Azure's POV

The walk through the forest was uneventful. I rode on Faust's back, his fur was coarse under my hands, and it tickled the expose part of my right leg. The bandage was itchy, and I had a hand on it nearly all the time. The forest trees where droopy, and secreted black sap that smelled gross.

"Mom didn't say anything about the plants dying." Glimmer said, and I nodded.

Children ran around the open grounds, and some of the kids saw Faust, and ran.

"I don't think she knows... wait where's Adora?" Bow asked, and I sighed.

"Behind us." I said seeing out shadows cast before us, instead of behind like they would usually.

Sure, enough Adora stood on an arching root, holding the wagon over her head.

"Are you going to be She-Ra the entire time we're here?" Glimmer asked nervously.

"I told Queen Angela I would." Adora said with a smile.

"Besides people like me better as She-Ra. Heh, could Adora do this?" Adora asked using the wagon like a weight.

I shook my head, and Faust snorted.

"Oh yeah, way better protection than a wolf pack." He said.

I nodded, and Glimmer sighed.

"Mm, yep, very helpful to our mission." She said, and I smiled down at them.

"Hey guys, what's that?" Bow asked.

I turned to see a column of smoke rising from the earth a way away.

"Must be coming from the Horde camp." Adora said with narrowed eyes.

"You're here!" I turned to see a woman walking towards us.

She had wavy bleached blonde hair, intertwined with flowers. She wore a pink dress with a green cloak. She walked up to us, and Glimmer nodded back.

"Princess Perfuma, I'm Commander Glimmer." Glimmer said holding out a hand.

With a wave of her own, a bouquet appeared in Glimmer's hand, as a garland settled over Bow's head. I felt a new presence on myself and looked to my leg to see that a few rings of flowering vines had decorated the gauze. Faust snorted as he was given a garland himself.

"Ooh, I get a hat!" Bow squealed.

Perfuma looked past us, and her eyes fixed on Adora. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, here we go again." This whole magical being thing was getting old.

She changes into a different being I can turn into a different being. Cool transformations all around. Everyone stared at Adora and paid no attention to me or the fact Faust was an eight-foot-tall wolf.

"Oh my! Everyone comes quick its- oh its..." She stuttered excitedly.

She squealed in delight and rushed forward. Soon practically the whole village crowded around Adora.

"Look the universe has heard out pleas and sent the Legendary She-Ra to help us save our home!" Perfuma gushed.

Adora looked extremely uncomfortable, and Bow have her a thumbs up of encouragement. Setting the She cleared her throat and spoke.

"We've heard about the blockade, and we came to help." She said, trying to sound like she knew what she was doing.

"We've brought food, and supplies... for you." She fumbled.

Perfuma wiped a tear from her eyes and smiled.

"Welcome to Pulmaria She-Ra." Perfuma greeted.

People swarmed around Adora, and she looked at us for assurance

"Glimmer, what's happening?

"Come on, I'll show you around. You're going to love it." Perfuma insisted, and we started off.

I slid off Faust, and took my crutches from off his back, and walked next to him.

"Our people have lived here in tranquility for thousands of years. We are known for our beautiful flowers, and Majestic trees." she smiled spinning around to walk in front of us but face us at the same time.

A small tree wilted before my eyes, and I nodded slowly.

"And this is the heart blossom, the center of our kingdom, and the source of all my magical powers." She said as we came to the biggest tree.

A rune stone growing from the inside out. We all exchanged a glance.

"At least this tree is fine, what happened to everything else?" Bow asked. Perfuma ran a hand through her hair sadly.

"We're going through a rough patch. I'm sure the universe will right itself soon." Glimmer did not help at all when she spoke next.

"Everything here is either dead or dying." Perfuma nodded.

"Look, the blight hit right after the Horde arrived. We don't know why, and nothing I do stops it." She said looking down sadly before shaking her head and smiling again.

"But we don't dwell on the negative, look at the positive. The Heart Blossom's still healthy, the She-Ra is here, and the celebration is a about to begin!" Perfuma said happily, spreading her arms wide.

A garland appeared Adora's head, along with a lei, and a huge bouquet appeared in her hands.

"Celebration?" she questioned, grunting as Perfuma grabbed her arm, and swept her away.

In an hour, the hole place has turned into a restaurant. All the people were piling up bowls of food in front of Adora as I watched from the shade with Faust lying next to me. His large head was up, and scanning the village, ears rotating, and flicking at every sound. He was not mad that I tagged along, he thought that I would be a good idea if Glimmer wanted to go off again, then I could stay with the people, and get them out.

A tall woman walked over to me directed by Bow, and I opened the bag of medical supplies as she sat down across from me.

