"Hiii-ya!" Fionna yelled as she forcefully swung her sword in front of her. A ripping sound was heard and stuffing began to fall from the practice dummy she had made earlier.
"You get him, girl!" Cake cheered from the sidelines. Fionna had been practicing for nearly two hours now. A drop of sweat fell down her forehead. A bit of dirt had started showing where she was practicing. The bright green grass had worn beneath her feet.
Panting, Fionna tiredly said, "I think that's enough for now." She plopped herself down in the grass. Cake grew wider and taller and pulled Fionna onto her soft tummy. They both laid together in the warm spring breeze.
"Aaa's been pretty quiet lately. Where do you think Ice Queen's been?" Fionna rolled onto her stomach and looked at Cake.
"Who knows, but I think we're better off without her." Cake shrunk back to her normal size. She brushed off her fur before turning to head inside.
Before Fionna entered the tree house, she stopped for a moment to look at Ice Queen's castle. Nothing unusual.
Fionna's white hat landed on her bed as she tossed it. Her hair was ratted beyond belief, so it was a good time to try and tame it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. Since she was playing with her hair, she thought that maybe she could try a few hairstyles. Quickly and carefully, her pale hands pulled her golden locks into a ponytail.
"Cute," Fionna quietly approved of herself. Still not satisfied with her hair, she decided to try braided pigtails. She braided to the best of her ability, expecting to look cute, but just looking embarrassing, in her opinion.
"Hey, nice hair, Goldilocks."
Fionna quickly spun around. Marshall Lee was floating behind her. She gasped and turned bright red.
"Shut up!" She punched him in the arm and clawed at the hair ties to try and get them out. Her hair fell loosely to her sides as she made a mad dash for her bed. Marshall Lee chuckled as she tugged on her hat, pulling it low on her face to attempt to cover her eyes. "You're such a jerk," She sat on the bed.
Marshall glided over to her and placed his arms behind his head. "I actually came here with a reason this time." He smirked.
"Well, who let you up here, anyways? It's creepy and stuff to be flying around my bedroom," Fionna crossed her arms.
"Maybe this will cheer you up." He held up a small letter. "I swiped it from the Candy Kingdom's mail. I know that you said that you've been bored," He rotated upside-down, his jet-black hair hanging down.
Fionna snatched the letter, "Let me see that," He'd caught her interest. "Cake! Come here!" Small footsteps could be heard before Cake stretched up to the second floor.
"What's up?" She asked. "Wait, why is Marshall Lee here?" Her tone became a bit more demanding.
"It's fine, look, he gave me a letter about some monster. Let me read it." Fionna cleared her throat before beginning, but just for dramatic effect.
"Dear Prince Gumball, I am sorry to complain, but we need your immediate attention! Outside of the walls, we have our farmlands and barns. Recently, though, many people have gone missing. Whenever one of the villagers heads out to get fruits and vegetables at night, they don't return in the morning! No one is going out at night, but what if the people are still alive? You've got to help us! Signed, the people of the Soft Villiage."
"Hm, never heard of 'em," Cake shrugged.
"But we've got to help them!" Fionna stood up abruptly. She began to head downstairs before Cake grabbed her around the waist.
"Whoa, there. If you want to help, you can't go missing yourself! You need to get some supplies," Cake grabbed Fionna's backpack and placed it in her hands.
"Haha, right," Fionna scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"Glad you're occupied. Well, I'll be off, before it gets too light out." Marshall Lee left through the window. It was barely sunset, so it was the perfect time for Fionna and Cake to head out and search the woods.
Fionna hustled to grab a few supplies. "Lantern, snacks, jacket, and my sword." Fionna listed off what she had packed as she sealed her backpack. She nodded her head to approve and looked over at Cake next to her. "You ready to kick some monster butt?" Fionna held out her fist in Cake's direction.
"Aw, yeah!" Cake fist-bumped Fionna and grabbed her tightly. She stretched down the ladder from her bedroom and out the door.
"Whoa, I can't see," Fionna rubbed her eyes until they adjusted to the dark. "Alright, now where is this Meadow Kingdom?" Fionna began to walk in a random direction and Cake followed behind her.
"I don't know. Maybe I can grow taller and look around. Hold on," Cake peered over the trees and looked for a few lights in the darkness. She shrunk back to face Fionna. "I can see a few villages. Maybe you know more about what the Soft Village looks like than me. Hop on."
Fionna jumped onto Cake's back and clutched onto her fur as she grew taller and taller. "I know their flag is, like, a pastel color. I think it's blue or green," She squinted to look around in the night.
"Oh! I saw one like that," Cake spun around and pointed with her front paw, "That one, right?"
"Yeah! Awesome, let's go!" Fionna pointed towards the small village of lights, "Onwards, my steed."
"I'm going anywhere with you talkin' like that." Fionna laughed and Cake began to stride towards the blue flag flying in the distance.
When they arrived, they had to walk over a few large hills, but Fionna could easily see the farms that were nearby. As they approached the pink wall that surrounded the houses and buildings inside, they saw a few people dash inside.
