Flanella
Act IX: The High Priestess
"The High Priestess is the indicative of one who is naturally diplomatic. She depicts one who is forever in search of knowledge. The High Priestess is a complex lady who needs to remain very grounded, someone who is supportive and who makes for an effective mediator. This woman is highly intelligent —however, as an observer rather than a participant, she represents manipulation, a pause in an ongoing progress or even a standstill, stirring doubt, confusion and chaos."
–Tarot, Major Arcana
Back in the Candy Kingdom, unaware of the perilous events that were currently taking place in the Fire Kingdom, an extensive investigation was being carried out. Heeding Princess Bubblegum's call, Captain Root Beer Guy brought Jake the Dog and Marceline the Vampire Queen (in representation of Finn the Human) to the depths of her underground laboratory. Their mission was simple: search for clues that could lead them to the shameless thief, who had stolen the princess' very important "something".
But what was that "something"? And how would they begin a search if they didn't even know what were they looking for? It would be easy to just ask Bubblegum —if only she herself knew what had been stolen from her. Much to everyone's discomfort, it was true. Bonnibel Bubblegum herself had no idea of what had gone missing. She just knew it had. According to Root Beer Guy's previous investigation, supported by Peppermint Butler's declaration, Princess Bubblegum couldn't tell what had been taken from her because of the humongous mishmash that her laboratory was.
Jake and Marceline had to agree with this despite of Bubblegum's scowl. The princess' research lab was a chaotic frenzy of broken glasses, malfunctioning contraptions, and six months old pizza slices. Withered plants that no longer served the purpose of brightening the chamber with blossoming flowers, fell apart leaf by leaf in the corners. The squeaks of little rats, running about or simply enjoying their new residences —within the multiple piles of trash that flooded the floor, could be heard in the silence. Strange glowing liquids oozed through the crevices in the walls, pervading the environment with an unbearable stench that was making both the dog and the vampire dizzy because of their sensible noses.
And that was only the tip of the iceberg. In conciliation with Captain Root Beer Guy's report, Princess Bubblegum's laboratory infringed 75 of the 80 sanitary and hygienic measures of the Candy Kingdom's law. If she didn't do something about it in the next 48 hours, the corresponding authorities would soon have to be forced to close down the perimeter.
Thus, to avoid the closing of her working area and to find out what had exactly been stolen from her, Princess Bubblegum proposed an intense cleaning session, followed by the making of a complete inventory of her laboratory's goods. Somewhat apprehensive towards the situation, Jake, Marceline and Root Beer Guy, along with a squad of Banana Guards, proceeded to carry out the titanic task of tidying up Bubblegum's unhealthy lab.
It didn't take long however, for Marceline to get sidetracked from her assigned job. It consisted in organizing a vast collection of encyclopedias in alphabetical order (and in accordance to their respective volumes), as she could easily reach the highest bookshelves and put them where they belonged. Sure, floating from one side of the room to the other was an amusing activity for the baby elemental in her arms, until she grew nauseous and the contents in her tummy had to be purged.
"Oh no!" Marceline gasped, "I know that face! It's the puke face!"
Tossing the books aside, Marceline dashed to the nearest trashcan, holding Flanella in front of her at a good arm distance. If only the other bananas in charge of the cleaning process hadn't turned the laboratory into an obstacle course with their ladders, brooms, hoses and detergent buckets, the vampire would have probably made it before Flanella's cheeks spew out the stomach juices that she could no longer contain.
"Hold it! Hold it! We're almost there–aw, man…"
Marceline let out an anguished hiss, noticing the vomit that now covered what seemed to be archives of great significance. Princess Bubblegum noticed it as well soon enough. She promptly arrived with a clipboard in her hands and a frown in her brow.
"The idea is to clean the mess, not to make it bigger!"
"I'm aware of that but–!" the vampire tried to rebuke.
