I know the show called him Gary, but I'm sticking to calling him Barry. Personally, I think that makes more sense than calling him Gary. At least, in the magical version of Fionna World, it would make more sense to call him Barry. I'll admit, for the non-magical version of Fionna World, Gary Prince does actually make more sense.
Enjoy!
I do not own 'Adventure Time.'
Chapter 43
Fionna the Lost Human of Aaa (part 4)
The sea breeze blew through Finn's blonde hair as the ship sailed through the ocean, making his long hair look like a golden flag flying in the wind. Standing at the starboard, Finn stared down at the white bear hat he had been wearing ever since he was little. Wearing an animal hat had been a customary practice for Humans ever since the original Founders first came to the islands, fleeing from the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world. According to the stories, the surviving Humans began the trend to protect their necks from Vampires and their fangs, and the custom just stuck throughout the years. Finn had been meaning to ask Marceline if that was true or not, but never got around to it.
Finn ran his thumb across the hat's white fabric. He had gotten his first hat when he was only four, and still recalled the memory even though he had been at such a young age. Made to resemble the type of hat worn by Helpers, it had been a birthday present from his mom. Finn remembered thanking his mom and excitedly putting the hat on. He smiled to himself as he remembered putting the hat on backwards. His mom turned the hat around for Finn so he could see. He remembered hugging his mother tightly and thanking her a dozen times before eating a bunch of birthday cake.
Finn sighed and put the hat back on, tucking his hair underneath it. He placed his hands on the railing and stared out across the ocean. Jake came up to Finn, holding a mango in one paw and eating a banana in the other.
"Hey, how much longer are we gonna be sailing?" Jake asked, offering Finn the mango. "We gotta be getting close to Founder's Island, right?"
"You'll know when we're close when you see the other islands," Finn explained, taking the mango from Jake.
"The other islands?" Jake asked. "I thought you guys only lived on the one?"
"It wasn't always like that." Finn took a bite out of his mango. "Founder's Island was just the first place the Humans colonized when we first sailed out here, away from the damage done by the Mushroom War. We also used to live on Hub Island before the Pandemic forced us to abandon the place and leave for Founder's Island. There's also Better Reality Island, but it's full of people lost in a VR world and no one really goes there anymore. Back-To-Nature Island was another attempt at expanding, but a horribly failed experiment ended that biz. So now, we Humans just live on the one island. Founder's Island."
"Did you guys ever try to go back to the other islands?" Jake asked. "On a single island for a thousand years? Sounds cramped. And I know cramped, my friend. You should've seen Lady's place before the pups moved out."
"It's fairly big, for an island." Finn took another bite of his fruit. "Sure, it's not a whole continent, but we make do, and it's comfortable."
"Huh." Jake took a bite out of his banana. "And your mom is, like, the chief of the island?"
"I think the term 'Governor' is a better word to use," said Finn. "What do you call it when a person downloads their consciousness into the system and becomes an AI, then takes command of the territory by having a bunch of robot look-alikes stationed all over the place?"
"In movies, that's called a supervillain," Jake said.
"Hey, that's my mom you're talking about," Finn said defensively.
"Well I'm not wrong–"
"I know, but still, come on."
Jake finished his banana and tossed the peel into the ocean. He then groaned and leaned his head against the railing. "Glob, I am so bored," the bulldog complained. "I wish there was something to keep me entertained for the rest of the voyage."
The hatch to the hull was thrown open and Ice King poked his grinning face through the trapdoor, raising his notebook up into the air.
"I've done it!" IK shouted excitedly. "I've finished my latest chapter of Fionna the Lost Human of Aaa! I even managed to spell her name right this time! I'm honestly kinda embarrassed of myself for taking this long to spell it right. I don't think anybody ever even bothered to correct me."
"I just had to say something," Jake grumbled. "You know what? I'm bored enough to just let this happen. So let's hear it, IK."
Ice King crawled up onto the deck. "Storytime, everybody!" he shouted into the hull. "Come on up!"
BMO poked his head through the trapdoor. "Yay! Storytime!" The little robot crawled up onto the deck of the ship, followed by Susan carrying Neptr up the ladder.
"Finely dressed blue man write story?" Susan asked.
"Alright! Nickname upgrade!" Ice King cheered. "And, yes, Susan, I wrote a new chapter? Who's ready to hear it?"
Susan and the two robots all raised their hands. Finn and Jake both didn't bother.
"Perfect!" Ice King walked over and sat down by the mast. Susan, BMO, and Neptr formed a half-circle around the mad wizard and got comfortable. Finn and Jake just leaned back against the railing.
Ice King opened his book and cleared his throat in preparation. "Fionna the Lost Human of Aaa, part 4. Now with the name spelled correctly."
The doors to the shop burst open as the Bandit Prince was thrown out of the building. Dressed like a samurai in his sky-blue robes, the Bandit Prince rose back to his feet and growled, raising up his katana and baring his sharp teeth.
Fionna charged out of the store waving Somthung in the air. She pointed her sword at the Bandit Prince with a fierce look on her face.
"Give it up, Bandit Prince!" Fionna shouted angrily. "You're not getting away with robbing this store!"
The Bandit Prince laughed as he stroked his goatee like a dramatic, black-and-white movie villain. "My darling adversary. Do you truly believe you can stop me?" he asked, flashing Fionna a smile of sharp teeth. "Must you make me fight such a beautiful dame?"
"Don't call me a flippin' dame," Fionna growled.
"That's actually the term for a female knight."
"Really? Oh. Still though, don't call me that." Fionna let out a battle cry and ran at the Bandit Prince, swinging her sword at the thief. The Bandit Prince parried Fionna's attack and the two of them become locked in a battle of blades. Fionna wildly swung her blade at the thief with burning anger, desperately trying to slice the Bandit Prince in half.
The Bandit Prince laughed at Fionna's eagerness to chop him up. "My, my. You have developed quite the temper, fair Fionna. Is it the monthly visitor, I wonder?"
"You son of a–" With one powerful strike, Fionna knocked Bandit Prince's sword right out of his hands. Bandit Prince raised his hands in surrender as Fionna aimed her blade at his pale throat.
Fionna narrowed her eyes. "Finally learned how to shut up?"
"Your overbite makes it look like you have rabbit teeth," said Bandit Prince. "Yeah, take that, ya tranch. No wonder you can't keep a man."
With an enraged roar, Fionna tossed Somthung aside and barreled into Bandit Prince, pinning him to the ground as she punched the Prince in the face over and over again.
