Family Reunion

"QUIT CHEATING, MARSHALL."

Fionna glared at her friend as she frantically pushed the red button on her controller, trying to maneuver her character away from his. He grinned, sticking his tongue out.

"Just because I'm winning doesn't mean I'm cheating."

The blue character on the screen leaped above the red one and preformed a finishing kick to the face. A large blinking 'WINNER' sign appeared over the blue character's head. Fionna leapt to her feet triumphantly, pointing at Marshall as he stared open mouthed at the screen.

"HA! Even when you cheat you can't beat me!" She folded her arms, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Say it."

"But…but how did you do that?!"

"Say it, Marshall."

"You hacked the game didn't you?"

"You have to say it, that was the deal."

"A-MO, did you cheat?"

The small pink video game console shook its head.

"Say it."

Marshall looked back up at Fionna and sighed in defeat. He closed his eyes, fighting a smile as he knelt on the ground with one hand placed over his heart. The other hand he reached out towards Fionna, linking their pinky fingers together, as was custom for an unbreakable vow.

"I, Marshall Lee, Vampire King, ruler of thirteen realms in the Nightosphere, swear to do whatever Fionna the human wants for one whole day of her choosing."

He peeked hopefully out of one eye at Fionna, who shook her head smugly.

"Say it right."

He closed his eye, groaning dramatically.

"Fine. I, Marshall Lee, swear to do whatever Fionna, the most incredible ninja slayer and monster fighter in all of Aaa, who has the reflexes of a cheetah and the strength of a lion, and just so happens to be able to kick my butt not only at video games but also in real life, wants for an entire day of her choosing."

He glanced up at her and she nodded in approval. They let go of each other's pinky fingers and Marshall felt his cold heart beat, one time. He winced and clutched at his chest, the unfamiliar feeling of his heartbeat sending cold shivers through his body.

"You okay?"

He grinned at Fionna's concern, lifting his feet off the ground and floating on his stomach next to her.

"Never better. Just a little side effect of the unbreakable vow."

She smiled in relief.

"You mean a pinky swear."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." He turned onto his back and floated around her aimlessly as she picked up A-MO and the controllers.

"So when do you want to do this thing?"

Fionna shrugged thoughtfully.

"I dunno. I want to save it for when I need it. Like if I'm fighting an angry Trollclopse or trying to get through a dungeon or something."

Marshall nodded in agreement.

"You should definitely save it for something important. It's not every century a vampire makes an unbreakable vow."

"Pinky swear."

"Whatever. Anyways, it basically NEVER happens. So save it. Oh! Here…"

Marshall dug through his pockets, pulling out a small whistle on a chain.

"Take this. When you want the 24 hours to start, blow into it and I'll be there."

He draped it over her head and around her neck. She examined it closely.

"But what if I'm trying to be stealthy but I need your help? I don't want to use this and blow my cover or something."

Marshall stuck his tongue out playfully, "Only I can hear it. I got me these craaaazy vampire ears. Not even Cake can hear that whistle. Once you start the 24 hours, I have to do whatever you want, no matter what."

Fionna grinned and punched his shoulder playfully.

"You better be ready. I do some pretty dangerous stuff."

Marshall smirked, floating above her and tugging her bunny ears. "I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."

She laughed and swatted him away.

"Oh! Right, I forgot to tell you earlier," Marshall said as he floated to the ground in front of Fionna, "I have to go to the Nightosphere for a bit, but I should be back in a few days."

"What're you going there for?" Fionna asked curiously, tilting her head back as Marshall began to float again.

His expression darkened. "I need to go clear the water with my mom. She's flippin crazy mad that I broke up with Ashley." He shook his head, irritated. "I've gotta make sure she isn't going nuts with her power over there. If she wanted, she could mess up the balance of the universe." He threw his hands up to emphasize his point. Fionna nodded.

"Does she still hate me for… you know…"

"Stabbing her in the face and releasing the souls she collected? Yes."

Marshall noticed her sullen face. He grinned holding out his palm.

"Well I thought it was pretty great. Some people just have no sense of humor."

Fionna smiled back, low fiving Marshall as he turned upside-down, dangling his arms lazily.

"So when I get back we'll talk about that deal, Alright?"

"Definitely."

"Cool. You need a ride back to the tree house?"

