Shrinky Sneaky Time

(Cubed Cinder; idea by SyntheticLoser)

Finn and Jake were laying in the middle of a plain of grass, salivating a rare bit of peace and quiet in the Land of Ooo.
“Wow, Jake. Don’t you think maybe things are too quiet and peaceful?” Finn asked.
“Be careful what you wish for, Finn. We’ve been through so much lately. We’ve earned this peace and quiet.” Jake said.
“Yeah, I suppose I should, but I can’t help it! I want adventure! I want to roam free and stop bad guys from kidnapping Princess Bubblegum again!” Finn said as he got up and ran around swinging his sword around. Jake just laid back and smiled.
“Ahhh… clearly you can’t keep a good adventurer down.” Jake said. He eventually decided to join his spiritual brother, and the two were running around the grass pretending to have an adventure.

But they wouldn’t have to wait much longer for their biggest adventure yet to begin. Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder rang in the air despite no sight whatsoever of a cloud.
“Whoa! Jake, what was that?” Finn asked.
“A clap of thunder, clearly.” Jake said.
“Well, yeah, but look how blue the sky is? Maybe a storm is coming?” Finn asked.
“I doubt it. I can’t see a cloud anywhere in sight!” Jake said. Suddenly, there was another boom of thunder, and after that some creepy female cackle that made Finn shake a bit nervously.
“What… what’s that?” Finn asked.
“Teeheeheeheeheehee!” a female voice shouted. Then, after a series of lightning blasts and stars flying about, a brown-haired witch (wearing glasses) suddenly appeared.

“Who are you?” Jake asked.
“Greetings, adventurers named Finn and Jake! My name is not important, but I have come to offer you a challenge.” the witch said.
“Challenge? What kind of challenge?” Finn asked.
“I wish to have a precious item from four of the most beautiful women in this entire land.” the witch said as she held up a hand. A holographic image suddenly appeared showing these women one by one.
“They are Princess Bubblegum, the Flame Princess, Marceline the Vampire Queen, and the Huntress Wizard. With these items, I can return to my youthful appearance and gain full use of my powers once more!” the witch said.
“Why would we want to help you do that? Be careful, Finn, this could be a setup.” Jake said.
“Because! I’m about to place one of my favorite curses on you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll learn to like it!” the witch said.
“Bah! Give it your best shot. We ain’t scared of no curses!” Finn said.
“Finn…” Jake said as he rolled his eyes.
“Haha! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” the witch said as she twirled around, danced around on her broom for a few seconds, and then thrust her arms towards the two.

That’s when they glowed a bright red and rapidly shrunk in size.
“Eeeek! We’re shrinking!” Finn shouted, watching as the blades of grass quickly got closer and closer. It only took a few seconds for the two to shrink all the way down to 1 inch tall. They looked up not just at the towering blades of grass, but also the now giant witch as she flew above.
“Teeheeheehee! Aren’t you two just the cutest things!? You’d make great play toys for my daughter if she were still a baby!” the witch said.
“Change us back, you hag!” Jake shouted as he growled like the bulldog he resembled.
“Oh, pipe down, doggie! I’ll get rid of the curse if you bring me back something those four ladies cherish most. Until then, see ya later, pipsqueaks!” the witch said as she started to float away.
“Wait! We’re like smaller than ants! How are we supposed to bring something from those ladies back… let alone GET to where they live!?” Finn shouted. The witch suddenly floated back and hovered over the two.
“Hmmmm… yeah, I suppose that is quite the predicament. Okay, I’ll give you a spell that will help out.” the witch said as she broke into another airborne dance that Finn and Jake found almost uncomfortable to watch. Then she blasted another beam down at the two, which luckily for them did not hurt.
“Okay. Now you can teleport from one land to another just by thinking about your destination. You can’t teleport in the same location, though. That would be cheating!” the witch said.
“Er… thanks?” Finn said.
“My pleasure, young lads. Now off you go! Might I suggest starting with Princess Bubblegum. I know how close you two like to get sometimes… heeheehee!” the witch said as she laughed and then floated away, leaving Finn and Jake all by themselves within the grass blades.

