A/N: Sorry for the lateness on this one. Every time I tried to update I kept getting an error message. -.-# dang it.

"Your Highness, you are simply breathtaking."

Prince Gumball examined himself from all angles in front of the tri-folding mirror in his bedroom while the taffy tailor inspected his clothes for any loose threads. Pepper clapped her hands together and added, "King Mentos would be so proud to see you now."

Gumball swallowed hard. Would his father really feel that way? After lying so much to his mother, he found that difficult to believe. In his prime, King Mentos would have had a few choice words for the prince about dishonor and irresponsibility, but the king was dead and the prince was no longer a little boy. Prince Gumball was a man.

Though he'd already accepted that, why was it so hard for him to breathe? The tie had become a noose around his neck, tightening every second. His perfectly tailored clothes felt like they were suffocating him. He clasped his hands behind his back to keep them from shaking.

"Thank you both. I would like a few minutes of privacy before going down."

The taffy tailor bowed himself out, but for a moment Pepper lingered.

"Twenty minutes remain until the ceremony begins. And Prince?" Gumball turned to look at her and found the maid beaming at him. "I wish you all the happiness in the world."

With that, she shut the door behind her and left Gumball in silence. The prince turned his eyes on his reflection. His tailcoat was white as fresh snow with gold glinting on the cufflinks and belt. His shaking fingers reached up to loosen his collar, but it still felt as if he was being strangled. With his stomach churning, he staggered into the adjoining bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before he began to vomit.

Gumball had never felt so sick before. His nerves had gotten the better of him at last. So much could go wrong tonight despite his careful planning. 'What if?'s popped into his mind one after the other and each was worse than the last. He'd mostly repressed his worries for the past two weeks because he'd been too preoccupied with all of his preparations. Tonight they all came crashing down on him and Gumball could no longer endure their weight.

Once his stomach had heaved all of its contents and then some into the toilet, Gumball got to his unsteady feet and leaned against the bathroom counter. His skin was pallid and he looked almost as bad as he felt. How had Pepper ever thought he looked handsome? Gumball reached for the bottle of mouthwash to purge the taste of bile from his mouth.

Just as he was washing his hands in the sink, the prince realized he was not alone. He glanced behind him and found Marshall Lee hovering just a few feet away. Relieved as he was, the prince couldn't calm his nerves. He let out a shaky laugh. "Look at me. This is the most important day of my life and I can't even keep my composure."

The vampire king said nothing. He didn't even move. His eyes were trained on the prince, watching his every move as he stood in silence with his hands buried deep in his pockets. Gumball walked closer and couldn't keep from admiring him. He was perfect. He wore all black; there wasn't a drop of color on him besides the blood red of his eyes. His clothes were pristine and a few glossy strands of hair fell across his face.

"Let me comb your hair."

Gumball reached for a comb in one of the drawers behind him and reached up to brush the hair from Marshall's face – just how the prince liked it.

"You look wonderful."

If only Gumball felt that way himself. He admired the vampire's appearance for a few seconds longer and then felt the noose around his neck tighten another notch.

"Before we go down, I… have something for you." Gumball reached into his breast pocket and felt the chill of cold metal against his fingertips. "It's an old custom that was practiced by humans and was adopted by my ancestors. Perhaps it's a bit archaic but it seemed fitting as you are partly human." The prince extracted a ring. It was a simple gold band. He took Marshall's hand in his own and explained, "It's symbolic of marriage and unity and love. I would be honored if you would wear it."

The vampire gave a slight nod, so Gumball slipped the ring onto his finger and held Marshall's hand in his own. "There," he said softly. "Now all that's left are our vows and then I will be king. And no one can come between us." Another notch tightened and this time Gumball felt like he was going to choke. His laughter was forced. "I've never been so nervous in my entire life."

There was something unsettling about the silence in the room. The prince could hardly breathe as it was, and the dead quiet in the room wasn't helping. He touched Marshall's cheek and murmured, "Please just… say something. Anything."

