Notice: This is a "What if" scenario for The Red Throne.
Finn sat in a small wooden chair in the middle of his living room, gently knowing on his right hand to pass the time. He quickly got up from the seat and stared in shock at the massive hole that was made in his wall. Standing in front of it was Cinnamon Bun riding on top of his big fire wolf, Jake 2. Behind him sat Flame Princess, wearing a plain white dress and her hair let loose behind her back. Finn noticed that her skin glowed less than when they last saw each other.
"Finn!" Flame Princess said as she and CB got off Jake 2.
The two of them walked up to Finn, who instantly got up.
"Um, hehe, hey. Uh, Jake isn't here; he's sleeping over at Lady Rainicorn's, maybe."
"Finn, I've been slowly poisoned by my treacherous handmaiden. Now my powers are weakened and the Flame Lord has freed my father and threatened to marry me. But I escaped with CB."
"Woah, what?! I'll help you." he said with a confident expression.
She looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Listen, Finn. This doesn't mean we're getting back together. We're all business."
"Of course."
"Uhu, business." CB said.
FP sighed.
"I feel exhausted. Where can I freshen up?"
"Girl's bathroom is over there. Also it's the boy's bathroom."
"Thanks."
She went inside the bathroom and Finn was left alone with CB. The two said nothing for several seconds before Finn raised his hand.
"Hey, CB?"
"Yeah?"
He opened his mouth to speak but instead lowered his arm and sighed.
"Nothing."
After a few more seconds, FP came back to the living room.
"Alright, guys. Let's wolf."
The two of them nodded and got on Jake 2. CB sat on front while FP sat in the middle, with Finn behind her. CB kicked the wolf gently on both sides and it immediately began flying, making Finn exclaim from the unexpected jump.
The wolf was flying them over Ooo as they made their way towards the Fire Kingdom. Finn decided to start a conversation.
"So, you're fire wolf can fly?"
"Yep." CB replied, "I taught him."
"Hmm."
As the journey went on, Finn raised his hand and hovered it over her shoulder, noticing she was strangely cold. He was tempted to place his hand on her skin but instead pulled it back and held it with his other. He closed his eyes and sighed.
'Keep it together. She's just fine without you.'
After flying for several more minutes, they reached the Fire Kingdom's outskirts. The entire area was gray and lifeless, with nothing but rocks and ash. The Fire Kingdom could be seen at a distance, emanating its orange glow. CB set Jake 2 down just outside its walls. Once they landed, Finn got off and walked towards a group of rocks and began searching through them.
"I hid my flame-proof suit behind these rocks. Just in case… you know." Why did I even put this here? I don't use it.
While he put his suit on, FP sat beside CB as he began drawing a map of the place on the ground. Once he was done, Finn walked up to them, suddenly stepping back when he noticed he nearly stepped on the map.
"Nearly stepped on it. Anyway, I'm all set."
CB grunted in accordance and went back to pointing at the map with a stick while FP listened closely.
"So, the guards are posted here and here. So we should probably sneak in here."
He pointed towards a corridor on the side of the place that led towards a dead end.
"Do you think we'd find any resistance on the other side?" Finn asked.
"It's guarded during daytime but security moves to another location at night. We should wait until the sun goes down before sneaking in."
Finn nodded and the three of them sat and waited until the appropriate time to make their move. CB was busy petting Jake 2 while FP sat with her legs crossed and her back against the rock. Finn sat in a similar position a few feet to her left, tinkering with something in his hand that FP couldn't really make out.
As time dragged on, FP began to get bored from the waiting. She noticed that some of her glow had come back but still felt weak. Meanwhile, Finn and CB were still busy. FP couldn't help but wonder what Finn held in his hand. Curious, she got up and walked towards him.
Once she stood in front of him, it took him several seconds to notice her and yelped in surprise.
"Hey. H-how are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm doing better. I still feel rather weak."
She pressed her back against the rock behind Finn and slid down until she was sitting. Finn tried to hide his nervousness as she was only inches from him.
"What do you have there?" she said as she gestured towards his closed hand.
"Oh, it's nothing you need to be concerned with."