"Are you the healer?" She asked, and I nodded.

She blushed as she held out her arm. I gently held it as I looked. It was a small scratch, but it was infected, and oozing pus in some places.

"It just needs a cleaning, and some bandages." I said. I worked while we talked. Her name was Violet, and she was a mother to six children. She had no time to care for her cut which was why it was infected as much as it was. Once I wrapped her arm in the bandage, I asked her to press on my hand. She had no difficulty pushing things or moving her arm. She thanked me and went off.

"You like people, don't you?"

I looked down at Faust and scoffed.

"I like some people."

He nodded and lay down. I heard a ruckus, and looked over to see Adora standing up, lodes of people crowded around her.

"I don't like the look of that smoke." She was saying, and I glanced at the smoky column.

"The Horde is up to something big, we should investigate." Adora said.

I stood, with the help of Faust, and we walked beside me as I hobbled over.

"We?" Perfuma asked looking around.

"This is my power, I grow flowers." She demonstrated by making a red poppy appear in her hands.

It wilted soon after being produced and died.

"We're not strong enough to go up against the Horde." She said looking around. I stood next to Adora.

"All we want is to leave peacefully in out ancestral home." She added, and the people nodded in agreement.

I spotted Violet next to a man, two children of different ages around her feet. While the other four where hanging around Bow as he told stories.

"And then She-Ra saved the day once again!" He shouted as children giggled.

"Maybe we should have a border line until we can fix what's going on." I suggested, and Glimmer nodded.

"We need you She-Ra." Perfuma said, and Adora looked around.

The people started chanting excitedly.

"Okay, healing! That is a thing I know how to do." Adora smiled nervously. Okay that is a lie.

"I just need to take these guys over to those trees for a moment." She said putting an arm around Glimmer, and Bow.

She nodded at me, and I followed.

"I know what I'm doing." She said before we walked away.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I can't heal anything!" She said pacing.

"The stories say you have healing powers." Bow said.

"They also say I fought the Mantisaur. I don't even know what that is!" She said spreading her arms.

"Why don't you just concentrate really hard?" Glimmer suggested.

"That seems to work whenever you need to transform."

Faust shook his ruff. Adora nodded enclosing her eyes and took a deep breath. She began to glow, and she held out her hand. The tree in front of her instead bent over, and completely died.

"Did it work?" she asked and opened her eyes.

"No, you punched a tree." I said flatly.

"That's kind of the opposite of healing." Bow agreed, and Adora chuckled nervously.

"Okay, let me try again." She said.

She grunted, and started to glow again, holding up her sword it blasted a spear of light, towards us. Faust grabbed the strap of my pack and pulled me out of the way. Glimmer disappeared, and Bow threw himself to the ground. Reappearing Glimmer looked over at Adora.

"Magic blast, also not healing"

"I'll get it this time." Adora promised.

Beginning to glow again she pointed at a random direction hitting a lizard, it sprouted wings, and a unicorn horn. It shrieked in fear, flying way, otherwise it was unharmed.

"Magical transformation?" I questioned and Bow gasped.

"Is that what happened to our horse?" Adora growled in frustration and kicked her leg out.

It slammed into a wakened tree which created a domino effect, crashing into other trees until it stopped. Adora slumped, and Glimmer put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, you'll get it soon." Glimmer assured.

"Soon isn't Soon enough. These people expect me to heal their land, I thought I was a better She-Ra, but I'm useless no matter what form I take." Adora said, and I shook my head, turning her to face me.

"Adora, It's just a form." I said, and she looked away.

I opened my mouth again when the ground shook. Faust kept by me, and I clung to his neck my crutches digging into my armpits. The smoke cloud worsened, and I the trees around us quaked. Bow's garland wilted off his head, and he frowned.

"My hat!"

I felt the vines shrivel on my right leg, and they turned to dust.

"She-Ra come quickly! Something absolutely terrible has happened!" Perfuma said running towards us in the woods.

When we were back at the tree, I knew that their worst fear had been set into motion. The Heart Blossom was pitch black, and vines of acid yellow, and black pulsed out of it.

"The Heart Blossom is dying! Please She-Ra, heal our land." Perfuma begged.

Adora walked towards the tree, before glancing at me. I nodded and prayed to the moons above this would work. Adora placed her hand on the rune stone and closed her eyes. Soon she began to glow, and radiate energy. She opened her eyes, and only whispered loud enough for wolf ears.

"Come on do something." The vines instead expanded out, and infected other parts of the tree.

"No." She whispered, and stepped back, changing back into Adora. Perfuma gasped, and the on lookers looked angry, and betrayed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to heal." She said.

"Who are you? Where's She-Ra?" Some random hippy asked angrily.

