The Carbon Prince
Part IV
"YOU DID WHAT!?" Finn and Jake just informed Princess Bubblegum about Carbon Prince's condition. "YOU BROUGHT SOMEONE ALMOST ENTIRELY COMPOSED OF A HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE FOSSIL FUEL TO THE FLAME KINGDOM?"
"Uuuuuummmm yeah" Finn said nervously.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE? I'M SURPRISED HE'S LASTED THIS LONG!" Bubblegum was dashing around her room grabbing a bunch of small machines. "Here Finn, Jake, Cinnamon Bun, put these suits on they're fireproof."
"Uhhh Princess we can just get a flame shield spell." Cinnamon Bun replied.
"Fine but we really must go. We need to put out Carbon Prince before there's nothing left of him."
"What do you mean? He isn't hurt by fire." Finn asked confused.
"Finn, Carbon Prince is made of coal which burns really easily. He might not realize it, but he is slowly being burned to ashes."
"Well lets go save him!" Finn yelled as a he rushed out the room.
Princess Bubblegum and FInn arrived at the fire kingdom on Jake's back following Cinnamon Bun as he rode on the back of his fire wolf. They stopped just outside the Flame Kingdom and each received the flame shield from flambo. The continued to follow Cinnamon Bun when suddenly Cinnamon Bun's wolf leapt up into the air and crashed through the side of a mountain. It broke into center of the Flame Kingdom. Jake stretched through the hole and let his passengers off once inside. They followed CInnamon Bun into an infirmary. Carbon Prince was lying on a bed with Flame Princess sitting beside him. Cinnamon Bun moved to the side as Bubblegum rushed to CP's side. She immediately started to run tests on him.
"Flame Princess." Finn called out when he saw FP. Flame Princess got up walked towards Finn and hugged him. Finn returned the embrace. He half expected to see her crying but she wasn't; she just appeared to be really sad. "PB is doing the best she can. Let her run her tests then we can put out CP and bring him to Ice Kingdom or something."
"But I'll never be able to touch or see him ever again."
"We'll figure something out."
Finn, Flame Princess, Jake, and Cinnamon Bun all watched quietly as bubblegum continued to look over Carbon Prince. A few long minutes later PB stood up and walked over to the waiting crowd. Finn was the first to ask, "So is he going to be alright?"
PB looked at the ground gloomily and answered, "I'm afraid he's too brittle to move. The fire consumed too much of him. If we tried to move him we'd risk breaking and fracturing him."
Finn got angry," Well thats a risk We're gonna have to take if we're going to save him."
"Finn we can't move him its too big of a risk. Besides by the time we would get him out of the kingdom the fire would reduce him to ashes."
At this point Flame Princess walked back over to CP as Finn and Princess Bubblegum continued to argue. She listened as she sat next to the unconscious Carbon Prince.
"Well there's got to be another way!" Finn yelled.
"I'm sorry fin but there really isn't anything we can do."
"What about if we turned him into a crystal like you said when you first looked at him! We have the heat all we need is the pressure. I'm sure we can figure it out!" this idea was FInn's last ray of hope.
"This isn't enough heat, and it would take to long to find a way to generate the needed pressure. Plus if we do find a way to do this we'll risk killing him anyway!"
Flame Princess continued to stare at CP as Finn and PB continued to go back and forth. That was when she was struck with an Idea. She had overheard Princess Bubblegum and Finn talking about generating more heat and pressure. She knew the perfect way to do so. Flame Princess kneeled over CP and looked at his calm face for a few seconds. CP's eyes suddenly fluttered open and he smiled. He looked back up at a FP and asked hoarsely, "What are you doing?"
Flame Princess smiled back and answered, "You risked your life to save me so now I'm risking mine to save yours."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"Like this." A single tear drop of lava made its way down her face as she said this. CP wiped it away and kept his hand on her cheek. FP slowly leaned into CP kissing him. The temperature in the room increased rapidly as the floor around Flame Princess and Carbon Prince began to melt. Jake was the first to notice this because Finn and Bubblegum were still arguing.
"Uhh guys.." Jake pointed at FP as she disappeared into a small hole. Finn and PB looked over just in time to see FP's flame disappear. Princess Bubblegum stared blankly.
"Of course heat and pressure! But if she goes too far she risks blowing up the planet." Bubblegum thought to herself.
Finn suddenly took off running towards the hole. "No FInn!"Jake caught him and wrapped him in his arms, but Finn continued to fight Jake to get free from his grasp.
"Dude let Go! This is my chance to save her and win her back!"
"No Dude I'm not gonna let this happen again! You almost suffocated!" Finn suddenly bit Jakes arm causing Jake to let go. "OW!"
Finn took off running towards the hole, and dove in head first. Jake was right behind him and inflated himself over the hole as one arm stretch down after Finn. Finn could hear PB call his name as he jumped in. He was focussing on FP's glow when he felt something hit his leg. He turned around and grabbed Jake's arm and wrapped it around his waist. Finn watched as FP collapsed from the lack of oxygen, and took one last deep breath and held it in before landing at the bottom of the pit. He landed right next to FP and grabbed on to her. Suddenly Jake pulled Finn back up towards the surface of the hole. Jake flopped back on his back as he whipped FInn out with Flame Princess in his arms. As soon as the two hit the ground they began gasping for air. Once FP got her breath back she ran to the edge of the pit and peered in.
"Where's CP?" She looked at Finn.
"I dont know I didn't see him down there."
"I got it." Jake said as he stretch down the hole. A few seconds later he came back up with a grey humanoid lump. It was a cast of CP. Flame Princess began weeping over the the cast, her tears of lava sizzling as they hit the ground. Finn had a hand on FP's shoulder as she leaned into him. Everyone stared in grief with watery eyes. This was interrupted by a muffled voice. Flame Princess gasped when she noticed the cast was cracking. She started to break pieces off revealing something beneath. Once enough was removed CP sat up and everyone stared at him in awe. Flame Princess immediately hugged him.
"It worked! you're still alive!" FP couldn't believe it. CP returned Flame Princess' embrace. That was when he noticed his hands for the first time. They weren't black anymore. They were clear and shiny.
"Whoa! I'm-I'm not ugly anymore!" CP stood up unsteadily with the help of FP, and shook off the rest of the hardened ash from his lower body. "I guess I'm back to being Crystal Prince now! How do I look?" Crystal Prince spun around slowly
"Lookin' good man." Finn said joyously.
"Yeah less black." Jake pitched in
"I guess I can finally go back to my kingdom and rightfully reclaim the throne!"
"What?" Flame Princess looked shocked. "I thought I lost you forever and now you're just going to leave?"
"On second thought I guess I could stay here for a few days until I'm fully rested and used to this new body." Crystal Prince said amusingly as he put his arm around FP and pulled her in tight.