"Flame Princess," Betty asked.

"Yes," she said wearily.

"May I come in?"

FP nodded, "Of course."

Simon's wife approached the depressed elemental and sat next to her on the bed, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah, I could use your help," FP said with her eyes red from crying.

Betty wrapped an arm around the elemental's shoulders, "We all could, FP. But I had a strong feeling you would be taking this harder than everyone else."

From that instant, FP hugged her best friend, "It's awful, Betty! Finn and I faced so many obstacles together and now... he's gone."

Betty returned the hug, just listening.

FP continued, "He promised me right then and there that he would be behind me. I heard him say it and you did too, right?"

"Yes, Flame Princess."

"He was so fixated on protecting me that he didn't even protect himself. I'm losing it, Betty. Even though I've reasoned myself to be strong for my people, my heart still aches."

The two broke the hug and gave each other some space.

Betty adjusted her glasses, "You can't expect yourself to brush this off easily. In fact, no one can. We have all grown so close to him that it's hitting us really hard. His brother, Jake for instance, just eats his food and then goes to sleep right after. Marceline plays a mellow tune with her ax bass all day, silently crying. Bubblegum's in denial, trying to figure out if he's alive somehow. As for my husband and I, we are torn about Finn's... absence because he brought us together after so many years."

FP wiped her eyes, "Despite everything that we're all going through right now, I guess my heritage as a proud people has given me some strength to move forward, and it was especially Finn who showed me the way to never give up."

Betty nodded, "I'm glad that I was able to talk to you about this."

"Me too, Betty. Right now, all that matters is stopping my father. I don't want to be selfish and dwell on my own depression especially since everyone's counting on me."

"Remember, Flame Princess. We're all family, we're in this together, one way or another."

FP nodded, then got up with her best friend, "Well, we better get ready. The rest of our allies will be here shortly. Let's get Jake and the others together so we can sort ourselves out as a whole."

It had been 2 dreadful weeks after Flame King's hostile takeover of the Fire Kingdom. Ooo's liberation forces have long returned from the Slime and Breakfast Kingdoms. In addition, the Lemongrab and Jungle Kingdoms have joined the fight to put down Flame King's oppressive regime. However, even with the support of additional troops, the liberation forces continued to struggle against the Phoenix Brigade. With the main bridges to the Fire Kingdom destroyed, the liberators had to travel around the landscape into foreign territory.

Flame Princess guided her allies across the land, having essential knowledge of her home terrain. The information she provided limited complications of travel. Still though, there were some hinderances such as wild fire wolf attacks, and sometimes the ground would be uneven that immobilized catapult units. Dehydration and heat exhaustion also posed as a problem for non fire elementals. There were several cases when the fire-proof hazmat suits would malfunction, or when the flame shields would break beyond their limit. As a result, around 2,500 liberation troops died.

If the land alone wasn't enough for Ooo's forces, they also suffered from guerrilla warfare tactics. The Phoenix Brigade was in home territory and they used the environment to their advantage. Every so often, Flame King's forces would engage in short skirmishes. One of their methods included the foot soldiers submerging themselves in nearby lava springs, while the golems hid in plain sight with the rocks. They also had several areas marked for mortar strikes whenever Flame Princess and her allies stumbled across them.

Despite the frequent setbacks, Flame Princess and her friends have helped their ground forces prevail. By actively intervening in combat, the main heroes have minimized casualties to 1,200 rather than suffering possibly at least four times that amount. Slowly but surely, the main force was gaining ground.

As the main city of the Fire Kingdom became more visible in the distant horizon, Flame Princess and the rest of her company decided to set up base one more time. From there, the city limits was merely 15 minutes away. In between were several enemy outposts fortified with hundreds of infantry.

"Man, this has been some hectic trip," Jake commented.

"Yeah, what's funny is that all of us can travel to the palace directly, but it will be only us," Marceline said a bitter laugh.

Bubblegum agreed, "We'll need all the support to win this war. There are just too many to handle head on if we go by ourselves with the direct approach."

Simon looked over to his wife, "How are you feeling?"

Betty replied, "I'm fine, my flame shield seems to be holding out. Good thing I have a good grasp on magic. What about you?"

"My crown is helping me stay cool under this heat, but I can't risk using it's powers too much for comfort or else I won't have enough power to last long in combat."

