Flame Princess looked on, sullen, as the two banana guards escorted Finn to the Candy Kingdom in handcuffs. He'd gone willingly, of course—despite her intrusion on Finn's new relationship, Bubblegum still held his good favor. And he'd sworn his loyalty to the crown. The two guards, having burst into Phoebe's home, adorned in Bubblegum's proprietary fire-proof suits, met no resistance in the arrest. Finn was surely confused when the cuffs came out, but he did as he was told.

"No, stay here, FP. Jake told me the Princess is jealous, is all. I'll be back soon," Finn assured his girlfriend, despite his own uncertainty.

And so, he walked through the cool night air alongside the uncharacteristically silent guards, all the way to the castle entrance. The city streets were quiet; Finn supposed the Princess had issued a curfew.

'Something really messed up must be going down,' he thought.

The castle doors swung open, revealing Jake and Bubblegum waiting in the foyer. Any relief Finn felt at seeing his two close friends was short lived; Jake was clearly distressed, and PB stood with her arms crossed.

"Here's good," Bubblegum said.

Despite Finn's compliance, the two armored guards thrust him forward onto his knees and forcibly held him in place.

"Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't know she'd—"

"Jake!" Bubblegum interjected. "We agreed, I'd do the talking."

"Hey, I don't remember saying—"

"Finn the Human, by the authority of the crowned princess of the Candy Kingdom, you are under arrest. The charges, as of now, are treason and the deliberate endangerment of the kingdom and her citizens. Finn, I ordered you to stay away from her. We have video evidence of you in her home. And we have testimony that you intended to do much more than kiss this evening."

"PB, you bugged her house? That's messed up! Jake! What the hey, man, why'd you—"

"Take him to the dungeon."

With exceptional fluidity, the guards pulled Finn to his feet and began carrying him down the main hall. Finn struggled to no avail—these clearly weren't the standard sentries of the Candy Kingdom. They pinned his arms to his sides and lifted him, leaving no leverage to gain the upper hand.

"Jake! Jake, please!"

The Princess pressed a firm hand on Jake's shoulder, inaudibly demanding his continued silence. Finn could read the regret on his face.

The dungeon was cold and empty. Once again, the guards displayed fervor in their action. They flung Finn into the nearest cell without hesitation, slammed the door, and left. With his hands still bound, Finn landed face-first on the hard chocolate floor, unable to break his fall. He could hear someone yelling from the stairway that led back to the main hall. The sound was too faint to make out, but he was sure he was hearing Jake. Then the Princess, responding just as loud. Then silence once more.

It wasn't long before he could hear footsteps. He nervously sat forward to see who was coming. It was Bubblegum, arms still crossed. She met his eyeline immediately and approached the cell door, unblinking, without breaking stride. This was the first time Finn feared the Princess. They'd argued and fought before, but he had never upset her to this degree in the past. She continued to stare in silence, glaring angrily at the boy before her. As the seconds passed, Finn became more uneasy. When he could no longer bear it, he broke the silence:

"Princess, I—"

"What did you intend to do with Phoebe tonight?" she asked. Her tone was softer now. It didn't match the intense glare she maintained.

Somehow, Finn became more terrified than before. He'd confessed his intentions to Jake that morning. Flame Princess, as though fueled by Bubblegum's distaste for their relationship, pushed Finn hastily onward. Soon enough, kissing alone was no longer satisfying. Then they'd begun to explore each other's bodies. Such territory, too, rapidly became familiar. And so they continued on. Before Finn knew it, he stood at the threshold of Tier 15. And he had no idea what it entailed.

Jake forbade it. And when Finn brought it up again that morning, Jake forbade it twice over. But he refused to disclose just what Tier 15 was. He told Finn he was too young. He told him that if he dove into this adventure too early, he'd regret it later. Phoebe seemed to know, though. At least, she told Finn she knew Tier 15. Each tier thus far had been gratifying beyond Finn's comprehension. And with the promise of something even greater… he decided Phoebe was making far more sense than Jake. Finn, the honest guy that he was, told Jake flat out that he'd be doing Tier 15 that day, whether he had his blessing or not. Before his older brother could respond, Finn leapt from the second story window, and headed to the Fire Kingdom to find Flambo.

Finn looked down at his blue-tinted skin. The Flame Shield hadn't yet worn off. The evidence was damning. Jake must've been the one who gave that testimony. Surely, he approached Bubblegum for help, that she might convince Finn of his impending mistake.

Bubblegum, fearing the worst for her people, sent out her most competent bananas to avert disaster. She hadn't forgotten the close call they'd faced mere months prior. A single kiss nearly decimated all of Ooo. It was a miracle another event hadn't occurred in the interval—through another dozen tiers, Flame Princess managed to remain stable. Their luck wouldn't hold forever. An orgasm would undoubtedly trigger another episode.

"Well?"

Finn still hadn't spoken. He couldn't look PB in the eye and tell her what he was doing with Phoebe. He could much less admit that he didn't even know what they'd be doing next. He believed that she considered him a child as it was.

