Author's Note: I don't have much to say this time. I just wanted to thank my first reviewer, Ichigo Konayuki. Is it odd that I did a little happy dance when I saw that someone actually reviewed? Anyway, enjoy chapter two.
Princess Bubblegum dabbed a cool, wet wash cloth on the face of her unconscious guest. Upon calling for her banana cake guards, they had whisked the wounded candy person up to the Princess's royal bed chamber, where she insisted upon personally overseeing her recuperation.
Now, Princess Bubblegum had the opportunity to make some observations on her visitor's appearance. The person in question was clearly a girl, and about thirteen years old, Finn's age. She had a human form, but seemed consist of some sort of hard candy, like someone had melted multiple packs of lifesavers and poured them into a human mold. She was a multicolored, a different color of the rainbow for each body part, from her sunny yellow hair to her ruby red fingertips. She wore a set of purple glasses, a simple purple shirt with a collar, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black clogs.
She had a large, purple bruise on her forehead, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Princess Bubblegum couldn't help thinking, "It's too bad Finn left so shortly before I stumbled upon this young lady. Imagine how disappointed he'll be."
One of the banana cake guards also found a purse in a cotton candy bush near the body. The purse sat on Princess Bubblegum's bedside table. It was a medium sized purse, covered in a pattern of pink and purple flowers. Princess Bubblegum looked curiously at the purse now, wondering if it would give any clues as to who this girl might be. "It would be awfully rude to snoop," she thought while biting her lip. She glanced at the girl, but she remained silent and unmoving. Princess Bubblegum reached slowly for the handbag.
"Uggghhh…"
Princess Bubblegum reeled backward in response to the unexpected noise. The girl opened her eyes, blinking from the room's brightness. She turned her head to the Princess. "Marie?"
Princess Bubblegum shook her head. "No, dear, I'm Princess Bubblegum. Now relax. Everything is going to be fine. You lay right here while I put more water on your wash cloth."
The girl obliged, and the Princess returned shortly with a fresh cloth. Her eyes were open now, and she began squirming under the bed's covers. "Where am I? What happened?" she asked, sounding confused and frightened.
"You're in the Candy Kingdom. I found you fainted in the royal candy gardens," Princess Bubblegum explained.
The girl took on a worried expression. "By chance, did you happen to find anyone else nearby?"
The Princess shook her head once again. "No, only you. Were you traveling with someone?
The girl nodded. "Yes, my friend and I were traveling through the candy kingdom last night. There was a storm. I remember getting hit in the head with something, a tree branch perhaps, but I don't remember what happened to Marie. I don't know what to do."
Princess Bubblegum put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing. We'll find your friend in no time. I'll help you begin searching as soon as possible."
The girl gave her an appreciative smile. "Thank you, your highness. My name is Ann, by the way."
The Princess returned her smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ann. Now, shall we go to the dining hall?"
Ann agreed, but she insisted that she take her purse along. Princess Bubblegum almost asked her why, but she thought better of it and decided to let well enough alone. The Princess helped Ann to her feet and led her to the dining hall. Peppermint Butler introduced himself to Ann, and then brought out their dinner. They enjoyed a balanced meal of spaghetti and spaghetti sauce. Ann was a dainty eater, but she certainly didn't speak sparingly. She spent the majority of their mealtime telling Princess Bubblegum and the staff her life story, from her childhood to her current adventures with Marie. The Princess wanted to ask Ann to describe Marie, but Ann rarely paused, and she didn't want to be rude and interrupt.
After dinner, Princess Bubblegum took Ann by the hand and led her outside. "Come on," she said warmly. "There's someone that I'd like you to meet."
The pair walked to Lady Rainicorn's stable. Ann's eyes lit up instantly. She walked carefully up to the stall, taking care not to startle Lady. Lady poked her head out the door and happily said something in Korean when Ann rubbed her hand on her nose. "Is that a purebred rainicorn? It looks like a purebred rainicorn. I saw a rainicorn one time who was part monochromicorn. It had a rainbow colored coat, but its mane was black, and- I'm rambling again, aren't I?"
The Princess grinned pleasantly. "I'm just glad to see that you're feeling better."
They strolled back to the castle when it started getting dark outside. Princess Bubblegum directed Ann to a bathroom where she could get ready for bed. The Princess sat down at her dresser and reached for her nail polish. Her hand waved over the dresser, but she didn't feel her nail polish bottle. She looked over her dresser, and then bent over to look under it. "Where could it be? I always put it right here," she thought skeptically.
Ann entered the room. "Um, Princess?"
Princess Bubblegum looked up. "Oh, yes, you'll be sleeping in here with me tonight. You can have the left side of the bed."
Ann glanced at the bed. "Oh, Princess, there's no need for that. I could sleep on the floor or something."
The Princess wagged her finger. "No, we'll have none of that. I insist."
Ann gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks again, Princess. You've been very kind."
Princess Bubblegum learned the hard way that Ann was not a deep sleeper. Within five minutes of her falling asleep, she had stolen all of the blankets and was grasping them too hard to be pulled away. The Princess lay on her back and shivered.
She could feel herself slowly dozing off when she heard the bedroom window creak. She didn't have time to even consider the cause of the noise when her eyes met another pair of glowing, yellow eyes. She screamed, and whatever was floating right above her let out a shriek, its fangs glinting in the moonlight. She felt something jump on Ann's side of the bed. Her eyes darted to her left, and she screamed louder. Silhouetted in shadow, she saw a huge, hairy beast devouring Ann.