Episode 3: Celebration, Part 3

"Catra are you ready yet?" Adora called, looking herself over in the mirror.

Her usual ponytail was down, blonde hair falling over her shoulders. A tiara with small golden wings adorned her head. A white, flowing dress was draped across her body. It split on one side, near her knee, the other side forming a lacy skirt. Her shoes were gold, with laces that ran up her shin. Finally bringing the whole outfit together was a pair of golden bangles on each wrist.

"I'm coming, I'm coming geez." Catra answered from the bathroom.

Adora turned as she emerged, letting out a soft gasp. Catra was in a crisp black suit jacket, trimmed with red. Her dress shirt underneath was almost a blood red, decorated with golden buttons. The dress pants she wore were form fitting and the same dark color as her jacket. Her hair was slicked back, save for a single strand that hung perfectly in front of her face. Finally draped over her shoulders was a short cape that reached the middle of her back, and split into two almost coat tails.

Catra smirked as Adora stared at her. "Cat got your tongue?"

"You look...beautiful." Adora said, the dumb joke passing her by.

The cat blushed, tail swaying behind her. "I was going for 'sharp' or 'handsome' but...that works too. And you-" Catra took a moment to finally take Adora in. "-are an angel." Catra snapped her mouth shut, the words flowing from her lips without thinking. "I-I mean what I meant was-that is-I-uuuugggh. God I'm bad at this."

Adora smiled softly, and approached. "Hey, I'll definitely take 'angel'."

"Its...not too sappy?"

Adora kissed her cheek. "Not at all."

Catra recovered quickly, and moved toward the door, holding out her hand . "Well then, shall we go, angel?"

Adora briefly recalled her vision of the future while in the planet's core. She reached out, and was able to take Catra's hand this time. She held that hand so tenderly, as if it were the most fragile crystal, before Catra gripped hers tightly. The pair walked hand in hand until they reached the main foyer. They found Glimmer and Bow waiting for them, the queen fussing over Bow's tie.

"Glimmer, I told you, its fine." he assured, rolling his eyes. He was dressed in a white military jacket, with a high collar.

"No, its not, its crooked." Glimmer said, doing the final adjustments. The queen sported a dress that looked like a light purple night sky, and a golden crown with a tiny moonstone embedded into it. "Oh there you two are!"

"Hey sparkles. Giving arrow boy a hard time?" Catra joked.

"Arrow boy?" Bow said, his voice cracking a little. "Is that seriously my nickname?"

"How come I don't get a nickname?" Adora asked, faking offense.

Catra simply gave her a raspberry. "Anyway. So, this party about ready to start?"

"Yes." Glimmer answered, letting go of Bow. "You two will announced first. As the queen my entrance will be last, along with Bow."

"W-wait. Announced?"

"Yeah, you know." Adora held up a fake scroll, and made a snobbish face. "'Presenting lord and lady wigglebottom of house wigglebottom.' That sort of thing."

"Pfffft hahahaha!" Catra howled, Bow, and Glimmer chuckling alongside them. "Wigglebottom? Really?"

"I was trying to be silly, thank you."

"Well congrats, you succeeded." Glimmer said. "Alright, ready?"

The pair nodded, and Glimmer made a motion to a nearby servant. They nodded back, and took off to the staircase leading to the courtyard. The night was just beginning to fall, as the last light of the sunset spread across the land in a warm orange hue. Lanterns bathed the main courtyard in more yellow light, creating an inviting atmosphere. All of the guests that were not princess's or their plus ones were gathered there. Most of them, were close friends or family of the princesses. Bows dads, Huntara, (who looked very out of place) the leaders of the surrounding villages and towns, Castaspella, and so on. The announcer cleared his throat, and made a motion toward the band who blew a quick fanfare, gathering the crowd's attention.

"Ladies and Gentleman! I present the savior of Etheria, the princess of power, Adora of Brightmoon! And her love, former horde force captain, turned hero of Etheria, Catra!"

Adora and Catra walked arm in arm, hoops, hollers, and cheers coming from the crowd. Among them were silent glares in Catra's direction, and hushed conversations. Catra held back her scowl, and waved with Adora as the two descended the staircase.

"Really could have done without the 'former horde force captain' thing." Catra hissed under her breath.

"Don't let it get to you." Adora said, smiling. "I think you should focus on the 'her love' part."

"Hmmm, true~" Catra replied with a smirk.

