The massive doors to the Ice Queen's mansion slams open, the owner leading the charge to her room with Huntress right behind her. The forest nymph was clutching Finn close to her as she stares at him, following the royal on autopilot as she leads the way. They hurriedly pass the throne and go into the queen's room, before Huntress gently lowers Finn onto the cold blue bed. Ice Queen meanwhile places Finn's bag and sword to rest against it as well, before they quickly give him a look over, checking him for any wounds and if his breathing was at normal levels. Eventually, they back away before collapsing onto a pair of ice stools. They were worn out after the mad sprint away from the Princes, especially since they were carrying the hero and his belongings.
After a few moments, Huntress brings herself to look at the royal who was slouched backwards on her chair, "Hey Ice Queen?" She waits silently until an acknowledging grumble comes forth from Ice Queen, "Sorry about my attitude earlier-"
"Don't sweat it Huntress! You were coming off the rush of battle, and we were in danger." Ice Queen shrugs off callously,
"Right, that was a pretty fast reply, You thought about it didn't you?"
Ice Queen raises her head to look straight at Huntress, wearing a smug grin, "I rehearsed it."
Huntress smirks back before becoming serious again. "What's the plan against the royals?"
Ice Queen scrunches her face in thought. "I can't do a full frontal assault; it would either kill me, Or send AAA back to the ice age. And I don't think we need a repeat of the Mushroom War."
"Your crown has that kind of power?" Huntress asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I think with a bit of will power I could send AAA into an ice age, or worse a nuclear winter." That bit of information admittedly unnerves Huntress, not that she lets the royal see it.
"So the plan is to get attacked, use our guards and well...us?" Huntress asked, bewildered.
"At Least so far… You look after Finn, tell him about the plan. I think he might panic if he thinks I kidnapped him again." She stands up from her chair, stretching her arms, giving off a loud crackle. before exiting the room.
She walks past the throne, plans going through her head, 'the three last guards are waiting on standby above. so that means all that is left is 'the walk', the ice dragon, and the Winter Wraith…' She sighs, sending a message to Winter Wraith 'Go to the first area, you're the guard. Don't let anyone pass!' She leaves her mansion, out into the white garden before looking straight up. With a grunt of effort, she flies up to fill 'the walk' with minions. ' How can I improve it?... What would Finn or Huntress say?'
Huntress sat next to Finn, patiently waiting for any signs of him being conscious. In her hands rests a wooden cup, filled with water made from Ice blue walls surrounding them. By her feet, rests the bucket, its smells weird. 'I'll look out for you, Finn' She doesn't shift her gaze once, unfazed by the sounds of magic around her 'I look out for you, you look out for me, we both stalk our prey. Two hunters, exceptional beast and hard meat, second to none.'
Fionna gasps in alarm. Her world spinning around her as she wakes up, her cheeks stinging like crazy. Everything suddenly halts, She groans and brings a hand to her forehead, she opens her eyes to analyse her surroundings. She was on the floor, looking up at the yellow ceiling, and a petrified cat. "Fionna! What happened girl?!" She demands, and when Fionna doesn't respond, she slaps the heroine on her cheeks 'that explains the pain' The feline goes to strike again,
"Cake stop!" Fionna exclaims, shooting a hand up to block. The paw halts, then lowers. Fionna sighs, before flinching in pain. She pushes herself off the floor while clutching her head. Sitting, she looks around. All the patients in the beds were gone, except for a few who were talking to some banana guards. Doctor Prince was frozen in a solid block of ice and was currently being chipped free by men from the warrior kingdom. She groans and spins a little, resting her back against a bed leg.
"Fionna, you gonna tell me what happened? Or do I need to slap you?"
"No! I'm fine, just give me a minute.." A few moments of silence later with Cake staring almost creepily at her, Fionna continues, "I was in bed, we were talking about... the fight! How Marshall lost! And then they came in!"
"Finn?"
"Yes! Well… Huntress was carrying him. She and Ice Queen-"
"You don't need to say any more." Cake says "I should of been here!"
"... Yeah actually, where were you?!" Cake flinches, bringing her hands up encase Fionna went for her,
"Easy Fionna! I was getting coal!"
"Coal?"
"Yeah, for Flame Prince! He was a little low after the battle." Cake explains, making Fionna eyes widen 'Yeah, neither Cake or FP were in beds were they?'
"Is he alright? Why did you wake up so quickly?"
"Easy girl! Man you're asking a lot for someone who just woke up…"
"Cake…" The injured girl replies getting annoyed, tapping her foot while giving her sister a glare.
"He's fine! He's actually awake and currently using some power called 'heat sense' to see if any spies are around." She extends a paw to the heroine, who promptly accepts help as her sister yanks her to her feet. "As to why I'm awake? I'm a tough gir-"
"CAKE WATCH OUT! MARSHALL DIDN'T GET ENOUGH RED!"
Cake screams, shrinking to the size of an ant. Fionna laughs hard, doubling over as she quickly loses her breathe. Cake shivers in fear for a second, before realising the prank and suddenly growing.
"Fionna! What the Glob was that for! You know I hate vampires!" Cake shouts angrily at the girl, her face going red. Her eyes go wide before she suddenly spins, looking at the door. She sighs as it remains clear, no Marshall Lee to hear what she just said. She turns back to Fionna who was stuck in a small giggle episode.
"Sorry Cake, I couldn't resist with what you were about to say." She exhales deeply, "It's funny watching you be scared." She says with a large child-like smile. Just as Cake is about to respond, she freezes as three claws slowly take down her back, before she then laughs, smirking as she looks at the hero,
"Sorry Fionna, can't get me twice."
"So you 'hate vampires', hm?" Comes a quiet, male voice.
