Because of the exposure they got at the fundraiser, plenty of doors opened for Marceline & The Scream Queens that summer.
They played plenty of gigs all over Ooo and kept themselves busy writing new material and recording EP's to sell at their shows.
Bubblegum was busy with her father in the lab and saw very little of Marceline that summer...except for their Sunday night walks.
Every Sunday night, rain or shine, the two of them went for a walk where they first met – the woods near the Lost Cliffs.
Their walks often lasted for hours and they seemed to discuss nearly everything during them. From politics to movies and back again, there seemed to be nothing the two friends didn't talk about. They also made sure to keep up with one another's lives - Bubblegum told Marceline all about her and her father's experiments, while Marceline kept Bubblegum up to date with everything new happening in the band.
They joked around on their walks, shared countless private jokes and laughed until their stomachs hurt.
Both girls looked forward all week to their Sunday night strolls together.
They both knew that if anything was bothering them, they could talk to the other about it. Nothing was off limits in their conversations.
Except for the growing feelings both friends were developing for each other – something they both thought only they were experiencing.

It was during one of these nighttime saunters, while sitting in a treetop and chatting, that their first big adventure together was planned.
"So basically the herb my father needs to extract the enzyme from only grows in the Haunted Swamp," Bubblegum was telling Marceline in a defeated voice. "And since there's no way of getting to it, this experiment has hit the breaks until further notice."
"Wait, why can't you get it?"
"Marcy, no one knows what's in that swamp! It's uncharted, going there could be totally lethal!"
"Ah, my favourite type of adventure," Marceline smirked. "Why don't I go get it for you guys Bonni?"
"No Marceline, Glob!" Bubblegum cried, jerking into an upright position from where she had been leaning against the tree bark. "Going to the Haunted Swamp alone? Are you crazy?"
"OK, so come with me," Marceline retorted simply.
"Wh- Huh?"
"Come. With. Me."
Marceline's sarcastic act of sounding it out so slowly made Bubblegum frown.
"I heard you," she said. "I just think you're nuts."

Marceline sighed and floated upwards from the tree.
"Look, all I know is that you guys need this plant. And you know where the plant is. So either I'm going to get it or we're going to get it. Your choice Bon-Bon."
Bubblegum stared disbelievingly up at the vampire, then rolled her eyes and groaned.
"You're so stubborn!" she complained.
"Yup," agreed the vampire with a smile, crossing her arms doggedly.
Bubblegum shook her head and sighed, whitewashed.
"OK Marceline," she said. "We'll go to the Haunted Swamp, b-"
"I knew you'd see it my way," Marceline grinned smugly.
"But," Bubblegum went on. "On one condition."
"What's that P-Bubs?"
Bubblegum looked very determinedly up at the vampire.
"If there's even a small chance you might get hurt, we're getting out of there. Pronto."
Marceline felt her stomach jolt a little bit, touched that the princess cared so much for her.
In response, she floated back down to the branch and sat right next to the princess.
"OK Bonni," she said. "I won't let anything happen to me."
Bubblegum yawned and rested her head lightly on Marceline's shoulder.
"Good," she said. "Then I'll tell my father that we can keep going with the experiment!"
Marceline nodded.
"Great," she said, then wavered. "And by the way, I won't let anything happen to you either."
Bubblegum smiled into the vampire's shoulder.
"I know you won't," she said confidently, and closed her eyes.
Marceline glanced down at the girl beside her, then gazed up into the dark, starry sky above them.
Then she rested her head lightly on Bubblegum's and asked her what she knew about constellations.

The next night (just after the sun set), the two friends stood on the edge of the Haunted Swamp, staring into the branches of dark, gnarled trees before them.
"OK," Bubblegum began resolutely. "I spent all day today doing my research on this place. Although there's no reports of ghosts in this area, it's rumoured to be home to some pretty badass creatures."
"Alright," Marceline nodded. "Like what?"
"Demons," Bubblegum said. "Lots of 'em. And plenty of different varieties. But like I said, this whole territory is uncharted. We're just going to have to take it as it comes."
"Sounds doable," Marceline said determinedly. "You ready for this?"
Bubblegum peered into the swamp. She knew that whatever lay ahead of them was nameless, possibly dangerous and almost entirely unknown. She knew that there was plenty of reason to be afraid.
But she also felt a type of fearful excitement rising in her chest, an eagerness for the adventure in store for them with all its twists and turns.
And she knew she was with Marceline. So she was safe.
She smirked over at her friend the vampire.
"Yep," she said. "Let's do this!"
Marceline smiled back.

