Reflective Ashes

A warm campfire crackled in the pitch darkness of the surrounding forest, easily attracting the attention of multiple woodland creatures which gathered up behind tree trunks to watch and see who was was the maker of this pleasant little light. Beside the flame was a log, upon which sat a cloaked being, slightly hunching over and facing the bright oranges and reds of the fire.

The mysterious figure raised a hand to the controlled combustion, allowing a strange object to slither off of its wrist and instantly form into an elegant sword, which was plunged into the flames in order to kindle them. A flurry of embers fluttered off the darkened wood as if they were a swarm of scared fireflies, disappearing into the night sky.

Satisfied, the figure retracted the sword back around its wrist, then laid its elbow back on its knee. Some of the animals creeped around to get a better look at the being's face, hoping to end the mystery. In the shining illumination of the fire, the light tan skin of a humanoid was revealed, with a brilliant swirl of fiery orange mixed into his deep blue eyes.

He wouldn't take his sight off the flame, as if trying to peer into it and discover some hidden secret. The creatures surrounding him had no idea how deeply in thought he really was, engaged entirely in the symbolic force of nature in front of him. As the orange continued to reflect in his dark pupils, the sounds of the past began to echo through his mind.

...

(3 years ago)

Towering fires encompassed all vision in the eyes of the candy citizens, as they frantically panicked and ran about trying to find an escape. Their homes were all melting and crumbling around them, bringing them closer to the brink of exploding from fear. Banana guards were stationed at every street intersection, doing their best to guide the people in evacuation.

In the meantime, thundering footsteps rattled the ground, as the mighty twin gumball guardians stepped through the burning city, attempting to put out the fires my simply stepping or patting them out. Sadly, this was not only ineffective but causing the two robots some bad burns. They sighed sadly, then gave a brief glance to the candy castle, set ablaze as horrifically as the rest of the kingdom.

The glorious palace was the center of the most attention. Those banana guards that weren't helping the candy population exit the premise were busy throwing pitiful buckets of water on the growing fire. Nothing was working, not a single thing. If that weren't bad enough, not one person knew that the land's monarch was trapped in the highest tower of the raging inferno.

Princess Bubblegum was not there by accident, there were certain materials that she deemed too valuable to lose. As such, she'd stayed behind, against the advice of Peppermint Butler and the other castle staff. She ignored the pleas, determined to preserve her life's work, no matter the cost. Her skin was already beginning to feel softer and less solid, due of course to the advancing fire.

Peebles sighed.

Where are they?

Back on the ground, the losing guards backed away, unable to stand the heat any longer. Root Beer Guy ordered them all to leave, knowing it was no use trying to save the building. As the yellow beings all fled to assist with the evacuation, a third set of thundering footsteps entered the fray, drawing the attention of any who weren't in immediate danger and making their eyes gleam with hope.

A giant yellow dog stomped over the falling houses across the city, carrying on his back the smaller form of his partner in heroism. The two quickly came upon the candy castle's outer limits, where the stretchy canine shrunk down to normal size, letting off his human companion. Both ran up to Root Beer Guy, hoping for a status report.

"RBG, what the nuts happened?!" Jake shouted in shock.

The glass-faced captain quickly turned to the castle and gazed solemnly at it.

"There was an outbreak. Some kids were playing with matches in an alley behind the palace. It quickly spread to the rest of the kingdom, mostly due to the current Hot Fudge Festival, which gave the fires an easy material to move along. The whole place is going down."

Finn and Jake were stunned.

"Burn down and smell like chocolate? That's just too cruel. Dude, we've got to stop this jazz."

The human beside Jake nodded.

"Yeah! Wait, where's PB?"

Root Beer Guy suddenly grew wide-eyed.

"Oh no..."

All three guys peered at the blazing castle, spotting the figure of a pink lady on the topmost balcony, carrying a large mass of books and documents.

"Oh my Grob! Peebs!"

Finn swung over to face Jake.

"Dude, we need to do something!"

Jake was about to speak but his bro interrupted.

"I'll climb up and save Peebles, while you find a way to put out the fires."

The magic dog frowned.

"Finn, I can stretch up there in literally a few seconds and just grab her. You should be the one to- hey!"

The young hero had already bounded away, throwing himself at the wall of the castle and quickly extending his grass sword to dig into the material for support. He then proceeded to frantically climb the wall in a determined manner to reach the top. As he was avoiding the occasional falling chunk of flaming candy, the boy grinned to himself.