A second scream pierces everyone's ears. Cake dives under a bed as both Fionna and Marshall Lee burst out laughing, Marshall bringing a hand to his head as he floats in the air. He peeks an eye open, enjoying the sight of Fionna laughing in front of him. Cake pokes her head out, shivering but still releases a 'humph'. She fully escapes her cover, mumbling to herself, "Whatever! So now what!? Cause if you haven't noticed, we lost." She says the last bit slowly, keeping her eyes locked onto Marshall, enjoying the little flinch he has. But not the glare afterwards. She instantly shifts her gaze to Fionna.
"Well… maybe we should ask Gumball, he'll know what to do!... Where is he?" She asks embarrassingly. Cake rubs her neck nervously, before giving an answer,
"He's not here, he's back in the candy kingdom. Butterscotch told us." Fionna looks down, sighing in disappointment, "I was wondering why he didn't check up on me…" Marshall glares at nothing, remembering the times Gumball abandoned him when they were dating. Then he smiles as he realises his opportunity.
"Don't think about him Fionna" He suddenly swoops towards the girl, slipping his arms under her legs and onto her back before lifting her into the air. She releases a startled yelp as the kings smiles , holding her bridal style. She looks him in the eyes, "Don't worry, Fi~ You're injured and still recovering, I'm just going to carry you to Gumball's humble abode." He teased, slowly navigating backwards out of the room without even looking. He smiles at her, and pulls her close, snuggling up against his chest, shirt ripped due to his transformation. Her only buffer was the strap to his axe that he was wearing. It wasn't much buffer, but she wasn't fully complaining. He suddenly sets off down the corridors, making Fionna clutch to him tightly. His grin grows into a full smile before he flies out into the arena, straight up and over the walls. And as he does so, a realisation dawns on him.
In front of him was destroyed homes, the very ones he caused. His smile leaves him, face becoming void of emotion. He had been so lost to his rage and demonic side last night, it hadn't dawned on him what he was inflicting. He had become a monster. Something he never wanted. He looks back at his life for the last few hundred years 'Ever since Simone lost to the tiara… I've been a real ass hole… was the breakup with Gumball really only his fault?' He looks down at Fionna, who was staring at the destroyed kingdom. 'I don't deserve her, she deserves better, not some monster'
Finn's eyes open to the blue ceiling, his vision blurry. Then something else enters his vision "... Huntress?" He mumbles out, before suddenly heaving. Huntress wastes no time in shoving the bucket in his face, yet he doesn't puke, despite the smell not helping in the slightest. After a few seconds his girlfriend pulls the bucket away and instead hands him the wooden cup. He brings it to his lips and starts sipping it. The pleasantly cool water goes down his throat, quenching a thirst he didn't know he had, his vision finally corrects itself. He was in the ice kingdom, lying on Ice Queen's bed, with Huntress staring at him nervously. "... I'm good." She nods, retracting her arm, she pulls her chair closer, allowing her to sit directly next to Finn while still facing him. He doesn't say anything, though he does smile a little, "What happened?"
"Right after I defeated you, the royals all jumped from their seats and completely surrounded me. They pulled you out from underneath me, then they closed in on me-" Finn immediately becomes worried, his expression easy for her to read, "Don't worry Finn, I'm fine. They didn't even touch me, Winter Wraith stepped in to the rescue." Finn nods, smiling a little. "Then Ice Queen stopped the helper who took you, and then we met back up. I'm guessing you've realised what's going on?" Finn sighs at the question,
"Yeah, some scheme or plan." He looks up, "Gumball's specialty." Huntress nods in agreement,
"Yeah we came to the same conclusion. So we weren't going to stay around to see what would happen. But we also didn't know what would happen to you, you know, because of the spell? So we broke into the hospital and grabbed Fionna's medical list."
"Well, I hope I wasn't too much trouble…" Huntress merely flicks her wrist,
"No, and by the sound of it you were easier than Fionna, she was actually sick. Besides I don't mind, not with you." She says, placing her hand on Finn's, something that was very awkward for the hard meat girl. Something that Finn notices,
"Glob, you're speaking as if I'm on my deathbed!" He jokes. It works, Huntress relaxes with a smile, her hand becoming more relaxed.
"Maybe, but what's wrong with being dramatic every once in a while?" Finn chuckles, before a thought strikes him,
"Hey, I just remembered, I guess you won the bet." He says, pointing a finger at her with a smile.
"... Huh, I guess I did." She pauses as her mind gets over the fact, then plans immediately start filling her mind. Then scenarios, of her and Finn- 'Later! Life and death battle first!'
"And you beat me!" He suddenly exclaims, making Huntress look at him confused. "I've defeated armies! The Lich! Creatures older than time!" He exclaims, flinging his arms up for emphasis. he beams at her, "How can you be soft if you can defeat someone like that?" Huntress freezes at those words. It was true. She can't be soft if she was able to top someone like that. But… being hard meant hurting that someone, someone who is very significant to her 'Do I want to be hard meat if it brings pain to Finn?' She nods, forcing a smile as her mind continues to debate. Finns grin stays strong as he stares at her, proud of her.
With a cough, he starts pushing himself up. "Finn wait.' He freezes, a leg hanging off the bed as he looks at her, "I don't know if anything else is wrong!" She splurts out after a second of thought. Finn raises an eyebrow as he looks at her. She sighs, "... And it gives us a chance to continue holding hands..." She mumbles, a blush forming on her face. He doesn't say anything, quietly shuffling back onto the bed. He sticks his hand out, and a second later she grabs. They remain in silence, though both have small, happy smiles.
"We need more of this, just us together."
"Yeah, but we got to deal with this mess first."
