Deviation Actions
Literature Text
For a long time Fionna hadn’t given much consideration to things like ages or genders. But lately her brain had started patooing weird stuff. Like when they had snuck into Marshall’s closet during a game of Cloud Hunt and she had seen everything, or how hot the Fire Prince’s mouth was on hers, or when Gumball/Ice Queen had sung to her. Sometimes at night these thoughts would poke around in her mind like there was a tiny and very angry monochromicorn living in her normal thoughts, poking all sorts of holes and letting in the weird goop.
She studied Marshall now, floating around in low, lazy circles while cradling his axe guitar to his chest like a baby.
If you didn’t know it, you’d have thought Marshall Lee wasn’t a day over eighteen. Besides the whole vampire thing. With his casual demeanor, Devil-may-care attitude, brown corduroy button-up opened to reveal a black V-neck with a bleeding heart logo plunging to reveal a lightly muscled, marble blue chest, a wide belt holding up faded jeans torn at the knees, teal and gray striped socks, and a pair of black and white checkered sneakers, Marshall Lee was the picture of a rebel youth. Which, given the status of his familial ties with his mother, was pretty much true.
“Well, Fi? What is it?” Cake demanded, pointing to the envelope.
Fionna felt the webbing holding her onto the ooey-gooey thoughts break away as she refocused her attention on the now.
‘Fionna and Cake,’ the envelope read, in perfectly inked silver script on the front. Fionna drew out and unfolded a scarlet red paper. It was thick and weighty and the print was practically painted by an artist’s hand in glossy, thick black ink. Cake read over her shoulder after using her magic to extend her legs so they were the same height.
“You are invited to attend Marshall Lee’s 11th centennial deathday,” Fionna read aloud.
The Vampire King snickered. “Give or take a few centuries.”
Cake took the invitation from Fionna and read the rest of it aloud before tucking it away in Fionna’s green pack.
“It’d be cool if you guys could come. It’s going to be chill. A few of us rockin’ out and watching movies. Maybe wrestle whywolves and terrorize pixies. So it’s no big deal if you don’t want to.” While he was talking, he laid down a tight little riff along with his words, always ready to pluck out and strum whatever tune that came into his mind.
“Sweet babies, look at the time, Fionna!” Cake cried, pointing to the skull-etched grandfather clock perched in the corner of Marshall’s cave home. “We were supposed to meet LM and Flappy half an hour ago.”
“You know Flame Prince hates being called Flappy,” Fionna reminded her sister with just a hint of reprimand behind the words. In her mind, though, she thought the nickname was sort of cute. Fionna glanced at the clock to be sure and felt a stab of anticipation and panic slice through her stomach. “Cram it! You’re right, Cake. Count us in for your deathday junk, Marshall. Later, dude.”
As she bade her farewells, Cake jumped under Fionna and grew several times her own size, lifting her adopted sister onto her back in the process, to make the long walk much faster.
They were at the Mystery Mountains in no time.
The flames from Flame Prince drew Fionna’s gaze immediately, not only because of the bright orange-red flame against the dark navy mountains and Lord Monochromicorn’s shadow black body, but because they were almost nearly an official couple.
“Hey,” Flame Prince called out to the two as they finally dropped down to normal size beside the two guys. “What took you guys so long?”
Lord Monochromicorn stamped shortly several times on the ground, dragged his hoof in a clap on the mountain and sniffed.
Cake kissed the fifteen-foot monochromicorn on the nose and wrapped her arms several times around his neck. “I’m sorry, sweets.”
The rest of whatever apology Cake was offering her man-friend was lost as Fionna got sidetracked by Flame Prince’s intense gaze.
She blushed as she began to explain, “Marshall invited us to his centen—”
“Fionna,” Flame Prince interrupted. “Shh. Never mind. It’s okay.”
He drew as close as he had come so many times without actually touching. Nearly nose to nose, the prince lowered his gaze to her hands. This was a teeter tottering game they often played. See how close they could get for how long until something bad happened.
Usually it was less than a minute.
It had been two long years since the last they’d kiss, at Cake’s and Gumball’s requests. Though Fionna felt it was necessary to protect the people of Aaa those ooey-gooey feelings were making it so hard to resist. She just felt so—so warm whenever she was around him.
Her willpower crumbling, she leaned forward ever so slightly. Just a fraction of an inch, that’s all it would take. Just one little peck wouldn’t hurt anyone. Flame Prince’s eyes were all she saw as she brushed her nose against his.
“Fionna, you’re on fire, honey!” Cake threw her arms in the air, wagging them in fear. Fionna leapt back from the prince as Cake cried out, “Stop, drop, and dough!”
The blond adventurer fell to the ground while her BFF patted the fire off of her with enlarged paws, as custom required when on fire.
“Whew! I’m okay,” Fionna said with a grin. “Thanks, sis.”
“No thanks to Lord Hot Sauce over there,” Cake sneered, her eyes narrow and condemning.
When she sat up, a few bits of charred sock fell off and revealed some blistered, red skin beneath. She’d have to have Cake patch up the socks and the burns later.
Cake grumbled as she looked over Fionna’s legs, pestering like a mama hen.
“Really, Cake, I’m okay,” Fionna insisted. She showed a thumbs up. “Are you all right, Flame Prince?”
As many times as this had happened, she wasn’t prepared for the deadpan look on Flame Prince’s face. His flames had withdrawn, the edges barely snaking back and forth. His mouth was agape ever so slightly, the corners turned down, his eyebrows furrowed intensely.
Fionna felt her heart wither in her chest. The same hollow feeling as when Hannah Aberdeen had begun to suck the soul from her body, spreading ice water through her stomach.
“Fine,” the prince declared sourly.