"My name is Adora, I was chosen to carry the sword of She-Ra.... But I have not been doing this very long, and I do not know how it works yet" Adora explained, eyes downcast.

"She's just a girl." An elder exclaimed.

"I never meant to device you, I'm She-Ra, just not the same She-Ra." Adora said rubbing her arm.

"Then you can't save us?" Perfuma asked.

Another explosion rocked the ground, and trees beneath us. People gasped and cried out. All the fear overwhelmed my senses, and I clung to Faust.

"Wait, there still might be another way." Adora called.

Most crying stopped, and the people looked to her.

"I know the Horde. I think they are using one of their machines to poison your land. If we want to save your home, we have to stop them." Adora said, and I nodded stepping up.

"I've been hiding in plain sight a lot of the time near the Horde, it's all about playing to their strengths." I said, and Adora nodded.

"You're not the She-Ra from the stories, you can't save us! And I have no idea who you are!" Someone said pointing.

I clenched my jaw, and Faust stood in front of me, and growled. If was as if seeing his teeth made people realize how dangerous Faust could be.

"It will be alright I promise!" Perfuma said.

"We'll rebuild. We have to believe that the universe will repay the Horde for their evil deeds eventually." She finished calmly.

"The universe can't help you. You want She-Ra to do everything!" Glimmer snapped.

"But you won't even save yourselves? At least Adora is trying!" She said looking scornfully at the crowd.

"If She-Ra can't save, no one can." Perfuma said and issued her command.

"Right now, we just need to make sure our people are safe. We leave today." With that she turned and left the Heart Blossom her people following.

Adora fell to her knees, and Glimmer knelt with her. Faust for the for time since arriving, became human.

"Are you okay?" Glimmer asked, and Adora looked down with glazed eyes.

"All I wanted to do was help, but all I've done is disappoint an entire kingdom. I'm sorry I let you guys down after you talked me up." Adora apologized.

"We just wanted everyone to see how awesome you are." Bow said.

"I thought I was being supportive, but I was actually being terrible!" Bow apologized.

"Adora, She-Ra isn't the reason we like you. We like you because you're our friend." I said, and Faust nodded giving me a brotherly kiss on the forehead.

"We're in this together." Faust agreed.

The forest rattled again, and the column of smoke turned into a wall. Adora narrowed her eyes and stood. Glimmer smiled getting up with Bow as well.

"You have a plan, don't you?" She said, and Adora looked at us.

"Ya, I think I do." She said and placed her hands on her hips.

"Play to their strengths." She winked, and I nodded.

"What the hockey sticks are we waiting for?" I said, and Faust chuckled at my choice of words.

Without another word we followed Adora toward the Horde base...

I pinched the Horde uniform and wiggled my arms.

"A little tight, don't you think?" I asked Bow, he looked at me, and then closed his eyes.

"Oh, I umm... I think its fine." He coughed.

Adora leaned out from behind the tree.

"All clear." She said, and we followed her into the base.

We all wore horde soldiers' uniforms, and I had managed to get the tight pant leg up over my bandages.

"I swear my circulation is going out again." I muttered.

We pressed our backs to a large sheet of scrap metal, and Adora peaked around.

"Okay, we need to find the machine. Every Horde camp is laid out the same. Guard duty's always in half hour shifts." She said, and I nodded.

"So, we'll walk in, in three two one..." Adora said as the guards looked around.

"Shift change." Someone called, and the three switched out with us.

"I swear, the boring shifts go by slower." One of them groaned.

Adora opened the door, and we filed in. The machine was huge, poison sludge was pumped into tubes carrying the poison into the ground, and moons know where.

"You were right, The Horde is poisoning the land!" Glimmer growled.

I sensed a fifth presence, and I whirled around to see a guard.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?" A female guard snapped at us.

Adora squared her shoulders and looked down her nose.

"What are you doing here? We have security clearance, password 5-Echo-Niner. Now be on your way."

Bow posed like her, and I played bored, rolling my eyes, and leaning against Faust as Adora waved dismissively. The guard slumped before she tightened her grip on her weapon.

"We haven't used that password in months!" She barked, slamming her fist on a button which sounded a high-pitched alarm.

My ears stung with the sound, and I doubled over clapping my hands over my ears. Faust gripped my shoulder, clearly still trying to protect me even though it was hurting him too.

"Adora what do we do?" Bow asked.

"Run!" She called.

They bolted for the door. I managed to get upright, and used my crutch to disarm the guard, and with that Faust knocked her against the wall. She blacked out, and I followed him out.

Running through the camp we were cut off by a few guards firing their weapons.

"Look out!" we were thrown to the ground trying to dodge.