At first it almost seemed as if Marshall wouldn't, but then the vampire king said, "You look like a dork."

"I meant something substantial."

"You said 'anything,'" Marshall Lee reminded him.

He had a point, but Gumball wasn't about to admit that. Nervous for a different reason now, he turned to examine himself in the mirror once more. He asked, "Do I really look bad in this?"

With a little chuckle, Marshall's hands slipped around the prince's waist and he pressed into his back, resting his chin on Gumball's shoulder. "No. You're pretty hot. But you always look dorky when you get dressed up."

"I'm flattered," Gumball grumbled.

Marshall locked his hands around the prince's waist, and Gumball glanced down to see the ring shining against' Marshall's skin. His heart throbbed and he traced the cold metal with a fingertip.

"You have no idea how happy I am, Marshall. I only wish that I could keep my anxiety at bay to better enjoy this night."

"You don't have to worry so much," Marshall murmured. "I'll take care of you. I swear."

Gumball turned slowly into his embrace, his chest pressed to the vampire's, and now he felt his throat constricting for an entirely different reason. He slipped an arm around Marshall's neck and leaned up to meet his kiss. Reveling in the sensation, Gumball felt his worries begin to melt with every touch of the vampire's lips. Everything would work out in the end, Gumball told himself. No matter what, as long as he could rely on the vampire for support, he could withstand anything.

These were the last thoughts Gumball remembered having. He smiled for the first time that night, turning away from Marshall to check that his clothes were straight and hair was immaculate as he steeled himself to go down to the chapel. He was going to voice these thoughts to Marshall Lee, the prince knew, but something had happened before he even knew anything was going wrong.

Perhaps if vampires had a reflection, Gumball would have seen Marshall moving behind him. But he did not. The world around him melted and his vision went black.

Pepper was concerned. It was five minutes until the ceremony was slated to begin, and Gumball had yet to show up at the chapel. She knew the prince put a great deal of importance on punctuality and knew that something was wrong if he was not already there. She knew him well enough to realize that the poor prince had seemed a bit ill. It was no wonder why after getting so little sleep and nutrition for two straight weeks and then dealing with the stress of a royal wedding. She hurried through the corridors of the castle until she arrived at the door to the prince's chamber. She paused for a moment, listening for any sound within the room. It was silent. Had he already left and she'd simply missed him on the way down…? Or had something happened to him?

"Your Highness?" she called. No answer. "Prince, you're going to be late for the wedding. Is everything all right? May I come in?" Still nothing but silence. "I'm coming in, Your Highness!"

Pepper opened the door, not knowing what exactly she expected to find. But of all the things she might have been prepared for, it was not this. Her jaw fell open in a silent scream. She knew who this was. No one expected the castle maid to be involved in dark magic and demonic rituals, but thanks to that knowledge, Pepper knew just how much danger they were all in.

She had to warn the queen.

Queen Carmen stood in the Candy Castle's chapel with the masses of nobles and commonfolk alike congregated to celebrate the inauguration and wedding of their king. The queen was far to the back, awaiting her son's arrival. Her face betrayed no hint of her inner turmoil; she'd learned long ago how to mask her thoughts. Lord Monochromicorn was by her side, silent as ever. She was thankful for that silence now because her own thoughts were far too loud.

Her son was in love with the vampire king. It was something she'd known for a long time. Maybe even longer than Gumball himself had known. Carmen tried to tell herself otherwise at first, but what was the point of lying? She'd hoped her son would grow out of this infatuation. That he would move on and find someone else – anyone else – who was better suited to him than some smart mouthed demon mutt. She'd finally accepted that Marshall Lee was not going to betray her beloved son, but that didn't make her any more accepting of their relationship. She despised the vampire. It was not because the prince could not produce an heir with him because her son would be the last of his line regardless. It was not even because Marshall Lee was – according to her informants – a lazy, impulsive playboy.

