Family
Chapter 136 Departure
By: Major144
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, expect the OCs. This is just a story for fun.
Marceline stormed out of the Candy Kingdom palace followed by Lance, Henry, and Lucinda. The group saw Simon standing nearby and headed towards him. As they walked towards Simon, Marceline flashed back to the events that lead her to the Candy Kingdom. A little over an hour ago Marceline and the others had been back at her house hanging and having a little jam session, when the house phone rang. Marceline answered it and Simon was on the other end. The old wizard told Marceline what he had just learned from Hot and Slush and Marceline shattered the phone in her hand. The Queen of the Vampire was furious and the others sensed her rage. Lance asked Marceline what was wrong and she explained what Simon told her and that they were going to the Candy Kingdom to have a few words with Bubblegum and try to figure out what was going on. On the way there Marceline got a call on her cellphone from Simon. The vampire decided to let Lucinda hold the cellphone, so she wouldn't shatter it to bits. Lucinda put the phone on speaker and Simon informed the group about Bubblegum being caught hurting Phoebe and attempting to destroy the Fire Kingdom's strongest weapons. Marceline was furious about this and she slammed her fist into a nearby boulder and shattered it to bits.
"She is going to pay for what she did!" Hissed Marceline through clenched teeth.
"I know your angry Marcy and you have every right to be, but let's not do anything rash or extreme." Said Simon.
"Fine, but I'm going to see who all knew about Bubblegum's little scheme." Said Marceline.
The call ended and the group soon arrived at the Candy Kingdom. They made their way into the palace, where Braco greeted them. Marceline walked right up to Braco, grabbed him by his shirt, and lifted him up.
"Tell me everything you know about Bubblegum's actions in the Fire Kingdom!" Demanded Marceline.
"All I know is that she went to help the people of the Fire Kingdom deal with a cooling problem." Said Braco looking stunned and confused by Marceline's rage.
"LIAR! Bubblegum had no intention of helping the Fire Kingdom! She's the one that caused the cooling problem, so she could destroy one of the Fire Kingdom's defenses and she hurt Phoebe in the process to do so!" Snarled Marceline.
"Bubblegum did WHAT?!" Cried Braco in shock at this news.
Marceline was taken aback by Braco's reaction and she realized that the Candy King had no knowledge about Bubblegum's plans or actions in the Fire Kingdom. The vampire put Braco down and she explained everything she had learned from Simon. Braco was devastated by this news and he stared at the ground in sadness. After a few minutes he looked up at Marceline and the others.
"I'm...so sorry about what happened to the Fire Kingdom and your younger sibling Marceline. I will do everything in my power to help see that the damage is fixed and my wife...is justly punished for what's she's done and see that she makes amends for it. I should have been aware of what Bubblegum was planning and tried to stop it, but I had no idea she she do something like this! It's DISGRACEFUL!"
Marceline gently put a hand on Braco's shoulder.
"This isn't your fault Braco, I know you would never willingly harm another person or kingdom. Your kind of like Simon in that regard and I respect you for that. Bubblegum is the one at fault here not you and honestly I'm just about as shocked as you about this whole thing. I'm one of Bubblegum's closest friends and I've know her for a very long time. She's been headstrong and has made some pretty rash decisions in the past, but...this is a whole different kind of mess. Bubblegum betrayed my sister's trust and a whole lot of innocent people lost their lives. This whole thing is totally uncool and Bubblegum did all of these things behind your back, which makes it even more messed up now that I think about it." Said Marceline.
"Thanks...Marceline...that makes me feel a little better." Said Braco with a small sad smile.
"What should we do?" Asked Lucinda.
"I think it's high time that someone does a little redecorating in Bubblegum's lab and let her know what it feels like to have her stuff wrecked and then Bubblegum and I are going to have a little talk and it's going to get physical. Bubblegum needs to understand that there are consequences for her actions and knock a little sense into her." Said Marceline as she took her hand off Braco's shoulder.
