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A beautiful yellow and gold frosted cake adorned with strawberries sat on the counter of the kitchen in Brightmoon. The Queen wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead as she saw a familiar hand reaching in to snag a piece of frosting.
Glimmer slapped Bow’s hand away, “No the cake has to be perfect! There can’t be any smudges or errant marks, Catra and I worked tirelessly on this.”
Bow sighed. Adora’s birthday was something they had planned on putting together for months now. The war was done, they finally had time to relax and nothing could have ruined this perfect day, not even a single swipe at the frosting. Bow gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and gave her a soft smile.
“I was just messing around, I know how important this is for you.”
Glimmer nodded and grinned, “You know she was telling us weeks at how she’d never had a normal birthday and I want this one to be as normal as possible. That means no adventures, no disasters. No humorous anecdotes about your dads that leaves more questions than it answers. got it?”
Bow gave a joking salute, “Yes my queen, your wish is my command”
Glimmer rolled her eyes and gave bow a joking shove, “come on. You know You have just as much power in the kingdom as I do, my king.”
“Am I interrupting something?”
Catra peeked in the room, leaning on the door frame. Her hair had just began to grow back and it was in those awkward phases of just long enough to be annoying, but not long enough to do anything interesting with it, she quickly brushed a lock away and took a step into the room to admire the cake, “damn sparkles, we really did a good job didn’t we. She’s gonna love it.”
Glimmer blushed and scratched the back of her neck, “hey listen I just baked the thing, you’re the one that found the recipe and got all the ingredients from the whispering woods. You’re the one that did all the work.”
Catra rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Please, you had just as much part of this as I did. I had no idea where to get a Strawberry.”
“Ladies, ladies, listen, you can flirt later, after we get this thing out to the party table.”
Catra opened her mouth to protest and Glimmer cleared her throat and shook her head, “Later.”
“Entrapta’s set everything up in the dining hall right?” Bow said looking to Catra.
She nodded, “Yup and all that’s left is for the guests to arrive. Mermista said she was gonna be late though, Apparently sea hawk nearly burnt down their gift.”
“Burnt... down?” Glimmer said skeptically.
Catra shrugged, “Listen, I don’t know and I don’t care, I’m just glad almost everyone’s already here. Less time and less work for us. Swift wind has her on some wild scavenger hunt so we should be good. I’m gonna go give him the signal though so we can get Adora back in here.”
Glimmer nodded and placed a hand on one side of the cake holder, “Right! Bow, let’s get this cake in the dining hall.”
***
Adora gritted her teeth as she threw the final lasso out at her mount, “Swift wind, I’m serious! We need to get back to the castle, can you come down please?”
Adora’s rainbow maned horse flew through the sky with a carefree attitude and a mischievous grin on his face, “NO! YOU WILL NEVER GET SWIFT WIND TO TAKE A BATH! THE WINDS OF FREEDOM CALL OUT TO ME AND IT SAYS TO KEEP THAT HORRID WATER AWAY!”
Adora fell to her knees as her final lasso fell uselessly to the ground. She threw her hands up in surrender, “Fine! You win! No bath time for Swift Wind!”
“Swift wind held his stance in the sky and gave Adora the closest thing to a quizzical glance that a horse could muster. Was she really giving up? Had he stalled enough? Should he lead her to more rope?
A quick look to the horizon and he spotted Catra, She gave the signal. He looked back down to Adora who was now lying face down on the dirt. He quickly descended to the ground, “You know what, you convinced me, lets head back to the stable!”
Adora quickly popped her head up and looked at Swift Wind, “uhuh??????”
“Yes, you literally eating dirt has turned my heart and now I’ve decided that I need a bath AND so do you.”
Adora pulled herself to her feet and wiped herself off, pulling a branch out of her hair and throwing it to the ground and began the walk back, “Okay fine. But I have my eye on you, you’ve been acting real weird since this morning when you said the woods were on fire and look here, no fire.”
Swift wind threw their head into the air, “Okay but the real fire was in my heart all along.”
Adora held up a finger and opened her mouth to protest when she heard something familiar.
“Heyyy Adora~”
That sing song tone, that melody, the sheer attitude behind it, that was her wife. She quickly turned her head only to find herself just a few seconds later on the ground with Catra on top of her. Adora looked into her eyes and gave a smile, “Oh hey Ca-”
Her words were cut off with a quick kiss on her lips as Catra scrambled off and reached out a hand to pull her to her feet.