The fact was that Marshall was dangerous – though not in the way she'd thought at first. Perhaps he had no intentions of hurting her son, because from all she'd seen, the vampire king had truly taken to the prince in a way Carmen hadn't expected. His laid back attitude was dangerous to her impressionable son, as was the likelihood of him and Gumball outgrowing each other over time. Her son would age while Marshall Lee remained teenaged and immature, and maybe after twenty or thirty years they would run out of common ground and whatever interest they had in each other would disappear and break her son's heart. And then there was the real danger of Marshall's heritage – the supreme leader and perpetuator of all the evil within the demon's dimension known as the Nightosphere. She didn't want her son to have any connection to her whatsoever. But she was realizing more and more each day just how little she could shelter him.

The previous night, Lord Monochromicorn had told her everything despite being sworn to secrecy by the prince. She could no longer turn a blind eye to the truth and he'd posed an important question to her: would she stop the wedding?

She hadn't slept all night as she tossed and turned asking herself that same question again and again. The path she knew was right lay before her. The vampire was not suited to her son. Gumball would find another. He could move on and love again. He was nothing but a bad influence and a danger to his life and prosperity, not to mention the entire kingdom.

And then she had a fleeting vision of her son standing before her, arm in arm with the vampire king, drawing himself up tall – taller now than her – as he asked for her blessing. If that happened tonight, what would she say? Carmen knew what she should say. But she remembered something. She remembered asking him if he was happy, and how genuine and sincere he was when he said yes. Perhaps it was a mother's compassion, something that she couldn't even understand herself.

Lord Monochromicorn nudged her arm with his snout. Did you decide?

She inhaled, letting the breath out slowly. "Yes."

In the face of her son's happiness, the line between right and wrong blurred.

What will you do? He asked when she gave no signs of explaining.

This was not the path she would have chosen for him, but maybe that was all right. It was the path her prince had decided for himself. Maybe someday Gumball would find that this was the wrong choice, or then again, perhaps not. Whatever laid at the end of the road for him, this was Gumball's decision and to let him follow through with it meant letting him live with whatever consequences – good or bad – that awaited him.

Queen Carmen had made her choice, too.

He heard her sigh and saw her smile, and Lord Monochromicorn seemed to understand. She let one hand rest on his mane affectionately and stayed silent, glad for her companion's mutual silence. The susurrus of the candy people all dressed in their finest clothes and the orchestra's ballads wafting through the cool spring air filled the chapel, and just beneath all of that was the sound of a ticking clock.

The queen's eyes fell upon it, and when she noticed the time her eyes widened in surprise. She checked the pocket watch hidden in her gown just to be sure it was correct. Lost in her worries, she'd lost track of time as well – and only just realized that Gumball was five minutes late for the ceremony.

She met Lord Monochromicorn's eyes and came to the same realization at once: something was wrong. Gumball would not miss this, not for the world – had something happened? Did Marshall Lee stand him up? She cast her gaze around to find Pepper, about to have her find the prince – but the maid was nowhere to be seen.

The cotton candy maestro looked around in concern, obviously having finished his set, and then urged them to play through again. Many of the candyfolk were fidgeting and glancing at the clock. Some kept turning around to look at the doors to see if their prince had arrived. Carmen, however, could wait no longer. She strode towards the door with MoChro on her heels, determined to find Gumball herself.

Before she could reach the doors, they flew open and dashing through them was Pepper. Carmen's eyes widened. She was about to call the maid over, but she gasped. Pepper's eyes were wide with shock and she saw the queen for an instant. Her hand reached toward her liege and she started to scream, "Your Grace, get away from here! It's her, it's Hellen—"

The words Pepper might have said died and the maid crumpled to the floor in agony with her eyes wide and lifeless. A figure appeared behind her, her mouth opened wide as she sucked in the misty white soul from Pepper's body. The maid gave one last twitch as her soul was devoured and then moved no more.

She wore a dark business suit with a pencil skirt and glittering red heels. Her long hair was tied out of her face in a tight bun, allowing all to see her gray skin and red demon's eyes.