Marceline picked up the princess by the shoulders and carried her over the shallow, murky ditch that separated the Haunted Swamp from the vicinity around it.
Once on the bank on the other side, they pushed their way through trees and bushes and ventured into the swamp.
All around them grew plants of extraordinary shapes and colours. There were mauve flowers that responded to motion and burst into bloom as they went past, huge cobalt bushes that let out a faint whistling noise and what looked like bamboo, but as pink as Bubblegum's hair, that shot upwards from the ground and tangled itself into the trees above.
"Whoa, this place is frea-kay," Marceline commented as they went past a big red tree with leaves that sprang to flight when they approached it. "What does the herb we're looking for look like?"
"Green," Bubblegum told her, scanning the ground. "Kind of a sea green shade, and it'll be emitting a sort of neon lime glow."
The princess reached into her coat and took a folded piece of paper out. She unfolded it and handed it back to Marceline.
"See?"
Marceline looked at the picture of the strange plant, clearly torn from an old textbook of some sort.
"Hmm, I do," she said. "Right, green plant, green plant, green plant-"
She scrutinised the area as they moved deeper into the swamp.

Bubblegum opened her mouth to talk to Marceline when she suddenly felt something strong wrap around her ankles.
With a tug, the something hauled her quickly to the ground.
"Spit! Bonni!"
Marceline attempted to grab the princess' arms to pull her back up but out of the blue, the tree behind her transformed into a big, crimson pterodactyl-like demon.
"Gotcha!" it hissed and wrapped its wings around her.
"Marceline!" Bubblegum cried out but the something was now entwining around her other ankle, her legs and even her waist.
Looking down in horror, she saw that the something was the jet-black roots of a tree. The tree in question then opened up at the base and dragged the candy princess underneath.
"Bonni! Bonni! BONNI!" the vampire twisted urgently against the demon, eventually escaping its grasp when she transformed into a large bat.
But the red demon only chuckled.
"Alright, now it's a fair fight!" he jeered and the two began to brawl.

Meanwhile, Bubblegum was sliding down a long, wooden chute.
With a sudden thump, she landed on the dusty floor of what looked like a very large hollowed out tree trunk.
Bubblegum stood up and brushed herself off, trying to remain calm.
Marceline would be fine taking on that demon thing, right? Right? She was much more powerful than some stupid swamp dweller, right?
The princess suddenly spotted a door at the far end of the circular room and ran towards it.
Wrenching it open, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Meanwhile, the demon threw Marceline to the ground, talons clutched around her neck.
Converting her batwing into that of a powerful demon arm, Marceline reached down and punched the creature in the stomach.
"Ouch!" he cried out, rolling off her.
Then he dragged himself into a crouching position, looked back, glared at her.
"Vampire, I smell your blood!" he told her in his raspy, dry voice. "But that's not all there is to you, is there?"
"Half-vampire half-demon, baby!" Marceline yelled at him. "Now what happened to Bonni?"
The crimson beast let out a cackle.
"Oh gurl, you're going to have to earn that answer!" he spat and launched himself at her again.

Bubblegum stepped through the doorway, both fascinated and extremely confused.
"Em..."
In front of her was another hollowed out tree trunk, this one converted to look like a...living room?
It held a record player in the corner, a woven throw on the ground and a large TV set...which was being watched by a lot of little demons, identical to the one that had grabbed Marceline but much smaller.
There was six of them altogether and they all turned around when they heard the intruder enter.
"Hello," said a male one in friendly tones. "Can we help you?"
"Yeah, uh, hi," Bubblegum started awkwardly. "Listen, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this but the roots of your tree grabbed me and I sort of got dragged down here and-"
The little demon gasped and looked at the one sitting across the room from him.
"Duncan!" he scolded. "You forgot to unset the burglar alarm again?"
Duncan hung his head in shame.
"My bad," he said sadly.
"Uh, you scatterbrain!" his companion snapped and looked back at Bubblegum. "I am so sorry ma'am! Here, I'll escort you out of here."
He hopped to his feet and Bubblegum smiled warmly at him.
"Thanks dude," she said. "And, uh, I'm also having a little trouble back up on the ground."

The crimson demon shoved Marceline against a tree and hissed in her face.
"Ready to give up yet?"
Marceline struggled against his grip.
"No globbing way!" she screamed and shoved him off with a mighty push.
"Oof!" the demon landed on his back and slid across the marshy ground, landing at the feet of Bubblegum, arms crossed, with her new demon friend perched serenely on her shoulder.
Marceline landed in front of them with a thud and then looked up in surprise.
"Bonni!" she cried out in mixed relief and shock. "Watch out for this guy, he's-"
"It's alright Marcy," Bubblegum said coolly, and turned to the demon on her shoulder. "Steve?"
"Right," Steve nodded to her and then looked down to the demon on the ground. "Ernie, this is not how we treat guests."
"Huh? Ernie?" Marceline chuckled as she transformed back into her normal self. "What kind of demon name is Ernie?"
"Shut up!" Ernie spat at her. "Steve, why you got to ruin my fun man?"
"Because you're projecting a bad image of demodactyls right now," Steve said calmly. "We're not a violent species of demon. Except for you. Now get up and go inside to clean yourself up. Your show's starting soon anyway."
Ernie grumbled to himself and then climbed to his feet.
"Alright, alright," he said, rubbing his arm and slumping off into the trees.
"Thanks Steve," Bubblegum told the demodactyl on her shoulder.
"No problem," Steve replied. "Good luck finding that herb Princess!"
And with that, he flapped his wings, flew off her shoulder and followed Ernie into the trees.