Adora took it and, once again, wiped herself off, “I swear, I am going to need to change when we get home. Do you always have to greet me like this?”
“Yes.”
The answer was the same every time she asked it. At this point it was almost like a ritual they did. Out of the corner of her eye Adora would just see a ball of fur rocketing towards her and next thing she knew she’d be on the floor and Catra was on top of her. Fortunately for the both of them, Catra was never on top for long.
“Well give a girl some warning so I can catch you next time. Far more romantic if I’m there to kiss you right back.”
Catra pulled Adora into a tight hug, “But then I won’t be able to see that stupid grin on your face every time,” Catra said as she playfully ran her rough tongue over Adora’s cheek.
Adora shivered and pushed her away, “Ew gross come on!”
Swift wind cleared his throat.
Catra stopped and nodded, “right uh, glimmer wants the two of you back at the castle. Uhh... Important business.”
Adora cocked her head as she mounted Swift wind and extended a hand out to Catra, “business?”
Catra took her hand and looked around nervously, “Yeah uh, business, apparently the whole princess alliance is needed.”
“Is the princess me needed?”
“Adora, You are a princess”
“I mean, I don’t feel like one. Not without She-Ra”
Catra held tight to Adora’s waist and ran her fingers through her hair, “Well you’re a princess to me.”
There was a look on Adora’s face. One that Catra didn’t recognize. Not at first. It had been a while since she had seen that look. She closed her mouth. She had never really known what to do with that look. She had known it as well, to an extent. It was a
familiar feeling. She wasn’t sure what else to do, but she pressed herself against Adora’s back, and held on as Swift Wind took off.
***
Entrapta hung from the ceiling by her hair and took a look over the guest list, then again, and then again. She looked at the door, and back to the guest list.
“Yup!!! That’s everyone. Except for Mermista and Sea Hawk! But we already knew they were going to be late! Catra is on her way back with Adora!! Everyone in position!”
The table was set, everyone was here, the banner was set up by bow and Entrapta to unravel the moment they walked in, there was a cake, there were all her friends. Things were going to be perfect, Glimmer thought. The cake was perfect, the guest list was perfect. And Adora would finally have a normal birthday. One that she could remember forever.
Footsteps outside the hallway. One... Two... three...
The door opened. The lights came on.
Now!
the banner unraveled, Adora standing in shock at the entrance with Catra behind her.
“SURPRISE!” Everyone shouted in unison, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS ADORA!”
Silence. Adora stood there. Silent.
Glimmer looked around. Everything was perfect right? was there something wrong? She felt like she had done something wrong.
There was a look on Adora’s face. Was that... sadness?
Tears welled up on her face. she took a deep breath and fell to her knees, crying. Glimmer gave Catra a confused look. Catra responded with a shrug. Catra fell to Adora’s side and Glimmer ran towards her.
“Adora! Adora. Is something wrong?” Glimmer whispered as she approached.
Glimmer looked over at Perfuma. she shrugged.
Adora finally took a deep breath and then looked up at Glimmer, “No no listen, it’s fine, it’s all fine and good. It’s just a lot. I didn’t think you’d get everyone on Etheria and throw me a surprise party, I just thought you had all forgotten like it always happens.
Glimmer scooted back and Catra put a hand on Adora’s shoulder, “Love, it’s fine. These people aren’t like her.”
Adora nodded, “Yeah, I know. I know you all aren’t. This was just a lot to take in. You’re all just treating me like I’m a princess. Like I’m really a princess. Throwing out all the stops, letting nothing get left behind, and it’s a big deal, not like shadow weaver who was like ‘sure you can be Adora. Sure you can be a girl.’ like it was nothing and then tells me to go train.”
Glimmer looked confused, “Adora... what do you mean?”
Adora shook her head, “No no it’s nothing. It’s nothing. The party is great Glimmer. Let’s enjoy it. I can tell you later.”
Glimmer and Catra pulled Adora to her feet.
“Gee, spent a lot of time on the ground today. Might be nice to unwind. where’s... Mermista?”
Glimmer put a hand on Adora’s back and they guided her to a seat, “She and Sea hawk are gonna be late.”