"No! I told you to leave that baby at the daycare if you were not going to let me analyze her DNA!" Bubblegum crossed her arms, in disapproval. "I don't understand what's going on between Finn and Flame Princess, or why she sent her daughter here after she literally kicked me out of her castle…"
Marceline had to cover her lips to hide a mocking snicker, act that displeased the pink woman with the lab coat in front of her considerably.
"Hey, listen! A lab it's no place for an infant! It isn't safe for her, and certainly she's more of a burden to you than an extra hand. Do I need to stress once again how important it is for us to get this place clean? I may not be entirely sure about what is it that we need to find, but I do know that if it falls in the wrong hands it could—!"
"Alright, alright! I get it, Bonnie. I promise it won't happen again."
Princess Bubblegum sighed, relaxing a bit. "Good. Now take her somewhere safe and get back to work. I don't even want to imagine the trouble you might get us in with the Fire Kingdom if something were to happen to that child."
Watching the pink princess walk away, Marceline shook her head and turned her gaze back to Flanella. The baby looked upset, still not feeling well. Worried, she searched for Jake, hoping he would know what to do. Sadly, the old dog was nowhere to be seen. Marceline bit her lower lip in concern as she floated back to the library area.
Perhaps she would find something useful in one of the books of Bubblegum's immense collection. She browsed among the biology section and picked a few that seemed to have something to do with diseases. Then, she sat on the floor, resting her back against the large shelf and laying Flanella between her crossed legs.
"Now let's see…" Marceline murmured, holding up a book with a white cover. "Fluctuations of the Vassal—what?" she scratched the back of her head, trying to figure the meaning of the complex words before her. "What a load of junk!"
She tossed the white book and picked up another. Flanella stared closely at the white colored one and then turned to discover that her caretaker was reading a bright purple one. Charmed by the colorful range of books surrounding the vampire, Flanella giggled in excitement.
"What now, huh? Colors make you happy?" Marceline wondered, waving her hand along the book collection behind her.
Flanella chuckled, clapping her tiny hands softly.
Marceline smiled. "I guess it makes sense. After all, everything in the Fire Kingdom is mostly red. I bet it must be kinda boring for ya, huh?"
An idea sparked in her brain. She quickly turned back and grabbed a blue book while Flanella stared curiously at her. With a sudden spin, Marceline presented the color blue with a "Ta-da~!", earning an entertained chortle from the little girl. It was working. The more colors she showed to Flanella, the more the baby seemed to forget about her stomachache.
Princess Bubblegum passed by, checking on everyone's chores and progress. When she came across Marceline's little game, she couldn't help to roll her eyes in resignation. Well, at least the vampire was doing a good job on keeping the baby away from the hazardous chemicals that were spread around the major part of her lab.
She remained silent then, analyzing the sudden changes on Flanella's physical composition, from a distance. Jake was right, some of the baby's traits were the same as Finn's now, but how could that be possible? Oh, if only they would let her take a small blood sample from Flanella! That genetic enigma was too juicy to ignore, especially for Bubblegum's thirsty intellect. How come both Jake and Marceline were so protective over that child if they barely knew her? It was as if they too believed she was actually Finn's daughter. Such a proof-less fact could only make her left eye twitch in exasperation. Curiosity was killing her.
I'll have to wait for a chance to make my move, I guess. Bubblegum thought as she nibbled the tip of her pen. I'm not doing anything wrong, right? It's in the name of science!
"Whatcha think about color… yellow!" Marceline continued, making Flanella laugh. "That's what I thought, quite cheerful, eh? Not my type of color, though."
There was a green book titled "Of Bacteria & other Microscopic Bing-bongs", that stood out from the rest that Marceline had in her reach. She gave a grin to the little girl on her lap as she turned around to get it in her hands.
"You're gonna love this color! It's the same as your daddy's homeland, the Grasslands!"
Princess Bubblegum heard this and decided to casually meddle in. "Marcy," she sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't say that stuff to the poor child, you'll mess her brain up. There's no way for Finn to be her father!"
The vampire shrugged, raising her chin with pride. "He might not be her biological father, but life has taught me that it takes much more than that to become a true dad." Right, Simon?
