Flame Prince paced back and forth a few times on the wooden dock, shivering in the damp of the cave. Finally building up the courage, he knocked on the pale purple door. The house looks out of place here, he thought to himself.

"Who is it?" said a grumpy voice from behind the door.

"Erm… It's Flame Prince. I… uh… Can we talk?"

The door opened, and Marshall Lee stepped out, leaning against the door jamb. "What's up, flameboy?" he said, smirking a little.

"I hope I didn't wake you up, I didn't know if you sleep during the day or not." Flame Prince rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Marshall shrugged. "Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Why're you here? Is Fionna with you?" He looked around the wooden dock that served as his front porch as if expecting Fionna to appear suddenly.

"Actually… That's why I'm here. I wanted to talk to you about her."

Marshall squinted at Flame Prince, curious. "OK," he said slowly. "Let's talk." He motioned for Flame Prince to follow him, and the two boys set off along the perimeter of the underground lake in the cave.

"Marshall, I know I don't know you that well, but you're good friends with Fionna." Marshall nodded silently. "I really like her and all. I mean, she's great, she saved my life and has taken care of me for a few years now, but…" He sighed. "We've been dating for almost nine months now, and lately… well, we've been butting heads a lot."

Marshall smiled. "Heh, butts. So… you two get a little 'hot under the collar'?" Flame Prince glared at him. "Right, sorry. Continue."

"Well, yesterday she said she wanted to take some time off. I think that means she's breaking up with me, but I wanted to know for certain."

Marshall nodded. "Yeah, that's what it usually means. Tough break, dude. But that's what you came all this way to ask me?"

"No, it's more than that. I just… I don't know. We've been fighting about stupid stuff, and… is that normal? I feel like it's all my fault, like I keep saying the wrong things."

"… And you want to know if you're to blame?" Flame Prince nodded sadly. "Look, dude, when people fight, there's not really one side that's right or wrong, it's just two people disagreeing. Man, I sound like Cake. Erm… Why ask me, by the way? Why didn't you ask Cake or Gumball or someone else?" Marshall looked at Flame Prince curiously.

Flame Prince rubbed his eyes, which were slightly bloodshot. "Prince Gumball and I don't exactly get along. And Cake is too involved. You seemed like someone who knows Fionna well enough to have a good perspective, but is still somewhat objective."

Marshall Lee whistled, impressed. "You've really only been speaking English for four years? Man, you're a fast learner."

"Thanks."

"So what do you guys fight about?" Flame Prince winced a little, the memories obviously still fresh and painful. The two boys had arrived at a rocky cliff on the far side of the lake, and Flame Prince climbed up and sat on a large boulder, his feet dangling over the water.

"Sometimes she asks me these questions, questions that I don't know how to answer. Like, 'does this skirt look good on me', or 'what do you think of my pancakes', or 'do you think I should get a new sword'. And I…" He trailed off, looking out over the shiny water.

"Yes?"

"Well, sometimes I tell her the truth, and sometimes I lie. Like, when she asks me if I like her clothing, I usually say yes, even if I don't like it." Marshall scratched his bite marks absentmindedly, thinking. "And she usually finds out, then gets all mad at me for lying to her. But then sometimes she'll ask, and I'll tell her the truth, and it hurts her feelings. It's like a no-win situation."

Marshall nodded. "Yeah, girls do that."

"But then I feel bad, because Fionna saved me, she took me in and taught me how to talk and read and everything, and… I don't know. Sometimes I just feel like a burden. It would make her life so much easier if I was gone." He slid forward a little, his feet dangling closer to the water.

"No no, Flameface. No jumping in the water." Marshall flew around to face Flame Prince. "Look, Fionna's not perfect. No one is. And maybe Fionna's just not the right person for you. Have you thought of that? There's a whole world out there, full of wonderful, terrible, crazy people. There's someone out there that's right for you. And you can still be Fionna's friend, even if you two aren't dating!"

"You make it sound so final."

"Well… I mean, it doesn't have to be." Marshall sighed, rubbing his neck. This was becoming very stressful. "OK, look. Do you like Fionna?" Flame Prince nodded. "As a friend?" He nodded again. "And you liked dating her?" Another nod. "Do you love her?"

Flame Prince looked across the lake, deep in thought. "I don't know. I mean, we're good friends and all, and I really like her… I wanted the chance to love her someday. I want to be loved. I just feel like I keep hurting her, and she doesn't give me second chances."

"So find someone who will."

"Where? How? Who could ever love a guy like me?"

Marshall sighed again. Then a thought occurred. "Come back to my house, I've got an idea."

Flame Prince followed Marshall into his living room, looking around with curiosity

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Marshall floated up through a small hole in the ceiling. Flame Prince assumed it must lead to the second floor. A moment later, Marshall returned, holding a small wooden box.

"What's that?"

"Something that might help you. You know how there's two kinds of magic, right?"

Flame Prince nodded. "Yeah, Fionna told me about it. Weak magic and strong magic, right?"

"Yep. This here is a strong magical object, so you have to be extremely careful with it."

"Why, what is it?"

Marshall opened the box carefully, but didn't show Flame Prince what was inside. "It's a taliform."

Flame Prince raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Say what?"

"A taliform, something that transports you to a certain destination. Like a bicycle, except much faster, and powered by magic instead of legs. Also smaller. And much more dangerous. And it can find things for you, so you don't have to know where you're going to get there. I guess it's not like a bicycle at all, really." Flame Prince nodded, still confused. "Look, it takes you to and from your true love, the person you're destined to be with." Marshall pulled something from the box and held it up for Flame Prince to see.

"It looks like a rock," he said. "It is a rock."

"So? What did you think it would look like?"

"I dunno, something more… mystical? Like an old scroll with runes on it, or a tiny machine you have to crank? I don't know, just not that!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint. I got it from my mother, it's how she ended up meeting my dad."

"OK… how does it work?"

"Simple, you squeeze it in your hand, think about loving and being loved, and it takes you to wherever your true love is. To return, just squeeze it and think about home. Easy peasy."

"I don't believe you."

Marshall smirked, and closed his eyes, squeezing the rock in his fist. There was a whooshing sound and a flash of bright light, and he disappeared. Flame Prince took a step back, looking around as if Marshall had just performed a magic trick.

"Marshall? Where'd you go?"

A moment later, there was another flash of light and Marshall returned, standing exactly where he had disappeared from moments ago. "See? Easy as pie."

Flame Prince frowned. "Why do you smell like chewing gum?"

Marshall shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Well, it took me to my true love, of course. He was showering though, so I just kissed and left."

"…He?"

"Come on, give it a go! Trust me, it's totally safe. If you're not meant to be with Fionna, this will take you to wherever you need to go. Just… don't go jumping in water. You're worth more than that."

Flame Prince swallowed nervously, then gripped the rock in his fist. It was surprisingly warm and heavy. Giving Marshall one last glance, he closed his eyes and thought about… what was it like to be truly loved? Was what he had with Fionna really love? He shivered, his eyes still closed. No, it wasn't love that defined his relation to Fionna. Flame Prince squeezed the rock a little tighter, and imagined strong, warm arms around his body, someone making soup for him on a cold winter night, a soft, happy feeling from just being near someone… There was a loud cracking sound, and the world around him disappeared.