"Ah don't worry! This will all blow over! By tomorrow we'll gliding out of the door as free men. Free to be together."
"Yeah, and seeing how you lost, I get to choose our next date." Huntress smirks, her fear of being soft dissolving as she holds his hand. They fall into silence again, enjoying the fleeting moment before the chaos that is to come.
"... But for us to have that we need to deal with the Princes." Huntress says, her smile fades. Finn solemnly nods, "Any plans?"
"We're going to fight. Ice Queen is setting up defences, we're gonna lure them into a deadly ambush of bosses and traps." Finn frowns, deepening with every word she says. "Is something wrong Finn?"
"...I won't let anyone die, Huntress. I won't let there be a battle at all. I'm going to try and talk with them." Now it was Huntress's turn to frown,
"Finn, they won't listen. It's too late for that… how about we fight them and try not to kill-"
"No Huntress! I will end this peacefully. " He sighs, "I may of not had a problem fighting everyone in the arena because of that spell. I knew that no one was actually in danger. But this isn't a game, I won't take a single life." He stares deep into her eyes, "And I don't want you taking one either." He says sternly. Then a figure appears at the door. They both halt their conversation as they stare at the beaming Ice Queen.
"Finn! You're awake!" She rushed to his side. She continues to gleam at him, until she spots his hand entwined with Huntress's. Her smile sours, and instantly looks more forced. Huntress looks at her puzzled, and she follows her gaze before discovering the source of her discomfort. Embarrassed, she hurriedly moves her hand away, much to Finn's disappointment. Ice Queen coughs, an awkward silence fills the air. "So… has Huntress told you what's going on?" She asks awkwardly, causing Finn to sigh.
"She has-"
"Great! You know these guys best! Or their counterparts at least, so what should I be expecting? How do I defeat them!?" Ice Queen interrupts him, desperate to find a way to kill people who are technically his friends. A small glare of disappointment from the hero shuts her up for good, biting her lips,
"As I was saying, she has told me what is going on, including your plan."
"So-"
"And I don't approve." He says sternly, crossing his arms.
"But!-"
"No, I won't kill a single person! Heck, there won't even be a fight. I'm going to talk it out and end this peacefully." Huntress immediately speaks up, hoping that with Ice Queen supporting her then they can persuade Finn,
"Finn, you tried this with the Gum war as well, it didn't work. Gumbald and Bubblegum still fought!"
"Not really, the armies didn't clash did they? And no one died, did they?" Finn snaps back, making Huntress back off. He looks at Ice Queen.
"Finn, they are coming, most likely to kill us since it seems to be Fionna's and Gumball's favourite solution. We must defend ourselves! We can try not hurting them-"
"No, as I told Huntress, you are not to kill or hurt anyone Ice Queen." He suddenly pushes himself out of his bed, springing onto his feet. Huntress looks in shock 'He is recovering much faster than Fionna, she was still wobbly by the time we met her' Finn reaches down, grabbing his sword and bag. "Guys, this is final: I'm going to talk them out of this."
Ice Queen sighs, "And this final, Finn: I will build defences." Finn opens his mouth to protest but Ice Queen suddenly shoots a splurt of ice, covering his mouth completely. "Even if you do persuade them, I still need to rebuild my defences. I might as well do it now encase you fail. Go talk to them if you wish, but I am not leave my kingdom defenceless." She walks towards him and absorbs the ice with her hand, "But if you're going to do this, promise me you'll return, no matter what. Got it?" She says, a slight threat hidden behind the words.
"O-ok…" He says before nervously chucking, then turns his gaze to Huntress. She stares at him silently, gaze solid and body still.
Eventually, she nods, "Talk with them Finn. But! If they try to start a fight, or they try anything to capture you, or to trick you, you pull back immediately. Got it?!" She ends with authority. Finn blinks in surprise, getting unnerved by the two woman staring into his soul,
"Guys I get it! I'll come back at the first sign of danger!" Eventually, their gaze soften, Huntress asking,
"What are we doing for defence?" Finn sits back on the bed, creating a triangle for their discussion, "We've got the three defences on standby. I ordered Winter Wraith to be in the first room, I've made more creatures to fill the tunnel, and we have those three bosses as the last defence. So the only thing left is to make another ice dragon. Of course, that is a summon, not ice, so it will drain me completely..." She rolls her wrist, hinting at a continuation that causes Finn to nod,
"So our choice is the ice dragon or you… I vote having you."
Huntress nods, "I agree." She then quickly checks her quiver, "... And I need to make more arrows, I left them behind in the arena…But that will also drain me. So if we're going to get attacked tonight, I need to either do it without arrows, or improvise with something as I doubt we have a normal bow down here." Ice Queen looks at the ground,
"But if they don't attack, then we can both prepare, I can make a dragon and you can make arrows…" her face twists in worry, "But.. if they do attack, then we will both be out of juice and vulnerable." Finn racks his head in thought, before looking up.
"Split it. Huntress; make some arrows, Ice Queen, don't summon the dragon. I know it's not the best, but since we have no idea if or when they're going to attack, it's for the best that we prepare for both." They both nod, Huntress immediately getting to work as she gets off her chair. She sits down on the floor getting ready to meditate. Ice Queen looks at Finn,
"You better get going, if you can get to Gumball and convince him not to attack, it would be easier before he tells the army to march." Finn nods, immediately hopping off the bed and heading straight out the room. As he leaves her sight, Ice Queen turns to find Huntress had halted her meditation, sitting still crossed but eyes open as she looks after Finn. She then turns her gaze to the royal.
"I don't like his plan, but if he pulls it off then it will be for the best."
Ice Queen nods in agreement, "There is a difference between being peaceful, and being too passive. He needs to learn that while it is good to search the peaceful route, he can't overdo it… Think he can pull it off?"
