Crimson Tree - Part I

A once-red apple slowly falls on the grass surrounding the apple tree, grey and literally life-less with two punctured holes on its exterior. The fangs that made the little holes belonged to a lady. Pleased at her little creation, she continued to wander through the orchard. The sun had nearly set, and little beams of light still penetrated the leaves of branching trees here and there.

Returning to the same tree that was picked from earlier, the lady once more sunk her fangs and yet another apple was victimized to a grey discoloring. Satisfied for the night, she disappears into the new-born shimmer of moonlight.

The Princess winced as the door to her chamber struck with little knocks for the second time that morning. She had ignored the first calling in an attempt to fall back into the pretension that she could sleep a bit more, but, a monarch's duty does not give way to this meek pleasure.

"Princess, are you well? May I come in?" piped Peppermint Butler from outside the door, fretting but a second away from calling the royal nurse. "No, thank you Peppermint, I was just hoping I could lie in for a while longer", the young girl replies staggering across the sun-lit floor, squinting as she adjusts to the sudden amount of light piercing her eyes, "Of course you can come in".

Entering the room, Peppermint Butler walks as quick as his feet take him, placing a clamp of papers on a nearby table. Turning to face the Princess, he obliges "but my dear-

"Yes, I know Peppermint, a monarch's work is never quite finished", interrupted the Princess, sighing as she ventured towards her wash-room. Smiling to himself the butler adds, "I only wished to inform you that a rather strange finding is at the apple orchard in the royal gardens, would you like to look into it and keep the paperwork for later?" Her eyes widen a little, she never really had to tend to unusual things this often, grinning from cheek to cheek, Princess Bubblegum of Candy Kingdom assents, "a stroll in the garden should do well to settle my mind".

Bustling off to collect the envelopes that were to be sent by runners at present, the butler returned to the Princess' dorm within an hour. She looked as magnificent as always; long dress robes, light pink hair that held its place in a bun and perfect posture. Resting upon her head was a round tiara. A single gem rested on the topper part in the center of the crown, it stood on a long elongation of gold.

It was the kindness in the Princess' heart and the love for her people, that made the kingdom prosper. It was the same love, that every citizen and stranger returned upon living in the Candy Kingdom. Her happiness was their happiness, her sickness was their suffering and her pain was the suicidal attempts of them all.

"Oh Peppermint, I don't need guards to go to an orchard!" Protests Bubblegum. "Besides, you, I and breakfast should be good enough to protect those apples" jokingly she adds. The butler could not help but smile, though he still insisted on guards as the particular apple orchards were located further from the royal palaces' main buildings. The trees having grown in an area closer to a forest than to the palace grounds and other orchards, after the Great Mushroom War many centuries back.

"Have the invites been sent? Peppermint I do feel so nervous, such a meeting hasn't happened in decades since the war, and I won't be knowing of many of the royals that are to be here", the young monarch let out. "You'll be just fine my lady and the night shall do well for our connections in other regions", the butler added, "I've sent out the invites and all is being prepared, let's attend to this matter now, your majesty".

With guards marching at a distance on either side and Peppermint in a suit and bowtie shuffling along with a basket next to her, Bubblegum made her way through the golden orchard gates. Upon entering she pondered aloud, "where's the caretaker? Please take me to the location of the finding". A certain aura of detective had settle about her mind, taking the place of royal monarch or dainty young lady.

"The caretaker is just beyond the 12th tree, your highness. He holds what we've been informed to be a form of disease that's spread to the apples around a certain tree", answered one of the guards. "Hmm, interesting", Bubblegum declared as she turns to Peppermint Butler, "breakfast will have to wait; I wish to examine the apples right away". If she'd had a pair of goggles or lab wear, she'd have whipped them out to wear just to suit the scene – add a more professional look, but neither were present, so she settled for a determined gaze. The one that usually made her attendees a little nervous.

Clearing his throat one of the guards steps forward, carefully turning and showing an object within his right hand.

"Your majesty, this is what they appear to look like, this has been sent as a sample, more are at the tree itself". Reaching out and picking up the greyed out fruit between her thumb and index finger, the princess proceeds to poke and smell it. Being the alchemist she is, her ordinary curiosity cannot help but hold itself as a naturally red fruit is placed before her, as one that is rather oddly changed.

No one spoke for the rest of the walk to the tree; the monarch was left to drown in her own thoughts of coloured fruits. Within the passing of the 11th tree, they came upon a frustrated little candy man collecting grey apples and shoving them into a basket, which he'd named "infected losses".

Princess Bubblegum bent down and picked up another apple. Her eyes widened as she placed her fingers over two little hollows in the side of the apple. All at once, her still widened eyes caught onto the aforementioned apple in her other hand, which she realized: had similar dips. "Your highness, I'm so glad you're here!" Fumbling at his apron, the caretaker had spoken up, with a tinge of embarrassment of having not noticed his Princess' presence. The princess on the other hand took no notice to small things like forgetting your monarch was right in front of you, though Duke Lemongrab would've placed you a good week in the dungeons for said deed; her heart was loving in every way towards her people. Nodding in assent, she placed herself at the bottom of the tree.

She attended to all her paperwork, from a table that had been set-up right next to the tree that day. At near sun-set, only but two guards were positioned with her as she decided to spend the night at the orchard, despite Peppermints strenuous arguments. Neither war nor battles had ever taken place within the kingdom; guards were actually of no necessity. So what would be wrong with satisfying a little curiosity by staying over at the scene of the "crime"? So many things.

The Princess stood with her back to the tree - expectant. She kept her eyes open, as much as sleep called upon her at a time so early in the night. She waited, watched for movement. Though her subjects remained convinced that the strange pits were worm holes, Bubblegum knew that no worm could make incisions, as shaped and perfect as these...

"What are you doing at my tree, sweet cheeks?" a lady with a large mane of hair and sharp eyes, hissed into Bubblegum's ears. The guards had been too slow to notice, the princess had iced up in her place and moonlight showed them all, in the hand of a smirking stranger: a bright, red apple.