“WHAT!? How the heck does she know about me and Bubblegum!?” Finn said.
“Calm down, Finn. She’s probably been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right time to pounce on her prey.” Jake said. Finn took another long look around at his surroundings. Then he looked at Jake and remembered something.
“Hey, wait! You can change your size at will! That curse shouldn’t really affect you at all!” Finn said.
“Good thinking, Finn! Let’s see…” Jake said as he closed his eyes to concentrate. Finn watched as Jake was able to extend his arms and legs… but not the overall size of them nor the rest of his body. Jake unstretched and had a sad face towards Finn.
“Sorry, Finn. That witch was smart… the curse she placed prevents me from altering my size. We should be lucky I can still stretch my limbs out!” Jake said.
“Sigh… yeah, I guess. Man, I’ve never felt so low.” Finn said.
“Cheer up, Finn! We just gotta get the crown jewels from the four ladies she mentioned. And look at it this way…” Jake said.
“What?” Finn asked.
“At least they won’t be able to see you this time.” Jake said with a smile.
“Good point. Oh well… no time to waste, right? Off to the Candy Kingdom!” Finn said. Armed with their new teleportation spell, Finn and Jake closed their eyes and felt themselves whisked away to the Candy Kingdom.

Finn and Jake were relieved to see how well the spell worked. They were not only inside Princess Bubblegum’s home of Candy Castle, but they were also in her bedroom.
“Whew… that spell worked like a charm.” Jake said.
“It sure did. Now all we have to do is find Princess Bubblegum. But I don’t see her anywhere.” Finn said. Just then, the two looked away in the distance (the bedroom seemed to extend forever as small as they were), where they saw a ginormous Princess Bubblegum entering and shutting the door behind her.
“*yaaaawn* Another busy day in the Candy Kingdom.” Bubblegum said. The giantess was approaching fast, and Jake and Finn knew they were both flatter than pancakes if they didn’t run out of the way now.
“Run!” Jake shouted as he and Finn managed to avoid being crushed by one of Bubblegum’s high heels. They actually had to stop and duck underneath her dress to keep it from sweeping them away. Once she was clear, the two looked up and watched as she sat down in front of her vanity, picking up a brush and brushing her hair with it. Already the brush was covered from top to bottom in loose bubble gum.
“Sigh… 6 years and this brush is as sensitive as ever.” Bubblegum said as she lifted up the crown off her head and set it down on the desk.

Jake and Finn approached the giant chair and looked way up at Princess Bubblegum, having to dodge left and right some of the falling hair strands.
“Wow… Bubblegum sure has some thick hair strands.” Finn said.
“That’s because we’re so small, may I remind you, Finn. Even the slightest shift of her feet can put us in grave danger!” Jake said.
“Yeah, you’re right. We should get off the floor pronto.” Finn said.
“Yes, and climb up her to reach the desk and grab the jewel in her necklace.” Jake said. Finn nodded and tried to jump up onto the bottom of the dress, but it was too high even for the one-inch-tall Finn.
“Um… a little help, buddy?” Finn said.
“You didn’t say please, but alright.” Jake said as he grabbed a hold of Finn’s behind and stretched his arms outward, allowing the boy to grab hold. Jake stretched his legs so that he could grab the dress as well. Once they were both onboard, they got to climbing.