"It's Lady Hellen, Pepper. Respect is key." She paused to lick her ruby lips and sighed happily. "Ahh, delicious. I haven't had a good soul in ages. Who else wants me to eat them up?"

The entire congregation was on its feet as the people screamed. They ran for the doors, frantic and mindless as ants whose hill had been kicked over. Try as they might to flee, it was pointless. Tendrils of demonic energy shot out with a flick of her fingertips and sealed the doors and windows to prevent their escape.

MoChro tried to stop her but there was no other way. She ran forward, planting herself between Lady Hellen and her people. Her stomach churned and her whole body shook. Carmen was terrified. She was staring down the Lady of Evil who could crush her like dust beneath her red heels.

"Leave my people alone," the queen demanded, trying to keep the quaver from her voice.

Lady Hellen laughed heartily. "Do you want to be eaten that badly? To be honest, I had a craving for a royal… but you weren't the one I had in mind."

Queen Carmen's heart sank like a stone. No. How could this be? It was like a scene straight out of a nightmare, a horrible vision feeding on her deepest fears.

"Don't you dare touch my son," Carmen hissed, her anger outstripping the knowledge that fighting a demon – let alone this one – was impossible.

The Lady of Evil's pointed teeth all showed when she flashed a grin. "As much as I would love to watch your hilarious attempts at stopping me, I have a wedding to crash. I can smell them both – I know they were here. I'll give you one chance. Tell me where they are, or I'll make you regret the day you gave birth to that pathetic excuse for a prince."

Gumball's consciousness flickered back for a moment. It was the cold night air whipping around him that did it. He felt something thick and furry against his skin, he remembered, and something sharp against his flesh. The sound of enormous wings beating against the wind blanketed every other sound he might have heard. It was so cold. A moment of lucidity hit him as he realized he was being held by Marshall, but not the normal Marshall. This was his bat monster form which the prince had seldom seen. They were flying faster than he could ever remember the vampire going before. Questions rang in the back of the prince's mind but his thoughts were too fuzzy and confused to make sense of them. His eyes fluttered open briefly and he looked over Marshall's shoulder. Behind those fiercely beating wings was the Candy Kingdom growing smaller and smaller. But… no, that couldn't have been his kingdom. Buildings were burning, flames licking higher towards the sky. And in the center of it all was the castle… or what was left of it. It was ruined, as if something had exploded inside of it, and an eerie darkness hung about the prince's home like nothing he'd ever seen.

He blacked out again.

When he awoke, Gumball wondered if all of that had been a dream. Of course it was. What else could it have been? The Candy Kingdom was fine. In fact, he was there right now. He had to have been there because his wedding was about to begin, and…

Wait. No, that wasn't right. He was definitely not in his castle. The sound of the ocean crashed around him and echoed through the cave in which the prince slept. He could see pink sand on the shoreline and knew that this beach was nowhere even remotely close to the Candy Kingdom. They were hundreds of miles away at least, judging by those sands, which were only found on the Diamond Islands. Gumball did not understand. Why was he here? He vaguely recalled flying with Marshall, and he sat up as he scanned the area for the vampire.

He was huddled up not far away, hidden from the sunlight that touched the mouth of the cave. The vampire king had never looked so small, Gumball realized. Marshall had his knees drawn up to his chest and his hands clutched fistfuls of his hair. His whole body shook.

"Marshall… what are we doing here?" Gumball asked.

Marshall Lee didn't answer. He jumped at the sound of the prince's voice, but he didn't look up or speak. Gumball scrambled to his side and demanded, "What happened? Talk to me. Please, Marshall, what's going on? The last thing I remember was… we were in my room, about to leave for the chapel and…"

But that was not the last thing he remembered. He recalled his brief dream of the Candy Kingdom in flames with the castle destroyed and Marshall flying him away.

Gumball's whole body felt cold. He stared at Marshall's shaking figure and tried to make sense of what was happening.

