•Fionna•

"Is it just me, or does the Fire Kingdom seem more... ominous than usual...?" Bubblegum mumbles as the four of us walk along the path to Flame King and Flame Queen's palace.

I nod in response. "Definitely. It's fitting too." I narrow my eyes at Flame King and Flame Queen's palace in the distance. Flame Prince and Ashley are definitely keeping Marshall and Marcy there, no question. Speaking of Flame King and Flame Queen, where are they in this mess? I'd think that if their son was trying to destroy the world, they'd have something to say about it!

Ash takes in a shaky breath before a determined look crosses his face. "Let's go. If we're going to do this, we need to do this now. We haven't got much time left."

"Can you create a portal to get us there?" Bubblegum asks, an eyebrow raised. "Or are we going to have to walk again? Because, honestly, we don't have the time."

Ash narrows his eyes at her. "What? Would you rather have had Hunson and Hunsona kill us on sight for trespassing? Or would you like to stay alive long enough to save everyone? I'm sorry I can't control time, but that's just how it is," he tells her, clearly still irritated by her.

Annoyed, PB narrows her eyes as well. She stops walking. "Well, you could at least be quicker about it! Honestly, from what I've heard, I think you half-ass your way through everything," she shoots back, certainly unimpressed. Ash stops walking as well, and Dominick and I stop also. I roll my eyes and clench my fists. Can't we just get to the damn palace and save Marshall and Marcy already?!

Dominick holds his hand up. "Uh, guys, now's probably not the best time—"

They both ignore him. Ash's glare intensifies. "What Marceline sees in you, I have no idea!" he shoots back.

Bubblegum gasps in shock and offense. Her glare hardens as well. "Well, she sees more in me than she ever saw in you! Apparently, she was so dissatisfied with your 'relationship' that she grew desperate enough to start dating girls! You probably permanently scared her away from guys! I mean, from what I've gathered, she was definitely straight and perfectly satisfied with the male gender before she dated you!"

I involuntarily wince. Ouch.

Dominick's eyes widen. "Low blow. That was a little uncalled for, and—"

He is cut off again by Ash gritting his teeth and giving an angry response. "Well, excuse me, Your Royal Highness. Actually, the only thing royal about you is that you are a royal pain!"

Dominick begins to look irritated. "Guys—" At this point, he's been ignored and cut off so many times that I think he should just stop talking.

Bubblegum points to the top of her head. "You see this? A crown usually sits on top of this head! I am a princess, and I will NOT be spoken to that way! I deserve to be treated with respect!" She then gestures angrily at herself. "You do see who you're talking to, right? Or are you as blind as you are incompetent?"

Ash clenches his fists. "Yeah, I see who I'm talking to," he says tightly before he smirks. "You've got a crown, and I've got a place where you can shove it—"

"SHUT UP!"

This time Ash is cut off, PB also as she is about to angrily reply yet again. Both are silenced by Dominick, who has his own glare.

He continues, his face a mixture of irritated and mad. "Both of you just shut the hell up. In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of in the middle of something right now. We don't have time for pathetic fights and insults! You both are acting like children, fighting at a time like this! We're trying to save the fucking world, and what are you two doing? Bitching at each other like spoiled toddlers! Now, you two can hate each other as much as you want after we do what we need to do. Right now, we don't have any time for this, so get yourselves and your shit together so we can handle the important crisis at hand. I mean, how do you expect us to fight Flame Prince and Ashley if we're too busy fighting each other?"

Bubblegum's and Ash's eyes widen as they continue to stay silent. They stare at the serious expression on Dominick's face for a few seconds before they speak up.

"You're right," Ash mumbles, looking down, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "That was immature. Sorry."

PB nods. "Yes, Dominick, you're right; we have important things to worry about. I apologize," she mumbles as well, also turning red in embarrassment. For a moment there, I think I see her look at Dominick with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Seconds later, Dominick eyes them both for a moment before he gives a curt nod. "Let's get going, then," he says, all business, before he turns to Ash only. "Now, can you make a portal or are we walking?"

"I can make a—" Ash starts before he suddenly winces and doubles over. He groans in pain as Dominick stops him from falling over.

I am instantly at Ash's side. "What's wrong? What's happening?" I fire off questions at him. "What is it? Is it the force field again?"

Ash closes his eyes and grits his teeth through the pain. "Y-Yes... They've... they've..." His voice trails off.

"They've what?" Bubblegum demands.

Ash opens his eyes and looks at her. "They've broken the force field," he says, a grave look now on his face.

I feel all the blood drain from my face. Oh God.

My hands begin to shake slightly, nervously, as Ash's voice seems to echo that one sentence over and over in my head—"They've broken the force field."

Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!

"That means... that means those things are attacking my kingdom and everyone in it!" PB exclaims, beginning to panic.

Finn. Gumball. Flame Princess. Breakfast Princess. Cake. Jake.

A good amount of people I really care about are probably still at the Candy Kingdom right now, not to mention the many innocent citizens...!

I feel myself begin to panic as well.

"And that's why we need to get going," Dominick points out calmly, giving PB and me and reassuring look. "The sooner we get moving, the sooner we can guarantee everyone's safety. Alright? So, let's hurry and get going. We haven't got much time to spare. Ash?"