"I understand, but please...don't hurt her to badly. Bubblegum is still my wife and Neddy's mother and I don't want my son to see his mother in serious pain." Said Braco looking at Marceline with a pleading look in his eyes.
"I won't hurt her too badly." Said Marceline as she and the others headed into the palace, with Braco watching them.
Back in the present, Marceline and the others had reached Simon.
"So I take it you had a little talk with Bubblegum." Said Simon.
"I did and I had to remind myself that Bubblegum has a husband and son, so I wouldn't go full vampire on her and giving her what she deserves. I...just can't believe what she did." Said Marceline as she bit her lip and clenched her fist.
"I know and I'm proud of you for showing restraint." Said Simon as he wrapped his arms around Marceline giving her a little embrace that calmed her down.
The group decided to head to the Fire Kingdom to see how Phoebe was doing.
Word about Bubblegum's actions in the Fire Kingdom, spread through Ooo like wildfire. Several kingdoms and villages were outraged by what Bubblegum did, while a few others feared that a war between the Fire Kingdom and Candy Kingdom might start up. At Castle Lemongrab, King was startled by the news and he began to wonder what Crimson had planned for him and his forces. The Peace Protectors heard about the disaster in the Fire Kingdom, so they went to help provide relief for the injured citizens. When Finn heard about the what happened in the Fire Kingdom, him and Jake went racing over and Jake had to grab Finn and remind him he needed a flame shield from Flambo. The two got their flame shields and headed towards the palace, where the guards took them to Phoebe's room. In the room there was Phoebe, Simon, Betty, Eria, Marceline, Lucinda, Henry, Lance, Patience, Slime Princess, and Flame King. All of whom, minus Phoebe and Flame King, were wearing flame shields. The others greeted Finn and Jake and Eria walked up to the two heroes holding a homemade Get Well card with a crayon drawing of Phoebe on the cover and a pencil.
"Hi there, I'm Eria, you want to sign my big sis's get well card?" Said the little ice girl.
"Sure thing." Said Finn as both he and Jake signed the card.
Eria took the card back and went over to the bed where Phoebe was and presented the card to her. Phoebe took the card opened it up and smiled.
"You like it?" Asked Eria.
"I love it. Thanks Eria." Said Phoebe as she reached over and gave Eria a hug.
Eria smiled and went to go sit in Betty's lap. Finn went over, sat on the bed next to Phoebe, and took one of her and held it.
"I'm glad you're ok." Said Finn.
"Thanks." Said Phoebe.
Marceline looked at the young couple and decided that the two needed some space. The vampire signaled to Jake and Lucinda to help clear the room. The group started to head out of the room leaving Finn and Phoebe alone.
"So Eria's your sister?" Asked Finn.
"She is. According to Simon, she was a clone created from his and Betty's DNA, by Sylvester, but she and a clone named Weiss escaped and made their way to the Ice Kingdom. Simon and Betty took Eria in and she became my sister." Explained Phoebe with a small smile.
The two sat together in silence for a few minutes, until Finn spoke.
"I...should have come to the Fire Kingdom, when this whole Cooler thing started up. I should have been by your side to protect you and keep you from harm."
"Don't beat yourself up about Finn. You know I can look after myself and that I along with most of my people thought that it was some weird nature disaster, but it turned out to be caused by the very first person who offered to help. It's insane." Said Phoebe.
"It's...just crazy. Bubblegum just straight up betrayed your trust and harmed an entire kingdom." Said Finn in agreement.
"I mean me and Bubblegum have been best friends in our past lives and we became friends in this life. I even forgave her for locking me up as a child and she goes ahead and pulls something like this!" Said Phoebe.
"Well I know one thing for sure. You're a kind person who always strives to do her best and protect others and your people are really nice folks to and if Bubblegum can't see that, then she's a complete and utter ding dong!" Said Finn with a smile.
"And I know your my big strong hero." Said Phoebe as she leaned in and kissed Finn on the cheek.
The two young teens looked at one another, smiled, and kissed one another on the lips.
Outside the room the others were hanging around and talking. Flame King was speaking to Simon about his current frustration at Bubblegum.
