Adora's First Party

"I feel ridiculous."

Adora wasn't thrilled about Glimmer tossing her red jacket in the bushes and draping her cloak over Adora's torso. There was no telling what kind of princess germs were on it. But if they were going to sneak into the village without raising suspicions, Adora had to look less like a Horde soldier. Even if it made her uncomfortable.

"That's because you need something to tie it all together." Bow picked a flower from a nearby bush and placed it in her sandy hair.

"I don't like it," she squirmed. Even that gross hermaphrodite form didn't feel as wrong as her shoddily-made civilian disguise.

"The point is, you don't look like a Horde soldier anymore," Glimmer reminded her. "Just try and keep a low profile. We'll be in and out."

The trio entered the village drawing very little attention to themselves but only because the villagers were hanging garlands, setting out food on the tables, and putting the finishing touches on their decorations. The villagers' hooves clacked as they danced to the merry music filling the air while others decorated their horns or told stories. "What is this?" Adora wondered. The whimsical sight befuddled and intrigued her. Especially the smells in the air. Her mouth watered at the myriad of scents wafting in the air and her stomach growled.

"It's a festival," answered Bow. "You know, like a big party."

Adora waited for him to explain what a party was but he just stopped and looked at her expecting her to understand what that is. As if that was common knowledge like the First Ones.

"YOU DON'T HAVE PARTIES IN THE FRIGHT ZONE!?" He exclaimed.

Not wanting to look as foolish as she felt, Adora said, "Ohhhhh, riiiiiight. Parties... I mean, yeah. Of course. I... uh... I don't know what that is." Since her ruse wasn't working, she thought coming clean would be easier. It didn't. If anything, it just shocked Bow even more.

"Did you ever hear what I just said? In and out, Bow!" Asserted Glimmer.

"She has never been to a party before, Glimmer." Bow reported. "This is serious."

Adora wasn't that interested in learning what a party was and was willing to keep moving but Bow was not having any of that. He ushered them over to the nearest food stall and split a pink pastry with Adora. This was her first time eating something that wasn't a ration bar and she was hesitant to try it out. If Glimmer had given it to her, she would have suspected it was poison but since it was from Bow, Adora was willing to try it. She took a bite to appease him and hopefully get them out of there quicker when a single word popped into her mind.

Delicious.

Adora scarfed down the rest of the pastry like it was her first meal in days. She couldn't believe that something so tasty could actually exist. Was the rest of the food this good? Why were they not serving this in the Horde? The battle-ready blonde would happily go on a dozen suicide missions if it meant eating this well.

"Pretty good, right?" Bow asked.

"It was the best thing I've ever eaten in my life," whispered Adora.

"Bow, we don't have time to eat!" reminded Glimmer. Only to be proven wrong but her growling, empty stomach. "Okay, maybe we can stay for a little bit."

Bow took the girls to every food stall they could find and grabbed a seat where they could watch the dancers perform. They set down the stacks of plates Adora stockpiled and she dug in with gusto. Not even bothering to question if she should be using a utensil or not. Adora was discovering flavors she never could have imagined and they were amazing. Bow was pleased to see Adora finally enjoying herself but Glimmer was put off by her eating habits. Adora didn't see what the big deal was since Glimmer was also going to town on her plate at a slower but still vigorous pace. Not that Adora was surprised considering how chunky she was, to begin with. If Glimmer's mom let her eat this well back home, Adora was looking forward to meeting her.

When there wasn't a scrap of food left, Adora leaned back in her chair with a hand resting on her stomach. The last time she ate that well was when Catra "found" some extra ration bars and shared them with her. Before that train of thought progressed any further, Bow asked, "Looks like you got enough to eat. I take it you don't want any seconds?"

"Seconds?" Adora sat, fascinated by this. "What kind of food is that?"

"Uh, it's not food. It just means you want more food."

"I... I can have more?" Such a simple concept completely blew Adora's mind. Back at the Horde, they were only given one serving per meal. To think of asking for more would only result in a harsh scolding if you were lucky. If that's not how they did things here then Adora was going to take advantage of it. She wiped her mouth with her forearm and got up to get more food when she passed by some kids beating a strung-up, hollowed-out gourd with sticks. She assumed it had to be some sort of training exercise but if that was the case, they weren't doing a very good job.

One of the kids kindly offered her a stick and she happily accepted the challenge. Demonstrating her years of training and cracking the gourd open after a few swift whacks. It burst open and the kids rushed to grab the tiny, wrapped prizes. Adora was pleased but puzzled by what these tiny things were. The kids were eating it so she assumed it was edible. Adora unwrapped it and popped a pearl-sized snack into her mouth. It was then that Adora tasted the sweetest thing in her life and understood why the kids were eagerly grabbing as many of these sweets as their little arms could carry. She joined them while there were still sweets to grab, unaware that Bow and Glimmer were watching from afar. Their positive and negative feelings toward Adora contrasted day and night.

These sweets, which Adora eventually learned were called "candy", were the perfect snack to go with listening to the storyteller regale the kids with folklore passed down from generation to generation. Unlike the stories Adora grew up with, these were far more whimsical and optimistic. It lacked the action and **** she was usually surrounded by but the stories were still compelling. So much so that Adora didn't even notice how her stomach was sticking out a few inches. Or care that the princess was willing to stand beside her and listen in on the tale with a snack of her own. She was in such a good mood, she was even willing to share a few of the sweets with Glimmer.

Eventually, Adora reached a state she didn't even realize was possible today: full. Her stomach was filled to the brim with all the cuisine she sampled. It bubbled away in her taut tummy while she finished off her final sampling of the day. A sweet confection like candy but soft like cotton. She and Bow had snuck away from the festivities and answered a few harmless questions he had about the Horde. Normally, Adora would have kept her lips zipped but his inquiries were mundane and didn't provide vital intel.

"So, seriously? No parties ever?" Bow wondered. "What do you do on your birthday?"

Again, Adora had no clue what he was talking about and gave him the same blank look she's given all throughout the day. It only broke when she burped and covered her mouth. It wasn't like her to do that in front of people. Especially that loudly. At least it didn't come out the other end. While Bow was ranting about how sad her life was, Adora caught sight of the most wondrous sight she's seen all day. "What. Is. That?" She asked, eyes twinkling with wonder and awe.

"That would be a horse," Bow answered, in a matter-of-fact tone.

A horse. Even its name had a magical ring to it. There wasn't a single flaw to be found. Bow gave her the push she needed to approach the beast and place her hand on its snout. Adora's heart was about to leap out of her chest when it nuzzled into her palm. "This is the best day of my life," Adora whispered.

She couldn't wait to tell Catra about all this.