"You OK?" Bubblegum asked Marceline.
"Yeah, thanks," the vampire rubbed her neck in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I let that happen."
Bubblegum scoffed.
"Don't be ridiculous Marcy, that wasn't your fault! How could you have known that was going to happen? Now come on, we've got a herb to find!"
And the two friends set off again.

As they explored deeper into the Haunted Swamp, more and more strange plants appeared all around them.
There were grey-coloured vines that slithered along the ground like snakes, giant Venus fly traps that grew to incredible heights above them, and glowing red seeds that floated through the air like cherry-coloured fireflies.
All the while, they inspected the ground around them for the green plant with the glowing aura.
"Man, what if it's not here?" Marceline grumbled.
"It's got to be, we just have to keep loo-"
"Bonni, watch out!"
Marceline grabbed Bubblegum's arm and yanked her out of the way of a swooping demon. Unlike the other demodactyls they had encountered, this one was a light olive colour and, with its eight legs and massive wings, resembled a giant flying spider.
"Hey man, watch where you're going!" Marceline snapped.
The creature flapped its wings so it could stay in place and speak directly to them.
"Watch where you're going little girlies or you're going to become my dinner!"
It lunged at them again and Bubblegum threw herself against Marceline, shoving them both into a clump of bushes and out into a small clearing.
Bubblegum look to her left and saw...
"The herb!" she gasped. "Marcy, there it is!"
Marceline looked up from where she was sprawled next to Bubblegum and saw a small sea green herb, pulsating with a light glow.
But before she could voice her gladness upon finding it, the spider beast let out a massive roar from behind the bushes.
"Great, you get it, I'll distract our new friend!" Marceline said, transforming quickly into her wolf form.
"Marceline, be careful!" Bubblegum cried out to her friend but Marceline had already leapt back out through the clump of bushes.

"Oh man, you would make a good burrito filling!" the spider grinned when it saw Marceline again. "Once I pluck out all the hairs of course!"
"Dude, I'm not becoming anybody's dinner tonight!" Marceline shouted and threw herself at the arachnid, tackling him to the ground.
The two wrestled, both throwing punches and kicks, both snapping their jaws viciously at one another.
Then the spider beast booted out its legs and sent its opponent soaring into a thicket of trees.
He laughed maniacally.
"And now to take on your little friend," he said, turning towards the bushes again.
That was what made Marceline plunge down at him from the trees, and elbow him hard in the head.
"Aaaargh!" he yelped. "That's it! I should've listened to Mom, playing with your food is never a good idea!"
That's when he stuck out a leg, aimed it between two gnarled trees and spun out a thick web. He shoved Marceline into it and she was instantly stuck.
In a panic, the woman tried to alter herself into any form that could escape the web, transforming into each one at a time.
But it was no use.
"Dinner time," the spider beast scuttled towards her, fangs beared.

"Hey, spider butt!"
"Huh?" the beast turned around in time to see Bubblegum whack him hard in the face with the herb.
"No!" he screamed, shutting his eyes against the skin on his face that instantly began to burn. "No! No! Noooo!"
"Hi-ya!" Bubblegum smacked each of his legs with it and the spider yelled out again, running away into the trees as fast as he could.
Marceline only stared at the princess in awe.
Bubblegum looked up at her, panting hard, and then ran to her side, touching the edge web with the herb.
"Whoa Bonni, nice job!" Marceline said admiringly as the web melted away around her and she landed on her feet. "I guess that herb is pretty globbin' powerful, huh?"
"Yep, especially against insects!" Bubblegum grinned, but then glanced down at the plant in her hands.
It had turned grey, the last of its green powers ebbing away from it in steady throbs.
"But this one's muscle is all used up," Bubblegum said, tossing it to the ground. "So, I guess we need to find another one."
Marceline smirked at her.
"Not exactly," she said, and produced an even larger herb from the back pocket of her pants.
Bubblegum gasped and grabbed the plant.
"Oh my Glob, where did you get this?"
"It was growing up the side of a tree when spider-kook threw me into that grove over there," Marceline said, jabbing a thumb behind her to indicate the trees. "So I just thought I should grab it while I could, yo."
"It was growing on a tree?" Bubblegum grinned excitedly. "Marcy, the ones that grow on trees are ten times more powerful, long-lasting and rarer than the ones that grow in the ground!"
She threw her arms around Marceline's neck in a hug.
"Thank you, you're my hero!" she cried.
Marceline felt a blush burn across her face.
"Uh, you're welcome," she said, hugging the princess back. "Now let's bust out of this joint?"
"You bet!" Bubblegum grinned, and held onto Marceline tightly, ready for lift-off. "Super buds awaaaaaaaaaaay!"
Marceline took off with a blast of vigour, crashing through the foliage above and up into the night sky.