"Mow."
Somewhere, a cave owl hooted.
"Mrow."
Swamp frogs croaked.
"Mrooow."
Batting at the dangling fingers with her paw, the white zombie cat meowed insistently up at the vampire floating above his bed, where he'd been sulking for the past three nights.
Oh sure, he'd hovered away from his bed a few times, he even attempted tidying the generally messy little shack. But not once did he go farther than his own wooden porch, choosing instead to stay inside and hate the world without.
Floating on his side, one arm clutching a pillow under his head, the other hanging listlessly below him, the Vampire King appeared to be sleeping at first glance, but upon closer inspection, Marshall's black eyes were open and he was looking at some spot on the wall. He wasn't sure what it was or how long it had been there, but it kind of looked like a bat. Cool.
Schwarbelle batted at his fingers again and Marshall absently floated a little lower, scratching her ears and earning himself a purr of approval.
He stayed like that for a moment until sucking in a sudden breath, the vampire dropped his pillow and floated onto his back, glaring up at the ceiling.
"What the hell am I doing?" He growled, angry all over again. "Why the fuck am I listening to Prince Pinkboy?" The vampire gave a toneless laugh. "You can't banish me!"
He was suddenly down by his door, hand resting on the rusty knob. Marshall Lee chuckled, already plotting what he'd do to terrorize the Candy people this time. Oh yes, Prince Gumball would have to be reminded the hard way what happened to those who pissed off the Vampire King.
But the door stayed shut and the grey hand gradually slid off it.
It had been three nights since Gumball had told him about Applebottom. Three nights since he'd broken things in Fionna's house and three nights since Gumball had him forcibly ejected from the Candy Kingdom.
"I don't even care." He snarled, eyes flashing red. Taking a deep breath, Marshall blinked a few times, swallowing back the rage and the hurt that were beginning to well inside him again. "I don't care." He repeated, grinding it out between his teeth. "If Prince Gumwad wants to mack on slimy, tasteless lumps of fruit, he's more than welcome."
By rights, the door knob should've been a twisted lump of metal with the intense, heated glare Marshall was giving it.
"I don't fucking care!" Marshall Lee growled again, eyes flashing, nails growing longer as he suddenly looked around for something to destroy.
His gaze fell onto a hapless couch cushion and with a roar of rage he seized it.
"Don't you come crying to ME when it all blows up in your fucking pink little face, Gumball!" Feathers and chunks of fabric flew about the room as Marshall mercilessly destroyed the cushion. "Applebottom is going to fuck you! And then he's gonna dump you!" The vampire cackled. "I told you Gumball. I told you and you wouldn't listen. No... No... You know Applebottom better than a thousand year old vampire who's seen everything!"
Schwarbelle crawled under Marshall's bed as the Vampire King gave way to his rage and hurt once again, shrieking the entire fight Prince Gumball aloud, reliving it with himself as he found the last few things in his house he hadn't destroyed yet.
Posters were ripped off the walls, a rug was torn up, a vase with grey roses exploded as the Vampire King struck it.
"And then you- You!" Gripping at his hair, Marshall slunk down into a table chair, rage leaking from his body and leaving behind an empty, sad feeling. "You said... You..."
It was a good thing zombie cats couldn't talk. But then, no one would've believed Schwarbelle anyway if she'd told them Marshall Lee, Prince of the Nightosphere, had cried.
It wasn't as though it was the first time someone had such things to him. And it definitely wasn't as though what Gumball had said and done were the worst that had ever happened to him. No. All things considered, compared to past things, it had been relatively easy, something that he should've been able to brush off like sugar dust.
So why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like a stake in his cold, still heart? Why had the dead blood in his veins burn hot and why did he globdamned care so much? It was only Prince Pinkandfuckingperfect, not anybody actually important.
Marshall Lee gave a hollow, choking laugh.
Except he didn't care. He didn't. It wasn't as if some part of him actually liked Gumball and had been kind of, but not really hoping that maybe the Candy Prince sorta, but not exactly at least thought of him as a friend. Globdammit.
Globfuckingdammit.
Scratching the surface of the table, Marshall sniffed and looked up. He was hungry. Maybe that was his problem. He hadn't had any red in days. That was why he was so emotional - no food could do that to anyone.
Like he actually cared about Gumball not thinking he was worth shit.
Leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his inky black hair, the vampire took a steadying breath. Glad to have finally figured out what the actual problem was. He'd have to go get something to eat, there wasn't anything red left in his house.