"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Finn never loses."
"Failure and losing are not the same thing."
Huntress merely shrugs, "I know, but I have faith in him. He can do this."
Fionna meanwhile was still getting carried by Marshall as they fly over the walls of the candy kingdom. They land in front of the castle's front gate, and after a moment of hesitation, they start walking towards it. Fionna walks anxiously, an awkward mix between her fear of Gumball's reaction after they failed and… something else. She doesn't know what, but something happened after Finn killed her. She's… more observant, her eyes constantly wide and darting around. Marshall meanwhile walks almost robotically, his mind elsewhere, still stuck on the image of the warrior kingdom. And it occasionally wandered into love, both previous attempts with Gumball, and his current crush on Fionna. And how they were both currently dating, and where that left him.
As they both walk in a hazy state, they nearly bump into the candy Prince waiting at the entrance of the hall, pacing restlessly. Fionna freezes up, seeing his state, "What happened?" Her quiet question startles Gumball, causing him to jolt before snapping his head towards her. His clothes ripped to shreds, mud smeared all over his pink body creating a sickly contrasting tones, his face slightly smushed, thousands of wood splinters jutering out his entire body, and black bruises polka dotting his body.
"Fionna!" He practically leaps at her, "Do you have any Cyclop tears?" Fionna freezes, before quickly nodding, hurriedly swinging her bag off and searching through it.
"Yeah! I always carry multiple!... Erm! Or one, apparently!" She exclaims, pulling it free from her bag with a terrified expression.
Gumball doesn't care, hurriedly yanking the bottle from her hand, yet he doesn't open it. "The evening is injured bad! It's stuck right outside Finn's and Huntress's house!" Fionna's face pales at the news. The prince turns to the king, "Marshall, please go and apply this potion to its most serious wounds, then use your strength to bring it back!" Marshall stares at the bottle, before quickly grabbing it, hovering into the air, and rocketing straight out, not even using the door as he creates a hole in the ceiling.
The duo stare at the hole, before Fionna suddenly lunges at Gumball, making him wince as she pushes some splinters in deeper. She snaps his injured arm out, examining said wounds for a few seconds before looking him in the face, "Gumball what happened?! What were you doing?!" Gumball snaps his arm back, fear quickly revealing itself on his face.
"E-easy Fionna! I was…" He hesitates, irritating Fionna even more as she glares at him. "I was in the forest!" Fionna tilts her head in confusion. He pre-emptively shrinks inwards a little, "Finn's and Huntress's forest..."
Fionna stares, not reaching to the news. Then inhales.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING THERE INSTEAD OF AT THE FIGHT?!" She screams at him, throwing her arms up as she blows up in rage. He flinches even further back, raising his hands to defend himself.
"My previous attempt at getting information was a failure, despite it being a trick. So I decided that while they were busy fighting that I should break in. It didn't go as planned.. The evening crashed into a bunch of trees, hence the splinters and my slight.. head injury. As for the other wounds… well I should of realised that they wouldn't leave it defenceless." He says looking down, causing Fionna to relent as she now worries about his well being. "But that doesn't matter now! What were they planning?" He asks, causing Fionna to instantly look confused, "You know? The questioning? Their defeat in the arena?" Now it was Fionna's turn to look guilty and take a step back,
"We lost…" She says quietly. Gumball blinks,
"What?"
"WE LOST!" She cries out, making Gumball jump back in surprise, "FINN KILLED ME! HE KILLED AN ARMY! THEY EVEN GOT MARSHALL IN HIS MONSTER FORM" She roars, turning away from Gumball as she vents her anger. Gumball was shocked, both at the news and her state, 'News later, Fionna first' he slides behind her, placing his uninjured hand on her shoulder,
"Let it out Fionna…" She sighs, making him smile, "I would hug you, but I'd imagine that would be painful for the both of us." Fionna smirks at his joke, looking at the ground. 'She's calmed down, she's in a better state for questioning' "I know it might hurt your pride-" She flinches 'It is not my pride, but something else...' "But please, tell me how you lost. I could really use the information to stop it again."
Fionna sighs, lowering to the floor. "I don't know. The best way to say it is that we weren't skilled enough. " She shakes her head, "We all underestimated Finn. Marshall included, I asked him on the way here. We just couldn't seem to hurt him, he either just evaded our attacks or worse, countered them. We never stood a chance. Yet, he was still moving normally and he didn't hit like an ogre. So he wasn't boosted by magic or some artefact, he just…" She stiffens as the sight of Finn killing her flashes in her mind once more, "... Murdered us." Gumball only nods.
"We need something powerful to defeat him, and I think I have an idea…" She looks up at him full of hope and curiosity, "I'll show you later Fionna. But for now, tell me how Huntress fought." Fionna shakes her head,
"I didn't really see her fight, Cake lost to her." Gumball sighs,
"Any information will be helpful Fionna, so tell me about her."
"Well… She uses arrows, and she can turn her cape into a vine that she uses as a zip line, wire, or anything you can use rope for really…" Gumball nods, motioning for her to continue "A-and… she's very agile! She flips around, always lands on her feet, and now that I think about it, she is also very silent. She doesn't talk and her actions don't make a sound." Gumball nods, quickly doing a scan of the room with his eyes 'So she is the spy of the two, Finn is the leader/fighter, the heavy hitter… and I guess I now know Ice Queen is the boss' He stops looking, seeing no sight of the nymph spying on them currently,
"Anything else?"
"... She uses magic to do all her attacks and powers." Gumball rolls his eyes at 'magic' but glad he knows that information 'Didn't the grand whatever say there was anti-magic at some point?... Too late to get it, but could come in handy in the future'
"Thanks Fionna." She doesn't respond.