Cake walked out of the store with a shopping bag in each paw. "Hey, Fionna? Did you know they sell catnip by the pound at this store–what the snap?"
Fionna was still assaulting the Bandit Prince's face with her fists. Her knuckles were beginning to turn red.
"Fionna!" Cake cried. Dropping her bags, she stretched her arms to Fionna and grabbed her by her waist, pulling her away from Bandit Prince as she continued to swing her fists at him.
"Let me go!" Fionna demanded as she tried to break out of Cake's hold.
"Fionna, for Glob's sake, he's down!" Cake said. "The fight's over, so cool it!"
Fionna glared at the fallen bandit's face, which was bruised and bloodied. As the Bandit Prince moaned in pain and listed his head from side to side, Fionna finally relented and calmed down, hanging shamefully in Cake's arm.
"I'm…I'm sorry," Fionna said.
"Okay, Fionna, this is getting out of hand." Cake pulled Fionna in and set her down in front of her. "I know you're dealin' with some stuff right now, but Glob dammit, girl, show some restraint!"
"This is how I deal," Fionna argued. "By fighting bad guys."
"Yeah, 'fighting' them, not mauling them just because you're moody." Cake placed her paws on her hips. "Fionna, I'm sorry about Dr. Clean. I know you don't wanna talk about it, but you did what you had to do, you oughta know that."
Fionna looked away. She walked over to pick up the sword she had dropped.
"And yeah, if that weren't enough, I still owe that mosquito mothersucker my claws up his nose for dumping you," Cake continued. "But you need to–"
"You know what? I'm sick of everyone telling me what I need!" Fionna snapped. "How about you all just lay off, and let me deal?!"
"Fionna, this ain't healthy," Cake said. "Take a relaxing bath, or read a hot novel, or, I dunno, have some catnip, that normally calms me right down. You gotta do something other than what you're doing, because it ain't working."
Fionna let out a loud groan, slumping her shoulders as if there was something weighing her down. "I think I'm calling it a day." She sheathed her sword and walked away. "See ya later, Cake."
"Where you goin'?" Cake asked.
"Somewhere where I can be alone," Fionna replied as she left.
"Fionna!" Cake called after her.
Fionna didn't reply as she walked away. Cake was about to follow her but decided it was best to let the girl have her space. Cake let out a sad sigh and walked up to the beaten Bandit Prince.
"What place exactly are you even a prince of?" Cake asked.
"It's just a title I thought sounded cool," the bandit replied through bloodied lips. "You know, like King of Thieves, but more original."
"Okay, easy." Marshall Lee carefully floated through the entrance to Ice Queen's mountain abode. Floating backward, with the handle of his parasol tucked between his forearm and bicep and leaning against the crook of his neck, he carried the unconscious ice sorcerous into her home, raising her up off the ground by her armpits. "Lift her up higher, don't just drag her."
"I am not lifting her up any higher, she is wearing a dress!" Prince Gumball struggled to carry Ice Queen through the door, holding her by her ankles.
"Uuuuuuuuggggh," Ice Queen moaned in her sleep, tilting her head to one side.
"Dangit, Barry, did you have to hit her so hard upside the head?" Marshall demanded.
"She was stealing my clothes!" said Gumball. "When I caught her, she was going through my underwear drawer!"
"Oh, take it as a compliment." Marshall continued to float backward through Ice Queen's home as Gumball struggled to hold IQ up. "Alright, let's set her down on her bed."
"Hurry. She's heavier than she looks," Gumball complained.
"Hey, she holds up for her age." Marshall and Gumball carried Ice Queen to her tiger-stripped bed. They lifted her up and plopped her down on the mattress. Marshall folded up his parasol and tossed it aside as Gumball stretched his limbs.
"Phew," the gummy prince said in relief. "That was a chore."
Although she was now in the comfort of her bed, Ice Queen still looked no less soothed. She mumbled in her sleep with a look of pain and distress on her face, as if she were having a really bad nightmare. A single tear fell from her eye.
Marshall watched as the tear rolled down Ice Queen's face with a look of heartbreak on his own face. Gently, he reached down and held the Ice Queen's hand as she slept, as if hoping it would somehow calm her down.
Gumball stared at Marshall Lee with curiosity and confusion. "Marshall…are you okay?"
"...Thank you for helping me get her back here," Marshall said in a soft voice. "You can leave now if you want. I won't keep you here to see her like this."
Gumball looked back down at IQ. "I've been getting kidnapped by her for a while now. What exactly is wrong with Ice Quee–"
"Will you people stop calling her that?!" Marshall snapped angrily. "Her name is Simone! Simone Petrikov!"
"S…Simone?" Gumball blinked. "Her real name is Simone?"
"Yeah, after Simone de Beauvoir, the French feminist activist," said Marshall. "Simone's mom was a big fan of her books."
"How do you know that?" Gumball asked. "You're always standing up for this woman. Marshall, how do you know the Ice–I mean, Simone?"
"Why should I tell you that?" Marshall asked bitterly.
"You don't have to like me anymore, Marshall," said Gumball. "But you can always trust me. That hasn't changed."
Marshall stared hard at Prince Gumball for a minute. Then the vampire returned his attention to Ice Queen, who still looked like she was having a really bad dream. Gumball didn't expect Marshall to actually tell him anything, and was surprised when he finally spoke up.
"Countless people died when the Mushroom War wiped out the world," Marshall said, his voice soft and neutral. Gumball recognized that voice. Marshall liked to use it whenever he didn't want to give away how he felt about anything. It didn't always work, though. At least, not on Gumball it didn't. "One of them was…was my dad."
"Your dad?" Gumball asked. "Wait, your dad died during the Mushroom War? So…you're half Human?"
Marshall nodded.
"And…you were there when the Mushroom War happened?" Gumball asked. "I didn't realize you were older than me."
"That bother you?"
"N-no, of course not." Gumball sputtered. "Please, go on. What was your dad like?"
Marshall rolled his eyes. "My dad…" he chuckled fondly. "Man, that guy was my freaking hero. He was a musician, like me. He used to participate in protests and boycotts against big corporations that didn't care how many of the little people got stepped on as long as they got their money. He didn't earn a lot, but he made do."
Marshall closed his eyes. "He was the best dad. I mean, just the best. He made me feel like less of a freak despite," Marshall ran a hand across the pale skin of his hand. "everything. He taught me how to play guitar, he's the reason I became a musician. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up." Marshall shook his head. "How a guy like him could have possibly hooked up with a demon like my mom is beyond me."
