"We're almost there," Marceline grimly announced as she flew alongside Ice King and Betty. Ever since they left, the skies became constantly gloomy with clouds varying in darker shades.

Betty squinted her eyes and noticed a small barren forest on a hillside up ahead. As they got closer, they began to hear a constant rumbling that sounded comparable to fireworks going off in the distance. The three however, knew this wasn't the case and picked up speed as they entered Ooo from the eastern border. After covering a bit more distance, Betty noticed a few nuclear bombs struck into the ground nose first along with scraps of television sets. Her nerves began to pick up upon the sight in combination to hearing the explosions, but luckily Marcy comforted her saying, "They're duds, Betty. As far as I'm concerned, they should have gone off right when they landed. Those things haven't ticked for centuries then and they won't be ticking now. Besides, this is one of the spots I used to play my guitar here." A small smile formed on her face from the nostalgia.

"It seems like a perfect getaway place," Betty considered thoughtfully. "At least with the bombs around, no one would bother you."

Marcy sighed, "Exactly, if I wanted to have my own peace and quiet in the outdoors this was the perfect place to do it. Here, I can sing my heart out without anyone around to judge me or rather kill me."

"I'm sorry," Betty said sympathetically.

The vampire shook her head, "When you grow up as the Lord of Evil's daughter in a post-apocalyptic world, you begin to get used to these sort of things. I've tried to do a lot of good regardless because of Simon's teachings, but eventually I just drifted away from all that." She paused as she looked down, "I grew reckless with myself for a long time partying and hanging with the wrong kind of people. I did almost everything I could to try and forget the heartbreaks I've suffered."

Before Betty could ask, Marcy elaborated with a slight blush, "Except wake up in somebody's bedroom believe it or not."

Ice King overheard the conversation but shrugged to himself thinking she referred to slumber parties.

Marceline continued, "Of course, that doesn't mean I haven't dated people in my travels. Some were sweet, while others were just jerks. In the end, none of my relationships got any serious because of my status and immortality. There were a few exceptions when I tried to commit, but there was always something complicated in the way. The list of things as to why it never works out goes on and on that I simply told myself to live by the moment."

Betty nodded in understanding.

Marcy lifted her head, "But things are different now. I have started to change from my old way of thinking and have tried seeing everything positive for once. After meeting a couple of close friends, I have given myself hope that I too will find everlasting peace and happiness. I'm sure I'll figure something out to get rid of my immortality, but first we have other stuff to worry about."

"Even though I've known you for such a short time, let me be the first to say that I'm proud of you," Betty said with sincerity. "You strove to better yourself despite all the hurdles life has thrown upon you."

Marcy's eyes watered as she smiled, "T-thanks.. that means a lot." The three members paused in mid-flight as the vampire floated towards Betty for the hug.

"You feel better?" Betty murmured with a pat on the back.

The vampire sniffled, "Y-yeah, I'll be fine." As she parted, she slowly recomposed herself drying her tears. "Jake's place shouldn't be too far from here, follow me."

The group resumed their flight momentarily until Marcy lifted a palm to stop.

"What's wrong," Betty asked.

She frowned narrowing her eyes, "Something doesn't seem right.. The area up ahead is crawling with flame troopers."

"And that's bad?" Betty asked with uncertainty. She was still trying to recall which side was supposedly good when Marcy brought up the war several weeks back.

Marcy sighed, "They'll have Simon made if we try to go together."

IK whined, "Aw, come on! I said I was sorry about all that jazz!"

"We know it's not your fault," the vampire amended. "But these guys don't understand you like we do," she gestured to herself and Betty.

"So you want us to stay put somewhere," Betty stated already knowing the answer.

"Just until I find out what's going on," Marcy reassured. "You guys can wait for me at the Ice Kingdom in the meantime. I shouldn't be long."

"You got your phone on you?"

"Of course, I'll make sure everything's good to go before anything else. I'll turn invisible, get to Jake's place, and make the call."

"Be careful, Marcy," Betty cautioned.

"I will, Betty. Wish me luck."

"We're heading back to my place?" IK asked incredulously. "Oh, thank Glob! I've been homesick for days!" His face then expressed shock, "Gunther's probably running low on food by now, I must see him!" He dashed towards the glacier mountains with Betty flying behind him.