A few minutes had passed since the two started climbing, but they sighed seeing they still had a long way to go. And to top things off, even the slightest movements of Bubblegum’s legs forced the two to hold on tight so they wouldn’t go flying off.
“Ugh… I’m getting dizzy from this ride.” Jake said.
“Hang in there, Jake!” Finn shouted. Jake simply rolled his eyes.
“Like I have a choice.” Jake commented. When the two got to the princess’s midsection however, they suddenly felt a sinking sensation.
“Huh? Why am I getting this sinking feeling, all of a sudden?” Finn asked. Jake gasped knowing what was happening.
“Oh spit! Finn, she’s going into a gelatinous phase! We have to get off before…!” Jake shouted.
“Jake! Help me! I can’t…!” Finn said as he tried to break loose from the trap, but he was suddenly pulled inside.
“Hang on, Finn!” Jake shouted as he took a deep breath and dove into the ‘water’ that was the outermost layer of Princess Bubblegum’s body.

The two were now floating around inside a seemingly endless layer of pink. They couldn’t tell whether it was part of the princess’s skin or her dress, but either way, Finn realized something about where they were now.
“Jake… it’s like we’re in space all of a sudden.” Finn said.
“Yes, but we shouldn’t stay here forever. Who knows how much oxygen we can carry in here?” Jake said. Finn then looked up.
“Oh, but look! The necklace is not too far up.” Finn said.
“Yes, but how will we get up there?” Jake said.
“Easy! By going for a swim!” Finn said as he literally swam upwards through the thick liquid. Jake rolled his eyes again.
“Duh, Jake. That’s why I admire Finn’s intelligence more than I question it.” Jake said.

For the next few minutes, Jake and Finn swam upwards towards Bubblegum’s chest area and then towards her neck. At times Finn wondered how this was all possible and how it was that the princess didn’t suspect in the slightest of his presence within her body. Either way, he and Jake were now floating directly in front of their prize.
“Well, here’s her valuable necklace. This had to count as one of those valuables the witch wanted.” Finn said.
“I say we don’t wait around to find out. We only have one minute worth of oxygen left in here!” Jake said.
“Okay, but… how do we get it?” Finn asked.
“With a little stretch mechanics, of course.” Jake said as he immediately got to work stretching his body outward. He grunted as he pushed with all his might on the necklace, breaking through the princess’s ‘skin’ as he did so. As Jake tilted his stretching motion down towards Bubblegum’s legs and Finn followed from behind, the necklace was in the process of breaking off from Bubblegum’s neck.
“Finn, we gotta transport to our next destination, like, immediately after the necklace breaks loose before the princess takes it back.” Jake said.
“Are you sure? Why can’t we just let her pick it back up so she can see us and help us?” Finn asked.
“A valid suggestion, but we shouldn’t take a chance. She could be watching to make sure we’re not, as she put it earlier, cheating. And besides, we’re so small and fragile… one BREATH from her could kill us.” Jake said.
“Yeah, good point.” Finn said.

The duo looked up and saw the necklace just seconds away from snapping.
“Here it comes. Get ready!” Jake said. The necklace finally broke off, bouncing off Bubblegum’s dress and landing on the floor, taking Finn and Jake along for the ride. This of course was not lost on the princess as she looked down after placing her brush on the table.
“Oh? I guess I didn’t tighten this necklace enough.” Bubblegum said. As the giantess reached down to reclaim her necklace, both Jake and Finn gasped over the unimaginably huge hand descending over them.
“Quick, Finn, get us out of here!” Jake shouted.
“But where do we…” Finn shouted.
“No time, anywhere but here!” Jake shouted. Finn closed his eyes and soon made himself, Jake, and Bubblegum’s necklace disappear. Naturally, Princess Bubblegum gasped over the disappearance of the necklace.
“Oh no! My necklace! What nefarious evil doer would take such a precious heirloom! I must seek the help of Finn and Jake.” Bubblegum said as she stood up and ran out of the room. Of course, little did she know that Jake and Finn were the ones who stole that necklace, and were just in the room with her a few seconds ago despite their miniscule size.