"Do you know where they went?" He asks, still ignoring her plight. She shakes her head, "Was Ice Queen with them?" She nods. "Well, if I had to guess then they've gone back home or Ice Queen's mountain." 'Then there is nothing else to be done but to prepare to invade' He looks at Fionna, finally noticing something wasn't right, "Fionna, what's wrong?" She doesn't respond for a few seconds,
"The more I think of him, the more I talk of Finn, the more he scares me." Fionna says wide eyed.
"Then I have a suggestion, lets defeat Finn." She finally looks away from the floor, staring him in the eyes
"Are you stupid?"
"Listen Fionna, if we defeat Finn, if you see him on the ground, then it should cure you of your block. And I know just the tool to help you!... But first can you help me to my lab? I need to patch up.." He extends his hand down to her, Fionna stands up, continuing to hold his hand. Or attempts to as he lets go, deciding to instead bring it to his phone. He flips it open and quickly proceeds to do a call, bringing it up to his head, "Butterscotch, tell the Bubblegum guardians to prepare themselves…" Fionna just watches him, then looks at her hand before sighing, "...Then be quick!" He ends the call, quickly putting the muddy phone back in his pocket. They walked down the corridor in awkward silence. Then Fionna feels a small tap. She snaps her head down to find the source and discovers Gumball's open hand. She doesn't hesitate, instantly lunging her hands onto his and entwining them before continuing to walk down the corridor with a blush and a bashful smile.
Suddenly a shadow appears behind them as someone drops in silently. They both snap around, getting ready to fight Huntress. Only to spot Cake. She had one leg stretched outside as she halts mid walk in. Fionna sighs in relief before they drop their stances, prompting her sister to ask, "What was that all about?"
"I just told Gumball about how sneaky Huntress is a minute ago, you spooked us, that's all." Cake goes to reply, but something catches her eye. It was Fionna's hand clasped together with Gumball's, as despite getting ready to fight, neither had let go of each others hand.
"Aw! Fionna! You should of just said I was interrupting something!" Both their faces become completely masked in red as they blush heavily, causing Gumball to let go and step in to save their pride, "It is not like that Cake! Me and Fionna- Actually, we'll explain later, for now we need to talk."
"I'm not in trouble am I?"
"No, we may have failed in the arena-" Cake and Fionna flinch, "- but just because we lost the battle doesn't mean we lost the war!" Cake puts her hands on her hips,
"Isn't that what the villain says?"
"Do you really think Finn and Huntress aren't villains?" He asks with raised eyebrows.
"Good point. Please continue."
"As I was saying, we still have another chance to bring Finn to justice. Right now, they are presumably at Ice Queen's castle, and if they aren't, they are at their home, which is one of the reasons I sent Marshall as he has the highest chance of surviving an encounter with them." He says before looking Cake dead in the eyes, "But if we are to invade her kingdom, then I need to know: A. What is her home like B. How does Huntress fight. Those are both something that you have." Cake nods unsurely,
"Yeah, but not the best… I was more focused on surviving in her home than remembering it, and Huntress has kicked my butt several times now."
"So? Any information is useful for now, so could you please start talking." Gumball says almost impatiently, getting tired of going around in circles. Cake hums in thought, bringing a finger to her chin as she thinks. Suddenly it springs up,
"Oh! Her mountain is hollow!" Gumball's confusion was clearly expressed, "When we went up there to 'save' Finn, we found out she had abandoned her castle, and instead hollowed out her mountain."
"I see, so that is the reason why it got bigger… What about Huntress?"
"She is very agile, can make vines using her cape, and make other weapons out of thin air using magic. That's all I know. Oh! She can also become animals!" Gumball only sighs, 'She is no joke, and neither is Finn. Where did Ice Queen find these guys? And how is she paying them? They can't be cheap'
"Alright, thanks Cake-"
A thunderous roar of broken walls echoed throughout the castle. Gumball groans 'Now what?! Is it Finn?' The constant drumming of doors being smashed open fills their ears, getting closer before the corridor's end door smashed open. And in flies Marshall Lee with small splotches of blood on him, and an empty glass vial. "Gumwa- Gumball, your pet is safe and sound in the
hospital. If that is the wrong place, then they can move it themselves." Gumball blinks in surprise as the undead strangely cuts himself off from calling him his humiliating nickname, but welcomes it.
"The evening isn't a pet! he's a friend-" He corrects, a faint blush forming on his face, "- but thank you." There was another moment of awkward silence as the royals avoided looking at each other.
Marshall eventually looks at them again, "Gumball, I think I have bad news."
"I've handled worse, hit me."
"I think Finn is here by the orders of my mum."
The other three go wide eyed at the news, Gumball quick to ask, "W-what make you think that?!" Marshall sighs before crossing his arms, already annoyed by what he is about to say,
"His sword was blessed by my mother, I can recognise her magic and her style anywhere, trust me. I actually think that might be the reason why Finn is so deadly. We're dealing with a demon from the night-o-sphere." Fionna gulps, her death flashes in her head before she speaks up,
"Y-yeah! After he… killed me, I became stupidly afraid of him! Maybe he used some demon magic or used the sword's blessing to make me scared of him!" Cake snaps her fingers,
"Yeah! Maybe that is the reason why you're scared of him! And why do you think that girl?"
"... Because he likes suffering?"
"No! Because he's scared of you! He knows you can beat him so he is trying to keep you away!" Gumball immediately jumps on the train,
"Yes! And by the time I've given you a bit of help you'll have no problem beating him!"