Bubblegum folded her arms, scowling. "Using sentimentalism against my statement? How clever of you!" She gazed expectantly at Marceline, waiting for her to keep her silly exercise going. "You may proceed."
"Well, thank you, Your Majesty!" Marceline sarcastically replied. Jeez, PB! What's wrong with you?
She took the green book and shook it playfully in front of Flanella's face. Surprisingly, the baby didn't react at this. Marceline tried to present the new color in a more comical fashion, turning her body invisible as she made the book dance around her. Flanella stared quietly at it, shifting slowly with a yawn.
"Hey! I thought you'd really like this one!" Marceline protested as she reappeared in her place. "What is it? Green isn't your jam or what? Every other color I showed you was hilarious to ya! Why this one not?"
Flanella blinked, tilting her head.
"What's so boring about the color green? Please tell me!" the vampire begged, melting on the floor with a groan.
"Marceline, would you quit that?" Bubblegum complained, "Clearly, she's not interested in that color. Try another one and let the rest of us focus on getting our jobs done!"
"But it just doesn't make sense!" she whined impatiently.
Princess Bubblegum smacked her forehead in reply, deciding to approach her vampire friend in the hopes of getting her to stop making noise. She bent over, shooting a glance into Flanella's blue eyes. The little girl didn't seem sleepy or tired; she just wasn't as amused as before.
"Interesting." Bubblegum uttered, causing Marceline's curiosity to spark up.
"What?"
"Listen Marcy, you are her official caretaker, so I'll have to ask you for permission to check Flanella's eyes more closely."
Marceline furrowed her brow, spotting a brief smirk on Bubblegum's pink features. "It's not going to hurt her, is it?"
"What? Nah, absolutely not!" Bonnibel dismissed, taking the child in her arms without the vampire's actual consent.
"W-wait! Bonnibel!"
Princess Bubblegum hurried to the left wing of her laboratory, where most of her medical equipment was located. To Marceline's relief the new area wasn't a complete disaster like the others. At least it smelled nice, a combination of chlorine and hand sanitizer. Once she snapped out of her odor trance, Marceline rushed to Bubblegum's side. The candy princess had already placed Flanella on an examination table, and was ready to work her science on her.
"You better not do anything weird to her, or I'll let Finn know!"
"Relax, Marceline!" Princess Bubblegum insisted, "I promise not to harm Flanella in any way!"
Marceline puffed her cheeks, glaring at her with mistrust. Ultimately, she let go of her breath and nodded, unaware that Bubblegum was crossing fingers behind her back. With a pleased smile, the princess returned to the baby elemental and opened a drawer on her right. She pulled three lollipops of different flavors: cherry, key lime, and grape. Marceline watched carefully, tapping her upper arms with her fingers.
"Look what I got for you, Flanella!" Bubblegum cheered, holding up the cherry and the key lime lollipops at the same time!"
This drew the child's attention, yet it didn't last long. The distant echo of glass crashing and breaking, followed by Jake's pitiful groan in the back of the lab, distracted her immediately.
"Interesting." Princess Bubblegum repeated.
"What?" Marceline anxiously replied.
"Shh, Marcy!" she said, switching the key lime lollipop for the grape flavored one. "Here Flanella! Look, what a great difference this tiny change made!"
Flanella's blue eyes widened at the sight of the purple candy, causing her to stretch her short arms in an attempt to snatch it. Princess Bubblegum grinned, leaning closer to the baby. She obstructed Marceline's view for a second in the middle of the action. It was Flanella's sudden crying what forced the vampire to push Bubblegum aside.
"What did you do to her?!" she growled.
Princess Bubblegum frowned, "I don't know what are you talking about! She probably got scared because of this." She pulled out a small laser pointer, pressing a button on its tip to beam a ray of light upwards. "See? I was checking her corneas!"
Marceline moved forward and removed Flanella from the examination table, holding her firmly in her arms. "Then what's your diagnosis, huh?" she asked rather sharply.