"Oh yeah, I remember your mom." Gumball nodded. "She's…not great."
"Even after the sickness finally killed my dad, my mom…wasn't around much." Marshall looked down sadly at the Ice Queen. "But she was."
"You mean she's from before the Mushroom War too?" Gumball asked in surprise. "She used to be as human as Fionna?"
"Before the War, Simone used to be an accomplished archeologist, believe it or not," said Marshall. "She was even engaged to a guy named Bobby. But the Mushroom War killed him," Marshall glared at the golden tiara adorning the Ice Queen's head. "And that stupid, magic crown she found during a dig did this to Simone."
"That tiara she wears made her like this? All crazy and icey and stuff?" Gumball asked.
"She wasn't like this when I first met her," Marshall said. "When Simone found me, I was just a little kid. Alone and scared in a destroyed world, struggling to find a place to hide or something to eat. The tiara had changed her appearance, but it hadn't fully taken over her mind yet. She used to be so kind and intelligent. She took care of me, protected me from the monsters." Marshall gently brushed aside a lock of snow-white hair from Ice Queen's face. "She was the closest thing to a real mom I ever had."
Gertrude waddled up the bed. The penguin hopped up onto the mattress and cuddled up against Ice Queen, who held the penguin close to her as she tossed and turned in her sleep.
Marshall sighed. "And now look at her. The more she used that crown, the more her mind slipped into madness. She eventually left me, saying it was for my own protection. And maybe it was, but all I knew was that I was all alone again. A couple hundred years later, I saw her again, but…she couldn't even remember me."
Gumball stared at Marshall, mouth agape. This was all news to the prince, and hearing it from Marshall genuinely surprised him, despite how well he thought he had known him.
"...We dated for almost two years. How come you never told me all of that?" he asked.
Marshall let out a humorless laugh. "We didn't like each other because we felt comfortable sharing our pasts with one another. We liked each other because being together made the present more bearable."
"Being with you…gave me hope for the future as well," Gumball admitted.
Marshall blinked. He then frowned and sat down at the foot of the bed, his back facing Gumball. The prince looked down at the floor, recognizing Marshall's body language as translating to 'I don't wanna talk anymore.' Gumball sat down as well at the foot of the bed, opposite of Marshall. Their backs faced each other as one brooded while the other contemplated. A long silence filled the room, save for Ice Queen's mumbling and whimpering.
"...Marshall," Gumball said. "...I'm sorry."
"It was a thousand years ago, man," said Marshall. "I'm…more or less over it."
"No, I didn't mean what happened with you and Ice–with Simone, although I am sorry about that," Gumball said. "I meant that I'm sorry about the way we broke up."
Not expecting that and surprised by it, Marshall looked over his shoulder.
"I wish I had been a better boyfriend, and I'm sorry that I wasn't," Gumball closed his eyes. "Breaking up was one thing, but, just the way it all went down… Losing you cut deep, Marshall, and I wish I could have fixed the damage or better yet, put in the effort to fortify our relationship. I've wanted to tell you that for hundreds of years now."
Marshall opened his mouth, but couldn't think of what to say back. Instead, he hung his head and stared down at the floor.
"Barry, I was hardly the best boyfriend myself," Marshall confessed. "I know I'm not always easy to deal with, and I'm sorry for that."
"What went wrong, Marshall?" Gumball asked. "We used to be so happy together."
"You act like you have to be the one to fix everything around you, and it frustrates you when you can't," Marshall said. "And I've seen enough destruction to not care anymore about fixing things, and it makes me a toxic boyfriend."
"Marshall, you're a lot of things, but you're not toxic," said Gumball. "Is that really what you think? Is that why you broke up with Fionna?"
"Ugh, I'm getting so sick of…" Marshall let out a breath. "Look, we only dated for three weeks, and it was fun, but nothing serious. I didn't think Fionna would take it so badly."
"Well, what did you expect? Fionna had to put down her own uncle to save us all," Gumball said. "It's no wonder she's been so distant and emotional lately."
"Oh, come on, she'll be fine, Fionna's a survivor. She's one of the toughest people I know," Marshall said. "Besides, she'll probably start going out with Flame Prince anyway. I'm pretty sure they like each other."
"Actually, I think they both agreed to just be friends," Gumball said. "The whole 'made of fire' thing is hard to work around. Especially if you're looking for a more…uh…physical relationship."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess so. I wonder if it would be different if Fionna was the guy instead," Marshall said. "Well, what about that Hunter Wizard guy, aren't they hanging out?"
"Uh, I wouldn't mention Hunter Wizard to Fionna unless you want to put her in an even worse mood," said Gumball.
"Seriously?" Marshall asked. "What happened?"
"I don't know exactly, but I feel safer not asking," Gumball replied.
"Oof. I didn't realize she was dealing with so much," Marshall said. "Is she doing okay?"
"I'm honestly not sure," said Gumball. "Cake told me she keeps disappearing during the evening. She's not certain what Fionna's doing with her free time, but Cake saw her once bringing a toolkit with her. So, I don't know, maybe she's working on a project to let off steam."
"Hey, whatever she needs to do," Marshall said.
"You don't think we should check up on her or something?" Gumball asked.
"Eh, let's leave it to Cake for now," Marshall suggested. "If she calls us up to help her with Fionna, then we'll know it's serious. But honestly, I think Fionna will be fine, just give her some time."
"Okay. If…if you say so." Gumball looked around at Ice Queen's sad, single lady home. "Man, this place is a mess." The prince got up and walked over to pick up a few empty pizza boxes. "Doesn't she have, like, a penguin butler or a snowmaid or something?"
Marshall laughed. "Glob, you are still such an OCD neat freak."
"You can either hack on me for wanting to keep things clean or you can help me clean," Gumball said. "You can pick up the laundry, I'm not touching her clothes."
Marshall rolled his eyes and got up to help Gumball clean up the place for Ice Queen.
It was late in the afternoon when Fionna finally arrived at her destination. Emerging from the woods, she stepped onto the beach and walked up to a stool-sized rock poking out of the sand. Fionna knelt down and lifted up the rock like a hatch door, revealing a hidden hole underneath, from which Fionna pulled out a toolbox. She let the rock back down and walked up closer to the surf where the boat she was building sat.
It was a work in progress, a project Fionna had been working on in secret. At the moment, the ship was mostly a wooden skeleton, with its hull halfway built starting from the stern. Once completed, the ship's size would barely be enough to be titled as a schooner. The mast of the ship had yet to be installed, and the ship's deck had not been built.