The announcer continued, to present the princesses. The second to last ones to arrive were Entrapta and Hordak. The entire party went silent as the former leader of the horde walked alongside the princess of Dril. Entrapta actually had been forced to dress up, sporting a a dark purple pantsuit with long jacket, similar to a labcoat. The guards around the courtyard, gripped their weapons, ready to intervene should anyone decide to attack the former horde leader. Though some of them wanted nothing more than to cut down Hordak themselves. Before the tension could last any longer, King Micah descended the stairs, though he gave Hordak an angry glare of his own. Glimmer, and Bow followed, quickly shifting the atmosphere back to one of joy, and celebration. Glimmer raised a hand after her arrival, signaling silence.

"I would like to thank you all for coming to this momentous occasion." Glimmer began looking out among the crowd. "We have fought long and hard over the years but now its time for us to celebrate! I will be making an official speech at the end of the festivities. But for now, please enjoy the party, as we all enjoy a free, and prosperous Etheria!"

Everyone erupted into loud cheers and claps, momentarily forgetting the tension from mere minutes ago. The band was then signaled to play, as waiters and other servants began to move into the crowd, laying out food, and carrying drinks. Glimmer and Bow descended the stairs, Catra and Adora approaching the pair. The other three were quick to congratulate Glimmer on a great opening statement. Though she was still very nervous for the actual speech to come later.

"I wanna get drunk." Glimmer admitted. "But I can't until I make my speech."

"A little sip won't hurt, right?" Catra said, grabbing a wine glass from a passing waiter.

"I suppose not." Glimmer said with a smile, and took the glass gratefully.

Catra snatched a another three glasses. "That's the spirit."

"Cheers. To good friends!" Bow said, holding up his glass. The three clinked their glasses before all taking a big swig.

"Oooh, that stuff is way sweeter than the swill I drank in the wastes." Catra said smiling. "Dangerous."

"You drank some Crimson Waste hooch? What was it made of?" Adora asked, not sure if she wanted an answer.

"Iunno." Catra shrugged. "Probably like a cactus or, something. It had a snake floating in the bottle."

Bow held back a dry heave. "Why are you like this?"

"What? I was fine! I mean sure, I was sick as a dog the day after but ya know."

"Reminds of me of when we snuck a swig of some contraband ale." Adora laughed. "Oh man, I was sick for like three days."

"Oh yeah! You nearly barfed just from the smell! But you drank it anyway, cause I double dared you!"

"I felt like my guts were on fire!" The two quickly felt into a laughing fit as Bow and Glimmer looked between the two of them.

"It really is good to see you two actually getting along." Glimmer said with a smile. "Adora talked a lot about some of the stuff you got up to when you were kids."

"It was kinda hard imagining at the time." Bow added. "Ya know, considering-" He gestured vaguely, letting the implication hang in the air. "But yeah, seeing you two now, I can picture little baby Adora and Catra up to shenanigans."

"Ugh, you're making that 'its so adorable' face." Catra hissed. "Come on Adora, I wanna grab some of those crab puffs before they're gone."

Adora waved to her two friends and took Catra's arm as they headed for the buffet tables. The party slowly moved into a good rythm conversation, wine, food, laughter and music. Glimmer was approached by several dignitaries, all wanting to exchange pleasantries and or discuss things such as trade routes. Scorpia, and Perfuma eventually found themselves conversing with Catra and Adora. The feline still felt a little awkward around Scorpia but the larger woman didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't really care. Bow eventually was pulled away from Glimmer at some point by his fathers, who had been conversing with Wrong Hordak. Apparently, the conversation had been very awkward at first but the two men found it hard not to be charmed by his innocence.

"Oh, brother Bow, I have finally chosen a name!" Wrong Hordak exclaimed, when there was a lull in their conversation.

"Yeah? That's great buddy. What is it?"

"Well, you see, I was the twenty-sixth clone of my legion. I have researched several languages and found that in third century Etherian the twenty-sixth letter of the alphabet was known as Zed. So, I shall henceforth be known as Zed!"

"Thats great Zed. Happy for ya."

"Oh, I can teach you all about ancient Etherian languages!" Lance said with excitement.

"Yes, the evolution of language and the written word is always a fascinating topic." George added, brushing his mustache.

"I would be thrilled to know more!" Zed said

Lance leaned over to George. "Oh, he's so cute, can we keep him?"

"Dear, he's not a dog."

Entrapta and Hordak formed a large wake wherever they moved. No one wanted to be near the former horde leader. He could feel their gazes boring against his back, the fury burning in their hearts. Over a year ago, he would have struck them down for their insolence but he held his fury. In truth, he could not blame them for their ire. They were well within the right to scorn him, but that did not make the atmosphere anymore palatable. He instead focused on Entrapta who was observing the dance floor as she walked toward the buffet.

