The Red Throne

Synopsis
Flame Princess and Cinnamon Bun ask Finn to help reclaim the Fire Kingdom after a coup by the Flame Lord and Flame King.

Plot
In the Fire Kingdom palace, Flame Princess is listening to the problems of her citizens when a wizard, Don John the Flame Lord, intrudes, claiming that she is "not evil enough to rule." She tries to overpower him but finds her powers are weakened because one of her attendants has been poisoning her. Don John then casts a spell to seize control of the Fire People's minds, forcing them to turn against Flame Princess and free the Flame King.

Flame King gloats, as he has apparently planned all of this, and says that he will make Don his vizier and give him Flame Princess' hand in marriage. Cinnamon Bun arrives on his fire wolf, Jake 2, and helps her to escape. She wants to return to help her people, but Cinnamon Bun convinces her that they need help if they want to save her kingdom. They consider Princess Bubblegum, but both deem her too devious to be trusted. Flame Princess recalls all the monsters and powerful adversaries Finn has faced down and decides he is their best bet.

They crash into the Tree Fort and explain to Finn what has happened. Finn immediately agrees to help, saying he would do anything for Flame Princess, who makes it clear that she is only there for Finn's help, not because she wants to get back together. Regardless, Finn is still hopeful; he tries to show off his new Grass Sword and improved swordsmanship, but is rebuffed by both Flame Princess and Cinnamon Bun.

As they head towards the Fire Kingdom and Finn dons his fireproof suit, Cinnamon Bun thinks that the best way to enter the palace is to sneak in, but Finn barges through the front entrance. He tries to attack the guards but Flame Princess stops him, since the guards are being enthralled by Don John and can't control their actions. Unable to resist, Finn and Flame Princess are captured, and Cinnamon Bun manages to escape after beating up two guards and stealing a key from them.

Finn and Flame Princess are imprisoned and Don John taunts them, saying he and the princess will soon wed. Flame Princess refuses, saying that while she no longer has feelings for Finn, she has no feelings for Don at all, and that forcing her to marry him is "gross." Don leaves and confronts the Flame King, calling him a liar for promising him a wife who would do whatever he wanted. The two get into a fist fight, while Cinnamon Bun breaks into the dungeon and frees Finn and Flame Princess with his key.

They try to escape on Jake 2, but the mind-controlled Fire people try to stop them. One of them shoots fire at Cinnamon Bun, which results in him becoming fully baked and more intelligent. At that moment, Flame King knocks Don John unconscious, breaking his hold over the Fire people. They are unsure of what to do, until Cinnamon Bun tells them that the Flame King had them brainwashed. Enraged, they seize the King, and imprison him and Don John in Flame Princess' old lantern prison.

Flame King insults the people for choosing his daughter over him, calling her a "softie" who has lost much of her power. Cinnamon Bun disagrees, saying that while Flame Princess is not ruthless, she is strong-hearted, and he has learned much from being around her. He promises to stand by her side as her knight and champion, because he loves her. She thanks him and they hold hands. The people rejoice, the Flame King is outraged, and Finn mutters under his breath, "Geez, did I just get shown up by Cinnamon Bun?"

Major Characters

 * Cinnamon Bun
 * Flame Princess
 * Flame King
 * Finn
 * Flame Lord

Minor Characters

 * Snail
 * Jake 2
 * Flame People
 * Ursula
 * Flame Guards
 * Flame Messenger
 * Flame Minstrel
 * Jalapeño pepper
 * Flame Person 1

Mentioned

 * Princess Bubblegum
 * Jake
 * Lady Rainicorn

Trivia

 * Cinnamon Bun reveals his feelings for Flame Princess and pledges to always be by her side.
 * Finn thinks that Flame Princess still has feelings for him, but she doesn't.
 * Flame Princess seems to be overworked in the Fire Kingdom.
 * In a frame from the storyboard, it appears Flame Princess has the same hair style she did in "Earth & Water," but it may only seem this way due to the format in which it was drawn in the storyboard.
 * Flame Princess's color is a bit dimmer and her hair is down when she is poisoned, similar to what happens when she gets wet.
 * In this episode, the Fire Wolves appear to be larger than in previous episodes they were seen in.
 * Also, Cinnamon Bun named one "Jake 2," and taught him to fly.
 * Flame Princess is seen to call Cinnamon Bun "CB."
 * During the whole episode, Finn is intrusive of Flame Princess's space and does not acknowledge her true feelings towards him. Cinnamon Bun constantly intervenes Finn's inappropriate advances, as it is revealed later in the episode that Cinnamon Bun has a type of dutiful attraction towards Flame Princess.
 * Finn's attitude changes when Flame Princess is around. For example, he shows off when the time they are in the Fire Kingdom's gates, not thinking that the guards are mind controlled and they can be captured.
 * Cinnamon Bun in the episode is much more mature and less clumsy. This could be a result of him now being "fully baked" from his time in the fire kingdom and that he acted so clumsy because, as Princess Bubblegum stated, he was "half-baked"
 * Flame Princess mentioned that she doesn't trust Princess Bubblegum. Cinnamon Bun also believes she is devious.
 * Jake has not appeared since the episode "Blade of Grass." As Finn mentioned, he might be sleeping over with Lady Rainicorn.

Cultural References

 * The fight between Flame King and Flame Lord is a homage to the fight between Keith David and Roddy Piper in the film They Live.

Episode Connections

 * This is the second Valentine's Day Special episode of the series. The first one is the Season 3 Finale episode "Incendium" which was aired on February 13, 2012.
 * After Cinnamon Bun was hit in the face with fire, it caused him to become fully cooked which made him smarter. Princess Bubblegum had said in "The Other Tarts" that he wasn't that smart due to being "half-baked."
 * Don John seems to have gained some muscles since his last appearance in "Wizard Battle."
 * Flame Princess states that she no longer has feelings for Finn anymore, but they are still friends.
 * Jake 2 has grown since the episode "Earth & Water."