He put a hand over his eyes as if he were exasperated and turned his back on Fionna and Cake. He took a few steps forward and Fionna felt a panic shake her heart.
“Don’t go!” she cried, extending her fingers towards him.
The Flame Prince stopped, but did not turn back around to look Fionna or Cake in the face.
“Cake didn’t mean it.”
Cake folded arms over her chest and the fur of her back and tail fluffed up angrily. “Oh, yes I did. I meant every word of it. He is nothing but trouble.”
The prince turned to glance at Fionna briefly. She imagined it was to check on whether her features showed agreement with Cake’s insult. As he did, the fire distracted her attention from the prince. Several faces appeared within the flames.
“Hey, Prince!” a voice called out from nearby.
Fionna didn’t recognize the individuals, but knew they were from the Fire Kingdom. Three guys, two girls and they were looking directly at the Flame Prince.
“No. It can’t be,” the prince muttered in shock.
His shock got Fionna’s shackles up. She darted to her feet and held out a sword, pointing it at the Flame people stepping from the fire in a half-circle.
“Prepare to eat my sword, Evil Flame People!”
Cake responded to Fionna’s battle cry by hopping to her side and whirling her arms around like a fan. “Then get blown away by my fan blades of doom!”
One of the fire guys stepped forward, a more muscular type with flames cropped close to his head. His eyes were hollow and judging on Fionna’s face and the look didn’t waver as he checked her from her bunny ears to her black shoes.
“Ooh, we’re so scared,” the same guy snickered, his face idly dismissing Fionna and Cake’s threat. “Please don’t poke us with your little stick.”
The other flame people giggled amongst themselves. Fionna was about to lunge forward out of annoyance when the flame prince held out a hand.
“No, Fionna,” he said. “You can’t hurt them.”
Fionna raised a confused brow. She didn’t have any idea Flame Prince had kept in contact with any of his people. Then again, she knew what it was like to be cut off from your people and the lonely void that it left behind.
“Why not?” the adventuress pouted, sheathing her sword.
“They’re my cousins,” the flame prince elaborated. “They’re come to make sure I come back to the fire kingdom.”
“Oh.” Fionna practically drooped at this news. Tears sprung hot to her eyes. The last time the flame prince had disappeared to the fire kingdom, she didn’t see him for a year.
“Why do you want to leave?” Fionna questioned him in a light voice, her chin quivering with the words.
Cake looked concerned over her sister. “It’ll be okay, sis.”
“Fionna,” the flame prince sighed. “It’s not like that. My mother has summoned me.” Relief put out some of the hurt in her belly. His eyes trailed to her burns as he said,
“But maybe it’s better this way. I always end up hurting you.”
“What? No,” Fionna cried. She tried to flake away some of the black smudge on her thighs, but the effort was futile. “See? I’m fine! Just don’t go, okay?”
The prince tilted his head as he watched her efforts, his eyes narrowed.
“I-I know. I’ll change,” she begged. But she knew her words didn’t sound true to anyone’s ears. She tried to think of a way she could do it. Be close to him without getting hurt. “Flambay can cast that spell that keeps me and Cake from being burned!”
“The Queen’s forbidden such spells since your last intrusion into our kingdom.” Again, the same jerky cousin spoke.
“Fionna,” the prince sighed once more. He gave her a watery smile as he stepped towards her, a hand outstretched. She could see the moment he shut his feelings down. He withdrew his hand and turned toward his cousins. “I can’t. I have to go.”
With a backwards glance, Fionna choked on her words and the Flame Prince said, “I’ll see you around I guess. Goodbye, Fionna.”
The cousins all started towards the fire, one of them muttering to the prince, “It’s flaming freezing up here. I don’t know how you can stand it. And just for that puny, little human, to top it all off. You’re—”
The lead cousin that had spoken to Fionna stayed behind as the others dissolved into the flames. His cheek lifted as he sneered at her. “You’re the cold meat the prince left the fire kingdom for? Tch. Glob, what an icehead.”
With the final words, the cousin disappeared where the others had faded into the fire.
The flames died down to their original height.
Fionna shivered with the warmth of the fire people dissipating. “He’s gone.”
She didn’t mean the mean cousin.
And with those words, her bunny ears flopped forward on the ground as she dropped to her knees. She could see all the faces of the people that had left her or abandoned her.
She could feel the wounds fresh all over again.
In the end, her thoughts lamented, it seems like no one ever wants me.
She was tired of being alone. Cake spent most of her days with Lord Monochromicorn and their adorable little kitticorns. She hadn’t spoken to Prince Gumball in years. Marshall Lee never seemed to want to be alone with just her. The flame prince was all she had for conversation.
“I don’t want to be left alone,” Fionna sobbed, her tears mudding the ground. “Why does everyone want to leave me?”
Cake was there by her side in a moment, her cheek rubbing against Fionna’s face. Her whiskers tickled a smile out of the adventuress.
“Fionna,” the cat said gently. “I will never leave you, Sister.”
“Promise?” Fionna sniffled.
“Promise. Now, you always take care of me when I’m in dump truck city,” Cake reminded her and made her arm turn into a warm, fur blanket. She wrapped her sister up tightly. “It’s my turn to be the caretaker.”
Lord Monochromicorn dragged and patted his hooves on the ground and Cake nodded. He jumped grandly into the sky and flew away in the direction Fionna knew was their home with their kitticorns.
Cake turned her attention back to her sister and began to sing a song from their childhood while she stroked long blond hair on her sister’s head. She sang until Fionna’s tears stopped flowing, until Fionna’s eyes closed, until Fionna fell into a deep sleep. As her breathing slowed, Cake placed a gentle kiss on Fionna’s head and carried her back to her bed in the treehouse.
“You’ll always be loved, sister,” Cake whispered quietly before disappearing out the window to join her children and Lord Monochromicorn.