The words of encouragement makes her smile, makes her stand tall, makes her stand resolutely and makes her brave. "Right! I got this!" She looks at them, coming to the realisation, "He works for Marshall's mum, he works with Ice Queen… is he super evil?! Like grand finale boss?!" She asks, making Gumball twist in thought,
"Maybe. He is the deadliest threat I've seen in a long time… I need to rest, then get you the equipment you need." He looks up at the other two. "Anything you want to do?" Cake shrugs,
"No, I go with the flow~ Tell me where I'm going."
"To the Bubblegum guardians, wait for the order to attack."
"Ok." With that she suddenly stretches her legs, smashing her head through the ceiling and creating a second hole before walking away using her stretching powers. Gumball looks back down at Marshall,
"And you?"
"I will be having a pleasant chat with my mother." He says menacingly before yanking his family axe off his back, grinning evilly. "... Just show me the way to the kitchen, I need to make the portal."
"It's where it's always been, that way. You should remember as you get closer." Gumball says pointing with a blush, having flashbacks to when he and Marshall were dating, messing around with the food and pranking the chef. Marshall only nods, before quickly shooting off in the direction he pointed, leaving Fionna and Gumball alone. With that out of the way, they quickly grasp hands once more before Fionna starts pulling the prince along.
A few minutes later and she bust through the door so harshly that it smashes into the candy wall, much to the Prince's annoyance, "Why is everyone smashing up my kingdom?" Despite him mumbling it beneath his breathe, Fionna heard clearly,
"Stop complaining and start mending those wounds." She says with a grin, deliberately knocking something over as she moves to a seat in a corner, knowing that the only way she could help was to be simply out of his way. Gumball sighs before getting to work, grabbing glass beakers and tubes, metal grabby things and Bunsen burners in the armful, splaying them out onto the table. He starts connecting tubes between beakers, mixing a rainbow of chemicals together to make swirling colours. He admittedly does a few things exaggeratingly, attempting to impress the girl watching him with wonder.
As liquids flow through tubes, he hurriedly rushes to the end of the table where his pink concoction was gathering in a tall cup. As he waits he spins and crouches to start searching a cupboard for any shiny, reflective object. Eventually he finds a mirror, a small one that some suitor had given him once 'Why did I even keep that around?' He shrugs and blows the worst of the dust off before working on his face. Fionna couldn't see the Prince as he worked, hidden by the cupboards, so she just silently waited for him to finish. A few seconds later she hears him put the mirror down, "How is… THIS?!" He suddenly shouts, springing up from his cover, arms stretched out for a grand reveal of his face. It was exaggeratingly handsome, comically so. Unprepared Fionna immediately bursts into laughter what Gumball quickly joins her in.
"Gumball! As… Attractive as that is, I think I prefer your face." She says with a smiling blush. Gumball smiles back before disappearing back behind the cupboard as he goes back to moulding himself. A few minutes later he pops back up still smiling, his face back to normal with a open hand full of wooden shards and splinters. His body may still be filled with them, but his previous joke needed them gone, so he now simply bins them and decides to deal with the rest later. He gives his creation a look over and discovers that it is finished, the last of the pink mixture having finally collected in the cup. Turning all burners and other devices off, he removes the cup before bringing it up to his lips, drinking the mixture. Fionna finally hops off her chair and makes her way to him, experimentally prodding at a tube before looking at his drink. "So is that like some science cyclop tears or something?"
He stops drinking and shows it to her, what causes her to peer inside it, "No, if you drink it, you will probably suffer a few… health problems. Only I could really benefit from it." He says, sipping some more down, making Fionna confused,
"Then what is it?"
"Bubblegum Biomass." Fionna flinches back, shocked,
"W-what? Aren't you made of bubblegum?! Isn't that like cannibalism?" He stops drinking, shrugging his shoulders,
"Not really. Aren't humans made seventy percent of water? Does drinking water make you a cannibal?" He says before drinking, Fionna shutting herself up and just letting him do whatever. Eventually, he downs the entire thing and his bruises, though hard to see under the mud, disappear as his skin becomes pink once more. "Fionna, you can do what you want for a bit, I'm going to shower and remove the rest of the splinters.
Fionna only nods, letting the royal leave the lab to head for the royal baths. She just looks around the lab, thinking of what she can do while she waits before giving up completely and sitting back down on her chair to wait.
Finn meanwhile was taking a slow, careful walk across half of AAA. He was using the stealth tricks that Huntress had taught him well to avoid as many people as he can. Unfortunately, he has no idea who is his foe is and who is just some unknowing bystander, so to avoid confronting anyone, he has gone off all beaten paths. This means that the terrain has gotten harsh, and at times nearly untraversable, but he was both determined and experienced, and never remained stuck for long. He was currently walking next to some dirt road, remaining hidden from anyone with the use of the thick foliage that made the forest.
Then he hears rustling around him. He springs his hand to his blade, and not a moment later people pop out all around him, leaping from bushes and falling from tree branches. Finn stands tall since his cover was blown, looking every single stranger over. They all had weapons, though all poorly made, some even looking unusable, and their clothes were just that, clothes. Only three actually had armour of sorts, and even then they were rusting. The ones in clothes, what they wore is in poor quality, even a bit small, with holes dotting them. "HAND OVER YOUR MONEY AND YOU WON'T BE HURT!" A guy shouts, thrusting his blade towards Finn. None had smiles. They didn't want to do this. And guessing by their equipment and clothes, this was because they were n poverty. One of the worst people you could fight against, for nothing will stop a desperate man.
He pulls his night sword of his back, looking at the one who had talked to him dead in the eyes, "Easy now! I don't want to hurt you." One of them suddenly flinches, eyes going wide as he steps back,
"Hey Joe! Isn't that the guy those warriors were talking about?!" Instantly another man's sword arm quivers, shaking as he stares at Finn,
"I- I think it is! He matches the description completely!" Their conversation instantly catches Finn's attention as he locks their frightened gaze,
"Hold up! What exactly have you been told of me?" Finn's question makes the men freeze, the others around him slowly backing away at the realisation of who they were dealing with.