"I should have had her locked in a dungeon to face a trial, instead of simply let her return to the Candy Kingdom." Said Flame King.
"I know you're angry, Flame King, but even with that armor of hers, Bubblegum wouldn't have lived long enough in your dungeon to face a trial. Rest assure that Bubblegum will face a trial from the kingdom's of Ooo and she will be punished for what she has done." Said Simon.
"Over a two hundred of my subjects lost their lives and several hundred more were critically injured. My kingdom's greatest weapons were destroyed and my daughter was badly injured by Bubblegum, herself. I want that treacherous woman to pay for what she did!" Said Flame King.
"And she will. This a delicate matter and from what I learned Bubblegum acted alone with a couple of her warriors. Braco had no clue about what Bubblegum was up, and neither did the rest of the Candy Kingdom. Killing Bubblegum could have started a war and there's already been enough innocent lives lost." Said Simon.
"You make a fair point. Very well Simon, we shall go about this with a trial from the other kingdoms, but if Bubblegum attempts to do my kingdom or my people anymore harm, I will strike back against her." Said Flame King.
"I understand and I pray that that this can be resolved peacefully." Said Simon.
Back at the Candy Kingdom, Bubblegum and several of her servants were cleaning up the lab. Bubblegum checked on the mini fridge to make sure the vial that contained Goliad's eye was ok. After seeing that it was, Bubblegum closed the fridge and looked up to see Braco enter the lab. The Candy Queen saw a look of pain and betrayal in her husband's eyes.
"I...just have to know why you did it Bubblegum. Why would you go out and secretly harm one of our own allies?" Said Braco.
"I did it for the greater good. I did what I had to to protect us, our kingdom, and all of Ooo. The Sleeping Fire Giants needed to be destroyed and I had to take some extreme measures to do it. The Fire Kingdom should never have had weapons like that and they can't be trusted with that kind of power. I was warned by the Cosmic Owl about what would happen if the Sleeping Fire Giants were activated, so I did what I had to do." Said Bubblegum.
"You mean keep your plans secret from me, betray the trust of your friend Phoebe, and get innocent people killed!" Accused Braco.
"I had to keep my plans secret from you, because I didn't want to get you in trouble incase something went wrong. I'll admit that I wish I didn't want to betray Phoebe and get a bunch of fire people killed, but it was necessary and if the the sacrifice of a friend's trust and the lives of a few hundred people saves billions of lives then my actions are nobel." Said Bubblegum.
"Do...you even hear what you're saying? Bubblegum I love you with all my heart, but I'm going to have to put my foot down on this. You should have talked to me, Simon, Phoebe, or even Gearga about this dream you had, so we could discuss it. You're not some high and mighty being, who can just go about saying what right and wrong and then simply kill a bunch of innocent people and say it was for a good cause. All lives matter and you should learn to actually trust the good in other people. What you did to the Fire Kingdom was wrong." Said Braco with a stern look on his face, before he turned around and left the lab.
Bubblegum stared at the empty space, her husband left behind. Peppermint Butler walked over to Bubblegum with a tray and a cup of tea.
"Now don't you fret about the king. His just a little upset about not knowing about your plans." Said Peppermint Butler.
"But...isn't he right about me going too far against the Fire Kingdom?" Asked Bubblegum.
"Maybe, but isn't it a part of fire's nature to spread and burn?" Said Peppermint Butler.
"Yes." Said Bubblegum.
"You see the fire people may be alive and smart, but they are still made of fire and it's a part of the nature of fire to spread and burn. The fire people would have spread the Sleeping Fire Giants's flames and destroy Ooo, once the machines were active. It's a part of their nature and they can't change that. Much like how our people can't change their nature of being sweet and made of sugar. It's in your nature to protect the Candy Kingdom and Ooo. You are a mother and the Candy Kingdom is your child and you were simply following your instincts and protecting your child. King Braco will eventually come to that realization." Said Peppermint Butler.
"That does make sense. Thank you for the little talk and tea." Said Bubblegum as she took the teacup and walked away.