Speaking of Jake and Finn, their surroundings changed from Princess Bubblegum’s bedroom to somewhere else. Somewhere that had a few flames burning on the nearby walls. They also noticed Princess Bubblegum’s gigantic necklace had traveled with them.
“Whew… that was close. And we managed to bring the necklace with us.” Finn said. Just as he said that, however, the necklace disappeared in a shower of stars. Finn gasped, and Jake knew right away who was responsible.
“I think we just made our first payment to the witch.” Jake said.
“Heh, I see.” Finn said. Jake looked around to figure out where Finn had brought them, and the flames and steadily rising heat were incredibly obvious clues.
“Something tells me we’re in the Fire Kingdom.” Jake said.
“Yeah, it was the first place I could think of in the rush to get out of the Candy Kingdom.” Finn said.
“I commend you for that, but you know we’re in the home of…” Jake said.

Once again, his speech was interrupted by the booming sounds of approaching footsteps. This time, Finn and Jake were smart to take cover behind a nearby chair, and they watched as a mega-sized Flame Princess came walking into the room.
“Sigh… yes, I know. Flame Princess.” Finn said.
“This may be the one time I’m glad we’re bug-sized. You’d be in for quite the inferno if she saw you now.” Jake said.
“*gulp* We may still be in an inferno if we grab anything off her… even something as little as an ember!” Finn said.
“I know, but we have no choice. That witch is our only hope of returning to normal size. What do you suppose we grab from her that’s valuable?” Jake said. Finn looked way up at the giantess made of flames, who was standing near a desk fidgeting with something.
“I guess the jewel from her crown will do.” Finn said.
The two then had to cover their ears briefly as music blasted out from the desk Flame Princess was standing near. Flame Princess, meanwhile, picked up a microphone and began singing.
“La la la laaaaaa…” Flame Princess shouted as she tested her voice before belting out a few lyrics.

The music wasn’t too loud for Finn and Jake from where they stood. In fact, what was scarier was watching Flame Princess dance precariously close to the table they were standing, nearly crushing them with her flaming boots.
“We gotta climb up Flame Princess!” Finn shouted.
“Oh, sure! If you want to get scorched to death!” Jake shouted. Finn thought Jake brought up a valid point. When Flame Princess is in an active state, her body burns bright, burning nearly anything she touches into ashes. He looked around, trying to formulate a way to get in the air and retrieve the jewel off her crown without touching one ember on her body. Then he focused on the desk up above.
“I got it! We have to get to that desk and shut off that music!” Finn said.
“What!? That’s crazy! Insane to the membrane! An instant death wish!” Jake shouted.
“You have a better idea?” Finn asked.
“Nope. I like it too.” Jake said.
“Alright then. Let’s go. We’ll have to run like the wind.” Finn said.
“And hope we’re incredibly lucky.” Jake said.
“Ready… GO! WAAAAAAAAAH!” Finn shouted as he and Jake screamed while running across the room.

Despite a few close calls with Flame Princess’s boots, Finn and Jake miraculously made it to the table, looking back as they wondered how they didn’t get crushed by the giantess.
“And that, my friend, is what you call dumb luck.” Jake said.
“No kidding. It’s like someone up there is looking out for us.” Finn said.
“Come on. Let’s just climb up the desk.” Jake said. With the help of his stretchy legs, he and Finn made their way up the desk until they were standing just a few feet away from the music player.
“You turn off the music and distract Flame Princess while I reach up and pluck her jewel off!” Jake shouted as loud as he could over the music. Finn nodded like he understood what to do. And so, Jake lifted Finn onto the control deck of the music player while Jake ran to the side. Once Finn felt Jake was in position, he pushed as hard as he could on the deck’s STOP button until it finally clicked. Obviously, this caught Flame Princess’s attention.
“Huh? Who killed the music?” Flame Princess said as she walked over towards the music player, each footstep making a booming sound to the ears of Finn and Jake.
As Flame Princess reached down towards the music player to make it play again, she suddenly took notice of a ‘bug’ that was roaming around the STOP button. Of course, this ‘bug’ was actually the shrunken Finn, but he looked like a mere speck to the eyes of the princess.
“What? A bug? Ick! I thought I cleaned up all those rascals, especially the ones from Ice King.” Flame Princess said as she reached down to try and squish the ‘bug’ with her fingers.
“Yipe!” Finn said as he ran from left to right trying to avoid being crushed.
“Urgh! Hold still, you ugly little gnat!” Flame Princess said.

