The months after the wedding were slow. Gumball did exactly what he promised, and kept most of the governing under his control. Every now and then I would need to meet some new kingdom delegate, or be present at a ball he threw, but for the most part, I got to keep being plain old Fionna, instead of Queen Fionna. I didn't even have to wear a silly crown, unless it was on special occasions. Despite all my fears of not having the time to adventure and kick butt, I found that there wasn't much butt to kick. Things seemed pretty peaceful, not only in the Candy Kingdom, but in all of Aaa. With the Ice Queen gone, there wasn't as much of a threat. Even so, monsters and stuff should still be out there, right?
Even without much action going on, Cake and I spent a lot of time exploring stuff; caves, treasure coves, forgotten towers. That kind of thing. Since I had officially moved into the palace, I wanted to be sure I spent enough time with my sister. Cake moved in with Lord and TV, who apparently wanted to live with mom and dad, so the tree house became more of a meeting place or a fort or base or something. It was pretty rad to go there and just hang out.
One day, while Cake and I were on our way home from exploring an ancient cavern, we came across something weird in a field of golden wheat. The wheat, itself, was totally fine. What was strange was the tall, looming black tree that sprouted right in the center of it. The tree was huge, taller than all the other trees in the surrounding forests, and its trunk and bristles looked… menacing.
"Girl, my tail is freakin' out over this tree. It's giving me the heebie jeebies! Maybe we should go…" Cake said nervously. Her tail was literally the size of an average sized candy person, and usually, her tail wasn't wrong when it came to danger.
"We should check it out," I said, my eyes glued to the strange tree. I paced over to it, for some reason, unable to look away. There was something about it, an energy to it. As I got closer, I could have sworn that there were whispers coming out of it.
I touched the trunk gently. It felt… cold, but there was more than that. The actual tree felt like a normal tree, but the energy around it felt sick. I reached out to lay my whole hand on it, when Cakes paw smacked it away.
"This tree screams crazy, Fi. Let's get out of here. We'll find out who owns this field and ask them about it."
I nodded to her, still a little dazed by this weird tree, and walked away. As we made our way out of the field, I heard those whispers gently fade away into the distance. It all sent chills up my spine.
We found out that the person who owned the field was a farmer, and he already knew about the tree. He told us that it had been there for a few months, that it just sprouted up in his field out of nowhere, but that it didn't cause any hard to the crops or the surrounding animals. He also said that the birds and creatures that usually fed on the wheat didn't come around nearly as much because of it, so in reality, it was like a scarecrow for him.
The whole scenario creeped me out big time, but if the farmer didn't have a problem with it, then there was no problem to solve.
The tree wasn't the only strange thing we saw. While Gumball and I were out strolling through his garden, I noticed that the usual cute and colorful birds that nested in the trees or plucked at the fruit slowly started dissipating, and not in the yearly migration kind of way. As one colorful bird left, a big, black crow would appear there. It wouldn't eat the fruit or peck at bugs or anything. It would just sit there. And watch the other birds.
"Hey, Gumball, do you notice anything strange about the birds lately?" I asked, wondering in the back of my head if I was just being too critical because of how creepy that tree was.
He looked up at the crows that had gathered around his wall of shrubbery, a slight look of concern on his face. "You know, there do seem to be more crows around lately than usual, which is strange. Their migrational pattern and the migrational pattern of the other birds are totally different."
"So it's not usual for them to be here?" I asked him, looking up into his face as he stared off at the birds.
"No, it's quite unusual all together. Crows are not inclined to sweeter foods, and generally avoid the Candy Kingdom. One or two crows a year is to be expected, but there seem to be more than that." Gumball seemed to speculate over it for a while, his brain working hard to understand why they would be here. "But, I can't say that they're bothering anyone. As a matter of fact, while they're here, the other birds seem too afraid to eat the fruits, and the crows certainly don't eat them. I suppose, at the very least, they're helping out the garden."
I knew I couldn't argue with him. What could I say? That they were creepy and he should get rid of them? He sounded just like the farmer with that black tree. Even though they both said there was nothing actually wrong with the tree or the birds, there was still something about them, something lurking in the background of it all, that made me question if it was a coincidence or not.
As the weeks passed and the weather grew colder, I became increasingly bored. There were hardly any missions coming my way, and even queenly stuff was dwindling. I asked Gumball if it was always like this. He said that during the winter months the candy people didn't really have much to complain about, and no one wanted to travel to visit in the snow, so winters were usually quiet.
Marshall, Cake and I were practicing our combat skills in the ballroom one afternoon to curb our boredom. I was using throwing axes and stealthy daggers, Cake was honing her stretching powers, and Marshall was being our blocker. It was fun for a while, but even that got boring. Cake and I sat back to back on the floor, me drawing little doodles on the tile with my finger and Cake lightly humming.