But Fionna was determined to see this project through. Taking a deep, calming breath of salty, sea air, she walked up to the side of the ship and set her toolbox down, opening it up and taking out a hammer. Using the bucket of nails and planks of wood surrounding the unfinished ship, Fionna got to work on building the sailboat. The job was somewhat therapeutic for Fionna. Having something to focus on in solitude calmed her mind, finally free for a moment from the voices of concerned friends or the cries for help from the citizens of Aaa. As much as Fionna loved her friends and cherished the people of Aaa as their hero, a little time away from it all now and then was nice.
And yet, as Fionna continued to work on the ship, she became more and more obsessed with completing the project, often getting angry with herself when something went wrong. It happened almost every time she came to the beach to build her boat. She would be fine at first, but then would become frustrated as the labor of a single person attempting to construct an entire schooner became tiring and difficult.
As Fionna was hammering in a plank of wood, she accidentally bent the nail crooked. Growling, she attempted to straighten the nail out and hammer it into the wood, only for the nail to bend once more. Again and again she attempted to drive the stubborn nail into the plank, until finally letting out an angry yell and hammering the plank into a pile of kindling in the sand. She kicked at the shattered plank of wood and sent sand and splinters flying across the beach. Breathing heavily, Fionna hung her head and fought away the tears that were building in her eyes.
"You are too easy to frustrate."
Fionna dropped her hammer and drew her sword, lunging the blade at the person who managed to sneak up on her and scare her. She stopped the blade's advance just an inch from impaling Hunter Wizard's throat, who simply stood there with an unnatural calm as he stared into Fionna's eyes. He acted like he didn't even notice the sword at his throat.
"And even easier to excite," said Hunter. "You would indeed make for a poor huntress, I would think. But, who knows? You've managed to surprise me before."
"Oh, it's you." Fionna lowered the sword, but her angry glare didn't let up. "What do you want?"
"To see how you are doing," Hunter replied. "And to help if I can."
"So now you care how I feel." Fionna sheathed her sword and turned her back on Hunter. She picked up her hammer and another wooden plank. "Kudos on being able to at least feel pity."
"You're still mad at me," Hunter surmised. "That's hardly fair."
"Hardly fair?" Fionna turned back around to face Hunter, her voice suddenly sharing the same qualities as a serrated knife. "Did you seriously just say that to me?"
"I did," said Hunter, speaking calmly and gently, making no attempt to sound angry, or hostile, or anything.
Fionna's grip on her hammer and the plank of wood tightened, like she was trying to figure out which one to hit Hunter upside the head with.
Hunter sighed. "Fionna, I like you. Honestly, I do. But, I am simply…not looking for a relationship."
"Can you at least just feel something?!" Fionna demanded. "Can you at least just show me that you can feel something?! Can you please just give me any kind of sign or indication that you feel bad for rejecting me!"
"'Rejecting' sounds a bit harsh," Hunter said. "I think 'turned down' would be better–"
A dirty look from Fionna stopped Hunter from saying anything more.
Hunter closed his eyes. "...I have trained myself to give nothing away. To keep my emotions from having any control over the decisions I make. To keep people at arm's length. To never let anybody in. It is not my nature to be…intimate. Pick a definition of the word, they all apply. I am sorry, Fionna, but this is the price I pay for the path I've chosen."
"Does that apply even to me?" Fionna asked. "Do you honestly not trust me enough to let me in just a little?"
"I do not show vulnerability," Hunter stated.
"It's not 'vulnerable' to have someone in your life who cares about you!" Fionna said. "Take it from me, it makes you stronger."
"If you believe that, then why are you out here all alone when you could be in the company of those who do, in fact, care about you?"
The response surprised Fionna, and made her more angry as well. She clenched her fists as she glared at Hunter.
"Go. Away." Fionna turned back around. "Wish granted; you can be all alone, just like you wanted."
At first, Hunter just silently stood there, watching as Fionna continued to build her ship. The hood he wore over his head cast an unnaturally dark shadow over his green, almost glow-in-the-dark, feline eyes. The salty winds of the sea gently blew against the brown cloak he wore over his person.
"You're building a ship to take you back to Creator's Island," Hunter guessed. "Back to your father."
Fionna momentarily froze, pausing her progress, before continuing to hammer in planks of wood to the ship's frame. "You gonna try to talk me out of it?" she asked bitterly.
"I have no right to try to convince you to not do this. And I understand why you're doing it," said Hunter. "But I know you well enough to know you plan to attempt this voyage on your own."
"Shawn is coming with me, obviously. But yeah, no one else." Fionna picked up another plank. "So?"
"That, I would caution you not to do," said Hunter. "At the very least, let Cake come with you."
"This is my business to deal with, not theirs," said Fionna. "I have a lot to answer for. Because of me, Kevin got his mind zapped into the Shawn that it now is. And I…" Fionna swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. "I killed Dr. Clean. He was my dad's best friend. He was like an uncle to me. And I killed him." Fionna's voice broke for a quick second. "I ran Millie's sword through his chest, and watched as he laid there and died in a pool of blood and oil."
"Is that why you are doing this?" Hunter asked. "Because you feel as though you deserve to be punished by the authorities of your island?"
"I want to see my dad again," Fionna said. "And I…I want him to decide what should be done about me, because I know he'll know what I deserve."
"You saved countless lives by killing Dr. Clean," Hunter said. "You deserve only honor and respect."
"Please don't tell me that I did what I had to do," Fionna replied sourly. "I didn't have to kill him, there could have been another way."
"You are a hero, Fionna, with the purest heart I have ever seen," said Hunter. "Stop acting like you are anything less."
Fionna dropped her hammer and stormed up to Hunter, getting up into his face and glaring right into his eyes.
"Do not tell me," Fionna spoke with a dangerous calm. "how I should act."
"Let me ask you this," Hunter said, appearing unfazed by Fionna's fierceness. "Do you plan to return to Aaa once your business back on Creator's Island is concluded?"
"I'll accept the consequences of my actions," said Fionna.
"So is that a 'maybe'?"
Fionna narrowed her eyes.
Hunter stared right back at Fionna, his green eyes like a lion's gaze. Then, he spread his arms to either side of him.
"Strike me."
Fionna blinked, taken aback enough to take a single step backward from Hunter. "Uh, tempting offer, but no, I'm not going to hit you."
"You are angry. You are frustrated. That is, with yourself," said Hunter. "And you are in pain, but you are damming the river and causing a flood in your mind and your heart. Break the damn. Release the flood. Strike me."