Saving PB from a burning castle, this is exactly what'll bring up my rep. Maybe the word will spread, and I'll be even more awesome to the peeps of Ooo. Then, maybe...the news will reach the Fire Kingdom...and...

He trailed off in his thinking, mostly because of another falling piece of the walls. Eventually though, he reached the highest tower and quickly threw himself onto its balcony. Upon grunting from the fall to the floor, Finn stood up and looked around. PB was already staring at him with relief.

"Finn! Thank Gob! Wait, where's Jake?"

The human ran up and took the princess in his arms, surprising her momentarily.

"I came up myself. Come on, we're getting out of here."

The candy monarch was shocked.

"What? Finn, you dingus, Jake could've stretched us out of here in no time!"

The boy paid no mind to the comment and ran back to the edge of the balcony, swiftly jumping over the edge and thrusting his grassy blade back into the sweet wall. The extra weight slowly began dragging them toward the ground, staying firmly stuck to the wall as the grass sword sliced the building clean down. Peebles was worried.

"Finn, causing more damage to the castle won't help anything!"

The human just smiled.

"It's cool, Prubs, we're already halfway down. No prob."

The princess held her nervous expression as the ground came nearer. Suddenly, a loud cracking was heard from the palace, and a web of breaks grew from the deep cut Finn's weapon had left in the building. The two beings sliding down grew stunned as an entire section of the wall above them suddenly broke off and began falling right on them. For the moment, their speed was outpacing gravity, but the slab of candy was quickly gaining momentum.

The moment Finn felt his legs touch the ground, he turned to sprint away and dodge the tumbling debris with the princess safely in his arms. However, his grass sword was still tightly jammed into the wall, which had partially melted and clung to the green blade like glue. Since the weapon was attached to Finn indefinitely, the human instantly panicked and looked up, seeing the wall about to crush him and Bubblegum. Both cried out in fear as the mass drew closer.

Just before impact, the entire length of the object was sliced in half, with each side smashing down on either side of the two humanoids in its path. They both gazed with astonishment at the bisected rubble. The act was followed by Finn's sword being cut halfway down its blade, releasing him from the wall as the weapon quickly regenerated itself.

Utterly bewildered, PB and Finn were only answered when a set of agile legs hit the ground, belonging to a cloaked being with a robotic body, rapier, and squinted eyes.

"Ratteballs!" Peebles shouted with gratitude.

The loyal swordsman turned and bowed to the princess.

"It was my duty to aid you. But now, you must leave the area. There is much to be done."

As if to backup the robot's statement, the ground rumbled, followed by the emergence of the gumball guardians from above the towering flames. Both had massive hoses clamped onto their backsides. A moment later, the twin protectors opened their mouths, letting loose a cascade of water that bathed the castle in damp salvation. The fires hissed painfully as their might was rapidly diminished by the overwhelming hydration.

Steam filled the air as the palace began to stabilize, cooled quickly by the retreating combustion. Soon, the building was put out, standing vigilantly after having taken a most nasty beating. The gumball guardians next turned their jets onto the rest of the kingdom, letting out a rain of water that ate away at the hazardous flames. At long last, the city stopped crumbling, leaving behind at the least a small percentage of the structures intact.

As the guardians walked off, dousing what remained of the fires, Jake emerged from the distance, shrinking down to where PB, Finn, and Rattleballs were gathered. The dog's human brother smiled at his approaching brother.

"Dude! Was that water deal your biz?"

Jake finished stretching down, but had a displeased look on his face, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, it was. That was something you could've easily done. I grabbed a few hoses, jumped into the sewers, and gave the all clear when the guardians were all set up. In fact, you would've been more fitting for the job, considering your agility and junk. You'd have been down that manhole in seconds."

Finn frowned and motioned to Bubblegum.

"But...I saved PB."

Jake shook his head.

"No, you didn't. I saw what happened. You two would've been pancaked if it wasn't for speedy here."

He gestured to Rattleballs. Meanwhile, Peebles walked up to the boy.

"He's right, Finn. The kingdom, and me, would've been in much better condition if you had done the duty that was best suited for you."

The young hero frowned more.

"But...no one would see me being heroic if I was crawling around in a sewer."

The three beings around him were shocked.

"Is that what it was all about? Recognition? Are you nuts?" Jake shouted, utterly infuriated.

