The sound of whistles screeched as the Fire Army charged into battle. In a matter of seconds, the ground was bombarded with an artillery barrage to counter the advance. There were no casualties yet since the attackers were still out of range, but that fact was bound to change quickly.
Thunderous explosions rocked the earth as the fiery infantry moved closer towards the enemy. Clusters of dirt were flung across the battlefield and craters were quickly formed. The men heaved with their armor and weapons, but continued to move forward with the help of pure adrenaline.
As they got closer, a hail of bullets were cast in their direction. The first shots initially missed and struck the ground, but soon began taking lives. Fire troops grunted and shouted in pain from the attack and before they knew it they began dropping in dozens. Lead projectiles tore through their bodies with ease and splashes of magma splattered the field. The knight's armor they wielded sustained a slight amount of damage but was quickly shattered. They tried using their shields to protect themselves only to discover they gave out just as quickly.
They returned fire on instinct as they moved further into the killzone. Their arrows traveled at a high velocity only to miss from the lack of range.
It had only been five minutes since the battle had started and the attackers were already on the verge of losing. Men were shot in the face and upper bodies while others were blown away from explosions. Limbs that were severed in battle quickly disintegrated into small piles of ash. And piles upon piles of armor littered the field as the enemy continued their onslaught. Distressed by this outcome, the Supreme General radioed his subordinates, "Artillery, move forward and provide support on the double!"
Howitzers entered the field quickly as fire golems pushed them into position. Moments later, crew members in groups of four assembled onto each of them and began picking targets. Cannons boomed and shells whistled menacingly as they flew towards the Candy defenses.
Then, the unexpected happened.
There were no explosions or any signs of impact from the ordinance. Instead, the defending bunkers and tanks continued to decimate the first wave of invaders as though nothing had happened.
"What's going on out there?! I need support NOW!" The general was growing impatient.
"Copy," a battery officer replied. He shook his head to maintain composure. "We probably must have fired some duds," he thought. Then he faced his crew and ordered them to load another round.
"Target acquired, firing," one member exclaimed.
Their ears rang once more as the cannon discharged. The spotter counted to himself as he stared at his target with a pair of binoculars. Then, the same outcome happened.
"Something's preventing our shells from reaching their targets, sir! We can't breach an opening!"
"Dang it!" The officer turned away and cursed to himself briefly. "General, our men are sitting ducks out there! Orders, sir?!"
He threw his arms in frustration and thought, "This is not how I wanted the invasion to go!" With a frustrated growl, he picked up the receiver and said, "Alright throw smoke down to cover the retreat. I'm getting our guys outta there!"
A few moments later, a massive smoke screen formed in front of the defenses. Despite the loss of visibility, bullets and ordinance continued to rain down among the retreating elementals.
One candy officer smirked at the notion and said, "Switch to thermal."
Immediately, the smoke was rendered useless as tanks and artillery units fired at the attackers with deadly accuracy. One way or another, the Fire Army was sustaining heavy losses whether they advanced or retreated. Screams and shouts of agony contrasted with the obnoxious noise of gunfire.
"Darn it, get our guys out of there!" The Supreme General said with distressed features.
Major Maddox stood beside him and grimly replied, "It's too late... They're too far into the killzone. First wave has been lost."
Several minutes later, the shooting finally subsided. When the smoke dissipated, the fiery army reserve were stunned by an unsettling sight. In the middle of the battlefield were dozens of their comrades rolling on the ground in pain. They howled and groaned collectively as they clutched their wounds.
"We've got wounded down there!" Phoebe's brother radioed. "Send out some medics and-"
He was never given the chance to finish as the sharp rattling sounds of machine guns riddled the remaining survivors. Their flames faded almost instantly and their bodies dissolved into ash afterward.
"Good, Grod," Maddox gasped.
"How many have we lost," one trooper cried.
Suddenly, the general's phone rang. He answered to discover it was Peppermint Butler.
"Now you realize the might of the Candy Kingdom," the mint smugly said. "Lay down your weapons and withdraw all your forces immediately.. or suffer the same fate like your brethren before you."
Undeterred, Phoebe's brother barred his teeth and said, "It's gonna take a lot more than a bunch of fancy weaponry to take us down! We took your Grasslands without breaking a sweat and the same can happen today as well!"
"Hah! Don't make me laugh! We only lost the Grasslands because Bubblegum LET you! Your arrogance will lead to only death!"
The elemental ended the call shortly after and shook his head in frustration. Then, he looked down and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand while trying to process the situation that laid before him.
"We need to rethink our strategy," he resolved.
Meanwhile, Princess Bubblegum was in her underground lab. So far, the results for her experiment on Finn were exceeding her expectations.
"Almost done," PB thought. She double checked her data and nodded in satisfaction. "Soon, I will have the ultimate soldier at my disposal. Now I just have to add finishing touches on the battle suit."
The candy princess moved to her computer and clicked several windows open. Each of them had blueprints for different projects. "And why stop there? I can accomplish so much more that the kingdoms will beg me to surrender."