"Is it personal?"
"Well, not exactly…"
"Then there's no reason to hide it. Remember: you promised you'd be honest with me."
He sighed then opened his hand to reveal what he was holding. In his palm lay the same round rock that he and she kissed when they nearly destroyed the world. The rock had a tiny heart burned to the side of it, which FP remembered making. She blushed slightly and looked back at him.
"You… kept the stone?"
"Of course. It's very precious to me. It's one of the very few things to remind of when we…"
He tried to continue but stopped and looked away. FP was about to get his attention when she noticed that his eyes were starting to water. He closed them shut but for a few seconds and sniffed. When he re-opened them no tears came out. He grew a stern expression and turned back to her.
"You don't need to hear me rambling. There are a lot more pressing matters to attend and I won't let my feelings get in the way. Never again."
FP was still thinking of something to say when he looked away again.
"Finn, I…"
Before she could continue, CB walked up to them.
"Alright, the sun is nearly setting. We should start getting into position."
Finn nodded and got up. He turned around and offered his hand to help FP up, which she accepted. The three of them began walking until they reached the Fire Kingdom's wall.
The wall was easily over 20 meters high and was thick enough to make it impossible to cut through. Luckily, they were able to use Jake 2 to fly over the wall and set down behind a row of buildings right on the other side. CB ordered Jake 2 to wait and stay hidden. The wolf complied and sat down.
The three of them began to sneak their way to the palace; avoiding pedestrians and guards posted on the street. By the time they reached the east part of the palace, the sun had set and the stars were shining in the sky. CB led the way to an old ventilation system on the side of the building.
"This will lead us inside."
He tried grabbing on to the edges and pulled with all his might but it wouldn't budge. He let go of it and turned to Finn and FP.
"This could take a while."
"Not necessarily." Finn said.
He walked up to the vent and held out his right arm. FP and CB's eyes widened when the green band around his wrist suddenly extended and formed a sword. He slashed at the vent cover and it split into tiny pieces. Satisfied, he made the blade go back to its band form.
"What's that?" CB asked.
"Oh, I got it from a salesman not too long ago. It's cool but it's sorta cursed."
Neither of them argued further. CB looked inside the vent then motioned for Finn to go first. The human didn't argue and began crawling inside. FP followed behind while CB covered the rear. After crawling for several minutes, they reached a small opening that led to a hallway below. Finn grabbed the vent cover and slowly began to pull it out, careful not to make any noise. Once it came off, he placed it gently to the side and peaked his head through the hole to make sure there was no one around.
CB was right. There wasn't a single guard in sight. One side of the corridor led to a T section that went left or right while the other side led to a dead end. He put his legs through the hole and dropped down to the ground, with FP and CB doing the same.
"Alright, where to?"
"To the left." FP said, pointing towards the end of the hall.
Finn and CB took point while FP followed closely behind. They kept turning left and right through multiple corridors, mindful to keep hidden from guards and palace staff. As they kept walking, Finn grew even more nervous.
"Not to ruin our good luck but, where is everyone?" he asked.
"I don't know." FP said, "There should be guards posted around this area. Where are-"
She was interrupted when a spear ran sideways in front of her and impaled the wall, leaving the stick to wobble inches from her face. They all turned to where it came from and saw a group of guards running towards them. They also saw guards approaching from the direction that they came from and the path forward, leaving them surrounded. Finn drew his grass sword and prepared to fight them.
"Finn, wait!" FP shouted as she held back his arm, "Don't. They're being controlled."
He was confused until all of the guards reached them and pointed they're spears at the group. They're eyes were glowing green and they sometimes moaned for no apparent reason. One of them walked up closer.
"You are coming with us."
Finn sheathed his sword but would not give up.
"There's no way I'm gonna give up that easily you-"
He stopped when he felt something hit him hard against the back of his head. He landed on the ground on his back and his vision began to blur. The last thing he saw before everything faded was two guards reaching for him and FP being dragged away while she shouted his name.
Finn opened his eyes slowly as he groaned from the pain he still felt on the head. He got up and got to a sitting position and found himself inside a small cell. The only other person inside was FP, who quickly knelt next to him as he got up.
