Chapter XV, Fiends and Bones

The night didn't go all that well for the green fiend. Not only hardly anyone payed attention to his majestic being, locked away in a cage downstairs, but as soon as the music began to pour through the chambers and corridors, everyone simply forgot about his existence. It wasn't all that bad. He did enjoyed sleeping a lot and that opportunity was given to him in great numbers. But as the morning came, grim news awaited for the feline. The cat left in a hurry as soon as the lemons told him about the girls disappearance. They apparently simply decided to go on without him. How could he miss such an opportunity? Why no one told him that? The pink girl's connections with Death were simply too convenient to pass upon. So he began to run, through the forests, through the meadows, through the fields. But there was no trail in the air. Nothing he could catch up to. No sweet scent, magically leading him to his ultimate prize. No demon stench that would indicate the other being. Or the one in the princess head.

"Come on dear, I know you are somewhere out there." He thought deeply. "But were you here? That's the question." Apparently his approximate knowledge of many things wasn't all that helpful in this very moment. Nothing he came up with bared any sense. "Pale cheeks... come on, I thought you like me... no trail?" He looked closely on the road. "Anything? Some steps? Arrows for me? Fish signs? Disappointed!"

Still, he sniffed around. Every path leads somewhere. This one should be no exception and unraveling that mystery should take him closer to the two. Then, he could perhaps bargain with the pink girl at some point. Yes, he would like that. Maybe he could weasel out of the deal one way or another. But just as those thoughts occupied his little feline mind, someone approached. A crude looking fellow, with a coat made of fur and a rather pointy, yellow hat.

"Hey. Hobo. Saw two girls around here?" The cat looked at him curiously. "Ugh. You look like someone spat you out after much chewing."

This weird being twitched around for a bit, almost like a bag of jelly, before he eventually leaned towards the creature. The fiend sensed something within him. Something that he didn't quite liked, therefore he quickly made a step back.

"You know. Believe it or not, I'm not really a beggar. I'm actually..."

"Magnificent Man?" The daemon scratched his cheek. "Yes."

"Close, kitty." He threw away his coat, revealing himself. "Magic Man! So, kitty. Just because I just met you, and I like you already, I'll have an offer for you." He giggled with an annoying, high pitched voice. "Normally, I choose what to change you into. But this time, you have the opportunity to do so."

"Great..." His fur ruffled. "Another lunatic."

"Now now, kitty afraid? Shouldn't be he, for many great things await for... thy!"

And just as he said that, he pointed both of his hands right at the cat. Despite the incantations and the ways they glittered, nothing happened. So he tried that once again and again, yet all the efforts were futile. The magician made a somersault and put out his wand. As it's beam hit the creature, once more – nothing happened.

"Tsk tsk." The fiend made a step forward. "Trying to cast a spell on me?" His tail began to wave back and forth. "Magic won't work just like that on me you see." His teeth glittered. "So you better have strong hands at your disposal..."

"My oh my, and my, quite the riddle. But there's a string for every fiddle!" He began conjuring once more. "Directly, perhaps not, it's true. But what if I'll hit you with just a shoe?"

Before the daemon could even blink, birds began to fly around the caster. As their flesh come outside within the grasp of his twisted magic, one by one they flew directly at his foe, like little blob missiles. The fiend dodged them with great precision, splashing some of them with his claws, as blood began to pour onto his fur. That only encouraged the man to put up more tricks from his sleeve. As he waved his wand, rocks began to emerge right from the ground, turning into giant feet that tried to smash the cat, or at least kick him hard enough. He was way too fast for that as well, as his slim body began to slide between, like a slippery snake. When that failed, the conjurer shattered his creations, only to link them into one big mess of stone and flesh resembling a human being, that charged right at the fiend. It managed to catch his tail and fling him right into the ground, which the being began to pummel with great strength..

"Yes, yes! Kitty will change." He began to laugh. "Kitty will change into a pond!"

But just as the man shouted out those words, his creation stopped, as it's head was sliced in two. The cat gracefully jumped down, as the formation crumbled right behind him.

"How the kitty does those things, does this kitty does the tales?"

The daemon just grinned as numerous reflections began to simply jump out of his body. They all smiled menacingly, like an army from Cheshire.

"To kill a mirror, so brave of you." One of them said. "Let's play the guess game, huh?" Said another. "I have some magic in me too, you know? Try to hit me, alright?" Third one stated. "You want to know the jest of it?" Fourth one chuckled. "Only crazies can see me like that." Fifth one yawned. "Enjoying your wizard eyes now?"