"Social enrichment log four...dancing, and music seem extremely commonplace at social gatherings. Must investigate as to how one actually 'dances.' Perhaps there is a technical manual on the subject." She quickly snatched up a platter. "Oooh, look tiny hamburgers!" she exclaimed, holding them up to Hordak.

"What is your obsession with miniature foodstuffs?" he asked, picking up a tiny burger.

"They taste better!"

"There is no scientific evidence for that hypothesis." he argued. "Minatare foodstuffs are inefficient. Why not simply take in the necessary nutrients in a ration?"

"Okay, yes, you're right, tiny food is inefficient. But its fun! And also food is for more than just nutrition. It can also be eaten for pleasure!"

Hordak pondered the tiny burger with a hum, before tossing it into his mouth. He was surprised by the salty, meaty flavor. "That...is not entirely unpleasant."

Entrapt giggled, handing him another. For a few moments he seemed to forget the world around him, but a nearby conversation quickly brought him back down. The words 'monster' and 'barbarian' were spat out like venom in the whispered tones of those nearby. Hordak bristled with anger for a moment before sagging with a sigh.

"I think I have had enough 'social enrichment' for the evening."

Entrapta frowned but nodded in understanding. "Well, according to my research it is polite to say goodbye to the host before leaving a social gathering."

"Very well." Hordak sighed. "Why must social decorum be so complicated?"

Hordak, and Entrapta made their way through the crowd, everyone giving them a wide berth. They approached Glimmer, and Bow who were conversing with Castaspella and King Micah. The king stopped mid sentence as Hordak neared, glaring daggers at him. Castaspella seemed to mirror him, hands laced over her stomach. Glimmer turned toward the pair and nodded in greeting.

"Your majesty." Hordak began, bowing low. It was a strange sight indeed for everyone watching.

"Hi!" Entrapta said with wave, contrasting Hordak's formal greeting.

"I would like to thank you for the lovely evening." Hordak said, trying to recite the proper social decorum he had researched. "Entapta and I will be retiring to the lab."

"Just give us a call when you need to use the beacons for your speech." Entrapta added with a smile.

"Oh, well if you two are sure." Gllimmer said, still feeling just as awkward as Hordak in this scenario. "I don't wanna force you to stay."

"We very much appreciate being here." Entrapt interjected. "But I believe Hordak's social battery is very drained. And if I'm being frank, I'm not the most comfortable in these clothes. They're far too restricting."

Bow nodded in understanding. "Well, we appreciate you coming Entrapta. I know these sorts of things aren't your speed."

Hordak gave another bow. "Once again, thank you for your hospitality. We will take our leave now."

"Hopefully the atmosphere will improve." Micah muttered under his breath, earning him an elbow from Glimmer.

Hordak was several steps away when those words caught his ears. "I beg your pardon?" he growled, slowly turning toward Micah. "If you have something you wish to say to me. Speak."

Micah ignored his daughter's jab and stepped forward. "I said, hopefully with you gone the atmosphere will improve. We're celebrating the freedom of our planet from the horde. The horde you lead for years. The horde that devastated our homes and took the lives our families. I honestly find it insulting, and ironic that you would even come here."

Entrapta glanced between the two of them. "Uuuuhm." She wasn't sure what to do.

"I came here, because Queen Glimmer asked me to." Hordak replied with barely checked fury. "I simply came here out of courtesy."

"Courtesy?" Micah spat. "What would a tryant like you know of courtesy? If you truly had an ounce of courtesy for anyone here then you would go walk off a cliff!"

"Dad please!" Glimmer exclaimed, grabbing his shoulder.

"I will not stand here, and be insulted!" Hordak roared, hand curling into a tight fist.

"Is that a threat?" Micah replied, pushing Glimmer away. "Go ahead. Start something. GIve me an excuse to immolate you into ash!" He summoned a ball of fire to his hand.

Adora could see the exchange from across the courtyard. She scowled and made a move to break up the fight. Before she could Catra sprung into action grabbing a nearby bucket of ice water. With a loud splash, the doused Hordak, and Micah, putting out the latter's flame spell. The two blinked in surprise and turned to Catra who measured them with a scowl.

"Okay, break it up! We all worked too hard planning this party for you two to ruin it!"

There was a tense silence before someone from the crowd shouted. "That's rich coming from a horde force captain!"

