"I feel ridiculous," Hordak complained, as with one arm, he adjusted the white ruffle on the front of his blue suit with gold trim.

"I know it's not ideal," Entrapta encouraged, her purple hair smacking Hordak's claw away before taking over fixing his suit, "It's very hard to find formalwear your size. How do I look?"

Hordak's green eyes methodically surveyed the poofy gold dress Entrapta was wearing. Entrapta had decided she wanted to look more traditionally like a princess today. It was obvious from the way she walked she was not used to wearing a dress. Hordak could smell the sweet fruit flavored perfume she was wearing. He didn't want to tell her how much he preferred her usual odor of sweat soaked fabrics and engine lubricant.

"Beautiful as always," Hordak commented, "I don't see why you need me here."

"Of course, I need my lab partner to help me collect data," Entrapta explained, wrapping her arm around Hordak's elbow, "This is going to be the biggest social gathering we've been a part of since I found you again. Besides, this is going to be so much more fun with you around. Do you remember when I taught you how to dance?"

"It was just after you first enhanced my armor," Hordak recollected, leading the princess through the ice castle, "Catra was still banished to the Crimson Wastes, so I could be assured of our time alone together. I built a holographic projector to show you the Milky Way Galaxy. I'm still surprised someone so learned had never heard of stars before."

"Ignorance is only flaw when you fail to be correct it," Entrapta lectured, cuddling up to her date, "No one on Etheria knew what stars really were before you came along. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in my life. To be honest, that was my first time dancing with someone else who wasn't a robot."

Hordak sighed as he looked from the princess cradling his right arm to the hastily wrapped box he was carrying in his left.

"Are you sure about this, Entrapta?" asked Hordak, "My previous encounters with your friends have not exactly been... cordial."

"You'll be fine," Entrapta reassured, "Just remember all the stuff you still need to apologize for and hopefully we can start smoothing everything over in one night. I'll give you a quick pop quiz, if that will make you feel better. Let's start simple. Princess Frosta."

"Presides over the Kingdom of the Snows," recited Hordak, "Parents were supporters of the first rebellion led by King Micah until they were both killed in battle by our forces. Since then, the Kingdom has remained neutral during most of the rebellion until a botched kidnapping operation by Shadow Weaver had nearly destroyed the very castle we are standing in. She is responsible for the most damage towards our drones and armored vehicles."

"Good," Entrapta graded, "Princess Perfuma."

"Ruler of Plumeria," continued Hordak, "Top exports include vegetarian foodstuffs and rare plantlife. The Horde attempted to poison their land to starve the rebellion. Responsible for the highest number of fatalities in combat encounters with the Horde."

"Excellent," said Entrapta, "Mermista."

"Princess of Salineas," Hordak answered, "I am personally responsible for the destruction of the Seagate and most of her kingdom. According to you, I have already apologized for this during an encounter which had left me inebriated and unable to recall the events that took place. She is currently using our own automated construction designs to repair her kingdom."

"Uh-huh," noted Entrapta, "Queen Glimmer."

"Daughter of Queen Angela of Brightmoon and one of her top commanders during the war," Hordak described, "I personally captured her father and banished him to Beast Island where he is presumed dead. I also attempted to beat her to death with a club on the day she surrendered her forces to Horde Prime. Needless to say that was... not my proudest moment."

"And finally... Adora," Entrapta concluded.

"The She-Ra, Princess of Power," Hordak sighed, "I recovered her as a child from the Whispering Woods and left her in the care of Shadow Weaver. Showed promise as my next force captain before she defected and joined the Rebellion. She in particular resents me for her treatment at the hands of Shadow Weaver."

"You see?" Entrapta said as the doors opened for them, "Just stay close to me and we'll do just fine. Oh, look at the Hors D'oeuvres they have! Princess Parties always have the best tiny snacks."

Entrapta let go of Hordak's arm to pick up her dress as she quickly hurried over to the buffet table to grab a plate, her hair spreading out like an octopus over the entire selection to grab samples. Hordak silently stood there alone, looking confused and nervous, wearing his garish brightly colored suit and holding the tiny box in his claws, in a large finely decorated ballroom full of people who had every reason to hate him. Which is why he was surprised to see a man with a small layer of brown peachfuzz on his upper lip walk right up to him and pat him on the shoulder.

"Hordak, my boy!" Seahawke greeted, "Why I haven't seen you since our exciting night roaming the docks of Salineas. How have you beem, old sport?!"