"I-I'm fine," Ash mumbles, looking like he's starting to move past the pain. He gives Dominick a reassuring look of his own. "I'm okay. It didn't even hurt th-that much, anyway... And, yes, I can get us inside the palace with another portal. Just... give me a second..."

A second later, as promised, Ash snaps his fingers and right after a portal appears next to him. "There. Now, let's get to the palace and kick the asses of my psycho sister and Fionna's salty ex-boyfriend. Shall we?"

I nod. "We definitely shall. The fact that my boyfriend and my best friend have been kidnapped has been pissing me off from the start, and I'd really love to take that anger out on the very people who took them," I growl, even more anger towards Flame Prince and Ashley surfacing.

"Exactly. Let's hurry up and do this so we can beat the crap out of Flame Prince and Ashley, get Marceline and Marshall back, and save the world from utter destruction," Bubblegum agrees, her eyes narrowed. "Everyone agree with that plan?"

"I, personally, really like that plan," Dominick says, agreeing as well.

"As do I," Ash also agrees.

"Let's go then," I say before I step through the portal. My companions follow right after and we all end up inside the throne room of the palace.

The portal closes right after the last person goes through, and we all wander around the large throne room, alert in case Flame Prince and/or Ashley pop out of the ominous shadows the Fire Kingdom now seems to possess.

I ready my bow, drawing an arrow back, preparing to fire the arrow at anything or anyone that poses a threat. Next to me, PB unholsters her gun and seems to aim it at everything. Ash stands next to me, creating another green ball of fire in his hand at will. It hovers just barely above his palm, flickering menacingly, proving it's more a weapon than a light source.

Dominick just stands there, looking at us. "I have no weapon. What am I supposed to use to defend myself?" he mumbles.

Ash gives him a look. "How about your face? I bet it could scare them all back to the hell from whence they came," he quips, smirking, and Dominick gives him a look right back.

"Har, har, har...," he mumbles sarcastically before he smirks and points at his face. "And this face? Everyone loves this face, even the people who refuse to admit it." He concentrates his stare on Ash, who scoffs and rolls his eyes in response.

Bubblegum suddenly holds up a hand. "Shh! Do you hear that?" she whispers, silencing the guys. Dominick and Ash quiet and listen along with PB and me.

A whimper, so quiet I almost miss it. I don't know how Bubblegum was able to hear it, but she did, and now so do I.

We all stay silent and continue to listen.

A few seconds later, the whimper sounds again, only this time it's coupled with a groan.

My eyes scan the room, and it takes no time at all for me to spot where the noises are coming from.

I feel my heart do several panicked flips in my chest.

"Marshall! Marcy!" I cry out before my companions and I immediately rush over to them.

On the ground a few feet from a dark corner are none other than Marshall and Marceline, lying on the floor, unconscious. I can't believe none of us noticed them the very second we walked in here.

The second we reach them, Bubblegum and I fall to our knees and begin to examine them, looking for injuries and worrying about why they're unconscious.

I instantly drop my bow and arrow, go to Marshall, and begin to take him in. When I realize he's still alive, I let out something between a sigh of relief and a cry.

He's alive... He's okay... He's here... It's Marshall and he's still alive...

I gently hold his face in my hands and turn it towards me. I'm greeted with his handsome features as he sleeps, his eyes closed in a way that makes him look almost peaceful. I run my fingers through his dark hair and stare longingly at his face, letting the familiarity of him attempt to calm me down. It's then I notice the bruises on his face and scratches on his cheeks and upper chest.

A gasp slips out of me. He's looks as if he was in a fight and lost. A tear unconsciously slides down my cheek as I take in the love of my life, obviously hurt but still alive.

My hands now lightly cup Marshall's face as I continue to look at him. My fingers gently trace over the scratches and bruises, and I make sure to be careful with him.

"Marshall," I gasp in fear and relief. "Oh, Marshall... God, what did they do to you?"

Next to me, Bubblegum is leaning over Marceline's body, carefully examining her as well. I notice Marcy has the same scratches and bruises her brother has.

"Marceline...," PB mumbles, her voice wobbly and uneven. She gently strokes her lover's bruised cheek. "Oh, Marcy, please be okay..."

Suddenly right beside me, Dominick leans over Marshall's unconscious form, an expression of sorrow on his face as he takes in his best friend.

"Mars...," Dominick whispers, his face changing from concerned to angry. "Who the hell did this to him and Marce?"

Ash's eyes narrow and he clenches his free fist so hard it nearly turns pale-white. "You know who did this to them," he says, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out who he's referring to.

Click. Click.

A faint clicking sound.

All our heads shoot up from what we had been doing and our eyes dart toward the origin of the sudden noise.

Another clicking sound—the same one, and it sounds exactly like the sound heels would make against the floor.

Soon, the clicking grows louder and more defined and it becomes clear that it's footsteps. We slowly and reluctantly draw away from Marshall and Marceline. I pick up my bow and draw an arrow again, ready to shoot at any time. Bubblegum's grip on her gun seems to tighten and Ash's ball of fire seems to burn even brighter.

Suddenly, the source of the footsteps appears several feet away from us.

A snicker. "Well, well, well..." a voice says, drawing out each word, and it takes me only a second to realize who the voice belongs to.

"Ashley," Bubblegum growls, her anger for the witch showing, and I feel my anger reappear yet again also.