"What did you do?" Gumball asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Marshall's head shot up, and Gumball could see his bloodshot eyes and constricted pupils. His face was gaunt and haunted as he stared up at the prince. "It wasn't me – I didn't do it. I got you out in time… but… she… it was too late, she came and…"

"She? Who is 'she'?" Gumball demanded. "Tell me what happened!"

Marshall swallowed and his voice shook. "M-my mom. She wanted me to come to the Nightosphere but she knew I wouldn't because I – I wanted to stay here. She knew that and she said she was gonna kill you unless I went back…"

Gumball's brain couldn't keep up. He shook his head in disbelief. "What on earth? What didn't you tell me?! That's hardly something to keep secret, Marshall!"

"You wouldn't listen to me!" The vampire got up, hovering inches off of the ground as he raked his fingers through his mess of hair. He looked to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, almost more so than the prince. "Whenever I tried to bring it up you just brushed me off, and I couldn't – I just didn't – ARGH!"

Gumball was on his feet now, advancing on Marshall with his heart pounding against his ribs so hard that it hurt and yet that didn't even come close to matching the emotional pain welling up inside of him. "You're the vampire king. The strongest person I've ever seen. Why couldn't you stop her?"

Marshall's laughter bordered on insanity. "I'm not strong. She's the fucking ruler of the Nightosphere. I'm nothing next to her." He grabbed Gumball by the shoulders and tried to explain, "I didn't have a choice. It seemed like everything was fine at first but I could smell her and I knew she was coming. There wasn't any time to think and I couldn't fight her so – so I just – I knew we had to run."

Gumball shoved him away, bile rising in his throat. "If she's so dangerous that you couldn't even stand up to her—" Gumball could think of nothing but the ruins of his kingdom that he saw as they flew away. "You knew she was coming and you still left everyone there to die." Marshall was reaching for him, but Gumball stumbled away. His breaths were ragged. "How could you?"

Marshall flinched back at those words, hurt by the prince's accusation. "It's not like I planned for it, okay?! She didn't exactly tell me when she was going to show up and devour you. It just – just happened at the last second and there was nothing else I could do. Either I could get you out and save you, or try to stop her and get everyone killed."

The prince demanded, "What about my mother? And MoChro, and Pepper? All of the people – my people, what happened to them? Marshall? Marshall?"

"I couldn't – there was no way…" Marshall looked away. Guilt weighed him down. "I could only save you."

Gumball was filled with rage as he'd shouted, but with Marshall's look of shame to confirm his accusations, he only felt hollow. His rage left him, as did his fear and every other emotion. His arms hung limp by his sides as his mouth formed the words, "So they're all dead."

He heard Marshall's frantic words, but they meant nothing to him.

"You said you wanted to be with me no matter what. And this was the only way. This was going to happen eventually, she would have come and killed them all trying to find you whether it was last night or last week or ten years from now… Gumball. Hey, prince. Say something. I saved you. I told you, I'm going to protect you. Everything's gonna be okay, so just… just say something."

Gumball turned away. He couldn't even look at the vampire anymore. He tried to wrap his head around it, but it was too difficult to fathom. They were all dead. Everyone he loved – aside from the vampire – was dead. Gumball tried to figure out whether reality still hadn't hit him, or if he'd already accepted it and was simply too emotionally broken to react. He couldn't even bring himself to mourn them. He was in shock. Marshall's words faded in and out, meaningless to his ears.

He stumbled out of the cave and into the bright sunlight, but not even that heat could drive the cold from his body. He staggered across the sand with no destination in mind. And then something caught his wrist. Marshall had grabbed him, trying to pull him back, and he heard the vampire cry out in pain. Gumball turned to find that Marshall was standing in direct sunlight and what little of his skin was visible was burning. Sores welled up and ate away at his flesh, and through his suffering the vampire begged, "Please don't go."

His motions were mechanical. Gumball pushed the vampire back into the shadowy safety of the cave, watching as Marshall Lee gasped and writhed. It didn't take long for the vampire's accelerated healing to take effect and revitalize his burned skin, but Marshall still looked weak and sick as he recovered from the shock of standing in the sun.

