"I wonder what it is Gumball's called us over here for." Fionna said, leaning against one of the many gingerbread pillars of the Candy Kingdom Castle's main hall. She and Cake has been waiting for about a good ten minutes for the prince, lacking their usual excitement for an adventure or a task. Fionna had droned on many times about the tediousness and boredom of Gumball's missions, how they would usually compose of simple drop offs, collections, and body-guarding without a single sliver of danger or risk. Most of these missions never even went outside the Candy Kingdom, always confined to the safe, fluffy borders of the prince's familiar country.

Fionna imagined having to delivering packs of sugar out towards the outer settlements, or having to help him decorate for another special occasion or...oh Gob, getting the fluffy kids out of the thick-sap tree again. Fionna's face shrunk in at the thought, like she had just eaten a bad sour candy, before the sound of doors opening snapped her back to reality. Through the graham cracker doors emerged Gumball, clad in his usual puffed royal garbs with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Fionna! Cake! So nice to see you two again. Please come in, we have much to discuss!" Gumball's tone of voice always carried a sort of forced, obligatory fervor, as most royalty had always done, but this time his words were full with true, genuine excitement. Fionna and Cake followed him into what was Gumball's laboratory. Glowing beakers filled with strange concoctions, scribblings across a wall full of blackboards, and glass mazes with chemical trekkers all decorated the room. The neon curtain would only be broken up at the far side of the room, where the only window would reside. But not even that was free of the science web, as a large telescope had been attached to the side, allowing Gumball to stretch his eye across both the entire kingdom, and the stars whenever he got that astrological itch.

A lone "Wow..." escaped Fionna's lips as she marveled Gumball's technological playhouse, but the prince's words would once again break her wave of awe. "I'm glad you two came by today, I have something very important to show you." Gumball quickly made his way over to the telescope, reaching behind it to unclip and flip out a large screen, reminiscent of an oversized magnifying class. The view on the glass was currently a blurred mess of candy color, but began to twist and zoom as the prince piloted the scope. The image stretched out, passing all the castle towers, domiciles and defensive wall of the Candy Kingdom until it finally centered on a dark spot, deep within the surrounding woods. With the eye of the scope now in place, Gumball twisted one of his contraption's many dials, which sharpened the image on the screen. It showed a number of limp, willow-like trees, to which Fionna pursed her mouth and raised her brow.

"Trees? That...that's the mission?" Fionna's words rolled Cake's eyes as she mushed her paw into her friend's shoulder.

"No you dummeh! Look, it's behind the trees." Fionna squinted her eyes and finally caught it; the trees opened up their leafy curtains to reveal a deep, slitted cave. Fionna had never seen this cave before, and she took pride in being the living, breathing atlas of caves, dungeons, and overall secrets of Aaa.

"Yes, the Banana Guard discovered this cave a few days ago while on their nightly patrols of the border. But that's not the only interesting thing about it." Gumball reached down into his pocket and pulled out a collection of glowing red crystals. The light from them seemed to slowly pulse and dissipate as it flowed away, and Fionna and Cake gazed upon them with widened eyes.

"What is that stuff, Gumball? It's so...beautiful." Gumball placed the gems onto a small table beside him before turning to his blackboard, hands studiously clasped behind his back.

"To be honest I have absolutely no idea, Fionna. But the guards claim that it was scattered right at the entrance of the cave. I've compared it to every other element, form of energy, and precious metal my books had; this is something brand new, never seen before. I've run tests of these samples I've found and their make up is so transformable and viable, it can probably be used for anything. Energy, construction, defensive instrumentality...it's just incredible!" Gumball threw his arms into the air like a poor man striking gold, but they soon fluttered downward as he continued his explanation. "Unfortunately, I can't complete my research with just these little particles. But if I was able to get all of this from just a few specks of dust...imagine what a whole cave of these minerals could tell us?" Very rarely did Fionna ever catch Prince Gumball's giddy side, but at this moment it was beaming from the royal's young face.

"So you want us to clear out the cave of monsters, right!?" Fionna asked, eager for confirmation that her sword wouldn't spend the entire mission napping in its sheath. Gumball nodded almost immediately, his twiddling his fingers walking the two girls through the rest of his words.