"Finn. This is your chance to defend yourself. Tell me what you were going to do tonight or, so help me, I'll let you rot in this cell. It's bad enough that the Candy Kingdom faces grave threats year in and year out. Now its own hero is going out of his way to destroy it!"

"Princess, I'd never… I didn't mean to hurt the candy people… I just… wanted to spend time with FP."

"Finn, please. I need to know. I can't keep you here in good conscience if you weren't even going to—"

"Tier 15. We were gonna do Tier 15," Finn said. He quickly averted his gaze, and his face grew bright red.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What is Tier 15, Finn? What were you going to do?"

"I don't… know. I don't know, okay? I don't know what Tier 15 is—Jake won't tell me, FP won't tell me. I was just doing what she said."

Finn buried his face in his lap. The embarrassment was palpable; he couldn't bear to have Bubblegum see his face.

"Oh, Finn…"

Bubblegum's new tone was far more familiar. She reverted back to her caring demeanor, and spoke to Finn as she would a citizen of the kingdom. It suggested she perceived innocence. Finn was as relieved as he was frustrated. He was glad to be free of her wrath, but he'd lost her respect all the same. All those years he spent working to change her perception, to appear as something more than a kid in her eyes…gone.

"Finn, come with me."

Bubblegum slid open the cell door and gestured toward the stairwell. Finn realized they'd never even locked it. She'd trusted him. He stood up and obliged, following the Princess in stride back to the main hall. They stepped back into sight of the foyer on their way to another stairwell. Finn could see Jake at the main entrance, melted into a morose, fleshy puddle on the floor. The two elite banana guards stood between him and the hall, spears at the ready. At the sight of Finn, Jake quickly reverted to his normal shape.

"Oh my Glob, Finn! You're okay! What're you gonna do to him, Princess!"

Bubblegum gave Jake a reassuring look and lead Finn upstairs without speaking. Finn, still impaired by shock, frustration, and embarrassment, refused to acknowledge his brother as they passed through the hall. The Princess hurriedly ushered Finn into her primary lab and offered him a stool to sit on.

"Alright, Finn. We've got to talk," she said calmly.

Under the bright lights of the lab, she assessed his condition. The Flame Shield spell was fading, his clothes and hat were tattered from the forceful interactions with the guards, and his face sported a thick streak of chocolate. She reached over and tried to rub away the mark with her thumb, managing only to smear it. With a smirk, she leaned in close and ran her tongue along the spot, clearing the blotch in one stroke.

Finn's face grew red hot, much to Bubblegum's amusement. Phoebe may have been showing him the ropes, but PB still held the hero's heart.

"So," she began. She mulled her words over carefully—she didn't want to hurt Finn's confidence. "You're not sure...what's next?"

"I, uh...yeah." Finn still couldn't look at her. Twice, he admitted it. He didn't know Tier 15.

PB placed her forefinger and thumb on his chin gently, and coaxed him into looking her way.

"Hey, we've all been there," she said with a smile. "But Finn, it's time you learn. For the sake of the Candy Kingdom, I need you to understand the risk. I'd task Jake with teaching you but...he doesn't seem very comfortable with you reaching that point just yet." PB giggled. "Or maybe he's just too scared to give you 'The Talk'."

"Princess, I—"

"Finn, tell me what you and Phoebe have done so far." She could see fright gripping him once more. "As friends, okay? No judgement. There's no need to be nervous."

She pulled up another stool and sat beside him.

"We—oh Glob—we...I, uh...I touched her with my...tongue."

"Where?" PB asked softly.

"On her…" Finn couldn't help but look at the corresponding part of the Princess' body as he recalled what he'd done. "On her...chest".

"Wait—and that's Tier 14?"

PB looked at him incredulously. Finn nodded and turned away in shame. It was obvious that the Flame Princess had dragged Finn through the tiers against his better judgement. Bubblegum had suspected it was an act of revenge for her interference; FP had rightfully deduced that PB's interest in the hero remained. But this was news. As young and inexperienced as Finn, Phoebe had shuffled forward into the unknown. She had no clue what she was doing or what she was encouraging Finn to do. She just wanted to make her jealous. Bubblegum couldn't help but laugh.

Feeling even further humiliated at the Princess' chuckling, Finn stood from his stool and faced the wall. Bubblegum quickly realized her mistake.

"No—Finn, I wasn't laughing at you. I was...I think FP has been lying to you," she said.

"Huh?"

"That's not Tier 14. And it's certainly nowhere near Tier 15. She doesn't know what she's doing any more than you do. Have...have you even seen her naked yet? Entirely, I mean?"

Bubblegum took his silence to mean that he hadn't. She knew the longer she dragged this out, the less likely Finn was to accept her lesson. He was confused and deflated, and her inquiries only made things worse. So, without further hesitation, she stood from her stool and loosened the straps of her night gown. With little provocation, the garment fell to her feet, fully revealing her body.

"Finn," she cooed. "Could you please turn back around?"