"No, wait!" Fionna hopped off of Cake's back and ran towards the nearest person. She grabbed a small, fluffy pink one by the arm. "I need your help."
While the little girl looked terrified, she weakly answered, "W-what do you need?"
Fionna then began to explain why they were there. "So, it would be really helpful if you could give us any information about this monster near the farms," Fionna quietly waited for a reply.
"Well, I know that there are three people missing. One of them is my neighbor," She looked down at her feet as she stood in the dark. "Most of the time everyone gardens all day, but now they're too scared to stay there for more than fifteen minutes. I can't really tell you much, because no one really knows what's going on, but the last person to go missing was at that farm," She pointed to the farm just to the east of where they were.
"Thank you so much!" Fionna began to run towards the farm, turning back to wave at the little girl while wearing a smile. Cake ran behind her, only a few steps behind. "Hey, Cake, stretch us over!"
"You got it!" Cake quickly stretched over the wall that protected the cute, little villagers. Cake slowed down with Fionna still on her back as they came closer to the Farm.
"Poor farmers, look at all the crops," Fionna hopped off of Cake and pulled her backpack into her hands. The lantern clanked as she pulled it out of her green bag and turned it on. When the farmlands lit up from the faint light of the lantern, you could see the brown, dry, and dying plants. "Wow, doesn't really match such a cute village."
Fionna carefully stepped around the plants and through the dirt. "Are you coming to look?"
"Uh-uh, I don't do dirt," Cake replied while watching Fionna from the edge of the cropland. Fionna brushed her bangs out of her eyes as she bent over to look for clues. Nothing really seemed odd. The only thing she saw was a lot of crumbly dirt.
"I can't find anything," Fionna spoke as she walked back towards Cake. "You wanna check the barn with me?"
"Sure thing, girl," Cake followed Fionna's lead, her tail swishing behind her. As they entered the barn, Fionna set the lantern down on a table to rummage through items in the barn. "Dang, this place is messed up, man," Cake swatted a spider web out of her face.
"This is how all barns are, they are outside," Fionna brushed a bit of dirt off of her blue shirt and checked out the tools.
"Well, I don't like it. Do you see anything?"
"Nah," She picked the lantern back up and headed out the door. "I'm gonna check outside some more." Fionna's feet crunched in the dead plants. She gave up walking carefully. You couldn't bring the plants back to life, anyways.
"Help," a hushed voice spoke.
"Did you hear that?" Cake was immediately by Fionna's side, asking.
"Heck yeah," She pulled out her sword.
"What are you doing? That sounded like a crying child! You can't attack them," Cake placed her paws on her hips and stared at Fionna.
"What's that look for? It's just in case, I'm not gonna hit a baby," Fionna replied, defensively. "There is a monster out there, you know."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go help that poor kid!" Cake ran into the nearby woods.
"I'm on my way!" Fionna ran, too, tripping over an apple that fell from one of the trees. "Oh, shoot."
"Help me."
"Where do you think that's coming from?" Cake asked as she ran farther into the woods.
"I think it's this way," Fionna continued to run, jumping over some stray apples on the ground. Out of a nearby tree, a small glow could be seen shining its way out from between the leaves. "Look there!"
"Help…"
"Don't worry, we're here!" Fionna stepped onto Cake's back and she stretched up a bit so Fionna could part the leaves. As she peeked into the opening in the leaves, a small glow from a candle lit up a small girl's face. Tears filled her eyes and she was shivering violently. "Aw, come here! We'll save you," Fionna held out her arms and the girl slowly crawled towards her.
"Did you get her?" Cake asked.
"Yep, take us down," She cradled the small child in her arms and the little girl clung onto her shirt. As they reached the ground, Fionna placed her on the grass next to her. "Are you okay? What's your name?" Fionna had so many questions but only limited herself to two.
Between sniffles, she answered, "M-my name is Petal. I'm o-okay." She rubbed tears from her big, honey-colored eyes.
"How'd you get up there?" Cake asked. She stroked Petal's pink hair.
"I heard a low growling sound, so I ran to hide and I ended up climbing this tree. All I had with me was this lantern with a candle inside and I was too scared to climb down, so I've been out here all night."
"Do you know where the monster went?" Fionna crouched down and held Petal's shoulders.
"I think I heard it go this way. I can show you if you want," Petal pointed farther into the forest. It was the best lead they had, so Fionna nodded and followed.
The forest was dark and the trees began to get thicker and thicker. Roots covered the ground. Cake watched her feet to make sure she didn't stumble and fall. Petal continued to beckon them along until a large cave came up in their path. They stopped at the enterance.
"This looks about right; dark and scary," Cake said while squinting into the dark. "You wanna wait out here, Petal?" She looked down at the fragile girl.
"No, I want to be brave and face the monster!" Petal puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips.
Fionna giggled, "Alright, Petal. Follow me and be careful." The lantern barely lit the cave. Fionna tightly held her pink sword in her hand, her heart racing from the suspense. She didn't know what to expect, but she was scared, yet also excited! Her footsteps echoed in the hollow cave.