Finn's face grew a bit red as he hung his head.

"I...well..."

PB shook her head, looking quite disappointed. She turned and walked away to go speak with Root Beer Guy about the damages. Jake stepped up to Finn.

"What is the matter with you? Who are you trying to impress anyway?"

The human stuttered for a few seconds, before his bro came upon a realization.

"Is this- is this seriously about Flame Princess? All that junk from last week? With the takeover and Cinnamon Bun and everything?"

Finn didn't respond, which gave Jake all the answer he needed. The dog threw up his arms and walked off.

"Unbelievable!"

Once the yellow canine was out of sight, Rattleballs went over to the shamed human.

"Finn, you placed your desperate attempts to win back a girl over the safety of the Candy Kingdom. This is not the path of a hero, or even a protector, such as myself."

The boy just kept staring down at the burnt candy ground.

"I...I just wanted to fix everything."

Rattleballs placed a hand on the young hero's shoulder.

"But in doing so, you have destroyed much more."

Finn nearly gasped, suddenly being hit with the full force of his actions.

"Destroyed..."

He looked up, scanning the ruined horizon of the kingdom and all of its blackened buildings. His mouth trembled, only now understanding how devastating the fires had been. While he was enthralled with the destruction, Princess Bubblegum came back over, beginning to speak with the gumball robot.

"Thank you so much, Sir Rattleballs. I am forever grateful."

The swordsman simply bowed.

"It is but my humble duty to protect the kingdom and its fair ruler."

PB nodded with a smile, then sighed.

"Well, we won't be able to live here for a while. Luckily, I had a secret backup plan."

Rattleballs was curious.

"What might that be?"

Peebles pulled out a holo-pendant, which displayed an image of a vaguely similar city to the Candy Kingdom.

"In the event of a major disaster, I had a secondary emergency kingdom built, hidden deep within the cotton candy forest."

She deactivated the hologram and placed the device back in her dress pocket.

"Until the gumball guardians can repair the place, I'm afraid we'll all have to relocate to it for the time being."

Rattleballs solemnly nodded, understanding the situation.

"Very well, I shall be on my way."

The swordsman was out of sight in an instant, disappearing into the ruined city. PB then turned to Finn, who had remained silent the entire time.

"Finn, I'm very disappointed in-"

"I'll do it."

The princess was thrown from her train of speech.

"Excuse me?"

The human slowly raised his head and turned to look the monarch in the eyes. She was shocked by the boy's expression. It was blank, but also retaining a look of sorrow and acceptance.

"I'll rebuild the kingdom...alone."

PB furrowed her brow.

"What? That's insane! It would take you years just to make any progress. I'm not stopping you from helping, especially since your actions contributed to this mess,, but the guardians will-"

Finn held up his hand.

"No. PB, you'll need the guardians to protect your backup kingdom. Don't tie up any of your people. I'll take care of it."

Bubblegum was astounded.

"Finn...you...you'll never have time for anything if you take on a project such as this. I'm not going to allow you to do it."

She stepped closer to the boy, now wearing a face of concern.

"It's true that you should take responsibility, but that doesn't mean you have to throw your younger years away. You have to have some time to enjoy youth before it slips away."

Finn was suddenly angry.

"Being young?! A kid?!"

He gestured to the surrounding ruins.

"Does this look like something I want be a part of because my boy brain is too stupid to grow up?"

Peebles was stunned by his tone.

"Finn, calm down."

The human shook his head.

"No. I won't. And I don't care. If I can keep myself busy with a punishment until I get my grown-up smarts, then I'll gladly do it."

He gazed seriously into the princess's eyes.

"Please, Prubs. I'm...I'm tired of sponking everything up."

A moment of silence commenced, in which the candy monarch stared with amazement at her hero. His blue eyes, normally filled with joy and childish excitement, were now occupied only by a deep sadness and need to escape. Escape from what, PB could only guess.

"Alright."

She lowered her eyes to the ground, feeling a growing seed of guilt.

"Finn the Human, I hereby charge you with the total restoration of the Candy Kingdom."

The boy gently nodded.

"Thank you, princess."

He turned and walked off, likely to grab whatever he would need for the colossal undertaking he had just accepted. Peebles watched sadly, wishing that he hadn't been so gravely struck by his actions. Still feeling the tang of guilt, PB walked off to prepare for the immigration to the backup kingdom.