Marshall floated above us, his head hanging down so that his hair just barely touched the ears on my bunny hat. "Hey Fi, you ever think about Finn? Like, how he's doing and stuff?" Marshall asked out of nowhere.
I looked up at him, thinking over his question for a moment. "I think about everyone from Ooo every now and then. When I was in the ether, I watched them work things out between each other, so now I catch myself wondering if they made it work like we did."
"Well I say we go visit them and see for ourselves," Cake interjected, going along the same line of thought as me. "It could be fun! There's not much going on here, anyway."
"That's a great idea, Cake! We've got those hairs. We can get there," I exclaimed, jumping up from the floor.
"Yeah, I'm down to go. Visit my sister from another mister," Marshall said casually, even though I knew he was just as excited as we were.
We all hurried to make the preparations, and Marshall and I went to ask Gumball if he wanted to go. He said he wanted to, but he couldn't leave the kingdom unattended, no matter how slow it was. Apparently, leaving your own dimension was a bad idea when you ruled a kingdom. He did open the safe for us, though, and handed us a strand of hair from each of the people from Ooo. Marshall and I gave Gumball quick kisses goodbye, met up with Cake, and headed to the entrance to the fire kingdom.
Just like when I watched on the crystal, all we had to do was bury the hairs in the dirt to prove that something didn't belong in this world, and out of the rock opened a portal, with Ooo, covered in snow, on the other side. I couldn't wait to go, so I jumped in first, Cake following close behind, and Marshall coming in after me.
I found that traveling through portals was not my cup of tea. I hated that no-air vacuum feeling I got whenever I traveled like this.
Ooo was just as frosty as Aaa, and everything still looked like an exact replica of our world. Cake and Marshall marveled at it for a good few minutes, touching things, smelling things, even licking things.
"Guys, come on, I told you it's exactly the same. It's just got different people." I tried to convince them to get going, but they still took their time.
After about an hour of them touching everything to make sure it was real, we were finally headed to the Candy Palace. As we walked, I noticed crows in the trees. The same ones that seemed to be littering Aaa. The animals that didn't hibernate or migrate acted slow and sluggish, melancholy, even. Something didn't feel right, but it was such a small feeling that it was easy to push to the back of my head.
We reached the palace in no time, Marshalls and Cakes eyes wide with wonderment. They still couldn't wrap their heads around a place that looked so much like home. Peppermint Butler was at the door, as usual, to greet us.
"Fionna! My word, I never expected you to come back! And who are these companions of yours? They look very, very familiar," Peppermint Butler asked curiously, studying Cakes face.
"Hey, Pep But! This is Cake and Marshall Lee. They're Aaa's version of Jake and Marceline. Is anyone home right now? We came to visit and see what everyone was up to." The three of them looked at each other questioningly, still not used to the thought of equal and opposite people existing.
"Y—yes. Right this way. I believe Queen Bubblegum is in the nursery." Peppermint Butler turned on his heel and headed down the west wing.
Wait. Nursery? Isn't a nursery for, like, babies and stuff?
As we walked, the sound of childish giggling, coupled with feminine swoons and masculine chuckles reverberated through the halls. Peppermint Butler stopped us at a set of white double doors with the word "nursery" spelled out across it. He opened the doors to a room full of colors and toys and sunlight and… baby stuff.
"Your majesties, you have a special guest! Fionna has come to visit you!" Peppermint Butler announced. We walked in after him, taking in the scenery before we even noticed anyone.
I felt a massive force crash into me and wrap me up into a huge bear hug, a bristling beard scratching lightly on my face. I laughed the moment the air returned to my lungs, and tried my best to hug him back too.
"Fionna! My glob! You're back!" Finn cried, hugging me tighter.
I tried to reply to him, but he was squeezing the air right out of me. "Finn, put her down. She probably can't breathe," I heard a soft, familiar voice say. Finn set me down, and I turned to see Bubblegum standing there, beautiful and glowing, with a baby with pink hair and pale skin in her arms and her stomach round and full.
"Bubblegum… are you—are you pregnant?" I asked in utter disbelief. Cake and Marshall gawked at her the same way as I did, trying to wrap their heads around it. Bubblegum dropped her gaze and blushed, smiling a little bit.
"I am! With our second child. This precious boy here is Prince Koda." She held the baby out to Finn, laying him gently in Finns arms, and came to give me an awkward hug, her ginormous belly in the way. "But I think the more pressing matter is the miracle that is you. How did you escape the ice? It was a hundred year curse!"
"It's a really, really long story. I'd love to tell you guys about it. Are you free to talk and—"
"I know that voice! Is that Fionna?!" a familiar, melodic and beyond excited voice spoke out.
"Marcy! Come look, it's Lady Finn!" Finn called out through the door. In floated Marceline, still as radiant as ever, her belly almost twice as big as Bubblegums.
"No way! Marcy, are you pregnant, too?" Cake asked in utter disbelief. I was too stunned to speak, and Marshall, well, he just didn't know what to think.