Meanwhile, Jake felt it was all working according to plan. With Finn occupying the giant Flame Princess, Jake could stretch his arms upward and not worry about being noticed. His hands eventually made it to the jewel on her forehead. He pulled and pulled with all his might, hoping Flame Princess’s temperature wouldn’t suddenly rise to barbecue-worthy levels. Finally, the jewel was jarred loose and it bounced, rather conveniently, towards the music player that Finn was dancing around on.
“I got it, Finn! Let’s go go go!” Jake shouted. Finn avoided one last smack from the Flame Princess and floated down (his size made him as light as a feather) next to Jake and the jewel. Flame Princess looked down, saw the jewel, touched her forehead to confirm it was actually her jewel… and now had the flames on her skin burning bright.
“HOW DARE YOU INSECTS TRY AND STEAL MY FAMILY JEWEL!?!?!?” Flame Princess screamed as her eyes glowed bright.
“I think now would be a good time to leave, Finn.” Jake said.
“Right! Teleporting to the next destination!” Finn said as he closed his eyes and managed to transport himself, Jake, and the jewel out of the Flame Kingdom. Flame Princess stood in disgust as she wondered where her jewel went, not noticing the female cackle of a witch echoing in the corner of her room.

Meanwhile, Jake and Finn found themselves at their next destination, which appeared to be a dimly lit kitchen judging by the appliances in the background. Also next to the two was Flame Princess’s jewel, although like the jewel they got from Princess Bubblegum, it also disappeared in a flash of light.
“Well, at least we’re halfway there.” Finn said.
“True, but where are we now? And why is the floor so sticky?” Jake asked as he struggled to pull his feet out from the ground.
“The next logical place to go after the homes of Princess Bubblegum and Flame Princess. We’re in the home of…” Finn said. Before he could reveal the location himself, the lights suddenly turned on inside the room. The two looked back and saw none other than Marceline the Vampire Queen walking in. Not only that, but thanks to the lights coming on, the two saw what they were standing on that was so sticky. They were standing on a stack of pancakes.
“Marceline.” Finn finally finished.
“And a plate of pancakes.” Jake added. The two watched as Marceline towered over the table.
“That are heading straight for her mouth, undoubtedly.” Finn said.
“Marceline, help!!!” both Jake and Finn shouted as they waved their arms around. But their miniscule size made it impossible for the giantess to hear them.

She started to sit down at the table, but then remembered one important thing.
“Whoops! Can’t forget the ketchup. Pancakes just aren’t the same without a ton of ketchup!” Marceline said as she got up and headed for the cabinets, pulling out a half full bottle of ketchup. As she walked back to the table and tilted the opened ketchup bottle towards the pancakes, Jake and Finn scrambled to avoid being doused in the red condiment. But thanks to the stickiness of the pancakes, they barely moved a few steps before almost drowning in the sauce. By the time their heads reemerged, Marceline had made herself comfortable at the table and licked her lips over the pancakes.
“Bon appetit!” Marceline said as she cut up the pancakes with her two forks and moved one of them towards her mouth. Jake and Finn, meanwhile, were struggling to move much in the ketchup.
“Ugh… it’s like walking through mud! How are we going to escape!?” Finn shouted.
“Don’t ask me! Swimming in ketchup is the last thing I would’ve expected to go through in this big adventure!” Jake said.
“And we’ve been through some weird stuff too!” Finn said.

