Review Responses:

Vincent victor crowley: I had a feeling that the comic relief would be needed, cause it gets kind of heavy eventually. Thank you!

Messiah-Emperor: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Their first meeting is going to be very, very interesting, and I'm looking forward to writing it.

MorenoX25: My one worry is that there might be too much going on for the shorter chapters.

paigebrumby: Thank you!

SaphireDragonHuntress: Thank you! I will try to keep the updates coming.

Chapter 3: The Magic Hour

"What? No, I told you, I don't do stuff like that anymore!" Jake replied quickly, too quickly as far as Marceline was concerned, as he tried to fit his posterior into his Tuxedo pants. "And I am not a Wiener Dog! Glob, can't believe I even replied to that!"

"Okay, numero uno, you have magic stretching powers, so just shrink your waistline," Marceline chided her companion, and after he acknowledged her advice and got said pants on, she smacked him right in the butt. As he rubbed his now sore rear-end, Marceline continued. "And duo, I KNOW you took it. I've looked everywhere it might be, and can barely pick up its scent. You didn't spray it with freshener, did you? You know I like my socks nice and stinky." Marceline snaking tongue flew out of her mouth as she curled and uncurled her toes.

"Oh, yeah, I know you like your socks nice and stinky, that's why I put it under the jerky in the fridge," Jake grumbled in a whisper that the Vampire Queen's ears easily picked up.

"Aha! In the fridge, huh?" She replied with satisfaction, drawing more grumbling out of the dog. "BMO! BMO!" Marceline then called out, and without delay the console came running into the room.

"Yes pretty Vampire momma?" BMO said with charm, even blinking its eyes innocently.

"Aww! Hi sweety! Can you go get my sock out of the fridge?" Marceline asked, lifting up BMO and cradling the robot in her arms. "That meanie Jake hid it from momma!"

"It would be my honor!" BMO replied with resolution, backflipping out of her arms and then running with its arms trailing off to the side, like a ninja. Marceline slapped her face and giggled at their friend's antics while Jake focused on adjusting his outfit.

"You goin' like that Marcy?" He asked, looking her up and down; it wasn't a slight, it's just he knew she was looking forward to the ball and expected more than jeans and a red shirt that read "Suck On This". Or, given WHY she was excited for the ball, maybe the shirt was fairly appropriate.

"Nah, I'm about to throw my dress on," Marceline replied, blowing her nails and actively ignoring the butterflies smacking around in her stomach.

Jake knew her much too well to fall for the act of apathy. "I'm sure the Princess will like seeing you all fancy and stuff," He teased, Marceline blushing angrily at his words.

"Oh, and how about you?" She retorted with a playful hiss. "Last time I hung out with you and that Rainicorn chick you couldn't keep your eyes off her horn."

"Heehee, ya got me," Jake giggled, putting his hand up to his jowls. "I want to taste the rainbow, I admit it. Speaking of tasting things you're crushing on, you still want to pick up some Hubba Bubba after tonight?"

"Heh, hopefully I'll be picking up some TONIGHT," Marceline replied cooly, slipping piece of gum out of the carton sticking out from her pocket. She unpeeled it with delicate fingers, making sure the packaging did not rip in the slightest, and slipping the pink strip into her mouth slowly. It was a motion she had become rather adept at, having gone through Glob-knows how many packs of gum in the last month.

"Wow, that's the most erotic tension I've even seen conveyed through eating a piece of candy," Jake remarked, straightening his bowtie as he spoke. And he had been to a liquid-chocolate wrestling match.

"I haven't been able to go an hour without popping one in," Marceline admitted, suddenly swooping upward and drifting until her face was a foot away from the ceiling. Her finger began carving, absent-mindedly slashing in lines Marceline knew would form yet another Bonnibel Bubblegum, and join the army of small drawings that had invaded their ceiling by way of Marceline's finger and hard crushing.

"It's about time you say something to her," Jake observed as he scanned the ceiling. "And rumor is that she's trying to find a suitor; some gossip is that she's hoping to tonight."

"Hmmm, I've heard so as well," Marceline murmured as she floated downward, the smiling caricature of the Princess growing smaller as she did so. "Jake, be honest with me dawg. You think I've got a chance?"

"I'd check the J. T. Dogzone book about that one if I were you," Jake teased, the Vampire immediately hissing and picking said book off the table, tossing it at her companion, who just barely dodged it.

"It's bad enough you write under that ridiculous pen-name, but do you have to keep the books in the fort? You know what's in them, obviously, and I don't give a fluff," Marceline asked, and Jake chuckled.

"I'm a proud author! But yeah," He coughed, realizing Marceline was seriously stressing, and therefore dropping the joking. "I think you should be good. She seems pretty fond of you, and I mean, you're the best flirter I've ever seen. How about me? Think I've got a good chance with Lady?"

"Oh, def, dude," Marceline replied, visibly thankful for his words of encouragement and searching for those of her own. "I mean, she's already cool with you being a dog, so things should be all set after that. You're lucky she doesn't mind though, what with you having LED your kind in that stupid war."