Last one screamed, as all of them began to charge at the magician. He almost danced with his wand, trying to hit as many of them as he could. He tossed all that came into his way, branches that he almost instantly turned into swords as they flew by, rocks that he forged into steel, packs of dirt shifted into acid. But as much as he tried to repel this phantom army, more simply came by. But Magic Man wasn't the one who would just give up like that, oh no. He used all the force he gathered, to sprout rings of fire all around himself, blazing everything in it's path. And just when the last reflection faded away, just as he wanted to spew another nonsense from his petty mouth, a small cat like being appeared right before him.

"Pick a boo."

The fiend smacked him right onto his face and as the magician's body felt on the ground, he stomped right on his chest.

"So. Back to my question." He leaned towards him. "You saw the girls?"

"Kitty, kitty..."

"So you saw them or not?..." The daemon pressed harder. "Mystic Man?"

"Oho, oho ho-ho!" His eyes widened, almost as if he saw something astonishing. "The kitty is angry, because, because, the kitty sees Death everywhere he goes." He began to laugh, despite the fact that the paws above almost pierced his skin. "The kitty wants to get rid of the debt, but kitty's unable to swipe it off yet!" The man giggled. "Why is kitty so afraid, no more lives for him to play?"

"You little..."

Just as he decided to crush this little pathetic being, Magic Man simply faded away, disappearing in a cloud of sparkling dust.

"Bah."

The fiend said to himself, as he coughed a couple of times from all the powder. So he won't squeeze any answer from this one it would seem. He still lacked the trail to follow and a scent to lead him. And as if it couldn't get any worse, he sensed that a downpour is coming. Thus, the cat began his search for a temporary hideout. Luckily for him it was far easier than finding the two missing lovers, as a small cavern almost greeted him within it's crude walls. And as the dark clouds slowly came closer and closer, covering the sky in full, he began to ponder.

"Storm is coming. Not good, not good..." He curled up. "But why it's not good? I don't know..." The cat yawned loudly after that. "Well. No point in thinking about it right now, huh? Hopefully the rain will slow the lovebirds down as well..."

###

Death was quite occupied it would seem, as this time he made figurines from sand. His hands delicately molded their frames, weighting each and every grain to obtain perfection. He already made the Lich, Marceline, Lemongrabs, the cat as well as the Flame King. The only one that left for him to finish, was Bubblegum herself. Just as he formed her crown and put it right atop of her head, a portal appeared, as the mint candy emerged from within it.

"Hey minty." He said, hardly even paying attention to him. "What brings you around?"

"Hey. Death." He shrugged. "Not much, curiosity. Worries. The usual."

"I see." The skeleton said, as he stroked the figurine's cheeks. "Well, you're just in time. I've almost finished."

"Finished what?"

"The past." The dead one playfully swirled around the sand vampire. "The future." He stopped before the Lich and broke one of his horns. "The present."

"Death?"

He just snapped his fingers. The two lemon beings began to chat with themselves, yet no words passed through their mouths. Their surface constantly moved, as the shifting sands on their skin looked almost like a plague of worms. It was kind of grotesque.

"Creations. Finally gaining what they wanted. Finally being themselves." He shook his head. "They're somewhat happy now, aren't they, minty?" He sighted. "What it feels like, minty? Happiness. Good, right? It should be that way."

"I don't..."

The skeleton clicked with his teeth and the two beings began to laugh, as they succumbed into the dunes. They finally became one with it, in their last sour note. Death quickly appeared right next to the Flame King. As he placed his hand over the statue's shoulder, it came to life as well. Sand on his head shook back and forth, imitating the fires.

"Will he find reason?" The dead one shrugged. "Old wounds are never healed." He tapped himself on the chest. "We gather deep there the consequences of our choices."

The ember being still stood calmly, looking right into Death's eyes. One could say that he was completely aware of what's going on around him. At least that's what Peppermint thought to himself as he looked at the two.

"And then. We live with it. For the rest of our... existence." He chuckled a bit with a bitter voice as he scratched the statue on the chin. "Half of the kingdom. Half of the pride. Half of your life. Half of a king."

With a swift swipe, he pierced the statue's chest, pulling out a beating, sand heart. The creation was blown away by the wind and so was the contraption in Death's hand. He just gazed at it emotionless, as he turned towards the Lich.

"He looks fierce, don't he minty?"