She showed a concerned look, "Please don't exert yourself. If your crown is already struggling to keep you comfortable, then just let me know when to cast a flame shield for you. Actually, now that I think about it. I want you to remove your crown whenever we're not fighting, ok?"

Simon nodded, "As you wish."

Elsewhere in the camp, the knights of Alpha squad were sitting together conversing.

"(sigh) I'm sick of this stinkin' war. I just wish we could waltz into the palace and end this already," one of them said.

"Me too, at first I thought it would be exciting, but now I realize that war is just brutal. I never would have understood the extent of such a horrible concept until I experienced it firsthand," said another.

"By the way, anyone know where Benji is?"

The group looked around until they saw he was sitting alone with his head down, "Yeah, he's over there by himself. His brother's passing is still hitting him hard."

"I remember when Benji used to be the most energetic of the group. It bothers me that he doesn't talk much like he used to. It feels a little... nerve-wracking."

Then, Melvin checked his watch and announced, "I'll take care of him. In the meantime, let's get some shut eye while we still can."

"Go, go, go," an officer shouted. He and his company were charging at one of the Phoenix outposts that shot hundreds of arrows in his direction. Some of the defenders were settled in a few trenches several feet in front of the bunkers. The attackers on the other hand tried to protect themselves again by using their shields. They also threw in a few smoke grenades to cover their advance. However, men were still lost as arrows pierced through their legs and feet. In addition, the outposts had artillery support and continued to claim several lives even with limited visibility.

The battle lasted for several days and the liberation troops endured heavy losses. Some of them experienced a swift death from either a fatal shot or explosion, while others had their hazmat suits punctured and suffered an agonizing death. But in the end, the attackers persisted and finally breached through the defenses. Taking over the trench network was a crucial advantage and the remaining Phoenix knights eventually withdrew back into the city.

Flame Princess and her friends observed the main city in the distance from a vantage point. "This isn't over," she said. "The real battle starts once we storm those walls."

"Do you still think we'll be able to pull this off," Jake asked.

"We have to. If we don't stop Flame King here, then there will be no one left to defend all of Ooo," Bubblegum said.

Suddenly, Flame Princess received an incoming transmission from one of her troops, "My liege, we have taken over the last fire base. Friendly artillery units will move in and commence bombardment at the wall in 24 hours, over."

"Understood. Anything else to report?"

"We also have a lone Phoenix knight detained. What was unusual was that he tried to surrender without incident."

FP frowned, "That's strange. What is the condition of the prisoner?"

The soldier responded nervously, "He's... uh currently unconscious at the moment. One of our friendlies knocked him out before we can extract information from him."

She groaned in disappointment, "(sigh) Make sure the prisoner gets treated for medical attention and then have him restrained for interrogation. I would also like to speak with the one who harmed the prisoner. He is to be escorted to my quarters immediately for disciplinary action."

"By your command."

Thirty minutes later, Benji arrived at Flame Princess's tent with 4 guards surrounding him in a box formation. The fire monarch's demeanor instantly faded and she let out a deep sigh, "You? I didn't expect you to be the one responsible. Why did you do it?"

The young knight looked down ashamed, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I was caught up in the moment that I couldn't help myself."

She motioned the guards to leave and then continued, "I know your brother's loss is still bothering you and you want to avenge him, am I right?"

"...Yes, ma'am."

"Look I know how you're feeling. I lost someone who was very close to me on that bridge too. But, we are not the Phoenix Brigade. We do not harm our prisoners especially in war. That man may have all the knowledge we could use to turn the tide in our favor."

"I'm sorry ma'am. I won't let it happen again."

She briefly gave him a reassuring smile, "I forgive you, Benji. I'm not asking you to forget about your brother, but I am asking you to think before you act. That kind of behavior will only endanger your comrades and yourself. As of now, you are hereby given a fair warning, but if you fight out in the field with a clouded judgement and disobey my orders again, I will personally pull you away from the front lines. Understand?"

He meekly bowed, "Yes, your majesty."

"You are dismissed, Benji. And also, consult with your friends. Don't let your emotions bottle up inside you. It will only destroy your heart and mind from the inside. Go get some rest now, ok?"

His face brightened a little as he walked away from the tent.