"That you're a monster in human form, an unstoppable blade that can fall anyone, that you obliterated an army single handily, that you defeated Fionna and Marshall even when he became a monster himself!" The poor man says, backing away as he still holds his rubbish weapon out as if it could stop Finn.
"First thing: I had help with Marshall, Huntress is… a good ally, we work together often." Fear seems to be making them talk... I'm going to hate this...' Secondly… yeah everything else you said is kinda true-" They all gulp, speeding up their retreat, causing Finn to panic, "- Except the monster bit! They wanted a fight, and it was part of some scheme to kill me." Finn puts away his sword, confusing them all.
"You letting us go?" A man asks full of hope, his eyes nearly having tears of joy in them.
"Not really, you all tried robbing me. You could harm someone else." Finn's says, pointing at them. Not a moment later all of them lose all hope, a few just collapsing to their knees in surrender. Finn flinches at their fear of him, but continues, "Are they saying that to everyone?"
"P-probably! I don't know! I just heard them say it to us…" He says nearly ending in sobs as he comes to the realisation that they bit off more than they can chew, and they were now going to die. One of them throw their weapon on the ground before spinning around to make a dash for freedom.
"Don't run!" Finn shouts authoritatively, and the bandit freezes up on his command. Finn nods, before looking at the others, "You're poor, aren't you?" The question makes them all blink in shock, one or two of them flinching even. "Thought so, it's why you're doing this isn't it?"
"Y-yes… But please! I just want to feed my kid! Forgive us!" The man lunges himself at Finn, closing his eyes as he waits for the demons wrath. He hears Finn shuffling around above him. Then a jingling noise as some stuff lands left of his head. He remains in the dirt, still waiting, Until he eventually opens his eyes to his surprise that he was still alive. He looks to his left. And discovers some gold coins. He releases a nose of confusion before looking up. He finds Finn standing tall above him, looking down with a smile and a hand full of coins. He crouches down, bringing himself in level with the poor farther, and presents the money. "W-what?..."
"I'm giving you some money." Finn says plainly, as if it is no big deal.
"... But why?"
"Because I'm a hero. I help as many people as I can." He manually opens man's hand and places the hefty amount of gold in it. He looks around at the others, finding them all staring at him in shock.
He quickly drops his green bag and raids it for more gold before presenting it to more people. Eventually, one by one, they all shuffle towards him, ending with Finn having to start shovelling his gold out with both hands. Eventually however, he reaches the end of his bag, leaving him with a pathetically small amount left. Even then he still tries to continue giving them his golden gifts, but they turn it down shamefully, "We've taken enough of your generosity sir, we can't take a coin more." Finn sighs before zipping his bag up, standing as the men take their shirts off, using them to make bags for their money.
"Thank you?..." An armoured man says extending a hand to the hero,
"Finn. I'm Finn the hero." He shakes the man's grungy hand 'It is probably for the best I don't copy Fionna's title'
"How can we ever repay you?"
"By stopping doing these crimes, I'd hate to meet you again like this."
"Trust us Finn, we would change if we could, but no one wants someone with a criminal reputation! Almost everyone in the nearby towns know what we've become, and attack us on sight…" Finn hums in thought at his words, and idea forming in his mind.
"I've got an idea where you can go…" They all instantly pay attention to his words 'They really do want to change' "... There is a kingdom in that direction, I know the ruler there and I'm sure she will help you out." He points behind him,
"It's one generous gift after another! What kingdom is it?" A man asks full of hope,
"The ice kingdom." They all instantly flinch, "Hold on guys! Ice Queen wants to change, like really wants to!" They still look unsure, making Finn sigh, "Isn't that what you wanted to do a second ago but no one gave a chance? Aren't you just doing the exact same?" The possible leader of the group, Joe, goes wide eyed,
"Yeah, we know what that feels like… but are you sure?"
"Yeah totes cool now, she is really trying to change. If she does try anything though, let me know and I'll stop it. And now is your best chance to join her." They all tilt their heads in confusion, "You know the tales about me being evil those knights are spreading?"
"The lies, yeah?" They were quick to respond, instantly jumping to Finn's defence,
"They want to attack me, and since I'm currently residing in the Ice Kingdom, they're planning to invade Ice Queen to destroy my home." Anger quickly appears on every single one of their faces, "So she is currently setting up defences with my friend, but they could really use every hand they can-"
"Say no more Finn, we'll stop those pricks from even touching your home." Finn chuckles embarrassed,
"Loving the enthusiasm guys, but do be careful. Chances are Ice Queen will come at you since she is preparing to be attacked. Get her to talk, then say that I sent you and she… taught me to dance." That raises an eyebrow or two but most quickly go to a stand,
"Alright Finn we'll try, but after we drop this gold off to our families." Finn only nods, holding his hand to shake with the man. Only to be enveloped in a tight hug.
After a startled second Finn returns it, patting the man's back as he awkwardly hugs him. They separate before looking Finn dead in the eyes, "Till we meet again Finn." He reaches down and grabs the gold held in his shirt before turning around and walking, thus others following suit with a chorus of clear and proud 'Thank you!' Finn only nods with a beaming smile, watching them disappear into the trees before turning and continuing his path as quietly as possible.
Back in the Candy Kingdom, Gumball is exiting his personal shower, rubbing a pink towel against his hair to dry it off. He was now clean and free of wooden splinters, giving him a small smile as the warm water had also washed away a lot of stress. Picking up some new clean clothes that were brought in for him by Butterscotch butler, he quickly dons them before rushing out to meet Fionna once more. As he travels down the corridor, he does his best to remember where he put a certain key.
