So far, Marshall Lee is winning the poll. So for all of you Farlie shippers, if you want Charlie to win, GO AND VOTE! Honestly, it can go either way but some might not like the results of one or the other. Remember, they are both ideas that I've been thinking about so they aren't random at all. The poll will be closed by the end of this week (Sunday) so vote vote vote!
I'm still accepting song ideas so PM me your song. Your name shall be used and you will be credited. Another song by Chelsie the Vampire Adventure shall be used in this little chapter so thank you again for your entry.
And the new cover photo for this story was drawn by yours truly. And that boy? That's CHARLIE! Well, that's how I imagined and designed him. :3 And the Fionna beside him was inspired by one of the covers for the Fionna and Cake comics so all credit for Fionna goes to the original artist. Otherwise, it's all freehand and original.
Disclaimer: Uh... Let me check... no. No I don't own it.
The sun was peeking behind the clouds and mist was rolling over the dusty road. Charlie and Fionna were pressing onward, Adam flying overhead, chirping pleasantly to himself. The wind was bustling by, making the air cool and crisp. The two travelers were wearing their sweaters to keep the cold off their skin. Rain would come down in sheets and then disappear as if nothing had been there. The ground was dotted with puddles and occasionally, one of them would step in one, shake off the water, and press on. The journey seemed to be going on forever but they knew it was coming to a close. Charlie predicted they only had one to two days until they arrived. And Fionna wasn't ready just yet.
The sinking feeling in her stomach was making her shake. She just wanted it to be over, find out what exactly happened, and go home to her friends, Charlie in tow. She hated feeling so nervous. So frightened. It wasn't like her to be this scared about anything. She was Fionna the Human! She wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything.
The sound of Adam's flapping wings was cut off by a swooping noise as he dove down to grab a mouse on the ground. The sky indicated that it was late afternoon and Charlie felt his stomach growl. He clutched it slightly, turning to Fionna.
"Hungry?" he asked.
She shrugged. "A little. I'll just take some jerky."
They stopped and moved over to the side of the road. They sat on the ground as Charlie dug through his bag for some food. Fionna was plucking distractedly at her socks, which weren't really white anymore, watching the sky with cast-over eyes. Charlie handed her a piece of jerky and she took it, munching on it absentmindedly.
"You doing all right?" he asked her, eating his own piece of jerky.
"No." She shook her head and sighed. "I just feel like this adventure is about to come to an end in a way we're not expecting. I don't think we'll find out what exactly happened to the humans in the crater."
"Why not?" Charlie said.
"Because there aren't any," she finalized. "What's the point, huh? We're probably the only humans left and the others were blown to bits or shot or murdered by the Lich or-."
"Fionna, stop!"
She looked up at him quickly. The sound of Adam flying overhead the only noise they could hear. The moment of silence struck the two for a few seconds before Fionna glared at him.
"Stop what? Being realistic?" Fionna said, crossing her arms and tossing her food across the ground, appetite lost.
"No. Stop acting like an idiot!" Charlie said. She gaped at him. "You really think that we're the last ones? Fionna, we found one another. That's proof it's a possibility for there to be more than just two humans on this earth. You're smarter than this. I understand that fear is eating you from the inside out but remember that you have me to help you." He smiled softly at her. "I'm terrified about finding out the truth, Fi. But that's only natural human behavior. I promise, we'll face whatever there is to offer together."
Fionna put her head into her hands. "Glob, I've been acting like such a coward. I hate feeling like this."
"Don't worry about it, Fionna," Charlie said. "We'll find out what we need to."
She looked at him again. "You don't think this is silly."
He chuckled. "Well... a little over the top, sure, but not silly."
She laughed. "I think I need to take a breather. I'm gonna take a walk, okay?"
"Sure."
Fionna stood and walked away from their little makeshift camp. Adam was flying over to Charlie and the two started to speak as Fionna continued to stroll around the wasteland. The wind blew by, making her bangs flutter into her face. She pushed them back and mumbled something about the wind being stupid. She rubbed her arms as a light drizzle made its way down to the earth. Fionna shivered but didn't look back. She knew Charlie was keeping an eye on her.