Finally, Finn and Jake’s luck seemed to run out as Marceline dug her fork into the pancakes and cut loose a piece that the two were in. The two screamed as they watched the giant Marceline’s drooly mouth get closer and closer. But Jake looked up and saw an opportunity to escape.
“Finn! Her nose ring! Hold onto me!” Jake shouted as he stretched his arms upward with Finn riding on his back. With all his strength, Jake pulled upward and he and Finn were able to break loose from the ketchup right as Marceline chomped down on the pancake fragment. Jake and Finn slinged upward until they were firmly on her nose ring, With ketchup dripping off their bodies as they held on for dear life, and the loud chewing sounds from the giantess as she dug through the pancakes, Jake and Finn breathed a sigh of relief.
“Man, that was the closest call of all time. I say we find something Marceline treasures more than anything and get the heck out of here.” Jake said.
“Oh… that won’t be a problem.” Finn said softly as he suddenly drew his sword.
“Huh? What are you doing, Finn?” Jake asked.
“What does it look like? I can’t take one more second of being this tiny! I don’t care if that witch tells us this nose ring is worth nothing! It’s worth getting back to normal in my eyes!!!” Finn shouted.
“Er… I kinda agree with you, Finn, but how do you expect to make even a dent into this ring with just…” Jake started to say, but then he watched as rather substantial cuts were being made into the nose ring.
“Never mind then!” Jake finished, watching as the left side of the ring was seconds away from breaking free.

Finn quickly hopped to the other side, his fiery determination helping him hack away at the right side of the nose ring. Miraculously, Marceline didn’t seem to notice what was happening, still being engrossed with eating her ketchup loaded pancakes.
“Finn, get ready to teleport! This thing’s about to drop!” Jake shouted, cautioning his friend that they were about to quickly free fall to the ground once the ring broke loose. Finally, after another good slash with his sword, the ring snapped loose and indeed fell towards the floor.
“Waaaaaah! Teleporting now!” Finn shouted. He, Jake, and the nose ring all teleported out of sight just as the ring was about to crash to the floor.
As for Marceline, as she wiped her mouth of excess ketchup from one bite, she felt something was missing as she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.
“Huh? Where’s my nose ring? Did I take it off while sleeping again?” Marceline asked as she looked all around the room, including on her stack of pancakes, trying to locate her missing ring.

By the time Jake, Finn, and the nose ring landed with a thud on the floor, the scenery had changed yet again. This time, it looked like they were in an outdoor setting. A jungle setting on top of all that. As the heroic duo watched Marceline’s nose ring disappear, they turned their attention to the jungle background.
“Wait? The jungle? You brought us all the way to the jungle?” Jake said.
“Ummm… yeah. To find the last girl I can think of.” Finn said. Jake took a deep breath as he figured out who Finn was thinking of.
“Huntress Wizard.” Jake said. Just then, the two heard a flute playing in the background.
“Yep. I know that flute sound anywhere.” Finn said.
“Then we better go track it down before we’re earthworm food!” Jake said as the two got traversing through the tall tree-like grass.

It took almost half an hour given how tiny they were, but Finn and Jake finally tracked the flute noise down. After climbing on top of one of the grass blades, the two were looking right at Huntress Wizard as she sat on a rock playing her flute. Finn smiled.
“Doesn’t it sound beautiful?” Finn asked.
“You’re not thinking of stealing that, are you?” Jake asked.
“Errr… I guess. But maybe it’s TOO valuable for the witch…” Finn said.
“You’re probably right, and it’s far too big for us to carry alone. There’s gotta be something else she treasures.” Jake said. He then looked ahead and saw Finn running ahead towards Huntress Wizard’s boots.
“Hey, wait for me!” Jake shouted.
Finn wasted no time in wanting to grab something from Huntress Wizard and get back to the witch. Like he had done with Princess Bubblegum, Finn treated Huntress Wizard like the side of the mountain and climbed it as well as he could. Along the way, he tried to figure out what he was going to take from his good friend aside from the flute. A leaf or twig from her hair or outfit? One of her arrows? Surely there must be something else besides her flute of great importance to her.