But not the Candy Kingdom. He wouldn't go to the Candy Kingdom – not because he'd been banished, but because it was boring as all hell.
But where would he go to get food? Maybe Fionna's... Nah, she'd wanna talk about Prince Pinkshitforbrains.
A thought suddenly struck the vampire and slow smile spread across his face. He knew the perfect place to go get some red – he might even hang out there for awhile.
~
"Murder! MURDER!" Screaming, the strawberry man fell to his knees, clutching at the vines growing along the ground, their once luscious, red fruit a sickly grey, as though the very life had been sucked out of them.
The Fruit Kingdom had a dark secret – a terrible dark secret.
As far as all the other Kingdoms were concerned, the Fruit Kingdom was a happy, joyful place with nothing wrong and Prince Applebottom had every intention of keeping it that way.
But his precious Kingdom had been plagued recently; plagued a black spot of terror.
There was a monster hiding out in the lush orchards of his Kingdom.
It had started a month ago and it had started within the castle grounds. An entire red delicious apple tree had been the first victim.
Prince Applebottom had woken to the screaming of some Grape maids and after running to see what was amiss, he'd found the tree – and the fruit lying scattered in the grass around it, completely drained of red pigment and flavour.
The next night it was a cranberry bush out in the city and then raspberries and then finally, one of his own precious dark red cherry trees fell to creature; the Vampire.
For that was what Applebottom knew it to be. A vampire. What other monster from the Nightosphere drank the very colour of life from things?
But there hadn't been any Vampires in his Kingdom for little over a century, so the Prince was completely baffled as to why one was there now. Heading into the second month of the nightly attacks – for that is what the Fruit People considered them – the Prince was losing his patience.
It wasn't just the fruit plants. Soldiers he'd sent out to track down the creature would be found days later in strange places, nearly drained of all colour and babbling uselessly – terrified of unseen things.
"Dammit!" Cursing, the Fruit Prince slammed his fist down on the table in front of him, striking a large X through 's field on the map before him. The map looked like a strange game of tic tac toe. The blue X's marking where the vampire had struck, the circles marking where he'd found what was left of his Dragonfruit Soldiers.
"Highness... A letter from the Candy Kingdom." The Grape maid curtsied at him and Prince Applebottom regained his composure, taking the sugar paper from the woman.
"Yes, thank you." He sent her away with a curt nod, unfolding the paper and leaning back against the table to read it, his expression softening. Prince Gumball was so sweet. Too sweet, really.
Soon, Prince Applebottom was penning a new letter to Gumball having decided the vampire dilemma could wait a few more moments.
Unfortunately for him, the vampire in question didn't wait, nor did he leave/
Marshall Lee had found his old hidden house in the Forest of Oranges and Kiwi and had set himself up there. He hadn't so much as looked at the place in years, so it was in serious disrepair and smelled like apple cider, but it was his home away from home and was close to food and entertainment. Those things often being one in the same.
He'd honestly only meant to stay a few days, then as he snooped about in the shadows of the Kingdom, he'd started hearing things that made him want to stay a little longer. More to rub in Prince Gumwad's face when he was dumped.
Eventually a few days had turned into a couple weeks and then a couple weeks had turned into month, and then two months and the Vampire King was still having a good time. Which was something no one wanted happening in their Kingdom. Ever.
"Back! Back I say! To the Nightosphere with you!"
Cackling, Marshall turned red eyes onto the stupidly brave Dragonfruit soldier. With over two months of his being there, he would've thought they'd learned better than coming at him one at a time.
"Aarrrrrgh!" Roaring with furious, righteous bravery, the soldier ran at him, spear held out in front of him as though he would skewer the vampire.
Marshall gave a howling laugh, a frightening, toothy grin upon his grey face. He truly looked like a mad monster as he spread his arms wide, awaiting the soldier and his harpoon.
Giving a final scream for glory, the soldier lunged forward, his glory scream turning into one of horror as much to his surprise as anybody's, the spear pierced the vampire's body and his momentum carried him forward.
"Heheheh..." Chuckling at the terrified soldier, Marshall reached out and grabbed the spear and pulled it and the soldier closer, ignoring the stinging ache it caused below his ribs. "Well..." He began, voice raspy, tongue flicking out over his long fangs. "You got me. What next?"