"Hey, Fionna? Is it alright if I hold your hand?" Cake was fidgeting and looked a little embarrassed.
"Sure," Fionna smiled and grabbed Cake's hand. She glanced back at Petal who was a few steps behind them. "Want to?" She held out her hand for her to hold.
She shook her head, "No thank you."
Muffled voices could be heard near them.
"Do you think those are the villagers that are missing?" Fionna immediately picked up the pace and Cake followed. Fionna held her sword up a little more, preparing for what was to come. Her breath grew slightly heavy.
"Look at that, Fionna!" Cake pointed to the end of the cave. As Fionna got closer, the lantern lit up the wall. What lined the back wall was terrible! Four cages were lined up, three of them filled. The people inside the cages had their hands tied behind their backs and they had cloths tied over their mouths. The muffled sounds must've been coming from them!
"Oh my gosh!" Fionna ran towards the cages and reached between the bars to try and untie a little blue man's hands. As she was fiddling around with the rope, she saw the man's eyes grow wide and panicked. Fionna's head whipped around to see what the trouble was behind her.
"Who's there?!" Fionna scanned the area, but all she saw was Cake and Petal. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to shout."
"Yeah, everyone in here already looks pretty scared. Not sure what they're scared of, though." Petal walked closer to Fionna. "Do you want me to hold the lantern for you?" Petal picked up the lantern off of the ground and held it in her hands.
"Oh, thank you. We better hurry before anything gets in here." Fionna resumed untying his hands.
"I think we're a little late for that…" Petal flipped off the lantern, "Something's already here," She smirked, licked her fingers and pressed the wick of her candle. The cave was engulfed in darkness. Fionna spun around and stood up, holding her sword out in front of her.
Petal snapped her fingers and torches on the wall lit up.
"What's going on?" Cake ran over towards Fionna and took her battle stance.
"Thanks for the help, I barely had to do any work at all," Petal spoke. She smiled a large grin, her teeth were all revealed, showing the pointed tip of every one.
"Aah!" Fionna watched as Petal grew three times in size. Her face morphed into more of a skull shape and claws emerged from her fingertips. She'd turned into a monster. She was the monster! "I can't believe I was stupid enough to follow her!"
Petal, if that even was her name, swung her hand forward toward the two adventurers. Cake grew larger and jumped over her massive claws. Fionna firmly planted her feet on the ground and held out her sword. She blocked her claws, only getting pushed back slightly. She held her ground and pushed against her sword, trying to push the monster back.
The monster's hand went flying back. Petal's eyes focused in on Cake. Her other hand swooped down and swiftly smacked Cake. She went flying backwards and hit the wall.
"Leave Cake alone!" Fionna shouted as she ran with full force towards the monster. She slammed her sword down on Petal's foot, making her stumble backwards. You could see the fire in Fionna's eyes.
As the monster laid on its back, Fionna used this as an opportunity to strike. She launched herself onto the monster and whacked her in the skull, stunning her. Cake took her giant fist and slammed it on Petal's stomach which knocked the wind out of her.
In one last blow, Fionna jabbed her sword into the monster's chest and she evaporated into a mist. Fionna stumbled backwards and landed on the cold, stone floor.
Fionna's hair hung in her face and she sat in silence for a moment before speaking, "What the glob was that?!"
"We just got fooled by a little girl." Cake stood up and walked over to Fionna. She grabbed her arm and pulled her off the ground. Fionna and Cake stood completely quiet for a while again. "…Wow."
"Well, we should get those villagers out," Fionna pointed behind her back with her thumb. Cake nodded and skipped over to the cages. Cake formed her hand into a saw and began to cut the bars. Meanwhile, Fionna was untying hands. Within a few minutes, all of the villagers had been released.
"Oh, thank you! You are both heroes!" A yellow soft person cried while raising his arms above his head.
"Cheers to the heroes of the Soft Village!" The three soft people hugged Fionna and Cake and shook their hands.
"Aw, it was nothing," Fionna brushed it off and blushed a little. As part of being polite, Fionna and Cake walked the soft people back to their village.
As they approached the wall, People could be heard whispering. The gate swung open to reveal a big crowd of people, cheering at the sight of the returned farmers. The little pink girl from earlier ran up to Fionna and gave her a big hug.
"You did it!" She said excitedly. She had gathered everyone outside and waited for the two to return. Fionna hugged her back.
Cake and Fionna turned around and waved to the group of people as they walked out of the door to the village. Thank goodness it was almost sunrise, since their lantern had been broken. Fionna reached into her backpack and pulled out two sugar cookies.
She began to munch on one. "Want one?"
"Of course I do!" Cake took her share and scarfed it down.
Cake and Fionna walked quietly back towards their house. Fionna watched the snow fall near Ice Queen's castle. She then looked back to Cake. "What do you think Gumball is up to?"
"Probably nothing, really. Wanna go see?"
"Haha, yeah. Race you there!" Fionna playfully hit Cake in the arm as she began to run towards the Candy Kingdom. No time for sleep now!