"Oh yes, Gob knows what's lingering inside that place. I wouldn't be surprised if a Crystal Guardian was awaiting you there. Of course, this is you we're talking about, I'm sure you can handle it." Fionna grinned and blushed at the compliment, while Gumball set his gaze back through the telescope. "I'm also hoping you can bring back a bigger sample of rock for me to analyze."

"Why don't I just bring you the Crystal Giant's head?" Fionna joked, sparking a low-tone chortle from the candy prince.

"Well, that would make quite the mantle piece." Gumball smirked as he gazed deeply into the cave, wondering what gems and treasures lay behind its dark corridors. "This will be one amazing discovery Fionna, one for the books! I just can't wa-"

"HEY!" A blaring voice shouted as a veined monstrous eye leapt out onto the screen. Prince Gumball whipped backwards from fright, tumbling onto the ground with his chair in tow. A deep cackle soon followed, no doubt aimed at the prince's gobsmacked reaction. As the eye vanished off the screen and glass, Fionna and Cake ran to the window to see who had arrived.

It was Marshall Lee, pointing and laughing towards the window as the air cradled him. A hard scowl formed on Fionna's face as she laid eyes on the vampire, tossing up any chance to greet him as she tended to Gumball. After helping the prince to his feet, Fionna returned her sawing glance to Marshall, soon joined by both Cake and Gumball.

"What is he doing here?" The prince asked, his question peppered with annoyance and contempt. Marshall slipped through the space between the wall and the telescope, snatching Fionna's chance to respond.

"C'mon, Bubba. When there's talk of caves, villains and possible doom, you know I'm there." Gumball, with his arms crossed and eyes rolling, scoffed at the vampire's jest. Marshall continued. "Been listening in on your little huddle for a while now. I'm actually interested in that cave myself. It looks very...homey." Gumball's lip and forehead launched at one another as he gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow; Marshall was not going to just fly in and use his potential goldmine as a place to crash. The two royals locked eyes, one grinning, one growling.

"We have work to do in that cave Marshall. You can go and play squatter somewhere else until we're done. Maybe we'll let you have it once we've gathered what we need." Gumball's face had heated up as he tried to keep his royal cool. Marshall just smirked.

"You know Bubba, I've never seen you this red. It's kinda makin' me...hungry." The vampire king topped off his vague threat with a slither of his tongue. Gumball swiftly leapt backwards, never knowing if Marshall Lee was serious or not. This let Fionna come in to take his place in the stare-down.

"What do you want, Marshall?" The girl plainly asked. She wasn't in the mood for any of the vampire's attitude, especially after what had happened the last time they met. Still raw from the whole faking-death stunt, this would be the first time they had spoken since that night. Marshall recognized Fionna's seriousness and lightened up his joking tone.

"Relax guys, it's a little thing called a joke. I'm just out for a little fun, that's all. Aaa's been a bit lacking in the adventure department; this is the most exciting thing I've heard for the past three weeks." Fionna's brow swerved upward, deeply unsure of what Marshall was playing at. Then again, she never could predict anything involving Marshall; the boy was a floating, red-drinking firecracker. While Fionna was still angered at his past idiocy, she didn't want to turn him away like Gumball and Cake would. Plus even if she did, he'd probably shrug it off and follow them anyway. Fionna sighed and gave the vampire a push.

"Fine...just keep up and keep quiet and you can come." Marshall Lee nodded in mock understanding, wrapping his arms behind his head as he leant back.

"Keep up, definitely. Keep quiet...meh." Fionna didn't even respond, she just continued strolling, grasping Gumball's arm for him to come with. The lack of a reply sent a small unsettling wave towards Marshall's way, interrupted with the sudden arrival of Cake.

"You best watch what you say, honey. You're walkin' on eggshells." The cat gave Marshall a deep squinted glare, before marching past him to join Fionna, letting her tail swat the vampire's nose. Shooing the appendage away, Marshall looked on as Fionna, Cake, and Gumball all collected in their own little group, causing him to frown. This little interweaving normally wouldn't bother Marshall, they were friends, they huddle into small groups and chat away. But when coupled with Fionna's coldness and Cake's warning, it made him feel segregated. Maybe his latest bit of tricks may have been too much, even for Fionna and Cake.

After hacking out the curtain of vine and leaf, the group stopped right at the entrance of the cave. Resting her sword on her shoulder, Fionna took the first step towards the entrance. Gumball followed with the rest, the prince clad in some sort of silvery exoskeleton meant to protect his soft candy self. Reaching the wall, Fionna ran her thumb across the side of the rock and then examined her finger. It was painted with red shimmering dust. Quickly showing it to Gumball, he leaned and looked inside the cavern.

