Disclaimer: I don't own any character, name, place or anything related to the original show. Everything belongs to ©Cartoon Network, Frederator Studios and Pendleton Ward.

A Matter of Responsibilities

~Prologue~

The Girl on the Snow

She was sitting in front of her desk, holding her scissors carefully as the tip of her tongue slipped out of the corner of her mouth. She had to make a clear and precise cut on the dotted line that divided the artificial-living doll's torso. Her trashcan was full of failed of attempts. This was her last chance of doing the procedure right, and Bubblegum was not going to lose it. It would be a nuisance to walk down to her lab in search of more biomass, and she wasn't going to speak a word to Peppermint Butler. She didn't need another monologue about how unhealthy her habits were.

"I'm an adult…!" the princess muttered under breath. "I know what's best when it comes to myself…!"

Her hand trembled lightly as she laid the sharp edge of her scissors on the clueless creature that she was holding firmly, within the grasp of her left fist. All she needed was to focus, a single second of silence and it would be done. She could do it!

BAM!

Her scissors slipped, cutting the doll's leg off as the Candy Palace shook itself and a loud noise boomed outside. Her books and ornaments fell off, breaking in the process when they hit the floor. Princess Bubblegum tossed her experiment and stood off her chair, half irritated and half dazzled because of the unexpected event that had just occurred. She arrived quickly to the window, losing no time in leaning out to find out what the crum was going on.

"What is all that noise?" Bubblegum muttered. Then her eyes met the darkened skies that had suddenly covered the land as two enraged forces of nature fought an intense battle right above the Ice Kingdom. "Ach mein Glöb!" the Princess exclaimed.

Those were Flame Princess and the Ice King! But why? What did those two think they are doing? Bubblegum couldn't tell. The mental gears inside her brain began to process the possibilities and the consequences that might result of the young reckless princess and the crazy old man's clash.

Another explosion was heard, and this time, a bright blinding light followed it. Bubblegum managed to cover her eyes with her arm just in time to glimpse how the Flame Princess and the Ice King were fired in opposite directions, crashing violently against the frozen mountains.

"Glob!" the candy princess urged herself. "If those two repeat an attack like that one, they'll vanish the Ice Kingdom and everything around it! Including MY kingdom!"

Princess Bubblegum rushed to her closet and pulled out a more comfortable battle outfit. She left her royal dress behind, running out of her room. Her purplish boots tapped the staircase hurriedly as she descended to the main hall of her castle. Her candy subjects watched her pass by as if they were asking for an explanation, but Bubblegum didn't give them any. Peppermint Butler was waiting for her at the main doors, holding a backpack, which he quickly tossed into her arms as she exited the palace.

Bonnibel ignored how had her butler figured that she was going to need a bag filled with useful traveling gear so quickly, but she was thankful nonetheless. Once outside, her eyes flew towards the clouded skies where the now titanic opponents were punching each other mercilessly. She had to hurry. Cupping her pink hands around her mouth, Bubblegum called out for her loyal pet.

"Morrow…!"

In a matter of seconds, the brown eagle had swept her into the air. Her hands held the large feathers growing on the back of the bird's head tightly. Flame Princess was out of control; her beast form was launching fireballs and blasts everywhere. Bubblegum gulped as she instructed Morrow to fly into the raging battlefield. She knew that this wasn't going to be a pleasant ride.

The Ice Kingdom was melting beneath her. Bears, penguins, and even a kind snow golem were seen running for their lives as Princess Bubblegum approached the wild fiery princess. The Ice King was nowhere to be seen. Bubblegum squinted, glancing below. She spotted his castle, now a pile of broken debris. A prick of worry flashed across her chest. Deep within, the candy princess hoped that her annoying kidnapper was okay.

"Where is he?" she whispered as her vision was clouded by the hot steam that had suddenly emerged from the melting ice. "Oh no… Flame Princess' heat is… more than we can bear…!"

Her feet kicked the giant bird's sides with determination. "Morrow! Take us out of here before—…" the air became too dense to breathe. "Uh… no…"

Both Morrow and his rider lost their consciousness because of the severe lack of air, prompting them to plunge into the snow in a free fall. The two bodies spun out of control, gaining momentum until they finally hit the cold water with a big splash. Bubblegum remained unconscious as her body drifted softly towards a nearby shore.

x+x+x+x+x

"Ugh…" the candy princess opened her eyes slowly, blinking to get rid of her blurry vision. "W-what happened?"