"It's short-cone monochromacy. Put in simple words, color blindness. Flanella can't distinguish the difference between green and red hues, which is actually quite rare in females." Bubblegum shrugged, "But then again, how would I know? Nothing in this girl is particularly normal. And you won't let me make a proper research on her, would you?"
"Forget it, dude! You've done enough!" the vampire growled, trying her best to soothe Flanella's crying.
Seeing that Marceline couldn't get the baby elemental to settle down, the candy princess offered the grape lollipop to her with a gentle smile. Flanella sobbed softly, accepting the candy. Her childish smile returned slowly as she sucked the sweet treat.
"Well then!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed, stretching her arms in a lazy motion. "I guess I must give up on analyzing her, huh?" Unexpectedly though, the princess made a sudden movement that ended up with her smacking the lollipop out of Flanella's hands. "Oh no! What have I done?"
The baby watched her treat fall onto the floor, exploding in tiny pieces afterwards. Her tranquil sobs quickly turned into loud whines one more time.
"Excellent job, Bonnibel!" Marceline yelled in annoyance, "Now I'll never get her to calm down!"
"I'm so sorry! That was very stupid of me!" Bubblegum then patted Marceline's shoulder, urging her to walk along, towards the door. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave 'till you manage to stop her crying."
"No joke! I wanted to leave this dump already, anyway!" the vampire replied, floating to the exit after forcing Bubblegum to release her. "You might want to check your brains while I'm gone, you donk!"
"Yeah, yeah! I will! Take care, Marceline!" she enthusiastically waved her hand, bidding them farewell. When Marceline and Flanella disappeared from sight, the princess quickly closed the door behind her with a relieved sigh. "I thought she'd never leave!"
The sound of running paws and an elastic body, stretching itself in her direction caused Bubblegum to set her eyes on the other side of the laboratory. There came Jake in a rush, his face wet with sweat and a nervous look in his dark round eyes. Such was his hurry that Princess Bubblegum had to step aside to avoid getting crushed by him, as he accidentally crashed against the door.
"W-where? Where is she?" Jake mumbled, still spinning from the contusion on his skull. "Where's Flanella? I thought I heard her crying! D-don't worry, Flanella! Your uncle Jake is here to… I'm here to…"
He fixed his eyes on the pink features of the candy ruler, hoping she'd give him an answer or at least show some concern. Princess Bubblegum instead unveiled a sneaky smile, a hint of triumph in her confident stare. Jake frowned, puzzled.
"Marcy and Flanella are not here anymore, are they?" his voice grew reproachful, "Peebs?"
"They left to get some fresh air." She replied, "I'm sure they'll be back pretty soon! In the meantime…" Jake noticed her pink fingers slipping a thin test tube out of her white pocket. "I've got an important analysis to work on!"
"Oh, Okay. Good luck with that, prin–wait! Wait a minute!" he barked.
Bubblegum turned back to him with a not quite convincing grin. "Yeah?"
"I might not be the most brilliant dude of the dudes that are brilliant, but I've got a trustworthy nose! And it's telling me that somethin' smells fishy here!"
Princess Bubblegum's fake smile crumbled, giving way to a remorseful explosion of contradicted emotions. "Alright, you got me! I took a blood sample from Flanella without anyone's consent! I even went as far as to slap her candy to make her cry, the perfect excuse to get Marceline out of here! But you gotta understand, Jake!"
"Understand what?"
"Understand… That it's physically impossible for Flame Princess' to conceive a child! And it's impossible for her child to share some resemblance with Finn, when her father is explicitly inferred to be Cinnamon Bun! And now I don't even know what I'm talking about, 'cause I have just contradicted my own statements by admitting that Flame Princess might have actually conceived—well…" she shook her head in an attempt to clear her ideas. "Oh, Jake! Don't you see? This mystery exceeds the boundaries of my scientific knowledge! Don't you wanna know how it happened?"
Jake lowered his head, unsure. "Jeez PB, I-I… I don't wanna betray my bro's trust… He said he didn't care to know the truth and I gotta respect his wish…!"