"I'm not striking you," said Fionna. "And just say 'hit' or 'punch,' ya renaissance-level goon!"
"Your overbite makes you look like a rabbit, and that hat you wear is certainly not helping any," Hunter said. "It's no wonder Marshall Lee dumped you."
Fionna rammed her fist straight into Hunter's jaw before driving her other fist into his gut. Then a hard kick to his groin made the wizard's eyes bulge before he dropped into the sand like a sack of potatoes. Fionna got on top of him and began driving her fist into his jaw over and over again. She drew no blood, but was beginning to leave quite the bruise.
She finally stopped hitting him when Fionna noticed a few teardrops falling onto Hunter's face. She then realized that she was crying. For how long or when she had started to cry, Fionna was not sure. But before she knew it, the dam had burst, and Fionna buried her face into Hunter's chest, sobbing loudly as she soaked his tunic with her tears.
"I miss my dad," Fionna whimpered. "I want to see him again so badly, but…b-but he would be so ashamed of what I've done. I chose Aaa over my own island. I let Kevin get zapped in the head. I killed Dr. Clean."
"If your father is the type of man you have described, then he will be proud of all that you have accomplished here in Aaa," Hunter said with some difficulty, due to the swollen bruise on his cheek. "He would be a fool not to take pride in the hero and the helper that you have become. Tell me, Fionna: is your father a fool?"
Fionna used her sleeve to wipe away her tears. "...No," she said, sniffling a little bit. "Far from it."
Hunter smiled. "Well, there you have it then."
Fionna stared down at Hunter with watery eyes. Seeing the bruise she had left on his face, she felt terrible. Hunter was one of the last people on the planet she would want to hurt. But he had been right; Fionna did feel a bit better now. Gently, Fionna caressed the bruise on Hunter's face with her thumb. If it hurt, Hunter showed no indication. He didn't even flinch, simply staring up into Fionna's eyes.
Not entirely sure what drove her to do it, Fionna placed her mouth down over Hunter's. The bowman's eyes widened with surprise as Fionna's kiss became more passionate. Holding on to the sides of Hunter's hooded head, Fionna pressed her body against Hunter's as she made out with him. In return, Hunter closed his eyes and returned the kiss as Fionna was silently pleading him to do, raising his arms and letting his hands fall down on Fionna's back, caressing her as they shared a moment of intimacy quite rare for the Hunter Wizard.
Fionna finally pulled her face away from Hunter's, staring into his emerald eyes that gave little away. With a blush, she got up off of him and stood back up on her feet.
"...Sorry," she said after a pause, her face blushing as she looked to the side and stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets.
Hunter got up out of the sand and rose to his feet. "For which part, exactly?" he asked. "The kick to the groin, the bruise on my face, or your tongue in my mouth?"
Fionna's face flushed even more. Uh…a-all of it."
Hunter smiled. "Do not be."
"W-w-w-what do you mean?" Fionna stuttered.
"You feel better now, do you not?" Hunter asked.
"Oh. I…I guess so, yeah." Fionna stared down at the sand. "Things got tough for me after Kevin's mind short-circuited. And after Dr. Clean's death…things got almost impossible for me. I just…I didn't want anyone to worry about me or pity me or think that I was too soft to be doing this kind of work that I do. I'm supposed to be the Helper, I'm supposed to be the hero. I shouldn't have to drag everyone else along through my own wreckage."
"Fionna…I do not have a family. As such, it is not something that I am familiar with." It looked like that small confession alone had taken a lot of effort on Hunter's part. "But you. You have a family. You have people here in Aaa that would do anything for you, because they care about you. You should not think of this as a crutch. You should not push away the people who care about you. Instead, let them help you, as you are always ready to do for them."
"I…" Fionna looked back up at Hunter desperately. "I don't know what I should do now."
"Whatever you do," Hunter said. "Know that you do not have to do it alone."
Fionna looked away and dug her foot into the sand thoughtfully.
Hunter looked over at Fionna's unfinished boat. "I would help you if I could, Fionna, but I'm afraid I would be useless to you on a ship, and even more useless out at sea. I belong in a forest."
The huntsman held up a finger. "However. There is a Sea Witch a few miles down the beach north of here who owes me a big favor for some work I did for her in the past. A shady sort, wouldn't turn my back on her if I were you, but she's good for her promises, and she knows better than to turn me down for a returned favor."
From a pocket in his tunic, Hunter pulled out a copper coin with the design of a leaf printed on the metal. He placed the coin into Fionna's hand. "Give this to the witch, and she will help you with what you need for the voyage."
Fionna blinked at Hunter. "Th…thank you, Hunter." Fionna pocketed the token and smiled at the wizard, almost impressed by how sweet he was being. "You're really willing to do that for me?"
"Of course I am."
Then Hunter turned around and walked away, heading back to the woods.
Fionna's smile immediately melted away as she watched Hunter leave.
"What, that's it?" Fionna demanded. "No 'have a safe voyage,' or 'I look forward to your swift return,' or 'our time together has been truly wonderful,' or some other annoyingly blue-blooded and fairytale lingo-ed, mildly snarky remark?"
Right at the treeline that separated the forest from the beach, Hunter Wizard turned around and smiled at Fionna. He reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing his entire green, handsome face and his hair that looked like the kind of wild, green grass you see horses galloping through. As usual, seeing Hunter with his hood down made Fionna's heart do a backflip.
"You know, I really do like rabbits," Hunter said. "They're such cute, little things, with a surprisingly sharp bite."
Fionna's face went beet-red before she let out an aggravated shout. "Glob, I hate you!"
"No you don't." Hunter raised his hood back up as he disappeared into the forest. "Quite the contrary, actually."
Fionna waited a moment to make sure Hunter was gone before letting out a frustrated yell. She walked up to her unfinished boat and started punching the side of it.
"Stupid, annoying, smug, son of a, bleep blop!" Fionna emphasized each word and phrase with a punch to the ship's side. "With his obnoxiously calm demeanor, and his hammy Robin Hood routine, and his ridiculous tendency to be right all of time, and his freakin' handsome face, and his emerald, lion-like eyes, and his grassy, really nice hair, and his dreamy voice that sends a bolt of electricity coursing through me every time I hear it–Glob damn, stuff and stuff, straight up your lumping stocking, I hate that tree-hugging wad!"
Fionna stopped punching the ship and rubbed her red knuckles. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then, she pulled out the copper token Hunter had given her and looked north down the beach where he had instructed Fionna to go.