Fionna shook her head. "Actually, Gumball needed me for something, so I was going to head over there."

Marshall rolled his eyes, flipping over again and resting his head on his hands.

"What're you hanging out with that dweeb for?"

Fionna frowned, blushing slightly.

"He's not a dweeb, he's cool. You just have to get to know him, you know?"

Marshall groaned holding his hands out.

"Come on, I'll take you over to Goody-Good Castle."

Fionna stuffed A-MO into her backpack and took his hands. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as he lifted her off the ground and they began to fly higher and higher. Marshall grinned down at her.

"Having fun down there?"

Fionna looked up at him laughing.

"You're so lucky you get to do this all the time!"

Marshall sighed happily, looking around at the scenery.

"Yeah, it's pretty great."

Suddenly struck with an idea, Marshall smirked down at Fionna.

"Oops!" He said, and he let go of her hands. She screamed and tried to grab his shirt, but he dodged around her. He flew down next to her as she fell, covering his ears to shield them from her screaming.

"DING GLOBBIT MARSHALL YOU BETTER CATCH ME RIGHT NOW!"

Marshall shrugged innocently.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU. YOU NEED TO ENUNCIATE. USE YOUR VOWELS."

"URRRAAAAAARRRGHHH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOOOOU!"

Fionna looked down and shrieked again. The ground was spiraling closer and closer. Deciding she'd had enough, Marshall swooped underneath her. She landed on his back and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Once they were safely in the air again, she angrily brought her fist down on his head.

"Ow! What the heck? I caught you didn't I?

"You shouldn't have dropped me in the first place, stupid!"

He laughed, "You shouldn't worry so much, it's not like I was going to let you fall to your death."

"Thank glob we're here."

The Candy Kingdom was just below them and Marshall Lee lowered her safely to the entrance.

"Right. So I'm going to head off before Bubba Gum shows up to greet you."

Marshall opened his arms for a goodbye hug, flashing a toothy grin.

"Sorry I dropped you?"

Fionna folded her arms, fighting back a smile.

"You're not going to get off that easy."

Marshall rolled his eyes.

"You can get back at me all you want when I get back from the Nightosphere."

Fionna wrapped her arms around him, hiding her smile in his shirt. He hugged her back, hoping she wouldn't notice the dark grey on his cheeks.

"Thanks for the lift, bro."

"No probs homie."

She watched as he turned and flew off, biting the sleeve of his red shirt as he did. She smiled and turned towards the gate. To her surprise, the large rock candy entrance was shut tight. She turned around and lifted a hand, about to call out for Marshall, but he was nowhere to be seen. Putting her hands on her hips, Fionna tried to think of another way in. She decided to walk around the city walls and see if there was another gate. If she was lucky, the candy wall guards might be on duty, and she would be able to ask for help. She circled the castle walls a few times and discovered that there was indeed, no other way in. Also, there wasn't a soul guarding the walls. Sighing, she plopped on the ground just when she had finished her third circle. The sun was sinking low into the sky. As darkness enveloped her, Fionna began to shiver. She stood and stretched. The hours of sitting there had made her stiff and weary.

"I should get back to the tree house. Gumball is probably busy with something important. I'll just come back tomorrow and see what he-"

"There you are Fionna!"

She turned around to see Prince Gumball jogging over towards her. When he reached the gate, he pulled a lever and the sweet spears of candy began to rise. Fionna's smile of relief upon his appearance quickly turned to a frown as she got a closer look at him. His pink hair was almost as messy as Marshalls and his eyes drooped with weariness. He obviously hadn't been sleeping.

"I need your help. It's VERY important." Fionna nodded and followed him as he headed to the castle. Looking around, she noticed that none of the candy people were out in the streets.

"Hey Gumball, where is everyone?"

He glanced over at her, his expression grave.

"Everything will make sense when we get to the castle."

They rounded a corner and Fionna gasped at the sight of the Castle. The sweet caramel stairs were melting into glob-like shapes before their eyes. The candy cane pillars had been crushed to rubble, and the gates looked like they had been blown wide open. Gumball grabbed her arm, pulling her inside a candy house. He turned to her, sighing sadly.

"It seems it has gotten worse in my absence."

"What's going on? Who destroyed the castle?"

"I'm not sure what it was. It came from a portal and started sucking the souls of all the candy citizens."