"Demon!" The Soldier shrieked, letting go of the spear and stumbling backwards. "Y-You won't!" The soldier swallowed, drawing a short knife. "You won't ruin the Prince's special night! No!" He charged again and Marshall, laughing out loud, tugged the spear from his body and struck the soldier with it, knocking the fruit man to the ground.
He hovered over the fallen soldier.
"Special night, eh?" The Vampire King tilted his head. "Let's make it extra special, you and I."
Screaming, the Dragonfruit soldier flailed his arms and legs uselessly, he was held tightly in the large, clawed hands of the vampires giant bat form. He knew this was it. This was how he died.
The Fruit Castle drew steadily closer; it was all lit up for the special evening. Multi-coloured lights flashed and shimmered around it, acting almost like a beacon to the giant bat who's large, powerful wings beat the night air with steady constant strokes.
The soldier fervently hoped someone would hear his shrieking and look up to see Evil Incarnate flying over head, but as far as he could tell, no one did. Or it was possible that the alarm was being raised, he just couldn't hear it over his own terrified howls and the wind whistling past his ear holes.
The vampire suddenly angled up sharply and the Fruit solider found himself wrapped around and clinging to the flag pole on the tallest spire of the castle, the vampire – no longer in his bat form floating upside down an arms length away from him and snickering, his red eyes glowing. If he lived through this, the soldier knew those eyes would forever haunt his nightmares.
"So, tell me~" The vampire crooned, turning onto his back and lazily floating around the terrified soldier. "What's this special night for?"
The soldier summoned up the last dregs of his courage.
"Never! I'll never tell!"
"Uh... huh..." The vampire pointedly looked downwards. "We're up pretty high..." The vampires nose was touching the soldiers. "Pretty long way to fall." He chuckled, a wicked grin splitting his face, red eyes flashing. "They'd probably be scraping you up for days."
The soldiers nerves failed him completely and he clung to the flag pole, sobbing.
"No! No! Please! Not that!"
Marshall snickered and returned to his floating lounge, slowly circling the soldier.
"So... What's the special night for? Prince Applebottom's birthday?" He turned over, resting his hands on his chin and quirking an eyebrow.
"N-No!" Squeezing his eyes shut, the soldier wailed. "It's his engagement par-par-parteeeeheeeee..." He sobbed.
"What?" All trace of mirth was gone from Marshall's face, as he drew close to the soldier. "What do you mean? They've only been dating two months."
Engagement party? After two months? That wasn't like Gumball at all. It was completely irrational and a stupidass thing to do. Was Prince Pinkandsofriggenperfect that determined to prove him wrong?
"To Princess Bubblebaaaaaaath!" The soldier wailed, sobbing grossly. He heaved and cried, eyes squeezed shut, expecting to feel the vampires hot breath on his peel and those clawed hands prying him off the flag pole before dropping him to is doom. When nothing more came, the soldier opened his eyes and found himself completely alone.
The ballroom inside the castle was beautifully decorated. Bubble like balloons floated and bounced about, sparkling in the light. Gossamer hangings fell from the ceiling, casting shimmering, dancing shadows about the large room.
Tables laden with beautiful looking desserts and sweets adorned the room here and there, luring party goers dressed in their finery with their smells and tastes.
Standing hand in hand with always gorgeous and iridescent Princess Bubblebath was none other than his royal Highness, Prince Applebottom, looking resplendent in a suit the colour of white grapes.
"Oh Applebottom!" The Princess bubbled, sipping at a fizzy drink – a specialty of the Candy Kingdom.
Floating nearby invisibly, Marshall's eyes narrowed as he carefully drew closer, hovering over the heads of the Prince and Princess.
"It's all so delicious!"
The Prince laughed.
"Yes, I must say my new trade agreement with the Candy Kingdom has worked out quite well." He clinked glasses with her.
"Oh Applebottom... You evil little bastard..." Marshall whispered, moving a little lower.
"Prince Gumball has been ever so agreeable." Applebottom continued. "Sharing with us his sweet making skills, all so that we might have the most perfect wedding my darling."
Princess Bubblebath fluttered his sparkly eyelashes at the Prince.
"What a kind thing to do! We'll have to be sure he gets an invitation!"
"Of course my dear. But he is a busy fellow. He-" Blinking, Applebottom paused and felt the top of his head and looked up.
"What is it my love?"
"I thought I felt..." He patted his head again, wondering where the water drip had come from.
Prince Applebottom never did realize how close he'd come to having wicked, long fangs imbedded in his fruity little head.