She felt the necessity of embracing her shivering body, blowing her warm breath in an attempt to revive her numb hands. Thank Glob she was wearing a thermal suit; otherwise she would have died of hypothermia hours ago. Princess Bubblegum crawled out of the frozen waters, helped by her trusty pet, who had stayed by her side the whole time.

"Thanks, Morrow." Bubblegum smiled, patting his beak. "Good job."

She turned back to analyze her surroundings. The Ice Kingdom had vanished almost completely. All that was left was a barren snowy wasteland, marked with battle scars that only time could heal. The silence that had fell upon Bubblegum gave her chills, what had happened with Flame Princess and Ice King's fight?

"I wonder where are they…" Princess Bubblegum whispered, her breath appearing before her as a tiny puff of steam. "Who stopped the battle? What in the world… just happened here?"

The wind blew, messing her loose strands of gummy hair. "C'mon, Morrow… Let's explore the area…"

Her first intention was to wander inside the Ice Castle. With a little bit of luck, she'd find some clues there, maybe even a wounded Ice King. Let's be honest, Princess Bubblegum knew that the wizard's powers were great, but his insanity and clumsy personality would most certainly keep him from fighting at his max capacity. Flame Princess, on the other hand, was a natural force of raging destruction. It was clear that she had 98% probabilities of wining the fight. Bubblegum's first guess was that the Ice King had said something unbelievably stupid to the fire elemental, if she had reacted in such a violent way. Typical of him...

"If my calculations are correct," the candy princess said as she walked on the many puddles that were now the Ice Castle's floor. "Ice King should be lying somewhere around here, that is… if Flame Princess didn't kill him."

Morrow tilted his head in response.

"I guess that, now that we're here, we should find him and treat his wounds." Bubblegum shrugged.

But as she explored the destroyed chambers of the crystal palace, her idea of finding an injured Ice King inside there diminished. There was nothing but cold puddles, broken chunks of ice, and smoke. That was pretty much the same scenery that the pink princess found outside. The sun had already disappeared in the horizon and only few rays of gold and orange remained on the gray skies.

"I-I don't understand…" the princess sighed in worry. "Where is he? Don't tell me that Flame Princess evaporated him… did she?"

Her eyes met Morrow's searching for an answer, even though she knew that he couldn't give her any. "Caw!" the bird squawked, flapping his wings in uneasiness. Princess Bubblegum noticed this immediately, seeking the cause of the eagle's distress. A mysterious light glowed not very far from them. It was weak and dim, giving off a bluish hue.

"Huh? What's that?" Bubblegum squinted. "Ice King?"

Her feet drove her to the supposed wizard as fast as they could. Once she had reached his side, Princess Bubblegum let out a surprised gasped, not believing her eyes. There was a body lying on the snow, but it wasn't the Ice King. It was Flame Princess.

"N-no way!" the kind ruler exclaimed, quickly crouching by the girl's side.

It didn't make any sense. Had Flame Princess been defeated by the Ice King? Or had the candy princess hit her head too hard when she and Morrow crashed? Whatever the reason was, Bubblegum couldn't let the fire elemental die there. Her hands rummaged the inside of her backpack, finding with joy a warm blanket that would serve her to protect Flame Princess' body from the cold.

"How did you end up like this?" Bubblegum whispered as she scooped the dim elemental in her arms. "You don't seem to have any grave injuries, yet you look terrible…"

The candy princess stood there, gazing at her kingdom in the distance reluctantly. Taking the Ice King to the hospital wouldn't have been such a big deal, but taking the Princess of Flames to the Candy Kingdom? Princess Bubblegum shook her head in resignation; she wasn't ready to deal with Flame Princess, at least not yet. But her moral code wouldn't let her abandon the girl in that cold wasteland. There was no other option, it was a matter of responsibilities.

"C'mon, Morrow…" Bubblegum sighed, furrowing her brow in concern, and maybe even a little bit of fear. "We gotta aid Flame Princess…"

This is my take on what 'Frost & Fire' epilogue might be, as well as a prequel to 'Too Old'. It's not supposed to be a long fanfic, or I don't know, it depends on many things. I guess I'll be experimenting with Bonfire until I get over the hard blow that the show gave to my otp, Flaminn. Oh well, enjoy and tell me what you think! :)