Cody Nakamura groggily answered his phone to the sound of his best friend, Ced's voice. "Dude, wake up! You were supposed to be here dressed as She-Ra at Samantha's niece's birthday party an hour ago!" Cody jumped out of bed, realizing that he had overslept and had very little time to get ready. He rummaged through his closet and drawers, but couldn't find the package that contained his She-Ra costume.

Panic set in as he frantically searched his apartment, but to no avail. He called Ced, apologizing for not being able to make it. But Cedric wasn't having any of it. "What? You told me the costume was in your hands and you would be ready for this. Samantha told Rebecca that She-Ra would be there, and we can't let her down," Ced said sternly. "I know, I know." Cody said stressing out. "I'll be there in an hour and it'll be the most extravagant costume anyone has ever seen."

Cody was about to give up when he noticed a package sitting on his doorstep. He quickly opened it, and to his horror, he found a 70's style costume with a cheap plastic mask and smock. It was nothing like the deluxe costume he had ordered. “What the hell is this?" Cody said in shock. “Where did this come from?” He quickly grabbed the shipping box and saw it was from notorious online shop EliZoom, known mostly for their hit-or-miss quality in their products. “Of course! It HAD to be from them.”

Feeling defeated, Cody reached for the plastic sword that came with the costume, knowing that he was about to disappoint his best friend, his best friend’s girlfriend and her niece. He looked at the sword and sighed in disappointment with himself. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Hold it over my head and shout “FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL?” As he raised it above his head and muttered the iconic catchphrase, something strange happened.

The sword glowed and emitted a bright light, and suddenly the costume began to transform. The cheap plastic mask and smock disappeared, and a deluxe costume with an animegao style kigurumi mask appeared in its place. Cody couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at himself in the mirror. The transformation was incredible, and he felt like a real hero. “Holy crap! This is amazing!” He said in excitement. “This costume not only looks amazing, but somehow, I feel powerful. Maybe even taller.”

With renewed confidence, he put his mask on over his head, headed to the party, sword in hand, ready to save the day. Even before arriving at Samantha’s house, Cody was turning heads as he walked down the street, but then again, it’s hard not to be noticed when you’re an 8-foot tall warrior princess, carrying an equally long sword over your shoulder. She even had to crouch down in the car of her Steer ride to the party just so the driver could see out of his rear-view mirror.

When She-Ra arrived at the party, she made a dramatic entrance, kicking the door wide open and walking out as she swung her massive sword. “I am She-Ra, Princess of Power….and I need all of your help. I am looking for some princesses to help me combat the Horde. Is there a birthday princess here who can help?” The children were amazed by his costume and couldn't stop taking pictures with him. They even asked him to perform a few of She-Ra's signature moves, which he was more than happy to oblige.

He spent the afternoon playing games, singing songs, and posing for photos with the children. The mask made it difficult to see and hear, but he didn't mind. He was having a blast and making memories that would last a lifetime. As the party was winding down, Samantha pulled Cody aside and thanked him for making her niece's birthday so special. “Cody, thank you so much for doing this. Rebecca had a wonderful time and her friends couldn’t believe she got her hero to come to her party.”

Cody felt a surge of pride and happiness. What started out as a disaster in a smock had turned into an experience that he would carry for a long time. He had a lot of questions about that sword that came in that cheap costume’s packaging, or why it remained the same size even after taking off the costume, but that could wait for another day. He knew that he had brought joy to a group of children who needed it the most and had gone from feeling embarrassed and ashamed of his costume to feeling like a true hero. And all it took was a little bit of magic and the power of Grayskull.

Ced and Samantha belong to  yukicos
Artwork done by the incredible talented  ambyva

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power are the property of Dreamworks