Fionna's heart dropped in her stomach.

"What did it look like?"

Prince Gumball pressed a finger to his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, let's see. It was enormous, almost the size of the castle itself, and it had these two slanted eyes and a snake like tongue, and it had a big red axe on it's back." He motioned with his arms to better describe the size, but Fionna wasn't paying attention.

"It's Marshall."

"…What?"

"Something happened to Marshall."

Prince Gumball shook his head.

"That's not possible. The only way he could have turned into that is if he went back into the Nightosphere."

Fionna swallowed nervously.

"Uh, say, hypothetically, he did go back to the Nightosphere. How would he have turned into…that?"

Prince Gumball sat down and motioned for Fionna to do the same. He crossed his legs and began to explain.

"Marshall's mother has wanted him to take the throne for centuries. Lately, her powers have been extremely weak since you released the souls that she used to draw power from, so now more than ever, she wants her son to step up and take her place." Gumball shook his head. "Marshall, however, wants nothing to do with the throne. He and his Mom have… problems."

Fionna nodded, understanding.

"That's why he left the Nightosphere, because his mom has no authority over him outside of her realm. But if he were to go back, and she somehow got him to wear the vampire ring, which contains the ultimate soul of the universe, He would be transformed into a monster. However, since Marshall hasn't left Aaa, it must be his mother doing this."

Fionna bit her lip, playing with her skirt.

"So, is there any way to reverse it?"

Prince Gumball nodded.

"That's where you come in. If you can get the ring off of her, her power will disappear." He sighed, crestfallen, "But she's already stolen the souls of so many candy people. Her original powers must be completely restored by now. I couldn't possibly put you in that sort of danger."

"Pffftt."

Fionna stood, placing her hands on her hips. Her reassuring smile felt strange on her face.

"I can handle anything, don't worry about me. I'll have that ring off before you can say… uh, Nightosphere!"

She waved her arms in the air, trying to make it sound impressive. Prince Gumball pursed his lips.

"That wasn't very creative."

Fionna's face flushed.

"Whatever man. Now where is Marshall, uh...'s mom?"

Gumball looked out the window cautiously.

"I last left her inside the castle ballroom. She's probably made it to the laboratory by now…" Gumball patted his face worriedly. "I hope she hasn't spilled any chemicals. If they mix, it could be catastrophic."

Fionna pushed the door open, drawing her crystal sword. "Get the ring, don't mix chemicals. Got it." And before Gumball could stop her, she was making her way to the candy castle.

She ran until she reached the melting stairs.

"I sure wish Cake were here," she thought aloud. Struck with an idea, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a golden wristband.

"Yeah! Power band!" She slipped it around her wrist and ran around the dilapidated caramel to the sugar coated walls. Releasing a battle cry, she slammed her fist into the wall. Her punch blasted through the candy and she stepped into the castle, looking around cautiously. The entrance hall seemed to be intact. Except for the giant hole in the ceiling. Fionna could hear a deep growling echo from somewhere above, and she ran for the stairs, drawing her crystal sword as she did.

"FIONNAAAAAAA"

A huge crash erupted from below her and she gasped as the steps began to crumble away. She leapt for the second floor and was just barely able to hoist herself up as the last of the stairs fell away. A low chuckling reverberated through her ears and she whipped her head around. She reached for her sword, but it was nowhere to be found.

"LOOKING FOR THIS?!" She rolled to the side just in time as her gleaming pink sword was thrust into the wall where her head had just been. She looked up and gritted her teeth. If she didn't know any better, she certainly wouldn't have been able to recognize her friend. He loomed over her, his enormous head fat with souls threatening to bring the entire castle down with one wrong move. His mouth was turned vertically and his lips were lined with rows upon rows of jagged teeth. He was wearing a business suit, much like his mothers, and he wielded his axe/bass guitar in his oversized hand.

"MARSHALL! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE CANDY PEOPLE?!"

He laughed darkly.

"Careful little bunny, they're souls are safe as long as I am. I would be more worried about your little cat if I were you."

Fionna gasped as Marshall opened his fist, revealing a very beaten and stretched out Cake.

She screamed with fury and jumped at his hand.

"GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND!" She dug her nails into his grey flesh and clawed at him. Her face grew hot as he laughed and tossed her aside. She slammed face first into the wall and slid to the ground. She turned back to him, coughing and charged again. This time he grabbed her and brought her to his mouth. She punched his cheek as hard as she could, forgetting she had the power bracelet on. His head flew back and smashed through the castle wall. He stumbled backwards for a few seconds and, unable to regain his balance, fell to the ground with a sickening crash. Fionna wriggled out of his fist and rand over to Cake who had rolled into a gumdrop tree.

"Cake! Are you okay?"

She wrapped her arms around her friend. Cake opened her eyes groggily and muttered, "I told you… not to trust… vampires."

Fionna smiled and said, "Yeah, you told me alright."

She glanced over at Marshall who was moaning in pain, and her expression hardened.

"But Marshall needs me and I need to help him before he gets up again."

She placed Cake gently next to the tree and made her way over to the monster's hand. A dark purple jewel wrapped in a silver band encased his finger. Fionna pushed her hair out of her face and grabbed onto the ring. A shiver ran through her and she tugged as hard as she could, but even with the power band it wouldn't budge. She punched it, and the ring seemed to hiss as the force she put into it flew back into her fist. She yelled out as she felt her knuckles crack against the cool stone and she pulled away, cradling her hand. Marshall chuckled, raising his head until his eyes locked with Fionna's.

"Foolish human, only the bearer of the ring of souls has the power to remove it." He swatted at her and she dodged, glaring at him. He began to stand, pieces of buildings and candy dust cascading off of him as he rose.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Oh yeah. I still get my pinky promise."

Fionna reached for her neck and yanked the whistle from her neck. She took a deep breath and blew into it.

"Fionna! What the heck are you blowin' into that broken whistle for? Stab him or something!"

Fionna turned around and yelled back to Cake, "No one can hear it but Marshall, he has to do whatever I want for 24 hours because I won a bet!"

The monster's face cringed as Fionna turned smugly back to him.

"You hear that Marshall?! We still have our deal, and I'm starting the 24 hours now, so release the souls of the candy people and take off that ring!"

"Fionna the human," The monster roared as he reached for the ring, "You have bested me this time, but mark my words, you haven't seen the last of me!" He pulled the ring off, throwing it to the ground at his feet. As soon as he did, the monster began to scream in agony as he was slowly sucked into the purple stone. As soon as he disappeared, gray globs that Fionna could only assume were souls shot out of the ring and into the sky. She sighed in relief as she picked up the purple ring, stuffing it in her pocket. Looking around, she spotted a mop of black hair poking out amongst the rubble. She ran over to it and smiled in relief. Besides his clothes being torn slightly, the dark circles under his eyes, and his lack of conscious-ness, Marshall looked fine. She knelt down and patted his face gently.

"Hey bro, time to wake up. You're okay now."

He groaned and rolled over onto her lap, snuggling into her skirt as he slept. She laughed nervously as her face began to grow red.

"Marshall Lee, I have to pee, so get off me…" she sang as she patted him harder until he opened one eye and scowled.

"What does a guy have to do around here to get some shut e-" His mouth fell open as he sat up and looked around. He turned to Fionna, eyes wide in surprise.

"Fionna! What are you doing here? What am I doing here? Did uh, I do this?"

She grinned and punched his arm playfully.

"Yeah, you went crazy and tried to kill everyone. So I punched you and made you take your ring off." She pulled the ring out of her pocket to prove it to him. Anger flashed across his face as he realized what had happened.

"Okay, that's the last time I try to have a normal conversation with her." He caught the expression on Fionna's face and clarified, "My mom."

Fionna nodded. "You should go home and get some sleep. Actually, that's what I want you to do for the rest of the 24 hours. Oh, and you're not allowed to go to the Nightosphere under any circumstances."

Marshall opened his mouth to speak, but was abruptly cut off.

"That's okay, don't worry about me, I'm totally fine. Not like I got squished by a monster then thrown into a tree or anything." Cake stretched protectively around Fionna's shoulders. She hissed at Marshall, who grinned and stuck his tongue out.

"I DON'T TRUST YOU, BOY."

He winked at Fionna and began to float, assessing the damage he made.

"Wow, this is going to be a pain to clean up."

He made the devil horns with his fingers and grinned.

"Tell Gummy Balls I said good luck!" And with that, he flew away, disappearing into the clouds.

Fionna folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

"He could have at least said thank you."