"I'm sorry," Hordak apologized awkwardly, "Have we met before?"

"Ah, right!" Seahawke realized, "As I recall, you did take quite firmly to the sauce during our delicious double dinner date. Perhaps if we were to return you to that state, it may assist in your recollection."

Seahawke grabbed two glasses of golden bubbling liquid from a passing waiter and handed one to Hordak. Hordak politely grabbed the glass with his free claw as Seahawke clinked his own against it before taking a sip which he promptly spat it out.

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Seahawke, gagging slightly as he examined his glass, "This isn't champagne! It's ginger-ale!"

"Seahawke..." hissed Mermista angrily as she walked over to the commotion, "We're at a birthday party organized by a twelve year old girl. If there was any liquor in this place, don't you think I would have found it already?"

"Oh..." Seahawke sighed dejectedly, handing the princess his glass, "Of course."

"Your Majesty," Hordak greeted, give a short bow, "How fares the reconstruction of Salineas? Are the automatons to your satisfaction?"

"Things are great, thanks," Mermista said half-heartedly, before downing the drink in a single gulp, "Entrapta's robots are kinda creepy but they work quickly."

"I am sorry their aesthetics do not meet your standards of approval," Hordak said sincerely, "I'm sure Entrapta would be very happy to make any changes in their design to better suit you."

"That won't be necessary," Mermista shrugged, grabbing Seahawke firmly by the arm, "If you'll excuse me, I need to get this mess cleaned up."

"Of course," said Hordak, raising his glass to the princess, "It is... good to see you again."

Mermista dragged Seahawke to a nearby chair where she sat him down and wiped the ginger-ale and saliva off his shirt with a napkin. Hordak turned back to the buffet table where Entrapta was returning from with a plate full of tiny sandwiches, baked goods and sweets.

"Oh, Hordak!" Entrapta gasped, "You got me a ginger-ale. You're so sweet."

Entrapta's hair pushed against the ground to lift her up to Hordak's face so she could kiss him on the cheek as she took the glass from him.

"Come on," Entrapta said, grabbing Hordak's free hand as she pulled him along, "We still need to greet the host."

Entrapta led Hordak to the throne on the far wall of the ballroom where a lineup of guests had formed to officially greet the princess of the hour. Hordak found himself behind a large woman with big red claws and a spiked tail in a silky and flattering black gown with white glitter next to a small thin green creature with long yellowy green hair, wearing a white long sleeved sweater and thick jogging pants with Etherian runes written over the bottom. In some contexts, the message they wrote out would be considered rather lewd in polite society.

"You said this was going to be casual party..." whispered Double Trouble, anxiously cradling their gift.

"I said this was going to be more casual than the Princess Prom," Scorpia whispered back with a twinge of excitement, "We only have to bow for two seconds this time."

As the group in front of them dispersed, Scorpia and Double Trouble stepped up to the throne and gave a short bow.

"Oh, hey!" Princess Frosta exclaimed happily, "You made it! Thanks for coming!"

"Hi, Frosta," Scorpia greeted as she raised from her bow, "Really love what you've done with the place after the... last time... I came here..."

"Oh, don't worry about what happened last time!" Frosta scoffed, "Tonight's a second chance to get everything right. I had been meaning to get this place renovated for a while now anyway. Oh! I really wanted to show you something I've been practicing, but I'm gonna be stuck here for awhile receiving guests. I'll find you when I'm done."

The former Horde soldier and spy bowed again as they left to rejoin the party as the former leader of the Etherian Horde and it's chief scientist stepped up after them.

"Princess Frosta of Etheria," Hordak declared, bowing for the required two seconds, "I have come to present an offering in recognition of you achieving the bare minimum of existence for twelve years."

"Yeah... Adora said Entrapta might be bringing you..." Frosta sighed, before she took a deep breath and stiffened in her demeanor, "The Kingdom of the Snows accepts your gift in the good faith it was intended, in the hopes of continued peace between our peoples. Just... put it on the pile. We'll open them after the banquet."

Frosta motioned to a small mountain of presents beside her throne, each of them bigger and more intricately decorated then the modest box Hordak held in his claws. Hordak carefully placed it near the top of the pile and then gave another bow before returning to the main gathering with Entrapta beside him.

"You see?" Entrapta said, "What did I tell you? You're doing great!"

"You and I appear to have a very different perspective on how tonight's events are proceeding," whispered Hordak.

"You're just nervous," Entrapta explained, giving him a reassuring on the arm, "That is to be expected, according to my research. Here, the band is playing something slow right now. This is something I know you'll excel at."