The vampire turned invisible as she made the rest of her flight trip. As she entered the fringes of the Grasslands, she noticed hundreds of elementals standing around idly. Upon closer detail, she noticed they possessed modern weaponry that dated back all the way to the Mushroom War. She was very surprised to see how much the Fire Kingdom had developed in terms of technology and even more when she discovered the whole land had more troops than she could count. If it weren't for the loud deafening booms in the distance, Marcy would have assumed the war was over and that the Fire Kingdom merely extended its borders with military troops.

Although Marcy was in search of Jake's house, she couldn't help but frown in confusion when she had trouble finding the tree fort that was formerly her home. She tried to retrace her steps by imagining herself flying from the Ice Kingdom as well as the cavern home, but was unsuccessful. Before she would lose her mind, the vampire decided to shrug it off for now and locate the magical canine. She even reassured herself that perhaps it was the long flight on the return home had exhausted her to some extent, and that the tree fort could be found later if she were to rest. At the same time, she frowned to herself in disgust from the fact that one of her best friends manipulated another just to "protect their people." As far as Marcy was concerned, the action was reckless and unjustified.


Sometime later, Lady Rainicorn heard someone knocking at her doorstep and floated to answer it. Before she reached it she asked out loud in Korean, "Who is it?"

"Lady, it's me, Marceline," the vampire replied in the same language. "I'm currently invisible right now, mind if I come in?"

"Of course, of course!" Jake's wife nodded earnestly and unlocked the door. After a brief moment, the vampire entered and reappeared with the door closed behind her.

"Marceline," Lady began. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Come on," Marcy chuckled with a shrug. "I've been around long enough to look after myself."

"Have you heard about what's been going on lately?" The rainicorn asked with a worried expression.

Marcy frowned, "I only know from what Jake has told me." She then started to look around, "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He went off to the Candy Kingdom to go rescue Finn," LR replied. "And I haven't heard from him since!"

"I'm sure he's fine," Marcy comforted. "Is there anything else I should know before I go?"

"He made a call to meet up with a flambit named Flambo from what I remember," LR recalled. "That's all I know."

The vampire nodded, "Alright, I'll be on my way." She started for the door.

"Please bring them back," LR pleaded. "The kids miss their father and uncle!"

Marcy struggled to remain composed from that instant as her own memories resurfaced but kept her gaze towards the door. After a brief moment, she mustered enough strength to glance over her shoulder and reply, "I will."


At the Candy Kingdom outskirts, Jake was sitting in the trenches alongside a platoon of riflemen. He was withdrawn with himself as he stared aimlessly for the past few days, trying to grasp the conflict he threw himself into. The magical canine was no stranger to death when it came to fighting wild beasts or criminals, but the war gave him a new perspective altogether. Even though he joined the elementals late into the conflict, Jake witnessed countless lives being taken from massive explosions and machine gun fire. The fact that he heard some of them call for their loved ones before death gave him constant nightmares as he imagined himself being thrown in a similar position. He would sometimes ask himself as to why he joined in the first place until he would ultimately recall it was for one reason alone: his brother Finn was in danger. If Jake had decided to leave Finn to fate initially, then the magical canine would never forgive himself nor would he be able to look at his wife and kids without feeling regret. Still though, even with the fact beforehand there was always a slight temptation to turn away from everything.

"My bro needs me," he thought to himself repeatedly to stay rational. "He would do the same for me."

Despite the fact that he and Finn have grown apart throughout the years, Jake knew the human would always be there for him in his time of need. Being raised in the same family under Joshua and Margaret had forever instilled that virtue.

Meanwhile, Marceline was hovering at a high altitude while being invisible. She pulled out her phone while surveying the Grasslands and frowned when she still couldn't find the tree fort. Before her nerves would get the best of her again, she decided to pull out her phone and contact Betty.

"Yes?" The woman answered.

"I just spoke with Jake's wife to know what happened, and it turns out that Finn has been kidnapped at the Candy Kingdom," Marcy replied with her voice strained.

"Is there anything I could to help?" Betty asked unsure of herself.

"I need you to stay with Simon," the vampire said. "Keep him company and make sure he doesn't wander off."

"That won't be a problem," Betty assured. "He's busy catching up with Gunter and the others that I doubt he'll leave anytime soon. Are you sure you won't need my help with this one? I mean, I promised to help Finn out whenever the time comes."