"Why would you do that?" Gumball asked. "You could have died."

Marshall murmured, "… I can't lose you. You mean everything to me."

Those words should have been touching. It was as close to saying "I love you" as Marshall Lee had ever come. But he was in no condition to react to tender words. Gumball's whole world had just been destroyed and right now his feelings for the vampire did not matter. The prince was right next to Marshall, but he was so close to the edge of the cave that the sun was touching his back. If he left again, Gumball was sure Marshall would not follow. And if he did, it would not be for long; surely the vampire's sense of self-preservation would kick in and he would retreat to the cave. Then Gumball would be alone with no company but his thoughts. Was that what he wanted right now? Did he need to be alone? Or did he need to be here with Marshall? Which was going to keep him sane? He didn't know. And that scared him. Gumball always came up with answers but now he was at a loss. He loved Marshall, and he knew Marshall Lee loved him. But the vampire had inadvertently caused countless deaths of Gumball's family, friends, and people. How could Gumball ever look at him the same again?

He was still teetering on the edge: stay or go?

He wasn't given a choice. There was a familiar, haunting darkness creeping up behind him, blocking the rays of the sun. Marshall's warning shout was not enough and he grabbed Gumball by the arm to shove him deeper in the cave. The prince stumbled and fell to his knees on the rocky surface, raising his head to see what had happened even though he felt he already knew. What else could have caused Marshall to panic like this?

There she was. Gumball was stunned to realize he remembered this woman. She was the woman who confronted him in the forest months ago, the one whom Marshall told him was nothing but a pixie dust illusion. Her hair was tied back now but there was no mistaking her immaculate clothes and sparkling red heels.

"Sorry it took so long to find you! That old broad wouldn't tell me where you ran off to." She shook her head and sighed. "You're a little old for hide and seek, aren't you, dear?"

Marshall did not even hesitate. He transformed into his chiropteran form again, filling the cave with his monster's body and shouting, "Leave him alone!"

"My sweet little demon, you're being foolish." She planted her hands on her hips. "This world is no good for you. You can only survive in the Nightosphere, don't you realize that? The chaos of our home is all that can stimulate your demon blood. If you accept it and absorb it, you can become deathless just like me. You'll stay young forever. But here in a world as pure as this, you'll keep degrading until you're just a husk, neither alive nor dead. You don't have much time left – a few years at most. If you continue to stay here, this world's purity will taint your demon blood – and then not even the Nightosphere can make you deathless."

"I'd rather decay here than live forever in that hellhole," Marshall hissed.

Gumball tried to process their words, but they made no sense. No… Marshall said he was going to keep aging – slowly but surely – no matter what, that he was immortal and yet not eternally young, so that someday he would wither away into a pathetic shell of what he once was. He never mentioned that staying in the Nightosphere would stop him from aging, not even once. And judging by his reaction, he knew. Marshall knew that staying here would lead to his demise, he knew there was another way to save himself… but he stayed.

His mother sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, Marley. But I won't let you. This will hurt a teensy bit."

And then, before Marshall could move, he was trapped by the dark energy that radiated from her body. A shockwave of power flowed through the tendrils that wrapped around him. Marshall tried to fight them, but even in his bat form he was no match. An animalistic cry tore through him, and he shrank back down into his humanoid body, limp and shivering, and the demon woman tossed him aside. Gumball wanted to go to him, but just as he stood up, she was lurking behind him. There was nowhere to run. Gumball struggled against her grip even though he knew she was too strong. It had only taken a single move to incapacitate Marshall Lee – what chance did Gumball stand against her?

"Sorry, little prince. But not really. You would understand if you had children. You do whatever it takes to protect them."

He tried to think. He had to think. That was all he had, his brain, his genius, his logic. He was one of the most intelligent creatures on the face of the earth, how could he not think his way through this situation?

