Fionna found herself unable to move as terror seized her body. The alcohol dimmed her wits and she couldn't even find it in herself to get in her battle stance. Cake was in no better condition, and immediately began screaming in terror as the angry mob came flying towards them like an unorganized, demented army of sorts. LM let out a wail and curled up around Cake like an oversized snake, which did wonders to the pitch of her scream.
"I think I forgot to say 'happy birthday', Cake." Luckily, Marshall Lee could not get drunk very easily, and was able to react in time to defend his group of friends. Years of battle and hand-to-hand combat had taught him how to quickly assess any situation and size up his opponents. He knew that he couldn't change into his bat form on the veranda because it would knock out the ceiling above them, and possibly bring the rest of the building down. He also knew that a direct attack on the mob would put himself in no danger, but he had to mind the security of the impaired members of his group.
He honestly didn't give a damn if LM or Cake were clawed to death with candy canes or tree-limbs or whatever, and if Gumwad was killed that would be a good thing. But he feared for Fionna's safety. He had given her quite a bit of wine, he reminded himself with annoyance.
These thoughts all passed through his undead brain within milliseconds, and as quickly as the dinner guests had turned to bloodthirsty savages, he reacted to their attack and made a quick, impulsive decision. He grabbed LM by the mane, who was still wrapped tightly around a squealing Cake, and with a jerk of his arm hurled him and the cat off the side of the veranda. Without missing a beat he grabbed PG by the back of his pants and flung him off the side as well.
Fionna stared at him in drunken shock.
He glanced at her and shrugged lightly. "They'll bounce."
The mob was only a few feet away from them at this point. A mountain imp was at the front of the pack and had its teeth bared, eyes fixated on the vampires' throat. Marshall didn't hesitate to sweep Fionna bridal-style into his arms and jump off the side of the balcony himself.
He'd never heard her scream so loudly as they began plummeting towards the earth. She must have forgotten that he could fly. He stopped their decent and began floating casually higher into the air, very relaxed and casual for the near battle they experienced.
Slowly, Fionna's screams receded and she loosened her grip on the vampire, a sick look upon her green tinted face. Her breath was ragged. "Wha...Where did everyone go?" The world was spinning around her.
Marshall shrugged casually. "No idea."
Although it was night, the land of Aaa was lit up around them in shadows and fragments from an enchanting super-moon that hung in the sky. Marshall had flown pretty high into the air, and from this height Fionna could see for miles and miles around. The Candy Kingdom wasn't that far off in the east, and surrounding the gum and taffy buildings she could see a pinkish glow emanating from the city like a sugary halo. To the south, past the Dark Forest with its twisted black trees and spooky, dangerous wildlife, Fionna could see the shimmery glint of the ocean playing upon the light of the moon. It sent a shiver down her spine.
To the west of them, a great plain spread out, with dots of houses and life that shone like little beacons in the sea of waving grass and speckles of trees that blemished the land. Fionna could almost make out where her home would be, but the booze and the mask that night put over the landscape inhibited her ability to find its exact location.
"Marshall!" Fionna hissed. She grabbed his shirt and began shaking him. "Turn around! I can't see behind me!"
Marshall, his eyes closed lazily, smirked but ignored her all the same. She was so funny drunk. And cute.
"Please! I want to see the mountains!"
With a dramatic sigh, the vampire turned slowly in the air until the both of them were facing the south. Fionna gasped, and he could hear her heart speed up.
The snowy mountains, miles and miles away in the north, glowed as they drank in the light of the moon and exhaled it into the land of Aaa. Fionna could make out the trail that the range left on the horizon perfectly, and she reached out both her arms and spread them wide, trying to embrace the mountains with all her being.
Marshall stared at her. She was making him feel funny. "What are you doing?" His voice only held a minute ounce of sarcasm.
Fionna gazed at him in wonder. "Everything just looks so pretty." She breathed, leaning close to him. A little jolt of surprise went through Marshall as Fionna laid her head on his chest. Her eyes closed. "I wish everything could be like this all the time."
After a slight hesitation, the vampire coughed out a chuckle. "You're drunk, Fi."
"But I mean it." She replied immediately.
"HEY! WHAT IN GLOBS NAME ARE YOU TWO DOIN'!?"
At a speed of probably around forty miles per hour, Cake, PG and LM smashed into Marshall Lee and Fionna with the force of five troll-giants. Something cracked in the vampire's side, and Fionna was knocked right out of his lap, spiraling into empty air. She didn't have any time to scream before PG snatched her arm and swung her onto the rainicorn right in front of him. If he hadn't been straddling LM, the young adventuress would have been sitting right in his lap.
"What the flop was that about!?" Marshall screamed when he regained his composure. A few of his ribs must have broke, because he was clutching his side. Two red-hot eyes burned in his skull. He flew up to Cake and screamed right in her face. "What is your deal!? I should kill you right now!" Then he pointed a finger a PG. "How could you let that happen, Gumwad!?" PG turned an extra, very much deeper shade of pink than the standard.