Ashley smirks at us, cocking her head to the side. "Look who it is! Ash the traitor and his little friends," Her eyes narrow into slits at us, shooting daggers. "We've been... expecting you."

"Yes," another voice rings out, and I immediately recognize it as Flame Prince's. He reveals himself next to Ashley, a knapsack slung over one shoulder, and I bet a million dollars that the Enchiridion is inside it. He cocks his head slightly, giving us all an amused glance which (not for the first time today) gives me the urge to punch his lights out. Flame Prince's glance only becomes more smug and amused as he continues. "It's about time you joined the party," His eyes shift to me and narrow. "Though I distinctly remember only asking for Fionna. Why are you people here?"

PB stands up from her spot next to Marceline, glowering at both Flame Prince and Ashley. "We're here because we're going to kick your asses into the next century," she speaks seriously, a growl in her tone.

"What she said," Dominick agrees, also glowering at Flame Prince and Ashley. His eyes narrow into slits. "And we're going to make you fucking sorry for whatever the hell you did to Marshall and Marceline." His fangs pop out as he begins to make his scary Vampire face.

Flame Prince and Ashley don't seem at all worried about Dominick's threatening appearance, especially Ashley as she smirks at him. "Well hello there, Dominick! Long time no see, right? It's been awhile! In fact, the last time I saw you, you took advantage of me and put me in a very compromising position which ruined Marshall and I's perfect relationship! Sure, we tried to make it work after that, but it was never the same after you," Her eyes shoot daggers at Dominick. "Marshy and I were blissfully happy before your horny, perverted ass got involved!"

Dominick's scary Vampire face goes away and his eyes widen in disgust. "Are you serious?" he scoffs, seeming to have been caught completely off guard by what Ashley said. "First of all, when I came on to you, you were definitely interested and didn't seem to take your 'perfect relationship with Marshall' into account when you shoved your tongue down my throat!" —"What a lovely image..." Ash mutters— "You practically threw yourself at me, only confirming my suspicions about how much you 'cared' for Marshall. Second of all, you were already cheating on Mars way before you decided to sleep with me! I'm not blind, you know! And third of all, even without all that, you treated him like an object with absolutely no say in your relationship whatsoever, the entire 'relationship' consisting of you constantly getting on Marshall's case and making him do a bunch of things he didn't want to do! So, really, I did Marshall a favor when I slept with your sorry, cheating ass—he dodged a major bullet. Unfortunately, it took you selfishly selling his childhood stuffed animal for him to realize that."

Ashley's face can only be described as furious. Her pissed off eyes shoot daggers at Dominick. "I don't give a flying fuck about what you say or think, manwhore. I don't give a fuck about what any of you think," she spits, her eyes going over all four of us, glaring like there's no tomorrow, and there might not be considering the world may be coming to an end. She doesn't seem to realize that as she continues. "It doesn't matter, because very soon you all will be dead and therefore no longer in my way! I hope you enjoyed your pathetic lives while they lasted—you won't be living them much longer."

I gulp. She's actually going to do this—this is actually happening. I look to Flame Prince, obviously panicked. "Flame Prince, I know you and I have our history and you hate my friends and all that other stuff, but this is crazy," I tell him, my eyes pleading. "This is more than just not being able to move on from me or being jealous of Marshall; this is the entire world we're talking about, and if you do this, it's all over. Nothing will survive, including you! Don't you see? If you do what you're trying to do, you'll die too! Ashley's playing you!"

Flame Prince just chuckles. "Oh, Fionna. I love you, but you were never very bright. This will fix everything. There are a lot of people who don't deserve to be living right now, and thanks to Ashley and me, those people will be destroyed, exterminated like the sorry roaches they are. Think about it—I'm just righting a wrong."

I shake my head in disbelief just as Ash leans over towards me. "There's no use in trying to talk some common sense into him, because he has no concept of it. The spell Ashley placed on him caused him to only care about destruction, remember? Stuff like common sense and self preservation were erased from his mindset," he explains.

Bubblegum, although she heard Ash, gives Flame Prince a disbelieving look. "There are good people in the world too! There are good people who are living and doing good things everyday! What about those people?" she sputters, probably thinking she must have heard Flame Prince wrong.

She is ignored.

Ashley chuckles. "Anyway," she speaks, eyeing Dominick, "it's quite the... surprise to see you here; I'd really pegged you for a coward who only cared about getting laid and saving himself."

Dominick scoffs. "And I'd really pegged you for a snotty, unstable, know-it-all bitch who thinks she's all that when, really, she's NOT, and sexually, she's like a dead fish in bed. The difference between you and I, though, is that I'm right. Honestly, no wonder Marshall dumped you," He shakes his head as if he's scolding a child. "You're not just a psychopath, but you're... well... very sexually challenged, also—a very sexually challenged psychopath. Huh. Well, I didn't know those existed before today!"

I almost snort, and I can tell that PB and Ash are having a hard time keeping it in as well. I don't know how Dominick was able to say that with a straight face.

I can practically see the steam coming out of Ashley's ears. Her face turns an angry and embarrassed shade of deep scarlet. "How dare you?! You're going to pay for that—you and your pathetic friends! I will eliminate you all where you stand," she snaps, a hissing tone to her voice, and I can tell she's not kidding.

