"NO!" I shout, using jelly beans to propel myself towards Golb; Marceline, Jake, Huntress Wizard and Flame Princess are hot on my heels. Using our various powers, we attack Golb with candy, arrows, axes, claws, fire and plain muscle, but I know it's no good. The great discord shudders.
"Get back!" I scream, and everyone but Jake retreats. Tears are streaming down the dog's face as his enlarged hands beat tirelessly against the side of Golb's red cuboid shape. Gently, Marceline floats next to him and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"C'mon," she says softly, "It's gonna explode. We need to get outta the way."
"NO!" Jake cries, "THAT'S MY BROTHER IN THERE! HOMIES HELP HOMIES!" His face is more tears than fur at this point, and I advance to put a hand on his other shoulder.
"Jake, Finn is a hero," I say, "And this is how he wanted to go out. Saving people." We hug him tight as his limbs stretch to their normal size, so we are now carrying him. Flying back, the strange ensemble of Princesses and warriors join the various others on a large rock, and with tears in our eyes we watch as the monster roars one last time and explodes into red dust. I bury my head in Marceline's shoulder and she leans her head on mine. I hear the tortured sobs of the onlookers as Golb becomes no more. Along with the humans it digested. Then I hear the worst sound I think I have and will ever hear.
Jake bursts. He sinks to the floor and sobs his heart out. He hits the ground in anger but I can see he doesn't have it in him. All he has in him is deep, deep pain. I crouch down next to him and start to produce more words of comfort, before realizing he doesn't need that right now. So I instead just hug him tightly, and soon Marceline, BMO, LSP, Huntress Wizard, Gunther and Slime Princess join us. Flame Princess, not able to join the comforting huddle, breaks down not far away and sobs lava. Cinnamon Bun embraces her.
With shaking knees, I rise.
"Soldiers!" I say, addressing the mess on the rock, "We have won the battle!" I try to say this excitingly, but it comes out with absolutely zero conviction. "We...we won. But at what cost? Today marks the great day that Finn the Hero, Betty the Human and Simon the Ice King saved Ooo...at the price of their lives. I bid of you to return home and spread the word of the demise of Golb. And of the demise of three very noble humans." Still quietly sobbing, most of the warriors fly or walk off towards their various kingdoms. All that remain are me and Marceline, Huntress Wizard, Flame Princess and Jake and BMO. Eventually, Huntress Wizard, showing no regard to Phoebe's fire, encircles her arms around her and convinces her to spend the night at her tree, to regain her thoughts. I never thought they were close.
So now it's just us four, clutching each other in the great abyss of the canyon. I take a deep breath and stand up once more. Marceline was always strong when I was weak. I need to take charge once.
One wobbly foot after the other, I slip down the rock and start looking for fallen banana guards. I become relieved when I don't see any, but that doesn't last long.
As I walk, I stumble across three objects; Magic Man's hat, a pair of round, cracked glasses, and the sword Peppermint Butler forged for Finn just over a week ago. Silently, I head back to my friends and lead them to the late possessions. Jake drops to his knees and cradles the sword. Electronic tears stream down BMO's face. Marceline wordlessly picks up the glasses.
"Simon." She whispers. I hold the the hat and say, "This must of been the hat Betty got from Magic Man." I look down at Jake, who hasn't moved for over a minute now, and gesture that we should leave him be for the time being. Marceline grabs hold of my waist and we fly out of the canyon.
She gets as far as the tree house before she, too, breaks down. Her flight path becomes shaky, then her grip on me becomes slack, before she drops me about a foot from the ground and falls limp upon the grass. Sobbing, she stumbles her way towards the tree house door and falls before it.