Cake puffed up like a blowfish and literally grew three times her size. "I wasn't the one tryin' uh' sex up my little girl! What yo' doin' up here all alone, floatin' around and such? She aint gonna-
Their argument was cut short as a huge fireball flew past Cake by inches and scorched some of her fur. She howled and recoiled to her normal size in a flash. "What the-"
A second and third ball shot past the group, and as the five of them turned they saw that a dragon, carrying what looked to be the angry mob from the restaurant, was flying towards them.
"GO!" Fionna screeched, "Just go!"
Marshall latched onto Lord Monochromicorn just as he began to shoot off into the night, a rainbow trail soaring out behind him as the group reached his top speed. The dragon followed in close pursuit, though, and it didn't take long before another sphere of fire sailed past their heads.
Fionna's braid trailed five feet into the air behind her. All it took was one spark, and the tip of her long blonde hair lit up like a match. She screamed.
Gumball reacted immediately and grabbed at the end of her hair, an instinctual reaction at the sight of his friend in need. All that did though was melt his hand into an oozy pink goo that slid and spat off of his arm into the night that flew past.
"Put it out!" She cried. The flames raced up her hair like a red river, closer and closer to her body.
Marshall, without a second thought, lunged at Fionna and grabbed a fistful of her locks. His arm flashed into a long, bat talon, and he sliced the burning blonde ends off. They were lost behind them and fluttered, still alight, into the blackness.
"Lordy!" Cake shouted into the wind, "Get us outta hea'!" LM kicked it into second gear. The back of him coiled towards the front like a snake, and then sprung out again with enough force to speed the five of them away from their pursuers.
They didn't stop for almost an hour. When they finally did, the group had gone well past the white-capped mountains and soaring plains beyond. LM was exhausted beyond exhaustion, and was forced to float down to a small forest that laid out below them.
It was much colder this far up north. Fionna found herself shivering in her tattered dress, and wished desperately for something warmer. They had landed in a small clearing, but the black forest that surrounded the group intimidated the girl. This was unfamiliar territory for Fionna, but the others seemed to know where they were.
"We're close to the Happy Kingdom." PG mumbled. No one had spoken since the hair incident, and it wasn't until they were all on solid ground that they were able to survey the damage.
She undid the rest of her braid and let the crinkled, burnt ends of her hair curl around her shoulders and back. She must have lost five feet of it.
"Oh honey." Cake nuzzled into her sisters back and stared at her crisp locks. "It's not that bad, I mean it's still down half yer back!"
"So... So much of it is gone." The pink prince murmured sadly, stroking what remained of Fionna's hair. He stood in front of her, shoulders hunched.
"It's really not that big a deal." She said flatly. She pulled away from him. It didn't matter. Now she didn't have to wear that stupid hat all the time, and besides, it would be easier to fight because she didn't have all that extra weight on her head. She didn't care. It was a good thing.
Even so... Fionna had never cut her hair before, and a feeling of loss began to seep through every layer of emotion she had. 'It doesn't matter', she kept telling herself. 'I don't care.'
Marshall Lee just stared at her. He hadn't offered any sort of comfort to the sad-looking girl, and didn't look like he was capable of such a thing at the moment. "Well," He clipped, floating over to PG. He was holding his injured side, which looked like it needed some attention, and hovered right in front of his face so that he became a barrier between the prince and Fionna. "You were sitting right behind Fionna, you could have at least tried to stop her hair from burning up."
It was as if oil had just been sprayed onto an open flame.
"Excuse me!?" PG roared. He grabbed Marshall by his collar and, with a jerk of his arm, twisted the two of them away from Fionna. "If you hadn't thrown me off of a balcony, we wouldn't have been chased by a-"
Marshall silenced his anger with a quick punch to the face. The prince staggered backwards in shock. Two years prior, that would have ended the argument. However, Gumball had grown a bit in size, and it wasn't easy to hurt somebody made of gum.
"How dare you hit-" A slap. PG glared darkly at the vampire.
"Guys!" Fionna shouted. "Stop it!" Marshall chanced a glanced over at his friend, an arrogant look upon his face.
"Don't worry, Fi." He sneered. "I'll go easy on him." Marshall didn't expect the blow to the stomach that he received at that moment. And then to the face. Followed by a kick to his hurt side. He was hit twice more before he even had a chance to react. He lunged at PG, roaring, and the two of them became locked in a violent brawl.
"STOP IT! STOP!" Grunts and kicks and punches and bites and spit and blood and sweat and swears were the only response Fionna received. Marshall and Gumball had never liked each other, and she realized that all of their confrontations and small arguments, dirty looks, and angry thoughts had been building to that moment.
Cake held her back when Fionna tried to throw herself between them. "Trust me, honey." She pulled her close and covered her eyes. "They need this."
I would like to thank everyone that has been so kind to review this story thus far! These lovely people include GatorGirl1999, Whenrabbitsattack2-0, Evening Draven, wiseytheharmless, Maleni, Bravest Adventurer, NotSoNormalLady, Indie Mittens, a Guest, someone called "E", TheAngelWithBlackWings99, It'sQuestionable... and I think that's all! Hope to see more from you guys and I really appreciate the feedback. P.S. I know I am a slow updater. I just got back in school and the work load is ridiculous. I'll try my best to write a little each night, but don't expect very fast updates! I would say the longest I'll take to upload is a month. Happy reading!