Entrapta led Hordak over to a dance floor set up in front of a string quartet playing a soothing waltz for the birthday party. She turned to face him, holding his right hand with her left and wrapping her right arm around him just below the waist. Hordak intertwined his claw with Entrapta's fingers and placed his other claw on her shoulder. Because of Entrapta's proportions and her large amount of hair, it was easy to forget how short she was compared the dark lord, a fact that made him feel all the more awkward and uncomfortable.

"Good," Entrapta spoke up, "Let's start with some basic spins to get you comfortable with the music. I can't see a whole lot from my position, so why don't you tell me what you see going on?"

Hordak didn't want to correct her that while his hearing and sense of smell were far above the average etherian by virtue of his species, his eyesight was in fact much worse in the bright blue lighting of this party. It is why he always preferred the deep dark reds of his sanctum or the dim purples of Entrapta's laboratory. Hoping Entrapta did not notice, Hordak closed his eyes and began to focus his ears on the low whispers of the party. His attention was drawn to sound of harsh footsteps dragging someone more graceful into the corner of the room.

"What are you doing here?" he heard a young woman's voice hiss, "I thought I told you to break things off with Scorpia."

"I did exactly what you said," a deeper, smoother voice replied, "As of today, I told her I'm can't her therapist anymore so there's no longer a conflict of interest."

"I ordered you to stay away from her," the woman argued, "Do you want her to find out you've been sending threatening letters to the princess she has a crush on?"

"One letter, singular, sent during a moment of weakness," the other voice whispered, their anger becoming much more apparent, "And she's not going to find out. Not unless someone tells her..."

"Then how do you explain this?" the woman asked.

Hordak could hear a shuffle of paper from their direction.

"That's not me," the other voice denied, their tone becoming much more concerned and serious, "I only sent the one letter. This is someone else."

"It would appear the Queen of Brightmoon is having a serious argument with our therapist," Hordak told Entrapta, "Something very serious by the looks of it."

"Ooo, fascinating," Entrapta cooed, her head cuddling up to Hordak's torso as they danced, "Can you hear what they're talking about?"

"Unfortunately, it is difficult to ascertain over the music," Hordak lied, feeling somewhat hesitant in his position as Entrapta's spy.

"...what you've done. Enjoy the party, traitors," the woman read aloud, "Rest assured you will all get your just desserts."

"I'm telling you that's not me!" the other voice shouted.

Hordak began to feel uncomfortable listening in something so personal and sensitive. His Imp always knew how to filter out the irrellevant personal details in his reports. Hordak soon realized how much he missed having the small creature around, but then suppressed the feeling, remembering how his brothers would treat a defective clone like him. No, Imp is smart enough to survive on his own, it is better Hordak not think about how he is doing and where he could be. Hordak returned his focus on the other party goers.

"The Salineas Princess's guest appears to be on a table boasting about learning to become Etheria's greatest actor," Hordak continued to report, "The Princess herself appears to have developed an interest in spelunking. Apparently, she wants to 'crawl into a deep hole and dive'."

"Uh-huh," Entrapta said, "Go on."

"Our host has left her throne to entertain her guests," Hordak described, "It looks as though she is presently showing Princess Scorpia a tail she made out of ice."

Hordak felt Entrapta's hair push something hard into his head as they danced.

"Oops," Entrapta said, letting go of Hordak, "Sorry."

"Entrapta..." Hordak whispered, stopping the dance to look at her hair, "Is that your recording device?"

"Of course!" Entrapta replied, her hair waving in front of Hordak's face to show it to him, "This is all great data for my research into social interactions."

"You say these people are you friends," said Hordak, leading her away from the dance floor, "But for the most part your interactions with them appear to be just you observing them from a distance. I am beginning to wonder if these 'social lessons' of yours are in fact for my benefit, or if I am just another test subject for your own experiments."

"Oh..." Entrapta said, deflating like a balloon as she let go of Hordak's claw, "The truth is... I'm really not good when it comes to making friends. I know I talk too much and people find it hard to understand me sometimes. I'm really bad at knowing when someone is paying me a compliment or if they're just making fun of me."

"I have noticed," Hordak growled, looming over her as she backed against a wall.

"But you've always been honest with me," Entrapta continued, fidgeting with her hair as she avoided Hordak's piercing gaze, "My data shows that in all of our interactions, you've never tried to make fun of me or humiliate me. You were never nice to me just because you wanted me to do something for you. You always told me exactly how you felt about me or what I did all the time. That's why I know that if I asked you if someone was being mean or taking advantage of me, you'd tell me the truth."