Bubblegum shoved the blood sample in front of his eyes, inducing him to temptation. "I mean, don't you want to know how it came to be? Aren't your hands itching with curiosity to embrace the truth? Who or what is Flanella?" she passed her arm over his shoulders, pulling him close. "The answer, my friend, is right here…"
They both contemplated the test tube, trembling in excitement.
"Finn will get mad at me when he finds out."
"Finn doesn't have to know." The princess whispered.
Jake gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes forcefully. His gut, his brain, and his heart deliberated in an intense debate. Feelings of fraternity clashing against his deepest snooping wishes, his stomach rumbling with hunger. It was too much for an old magical dog.
Finally, he screamed.
"No! It's too much! I can't do this! I want to, but I don't want to!" he groaned, pointing a blaming finger at Princess Bubblegum's nose. "You go and betray Finn's trust in the name of scientific curiosity if you want! I don't wanna be a part of this!"
"Fine." She shrugged, walking to a nearby computer. "Your loss, friend."
Bubblegum sat on her chair and began to process the sample, placing a drop of the snatched blood on an electronic microscope. Jake watched her, biting his fingernails as she studied the molecular composition in the sample. Intrigued, Bubblegum turned to her computer screen, entering some sort of data. She waited anxiously until a "bip!" sound confirmed that the analyzing process was ready. Jake couldn't stand it. He desperately wanted to know what were the results that were appearing before the pink princess.
His resolution broke.
"What? What is it? What's the verdict, PB? Please let me see that!" he begged urgently, slamming his stretched body all over the monitor.
Bubblegum smirked, "I thought you didn't wish to know!"
"Yeah but I'm weak!" the dog cried, "I'm weak! My will's so weak; I can't live with my shame! Or maybe, I can?" he eyed the screen and returned to the princess, "What does all that junk and numbers mean?"
She rubbed her chin, studying the DNA chains in her screen. With a tab on her keyboard, the computer zoomed in on what was supposed to be a strand of the DNA double helix. She groaned, conflicted by the unusual image in the screen. Jake grew conflicted as well, although he couldn't understand anything.
"Well, what is it?" he asked.
"It's just that…" Bubblegum stammered, "No… Impossible!"
"What?"
"Unbelievable!"
"What?!"
"It's unprecedented!"
"What?!"
"How is Finn going to react to this? I hope he doesn't take it personal…!"
"WHAT?" Jake cried, shaking Bubblegum's shoulders from one side to the other. "For the love of Glob, speak now!"
Princess Bubblegum faced him. A perplexed expression filled her pink features. "Well I… this… All I can say is that… Nothing makes sense!" she bit her thumbnail, "Unless… Oh no…"
Jake let go of her, nervous. "I-is s-something the m-matter, PB?"
"Jake," she firmly declared. "I know what was stolen from my lab."
x~x~x~x~x
Past the giant walls that enclosed the candy city, Marceline found herself heading to the Cotton Candy Forest. The last hours of that fading night were fresh, and peaceful. Flanella was still sobbing weakly in her arms, sucking her tiny thumb repeatedly. It wasn't a common behavior on her. During all her time caring for her, Marceline never noticed Flanella doing that. It was well known that babies had to be taught not to get their fingers in their mouths as a safety measure. And she supposed Flame Princess had instructed her daughter wisely. It must be something else, she concluded.
Hoping Flanella hadn't cut her finger with a piece of broken glass, or some sort of pointy tool in Princess Bubblegum's lab, the vampire delicately pulled the baby's thumb out of her mouth. The feeble scent of blood reached her nostrils, however the tiny wound on Flanella's skin wasn't a cut or a scrape, it was a prick. Suddenly, everything became clear.
"Bonnibel…!" Marceline angrily hissed.
The rustling of nearby leaves directed her attention to a cotton tree on her right. Was it the wind? No, she didn't recall feeling a breeze earlier. Alarmed, Marceline floated down and landed, letting her sharp hearing pick up every suspicious sound near her surroundings.