...

(Present time)

The final glow of the fire's fuel went out, leaving the forest to a truly dark shroud, as it was meant to be. Finn firmly stood up, taking a minute to crush the ashes with his foot to be sure that the heat would not cause a terrifying blaze.

Once the spot was spread out and utterly cold, the human walked over to one of the trees and tore off a piece, popping it into his mouth. The sweet concoction was the only food Finn had eaten all day, a hard day of work and training; nothing else. After finishing his rather insufficient amount of eats, he turned to face the Candy Kingdom.

Although work was not complete, the human had managed to exceed PB's expectations. The colorful collection of structures stood as tall as ever, beaming the pride of its inhabitants. The castle itself was the only building still under reconstruction, having a massive sheet of canvas covering its eastern side.

In the time between hammering, laying down, and bonding pieces together, Finn spent the time here, in the cotton candy forest, practicing with his grass sword. No adventuring, dungeon crawls, or video games. He earned more than his long-awaited maturity. He gained discipline, dedication, and naturally, acceptable swordsmanship.

Finn proceeded back towards the kingdom, eager to finish the repairs on the top floor, as working his way down was more efficient. Emerging from the forest, he was instantly greeted by a pair of banana guards holding the gate. The human waved, gave a small smile, and a short greeting of his own. Then, he entered the city.

Everyone had moved back in several months earlier, as PB deemed the area structurally integrable for habitation. While walking through the streets, he was cheered on by literally every single candy person who happened to be near his path to the castle. True, there were few at this time of night, but the company was present nonetheless.

As Finn finally made it to the hidden face of the palace, he slowly leaned under the canvas and ducked inside. It was here that a construction elevator existed, of which the hero had installed himself. Cranking the lever inside, Finn rose progressively to the top of the building in total silence, still hearing crackling fire in his ears.

Once the lift stopped at his destination, he immediately stepped off and looked around for the right materials to finish the nearby balcony. However, he was stopped after noticing that someone was with him, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. It was Princess Bubblegum.

"Princess, why are you still up?" Finn asked with confusion.

The pink lady sighed, then stood straight to walk over to him.

"Finn, there's something I wish I'd said about two years ago."

She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. He was around her height by now, which made it easier to converse.

"You've done enough."

Finn was shocked, but not shaken.

"You can't be serious. I'm not even done yet."

PB looked at the hero with concerned eyes.

"Finn, you rebuilt an entire kingdom by your own two hands. My people and I can never thank you fully. You've more than redeemed your immature actions all that time ago. Please, go, you've given us enough of your life."

The human stood there, stunned by the woman's words. After a minute or so of mental pondering, he finally hung his head.

"I understand. I'll stop."

Peebles came forward and hugged the young man, who returned the embrace. One the two separated, PB gently smiled.

"Thank you, Finn. You have no idea how hard it was for not just us, but all of Ooo, to watch you toil away at the reconstruction. We're all worried about you."

The human formed a serious expression.

"It's for the kingdom."

PB lost a bit of her smile.

"I know. You say that all the time."

The hero nodded.

"As I should. Nothing is more important."

Finn turned to walk off. He was planning to visit the treehouse, which he hadn't seen in months. Jake's smiling face would be a nice sight. However, before he got too far, Bubblegum put into motion her main reason for meeting the young man up in the tower.

"There's an issue; in the Fire Kingdom."

The human froze in his tracks, but didn't turn around.

"Rumors of yet another takeover are spreading. I think Flame King and Don John have some assets on the outside."

Still, Finn held his back to her.

"I was thinking, if you wanted to help their kingdom, I could give you some information and you might want to assist."

Silence followed for a minute, but eventually, the hero spoke.

"Of course I will. No matter what kingdom, I'll be there to give my blood, sweat, and tears to protect it."

PB was secretly overjoyed.

"Excellent. How about you swing by in the morning to talk?"

Finn nodded, then resumed his stroll back to the elevator, leaving without another word. Bubblegum gazed sorrowly after him.

"Oh, Finn," she said sadly to herself.

You were too harsh on yourself. Even if my ethics go against it, maybe, just maybe, you might get back some of your happiness, if she is nearby...

Ya'll thought I was dead? Just kidding. Been really busy this week. 'The Red Throne' may have been a shot in the gut, but here's my response, a nice laugh in its face.

Welcome to the first stage of Counterbalance.