It's not that she resented Charlie or anything. She was just so confused about all that was going on with them and whether or not she liked him. Fionna just wanted this mess to be over too. Not just to end of the journey but the end of all her confusion with this. Was being the last human her destiny and finding Charlie was just a push towards repopulation. Kind of unfair. It made her feel a little obligated. Charlie had said not to feel that way but...
Frustrated, Fionna kicked a rock hard and sent it flying. She clenched her fists and started to run. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible to think straight. She ignored his calls and pressed forward, tears stinging her eyes. Why? Why was she stuck with these feelings and why was Charlie being so insensitive?"
He wasn't. That was the problem. She was so used to complicated relationships with guys. One never actually liked her, the other burned her every time they tried to lock lips, and the other one was so frustrating. Charlie was the only thing that seemed normal.
Fionna came to an abrupt stop and crumpled to her knees, sitting down and pressing her forehead into the palms of her hands.
"I should have never kissed Marshall," she said. "I should have never kissed Charlie. Why do I have to be the one with all this junk to deal with?" She flopped onto her back and watched the clouds swirl above her like someone was stirring them together. "Love sucks, huh, Cake?" Fionna's eyes widened as she heard herself speak those words. She felt a pang strike through her heart and tears rolled down her eyes. She was so close to the end of her quest and knew that home was after all this ended. She would see everyone again and feel closure. Become reunited with the very people she left behind. All she wanted was another girl to talk to and listen to. Was that too much to ask?
Fionna's arms crossed behind her head and lifted it up a little, to make her more comfortable. She closed her eyes and let the last of the tears fall, feeling so glad that she cried for the first time in a long time. There hadn't been any real reason to cry like this before. Fionna hated crying but it was always refreshing to do so every once and a while. The adventurer let out a long sigh and opened her eyes, standing up and dusting off her clothes. There really wasn't a point since her clothes were layered in dust but she did it anyway. Feeling better, she turned on her heel and made her way over to her two companions, who were waiting patiently for her to return.
"Are you okay?" Charlie said. He was standing, Adam hovering overhead, Fionna's bag and sword in hand. Fionna nodded and smiled.
"Much better," she said, taking her stuff from him. "Thanks." She quietly took his hand and they walked to the road, hitting the cracked pavement, and walking to their destination.
Miles away, in the home of the Vampire King, Marshall Lee was resting on his couch, strumming his axe guitar and mumbling a few notes to himself. Fionna had been gone for so long, Marshall had stopped counting the days. So did Cake and Gumball and just about anyone who knew of Fionna's departure months and months ago. It's not like they didn't care but they thought that, since it was such a long period of time, that it was pointless to continue their countdown.
The vampire was venting in a little rap, plucking his strings in a beat he was able to follow with ease.
Here I am
Do you know me
I mean truly med
Don't you remember how we spent our days
How you'd always make me laugh
How you'd protect me from the darkness
Don't you remember me
Don't you remember your fiance
You said that you loved him like me
And don't you remember you?
How smart you were
How loving you were
How much of a mother you were
...To me
Marshall grinned a little as he thought about Ice Queen. He had gone up there that night to begin yet another long evening of trying to get her to remember something. But she was already at it, searching through news clippings and muttering to herself. Without a word, Marshall had left her alone, proud that she had finally gotten the hang of independence in this journey to get her memory back.
Don't you remember how we spent our days
Don't you remember your fiance
Don't you remember you?
Don't you remember me?
Don't you remember anything?
He heaved a sigh and halted his playing. Someone knocked gently on the door and he allowed them entry. Cake and Gumball walked inside, looking a little confused and annoyed.
"You could have told us you weren't going to go up to Ice Queen's today," Cake said, putting her paws on her hips. "We walked all the way up there and you were nowhere to be found."
"It was a little out of our way," Gumball said.
"Aw, calm down ya weenies," Marshall said with a smirk. "Didn't you see her though? Trying to learn it on her own. I think we owe her a little alone time, don't you?"
"Perhaps..." Gumball said, starting to agree.
"Uh-uh. What if she's faking it?" Cake said.