"Enough!" Bubblegum shouts, her hand tightly around her gun. "Now, Ashley, we're going to give you one more chance to surrender peacefully with your army and freaky monster. If you don't, we'll make you, and you really DON'T want that."

Ashley looks thoughtful, stroking her chin with her fingers. "Hm... No!" She cackles like the evil witch she is. "I don't think so! I've wanted to wipe you insects out of this world ever since I laid my eyes on you! And, now, I finally get to do that!" She turns to Flame Prince, an evil glint in her eyes. "Why don't you introduce them to some of our friends?"

I shiver at the way she said friends. She's going to send out part of her and Flame Prince's army, then the battle will REALLY begin.

But, are we ready? Can we really do this?

What if we can't? What if we screw it up? What if we lose? What if—

"Fionna..."

My panicking thoughts are silenced by someone mumbling my name.

I look down and lower my bow and arrow.

Marshall stares back up at me, his eyes blinking rapidly as he regains consciousness. He gives me a weak smile. "Fionna," he says again, this time with such emotion.

As Ashley begins shouting for part of her army and marching is suddenly heard, I feel tears prick my eyes—happy and relieved tears. He's okay. I bend down to him again and again hold his face gently in my hands. I smile. "Marshall," I let out, incredibly glad. "You're okay. You're okay and I love you so much."

Marshall continues to smile at me. "I love you too, Fionna," he whispers back, and one of his hands slowly reaching up to grab one of mine. I stop holding his face with that hand and grip his hand instead, my free hand now delicately stroking his face.

"Marceline!"

I look over to see Bubblegum crouched down next to Marcy again, her gun now in her holster. This time, Marcy's eyes are wide open, taking in her obviously distraught and angry girlfriend. PB just strokes Marceline's face and arms, similar to what I did to Marshall.

"Bonnibel...?" Marceline croaks, sounding as if she hasn't spoken in years, her tired eyes still taking in Bubblegum. "When did... when did you get here?" Then she looks around and catches sight of all four of us. "What the— Dominick? What are you doing here? And... Ash?!" Her eyes land on me next. "Fionna... what the hell is going on?"

"We're here to save you!" I explain, out of breath before I point at Ashley and Flame Prince across the room, their army slowly starting to appear around them. "We're here to stop them! We were in the Nightosphere, recruiting your mother and father's army, and now we're here, and... and we have to stop them now."

Marceline's and Marshall's eyes widen in shock.

"You were in the Nightosphere?" Marshall gapes.

"Recruiting our army?" Marceline gapes also.

"It's kind of a long story," Bubblegum says as she nervously watches Ashley and Flame Prince's army grow. "To sum it up, we got your army to help us fight, and now we're here to stop Ashley and Flame Prince from—"

"—taking over the world and destroying it, right?" Marceline finishes for her.

All our eyes widen. What? I blink at them. "You know?" I question, surprised. Who told them?

Marshall nods gravely. "Yeah, we know. Hot Head and Ashley filled us in on their whole evil scheme as they tortured us for answers," He glares at both Flame Prince and Ashley, who are too preoccupied gathering their forces to pay attention to our little side conversation.

"By the way," Marceline narrows her eyes straight at Ash, who had put his fire ball out, "what the hell is he doing here? Has he hurt you guys?!"

I give her a calm look. "No, he hasn't. He's fine. He's with us. He's actually been helping us try to defeat Flame Prince and Ashley. In fact, he's been a huge help since he stepped forward," I explain to her. "Shocking, I know."

Marshall's eyes widen, but Marceline just scoffs. "Ash helping us? Right, and I rode a rainbow unicorn over the moon who eats butterflies and farts glitter," she says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "I'm being serious, Marce. And actually, if it wasn't for Ash coming forward, things would probably be much worse than they are right now."

I mean, if Ash hadn't came and warned us about Flame Prince and Ashley's plan, we wouldn't have had time to prepare and we would've been caught completely off guard. In fact, we'd probably be dead right now if Ash had not shown up and warned us.

This time, Marceline's eyes widen also. "He's... really helping us...?" she mutters, sounding shocked.

"Yeah, Marce, he's helping us," Dominick puts in before he throws Ash a wink. "And he's not bad-looking, either. Usually, when you think of a psychopath's twin brother, you think of them as... well... crazy-looking."

"Enough with the chit-chat," a voice hisses, and we all look to see it belongs to Ashley. The witch smirks along with Flame Prince and they gesture to the army that has appeared around us, "it's time for the fun to really begin. Are you ready? Because I certainly am."

We slowly help Marshall and Marceline to their feet as we take in the creatures among us. This group is nowhere near as big as the army we saw marching across the valley earlier, but they certainly aren't a small group, either. I was really hoping they'd make it easy for us so we could just kick both their asses and be done with it, but obviously that isn't the case. If we're going to beat them, we'll have to do it fighting with everything we've got.

The creatures glare at us, sizing us up probably and thinking about how long it would take to contain all six of us (though Marshall and Marcy are injured, so they might not count). Ashley looks poised and calm, but terrifyingly so. She looks about ready to unleash her crazy army on us.

Flame Prince smiles a wild smile, his eyes looking lit up and crazy. "Get Fionna," he tells them before he glares, "and Marshall."

Marshall and I look at each other before we both freeze, scared.