Hordak raised an eyebrow as he studied Entrapta.

"So I am not here because you want rehabilitate me in the eyes of your friends," Hordak translated, backing away slightly, "You want to know if they truly are your friends in the first place."

"Well, yes..." Entrapta answered, pushing her hair back behind her face, "But I also really do want you to apologize to them for all the bad things you've done."

"Very well," said Hordak, offering his arm for Entrapta to hold onto, "I am glad we could finally clear this up."

"You're not mad?" Entrapta asked, cautiously placing her hand over Hordak's arm.

"I am disappointed you felt the need to keep this a secret from me," Hordak answered, leading her away from their dark corner, "It is my duty to serve you in any way you deem fit."

"Of course," Entrapta said, her mood brightening as she wrapped her arm around Hordak's, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm still learning, too."

"It is alright," Hordak said, "As the smartest person I know recently informed me, ignorance is only a flaw when you fail to correct it."

Entrapta's hair lifted her up again to give Hordak another kiss. Hordak's cheek blushed slightly as he stroked it absentmindedly.

"Thank you, Hordak," said Entrapta, before her eyes widened with excitement, "Oh, look! There's Adora! Let's go say 'Hi'!"

Entrapta waved at the blonde woman in the red dress and her furry date in a matching tuxedo.

"For the last time, we're not regifting Perfuma's get well present," Adora told Catra, "Besides, Frosta is allergic to nuts."

"Hi Catra!" Entrapta shouted, "Hi Adora!"

"Oh, no..." Catra groaned, deciding at that time to focus her interest on the Hors D'oeuvres.

"Hello, Entrapta," Adora greeted warmly, her expression hardening as she turned to the clone beside her, "Hordak..."

"She-Ra," Hordak greeted respectfully, before his voice deepened into a harsh growl, "Force Captain..."

"That's Director of Etherian Operations Catra to you," Catra corrected, smugly pointing her finger into Hordak's chest, "What in Etheria are you wearing? it looks like something from a hundred years ago."

"Four hundred," Hordak corrected, taking a drink from one of the waiters, "The Princess Entrapta has elected to provide me with tonight's formal wear."

"Speaking of which," Adora said, glaring at her companion, "Catra, don't you have something you want to say?"

"Uggh..." sighed Catra as she turned to face Entrapta, "I'm sorry I knocked you out from behind with a stun stick that one time. You didn't deserve that and you certainly didn't deserve being banished to Beast Island."

"Okay, I forgive you," Entrapta said plainly, giving the catgirl a hug, "I'm glad we're friends again."

Catra stood perfectly still as she winced in Entrapta's embrace, silently pleading to Adora for help.

"Excuse me, Princess," Hordak said, pulling Entrapta away to hiss in her ear, "Remember what you told about people taking advantage of you? Don't you think you're being a little too quick to-"

"So..." Adora interrupted, taking sip from her glass of ginger ale, "How have you guys been progressing on the whole excavating my destroyed castle to build a planet destroying weapon for a galaxy conquering dictator thing?"

"Adora..." Catra scolded.

"Oh, your castle is amaaazing!" Entrapta said, "I have so many questions about everything! I would love to have you come over some time to show me around properly."

"I don't think that's possible," Catra interjected, "I have Adora working for me on a number of projects right now. I'll see if I can schedule something, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Hordak gave an involuntary shudder at Catra's word choice.

"What precisely *does* she do for you?" Hordak inquired, "I have noticed you look less... unkempt... since taking your new position. Do you have her groom you now?"

"...maybe..." Catra said as she nervously tucked her wings behind her ears before standing up straight in an attempt to assert her confidence, "How I choose to allocate Etheria's resources is a matter between me and Horde Prime. If that is not to you satisfaction, I suggest you take it up with him."

"Perhaps I will," Hordak threatened, "But I'm sure he doesn't need me to evaluate your dubious qualifications. Do not become too comfortable in your position... Director. You will find my brother to be far less forgiving of failure than I was."

"I guess that's why he put me in charge of this planet and you in charge of that dank cave you call a castle," Catra snarked, "Maybe you should be more concerned with your lack of progress than mine."

"I am *very* confident with the work Entrapta has done for the Horde," Hordak sneered, "You are fortunate she has managed to survive your bungling."

"Hordak," Entrapta interrupted, "I think maybe we should stop talking about work and let Adora and her guest enjoy the party."