Fionna groaned. "I can't tell if I have really good or really bad taste in men," she said to herself before pocketing the coin and heading down the beach. "...I wonder if Breakfast Prince would still be up for a date."
"So she doesn't even remember Bobby? The guy she was going to marry?" Gumball asked. "What was he even like?"
"I mean, I never met him, I just know him from what Simone told me about him." Marshall sucked the red out of the soda can he took from Ice Queen's fridge before handing it to Gumball, who cracked it open and chugged down its contents. "She told me he was an anthropologist, he studied human cultures and traditions, mostly from ancient civilizations and tribes and stuff. They met at one of Simone's seminars at the university Bobby was going to. He was trying for his Ph.D. when they started going out."
"Wait, was this Bobby guy, like, younger than Simone?" Gumball asked.
"I guess so." Marshall shrugged. "She obviously likes younger guys."
Sitting on the floor and leaning back against Ice Queen's bed with Marshall sitting beside him, Gumball looked around at the home that he and Marshall had cleaned up, remembering how messy and unorganized it had been before.
"Do I…do I somehow remind Simone of Bobby?" Gumball asked. "Is that why she's so obsessed with me? Why she's always kidnapping me and sneaking into my bedroom?"
"Huh. You might be onto something," said Marshall. "I actually have a photo Simone gave me of her and Bobby together, taken before the Mushroom War even happened. You know how Doctor Prince is, like, Simone's second favorite person to kidnap? That might be because he looks a lot like Bobby."
Marshall pointed at Gumball. "But you. Simone loved to talk about how smart and clever her 'handsome prince' Bobby was. I bet that's why you remind her so much of Bobby. You don't look anything like him, but I bet that brain of yours is what Simone has been pining for all these years."
"Huh." Gumball looked back at Ice Queen, who was still moaning and crying miserably in her sleep. "I kinda feel bad now for…everything, I guess."
"Ah, don't feel too bad," Marshall said. "I know she's a lot to deal with. But she wasn't always like this. She used to be…all I had. I loved her like she was my real mom."
Gumball sighed down at the floor. "Family is…complicated. I get that, man, I totally do."
"I don't think you ever actually talked about whatever family you might've had," Marshall said. "What's up with that?"
"Woof. Now that's a whole story." Gumball looked anxious and unwilling to tell the story. "It was…a really long time ago, before I even built the Candy Kingdom, and, well–"
Gumball's phone rang in his pocket.
"Oh thank Glob, a distraction." Gumball took out his phone and answered it. "Prince Gumball speaking."
"Hey, Gumball. It's your favorite kitty cat, Cake."
"Oh, hey, Cake, what's up?" Gumball frowned. "Is Fionna okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so," Cake said. "She just gave me a call and told me to meet her at the beach. Told me to call you and the mosquito and bring you along."
"Really? What for?" Gumball asked.
"She wants to show us something, I guess," Cake said. "Fionna asked me to grab Shawn. You grab the mosquito. Then we'll all meet on the beach."
"Okay, sure thing. See ya." Gumball hung up and looked over at Marshall. "You wanna go to the beach?"
"I'll need my sunscreen," said the vampire. "What's at the beach?"
"Fionna wants to show us all something. Cake's bringing Shawn to the beach, she wanted me to bring you."
"Cake said to bring me along?" Marshall asked skeptically. "She said 'bring Marshall Lee'?"
"Well, she said 'mosquito'."
"Oh, then yeah, she was talking about me." Marshall smiled. "And…she's bringing Shawn? Fionna's insanely muscular brother?"
Gumball blinked. "Uh, yeah–"
"Then let's go." Marshall floated up above the floor. "Let me grab my parasol and steal a bottle of SPF from Simone and we'll go."
Marshall floated away. Gumball rolled his eyes before standing up off the floor. "You know, when there's enough muscle, it starts to look more gross than attractive." He looked over at the unconscious Ice Queen. "Right?"
"Uuuuuuuuugh," Ice Queen replied.
"Right, exactly."
"This way, big guy, come on," Cake said as she guided Shawn through the forest. A difficult task due to the tank-of-a-man's simple-mindedness and child-level brain capacity.
"Where kitty taking Shawn?" the large, muscular man asked. He had leaves and twigs stuck in his beard and when a tree got in his way, he just pushed it aside like it was nothing. "Where Fionna?"
"Fionna's at the beach," Cake said. "That's where we're going."
"Yay, the beach!" Shawn clapped his hands. "Shawn love the beach! Sand feels funny between toes!"
Cake and Shawn stepped out of the woods and onto the beach. Prince Gumball and Marshall Lee were already there, both of them dressed in casual attire. Gumball was passing the time by writing math equations in the sand with a stick and Marshall was jamming on his axe-bass guitar, his parasol tucked in between his arm protecting him from what little sunlight the cloudy day offered.
"Hey, Gumball!" Cake greeted as she and Shawn walked up to the two boys. "...Bloodsucker."
"How ya doin', hairball?" Marshall asked.
"I'll turn you into a hairball, ya pale, bat-mouthed, tick!"
"Easy, you two, easy." Gumball stood up and dropped his writing stick. "Why did Fionna want us to meet her here?"
Cake shrugged. "You got me. How long you two been waitin' here?"
"About a freakin' hour," Marshall complained. "We were getting close to bailing. What took you so long to get here?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get this brain-damaged bozo to walk in a straight line for more than five minutes?!" Cake turned to Shawn. "I'm sorry, baby, I know you can't help it. You're a good boy, I know you are."
Shawn nodded happily. "Shawn, good boy."
"Well, where's Fionna?" Gumball asked. "Is this some kind of prank?"
"If it's a prank, then it's a really boring prank," said Marshall. "Totally disappointing, Fionna."
"Boat!" Shawn pointed out across the ocean. "Boat!"
The two boys and the cat all turned and looked across the surf where Shawn was pointing. To their surprise, a double-masted brig of moderate size was sailing down the coast toward them. The ship furled its sails and dropped anchor in front of the group as close to the shore as it could get.
"I don't see a crew," Gumball pointed out.
"I see a captain though." Marshall raised his hand over his squinted eyes. "...Is…is that Fionna?"
Fionna, at the helm of the ship, waved her hand at her friends.
"Hey, guys!" they could barely hear Fionna shout from the ship. "I got a magic ship!"
"What?!" Gumball shouted from the beach. "We can barely hear you!"
The momentary pause suggested Fionna was sighing. "Hold on!"
"What?!"