"Boy it's dark in there, looks like we're gonna need some of these." Gumball pressed a small button on his suit's gauntlet, which opened up a neighboring compartment to reveal a collection of orange neon light sticks, each about the size of a ruler. Tossing one to each of his companions, he returned his gaze to the cave entrance, which now appeared even more shadowed against the light of his torch. Something about the dark always put a chill into Prince Gumball's spine, no matter what the situation. But regardless, the prince knew the stakes of this journey and would not let some shade and rock scare him away. He threw his hand forward for the rest to follow him, descending into the hole.

"Geez, how did those bit of crystal make it all the way outside? We've been walking forever!" Fionna whined as she trudged through the dirt. The cave has just been a straight line for what appeared to be a mile, completely absent of any glow minus the ones from the neon torches. All they had to go on were more trails of red dust scribbled on the walls, and occasionally they would break and free-fall into the faces of the four, unleashing a barrage of rapid coughs and violent hacking.

"Maybe they got sick of all this rock and dark and decided to walk out. That's what I'm thinking of doing." Marshall commented as he lazily hung in the air behind everybody. Cake poked her head out from behind Fionna and spoke.

"Gumball, are you sure those crystals belong to this cave and we're maybe dropped by some passerby or were just blown in by the wind?" Gumball's hurried pace did not slow, even to give Cake an answer.

"I had the Banana Guard check the surrounding area for any other trace of the dust or caves it could have come from. This is the only place they had found, plus the particles I found were heavy for the wind to carry." Gumball turned to look at his team with that last add-on, catching full blast of their bored, doubtful faces.

"Hey guys, don't worry. We have to come across something soon. Remember, the hardest of work is always met with the greatest of rewards." Marshall didn't even try to hold back his chuckle.

"Psh, where'd you hear that wad of bunk, a fortune cookie?" Gumball shot the vampire a harsh glare; Marshall had hit it right on the head.

"You know, you'd be surprised how much wisdom fortune cookies hav-WHA!" Gumball's faceplate bashed into a wall, causing the prince to repeat his previous blunder of stumbling over his own feet. Pounding into the floor a cloud of dust ripped up from the ground, blinding them all in red and deafening them all with coughs. Gumball wobbled like an overturned turtle as his armor's weight and the narrowness of the cave worked together to keep him down. Marshall, being the first to wipe the dust away from his eyes, knelt down and grasped the back of Gumball's shoulder to push him up.

"You know, this tripping thing's starting to become a habit, Bub." The vampire jeered as he bought the prince right side up. Taking a second to get himself steady, Gumball wiped some of the dust off his visor and glimpse at what he had walked into.

It was the corner of a fork in the cave, jutting out towards the group like a worn out screw on a wall. Gumball leaned and gazed into the two paths, both being equally deep and equally dark. Turning to his friends he spoke.

"So...should we head left or go right?" Everyone leaned outward to check the caves, but nobody gave a single word. Finally, Gumball took control of the spotlight, bringing it down on the cat. "Cake, you have good senses, what do you think?" The feline took a few cautionary steps towards the left one, giving a few sniffs before slinking over to the right. Giving a long, deep inhale, Cake finally spoke.

"Hmm, I'm thinking the right one might be a good choice. It's got less dust blocking my scent." Fionna let out a small questionable "um" before slinking over to the left corridor.

"Wouldn't more dust mean that the crystals are closer in that direction, though?" Everyone just stared at her with blank faces. "What?" Fionna shrugged, the eyes all still unmoving. Sticking her head inside the cave for a better look, she continued to justify her sudden input. "I dunno, something tells me the left is the right way." Gumball's face finally molded itself out of ineptitude as he began to think on Fionna's suggestion.

"That does make sense. Hmm, this is very confusing. You know, maybe bringing my scanner wouldn't have been such a bad idea." Fionna palmed her forehead at Gumball's blunder, played in by the sighs of both Cake and Marshall. Gumball spun out, throwing his hands up into the air in urgency. "I would've had to let the scanner dissolve and analyze the crystals to work, I would've lost the little data I had." Finally, the vampire had enough and rose his hand up.

