The gumball guardian was immediately bombarded after it made its appearance on the battlefield. Hundreds of rockets were rapidly converging from all directions and soon the giant became obscured with constant explosions. At a glance, every single piece of ordinance used by the elementals detonated successfully upon impact. But upon closer observation, the first round of artillery could be seen exploding prematurely before it could actually reach the candy giant. It was then quickly discovered among Prince Torcho and a few ranked officers that the giant remained unscathed due to possessing shield-like technology. While it seemed futile at first, the elementals pressed on with the attack hoping that their vast numbers would eventually overwhelm the defense barrier. Fear and desperation took hold of the Fire Army at first, but when they realized the giant remained idle even after the fact, they began to fight with courage and building confidence.
The feeling was to be short lived however.
Inside the mechanized giant, Princess Bubblegum studied the surrounding elementals through a live video feed. On the screen she could see a heads up display which included the giant's health, shield integrity, weapons status, and a compass. She remained completely composed as she pressed a few buttons and flicked a couple switches. Once she finished, the giant began to hum loudly as it charged its weapons and energy core.
"Shield integrity 99%," a computerized voice announced.
Bubblegum frowned in acknowledgement as she continued staring at the elemental forces. She felt offended to see them fight together in vast numbers, defending their so-called rights to live as a species. These were the monsters that uprooted her beloved citizens and destroyed their proud civilization. It didn't matter anymore for PB to recall her faults prior to the war, and instead justify that the Fire Kingdom had to be extinguished because of their natural destructive abilities. They had to be dealt with no matter the cost, and if that meant sacrificing some moral boundaries for the preservation of the Candy Kingdom then it was a decision worth taking a thousand times over.
"The world will appreciate this someday," PB reasoned to herself through her scar-ridden face as she placed her hands on separate levers with built-in triggers. After a few seconds, the screen blinked a couple times and notified her that all weapons were ready and that targets have been acquired. In no time at all, her fingers squeezed the triggers without hesitation and began to open fire.
A pair of red laser beams were seen firing out of the gumball guardian's palms. As the beams traversed across the ground within seconds, dozens of elementals could be heard screaming in horror before vanishing into a puff of ash.
"It's firing back!" A flame grunt cried out.
"Keep up the pressure!" An officer retorted as he fired his rifle.
"Are you kidding?! We need to retreat!"
The officer immediately grabbed the subordinate by the collar with one hand to retort but was never given the chance to say anything as one of the beams instantly engulfed them.
"My liege," another officer radioed to Torcho from a distant location. "Our guns and artillery are having no effect on the enemy Goliath! Please advise!"
The prince, who was seen taking cover within one of the trenches replied, "Take defensive measures and concentrate your fire at the sides and back!"
"Understood sir," the subordinate reluctantly complied. "I hope you have a plan."
Torcho nodded, "Don't worry, I do." After the transmission ended, he quickly browsed through the contacts list until it stopped at his brother's number. The phone rang from the other side and soon it was quickly answered.
"Yeah?" Prince Furnius answered anxiously.
"Brother," Torcho began urgently. "No time to explain. I need the Fire Giant sent to the Grasslands and I mean right now!"
"Say again?" Furnius frowned. "There's too much noise in the background."
"I NEED THE GIANT NOW!" The eldest brother shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get it over here on the double, or we're all dead!"
There was no answer unfortunately and when Torcho examined the phone to see if it was still running, he discovered the line was now disconnected. He cursed loudly to himself that he lost contact and then prayed to the deities that his message at least got through.
"It's shooting mortars off the back!" A flame grunted suddenly yelled, breaking Torcho from his thoughts. "Everyone, take cover!"
The ground shook constantly for a long minute as the ordinance rained from the skies. Those who engaging the gumball guardian from behind up close were quickly decimated, while the men who fought from the front and sides scattered frantically from the laser beams. After a short while, the guardian's eyes began to glow at an intense red and fired a charged plasma blast that resulted in more elementals dying by the second.
Casualties for the Fire Army began to skyrocket at this point. With their weapons still showing no effect against the defensive barrier, morale began to plummet at an all-time low. Even if the Sleeping Fire Giant was ready to be deployed on the scene as Torcho had hoped, it would still need to make its way out of the Fire Kingdom and into the Grasslands, which could easily take at least an hour or two. It was very unrealistic to assume anyone would survive long enough before then, and at the rate the battle was going it would already be too late. Despite the elementals outnumbering the gumball guardian by 10:1, there just wasn't enough fire power to cause any significant damage. Orders could be heard among the soldiers to maintain on the defensive, but after a few minutes they quickly decided to run and hide for cover no matter how futile it seemed. Those who were outside of the giant's range took the chance to run back to their kingdom, while the rest were left in a daunting predicament. Promises were made between the two groups that they would return for more help, but in the heat of the moment many could not help but feel abandoned instead.