He walks inside the lab, discovering Fionna fast asleep in her chair, head resting on her fist. He smiles at her, before, as quietly as possible, starts rummaging through cupboards and chests, pulling out secret draws as he searches. Try as he might, the noise he makes does eventually stir Fionna out of her slumber, the girl jerking her head off her hand as a metal object hits the floor with a bang. She quickly scans the room, her eyes instantly lock onto Gumball. Hopping off her chair, she quickly makes her way to him, startling him as he continues his search, the Prince snapping his head around as he looks at her wide eyed, "Ah, Fionna! Sorry if I woke you up, I was just searching for something." He says, before turning around and closing the cupboard doors.
"No it's fine, I've always been a morning person any ways." Gumball grunts in agreement, standing as he looks around, biting his cheek in thought,
"I feel like I'm the only one who is like that at times, I know Marshall can be grumpy in the morning." He says, more focused on searching than what he is saying. Fionna tilts her head at how he would know that information, but just shrugs it off. Eventually, Gumball checks underneath a plant he had experimented on long ago, and finally finds it. A highly ornate key.
He yanks it from the floor, quickly turning around and presenting it to Fionna, "Quickly! Follow me to the secret room!" He sprints out off the lab, a confused Fionna following close behind,
"Which one?!"
"One you haven't been to before!" He sprints into the throne room, quickly running to a wall and pressing a slightly discoloured brick in. With a click the wall shifts, revealing a dark room with a large closet inside. They both walk straight in, Gumball holding the key up before inserting it inside the closet's lock. The doors spreads wide, revealing a silver and gold gauntlet with a closed eye in the middle, accompanied by a large pink gem at the wrist,
"MILLY'S GAUNTLET!" Fionna shouts in instant recognition, making Gumball nod,
"Yes, I've been keeping it here all this time, encase a certain threat returned, but I think we need it right now. This! Fionna~ is what you'll use to defeat Finn!" He pulls it free from the closet, before handing it down to the girl.
She puts it on right away, an awed expression plastered on her face as she looks at it. "Now Fionna, lets return to my lab, I have some things of my own to collect before we go on the attack." She nods and quickly follows him as he seals the room shut.
A minute later they have returned to the lab, Gumball quickly collecting weapons, yet still notices her worried look, "We've got this Fionna, they don't stand a chance, I know it." Fionna sighs,
"I know, but the thought of facing him again has me scared."
"Fionna-" Out of nowhere a massive crashing sound fills the castle, making them both jump. "Ah! Now who is smashing my castle!?" He asks, getting annoyed at his friends antics. A second later the lab door calmly opens.
By Finn.
Well, arc 1 is finally coming to an end in a few chapters (Like 4 or 5?). That makes me smile.
Before I talk about the chapter, here is the link to my discord server!:
/YPGREhv
Here, you can send suggestions, ask questions, point out errors or just generally talk. And yes, we have a meme server. MONKEY DAD, the beta reader (MD: hi), is also there if you want to talk to him about anything. (MD: I'm probably not going to be very active, I'm kinda booked at the moment)
Only half of this chapter has been edited by MD, as he his IRL has become hectic of late. I don't know when he will return, but give him a cry of encouragement to get through it all!
When Finn was in bed, his line was meant to be a reference to Mertin and Minerva back on his hospital bed, but as MD pointed out, it can also be mistaken for a Shaun of the Dead reference. Go with whichever one you prefer XD
I actually can't wait for this arc to be finished, as the next will involve less fighting, more emotions. Including more love emotions, flings, flirts,
And maybe
Just maybe
Some smut scenes for our favourite couple. (MD: YES)
Gumball as per usual was putting the safety of his kingdom over people, and I have a feeling that might come back and bite him if he doesn't improve or make amends.
Decided to name the Gumball guardians as Bubblegum guardians, a little switcharoo of the names between the dimensions.
Man, PG is really bringing the heavy firepower with Milly's (Billy's) gauntlet, wonder what Finn will do…
Review response:
Zitchat, on FF, Chapter 20:
Thank you for being there since the beginning! And thank you for the compliment! As I said to 'Dad' in his reply before he deleted it, yes OOO is still a thing, though one that will appear later. I also can't wait to bring them back into the story, interesting could be a word on how things have been since we last saw them.
Claz7960, on FF, chapter 20:
I'm so happy that you enjoyed the fight! To hear the fight between Finn and Huntress was one of the best is such a great relief. Writing fights between the powerhouses of the show is definitely challenging, but if done correctly are such an awesome thing.
Glad you liked my creative thought on how to kill Marshall! Especially since it has earned your best moment of the series.
Huntress killing Finn was an intense moment, but I guess this means she wins the date in her control :)
An all out war would devastate AAA, such a thing Finn was hoping to prevent with the Gum war. Also yes, IQ and Huntress will still remain friends, HW is just worn out after all the fighting.
This isn't the end of arc 1, but it's coming up to it.
I didn't overdo it, my cold won't stop me! So NEVER!
Take care Claz.
P.S. Sorry if I didn't make it clear that they were back in the arena
The Book of Eli, on FF, chapter 20:
Glad you liked the surprise! I think them realising that they don't stand a chance against Finn and Huntress can't of have them scared beyond rational thought XD
Ah! Sorry I if I didn't get your questions! Ice Queen is backing off now, but if the couple were wanting to spice things up in the bedroom, a third person could be a way to achieve that… Also, if something were to happen to her, or if they do break up, I'm pretty sure Huntress wouldn't mind IQ having Finn.
Indeed, I smell a reference...