Jake awoke to the early morning light which shone through the cave entrance. He'd positioned himself closer to the opening, intending to wake up before his brother. The dog checked on the human and, when he was sure he was still sound asleep, stepped beyond the threshold of their new home.
He stretched his legs to the height of the mountain and walked over top the dense forest which surrounded it, heading to the Candy Kingdom. Unknown to him, as he passed the (now permanently open) gate, his foot slammed down dangerously close to an exhausted Breakfast Princess. She'd been travelling through the night and had just reached the outskirts of the compound. The trip through the Bad Lands was draining—without sleep and water, and with the near-death experience of Jake's passing, she elected to quit where she now stood. The princess collapsed to the ground and fell asleep instantly.
A similar trail of unconscious princesses wound all the way back to the Royal Congressional Hall, with many kilometers spanning the various women who comprised it. From his high vantage point, Jake was unable to see them, and he continued on unbothered.
The whole Candy Kingdom was bustling with energy. It seemed that every citizen was participating in the party set-up. Last year, for Finn's seventeenth birthday, celebration had been limited by the impending war—their party was restricted to the main hall, and attendance was abysmal. Bubblegum wanted to make up for that—doubly so, given the significance of this particular birthday.
This time, the entire kingdom had been allocated for the festivities. The streets were lined with carnival games and parades. Streamers flew from the highest turrets of the castle and were strung between the Gumball Guardians. Multiple stages had been constructed throughout the town. The Party Bears and their monster had sprawled out in the middle of things, ready to put on a show. Now, the main hall was dedicated solely to housing the human's presents. Every candy person had something to offer in thanks, and more was expected from the crowds of visiting guests.
As Jake approached, everyone stopped and turned to watch, curious as to whether the human was accompanying him. When the dog shrank to his usual size—and no Finn was to be found—they resumed their work. Even with his stretchy powers, he found it hard to navigate the crowded roads. At the entrance to the castle, he found the two women he was looking for.
"Princess! Marcy!" he called. They turned his way and smiled. "Is everything ready?"
"Everything is proceeding as scheduled," Bubblegum said confidently.
"Where's Finnie?" the vampire asked.
"Still sleepin'. He'll be out for a while longer; I kept him up late last night."
"Good. The party officially begins at noon, and is slated to end just after midnight—"
"But it's totally gonna last till daybreak," Marceline interjected. "There's no way we can get everybody outta here like that, 'specially if Party Wolf shows up."
"Which he most certainly will," the dog said. "It's the Party of the Century—he'd never miss it!"
PB chuckled anxiously, suddenly wondering if having the Candy Kingdom host was really the best idea. The Vampire Queen guessed her concerns and gave her a reassuring smirk.
"Don't worry, Bonnie. If anything gets outta hand, I can clear 'em all out," she said.
As they spoke, the sky above them was rapidly consumed by cloud cover.
"Looks like the Cloud Kingdom is in place," Bonnibel said. "Right on time. Jake, I need you to help set up the ladders—partygoers will need to travel up and down freely. There's plenty of open space in the clouds for dancing. The streets will be devoted to games and other revelry."
"You got it."
The dog stretched vertically, past the height of the castle, and disappeared into the sky. Every so often, he could be seen dropping back down to the ground, always in a new spot, dragging a cloudy ladder along with him. The two women remained at the castle entrance, directing workflow.
Princess Bubblegum's scheduling was impeccable; despite there being a million moving parts, the party came together and was ready to begin right at noon, as planned. She signalled to Jake, and the dog ran back to Mt. Cragdor to get the man of the hour.
"FINN! FINN—WAKE UP!"
The dog's voice bounced around the cave, drilling into the human's skull.
"Huh...what's goin' on?" he stammered, sitting up in his sleep sack.
Jake elongated his arms and got to work—he pulled the bedding off Finn and helped him stand, then gathered his usual articles of clothing. The hero rubbed the sleep from his eyes, still clearly confused.
"Seriously, Jake—what's going on? Is...is someone in trouble?! Did GOLB return—did something happen to—"
"Dude, relax! You don't know what day it is?"
"Er…" He scrunched his face. "Is it...uh…"
"It's your birthday!" the dog screamed. "You're eighteen—you're a man now, brudda!"
"It is...I am? I am!"
The pair jumped in circles around the cavern.
"And there's a party!" Jake continued.