"Are you ok?"
"Ugh, yeah. I've been through worse." he looked around the cell for a bit before noticing CB wasn't there, "Where's CB?"
"They took him somewhere else. They somehow knew we were coming."
They're attention was drawn to the bars of the cell when they heard footsteps approaching. A fire elemental stopped in front of the cell along with a few flame guards and looked at them with a smile.
"Don John!" FP said, enraged.
"Did you honestly think it would be that easy to sneak in here? Enjoy that cell for now. For soon you shall be mine."
"Never!"
"You can resist all you want. It won't change a thing."
The Fire Lord grunted and left with his guards, leaving Finn and FP alone in the cell. She sighed then sat against a wall with her knees against her chest and her chin planted against her arms. Finn continued to look at her as small tears began rolling down her eyes.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you get the kingdom back."
She sniffed and wiped away her tears.
"Don't blame yourself. You did all you could."
"I still feel like I could've done more."
The two of them sat quietly for several minutes.
"You know," FP said, "I always thought I'd make a better ruler than my father. But it turns out I'm just as bad."
"Don't say that."
"But I am. 'Complete and total honesty'. Heh, what the heck was I thinking? How could I not see the consequences such a law would bring? If only by some miracle we can reclaim the throne, I would right all of my wrongs and hope I can make up for them."
She looked up when Finn knelt in front of her with a smile on his face.
"Then perhaps it's time I right my wrongs." he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a standing position, "Let's get your throne back."
She was confused at first until he held out his right hand and summoned his grass sword. He walked up to the bars and with a few swift movements he shattered them to pieces, allowing them to exit.
The two of them ran across the hallways as they made their way towards the throne room. Every time they ran into a guard, Finn would fight them with his fists and knock them unconscious. After running and turning through multiple hallways, they reached the throne room, where all of the people being controlled by Don John were gathered. They all raised their weapons and charged the duo.
Finn used his grass sword to cut their weapons to pieces and finished them off by knocking them out. FP did the same using what little power she had left. After a few minutes of fighting, only a few guards remained. They all began to charge the duo before stopping dead in their tracks as a voice shouted "Stop" from behind.
They all turned to see Flame King appear in front of the throne with Don John. The Flame Lord was holding CB by the neck and pointing a sword towards him.
"Let him go!" FP shouted.
"This is a futile attempt, daughter. Can't you see how happy everyone is under my rule?"
"They're not happy. They're being used!"
Flame King didn't reply; he instead looked to Don John and gave a slight nod. The Flame Lord smiled and turned CB around. Not giving him a chance to recover, he sliced the pastry's left arm clean off, making him shout in pain. Don John kicked him and sent him tumbling down the stairs, where he landed face down on the ground. Finn and FP both looked at them with outrage.
"You're gonna pay for that!" Finn shouted.
"I warned you not to resist."
Both him and the Flame King jumped down the stairs and landed in front of them. They both made fire swords with their arms and took battle stances.
"Now we shall see who the real king is." Flame King said.
The four of them charged each other and began fighting as the brainwashed fire people spectated.
Finn fought Flame King with his grass sword while FP fought Don John using whatever power she had to make a flame sword. The two groups kept relentlessly slashing at each other as their swords met with each swing.
Finn dodged backwards and then knelt as Flame King continued to relentlessly swing at him. The two of them kept at it as they tried to get the better of each other.
FP was in a similar situation with Don John, blocking and swinging away at him while he did the same. She was a disadvantage, however, since Don John had more control of fire powers than her. Once he was able to push her back a few feet he raised his hand and shot her in the stomach, sending her flying a few feet away and landing on her back.
Finn turned from his battle for a brief moment to see Don John walking towards her.
"Princess!"
He tried to run towards but was stopped by Flame King as he kept slashing away at him. Don John was now standing above her as she tried to recover from the hit. He raised his fist and prepared to hit her again. Before he could, however, he was pushed back by CB as he ran towards him at high speed. The Flame Lord grew furious and grabbed CB by the neck. He raised his sword to end the pastry's life but was stopped by a sudden punch to the side of his head.