Catra bristled, as an audible gasp sounded from the crowd. She turned, about explode with rage when she saw Adora, now She-ra, standing among the crowd. The towering woman spared a glance at the man who had spoken. If looks could have killed, he would have been a black smear on the cobblestones. She slowly glanced around the crowd, daring anyone else to say anything, before walking toward Catra. She touched her shoulder comfortingly before looking between Michah, and Hordak.

"I think you should both go, and cool off. Now."

Entrapta took the chance to grab Hordak by the arm. He let out a growl, and wrenched himself away before storming off. She offered an apologetic look to everyone before following after him. Micah watched him go before offering an apologetic nod to his daughter. The king then smiled at the crowd, and waved, trying to make a graceful exit.

"Are you okay?" Adora asked, looking down at Catra.

"Fine."

"You don't sound fine." Bow pointed out, finally finding his voice again.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay? Can we please go back to enjoying the party?"

No one decided to push the issue, and Adora transformed back into her normal self. Sensing that the awkward energy wouldn't disappear without a push, Seahawk made his way over to the band. Before Mermista could try and stop him he whipped out his accordion and broke into a jaunty sea shanty, directing the band to join him. The upbeat and catchy tune quickly shifted the mood, and returned the joyous atmosphere.

Glimmer approached Castapella, who was still watching her brother leave. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Castaspella sighed, and turned to face her. "I think so. He needs time. I can't really blame him for being angry. The wounds are still fresh. For all of us."

"Yeah. Things aren't just magically going to be fixed just because Prime is gone."

Glimmer was pulled from her thoughts when Bow tapped her shoulder. "Care to dance, your majesty?"

She blushed, and took his offered hand. "I'd love to."

Catra had moved toward the edge of the courtyard, grabbing another drink on her way there. Adora followed her, frowning in worry. The stars were fully out now, and the pair stood just out of the lantern light. The soft silver glow of the moon bathing them in its gentle touch. Catra clambered up onto the railing, one leg tucked up against herself, the other dangling down. Adora leaned up on the rail silent, watching her.

"I thought you said you wanted to enjoy the party?"

Catra took a swig of her drink. "Yeah well..." She sighed, ears flattening. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You had to step in again on my behalf. I would have probably done something stupid if you hadn't gone all she-ra."

"Hey, you don't have to apologize." Adora assured. "I almost turned that guy into a tree or something with my magic."

That got a laugh out of Catra. "Aaah, you would have done that for little old me?"

"Of course, dummy." Adora chuckled, giving her a playful shove. "I won't let anyone treat you like that. They don't know you like I do."

Catra thought that was probably for the best, considering most people didn't know half the horrible things she had done. She quickly downed the rest of her drink, and hopped down.

"Okay, lets go hit that dance floor. I'm not about to let Sparkles and Arrow boy show us up."

"Gladly."

Thankfully the celebration continued without anymore incidents. There was dancing, singing, laughter, and good conversation. At some point during the evening, Glimmer signaled the band to stop their music, while Bow gave a call to Entrapta and Hordak. With Zed's help, he set up a small transmitter on top of a raised platform. After a quick test, Bow gave Glimmer at thumbs up, and everyone waited with bated breath as Glimmer prepared her speech. The beacons across Etheria connected to the small transmitter, and projected the holographic image of Glimmer across the planet.

"My fellow Etherians, I am Queen Glimmer, of Brightmoon." she began, her voice measured and stoic. "For many years we have all suffered thanks to the horde. Some bare physical scars, others mental, and even more still bare the weight of both." She glanced in Adora and Catra's direction before continuing. "But now, with Prime's defeat, our world is well and truly free and we can all finally begin to heal. But things will not be easy. We must all be willing to let go of our grudges, and welcome those of the former horde into our fold if they are willing to do so. I know such a thing is not easy. But it is necessary if Ehteria is to finally step out from the shadow of its past." She looked across the gathered crowd. "It will take each and every one of us to rebuild. But together we can make a brighter future. We can light the path to a new Etheria! But for now, celebrate, for this day will be a day that will go down in history. Henceforth, every year, we shall have a celebration like this one on this day. It will now be known as Etherian Liberation Day!"

Cheers, screams, and clapping erupted from the crowd, and spread throughout all of Etheria. The crowd began to chant Glimmers name, including her friends. Bow saw the perfect chance to send a signal to his cannons on the outer wall. Fireworks shot up into the sky, exploding in a display of various colors. Adora joined hands with Catra as they watched the shimmering display. They both knew that such a speech wouldn't just make people let go of the past. It was like Glimmer said, it would be hard, but together, hopefully they could make tomorrow better.