Fionna walked along the deck of the ship to the rowboat hanging off the side of the ship. She got in the rowboat and lowered the boat down to the sea, then rowed the boat to the shore where her friends were patiently waiting for her.
"Magic ship," Fionna said as she stepped out of the rowboat and pulled it up onto the beach. "Pretty cool, right? It's got a kitchenette, a bathroom and shower, two hammocks, and a couch and even a table that both fold into a bed. It's like an RV that floats."
"Where did you get this thing?" Marshall asked.
"I know a wizard who knows a witch," said Fionna. "I'm technically only borrowing it."
"Okay, but, like…why did you get this thing?" Gumball asked.
"I'm going back to Creator's Island."
Fionna's sudden statement appeared to shock her friends. Except for Shawn, who just stood there and picked the leaves and twigs out of his beard and dog hat. A stunned silence filled the air, leaving only the wind and the waves to be heard.
"You're leaving?" Cake asked, breaking the silence.
"Only for a little while." Fionna looked to the side anxiously and brought a hand up to her arm. "I…I'm going to see my dad. I…I need to tell him…everything."
"The communication link I built can do that for you," Gumball said. "In theory, anyway, but–"
"No," Fionna said. "I traded everything I ever knew for Aaa. I let Kevin get his eggs scrambled. I killed Dr. Clean." Fionna closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "...I have to go back. I have to tell my dad everything. I have to see him again."
"Uh," Marshall floated forward. "Fionna, I, for one, totally support you in this. I would do anything just to see my dad again and tell him everything I want to tell him. That being said though, you don't plan to do this alone, do you? Seems kinda dangerous, even for you."
"Yeah, what the heck, girl?!" Cake demanded. "Did you bring us all here just to say goodbye and bon voyage? Because if you think for a second that I'm gonna let you sail across the flippin' ocean by yourself, you've got another thing–"
"I didn't bring you guys here to say goodbye," Fionna said. "I brought you guys here because…I want you all to come with me."
"Wait, what?" Gumball blinked. "You want us to come with you to Creator's Island?"
Fionna took a deep breath. "Look, you guys are my best friends. You're pretty much family to me. I want to show my dad and the rest of the island what my life is like here in Aaa. And I want to show them that by introducing them to some of the best things to happen to me here: You guys."
"Damn, Fionna, that is seriously touching," Marshall said.
Fionna smiled down at Cake. "Whaddya, sis? You wanna see my hometown?"
"Oooooo, I've been waitin' for you to call me 'sis,' but I didn't think it would hit this hard." Cake wiped away a tear. "Stuff it, I'm in! When we leavin'?"
"Just like that? I thought we would all have, like, a huge argument or–" Fionna waved her hand. "Never mind, I'll take it. I was actually planning to leave right now. I made a few stops on the way here. The hull is full of provisions–food, clothes, medicine, toiletries. There's even a bunch of red stuff for Marshall to suck on and sun-blocking curtains over the porthole windows." Fionna looked at Marshall nervously. "That is, if you actually wanna come."
"Well, normally, I'm not the type for cruises. I burn real easily, you see." Marshall smiled and shrugged. "But, I think I can make an exception this time."
Fionna beamed at the vampire. "Thank you, Marshall. This means a lot to me."
"Hey, don't sweat it, Fi," said Marshall. "You comin', Barry?"
"Like…right now?" Gumball asked wearily. "But, I have work to do, a kingdom to run, experiments to continue, I have a galette in the oven that should be done by now!"
"Oh, come on, Barry, Butterscotch Butler can literally take care of all that for you," said Marshall. "This is for Fionna, you donk."
Gumball sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'll go," he said. "But I insist on being the head chef of the ship."
"You can be my sous chef." Cake snapped her paws at the prince. "Deal with it, gumdrop."
"Aw, man," Gumball complained. He took out his cell phone. "Well, guess I better call Butterscotch and tell her she's in charge."
"Before you do that," Marshall hung his bass over his back on its strap. "Just to make sure you don't get cold feet and wuss out,"
Gumball yelped and flushed with embarrassment as Marshall Lee picked him up bridal-style.
"See you on the ship, Captain Campbell," With his parasol still in hand, Marshall floated up in the air and carried Gumball to the ship.
Fionna turned to Shawn and pointed at the ship. "Shawn. Swim to the boat."
"Boat!" With his fists raised in the air, Shawn excitedly ran across the beach and charged into the surf. He began doggy paddling his way to the brig with strong enough strokes to still make it there in no time.
Cake turned to Fionna, staring up at her thoughtfully. "...You're super nervous about seeing your dad again, aren't you?"
"Was it that obvious?" Fionna asked.
"To me, it was," Cake answered.
"Thank you for agreeing to come with me," Fionna said. "I'll be honest, my original plan was to do this alone, but–"
"Fionna," Cake interrupted. She smiled kindly up at her Human friend. "You said it yourself: We're family. And family does whatever it takes for family. That's just a rule."
Fionna smiled. On the verge of tears, she knelt down and embraced her feline friend, who warmly returned the hug.
"Your fur is really soft," Fionna commented. "I love hugging you."
"Well, you can hug me all you want, baby," Cake said. "When you're ready, we'll go."
Fionna opened her eyes as her head hung over Cake's shoulder. The joy on her face was replaced with surprise when she saw a familiar pair of green eyes staring at her from the treeline.
Fionna ended the hug and stood up. "Um…wait for me at the rowboat. I gotta…take care of something."
Cake raised an eyebrow. She then looked behind her, much to Fionna's chagrin, and when Cake saw him, she looked back at Fionna with a smirk.
"Take all the time you need, Fionna girl." Cake headed for the rowboat, leaving Fionna blushing behind her. "I'll be waitin'."
Fionna groaned in embarrassment before walking up to the treeline where Hunter was waiting for her, standing among the trees of his domain. Fionna kept on the beach side, standing in the sand on the opposite side of the forest border.
"Come to see me off?" Fionna crossed her arms. "If you're looking to come with me, I'm afraid all of the positions have been filled."
"As I said before, I would be useless to you on a ship," Hunter said.
Fionna sighed and pinched her brow. "Look, just…take care of the treehouse for me, will ya? Take care of BMO, take care of Aaa, if you don't mind."
Hunter bowed his head. "As you wish."
"...Anything else you might wanna tell me before I leave on this long voyage?" Fionna asked. "Anything at all you wanna get off your chest?"
"Yes," said Hunter. "Good luck. Safe travels. And," The wizard pulled a stick out from under his cape. "here."