"Yes," Ashley says, her smile even creepier and crazier than Flame Prince's. The very next thing she says takes my breath away, and definitely NOT in a good way.

As she says it, her face becomes excited-looking and even eviler. "And kill absolutely everyone and everything that gets in your way."

Then she snaps her fingers.

Within a second, all the creatures charge right at us, fast and terrifying. I can tell they can probably easily rip us in half if we so much as give them an inch.

Instantly, all six of us jump back and ready our weapons again.

I draw my arrow back once again and this time I let go, sending it flying through the air. It strikes exactly where I wanted it to—right in the middle of the chest of one of the creatures. It sputters and convulses for a moment before it freezes and falls to the ground, dead. It's fellow soldiers just charge over it and continue to come at us.

After I shoot my first arrow, Bubblegum and Ash follow suit. I see PB take aim with her gun right at Ashley, but Ashley disappears before PB can shoot. My friend curses before she turns her gun on the creatures and begins firing.

Flame Prince just smirks and watches us from a distance, his knapsack practically glued to his side. The Enchiridion is definitely in there. We need to find a way to get close enough to Flame Prince to get it and hopefully, this time for real, destroy it. That is book is too much power for anyone to have.

As my friends and I fight against them, the damn creatures just keep pushing forward, starting to back us up. We keep fighting anyhow because that's all we can do.

Although Marshall, Marceline, and Dominick don't have weapons, they make themselves useful by turning into bats and dive-bombing on top of the creatures, hissing and biting fiercely.

I keep shooting arrows left and right, every few seconds a whistling sound being heard in the air. After my arrows shoot through their targets, they automatically return to my arrow bag, just as Gumball explained they would.

Within minutes of the creatures charging, the entire throne room has descended into chaos. As I fight, my eyes keep returning to Flame Prince way across the room, him watching us with a sick smirk on his face.

As another creature jumps at me, I ready my bow and another arrow, pulling the arrow back to let go—

And then my phone rings.

I stop short of letting the arrow go. My phone? I didn't even know I had it with me! And why is it ringing RIGHT NOW of all times?

I let go of the arrow and watch it pierce through the chest of another one of the creatures before it returns to my arrow bag. I then grab my phone from the back pocket of my skirt and answer the call, putting the phone to my ear all the while trying to defend myself which, yes, is as hard it sounds.

"Okay, whoever you are, this is really NOT the time...!" I speak into the phone as I try to keep the creatures off me. Muffled sounds I can't identify come out of the phone.

And then...

"Fionna, it's me!"

Finn.

I nearly faint with relief. He's okay. He's still alive. "Finn! You're okay!" I say, letting out a sigh of major relief. "Where are you calling from? I don't recognize the caller ID."

"I'm using Bubblegum and Gumball's lab phone! Gumball's phone isn't with him and mine is dead, but that's besides the point!" Finn explains frantically before he clears his throat, sounding like he's trying to calm himself down. "I called to tell you something really important!"

I duck out of the way as a creature tries to jump at me. Bubblegum shoots it. "Why didn't you call me earlier?! Say, when I wasn't in the middle of a life-and-death battle?!" I shout into the phone, irritated at Finn's horrible timing.

I can practically sense Finn wincing over the phone. "Sorry about that! It's just, this can't wait," he says seriously, and I realize those muffled sounds are screaming.

"Finn! What's going on over there? I hear screaming! Are you okay?!" I question, worried. I know Ash's force field broke, so maybe Flame Prince's and Ashley's army is inside the palace! Oh God, I really hope they're not...

"Fionna, the force field broke and the army is in the Candy Kingdom right now! But don't worry, because Gumball and I have a way to fix everything!"

A way to fix everything?

"Really?" I ask hopefully into the phone. A creature nearly bites my shoulder and would have if I hadn't pulled back an arrow and let it go right in the creature's eye. It screams and hisses in pain as the arrow rips through its eye socket and lands back inside my arrow bag. Seconds later, the miserable creature collapses to the ground and becomes still. I strain to hear my twin brother over all the hissing and screaming and dying happening all around me.

"Yes! Just let me explain!" Finn replies before he does indeed explain it to me. My eyes widen as he tells me his and PG's crazy plan, and that he has a feeling it might actually work.

"You're going to try and shoot a bomb into the monster's mouth to try and get it to explode?!" I repeat in shock. That sounds crazy, but as Finn said, it might be crazy enough to work.

It better, because if it doesn't, the entire world ends and that's on us.

"Um, yeah," Finn mumbles.

I duck again as the body of a creature Ash just killed flies over my head. "And how exactly do you plan on accomplishing that?"

"Well, I don't quite know yet—"

BOOM.

"What was that?" I voice my major concern over the phone after Finn has been cut off by a loud booming sound.

A few seconds of silence pass before Finn answers. "Oh God, oh God... They're in the palace!" he shouts in terror. "They're here, Fionna!" More screaming, only louder this time. "I've got to go, this has to happen NOW. Fight Flame Prince and Ashley, keep them back while Gumball and I do what we need to do! Try to get the—" He is cut off again, this time by more screaming. He swallows nervously and continues. "Try to get the Enchiridion from Flame Prince! It's his source of power! It would be way easier to defeat him and Ashley if you guys were able to do that!"

"Finn—" I start, still very much worried for his and Gumball's and everyone's safety.