Finn had made it up to Huntress Wizard’s chest level when suddenly she stopped playing the flute and…
“Hi, Finn.” Huntress Wizard softly said. Finn gasped as he looked up.
“H-H-H-How does she know I’m here? Eeeep!” Finn shouted as he looked behind himself and saw two giant lime green fingers coming for him. Finn was pinched in between them and then let go as he landed in the palm of the giantess’s hand with her gigantic face looming overhead.
“Huntress Wizard! How did…” Finn said.
“It seems we still share a special bond that told me you were nearby… and at such a miniscule scale.” Huntress Wizard said.
“Can… can you hear me?” Finn asked. As the two continued to chat, Jake finally caught up and stood next to Finn.
“Yes, Finn. I can hear and see you. I also know of your plight and what you must do to correct it.” Huntress Wizard said.
“Wow… you really are good.” Jake said.
“Well, part of it is because I’ve encountered that witch in the past. I know how she thinks and gets her kicks.” Huntress Wizard said.
“Can you help us then?” Finn asked.

Huntress Wizard then took a deep breath and lowered her hands to the ground, placing Finn and Jake there, inches away from her boots. They were initially worried the giantess was going to reveal how she was on the witch’s side and would crush them there and now, but instead, she looked at her flute and then set that down.
“Take my flute and go.” Huntress Wizard said.
“Huh!? But… you deeply care for that flute, don’t you?” Finn asked.
“Yes, but if sacrificing it means bringing you one step closer back to your normal size, then so be it.” Huntress Wizard said.
“Thank you…” Finn and Jake both said.
“Hurry and go before the witch discovers what has transpired!” Huntress Wizard said. Finn and Jake both quickly nodded and used their magic to teleport away with the flute in tow. Right as they disappeared, Huntress Wizard turned around and winked up to the treetops, like she was signaling for someone or something.

Finn and Jake soon found themselves back at the grassy plains where this whole adventure started. The flute appeared and rested with the other items the duo managed to capture.
“Well, that’s it. Four precious treasures like the witch wanted.” Finn said.
“But where is she? It’s always like her to be late.” Jake said.
“Huh? What did you say?” Finn said. Jake sweated a little bit for some reason, but before he could open his mouth again, out suddenly came the witch’s cackle once more. After that, the witch reappeared, floating above the shrunken duo.
“Well done, you two! I must admit. I had my doubts you could pull off a height… er, I mean… heist like that!” the witch said.
“Alright, witch. A deal’s a deal! Make us normal-sized again!” Finn said.
“Teeheeheehee… you sure did succeed in getting what I asked for. However…” the witch said.
“However?” Jake asked.
“It seems your little heists did not go unnoticed.” the witch said as she backed up and snapped her fingers.

Suddenly appearing over Jake and Finn and surrounding them in a circle were the very giantesses they stole from. They of course were Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Flame Princess, and Huntress Wizard. All of them, except for Huntress Wizard, looked VERY unhappy.
“Finn! How could you take such a precious family jewel from me!?” Bubblegum shouted as she and the other ladies took back their items stolen from them.
“Oooooooh… I am going to burn you hotter than the morning sun when I’m through with you!!!” Flame Princess said.
“Mmmm… I wonder what a naughty little Finn would taste like. Hopefully like ketchup!” Marceline said.
“N-n-n-n-no, ladies! I can explain!” the quivering Finn shouted.
“But first, I say we grind him like a piece of bubble gum under my shoe.” Bubblegum said as she slowly raised her foot up, as did the other giantesses.
“Waaaaaaah!!! Do something, Jake! I’m too young to be crushed like a bug!” Finn said as he clutched tightly onto Jake, who remained surprisingly calm, cool, and collected.
“Chill out, Finn. I’ve got this.” Jake said as he fought loose from Finn’s grip.