"You are acting weird today..." He paused. "Weirder than usual."

He touched the thing on it's forehead. The decaying fiend acted just the same as he normally did. It's sand figurine began to shout without words while waving it's hands and trying to cast incantations. They were probably meant to destroy the two observers, but the creature hardly comprehended that he's made of sand and has no real power.

"I should really praise him in a way."

"Are you out of your..."

"He was the end of so many." He took a step closer. "He almost worshiped me in a way. And yet he failed. Since I hardly care about him."

The skeleton simply stomped onto the dunes and the figurine before him was devoured in a burst of sand, almost as if something ate it from down below. That finally made him smile, if only for a little bit. He then turned to the cat. It would seem that the little being hardly concerned him, as almost instantly he blew in his direction, as the sculpture shattered. Only two figures remained. He didn't even needed to touch them, as within his gaze, they instantly came to life.

"Two little curious butterflies, aren't they minty?"

"That they are." The candy nodded, as he came a bit closer. "Is there any reason to all of this?"

"You must be quite proud of her." He ignored him completely. "Hunson should be proud about the other one. You should tell him that one day..."

"What's wrong with you?"

Marceline bowed before Bubblegum and kissed on her hand. As they made their pleasantries, smiles appeared on their loose faces. Eventually, the girls began to dance with themselves, as their sand dresses become one. As they embraced each other in their arms. As they kissed. As they apparently whispered things to themselves. Happy things. Pleasant things. Cheerful things that made them giggle. The skeleton just looked.

"There are places... that we ache to go again."

"Death?"

"The doors are shut however. And we lack the key." He shook his head. "So we make numerous attempts to make ourselves feel better about... ourselves."

There was no fire in his eyes this time. No sparks appeared as his creations spanned around in their joyful dance. As they hold each others hands. As they delicately smudged one another. As their sand hands stroked their loose bodies. If they were real, they would probably felt warmth as their little frames collided.

"And in the end minty..." The skeleton sighted. "...it's all the same, over, and over, and over..."

The two stopped their plays and began to gaze directly at him, almost as if they waited for his words. And he stared back. It looked almost as if he hesitated with each brief moment he looked into their faces. Even if in the end, they were simply made from sand.

"To swirl around..." Once again they began to dance in uncontrollable matter. "Laugh..." They caught each others hands as they spanned. It would seem that they're really happy. "Look into someone's eyes..." One of the girls knelt before another. But this time, it wasn't about vows. As her sandy hands took out a small box and opened it right before her other half, the joy was even greater. Peppermint just looked at Death's doings and smiled a bit. Deep inside he knew however that it won't end just like that. "Love..." The one that still stood jumped around, as it was the happiest moment in her life. She began to kiss the other one with such passion, almost as if they lips were never meant to detach. "Longing..." But the other one quickly disappeared. And so did the token of her appreciation. Of her adoration. "Loneliness..." So one of them was completely alone in this world. She began to wonder aimlessly, as more and more grains of sand started to fell from her body. "Duties..." The remaining girl felt on her knees, weeping after the one she lost. "My duty..." She finally succumbed onto the ground, as her body began to melt, slowly returning to the dunes. "The irony begins, when duty brings the end to another. That sometimes, we do care..." Death finally came closer. "We are meant to remember. All things. All the time..." He reached her hand... "But sometimes, we would love to remember it otherwise..."...and pulled her up. She gazed at him questioningly, as her body still shivered. "We wish it would be otherwise." The skeleton glanced at the place where the previous lover disappeared. He puffed slightly and almost instantly, she appeared once again. The other one rushed towards her without even looking at him. "To live with the choices..." And as they embraced themselves once again, they simply waited. Gust of wind came out from his mouth again and they both shattered, as the blow took away each and every single grain. "To die with the choices..."

He finally turned back to Peppermint, as the sands flew all around his skeletal body. The candy just stood in the back, trying to comprehend what he just saw.

"They're fine." Death just stated calmly. "That's what you came here for, yes?"

"I... yes."

"They're fine, but they'll need more than just luck and sweet words soon."

"And you?"

"I'll be where I were all that time." His words were cold. "Nothing changed about that."

The candy pondered. He was just about to leave, as clearly the host of this place wasn't in a mood to talk about things. Yet, he couldn't tame his curiosity, as he needed to ask one more question before he'll departure.

"Was that about them?" He glanced at Death. "Or was it about..."

"Do not venture into places you should not, Peppermint Butler."