MMH: edited 10/14/14. Please favorite (if you'd like) and review (always)!

I was pacing around Gumball's throne room thinking about where he and all the princes that were missing could be and I was starting to get a little pissed off. I was woken up in the middle of the night to hear a loud banging at the front door by his Royal Guards. Gumball had been kidnapped by the Ice Queen. Now here I was at five in the morning trying to figure out where she was all by myself. I was totally in the dark.

Where could she be hiding? Where?! Marshall knows where she is. Why don't you just…

I shook my head of that thought. I didn't need Marshall Lee. I didn't. Really.

Marshall. Marshall. Marshall.

"AUGH! SHUT UP! I DO NOT NEED MARSHALL!" My voice echoed throughout the halls of the Candy Kingdom. I would have been concerned about waking someone up if everyone weren't awake anyway, too busy worrying about their prince. I turned around and saw Cake sitting there with her eyes watching me intently.

"No one said you did. Maybe you should rest for a little bit, Fi." She said calmly.

"You know I can't do that! Maybe you could, like sniff her out?"

"I'm a cat; you're thinking of a dog. Cats only use their hearing to track something around their general location. I can only smell something up close..." I know she wasn't trying to seem apathetic, but it was driving me crazy.

"Then why the hell are you here, you useless cat?!" I glared at her. Cake remained quite unmoved by my hurtful outburst. She was pretty good at hiding her emotions.

"I am here because I am the only one who can and will put up with you when you're having a nervous breakdown. I am not useless. Once we find out the location, I can pounce on the Ice Queen and take her down." Cake did have a point and I felt bad for snapping at her.

"Sorry. Well, how can we find out her location?"

"I'm thinking. Do you think a Gunter is still at the Ice Kingdom?"

"Maybe. How can we get one of them to talk?"

"Use Mo-chro's voice translator thing. It can translate any creature anywhere." Cake's suggestion helped prove that my sister was definitely not useless.

"Okay. It's worth a shot." After asking Lord Monochromicorn for his Universal Translator, Cake and I headed off to the last place we saw the Ice Queen. The sun was just rising when Cake and I reached the Ice Kingdom. There was nothing but water and melting ice across the barren landscape.

She must have not been at here for a while. Her powers are wearing off on the ice. The once impenetrable castle was now nothing but a half-melted ice cube. The ice was crackled and threatened to fall at any moment. We looked around for anyone and found only one penguin huddled in a corner.

"Hey! Gunter!" I called out. The penguin turned around hopefully, but glared when it realized who we were. It quacked at us angrily and tried to peck me. "Wait a second. Hey, stop it! Let me put this on you."

The penguin continued to attack me so Cake wrapped her arms around him preventing him from doing anything more than struggle. I put the translator on him and was pecked again.

"What do you want you stupid human?" he asked. The unfortunate penguin was one of the oldest ones in the Ice Queen's army. He was most likely the first one she got.

"Can you tell us where the Ice Queen is?"

"Fuck you. If you hadn't come barging in causing a terrible ruckus, the Ice Queen wouldn't have left us."

"Us? Where are all the other penguins?" Cake asked. The penguin continued to glare at us and spat at the ground in disgust.

"Gone. They weren't very loyal to the Ice Queen, but I am. I'm waiting till she gets back."

"Just tell us where she might be and we'll bring you to her." I tried to compromise with him, but he wouldn't have it. He tried to wiggle out of Cake's arms but she refused to let go.

"No! I must wait here! I must protect this place from ruffians like you. I promised!"

"But you'll get hurt. This place is going to collapse at any second."

"Just leave me alone. She'll be back soon, then you'll see!"

It was absolutely heart-breaking to know that the Ice Queen was never going to come back. She left her penguins all alone but this one remained ever-faithful. After a couple minutes I spoke again.

"Okay. We'll leave, but only if you tell us where she is."

The penguin inspected me cautiously before answering. "Fine. She's one of the caves in the Unknown Lands. I don't know which one. She likes her privacy, even from me. Now leave!" Cake released him and he began to scratch me with the claws on his feet.

"Okay! Sheesh." I said. Cake and I left the castle and heard the penguin muttering to himself as we started to head for the Unknown Lands.

"Oh my! I must clean this place before she gets back. The Ice Queen will have my head if she thinks I threw a party without her…"

The Unknowns Lands were miles of mountains that no one had dared enter. They were never charted or even looked at up close before, hence the reason they were "unknown". The air was cold, presumably from the Ice Queen's presence.

"This is going to take forever," I said. I was mostly worried about Gumball and the other princes' well-being, but also slightly annoyed that the Ice Queen picked such a difficult location. Cake stood with her eyes closed listening for any sound that might have been a prince or the Ice Queen. After an unbearable silence, Cake's eyes snapped open and she ran towards a mountain not too far from where we were.

"I heard a groan over here. Hop on." I did as she told and she stretched her legs until we reached the opening of a cave. I climbed off of her and we both entered the cavern.

"Is the Ice Queen here?"

"No. She hasn't been here in hours."

"Any princes?" I asked.

"Only one."

"Fionna?" His voice was so faint. It didn't sound like he was far away, but more like that was as loud as he could be. I turned towards his voice and saw Gumball's contorted body slumped up beside the wall.

"Gumball!" I ran towards him, but he stopped me before I got too close.

"Wait…K-Keep away from me." He wheezed in a panic and my heart dropped.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what's going on. The last thing I remember… was when we were at the castle and you attacked me." His eyes closed and tried to focus on what was happening. He was so pale and he held his right arm as if it were broken.

"It was the Ice Queen, PG."