"Agreed..." snarled Hordak as he turned away with a dramatic flourish, regretting the fact he wasn't currently wearing a cape.

Entrapta gave a polite wave to Catra and gave Adora a quick hug before rushing to follow her date who was stomping away with great speed.

"So I'm going to guess that interaction was not as productive as we hoped," Entrapta theorized.

"At the very least, you seem to be improving in your ability to read social situations," Hordak commented, "Why did you tell Catra you forgave her?"

"Because I do forgive her," Entrapta answered, "How can we ask for forgiveness if we're not willing to give it ourselves?"

"I am not here for their forgiveness!" Hordak snarled, "After everything I've done, I do not expect it, nor require it! I am fully prepared for your friends to hate me for the rest of their natural lives, because I have never cared a modicum of what they think of me even once! Because to be perfectly honest with you, a princess that is willing to overlook that history between us is a princess either too stupid or too deceitful to be trusted!"

"Then what's the point of doing all this!" Entrapta yelled back.

"The point, Princess, is, and always has been, you!" Hordak argued, "I agreed to come here because *you* asked me to! I agreed go along with your lessons in social interactions because *you* felt it was necessary! Everything I have done since you came back in my life has been for your benefit and yours alone! Because you alone are the only thing on this whole pathetic world that is worthy of my consideration!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME!?" Entrapta screamed.

"BECAUSE, APPARENTLY, YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE I WAS GONE!" Hordak roared.

The two stood apart staring at each other as they seethed with rage. The entire room fell silent for a second as the Princesses and their guests looked on at the commotion. Hordak's face turned bright red with embarrassment as his sensitive ears caught the mutterings of the crowd staring at him.

"I am truly sorry, Entrapta," Hordak apologized, hanging his head in shame, "This was a mistake. Enjoy the party with your friends. I will return when you are ready for me to take you home."

"Hordak, wait!" Entrapta said as Hordak turned around and began walking away, "Come back!"

Hordak ignored her as he pushed his way through the crowd and out a swinging doorway to the kitchens. The sounds of a team of chefs producing tonight's meal drowning out the ballroom full of princesses who were no doubt gossiping about his loud outburst. Hordak felt a pit in his stomach as he thought of what they were now saying about Entrapta and the rabid beast she allowed to come and terrorize their party.

"Stupid spoiled princess brats..." he heard a chef grumble under his breath, "They get to live it up, all day, every day of their lives while the rest of us slave over them and die in their pointless wars. Etheria is going to be so much better off without them."

Hordak turned to the direction of the angry whispering, but couldn't tell it's source from the army of cooks working diligently. He moved towards the closest one and hovered over him until he dropped the fish he was preparing onto the floor. Hordak carefully studied the shorter man as he determined whether or not he was the disgruntled worker.

"Excuse me," Hordak said, taking some small pleasure in the shorter man's fear, "Could you please direct me to the nearest restroom?"

~*~

Double Trouble opened the door and entered the ladies room with a sense of smug satisfaction on their face as Scorpia followed behind them. They checked themselves out in the mirror as Scorpia looked underneath each of the stalls to make sure no one else was inside.

"I must admit, I didn't expect to see this side of you so soon, my sweet Princess," Double Trouble said with a sly grin on their face, "As it stands I can certainly think of far worse places to have our first time."

"First time for what?" Scorpia asked as she locked the door behind them.

"Oh, you don't have to play innocent with me," Double Trouble cooed, "Don't think I didn't really know what you meant when you asked me to show you where the bathroom is. The two of us alone with no one to disturb us. I don't know how far you plan on going tonight, but I've come prepared for all kinds of fun."

"I just want to talk to you about something very private," Scorpia said, dropping her purse on the sink countertop to dig through it, "And I didn't want anyone else to hear."

"Oh, I bet you didn't," Double Trouble said, biting their lip as they approached Scorpia from behind, "Who do you want me to play first?"

"What can you tell be about this?" Scorpia asked, holding up a piece of paper to Double Trouble's face.

"Where did you get that?" Double Trouble asked, their eyes widening with fear as they recognized the letter in from of them, "Did Glimmer give that to you?"

"It doesn't matter where I got it," Scorpia answered, "Tell me you didn't write this to Perfuma?"

"I'm..." Double Trouble stammered, "I'm sorry, Scorpia, you weren't supposed to know about this."

"Why not?" Scorpia yelled, "Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie to you," Double Trouble said, holding her hands out as she began to panic, "I just... We were just trying to protect you."

