"During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them." –Revelation 9:6
Back within the castle walls, Marceline storms into her room, her eyes wet and tired from the emotional pain she couldn’t even begin to understand. Bonnie did try to inquire what was wrong, but Marceline wouldn’t answer. She needed to talk to someone, but Bonnie wasn’t it. She wouldn’t understand. After shutting the door and locking it, she buries her head into her pillow, crying her eyes out for something she didn’t know anything about. The flashbacks that appeared in her mind about that blonde haired man. Who was he? Why was she crying over him? Why did she feel conflicted? She never felt this way when with Bonnie, so why feel it over some random man?
It also didn’t help that the flashbacks were a very painful process. When she saw herself impaled, she felt every inch of the sword pierce through her body. She felt every emotion she experienced in the flashback, from the happy moments and sad moments to the frightening moments. Especially the frightening moments. She felt another flashback coming on, but she couldn’t shake it off. She hoped that it wasn’t another sad and painful flashback like a few of the others. Luckily for her, though, it wasn’t. She saw the night sky above her Tree Fort and looked down to where a ceremony was taking place, illuminated by bright red flowers. She was in her own body, but a different clothing. She was wearing a very formal black dress and matching gloves. Her face was covered with a veil, and when she gently pushed the veil to the side, she saw that she was walking down an aisle, paved with a red carpet, arm in arm with her father, Hunson Abadeer. She was able to recognize everyone in the crowd, but noticed a few missing: Ember, Fionna, Marshall, Simon, Betty, and Gumball. They were friends and fellow heroes of Ooo, who shared the same love and respect as Marceline ever did. Where were they? She wanted to ask but she couldn’t. It was only a vision after all.
She noticed at the other end of the red carpet, from left to right, was Jake, holding the red rings that she had given to Bonnie as a symbol of their love. In the center was a podium, which Bonnie stood behind, having tears in her eyes due to intense happiness. And to the far right, was the blonde man who called himself Pen, staring back at her happily. She felt her own emotions for this man, the happiest she has ever been, even more than when she was with Bonnie. After seeing Pen smile back to her, the flashback began to fade from her mind as the sound of someone's voice came closer and closer. "Marceline! Marceline!"
There was a pounding at her bedroom door. It was Pen, still dressed in torn blue clothing. "I need to talk to you!" Pen took a deep breath before she opened the door. He swallowed his emotions for the greater good. The door swung open and Pen could see that she had been crying. He wanted really bad to talk to her and tell her who he really was, but he couldn’t. In the end, Pen only knew that it would hurt her.
For the short amount of time Marceline had talked to this man, she knew that there was something different about him. Something that attracted her to him. She brushed off the tears from her face and spoke. "What is it?"
Pen sighed. "I need to find Peppermint Butler… Do you know where he is?"
"If he isn’t in the castle, then he is in the tree… Why do you need him?"
Pen nodded towards her. "Thank you for your time…"
Before he turned around and vanished, Marceline stopped him. "Wait!" she screamed. "Who are you?"
"I told you… my name is Pen," he responded.
"I know that… I mean what are you?"