He cuts me off. "I love you, Fi, but I've gotta go! Good luck!" he says quickly before he hangs up, ending the call.

I pull my phone away from my ear and stare at it for a second before I put it back in my back pocket and resume trying to defend myself.

Suddenly, Bubblegum is right next to me. She fires her gun as she talks loudly over the chaos. "Were you just talking to someone on the phone?" she questions.

I nod before I look around the room and spot a good place to take cover—right behind Flame King's and Flame Queen's thrones.

I grab PB's hand and lead her over before we both crouch down behind the thrones, the battle still raging all around us—Ash still fighting and Dominick, Marshall, and Marceline still doing as much damage as they can in their bat forms, hissing and attacking viciously.

"Finn called me," I tell Bubblegum, making sure to be aware of our surroundings in case Flame Prince or his creatures spot us. Ashley hasn't been seen since she disappeared minutes earlier. She's probably lying low until Flame Prince kills us before she's going to rise up against him. Typical.

Bubblegum blinks at me in surprise. "Finn called you?! So he's okay?" she questions me eagerly. "What about my brother and the others? Have you heard from them as well?"

"Finn said Gumball's with him, but I haven't heard anything from the others," I tell her, and she looks relieved at the news of Gumball, yet scared for everyone else. Who knows what they could be going through? Who knows if they're even alright?

No, Fionna, you CAN'T think like that. They're okay, they're alive, they HAVE to be! They're fine!

"What else did Finn say?" Bubblegum asks me, interrupting my freakout.

I swallow at her question, but answer it anyway. She, like the other four, need to hear this.

Blow up the monster. Try to get the Enchiridion from Flame Prince.

I leaned forward, all business before I speak seriously.

"Finn and Gumball think they have a way to fix this."

•Finn•

The second I hang up the phone, I put it down, Gumball rushing me.

He gathers the finished bomb in his hands carefully before he attaches it to the arrow and hands it and the bow to me. "Hurry up, Finn, you have to do this right now. They're literally inside the palace and our time is up. We've got to go!"

I hold the bow and arrow/bomb as carefully as I can as Gumball rushes out of the lab, urging me to follow. So I do, and we leave the lab.

The second we exit the lab, we witness complete chaos.

Servants are running around, screaming their heads off as creatures from Flame Prince's army chase them. Gumball and I had heard them break into the palace; the horrified screams kind of confirm it for us.

"Let's go!" Gumball shouts before he pulls me down a random hall, trying to avoid as many creatures as possible.

"Where's the monster?" I yell to PG over all the commotion. "How am I supposed to shoot it if I don't know where the hell it is?"

BOOM.

Suddenly, I feel the ground pulse wildly underneath us, the force almost knocking me off my feet. The entire palace shakes for a few very long seconds, shaking like an intense earthquake. More screaming.

Gumball stumbles and barely catches himself right before the shaking stops. Several cracks all of a sudden appear on the walls like how they appeared on Ash's force field.

Gumball whips his head around before his eyes catch something outside a window. His face pales intensely. "I... I think we've found it...!"

I look where he's looking and see the source of the shaking. Outside the window, the monster has one of its giant fists buried deep into one side of the palace, destroying it. The walls break apart and I hear several things break. That causes even more terrified screaming.

It's literally trying to tear the palace apart.

The monster pulls his fist out and swings his other fist, smashing it into the same area.

BOOM.

More shaking. The palace shakes even harder this time, and I would've fallen over if Gumball hadn't grabbed me and plastered me against his side.

I continue to look around, searching for an angle that would be prefect to shoot the monster from. Right then, my eyes spot one of the balconies outside and the others of the floors above it. They're overlooking the monster at a seemingly perfect angle, and if one of them is high enough, I could be in a great spot to shoot the monster.

BOOM.

More shaking. More screaming. I grip Gumball's arm with my free hand and then point up at the floors with the balconies. "There!" I shout over all the chaotic noise. Luckily, Gumball seems to hear me and get what I mean as he nods and we both run as fast as we can go towards the stairs that will lead us to where I want us to go. It could be dangerous to use one of the elevators, as it could break down because of all the shaking and we could end up trapped inside. Granted, because of the shaking, the stairs could very well collapse under us, but at least we wouldn't be completely trapped. The stairs, unfortunately, are our best chance to stop the monster.

Gumball and I sprint towards the nearest stairway, as if we're running an intense marathon. We make sure to brace ourselves for whenever the palace will shake violently, which is every couple of seconds. As the shaking comes and goes, more cracks appear along the walls and the ceiling. As a result, some areas begin to give away. Some of the lights hanging from the ceiling come lose and fall, crashing to the ground in a sound of shattering glass, which isn't only unnerving but presents another obstacle for Gumball and me. We make sure to dodge the falling lights, though. We look up every few seconds, and if a light looks like it's coming lose, we immediately jump out of the way and keep running like hell.

A single and somewhat irrelevant thought runs through my head:

If we get through this, the Candy Kingdom is going to need a LOT of repairs...

Finally, Gumball and I make it to the stairway and begin to race up its stairs.

BOOM.

The entire stairway shakes, and Gumball and I have to plant our hands against the walls to keep from tumbling down the stairs and probably getting concussions. That is hard for me, as I'm still carrying the bow and arrow with the bomb, making only one of my hands available, but Gumball makes sure to keep me from falling down the stairs.