Marcy nodded, "I'm positive, there's already more than enough people to go for the rescue. Besides, these guys have guns Betty. The fact that everyone's armed to the teeth means there's a high risk right off the bat."

"And not for you?"

"It is, but I can regenerate," Marcy assured. "And the last time I checked, I don't think you'll be able to do the same thing."

"Good point," Betty sighed reluctantly. "If this is the best option, then I guess I'll stay. I'm not exactly keen on sitting on the sidelines, but I will do as you ask."

"Thank you so much," Marcy nodded appreciatively.

"If you need anything, just give me a call," she said sincerely.

"I will, Betty. I love you," the vampire concluded as she hung up. Afterward, she dialed Jake's number on her contact list and anxiously waited for him to answer. To her surprise, she heard the operator instantly announce that the number she tried to reach had been disconnected. A million thoughts ran through Marcy's head at that moment, but she kept calm into believing that Jake was still alive somewhere. Finding him in the Grasslands seemed impossible from all the fire elementals that roamed about and there was only one place where he could possibly be: the outskirts that lead to the Candy Kingdom. She put on a determined expression despite feeling intimidated from the artillery bombardment and proceeded to move forward. The next thing she was about to do moments later was act on a leap of faith.

The Supreme General of the Fire Kingdom was startled when he heard the radio chatter go off frantically with multiple voices. As he tried to called for order, the men eventually settled down in which the superior demanded, "Alright, now what's going on?!"

A subordinate replied, "We've got a vampire in the vicinity who matches our description of aiding the Ice King. She claims she's the daughter of Hunson Abadeer, the ruler of the nightosphere and that she requests an immediate audience with the Princess of Flames. What are your orders, sir?"

SG thought momentarily until he said, "Stand down and hold your fire. Tell her to sit tight and that our majesty would be joining her shortly."

"Understood."

After SG obtained the vampire's location, he began making his way for a few minutes until he finally met her. Marceline noticed he stood out from all the other grunts despite him wearing a matching uniform and frowned when no one else accompanied him.

"So you must be Marceline Abadeer," SG said as he looked at her from top to bottom. Her outfit consisted of a grey plaid long-sleeve, a black undershirt, jeans, black white-tipped sneakers, and a grey baseball hat. "I must say, you don't seem like much for the Lord of Evil's daughter."

Marcy frowned until she retorted wittingly, "So your the one in charge! You know, the whole time I thought it was that big guy over there with the shield and mace. How silly of me!"

SG snarled at the insult and said, "Why you-"

"Save it," Marceline sharply interrupted, getting straight to business. "Where's Flame Princess?"

"She's currently busy," SG said coldly. "I guess you'll have to deal with me then, don't you?" He crossed his arms in defiance.

"Let's get one thing straight," she scowled jabbing a finger in his direction. "I'm not here to pick a fight with your 'macho army', I'm here to rescue Finn and Finn alone. Nothing more."

"Finn is currently our responsibility," SG said haughtily. "You have no right to be here." He then grit his teeth and intensified his flames, "Especially given the fact that you helped an accomplice who took part in sabotaging our kingdom!"

"Ice King is gullible," Marcy defended. "Anyone who's anyone knows he would do anything for Bubblegum without asking questions. He never knew how much he donked up until after the fact."

"So just because he's dumb, old and crazy, I should just excuse him?" he seethed. "I don't think so. I don't care if he had his strings pulled like a mindless puppet! The fact is, he was there, killed our people, and started this freakin' war! The Fire Kingdom demands his head in the name of justice!"

"I don't have time for this," Marcy yelled irritably. "Jake called me for help in the first place! And considering the fact that he's fighting alongside you bozos means that I'm already expected. So why don't you take me to Flame Princess or step aside? Your choice."

"The only place your going is away from here," SG challenged as he took a step forward while the surrounding troops pointed guns at the vampire on cue. "Or would you like to pay the charges for Ice King instead?" He smirked arrogantly.

"You wouldn't," Marcy replied as she remained poised as ever. "Or else you would have another war to juggle on your hands." She took a step forward with a darkened expression, "And I can assure you, my father is not so forgiving unlike some people on this world."

The surrounding troops exchanged glances with one another and gradually lowered their weapons after a moment.

SG growled in frustration as he lost the upper hand, but conjured a flame sword moments later, "I'll deal with you myself then!"