But no one ever talks about how hard it is to think rationally when you're afraid. Gumball remembered how she'd sucked the life from a flower with nothing more than her touch, how she'd destroyed his kingdom in the blink of an eye, how easily she'd dominated her son. Was it even possible for his words and wit to save him? With that thought his resolve crumbled. A living creature's natural instinct drives them to defend themselves from danger and without his mind functioning properly, Gumball could only struggle for freedom.

It was pointless. There was no escape. He looked to Marshall, who was face down on the floor of the cave, struggling to raise his head as he shouted over and over for the prince. For just a moment, it seemed as if time had stopped. In that moment, Gumball knew that Marshall had screwed up. He'd made a huge mistake with terrible consequences that destroyed a kingdom. But knowing what this demon was capable of and how utterly terrifying and ruthless she was, Gumball realized that Marshall Lee had done it to protect him. To save him from her fury and the fear she struck into the hearts of all creatures. The prince could never forgive him for causing the deaths of Gumball's loved ones and his homeland, but in the end, Marshall hadn't meant for them to die… and he'd done it to save Gumball's life. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Marshall's shouts echoed throughout the cave. Gumball remembered Marshall trying to talk to him and the prince simply brushing him off over and over. This must have been what he'd tried so hard to tell him and in the end, Gumball shared the blame for not taking the time to listen to him. Marshall Lee wanted to waste away to nothing in this world if it meant staying with Gumball. And in that moment, Gumball knew that despite all of his mistakes, he could not bring himself to stop loving the Vampire King. He reached for him with Marshall's name on his lips, but his voice never came. He heard Marshall's agonized scream which would have been his own if only Gumball could make a sound. He looked down at the source of otherworldly pain and found that his chest did not look right… An arm was stuck through it, skewering him right through his whole body until it broke through his chest. He could see a forearm and a hand curled into a fist which was clutching something and everything was covered in blood.

His last thought was the realization that the Lady of Evil had just ripped out his beating heart.

She pulled her arm back out and dropped the soft organ to the ground unceremoniously, watching with an impassive gaze as the prince remained upright for just a second longer. Then he fell to his knees, and finally to the rocky cave floor. He reached for his chest as if to find what was missing, but it only took a moment more for the lack of blood flow and oxygen reaching his brain grew to be too severe for him to function. She released Marshall and said, "Here's your chance. Drink up while his blood is still warm."

Marshall crawled across the cave, his body convulsing as he reached the prince who laid in a pool of his own blood. The scent assailed Marshall's senses, but he'd never been more repulsed by the smell or sight of blood. He reached out with trembling hands. This isn't happening, he told himself. He hadn't seen this happen. No. No. No. His hands found the gaping hole in the prince's chest and he saw his motionless body, his lifeless eyes which were still open and staring into nothing… No, no, no, no.

A drastic thought struck him. Turn him. It would be a miserable existence, but Gumball would live. Marshall gathered the prince's body in his arms and lowered his mouth to Gumball's throat. He let his fangs sink into the soft flesh for the first time and sucked at the drying streams of blood.

"Good boy. Get your strength back."

But Marshall wasn't drinking his blood to recover, he was doing it to turn the prince into a vampire. Gumball couldn't possibly hate Marshall any more than he already did, so he had to do it, he had to try…

"Come on," Marshall begged, shaking the prince gently. "Hurry up… Please, Gumball…"

He brought his mouth back to the prince's neck and bit him once more, and then again, over and over in his fruitless attempt to turn the prince.

"That's not going to work," she said with a hint of annoyance. "It's too late."

It's not too late. This has to work. He has to be okay, everything's going to be okay…

Marshall's tears fell and mixed with the prince's blood. He knew it was pointless but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. His clutched Gumball's body against him and sobbed against his ruined chest. This couldn't be happening. Marshall had sworn to him that he would protect the prince. He'd damned the entirety of the Candy Kingdom just to save his life. And it had all been pointless. In the end, nothing he'd done had mattered because Gumball was dead.