After the shaking passes, we begin to move again, step by step, bracing for more violent shaking.

The next one seems to shake the entire kingdom, Gumball and me feeling its intensity.

BOOM.

Gumball and I have to hold on to each other as well as plant our entire bodies against the walls, and the screaming is as loud as I've ever heard it. I feel my entire body vibrate. As the shaking continues, a section of the wall develops cracks until it falls away altogether, leaving a big hole on one side of the stairway.

Gumball had his body pressed against that wall, and after it disappears he flails in the air for a split second, about to fall through the hole and down to his death.

He definitely would have fell through and plunged to his death if I hadn't quickly reached out and grabbed one of the sleeves of his lab coat and gripped tightly. "I've got you, man!" I shout before I begin to pull hard.

Gumball balances there for a second before he is pulled against me, safe from the gaping hole.

He's shaking, and this time not because of the palace itself shaking. "F-F-Finn... th-thank y-you, m-man..." His face is pale-white, and his lips tremble from the still fresh fear of almost falling a long way down to what would have been his death.

I give him a nod before I put my free arm around his shoulders and begin to help him run up the rest of the stairs. Just as we start running again, Gumball's jaw drops and he stares out the hole, where we have a perfect view of the monster, both its fists buried in the rubble which was once another section of the palace.

"My room!" he cries, his eyes widened. "Bonnibel's too! We just had them remodeled!"

Yikes. "Sorry, dude, but we've got to keep going!" I tell him, yanking him up the stairs with me.

We continue climbing the stairs until we make it to the top. A hallway stretches left and right, several doors aligned on the walls. I pick one at random and open it. The both of us enter the room and my eyes immediately land on its balcony outside. I open the sliding glass door and step out on to it, Gumball following me. I look down and see the entire kingdom from here.

And it's an utter disaster.

Several homes are on fire or just completely destroyed, and many citizens are either fighting or running for their lives.

I swallow as I take the arrow, the bomb still attached to it, and prepare to get ready to shoot the monster. I have to do this, for the innocent citizens and my friends and my family and all the other innocent people in the world. I have to do this to stop the evil of Ashley and Flame Prince. I have to do this.

I begin to aim at the monster, but find that the angle isn't right at all.

I'm too low.

I turn to PG and shout at him over all the noise. "I need to go higher!" I say and point up to emphasize what I mean.

Before he can respond, I sling the bow over my body and hold the arrow between my teeth. I then climb over the balcony and on top of its railing before I grab on to the section of roof above me, digging my nails into it so I don't loose my grip and kill myself by falling from hundreds of feet in the air.

Don't look down, don't look down...

I will myself to keep my gaze locked on the small section of roof as I begin to pull myself up. Once I'm up high enough, I grab one of the bars of the balcony above me. I use that to keep pulling myself up, holding on to it as tightly as I can.

"Finn, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Gumball shouts from below me. Before I can begin to answer, he says, "Just wait!" I don't have to look down to know he's started to climb up after me.

Soon, thankfully, I make it up to the balcony. I carefully climb over the railing and let out a sigh of relief when I'm safely on the balcony and no longer hanging on for dear life outside it.

Seconds later, I hear several grunts as Gumball works to climb the balcony himself. Once he's at the top, I help him climb over by grabbing his hand and pulling him over to my side.

As soon as his feet are safely planted on the floor next to me, he groans. "Princes don't usually climb the balconies of their palaces..." he lets out, his breathing labored.

"You'd be surprised how much heroes do," I tell him, and it's true. I've climbed a balcony or two in order to save a few princesses from time to time, like when the building they were trapped in was on fire or something dangerous like that.

Still, no matter how many times I've done it before, it never fails to scare me to death every time I do it again. Every time, I'm always afraid that it'll be the end of me.

But now I've got bigger things to worry about than scary-high balconies.

As the chaos continues all around us, I ready the bow and arrow again, aiming down at the monster. I have a better angle.

But it's still not good enough. I may be being picky, but I've only got one shot at this, and if it's going to work it has to be perfect. If I'm so much as a millimeter off, the world ends.

Oh, Fionna, PLEASE have the Enchiridion—we need all the help we can get.

I lower the bow and arrow again. "Higher!" I shout, pointing up a second time. Another balcony is above us.

So we repeat the process of dangerously climbing up a balcony while the world is coming to an end all around us. That certainly doesn't make this any less nerve-wracking.

Gumball and I carefully climb over the balcony railing and plant our feet on the balcony again. PG's face is even paler now. Not surprising; I bet I don't look too good right now either.

I certainly don't feel too good.

I aim at the monster again before I sigh and lower the bow and arrow yet again. "It's no good! I need to go higher!"

"There is no higher!" Gumball shouts, frantically pointing up above us where there's no balcony. "We've run out of balconies! The only thing higher is the roof! We can't—"

But he doesn't get to finish his sentence. Right then, the sound of glass breaking is heard from below us.

Gumball and I look down and see something that definitely makes both our hearts stop.

Some of the creatures have made it up the stairway.

Hundreds of them appear outside on the first balcony Gumball and I had been on not a minute earlier.

Then they look up and see us.