"General," one of the grunts spoke out. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Sir," another pressed. "Just leave it."

"I don't plan on fighting again after this is over," another joined. "I've got a family to look after!"

Before SG knew it, the whole group protested altogether causing the superior to hesitate in place. The commotion drew so much attention in a short time, that even the artillery bombardment paused for everyone to listen.

"GENERAL FLINT!" A new voice rang out.

Immediately, everyone was silent as the flame monarch stormed on the approach. The expression she had on her face along with her flames flaring wildly unnerved everyone, including Marceline.

SG's demeanor was lost completely as he froze in place. The look his sister had towards him at that moment was something that would haunt him forever.

"You're out of line!" Phoebe called out. "Lower your weapon now and cease and desist!"

He complied within seconds and his face struggled to remain composed.

"I counted on you," Phoebe seethed. "To act out your position with professionalism and dignity. I thought we had an understanding that you would cast aside your pride and prejudices when it came to accepting help, but it seems I've been sorely mistaken!"

He lifted his chin up high to avert her gaze.

She walked closer and got in his face, "Your actions have nearly placed our kingdom at the risk of managing two fronts. Our people and resources are being exhausted already and you would have undermined everything we accomplished! This is the kind of behavior I cannot and will not tolerate in the slightest, especially within the high ranks of the Fire Army. Right now, I want you to look at Marceline in the eye and apologize at once!"

He struggled to look at the vampire who was patiently waiting. "I'm sorry," the elemental uttered in a dry voice.

Marcy huffed averting his gaze, "Whatever, man."

Phoebe yelled at SG, "I told you what would happen if you acted like this again, and I will make sure that I act good on that promise!" She then shoved him backwards a little and ordered one of the elementals nearby saying, "Captain Magnus, secure.. Private Flint and have him detained until further notice."

"Sister..." His sibling faltered.

She turned away, "Get him out of my sight!"

Another officer joined the captain's side and proceeded to escort the now demoted elemental.

After the three left, Phoebe looked down and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm really sorry you had to see that," she said after a while.

Marcy nodded, "I'm just glad you made it before it got out of hand."

"He's been through a lot," Phoebe said as she considered. "But he took it too far into believing he could do whatever he wanted." She sighed, "I guess that's one of the drawbacks of appointing someone in charge of the armed forces."

The vampire looked at the monarch and noticed her tired features, "It seems you've been through a lot yourself."

Phoebe chuckled ironically, "Who hasn't been! Although in my defense, I could say you probably know the feeling more than anyone here combined!"

Marcy briefly chuckled with her, "Yeah..."

"Anyway," Phoebe recovered. "Here's the situation: The Candy Kingdom has a defense barrier that's preventing our forces from storming the capital. We had a special forces unit to see if they can shut it off from the inside, but they were only successful at destroying only one of the four generators that powers it. I've been getting reports that it's been going down slightly ever since and that we're using our artillery to speed up the process."

"I see," Marcy nodded with a frown. "How are you feeling about all this?"

"Just outright terrible," the elemental lashed out indirectly. "I've got such a crap-ton of stuff to worry about that I ask myself everyday what I did to deserve this!" Her flames settled as she quickly controlled herself. "I'm sorry, I've had my emotions pent up for a while now. I mean, I still do."

"It's cool, at least you're handling yourself better than others."

"Right," Phoebe replied warily.

"By the way, have you heard anything from Jake?" Marcy changed the subject.

Her face lit up in realization, "No, I haven't. I've been preoccupied with my own problems that I completely forgot about him! I'm sorry, Marceline. I'll have my troops send for him right away and see if he can meet us."

"Great, and please just call me Marcy."

The elemental smiled tenderly and shook her hand, "And you can call me Phoebe. It's a pity that we're being acquainted like this. I would have preferred it to be under better circumstances."

Marcy shrugged, "Ah, what can you do?"

Phoebe then shifted back into a serious expression and whispered, "These men may know that I respect you, but that doesn't mean they'll trust you. Be careful with yourself, Marcy. Everyone around here will be keeping a close eye on you."

"I won't do anything to betray your trust," Marcy assured. "I promise."

Phoebe smiled in approval, "Good." The two parted and the elemental began making her departure. "The barracks over there will provide food, weapons, and armor if you need it. I don't know how many more days the barrier will go down, but until it does feel free to make yourself comfortable."