"This is the kind of protection I can do without!" Scorpia scolded, angrily rolling the letter into a ball and throwing it back in her purse, "What were you even thinking when you wrote this?"

"I wasn't," Double Trouble admitted, "I was drunk. It was a mistake and I'm sorry."

"I think you're just sorry you got caught," Scorpia said, pacing around the bathroom as she rubbed her head in thought, "This can't be happening. I did it again. This is why Perfuma was so worried about how I felt when she rejected me. No, no, no. This is why she rejected me in the first place. You scared her off so you could have me all to yourself. I don't believe this."

"That's not true!" Double Trouble said, placing a hand on Scorpia's shoulder, "Look, I know I made a mistake when I wrote that letter. Please let me explain."

"Get away from me!" Scorpia yelled, as she recoiled away from them, "You're sick. You... you can't stay here. You need to leave."

"I need to leave?" Double Trouble asked, clasping their hands together and backing away from Scorpia as their lip trembled in shock.

"If I knew what kind of person you were, I would have never have invited you here," Scorpia accused, pointing a shaking claw at Double Trouble, "Get out. Now."

"Okay," Double Trouble gulped, walking towards the door, "I am really sorry, Scorpia. I never wanted to hurt you."

"I said, 'Get out!'" cried Scorpia, tears welling in her eyes as she threw her purse at Double Trouble, "I don't want to see you ever again!"

Double Trouble ducked away from the projectile as it hit the wall behind her and scattered it's contents all over the floor. They quickly unlocked the door and vanished behind it. Scorpia covered her eyes with her claws and bawled loudly into the sink for what felt like an eternity before the door creaked open again.

"What are you doing back?!" Scorpia shrieked between her sobs, "Leave me alone."

"I'm sorry, your Highness," a familiar deep male voice growled, "I could hear you from the mens room and just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Lord Hordak," Scorpia sniffled as she saluted on instinct.

"Put your claw down, Princess," Hordak said, "You do not take orders from me anymore, remember? You are the one who gives the orders now."

"I'm sorry," Scorpia whined, "I didn't want you to see me like this."

"It is alright, your Highness," Hordak said, turning back towards the door, "You do not need to hide yourself from me. I can leave if you wish."

"No, no..." Scorpia said, wiping the tears from her eyes, "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough..." Hordak admitted, bending over to pick up Scorpia's purse, as well as all the things that spilled out of it, "The walls of this palace are much thinner than the ice would lead you to believe."

"I've never been that angry in my life," Scorpia said, placing her claws on the counter to lean over the sink, "I just can't believe someone would lie to me like that. You and Entrapta said everyone loves me, but that can't be true, because it seem like everyone else just keeps trying to hurt me."

"I don't know what to say," Hordak said, placing Scorpia's purse on the counter beside her, "I've always found your planet's customs baffling ever since I first arrive here, but I suppose that is because I never spared the effort to learn until now. It always felt like something so... superfluous... unnecess-"

Hordak was interrupted by Scorpia wrapping her claws around his shoulders. After the initial shock wore off, Hordak decided to reciprocate the hug.

"There, there," Hordak awkwardly recited from Entrapta's lesson on consoling someone who is upset, robotically patting Scorpia on the back, "It'll be okay. Do you still wish to participate in the celebrations tonight?"

"Yes," Scorpia said, forcing a smile as she wiped away the rest of her tears, "I think I do. I think I'm going to feel much better knowing you and Entrapta are there. I know we never talked alot when I was in the Horde, but I always looked up to you as something of role model."

"Thank you, your Highness," Hordak said, offering his arm to Scorpia, "I can assure you that there are much better examples to follow than me. But... for what it's worth... this is the first time I've felt welcome here all night..."

~*~

Hordak and Scorpia returned to the ballroom in time for the great banquet. Hordak had been seated between Scorpia and Entrapta, with Seahawke and Mermista sitting across from them. The dinner proceeded much without incident, Hordak had barely touched his food and slide his plate to the Scorpion Princess when she asked if he was going to eat all that, knowing Entrapta's preferences prevented him from offering it to her. When it was time to bring out the cake, the gathering joined in a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to Princess Frosta. Hordak, not knowing any of the words to the song, sniffed at the massive cake as it was wheeled past him by the chefs. Beyond the twelve wax candles, chocolate ice cream and cookie crumbs that decorated it, Hordak caught a light whiff of the bitter scent of almond. This fact confused him for some reason as he began to think upon the conversations he overheard during the party.