Marceline chuckled a little and landed between Bubblegum and Finn. "Yeap! With twins! Or so Doctor Princess says. With my huge size, though, I don't doubt her."
"Y—you're both pregnant? Together? How… how…" I asked, trying to get the words out without sounding too bewildered.
"You look so surprised, Fionna. Don't worry about it, though. Nothing beats the look on Finn's face when we told him we were both pregnant," Bubblegum laughed. Marcy joined her, and I chuckled a little at the big, hulking, blushing dad. I could only imagine his face when he found out.
"We're both due the same week, actually," Marcy explained, leaning her arm on Finns shoulder and using the other arm to tickle the baby. The child grabbed Marcy's finger and waved her hand around, completely amused by her touch. "Finn here is a beast in the sack, so he managed to get us both knocked up around the same exact time."
"Marcy!" Finn turned his bright red face away, biting his lip.
"Marceline! Come on, sweetie, leave a little mystery," Bubblegum scolded her, smiling.
Marceline just giggled and came to give me yet another awkward, belly-in-the-way hug. "Anyway, enough about us. Tell us about you, Fi! The last time we saw you, you were… um…"
"Frozen?" I offered, smiling at her. "I was just about to tell you guys my story, actually."
"Peppermint Butler, could you fetch the nanny for us while we sit in the tea room please?" Bubblegum kindly asked him. She seemed… different. Warmer, I guess. I summed it up to the fact that she was a mother now.
Peppermint Butler nodded and left the room, coming back a few minutes later with a lollypop lady who had a bottle in one hand and a blanket in the other. She wrapped the blanket around the baby in Finns arms and picked him up, holding the bottle up for him as he ate. Peppermint Butler then led us through the palace again, to the other side, where the tea room was. As we all walked—well, Bubblegum waddled and Marcy and Marshall floated—we chatted amongst ourselves a little. Marshall and Marceline talked about the Nightosphere and how similar Ooo was to Aaa. Cake talked to Bubblegum about parenting and giving her tips from our moms handbook, and Finn and I talked about how strange it was to be royalty now.
We sat down in the comfortable seats, Bubblegum and Marcy having to ease into their chairs with Finn's help, while Peppermint Butler served us all some hot tea and cocoa. I watched Finn, Marcy, and Bubblegum carefully. There wasn't an ounce of resentment or betrayal coming from any of them. They genuinely enjoyed being together. They loved each other. Just like Marshall, Gumball and I. Words couldn't really describe the feeling I felt when I saw them together, just being happy. It was like a total flip from how they were the last time I saw them, and it was a complete trip to see how similar things worked out. Then, for a brief moment, I wondered about pregnancy.
I stopped those thoughts short. Not for me. Not yet.
As everyone settled, I began to tell them my story. I told them about The Seeress, about watching my death, about seeing everything from that point on through the crystal, about the ether, and not really being dead or alive. Then, I told them about Billy and the Lich, and my plan for revenge.
"Wait wait wait wait wait, are you telling me that you're the daughter of Billy? The Hero of Ooo? And the Lich killed your mom? How… how is that even possible?" Finn asked in total disbelief. How did Finn know about Billy? And the Lich?
"How did—" I tried.
"It has been said that the Lich can exist in any universe for any amount of time, but he needs a portal to get there. Some scholars believe that he had a catalyst for these portals tucked away somewhere, but no one has any evidence to show for it," Bubblegum interrupted me, her mind going a million miles a minute.
"I guess that explains why you guys know the Lich, but what about Billy?" Marshall asked, just as curious as the rest of us.
"Well, I suppose it's possible that Billy, too, could exist in other universes…" Bubblegum speculated. "But that would mean that Billy had something to do with Finn's birth as well…"
Finn and I looked at each other in wonderment. I could tell that he and I were thinking the same thing: were we actually related?
I tried to push the thought away and change the subject. "It's just a lot to think about. I want to focus on taking out the Lich. The Seeress told me to return to her in three years' time, and I have a little more than a year left." Things went quiet for a moment as everyone began to think about everything I've said.
I broke the silence by asking about them; how they've been, what they've been up to, how things have been working out. We shared stories about the wedding, Finn told me all about his adventures and how he, too, hasn't seen much action lately, and they all went around and around about pregnancy and parenting.
We all talked like that for hours. We talked so much that the sun started to set, and Finn insisted that we stay the night in the castle. Cake was more than happy to stay. She wanted to play with the baby and talk some more with Marceline and Bubblegum about mom stuff. Marshall didn't care either way, and even though I missed Gumball, I decided a night couldn't hurt.
Marshall and I shared a bedroom that night, just the two of us. Even though he, Gumball and I all took time out to be with just one of us instead of two, it felt like I hadn't been truly alone with Marshall in forever. We snuggled together, wrapped up in the warm sheets by the fire, until I fell asleep in his arms.