The Ice King didn't go inside his house; the walk helped him more or less keep his memories in order. Key points stood out.
First, the Lich was captured in the Candy Kingdom. That whole snail thing hadn't happened here—and he intended to make sure it never did.
Second, Betty… but thinking about it more carefully, she didn't seem to be the same. Maybe it was confusion, or maybe something had happened during this time that slightly altered everything.
He shook his head and began spreading more snow across his kingdom, letting it slowly recover. He wanted it to feel natural.
With his demonic eye, he watched Finn and Flame Princess arguing.
"Poor kid," I muttered as I walked and set Gunter down on the snow. "Go check on the other penguins," I told him seriously. Those penguins were the only ones who truly understood him when he wasn't lucid.
I walked on and looked at my house.
…
…
"Don't swear, don't swear, don't swear," he repeated to himself as he saw that half of his house was gone.
He sighed.
He walked over to what remained and began rebuilding it. As he worked and organized his thoughts, he failed to notice a vampire floating in the sky, watching him with concern.
She descended calmly and took a closer look at the one who had once been her adoptive father.
The Ice King had fought Flame Princess and looked completely fine—as if it had all been a game.
Marceline sighed. She had worried too much. Still, since she was already here, she decided to talk to Simon.
"Hey, Simon!" she said cheerfully.
The Ice King stopped rebuilding and turned toward her.
"Hey, how's it going, kid?" the Ice King said.
Inside the Ice King's mind: Damn it. I didn't think Marceline would show up. In the original, she never came. Now what do I do? Do I tell her? I care about her too much now not to… but—whatever. I'll just act differently.
Shaking his head, the Ice King walked toward her.
"How have you been, Marci?"
Marceline raised an eyebrow, but went on.
"Nothing new, Simon. I just came because you summoned a dragon, you know?"
"The dragon?" I said casually. "That's nothing," I added, brushing it off. "That fire girl was really stressing me out with her letters and beatings."
Marceline narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?" she asked.
The Ice King noticed the look, but only waved it off.
"It's nothing. I already gave her a spanking so she'd respect her elders," I said with a smile, looking at Gunter as he waddled toward me.
"Hey, Gunter, how are the penguins?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Quack," he replied seriously.
"Thank Jesus," the Ice King said—without noticing Marceline staring at him wide-eyed.
"Jesus?" Marceline said, looking at Simon more seriously.
…
The Ice King just looked at her.
"Yeah," he said, not noticing anything strange. "So, are you going to help me, Marci? I think the Ice Kingdom needs some upgrades, and I'll need an expert's opinion… well, an expert's."
Marceline smiled.
"Of course, Simon."
She helped me with the heavier work, even though I could've done it with golems. I quickly began creating several snow beings, giving them just enough consciousness to think.
Hours passed. Marceline stayed focused on making sure I didn't do anything that would leave me stiff and frozen. And honestly… with the crown, I couldn't blame her.
"Thanks, Marci," I said as I looked at my new ice pyramid.
"It's nothing, Simon," she replied, levitating above me.
A penguin arrived carrying something inside baskets.
"Thanks, little guy," I said, patting his head.
I took the basket and handed it to Marceline, surprising her.
"Here, kid. You need nutrients to grow strong and healthy."
"Oh, Simon," she said as she took it. "I don't need nutrients."
"Look inside the basket," I said while placing several spells across the Ice Kingdom—a barrier that would alert me if anyone entered with hostile intent toward me or my penguins.
God, I love those penguins, I thought with a smile, not noticing Marceline opening the basket and finding various red fruits inside.
"Thank you, Simon," she said behind me.
I waved her goodbye.
"Go get some sleep, Marci. You'll get a fever otherwise."
…
Marceline stayed silent and hugged me from behind.
"Take care, Simon."
"I will," I said.
I watched as Marceline flew away.
I remained quiet for several seconds, then walked toward my new house. I sat in my room, which—thanks to the god or entity that brought me here—remained untouched.
I lay back and stared at the ceiling.
"What purpose do I have now?"
Betty came to mind.
"Betty…"
"Yeah, why not?" I muttered, remembering how the portal had opened.
"No… I don't want to take Marci's stuffed animal. I'll do it my way. And besides, it's a temporal space; the only one losing time would be me," I thought as I slowly closed my eyes.
"Tomorrow will be another day."
Simon got up from his bed, noticing some basic changes already.
First, his beard was shorter. His teeth were less sharp, but still carried a frozen touch. His hair was also shorter, though not enough to be very different from before.
He looked at his body, which now had more muscle—no longer just bones. He opened his beard and examined his heart: no longer made of candy. The wound was fully healed, thanks to the regeneration the entity had given him.
As he performed daily routines, like feeding the penguins… "Kidnapping princesses?" He shook his head at the thought. Some habits weren't that easy to break.
He walked through tunnels inside his house he hadn't explored in a long time, clearly noticing the architectural differences.
He stared at a bookshelf and slowly moved it aside. Behind it was a room that brought back memories. He looked at the number of books he had collected over time, some truly useful. He saw clothes hanging and smiled, recalling old times… though it also reminded him of Betty.
…
"Oh, Betty," I thought, a little reluctantly. But I shook my head. The memories from this body affected me in a completely different way: it was a full fusion. Even though I said it was supposed to be an empty shell, it still felt strange.
I sighed.
I grabbed my old clothes and put them on: a smart jacket. I added some enchantments for protection and dyed it blue.
"I always feel like I have something in my head," I thought, tapping it a few times.
Perspective shift:
"Shit, holy shit," Prismo muttered, completely confused as he realized he no longer had access to his dimension.
"What do I do? What do I do?" he said nervously, trying to access the Ice King's mind… but failing.
Note: remember, this room isn't governed by time. This could be the Prismo who has—or hasn't—met Jake yet. You get the idea.
He clicked one last time into Simon's mind and saw the following message appear:
"I know what you're doing, Prismo. I'll let it slide this time. Your universe is interesting anyway. If you create one, try to keep it safe and not in the mind of a madman. –The Boss"
Prismo instantly changed from pink to white.
"Shit."
End of Chapter 2.