"For the last time, we're not regifting Perfuma's get well present," Adora told Catra as Hordak and Entrapta approached, "Besides, Frosta is allergic to nuts."

Hordak tried to push the thought from his mind as the cake was presented in front of Princess Frosta. Frosta's own chefs would clearly know about her allergies so perhaps it was some kind of almond substitute. He thought about what else would smell like almonds when another conversation popped back into his head.

"Enjoy the party, traitors," Glimmer read the threatening letter aloud to Double Trouble, "Rest assured you will all get your just desserts."

Frosta blew out the candles and was cut the ceremonial first slice of cake. Hordak's thoughts turned to panic as each of the princesses and their guests were handed a slice of cake.

"Stupid spoiled princess brats..." Hordak heard one of the chefs in the kitchen grumble under his breath, "They get to live it up all day every day of their lives while the rest of us slave over them and die in their pointless wars. Etheria is going to be so much better off without them."

As Frosta cut a bite of cake off with her fork, Hordak picked up his own dessert fork as he quickly got up from the table, and with a flick of his wrist, threw the utensil directly at Frosta. The other princess watched in horror as the fork spun through the air and collided handle-side first into Frosta's hand causing her to drop the cake back on the plate.

"Ow!" Frosta yelled, "Who threw that?!"

"No one touch the cake!" Hordak ordered, "It has been laced with Cyanide poisoning!"

As the crowd in the room collectively gasped and whispered to one another, Hordak scanned each of the chefs who had brought the cake in.

"You!" Hordak accused, pointing at the chef he thought looked the most nervous.

Without hesitation, the suspect ran from the proceedings, and through the nearest doorway.

~*~

The chef shuffled through the snow as he moved as fast as possible away from the castle.

"Gotta get away..." he gasped, "Can't let him catch me..."

He looked behind him to see if anyone was chasing him. It was difficult to see through the blizzard, but the man thought he saw two red dots in the distance.

"Oh, no," he wheezed, focusing back on the path ahead of him, "Oh, please, no..."

The ground below him soon darkened as the shadow of something very large passed over him. He was shaken off his feet as a gigantic chunk of ice landed in front of him with a crashing thump. The man frantically crawled away from it before two hands grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him with great distance into the ice shard. He was forcefully smacked against the hard flat surface before landing in the soft snow. Before he could get up, the same hands picked him up by his shirt and slammed him up against the wall, a muscular bicep pinning him by the throat. The man looked in terror at the blonde woman in the red dress holding him in place.

"Why did you do this?" Adora interrogated, "Who do you work for?"

"I didn't do anything," the chef answered quickly, "I've been a loyal servant to the royal family for years."

"Then why did you run?" Adora shouted angrily.

"The scary bat man pointed at me!" he said, "Wouldn't you?!"

"I only have one rule," Adora said, "Why did you try to poison Princess Frosta?"

"I didn't try to poison anyone!" the man whined, "I am so sorry I broke your one rule, scary muscle girl."

Adora let go of the chef, allowing him to slide back into the snow. He cradled his throat as he gasped for air.

"Glimmer will soon be here with a truth telling spell," Adora explained, "We'll know what really happened soon enough."

"Okay," the man wheezed, "I'll do whatever you want. Just please don't hurt me again."

"Good, just stay there until they catch up," Adora said as sat down in the snow to catch her breath.

The chef closed his eyes and lay back against the chunk of ice that appeared to be once part of Frosta's castle wall. He breathed a sigh of relief before a metal gauntlet grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back against the ice wall.

"Why did you do this?" Hordak snarled, "Who do you work for?"

"Oh, nohoho," the man whimpered, tears streaming from his eyes, "Please, stahahop!"

"No, Hordak, stop!" Adora shouted, "He might not be our guy! We're waiting for Glimmer!"

Hordak looked back at Adora and raised an eyebrow at her.

"As you wish," he growled, dropping the crying mess of a man back in the snow.

"I just mahahake sushi rohoholls..." the man cried.

Adora crossed her arms as the two of them stood above the terrified, possibly innocent man they accused.

"You must be cold," Hordak noted, removing his blue jacket, "Here, take this."

"I'm fine, thank you," Adora said, shivering slightly.

"I insist," Hordak said, handing the jacket to Adora, "I will carry him back to the castle."

Hordak lifted the chef off the snowy ground and flopped him over his shoulder. All the man could do was weep into the back of the clone's white dress shirt. Adora wrapped the large coat over herself like a parka and followed.

