Peppermint asked.

She frowned, "I've tried performing this experiment several times with other lifeforms but none of them were successful. Genetic manipulation is an extremely delicate process, but I've spent a lot of time and money to make sure the data is consistent. I believe we'll be receiving satisfactory results when the time comes. It's just a matter of when."

"Do you think we'll be able to finish this project in time," he asked skeptically.

PB answered with confidence, "Of course. My defense forces will be armed with superior weaponry to buy us all the time we need. I even have my trusted knight, Rattleballs stationed at the border to keep the Fire Army at bay. And on top of that, I've seen him reconstruct a squad of elite guards in secret. They will surely be a fine asset for me to keep this war in my favor."

"I see," the mint acknowledged.

The candy monarch lifted her head, "You go on ahead and take a break, Peppermint. Check on the troops and see to it that the weapons delivery meets its schedule. I'll stay here and continue my research in the meantime."


Cinnamon Bun shifted his eyes left and right as he studied Phoebe's paperwork. He read everything from top to bottom at least three times until he finally set them down on the desk.

"Well, this seems pretty good," he said. He brushed his finger over a few lines and nodded.

"You do," Phoebe asked with a hopeful expression.

"Yes, you want to end this war early on a peaceful accord in effort to preserve the lives of our military. Their families will be grateful for this and we might even gain more appeal from Ooo's leaders than we already have. The only thing I'm concerned though is how your brother might react to this. Knowing him, he will not be pleased with this proposition."

The elemental shrugged, "I figured as much too, but I'm sure he'll fall in line. He knows better than to challenge my authority and I'm sure he will respect my decision nonetheless. I'm actually worried that Bonnibel would not be willing to accept my offer more so than anything."

CB placed a hand near his mouth in thought, "Yeah, it is hard for me to imagine if she'll stand down. I would have thought her expertise as a ruler would have helped her consider making the right choices, but so far she has proven otherwise. And I know this isn't exactly something you would like to hear." He bowed his head solemnly.

Phoebe comforted him with a hand on his shoulder, "I appreciate your honesty, CB. I have my doubts too, but I'm praying to Grod it will not come to that. She showed me that she was capable of change after the incident, even though it was brief. I just need to find that same person within her and believe in myself."

He smiled tenderly, "Still determined to save everyone? The Fire Kingdom is truly fortunate to have a benevolent ruler like you."

She returned the smile as she chuckled lightly, "Thanks, I've learned that from someone a long time ago actually." Her expression faded as she stared off into the balcony. "I just wonder where he is now that I think about it," her voice trailed off in longing.

Little did she know, she placed her right hand over her heart.