"What? Where?!"
"At the Candy Kingdom, of course. And it's not just any party...it's the Party of the Century!" His arms wriggled over his head, as loose as noodles. "Wooooo!"
"Aw yeah!" the human reciprocated. Again, they danced around absentmindedly, flailing their arms and whooping at their own resounding echoes.
"C'mon, everyone's waiting. We've gotta get you ready."
In a matter of minutes, Finn was dressed. He threw his pack on and slid his Night Sword into place. He hopped on his brother's back and the dog made his second journey from the compound, back toward the candied city-state.
This time, however, his foot didn't come crashing down beside Breakfast Princess. Sometime that morning, she'd woken up and left the compound. In fact, the trail of princesses was gone altogether—as if driven by some primal force, all the women had set aside their exhaustion and shuffled their way to the Candy Kingdom, to the human's party. They weren't going to miss their chance.
When the famous duo arrived, the party-goers erupted in cheers. Already, the kingdom was overflowing with guests—convoys of citizens from the Fire, Goblin, Slime, Breakfast, Grocery, Wildberry, and Hot Dog kingdoms were pouring into the city gates. They too applauded for Finn's entrance.
Jake passed over the crowds and made his way to the castle, using the houses below as stepping stones. At the main entrance, he shrank once more and set his brother down gently beside him. Standing there, as they had been all morning, were Bubblegum and Marceline. The former was holding a microphone, evidently preparing to declare the celebration begun. At the sight of her hero, she smiled brightly and pulled a wrapped present from behind her back.
"Oh, Finn!" she said. "Happy Birthday!" She and Marcy engulfed the human in a hug—their embrace lingered a little longer than he'd expected. "I want you to open my gift first."
She handed him the box.
"Prubs, you shouldn't have…" he said, being more polite than honest.
He tore the paper off and revealed the present: a new robotic arm. It looked just like his previous one, gray and glimmering. His excitement was genuine as he took the prosthetic from its box and donned it.
"Shmowzow—it's awesome! Thanks, Peebles."
They hugged again, then she said, "Don't let its appearance fool you; it's got plenty of new gadgets and functions—even more than the last one. I'll walk you through 'em later."
"I got you a gift too," Marcy said. "But...it'll have to wait till tonight."
Bubblegum eyed the vampire, silently demanding a little more subtlety from her partner, then resumed her position at the front of the castle steps. She tapped the microphone lightly, testing the sound system.
"Welcome all," she said, "to the Party of the Century!" The kingdom shook with a flood of applause. "We're here today to celebrate a hero—perhaps the greatest hero Ooo has ever known—on his eighteenth birthday! Everyone, let's give a warm welcome to Finn Mertens!" The proceeding cheers managed to eclipse the last round, and the ground itself seemed to quake in turn. "Let the party begin!"
The various sounds of festivity coalesced into a steady roar of noise—thousands of conversations, dozens of carnival games, and several live bands overlapped and blended together. Colored spotlights burst to life and swung across the clouds. The light reflected from the white sheet, immersing the buildings below in a gentle, shimmering glow. Between the beams, a streak of flames rushed back and forth—likely a fire person flying overhead. People continued piling into the city walls. Presents surfed the crowds and gathered at the main hall, directed and stored by a small army of Banana Guards. Another garrison of guards blocked the castle steps, protecting the group from an onslaught of eager fans.
"This is insane!" Finn cried through the commotion.
"This is for you, dude!" screamed Jake. "You've gotta get out there an' enjoy it!"
Bonnie and Marcy nodded along with the dog and gestured toward the streets before them. As the human moved to leave, the vampire pulled him back and kissed his cheek softly—something she hadn't done since he was a boy. The small gesture made him blush, and he went on as encouraged.
Jake waved goodbye and departed to find Lady Rainicorn.
Bubblegum leaned over and asked, "Did you check it out?"
"Yeah," Marceline responded. "They're here—all of 'em. Even the ones that ran through the Bad Lands last night."
The princess twiddled her thumbs nervously. "I don't think we should wait. Let's pull him aside early."
"You worry too much, Bon Bon. They'll never find him in these crowds."
"But if they do?"
"He'll shrug 'em off, like I said." Her reassurances didn't seem to convince. "Alright, alright. I'll keep an eye on 'im. If I see anything fishy, we can swoop in. Have a room ready."
"I already do."