Adora nodded. She didn’t seem to be all the way here, but she did just have a burst of emotions. Maybe some party time would be nice.
***
Bow threw an empty plate in a bag and handed it off to Glimmer, “She seemed to enjoy herself.”
Glimmer tossed the remains of a half eaten slice of cake into the trash bag, “Did she? She cried like three times throughout the party.”
Bow shrugged and offered to take the bag back, “if you want, me and the rest of the princess squad can take care of the cleanup. Why don’t you head up with Catra and make sure she’s okay.”
Glimmer nodded, blowing bow a kiss on the cheek before she left him behind, and made her way down the hallway to Adora and Catra’s room. She gave a quick knock before entering, “Everything alright in here?”
Catra gestured for her to come in.
Adora was splayed out on her bed, with Catra running her fingers through her hair. Inside the room many gifts from the other princesses were displayed. A Vase filled with stargazer lillies from Perfuma. Salt water taffy from Mermista. A model robot set from Entrapta, and a few others spread across the floor. Glimmer sat down at the edge of the bed and looked down at Adora.
“Was the party too much?
Adora shook her head, “no no. Honestly I had fun. It was nice. It was just... New.”
Catra nodded, “but...?”
Glimmer placed a hand on Adora’s, “Yeah it seems like the whole Princess thing kinda set you off.”
Catra looked over at Glimmer, “the Horde was a different place. It was kinda weird, when I look back on it. They didn’t really care what you were, so long as you did your part, and kept things running. They didn’t really care what gender you were and they certainly didn’t have any rituals.”
Adora nodded, “And like. This was a very... Girl birthday party. We didn’t have that there. It was just, Hey here you go an extra nutrition bar. Like do you remember princess prom?”
Glimmer nodded, “You got so worked up over everything, especially that dress.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I don’t exactly where the most feminine styles. There was only one uniform at the horde unless you made your own like Catra. And they all fit the same. So. I just kinda wore it. To this day I still don’t know how to even size myself for those.”
“Adora that’s why we have tailors here.”
Adora sat herself up, “I know, but it still feels wrong you know. Like I’m not allowed to use it for that.”
Catra placed her hand over glimmers, “I think I know what you mean. I’ve only been here for a little bit myself, but it still feels like I’m just.. intruding. Like everybody already has their space to be, their space to exist and I just exist here, taking up space.”
“That’s all fine and dandy, but I’m still not quite sure what you’re getting on about. What did you mean by she said it’s okay if you’re a girl? Were you not always one?”
Adora shrugged, “I’m not sure. Like Catra said, the horde didn’t exactly treat me like a girl when I was there, but I decided I was one, despite not being born that way, you know? And so this party was really nice, it was nice to feel that way. It felt euphoric and for the first time I felt like that. I felt like it mattered. I felt like it meant something. It felt like it was me, and it was mine and no one else's and that for the first time since the princess prom, I was truly Adora. It felt like this joy I had never really understood. I didn’t even know being a girl could feel that way.”
Glimmer nodded, “I think I understand.”
Catra and Adora looked over to her.
“So maybe you when you decided you were a girl and Adora, you wanted it to feel like something. And because there wasn’t really anyone who supported that, only those who were ambivalent, it really just felt like you weren’t that?”
Adora cocked her head, “Kind of? It’s less that they didn’t support it and it’s more like nobody cared. like when I was young and they showed us the princesses and what they looked like and who they were, I saw... your mom. And she looked so elegant in that dress, so gorgeous and beautiful that there was something in me that... wanted to be like that. But in the horde, whether you were male or female or neither, nothing really changed. It didn’t matter.”
Catra nodded, “Yeah. and it matters here. Like being a princess means something. Being a princess means you have something that other people don’t.”
Glimmer sighed and let her head rest on Adora’s lap, “Well, you two both matter to me and I think I have a few ideas as to how I can make you feel this way again. Will you let me help, Princess Catra, Princess Adora?”
Adora smiled, and leaned down to kiss Glimmer on the lips. She laid back down on the bed and Catra laid down next to her, “I’d really like that.”
Catra pecked Adora on the cheek and closed her eyes, “I agree to this.”
And as the moon set on another night, Glimmer readjusted herself on the bed and cuddled up next to her partner, “Happy Birthday, Princess Adora.”