I yanked Adora behind a cluster of barrels full of the poison and peaked out. Swarms of guards were heading towards us. I grabbed a heavy metal container and passed it to Adora. She chucked it at a guard, which distracted the others long enough for us to run away. I used my crutches to take longer strides, and leap over obstacles. Sliding down the side of the building we were covered.

"How many guards can you take?" She asked, and Bow gasped for breath.

"Between one... and zero... Whoo." He rasped, and Glimmer gasped for breath.

"I'll take them all, if you give me a minute." She said, and Faust shook his head.

"We don't have a minuet, we got company." He said as a few soldiers came around.

We were surrounded, and Faust snarled, blocking me behind him.

A horn blast drew the attention, and a mass of vines tore down a chunk of the wall. A sea of vines carried Perfuma into the base. She smiled.

"I've all ways said the universe will repay the Horde one day, well I guess that day is today!" She shouted.

With a clamor of shouts the people of Pulmaria swarmed in shouting and waving various objects. Faust grabbed my shoulders.

"We can't stab that machine you'll have to turn it off." He said, and I nodded.

He gave me an opening, and I took it. Hurrying into the base I saw the poison pumping into the roots bellow. The sound was blaring loudly still, and it overwhelmed me. I looked over the controls and held out my hand.

"I could really use your help Cos." I whispered.

My ears felt sticky, and wet. Pressing a hand to the side of my face I found it was blood. I quickly ran my fingers over the keys and let muscle memory take over. With the last button I managed to power the machine off.

With a bang the alarm stopped. Adora had cut through the wall, and what may have been the speaker system. She leapt up to the top and shouted.

"For Etheria!" Before she plunged the sword into the machine.

A light overtook the whole place, and I looked away, using my sleeve to wipe away the blood. When I opened my eyes Adora was standing in front of me, cape waving, and all. I nodded at her, and she smiled. We walked out of the building, and into the open sky. Perfuma ran up to us, and hugged Adora.

"Thank you so much. You inspired us to save ourselves! How can we ever repay you?" Perfuma asked clasping her hands to her chest.

"Join the Rebellion and help me reform the Princess alliance." Glimmer said stepping up.

"Um, are you sure? Didn't that go horribly the first time?" Perfuma asked, eyebrows lowering.

"It went horribly for our parents, but we have a chance to do it right. We are clearly stronger together. Think what all the princesses united could do." Glimmer implored.

Perfuma thought a moment, then looked back at us.

"Would I get to hit more people with flowers?" she asked, smiling a little.

Glimmer nodded. "Absolutely."

I gave her a thumbs up.

"Then we have a deal! Everyone look at us. We're might rebels now!" Perfuma clapped and announced.

The people cheered, and I hugged Faust tightly.

"Can we go home now?" I asked, and I looked up surprised.

"Home? Definitely." Faust replied, and I smiled, hugging him again...

Back in Bright Moon Glimmer, and Bow had told me they we are surprising Adora with a sleep over. I agreed, and Petra tagged along with my brothers too. We had all our old sleeping pads laid out, which still smelled of campfire smoke, and pine. I also set up a small lantern to make shadow puppets with, and just to have. Adora walked in, and tilted her head, smiling.

"What is this?" She chuckled.

"Since you never slept in a room by yourself before, we thought we'd throw you a sleep over! So, you won't feel alone." Glimmer explained, and I nodded holding up a bag of marshmallows.

"We brought s'more stuff, trust me, it's good." I winked.

"We even got you a new bed." Bow smiled. Adora made her way over and sat on the bed.

"It's wonderful." She smiled laying down.

"We can do this tomorrow too, since Glimmer is grounded for ignoring orders." Bow said, and Noah chuckled.

"For one week, that's tree weeks less than normal. And mom said she'd consider my idea about recruiting new princesses into the Rebellion." Glimmer Squealed.

Noah sat next to me, and put an arm around my shoulders, and Petra on his other side.

"Princes too?" He smirked, and Glimmer rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but only you two." Glimmer said.

Petra playfully whacked his chest. "See you annoy everybody."

Noah shrugged. "I do what I do."

Rolling my eyes, we started on our sleep over.

"Thanks guys. I might not be the perfect Hero everybody wants me to be, but it's okay." Glimmer waked her with a pillow.

"Of course, it's okay. Do you have any idea how annoying you'd be if you were perfect?" She teased.

"Bow hit me with a pillow, and I whacked his legs with my own.

"Aww, Best friends' squad." Bow Squealed.

"Yeah, we're not calling ourselves that." Adora said.

"I prefer the Glimmer Group."

I shook my head as ideas went up all around. Stuff like Petra's Pack, The annoying group of people, and Troublemakers.

"Nah, were the Best friends' squad..."