"One thing I want to know," Adora demanded, "Where did you learn to throw a fork like that?"

"I do not know," Hordak answered, "It just came naturally to me for some reason. Where did you learn to break off and throw a metric ton of solid ice?"

"I... don't know," Adora lied.

The two stomped slowly in silence in the blizzard towards the castle before Hordak spoke up again.

"I had another question," Hordak said, "Regarding your relationship with my former Force Captain."

"Ugggh," Adora groaned, "Go ahead."

Hordak was silent for a few moments as he thought pensively about the most sensitive way to approach this topic.

"Her?" was all he managed to come up with.

~*~

Queen Glimmer and Catra silently watched the snow through the large double doors of the entrance hall while, inside the coat check behind them, Entrapta was digging through her coat pockets for chemistry equipment. Her hair was holding her plate which has her slice of cake still on it, until eventually she found some test tubes and a vial of liquid. Her hair collected a piece of the slice into the test tube before pouring the liquid inside. She stroked her chin as she watched her hair put a stopper in the test tube and carefully shook it. She examined the test tube carefully as the cake dissolved into the liquid and changed its color.

"Sample is positive for Potassium Cyanide," Entrapta reported into her recording device, "Hordak was right. Someone poisoned the cake."

"If that's the case," Glimmer said, "Then someone just tried to kill all the princesses in Etheria at once."

"If that's the case," Catra said, "Then Hordak... freaking Hordak of all people... just saved all of Etheria. I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Is that really what you're concerned about right now?" Glimmer scolded, "I just cast a truth spell on everyone left in the castle who had access to the kitchen when the cake was being made. If Adora doesn't catch the real poisoner, then that means we still have an assassin loose in the Kingdom."

"Well, why didn't you go after him?" Catra noted, "Don't your teleporting powers make you the fastest one here?"

"Gah!" Glimmer screamed angrily at Catra before she disappeared in a puff of sparkles.

"Did she forget she can do that?" Entrapta asked.

"I don't know if you've noticed," Catra explained, "But princesses can be kinda dumb sometimes."

The two waited patiently for their hero's return. After a few moments, Glimmer, Adora and Hordak carrying a short weeping man on his shoulder soon appeared, hand in hand, in a cloud of pink sparkles.

"It's not him either," Glimmer reported, pacing towards the main hall with her fists clenched, "So either I've suddenly gotten really sloppy with my spells or the real assassin left long before the cake even came out. Yeeeaaarrrggghhh!"

Hordak carefully placed the shivering man he was carrying in a standing position on the castle floor and brushed some snow off of his shoulders. As soon as Hordak turned his attention away from him, the chef ran screaming into another hallway.

"Good news, Hordak!" Entrapta shouted as she ran frantically at him to show off her test tube, "There *was* cyanide in the cake! Someone just tried to poison us all! And we don't know who they are or where they went!"

"How is any of that good news?" Hordak grumbled.

"Becaaause..." Entrapta said, "You just saved everyone's life. You're a hero."

"I think you might be overstating my contribution to tonight's events," Hordak said, "I only did what any responsible citizen would do in my position."

"And I think you're just underestimating yourself," Entrapta said, "Come on! Frosta's opening presents in the main hall and I think ours requires some explanation."

"Very well, but after that we are going home," Hordak ordered, "It has been a long night... for both of us."

"I know," Entrapta said, "Isn't it great? We got to dance, talk to all our friends, have dinner. I even got to break out my chemistry set. Thank you so much for coming Hordak!"

Once again, Entrapta lifted herself off the ground to kiss her date. Only this time, Hordak was fast enough to meet Entrapta's lips with his own.

"You go on ahead," Hordak suggested, "I'll be right behind you."

As Entratpa giggled as she lifted her dress to run back into the ballroom, Adora folded up Hordak's jacket and handed it back to him.

"So how *did* you know the cake was poisoned?" Adora asked.

"Cyanide has the smell of bitter almonds," Hordak explained, "And I overheard you say Frosta had a nut allergy."

"Frosta isn't allergic to almonds," Adora replied, "That was just a lie to make Catra not give her a jar of cashews and dried fruit for her birthday."

"I knew it!" Catra screamed at Adora.

"So if I am to understand this correctly," Hordak theorized, "We all almost died here tonight, only to be saved by the sheer dumb luck of you trying to compensate for Catra just being absolutely terrible person."

"It wouldn't be the first time..." grumbled Adora.