Another rustle came. It was faster this time. Marceline followed it, feeling her anxiousness building up within her.
"What's that? Who's there?" she growled, "Come here or else I'll have to drag you out!"
A distant caw echoed in the darkness.
A raven? She wondered, or maybe…
Her nose picked a new scent, "It smells like… a rabbit?" Marceline turned her head, searching frantically. "A rabbit… a crow… a… Crabbit!"
I knew it was him!
Fortunately, her body moved fast enough to doge an incoming hit. There it was. As she leaned to the opposite side, a black curled fist grazed her pale skin, causing her tumble down. Her wild instincts took over. Marceline sprung upwards to meet the vicious stare of the dark entity flying right above her. Holding Flanella tightly against her chest, she lunged over her foe, intending to deliver a powerful blow in response.
Crabbit stumbled to the ground in recoil, shaking the punch off his now bruised cheek. Marceline landed in front of him. She threw her arm onto her back, reaching out for her axe bass. A concerned gasp left her system; she wasn't carrying it with her. With a nervous gulp, the vampire stepped back a little. It wasn't that she couldn't take the Crabbit with her bare fists on her own. What worried her greatly was Flanella's safety.
Globdammit! Now what am I supposed to do? Run away from this freak?
She looked ahead, glimpsing the imposing silhouettes of the Gumball Guardians. The Candy Kingdom wasn't that far. If she flew fast enough, she would have a chance to make it.
"Hold on tight, Flanella!"
Marceline leapt forward, stepping on the Crabbit's head to gain more propulsion. The hybrid's flinching gave her some advantage, taking her into the night before he could even wonder what had hit him.
Swift as an arrow, Marceline sped herself up, summoning her bat wings in an attempt to cover more distance in less time. She turned her head back, searching for Maja's Familiar on her tail. There was no sign of him, which gave her a little relief.
"Seems like we're faster than that creep, don't you think?" she chuckled, reassuring the baby elemental with her grip.
"I wouldn't be so sure!"
Out of nowhere, the winged humanoid shot himself against the vampire's body, causing her to budge back. Marceline bared her fangs, aiming to take down her foe with a claw swipe. Crabbit skillfully spun away, losing some distance with her, but ducking the fierce blow nonetheless. His wings flapped at a greater speed in pursue of the vampire. With a hasty dash, he managed to charge into Marceline for the second time, albeit more violently.
She felt Flanella slip from her grasp. It was already hard enough to focus on the path ahead and the hybrid harassing her flight. Taking care of the baby made it all more difficult. Gritting her fangs, Marceline resolved to make a sudden turn and change her direction, hoping to confuse Crabbit and lose him. For a moment it worked, unfortunately it couldn't last long.
The figure of Crabbit's large body struck the air, sending her backwards. Marceline barely stopped her fall, managing to keep herself airborne as her enemy blocked her way. His silence and the smug grin in his face ate Marceline's patience away.
"What now?! What's so funny, huh?!" she growled.
"Nothing, I just wanted to say…" he flew out of Marceline's view, revealing the shimmering sun rays of the break of dawn behind him. "Good morning, Marceline!"
The light of day bathed the sky, burning Marceline's skin. The direct exposure blinded her, forcing the vampire to shield her eyes with both hands —as she unconsciously let go of Flanella. She quickly realized what she had done, plunging downwards after the crying baby. The golden glow of the sun became stronger, consuming her wings before she could grasp the frantic child. It was then that Crabbit dashed by, seizing Flanella away from her.
"No!"
Marceline helplessly witnessed how the dark hybrid vanished through a portal, as her melting body crashed near the main road to the Candy Kingdom. There were no shadows to restrain her agony, yet nothing could be as painful as the fact of having failed so miserably to such a dear friend, Finn.
"F-Flanella… I'm sorry."
I'm so happy about the lots of good reactions that the last chapter got. Thanks a million, dear readers! Hope this chapter was as enjoyable as the last one! I'll try to post the next one as soon as possible!