"Go!" Gumball shouts the second he sees them notice us. "Climb, Finn, climb!" He seems to have abandoned his thinking that climbing on to the roof is crazy. Now, our only chance at survival is climbing the roof; if we stay here, they'll get to us easily and we'll be killed on the spot.

So I do as Gumball frantically instructs, climbing as fast and as carefully as I can. If I go too slow, the creatures will catch up to me. If I go too fast, I could slip, losing my grip and falling to my death.

Gumball is right behind me as I hear the creatures hissing and growling as they climb up after us.

Fortunately, it doesn't take long to reach the roof. PG and I carefully climb on to it and hold on tightly.

I look down.

I can see the entire Candy Kingdom from here, and even some of the valley, which means I can see the war still raging, fighting all around us.

And then the monster.

It continues to destroy the palace ruthlessly. I look at it from this angle and find that this is the perfect spot. I won't find a better angle to shoot from.

"Okay, we're up now, so you might want to move it along...!" Gumball says as he nervously watches the creatures' climbing process. Luckily, it seems like they aren't the fastest climbers. Still, they've made it on to the next balcony.

I ready the bow and arrow yet again before I aim down at the monster.

Okay, Finn, it's that time. That time you've been dreading ever since Gumball told you about it. This is it. It's do or die, right now.

I feel my fingers twitch nervously, and I do my best to keep them still.

I continue aiming at the monster, waiting for the exact, right moment to let go. It has to be perfect.

My fingers continue to twitch and only seem to twitch harder. Not only that, but the monster can't seem to stay still, either.

Come on...

"Finn...!" Gumball shouts as the creatures get closer.

Come on, come on...

But no matter how many times I try to make my fingers stay still and will the monster to stay still as well, it just isn't happening which causes me to be more nervous which causes my fingers to twitch and shake even more.

Oh God, I can't do this.

"I... I can't...!" I cry out loud to Gumball, involuntary tears filling my eyes.

Gumball stops watching the creatures and stares up at me, his eyes widened and his mouth gaping. "What? Yes you can!" he protests.

I shake my head rapidly. "N-No, I can't. I just can't do it, and besides, I'm a horrible shot! The last time I shot an arrow, I almost impaled Jake in the eye!" I argue, shuddering at the memory. Jake had indeed almost lost an eye and needed stitches.

Gumball climbs up higher to where I am as the creatures climb higher. "Finn, listen to me—"

"No!" I wail, interrupting PG. "I can't!"

"FINN!" Gumball shouts loudly, staring me straight in the eye. "You have to do this; it isn't optional. I know you can do this, I know you can."

"B-But every time I use a bow and arrow, I miss ninety-nine percent of the shots I take!"

Instead of shouting at me again, even as the creatures get closer, Gumball gives me a supporting, calm look. "Then make this shot the one percent," he tells me gently, even though he still looks completely terrified.

I stare back at him for a second before I nod, composing myself. "O-Okay...," I mutter before I take a deep breath. "Yes. Okay."

Gumball gives me a small smile before his eyes go to the creatures again, who are beginning to close in.

Knowing that there isn't any more time to waste, I readjust my aim and pull the arrow back, eyeing the monster carefully.

As I aim, my thoughts swim around in my head relentlessly.

Fionna should be here. Fionna should be doing this—not me.

She's the one who's good at archery. She's the one that would know exactly what to do.

I close my eyes tightly. But she's not here.

I'm here, and I'm the only one who can do this now.

Glob. Where's Fionna when you need her?

Saving the world. She's saving the world just like I am.

I open my eyes, my fingers no longer twitching, my hands perfectly still, not shaking. The monster seems to be still now too.

"Lighter," I tell Gumball, who takes it out of his pants pocket and triggers it, causing a small flame to appear.

Then Gumball lights the string of the bomb.

I aim again at the monster, the world seeming to blur all around me as the monster comes into focus.

Gumball's shouts fill the air as he backs up into me, careful not to knock me off the roof as he watches the creatures. "Th-They're getting closer!" he cries, sounding as terrified as I feel.

I can do this. I have to do this.

I'm a hero, and a lot of people need my help.

From then on, everything seems to go in slow motion.

The bomb getting closer to going off.

Gumball's screams as the creatures close in while he tries to defend us.

The citizens' screams.

The hissing and growling of the creatures as they get even closer, to the point where we can literally reach out and touch them if we wanted to.

"FINN...!" Gumball's frantic shouting seems a million miles away as I pull back the arrow a little bit more. A horrified feeling growls in my stomach. I bet the creatures are right on top of us.

The feeling enhances even more to the point where there's nothing but me and the monster and the weapon in my hands.

The tiniest bit of string is left as the bomb is about to go off.

It's up to you now, Finn.

You can do this.

I take a deep breath and let it out.

Be a hero.

I let the arrow go.

It's almost as if the entire world holds its breath as the arrow with the bomb soar across the sky.

The monster, still destroying the palace, lets out an earth-shattering roar and the arrow finds its destination.

It barely gets through as the monster snaps its jaws shut.

A few horrifying and uncertain seconds pass, though they stretch like hours.

Then it happens, the sound that has to have been heard all across Ooo.

BOOM.

It rocks and shakes everything in sight, throwing everything off balance, the world fading in and out of focus.

In and out... in and out...

A low humming of nerves and fear in the air, until...

A bright light explodes across my vision and I am blind.