She walked over to Finn who was still strapped on an elevated operating table, "It took a lot of diligence and a cost of fortune to alter your genes, but I'm sure it was worth it." Then she chuckled, "How ironic, if I had done this earlier you would be grateful with your new-found abilities. No matter. You are a weapon of war now. Your sole purpose is to protect and serve the welfare of the Candy Kingdom."
Finn stared at her menacingly with piercing blue eyes, "How long must I wait?" He asked tonelessly.
"Not very long," she trailed. "You will need some rest for your body to properly adjust before we can proceed with additional tests. Once you hone your skills and master the basics, you will be given the opportunity to prove yourself in battle."
Finn nodded as he closed his eyes ominously, "Yes, your majesty."
PB moved towards a different room to make sure she didn't disturb Finn. She organized her paperwork and highlighted a few lines until her phone suddenly rang.
"Your, highness," Peppermint greeted. "Reports from the front indicate we are victorious! The Fire Army is no match for the weapons you've sent us."
"Nicely done. Hold position and maintain the perimeter. Remember, those defenses will remain effective as long as they're reinforced."
"Of course, Bubblegum. The men are already on top of it."
Back at the Grasslands, the Supreme General and his advisers were holding a meeting.
"Okay," he spoke with his hands on the table, "What on Ooo happened out there?"
One officer replied, "It appears the Candy Army has been equipped with modern infantry units."
"No kidding," the general exclaimed. "But that doesn't explain why we couldn't return fire with our artillery. We should have AT least punctured a hole in their defenses."
"We're conducting a thorough investigation with our weapons stockpile for defective munitions. Also, our scouts have been deployed to the field and will provide intel at your utmost convenience."
The general scowled, "It better be pretty soon. I didn't come this far only to be humiliated by such a pathetic race!"
Everyone remained silent as the elemental vented his frustration. Once he recomposed himself moments later, another officer spoke up.
"We still have Erwin's unit standing by in position," Maddox pointed out. "Perhaps we can mobilize his forces and flank their defenses?"
Phoebe's brother considered the fact but shook his head, "It would only work if we occupied the outskirts first. Any earlier and our guys will be done for without support."
"Well, that brings us back to the drawing board," the major said with a sigh. "Let's review the map."
A large parchment of fire-proof paper was spread across the center table. The general analyzed the markings intently and pulled out a marker nearby.
Suddenly everyone in the command post tent stopped what they were doing when Phoebe and Cinnamon Bun entered. Immediately the group saluted until the monarch dismissed them.
"At ease," she said firmly.
Her older brother stepped forward and asked, "How are you feeling?"
She raised a palm, "Later, right now I want to know where we stand."
He nodded and cleared his throat, "Our invasion towards the kingdom seems to have been delayed again. Based on today's battle, the enemy killzones have increased significantly in range." He used a protractor and traced the new boundaries. "All the tactics my advisers could come up with would be to attack the fortifications head-on. They figured we could overwhelm the enemy with our sheer numbers and superior combat experience."
Phoebe frowned, "From what it looks like, we'll be expecting heavy losses with this maneuver. Will we even have enough troops left to hold the trenches if they manage to get far?"
"It's a gamble," he answered with nervousness. "I'm anticipating we'll have enough units to complete the objective, but I'll look for other strategies in the meantime."
She nodded, "Very well, I'll leave you to it." Then she glanced at her pastry guardian, "I'll have CB provide assistance as well."
"Thank you, my liege," her brother said. As she left, CB stepped forward and began analyzing the map. The chatter became loud once again as the men debated among one another about their next plan of attack.
Noticing that the general was not really focused, CB suggested, "Talk to your sister. I'll take it from here."
He arched an eyebrow, "You sure?"
"Yes, everyone's talking in circles and it'll take a while to actually come up with a new plan. Besides, she hasn't been doing so well recently. She may hold me in high regard, but she won't tell me everything. Perhaps if she speaks to someone within her family, you can find out what is troubling her."
Phoebe's brother considered and said, "Alright, I'll see you later." He left the command post and walked around barracks until he found the monarch's personal quarters. "Sister," he called outside. "May I speak with you?"
"Yes, come in," Phoebe answered.
He walked inside and found his sibling sitting at her desk. Her elbows rested on the table as she held her head with both hands. As he looked at her, he noticed her eyes and flames were dull from exhaustion. "Sister," he began slowly. "I want to owe you an apology."
She scrunched her face in confusion, "What for?"
He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, "Part of me was actually hoping that Bubblegum would decline your offer for peace."
Phoebe shook her head, "I'm not surprised, you already made it clear long ago about how you desperately wanted to blow up the Candy Kingdom. And besides, you haven't challenged my authority so you haven't really done anything wrong. You should be happy that you will finally get the opportunity to quench your thirst for war."
"No, I thought I would be. I expected the Candy Kingdom to crumble easily without our forces breaking a sweat. The war would be short and one-sided in our favor and many of our troops would get to go home and brag something to their families. Instead, I fear that many of them would return in a body bag."
"Now do you understand why I tried to stop all this from happening?!" Phoebe asked nearly yelling.
He looked down demurely, "Yeah, I'm sorry sis."
She turned away, "We'll just have to learn the hard way like in history I guess. And the way I see it, we have a lot of work to do."