"Those were dark times," Jake muttered in reply, his face falling. "But I did what I had to do for my people, and thankfully I think she respects that. I'm gonna bring my Viola to try to woo her."

"Sock pow!" BMO shouted suddenly as the robot leapt out from behind a chair, flinging the sock towards Marceline.

"Right-onto-the-foot-Jitzu!" The Vampire shrieked as she stuck out her foot, the sock slipping onto it easily.

"Hey, you used telekinesis, didn't you!" Jake challenged, but Marceline only stuck her tongue out at him before swooping out of the room retrieve her dress. And though she couldn't quite eliminate the queasy feeling in her stomach, the Vampire Queen was not worried. Not with the dress that she was about to rock on her side.

"Now be careful, it's been so long since you've been out," The Flame King lectured his daughter as they materialized from their pure forms at the gate of the Candy Kingdom. "This kingdom isn't explicitly flammable, but you're made out of fire; brush against a marshmallow, and we have a diplomatic incident on our hands."

Ember made a point to thank Princess Bubblegum even more so for inviting her to the ball. Travelling with her father had made it how clear to her that was the ONLY reason she was being allowed to attend.

Still, as her eyes began to take in the beautiful architecture around her, her anger at her father blinked away. Ember had never even thought such places could exist. Everywhere was bright, beautiful neon colorings, and all the buildings were clearly very thoughtfully and smoothly designed, unlike her kingdom's love for rocky crags and muted blacks and browns contrasted against the colors of flame.

Somewhere, in the pit of her flaming heart she knew there was something amazing waiting for her inside that castle tonight.

Princess Bubblegum sighed as she stood upon her balcony; the midsummer night air ebbed and flowed around her, her heavy locks of thick bubblegum swaying slightly along with it. Something about tonight felt decidedly off, despite her excitement for the ball. She was particularly looking forward to spending time with Jake and Marceline, two adventurers who had recently moved into the Grasslands. The three had hung out quite a bit over the last month, and they both seemed decidedly cool. Bubblegum found the Vampire in particular to be… intriguing, though really, as a member of royalty she should know better than to get her hopes up about possible reciprocation, let alone an actual relationship…

Shaking her head, she returned to the ball. All in all, she should be ecstatic, yet something held her back. She shivered as a particularly cold draft buffeted her, the thin pink dress she had garbed for the evening, despite its serenity and beautiful design, not designed for maintaining thermal consistency. The Princess closed her eyes, telling herself she needed to go down and greet the early arrivals, whom had been streaming in beneath her for the past fifteen minutes.

She shivered again as another, almost pointed breeze ran through her… it was so cold it almost felt tangible— Bubblegum froze as something pressed against her lips, the world around her suddenly frigid, but pleasantly so. The affections of Marceline having been crowding her mind of late, she nearly fell into the kiss, assuming it to be the Vampire, and afraid to open her eyes and end the moment.

It was ended for her, and when she finally blinked her chocolate orbs apart, the night sky was empty. She gulped, her analytical mind immediately dissecting the situation. Vampires could become invisible right? No way… no way she had hallucinated being kissed on her balcony. That would be just so lumpin' pathetic, she knew she was crushing but…

In a rare moment, Bubblegum's mind fell silent as her eyes fell upon a light blue figurine now perched upon her balcony's rail. With muted horror and disbelief, she picked up the replica of herself, swallowing as its sub-zero temperature filled her hand with winter's aches.

"…Ice Prince," She whispered, her fingers tracing her lips. Part of her wanted to be very angry, but as her eyes glazed over her imitation, and she slowly realized its perfection, its absolute detail and adoration of her, from the ice being the same smooth but thick texture as bubblegum, to the warm, cheery smile the frozen Bonnibel wore, she felt her heart sink. She was more of a scientist than an artist, but the painstaking love in the statue did not escape her.

"Ice Prince?" Bubblegum asked into the air hesitantly; no answer came, and after swallowing, she turned with a sigh. "Thank you. It's quite lovely. But… Glob…" With tears in her eyes, she turned away and walked into her room, determined to get out this cry and then to put on a face for the ball.

Upon her tower, his head in his hands as he looked up at the night sky, commanding the wind to break into a crescendo of frosty power, the Ice Prince sighed happily. He could not possibly understand Bubblegum's tears were of grief, and of failure.

Instead, his chapped, blue lips curled into a loving smile, and he whispered to the hollow world around him, "She loved it so much, it made her cry."

A tear formed within his own eyes and fell as he rose and flew towards the gates, content with making an actual formal entrance for once. As it passed below the squall of ice he had summoned, it began to freeze, and when it reached the ground the water, so quickly robbed of its fluidity, of its warmth and now hardened into a small dagger of ice, shattered.

I'm having fun playing with the character changes; Marceline much more cheerful from actually having a companion, the Ice Prince and Bubblegum having a very different (this will be explained later) relationship than the Ice King and her.

I'm trying to keep the plot going at a decent rate; big things will hopefully happen next chapter, and bigger things in the chapter after that. We'll see how the lengths change, but I'm really digging the under 2,000 words at this point. Short and sweet.

My schedule is more back on track, so I'll see when I can get the next when up. Thanks for Reading!