Then he did something that took Finn, and initially the witch and the other girls, by surprise. Jake began to grow.
“Huh? Jake?” Finn said. Of course, Finn knew changing size was one of Jake’s normal powers, but considering he said a little while ago that the witch had taken away his power to do just that, this act was baffling him. But he watched things play out as Jake walked towards the witch.
“Okay, Shrinkara. I think this charade has gone on long enough.” Jake said as he looked at the once gigantic witch.
“Awwww… do we really have to end it? I was hoping we’d get to see the boy flatter than a pancake…” Shrinkara said, only to get a growling face from Jake.
“Alright, alright. Otherwise you’ll come chasing after me and my savings account, right?” Shrinkara said with a subtle nod from Jake. That’s when Shrinkara floated near the shrunken Finn and worked her magic, once again in a feverish manner that would leave any other witch out of breath.

Finn watched as he slowly grew back to his normal size. He immediately looked over at Jake and Shrinkara.
“Uh… Jake. Could you please tell me what the heck is going on!?” Finn shouted.
“Now, ladies!” Jake suddenly shouted. Finn almost jumped off his feet when he suddenly heard all four of his lady friends shout…
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FINN!!” they all shouted, one by one giving the stunned boy a hug and maybe even a quick kiss (like with Princess Bubblegum and Huntress Wizard).
“Birthday? This was a birthday present? From all of you?” Finn asked.
“And believe me, it was NOT easy playing along with what Jake had in mind. I wanted sooooooo bad to actually toy with you when you two were teeny tiny!” Flame Princess said.
“You sure that would be a good idea, Flame Princess? He could’ve been melted to a crisp.” Bubblegum said.
“Well… then next time he should wear something from the Ice King!” Flame Princess said.
“I’m just glad you two didn’t drown in ketchup. I can’t even imagine being in that scenario.” Marceline said. Finn rapidly looked at all the girls one by one, incredulous that the girls would play along with a game like this, especially given the high risk of getting crushed, eaten, or whatever in any one of those scenarios! He finally just chuckled and blushed at all the ladies.
“Awww… you guys. Thanks....” Finn said.

Then he looked over at Jake and Shrinkara.
“Oh, but what about you, Jake?” Finn said.
“Yeah, Shrinkara here can’t possibly hope to cast a spell that will keep me tiny. And even then, we’ve been good friends for years.” Jake said.
“He’s right. He looked out for me ever since I crash landed on this planet many years ago. He even told me how to responsibly use my size changing magic! I owe my career to this doggy!” Shrinkara said as he patted Jake on the head.
“Career?” Finn asked.
“I’m a magician! I perform at all sorts of shows and birthday parties of all ages. I’m surprised Jake hasn’t told you about me by now!” Shrinkara said.
“Yeah, well… it’s been a long time since we last talked, Shrinkara.” Jake said.
“Sigh… you’re right. I suppose that’s my fault, always traveling from world to world, entertaining everyone with things big and small.” Shrinkara said.

She then looked down at a watch attached to her wrist.
“Whoops! Speaking of traveling, I’m late for my next show! Until we meet again, Finn and Jake!” Shrinkara said as she spun around and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“And there she goes. I probably won’t see her again for 20 years.” Jake said.
“Oh, I don’t know. She seemed to enjoy putting that act together, although it did take a group effort.” Finn said as he glared not so menacingly at the four girls, all of whom either whistled or giggled innocently.
“Well then, we better get home before it gets too dark.” Jake said.
“Need a lift, everyone?” Flame Princess said.
“Thanks, Flame Princess! Especially since I can’t feel the teleportation spell anymore” Finn said.
“Yeah, when Shrinkara leaves the scene, so do any hexes and curses she casts.” Jake said right as everyone departed the grassy plains courtesy of the flying Flame Princess.

END