"Why in Glob's name would she do that?" Marshall demanded, his eyes glowing dangerously.
Cake's tail frizzed. "To stop us from coming."
"Was she doing it when you arrived?" Marshall asked, looking at Gumball.
The Candy King nodded shortly, starting to take Cake's suggestion to consideration. Marshall rolled his eyes.
"She's not faking it," he said. "Ice Queen, in reality, would look less intrigued than the woman I saw in there. She's not the best actor..."
"That's true," Cake said, giggling a little. "I don't think she's ever convinced anyone of anything."
"It was never her strong point," Gumball agreed with a smile. "Maybe she is really trying."
Marshall got off of his hard couch and floated over to the kitchen, the other two following him. "Let's just pray that some miracle comes out of this and gets her memory to return."
"What's the likeliness of that?" Cake said.
They looked at Gumball, who was calculating the odds in his head. He frowned.
"About ten thousand to one," he said.
The three of them sighed and simply hoped for the best.
Meanwhile, the journey continued on. That evening was spent walking. They didn't want to waste anymore time getting to the crater. It was an unknown place but they were finally ready to face it. Fionna was now walking in front, Charlie checking the map behind her, and Adam flying circles above them like a vulture.
"We're almost there," Charlie said. "About ten miles..."
Fionna looked up from the ground and saw, to her surprise, that a huge dip in the horizon waited for the three of them. They all paused and stared at the gigantic crater that was almost taunting them from a distance. They were close... very close. The adventure was coming to an end.
"I think we should stop," Fionna said.
"But you were the one who said we should keep going and make it there by morning," Adam pointed out.
"I'm changing my mind," she said.
Charlie knew that Fionna didn't want to get to the crater just yet. He agreed with Fionna and they set up a small camp for the night. Adam went to sleep at once, tucking his head behind his wing and settling in the dust. Fionna unrolled her sleeping bag and snuggled inside. Beside her, Charlie followed her example. They laid next to one another, watching the clouds meander their way across the night sky. Stars would occasionally peek out and wink at them and then disappear behind another gathering of clouds.
"We're gonna do this," Fionna said. "Together." She turned her head to face him. He wasn't looking at her. He was simply smiling up at the clouds. But he nodded gently.
"Together. And then we'll go home together," he promised.
"Sounds good," she said with a grin.
The next morning, they didn't stop for breakfast. They rolled up there sleeping bags and hit the road once more. And before they knew it, they reached a huge wreckage. The road looked as if it had been blown apart and maimed. Charlie was looking at the pieces and was thinking about how they used to look as a single street. Buildings were still crumbling and the frames of buildings were feebly standing. A gust of wind could easily knock those things down. Cars were overturned and skeletons that hadn't been disintegrated yet were lying around. But in the middle of the wreck was the hug, gaping maw of the crater. The very heart of the human extinction. The three of them couldn't breathe. Their breath was literally trapped in their throats, unsure of what to do next.
Fionna made the first move. She gripped Charlie's hand and led the way, hiking down the empty crater. Adam was too afraid to move so he promised to stay in the wreckage and would wait for them to finish their little exploration. The two humans nodded and continued down the face of the crater. It seemed to be made of layers and the first layer was what they would actually go on. Further down was a long and wide pool of radioactive waste and below that was the hot core of the earth, bubbling upwards. Fionna could feel the radioactivity and the core's heat radiating towards she and Charlie. They both agreed not to go near that.
Fionna walked forward, ready to explore the wreckage in the hole and let go of Charlie's hand. Charlie followed but found his foot in something wet. He looked down and saw that he had stepped in a puddle from the rain.
"Charlie?" Fionna questioned, looking over her shoulder.
He smiled. "It's nothing, Fi. I'm right behind you. Just a little puddle." He walked after her and they began their search of the crater.
Very short, I know. I'm really sorry. I guess I can't really make excuses. Bad, ATHPluver. Very bad for making it too short!
Again, VOTE on who you want Fionna to end up with at the end. Remember, both endings are ideas so they aren't just being thrown out there for fillers or anything.
Thank you, Chelsie the Vampire Adventure for your song. I appreciate the entry.
And, as always, see you next time!