It was the day.

Finn awoke to the bright morning sky of Ooo with a smile. He knew it'd likely be the last time he'd see the beauty of Ooo for a while, so he sat on his bed for a while staring at it, until his companion Jake awoke.

"Hey, Finn." Jake said. "In honor of you joining the Ooo Military, how about I make you some bacon pancakes?"

"Nah, man, I'll make them." Finn replied to his friend. He knew that Jake was starting to get older; he didn't need to put that kind of strain on himself.

Finn was eighteen now. He filed the application to enter the military on his eighteenth birthday - and got the acceptance letter a month later, saying that his training was due to start in two weeks. The best buds were going to be apart for a while.

Finn and Jake knew each other could handle it, though. Jake's kids were getting older - Jake Jr. was already in middle school! Jake was probably going to be spending a lot of time with Lady Rainicorn to see his kids go through life.

And Finn...well, he'd be too busy serving his land to get homesick. Also, he was the toughest guy he knew, no matter how narcissistic that sounded.

"What time do you have to leave again?" Jake asked as Finn made bacon pancakes.

"Well, I'm supposed to be there by noon, so...11:40, just to be safe?" Finn replied, flipping over the pancake in his pan.

"That means we've only got two hours." Jake said sadly. "How much awesome bro stuff can we do in two hours?"

"Let's just do the best we can." Finn replied optimistically, finishing the bacon pancakes and putting them onto two plates. "Enjoy."

"You're the best, man. What am I going to do without you?"

"You'll live...or not." Finn joked as Jake slugged him. "I'm gonna be home for the holidays, and if I can pull a few strings we can live together on the Ooo base within seven months. Also, after I'm done with all this, think of all the advantages we'll have."

"It is a pretty sweet deal." Jake said, taking a bite of his bacon pancake. "Mmm. These are really good."

"Are they?" Finn asked curiously. "I thought I burnt them a little."

"Nah, man, they're perfect. Not as good as mine, though."

"Rude!" Finn stated jokingly. "Man, this is a really good day already. I hope we'll be able to have some fun in the military. I mean, I love protecting people and all, but I can't just be serious all the time."

"Then maybe you should drop out before they can take you." Jake said flatly.

"Jake..." Finn scolded. "You're getting anxious about me going again, aren't you?"

"No!" Jake snapped back at him angrily, before finally letting out a deep sigh. "Okay, yes, I am. But you could die out there, Finn. This kind of stuff is more serious then 99% of the monsters we've fought...maybe even more then that. I just worry about you going out there all confident and..."

"It's going to be okay." Finn said, knowing why Jake was feeling this way. Jake's father had been killed in battle previously. "I'm a tough guy. And if I don't make it, it'll be for a good cause. But promise me, I will make it out alive."

"And if you don't?"

"Then...I want you to remember my final word. Bang."

"Bang?" Jake asked skeptically. "Some final word you've got there."

"Yeah, bang." Finn replied. "I just think it sounds cool. And trust me, I'm not dying until I say bang."

A couple hours later, Finn and Jake were together at the airport, as Finn was holding onto a suitcase handle in one of his hands. Finn was getting ready to take off on Flight 272, where his private military base was going to be.

"I'm gonna miss you, dude." Jake said to Finn, holding onto his hand tightly.

"You've gotta let go of my hand at some point." Finn laughed, as a voice came over the intercom.

"Flight 272 about to board. Five minutes to takeoff."

"Guess that some point will be now." Jake stated with a laugh, letting go of Finn's hand and patting him on the back. "Good luck out there, dude. If you're lucky you might even find a lady!"

Finn chuckled. "I don't think the main purpose of the military is to find ladies."

"Still, it might happen."

With a final smile, Finn boarded his plane, ready to take off on a brand new journey. His eyes began to droop as he became lost in a daydream about what being in the military would be like...

There was blood everywhere. Finn's heart was pounding. He was in the middle of an unknown battlefield, doing battle with an enemy territory.

"Die!" The enemy screamed, firing his gun rapidly at another terrified soldier. Finn watched as the man fell to the ground, dead in a pool of blood.

Finn had a gun in his hand, but some reason was finding it hard to move his hand.

"C'mon, c'mon..." Finn muttered to himself, feeling anxious and horrified. Why couldn't he move?!

With a smile, the enemy man fired his gun at Finn, who fell to the ground dead.

Finn jumped awake.

Thank god it was just a dream, Finn thought to himself. I can't scare myself with stuff like that, though.

The plane's intercom dinged as a voice started to come over it: "Flight 272 has now landed. We hope you all enjoyed your flight on Ooo Airlines, and we wish you all the best of luck in serving our kingdom."

As soon as Finn stepped off the plane with his suitcase, he headed towards a sign which told him "PRIVATE TRAINING". He noticed other soldiers standing, some whispering to each other. Finn stood in a random place in line.

"Hello, maggots." A deep voice suddenly said, shushing the whole group and causing a few of them to jump. It didn't bother Finn, though. He had heard how tough these guys could be. "Welcome to military boot camp. I hope you're friends with the person standing next to you, because you're going to be involved in some trust exercises."

Finn looked left of himself. No luck. The guy to his left had already partnered up.

He looked to his right, and saw a sight he thought he'd never see again.

"Tiffany?" Finn asked out loud.

A/N: Just a little note: If anyone reading this has actually been in the military and can help me write military training/other details in a realistic way, please review/PM me (latter is preferred). I'd really appreciate it and will give you credit for the ideas after each chapter in which they are used. As usual, R&R is highly encouraged for everyone who reads this; however, please no flaming. It will be reported.