"I don't… understand. You, you were there when…"

"I would never hurt you. I promise. You're my best friend." I blinked back the crying that would inevitably come and he didn't respond. His left arm dropped and all pain fell from his face. Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt his heartbeat grow faint. "Gumball? Please, please don't leave me. Cake! We have to get him out of here now."

"Baby, I don't think…"

I didn't want to hear what she was going to say. "CAKE! Help me! P-please. I don't know what I'd do without him. We, we ha-have to save him."

I was beginning to become hysterical. Gumball couldn't die. I wouldn't allow it. Cake stretched out so I could get on and I held onto Gumball as if my life depended on it. We got to the Candy Kingdom and ran straight to his room, ignoring the concerned patrons awoken by our commotion.

"We need a doctor!" Caked called out. Hours later Cake and I were outside Gumball's room waiting for the doctor to come out. Finally the ice cream doctor retreated from the room and came up to me.

"He's hurt quite badly. Most of his organs are crushed. His right femur, his right humerus, and all of his ribs are broken. We're lucky that he's still alive. He would be in too much pain if he were conscious, so we put him in medically induced coma until he can take it."

"What happened?" I asked softly. I couldn't stand the guilt. I knew that she would try to kill the princes she didn't marry, but I had thought that Gumball would be safe.

"Since there is no eye-witness we aren't sure. However, we suspect that he was most likely thrown up against the wall and severely beaten."

"Can we, can we see him?"

"Of course." He replied warmly. Cake remained outside while I entered the room. It was dark and I heard a faint beeping sound.

"Hello?" I said unsurely.

"Shhh."

My eyes began adjusting to the darkness and I saw a nurse sitting down in the corner taking some notes.

"Can he hear us?" I went up to Gumball's bed and rested my hand on his. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the nurse flinch.

"I doubt it." Then why the fuck did you just shush me? I stood there just staring at him for a while. His once pale skin was starting to return to normal, but he still looked terrible. I had probably stayed there for a good thirty minutes just staring at him. It was beginning to get late and I had to go home to rest.

"Do you think you could tell me when he wakes up?"

"Why should I?" She spat rudely. Excuse you? I tried to be polite, but my attitude was still noticeable in my voice.

"Well, I'm his best friend."

"Funny; the last person Prince Gumball saw before he was kidnapped was you. The person who brought him back almost dead was you. I don't trust you and I don't think Prince Gumball does either. Why would he consider you his best friend?" The look on her face was that of utmost repulsion.

Gumball would have never let her speak to me like that if he were awake. At least, I hoped he wouldn't. Though I opened my mouth to defend myself, nothing came out. I quietly left the room and walked past Cake, who was waiting outside.

"Sweetie, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." I continued home with Cake at my side attempting to comfort me. She does have a point though. You were trusted with Gumball's life and it was almost lost. Because of you. Gumball is almost dead because of you. You are worthless.

I sat there on the couch with a blanket around my shoulders and a cup of tea in my hand. I hadn't moved an inch since we had gotten home. I wasn't sure exactly how long that was. Cake moved all around the house for some reason, but I just continued to stare in front of me not shifting my line of sight. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I wasn't crying or sobbing or even throwing up. I just couldn't do anything. BMO tried to get my attention by hopping up on my lap and playing a song he had made up, but I was too spaced out to notice.

"Baby, get away from Fionna. She's not in the mood." BMO made a dejected noise before I felt him get off of me and scuttle away. I don't think BMO had met Gumball. He might never be able to. My muscles were starting to ache from not moving for a while, but I remained where I was.

"Fi, I'm going to the Candy Kingdom to visit Mo-Chro. He's looking over Gumball right now."

"Okay."

"Do you want to come with?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Cake paused for a moment. I knew that she was thinking. 'I really shouldn't leave her like this, but my baby's hurtin' too. Maybe I should just stay and ask him to come over.' "Go Cake."

She nodded and gave me a hug before she left. Once I knew she was far enough away, my whole body began to shake. I stood up screaming and then threw the mug of tea at the wall. It broke into dozens of pieces and the tea pooled around the broken china. I felt my legs grow weak and I collapsed. I could feel my lungs tighten and I couldn't breathe. I sobbed until my voice was cracked and sore. My face was probably all red and splotchy. My shirt was soaked with tears.

"Fi?" I looked up and saw Marshall Lee standing there.

"Get away from me." He stood there astounded. I didn't sound angry, like I should have. I sounded like I had no reason to live. I just sounded small and pathetic.

"Fi, let me get you up to bed."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"Well at least let me help you up."

"You could hurt me." I whimpered.

"What are you talking about?"

"How do I know you're not the Ice Queen? She can be anybody. She was me when she kidnapped Gumball. She was probably me when she stole the scroll. Why can't she be you?"

"She can only turn into people that she's touched. Do you think I'd let her grubby paws touch me?" he smiled at me sadly and I looked down at the ground. Well I let her grubby paws touch me…

"How do I know you're not lying, like before?" That came out a bit more callous that I intended. I really wasn't trying to be spiteful, just careful.

"I will never lie to you again, Fi… I promise." If I were able, I probably would have pounced on him and hugged him. But that didn't mean I was going to forgive him so quickly. I just needed comfort, is all.

Just keep telling yourself that.

Without saying anything else, he picked me up, carried me up the stairs, tucked me in, and then crawled in bed with me. He held me and I cried.

"Why would she try to kill him, Marshall?" I had watched my best friend whom I loved almost die. I was going to get revenge for Gumball. Even if it took my whole life, I would kill the Ice Queen.

"I don't know Fi, but I do know that we'll stop her. I love you too much to let you down again."