"Why don't we just split up then?" Now all eyes were latched to him in this chain of rotating gazes. With a calm shrug he explained. "We'll get to explore both caves at once instead of having to all pile in one and then double back if that one proves to be a dud."

"Well, I guess that would work. If one of us comes to a dead end, they can head back and go down the other way to meet us." Marshall spared no second, wrapping his arm around Fionna and lashing his finger out to the caves.

"Okay so, Fionna and Me..." Marshall's finger aimed at the left path, before swinging over to the right. "...and you and Cake." The feline slunk in between the vampire and her sister, stretching into his face so that their eyes inches away from one another.

"UH-UH! A'int no way I'm leaving Fionna alone with you in a cave. She's stayin' with yours truly thank you very much." With that suggestion in mind, the prince and king gazed at one another before their eyes flattened with reluctance. Gumball raised a finger as he droned.

"I doubt that Marshall and I would make a good pair." Marshall mimicked the prince.

"Likewise." Fionna smooth her chin as she thought.

"Well I mean I could go with Gumball, if that's alright..." Marshall's brows suddenly flew up at the thought of him and Cake as a team. In a group the two would always bicker and fire snarky remark after snarky remark, just imagine how crazy it would get with just them two? Marshall's next words launched like little loud rockets.

"And place me under verbal lockdown with Cake? Many thanks." In seconds Cake blew up into a much taller, more hostile form than before, her slitted eyes now practically buried against Marshall's.

"What is that supposed to mean!?" She hissed. Fionna leapt and grabbed her friend in an attempt to keep her under control. Despite the cat's "threatening" form and angry tone, Marshall spoke his mind with no bit of hesitation.

"It means I won't be able to say a word without you thinking its some sort of double meaning and freaking out on me like you always do!" Cake continued to growl at the vampire king despite having been calmed down to her original form by her sister. Fionna then turned back to Gumball for an opinion, and soon enough the cave was echoing with forethought, opinions, prediction and negotiation. The three voices spin in Marshall's head like the galling buzz of a hundred flies, and finally, the vampire king exploded.

"Glob guys! How hard is it to pick out a damn group?! I mean, am I really that bad of company?!" No one responded, all a little stunned at Marshall's reaction. With no one saying a word, the vampire threw his hands up and groaned. "You know what? Fine. I'll go by myself since you guys are so tightly knit. Let me know how it goes." The vampire spat as he slid in the air down the left corridor, fading into the darkness. The group gazed on into the shadows for a few moments, before being broken up by the prince.

"Well...I guess that settles that. Onward!" Gumball lobbed his arm forward for the rest to continue before moving along. Cake would follow closely, but Fionna stayed right where she was. Guilt had wrapped around her like an unwanted cardigan; her friend didn't deserve to trek the darkness alone, even if their last meeting was full of him being an extreme butt-guy. Feeling somewhat sure of her decision, she called out to her friends.

"Look guys, I'm gonna go this way and catch up with Marshall. He shouldn't be in this place alone." Cake spun around and whipped her arms skyward, rushing up to Fionna.

"Are you outta your mind, girl? You and Marshall alone doesn't spell good happenings with me. He kicked you square in the face last time you two were together, you remember? At Lump Space Prince's party?" Fionna frowned at the comment, remembering that it was really she who started the bout that night. Marshall's being blamed made her feel worse.

"Cake, don't worry. Marshall may act tough and bad but he's not one to hurt friends. You gotta trust him more than that." Cake's eyes danced from left to right like a game of pong before she finally sighed in acceptance.

"...Fine. But the MOMENT anything goes wrong you holler out and I will tackle that boy so hard, we'll make another fork in the cave!" Fionna chuckled knowing that her sister would do exactly that to any man who tried to hurt her. The image of Cake in "battering ram" mode laying the smack down on Marshall made her chuckle, but she kept herself serious and patted Cake on the head, ruffling up the fur.

"Don't worry, I will. But I'm pretty sure I'll beat you too it if he DOES try anything." Ending her joke with a wink, Fionna spun on her heel and rushed down towards the other side of the cave, her neon orange torch lighting the way towards her friend. Gumball, having watched the whole event silently, gave a concerned frown, unknowingly mirrored by Cake's own scowl. The cat tried to prevent her mind from thinking the worse by focusing in on the mission, quickly returning to Gumball's side as they journeyed on into their own black pathway.