The battlefield was lit from the ongoing explosions the gumball wrought, and with the war tipping in Bubblegum's favor in a single stroke, the prospect of mass extinction loomed very close to reality. Something had to be done to inspire the elementals to persevere and cling onto hope. The situation only grew worse by the second that they were even willing enough to accept any kind of outside help the world would give them as long as the men would have a chance to live another day. Pride was no longer relevant despite it being a common characteristic trait among fire elementals, and in that moment they humbled themselves unlike the generations that preceded them.
Meanwhile, ten minutes away from the chaos, Ice King, Gunter, and Betty were seen spectating the battle at the Ice Kingdom. All of their expressions were frozen with shock and awe as they had a clear overview of the destruction before them. Hundreds of voices could be heard screaming and shouting in horror in the distant as the gumball guardian swayed its arms sideways to project the beams at different angles. There were no signs of weakness the giant exhibited as it continued its slaughter and the battle seemed like a hopeless situation.
Betty couldn't stand the atrocious sight before her any longer. When she recalled her friend Marceline being alongside the ranks of the Fire Army, her concern for the vampire quickly snapped her back to reality. Before her mind would even process her thoughts, she found herself saying, "We need to go help them!" Her tone was urgent with her fists tightening.
IK blinked and starred at her in shock asking, "How? That thing over there's unstoppable. It's out of our hands!"
The woman glared at the ice wizard, grabbed him by the shoulders and seethed, "Our friends are in trouble, Ice King! I will not stand around anymore and wait for this to sort itself out. I don't care if Marcy's practically invincible, nor do I care if that thing can't be stopped!" She gestured towards the candy giant. "There's always a way, Ice King and I will do it die-trying than to turn away and live with my regrets."
IK looked away shamefully.
Betty's expression softened a little as well as her hold, "Marcy is like a daughter to me, Simon. And deep down in that heart of yours knows that you love her the same way." She peered into his gaze imploringly, "Please help me with this, Simon. I can't do this alone."
The ice wizard was at lost for words for a brief moment until he finally asked in a dry voice, "What about the fire elementals?"
"Your past with them won't matter anymore if you decide to step up and lend them a hand. If they see you putting your life on the line for them right at this exact moment, I'm confident they'll pardon you for your mistakes," Betty persuaded. She then eyed him with determination, "I'm ready to go against the odds to save my friends, Ice King. Are you with me?"
IK looked down in thought as several explosions rumbled off in the background. It seemed like a huge risk to go on a rescue mission given the circumstances and yet he felt inclined to go with Betty regardless. In the time they've spent together, IK learned he had someone who genuinely cared about him. There was of course Marcy, Finn, and Jake to consider too, but there was no one else other than the woman before him who made him feel very special. He remembered how many times he tried to pursue a relationship with Princess Bubblegum and how he was always left alone in the end. But when it came to Betty, he felt a sense of fulfillment and comfort. A part of him was able to recognize her efforts to make their relationship work and he felt grateful that she stayed at his side at the very least. He then looked over to Gunter at the side who looked at him with encouragement and nodded with a distinctive "wenk."
After some careful consideration weighing the pros and cons, IK began to feel a sense of confidence. He acknowledged that his friends were in danger and that he needed a plan to stop the candy menace. Flying together side by side in person wasn't going to work nor was attacking from a far distance. But then it hit him, after looking back on a memory that involved a personal fight between him and the Flame Princess, the answer became very clear.
"Hold on to something," Ice King finally advised to Betty. He then faced Gunter and said, "And you, go on outta here, round up the others and find some place safe."
The penguin did as he was told before giving a final hug with IK and Betty. Once he disappeared through the doorway, the ice wizard closed his eyes as he channeled his powers. As his crown glowed from utilizing a great deal of energy, the glacier mountain the two heroes were inside began to shake momentarily until it grew a set of blue arms and legs. It was a crude giant compared to the advanced candy guardian in design, but with two magical users operating it together they just might have a chance in turning the tide back to the elementals, rescue their friends, and go home altogether.
With all those things kept in mind, Ice King motioned the mountain to go forward and into fray.