Fionna raised an eyebrow at the 'gift' Hunter was offering her. It was a Y-shaped tree branch like one you would use to find a pool of water. It was…it was a stick.
"You better be offering to let me hit you with that thing," said Fionna.
"It acts like any other dowsing rod," Hunter explained. "Sometimes they're enchanted to lead you to water. Other times, to gold and treasure. In some cases, even to the nearest bar." Hunter placed the dowsing rod in Fionna's hands. "This one, however, is enchanted to lead you to the place where you were born. A complicated spell, but not beyond my abilities."
Fionna looked down at the unimpressive tree branch in her hands. She was having a hard time believing it was at all magical, but Fionna trusted HW enough to take his word for it.
"Thank you, Hunter," Fionna said. "I…I really appreciate this."
"Yes, well, I had a feeling you had no real plan for navigating your way back to your island." Hunter shrugged. "This seemed like the best parting gift I could have gotten you before your voyage."
Fionna groaned in irritation and cast her gaze upward. "You know, a simple 'your welcome' would have worked. Why is everything a freakin' exam with you?"
At this, Hunter just chuckled and shook his head. "I will miss you, Fionna." He averted his gaze in an almost shy manner. "And, I…hope for your swift return."
Fionna's eyes widened in surprise as Hunter turned around to leave.
"What's your real name?"
Hunter stopped, but didn't turn back around.
"I feel like I don't know anything about you," Fionna said. "Just tell me your real name so I can…feel like I know you better than anyone else in Aaa." Fionna blushed. "A way to…keep us connected, you know?"
For a long minute, Hunter remained silent. Fionna was afraid he would stay unresponsive and just ignore her until she left.
"...You are asking for the name of a person who no longer exists," Hunter finally said. "There's hardly any point in that."
Hunter disappeared into the forest. Fionna watched as he left, looking disappointed and a little bit sad.
Fionna hesitated before turning around and walking to the surf. Cake patiently waited for Fionna as the girl got into the rowboat. The magical cat used her stretchy arms to push the boat off of the beach and into the ocean.
"So, how'd it go?" Cake asked as she took the oars and began rowing them to the ship. "Is that a stick? He gave you a stick? You're about to go on a trip, it's probably gonna be a month or two, maybe more, before he sees you again, and for a going-away gift, he gets you a stick? What a cheap bastard–that boy owes you some romance."
Fionna sighed down at the tree branch in her hands. "...How can you like someone so much when you barely even know anything about them?" she asked. "Am I just being dumb?"
"Nah, you're just being young, little kitten," Cake said. "Hunter's got that whole 'mystery man' thing goin' on. No shame in finding that kinda hot."
"Uh, let me rephrase the question," said Fionna. "How patient should I be with a guy who's so…emotionally distant?"
"Look, Hunter strikes me as the poster boy for introversion," Cake said. "He's a hermit, he's not used to having anybody to talk to or trust. You gotta take baby steps with a guy like that."
Fionna looked past the surf and across the beach at the woods. "...He's lucky he's attractive."
Cake snorted. "If I had a dollar for every time I've said that about a guy."
Fionna and Cake reached the ship and raised the rowboat back up. They got out and walked up to the helm, where Fionna took hold of the wheel.
Fionna looked around her. Her friends all smiled their support at her, and Fionna smiled back. She knew she wasn't alone. She had friends in Aaa. She had family here in this country of magic and mayhem. And Fionna's father needed to see it for himself. He needed to see the life that Fionna had made for herself, and the family that she had become a part of.
Fionna took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing. Or…here goes everything, really."
"End of part four." Ice King closed his notebook. "I am open to receive comments…not yet…wait for it…okay, now."
"How come Fionna got to bring the whole A-team while I'm stuck with you and the two robots?" Finn asked. He then noticed the look the two robots were giving him. "Uh, not that I don't love and appreciate my two favorite-est robots in the world."
"Too late, Finn," said BMO.
"Do I not exist in the Fionna universe?" Neptr asked.
"No," said Ice King. "In the Fionna universe, you're the Non-Existent Pie Throwing Robot."
Neptr blinked his metal eyes. "...I don't think you can use 'non-existent' in the acronym, it's technically just one word."
"Hey, and how come Fionna and her crew got such a nicer ship with such nicer things while we're all stuck on this stinkin' dinghy?" Jake asked.
"Right? I'm as mad as you are," said Ice King. "A toilet would be nice. Or even a sink and some Drano."
"More importantly, how in the ham are you getting this information?" Finn asked. "I mean, you freakin' named the Ice Queen Simone and gave her and Marshall Lee a history of them having a mother-son relationship, but you still have no memory of being the closest thing to a real dad that Marceline ever had?"
"I don't see how those two things are in any way connected," Ice King said. "And which one is Marceline again? The loud, purple lumpy one?"
"Hey, uh, Finn, did you notice something about Fionna?" Jake asked. "Did you notice how she did something that you didn't bother to do?"
"Oh my Glob, are you seriously about to get up in my case for not asking you guys to come with me on this trip even though that's what Fionna did?" Finn asked.
"Actually, I was gonna point out the fact that Fionna actually considered asking Breakfast Prince out, even though you never bothered to ask Breakfast Princess out on a date like I've been hounding you to do," said Jake. "But yeah, your thing too."
Ice King giggled. "He said 'hounding.' It's funny. You know, 'cause he's a dog."
Neptr rolled up to the bow of the ship and looked through the railing. He pointed across the ocean with this fork arm. "Land ho', everyone!"
Everyone turned and looked across the ocean. Finn walked up next to Neptr and stared out across the sea. In the port bow direction and the starboard bow direction, an island could be spotted miles across the ocean. Off the bow, far across the ocean, another island was seen, and another one beyond that island.
"Oh, snap," Jake said upon seeing the four islands off in the distance. "Is one of them yours, Finn? 'Cause, I don't wanna go to another fish wedding."
An unsettling silence had befallen Finn. Breaking his uncharacteristic quickness, Finn nodded his head as he finally spoke. "Yeah, we're here." He pointed across the port bow. "There's Better Reality Island."
Finn pointed to the island beyond the sea in the starboard bow direction. "And there's Hub Island. I used to live there when I was a baby."
Finn pointed to the island in the bow direction of the ship, the one farthest away from them than the other islands were. "Way back there is the Back-To-Nature Island."
Finn took a deep breath before pointing to the island closest to them, the one they were heading right for.
"And that one…that one's Founder's Island."
Until next time! Believe it or not, Ice King does end up getting that date with Finn's mom.