"Anytime princess, after all were all striving for the future." Said Peppermint Butler with a tiny evil smirk on his face, before he walked away.
Several days later things had calm down a little, but there was still a great tension in the air. Simon was working on creating a peace conference between the Fire Kingdom and Candy Kingdom, while also gathering a few representatives from the other kingdoms to judge Bubblegum for a trial. While that was going the construction for the ship that would transport the captured Citadel inmates was finished and ready to be launched. Gearga thought it was best that the ship and the captured inmates both be removed from the Candy Kingdom, due to the risk of war between the various kingdoms. The ship was carried by helicopter and placed behind Banana Man's house. The inmates were loaded up on trucks, that drove to Banana Man's house, and the inmates were loaded onto the ship. Martin, Sedusa, Knightbrace, and Aqualizer were lead onto the ship in chains, QB was still frozen in ice as she was loaded into a freezer on the ship, and Katz and Le Quack were loaded onto the ship wearing straightjackets. Iroh also got onto the ship, but he gave Bubblegum a few last words of advice.
"Queen Bubblegum I thank you for your help for the capture of these criminals and for allowing the use of your dungeon to help keep them captive." Said Iroh.
"You're quit welcome." Said Bubblegum.
"I don't have anything to pay you back, but a few words of wisdom. I advise you to make peace with the Fire Kingdom and admit that your actions were wrong. A path of war only brings ruin and sorrow a path of peace will bring prosperity and joy." Said Iroh.
"I'll keep that in mind." Said Bubblegum.
At the ship most of the heroes were gathered together and trying to decide, who should go on the ship to help secure the prisoners and deal with Shadow Spite. It was agreed on that at least six of the heroes should go on the mission. Gearga and Drake volunteered and Tobe and Django volunteered since they both had a few past dealings with a couple of members of Shadow Spite. Finn volunteered next along with Phoebe, who told everyone she was getting sick of the tension back in the Fire Kingdom. Jake wanted to come, but Finn said no.
"Why can't I come man? I can shrink myself down and ride in your pocket, so I won't take up much room." Said Jake as he began to shrink down.
"It's not that man. Look we're going to another world and we have no idea how long will be there. I don't want to keep you away from your wife and kids and I need someone I can really trust to watch over Ooo, while I'm gone." Said Finn.
"Alright man, but you better come back." Said Jake as he returned to his normal size and hugged Finn.
"You can count on it bro." Said Finn.
Iroh then presented Tobe with two new swords to replace the ones he lost and he said that the new swords were filled with righteousness and that they would not break, so easily. Tobe and Django each went to their homes and said a quick goodbye to their loved ones. They didn't know when they were going to be leaving or when they'd be back, so they wanted to get their goodbyes out of the way while they still could. Tobe and Django returned to the ship and the heroes began waiting for a sign of Shadow Spite leaving with whatever ship they had created.
In the desert outside of Ooo, Shadow Spite had just finished adding the finishing touches on their ship, which they had named Shard. The Shard was a massive chunk of grey crystal with rockets and wings. The members of Shadow Spite loaded up and Dr. Cerebral and Mental Mouse started the ship up. The Shard slowly rose into the air and then began to move forward. In Ooo the heroes, who had been resting around the ship saw Shadow Spite's ship and quickly got into their own ship. Banana Man hopped into the ship as well since, he was the only one, who knew how to fly a space ship. The ship took off and flew after Shard as it rose into the atmosphere. The ship's flew out of the atmosphere and into space.
"Activating wormhole warp." Said Dr. Cerebral as he pressed a few buttons.
A red beam fired out of the front of Shard and a red swirling portal appeared in front of the ship.
"Soon we shall taste vengeance." Said Shen with a grin as the ship flew into the portal.
The heroes ship followed a few seconds behind Shadow Spite's ship and the wormhole closed. Back on the surface, Crimson was watching the two ships vanish with his crystal ball.
"Enjoy your little trip heroes, for when you return to your world there will be nothing, but chaos." Chuckled Crimson.
To be continued.