Once his vision was able to clear, he saw that it was FP standing above him. She grabbed by his collar and pulled him closer.
"I will never marry you."
Not giving him a chance to get up, she punched him in the face five times, causing him to fall unconscious. She looked up to see that all the citizens were groaning as the spell that kept them controlled wore off. She then turned to Finn as he still fought her father. Her worries were little, however, when she saw that Finn was able to slash him in a few parts of his armor and swung his leg, making him fall to the ground with a loud 'clang' from his armor. Before he got the chance to get up, Finn grabbed him and pulled him in.
"You are no king."
He punched him hard across the face and knocked him unconscious as well. Once it was all over, Finn turned around to see FP helping CB stand up. Once she knew he was ok she turned to Finn. He could barely react as she ran towards him and pulled him into a hug. When they separated she looked at him with a smile.
"Thank you."
He returned the smile.
"Don't mention it."
Several hours later, FP was able to attach CB's arm back by burning it where it connected. He tested the arm by moving it and saw it worked just fine.
"Thanks, Princess."
"Not a problem, CB. It's the least I could do."
She turned when the sound of chains revealed Flame King and Don John being pulled up in the lantern. Once they were high enough, Flame King pushed his face against the glass.
"Have you all gone dumb from Don Jon's magic? I mean, how do you expect this softy to rule you? She's even weaker than before from being poisoned!"
All of the civilians turned to her and started mumbling about how he had a point.
"Oh, come on." she said.
"He's wrong."
They all turned to see Finn standing behind them.
"Flame Princess might not be the most ruthless ruler, but she's a darn good one. Sure, she's made a few mistakes, but she has the courage to accept them and change for the good of this kingdom. I've been apart from her for a long time, but I know, deep in my heart, that she is the strongest, most caring ruler you could all have."
He walked up to her and held her hand.
"I love you, Flame Princess. I can't deny that. But it's a love that allows me to keep going knowing that you're happy. And I know, under your rule, this kingdom will be the best in Ooo."
No one said anything. They all stood with wide eyes at the human as he let go of her hand and stood motionless in the center of the crowd. He looked around one more time before beginning to make his way towards the exit.
"Stop!" They all turned around to face FP, who stood with a stern expression, "Finn, come here."
He was hesitant. He thought he had completely screwed up by giving his speech. And, apparently, everyone else thought the same as well. He walked up until he stood right in front of her.
"Flambo."
The little flambit headed her call and walked next to her, scared of what she would do.
"Y-yes?"
"Cast flame shield on Finn."
"But… he's already wearing-"
"Do it."
He didn't question her further and began chanting the spell. Finn than had a blue aura surrounding him. She walked closer to him.
"Take off your helmet."
Everyone was growing anxious as they waited for him to remove it. He placed both his hands on the side of the helmet and pulled it off, showing that his skin had caught the flame shield as well.
"W-what are you gonna-"
His and everyone else's eyes widened when she threw herself forward and gave him a heartfelt kiss. Finn kept his eyes fully opened at the surprise but ended up gently closing them. Everyone cheered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his on her hips. Flame King roared in frustration from inside the lamp. Once they separated she kept her forehead pressed against his.
"I love you too, Finn the Human."
He smiled and they both hugged each other amorously. When they separated, everyone kept cheering at the reunited couple; even CB. After everyone began going back to their regular businesses, Finn and FP walked to the palace door, where they faced each other one more time.
"I expect you to come visit every once in a while." she said.
"Oh, don't worry. I will." she smiled at him and he smiled back, "Well, I better head back. I'll come back soon. Goodbye, Flame Princess."
She leaned in and gave him another kiss then whispered in his ear.
"Call me Phoebe."
His eyes widened in shock. After staring for several seconds he grew a smile on his face. He put his hand against her cheek and kissed her on her forehead.
"Goodbye, Phoebe."
He opened the palace door and began leaving, giving one more look to Phoebe before closing it.
Note: Just like most people, this episode pissed me off a bit. So I decided to write this. Not to say I fully hated the episode. It was good in its own way.
I hope you enjoyed.
