Chapter Text
Lonnie swept her Horde issue monocular over the treetops of the Whispering Wood. Her position, perched at the front of a cargo skiff hovering fifty or so metres in the air, gave her an excellent view of the annoyingly unbroken canopy.
"How is it so hard to find a crash site?" She groused. The hulking lizardman standing next to her warbled, shrugging.
"Yeah yeah I know Rogelio..." Lonnie bit her lip in frustration. "Why couldn't Shadow Weavers' perfect idiots have left a nice big crater for us to find."
"Well hey!" Kyle piped up from behind, where he held the rudder steady. "At Least they made it back ok?"
"Yeah Kyle, and all they could say was 'It's in the Woods'..." She pointed out into the expanse of trees, then looked back at the skinny teen. "That's not helpful!"
Something flashed through the treetops, brilliant white and only there a split second. Long enough for the cringing Kyle to see.
"H-Hey! I saw something, right where you were pointing Lonnie!"
Lonnie raised an eyebrow at him and then looked through the monocular again.
"I can't see anything..." She felt something... tug at her. It was almost instinctual.
"Ok Kyle, think you can take us down there?" Rogelio let out a soft roar, moving back to Kyle.
"Thanks buddy." Kyle gave him a small smile. "Y-Yeah I think so."
The transport skiff, far bulkier than the scout model Adora and Catra had lost, topped forward slowly and powered towards the canopy.
They slid through the smallest of gaps, Kyle using the skiff's sturdy bulk to shoulder aside any branches he couldn't avoid, and set down at the base of a large tree. It was oppressive and dark, the only lights coming from strange glowing fungi and the skiff's own running lights. Lonnie checked the charge on her shock baton and leapt over the side, turning round and glaring up when neither of the boys followed.
"Well? You are *not* leaving this all to me, get down here." Rogelio and Kyle shared a pensive look and Lonnie ran a hand over her dreads. "C'mon guys... it'll be fine."
Rogelio sighed and picked up the suddenly surprised Kyle, dropping down easily beside her. He set the blonde on his feet and gave his shoulder a squeeze.
Rogelio led the way as they hacked through the dense undergrowth, his claws making short work of the talked vines and creepers. Lonnie took up the rear, keeping an eye on her boys and swinging her glowlight at shadows.
"This place is creepy." She thought. "Where are all the animals?" A flicker of motion caught her eye and she shifted her light beam, highlighting a dark skinned face in the treeline, then it was gone.
"Huh?" Lonnie wandered towards where it had been. She heard a little girl giggle, saw a flash of bright clothing duck behind a tree and chased after it. Before she realised what she was doing Lonnie had broken into a clearing.
"Wait, that's not... Kyle? Ro!?"
She looked around frantically, alone in a place she should have been able to see from above. Her eyes fell on the centre of the clearing. A large stone sat there, illuminated by the glow moon, and jutting out of it was a sword.
"Weird."
She checked the area for signs of an ambush before walking towards it. It held her attention so well that she didn't notice the other two stumble into the clearing until they started yelling.
"Horde soldier!"
The lean boy and the short, pink girl were frozen in place with shock. Lonnie was as well, at least until the boy shot an arrow at her. With a yelp she leapt out of its path, rolling to her feet with shock-baton in hand.
The pink one was behind her somehow, and they threw a shower of sparkling energy at her. It caught Lonnie in the shoulder and sent her sprawling, but she was able to hurl her baton at the archer before he could shoot her again.
He ducked as the sparking rod flew over him and ignited a small bush.
"Surrender Horde soldier!" The girl demanded, trying to sound intimidating as she stood over Lonnie with glowing hands.
"You're a Princess, huh?" Lonnie asked warily, as the archer stumbled about trying to put his burning pants leg out.
Glimmer help!"
"Shush Bow!" Glimmer yelled, then glared at Lonnie. "That's right! And we won't let you steal the sword!"
"What sword?" She asked, confusion etched on her face.
"That sword-" Lonnie kicked Glimmer's feet out from under her as she turned and then sprang back up onto her feet. She dropped into a fighting stance, ready to take down these amateurs, when Kyle and Rogelio crashed through the treeline and came to a panting halt.
"Where have you two been?!" She yelled, not taking her eyes off Bow. "Nevermind, we can capture a princess!"
"Well uh, that might not be a good idea." Kyle gasped.
Rogelio warbled between breaths.
Lonnie blinked. "What monster?"
A deafening roar split the sky.
Before anyone could react, a massive insectile monstrosity barrelled through the trees behind Kyle and Rogelio. It hissed and screeched with deafening volume and swiped a wicked claw at the Hordesmen. Rogelio had caught his breath enough to tackle Kyle out the way and began to drag the skinny teen further into the clearing.
The beast skittered forward, clawed arms whipping around wildly. Glimmer poofed into a pink cloud and reappeared next to the recovering Bow, leaving Lonnie its only real target. She ducked a snipping strike and ran, the monster hot on her heels.
Glimmer grabbed Bow's arm. "Distract them, I'll get the sword!"
And poofed away.
Bow sighed, nocked an arrow and loosed it at the creature. It skipped off an armoured joint but drew its attention and soon he was running away from stabbing limbs.
With a moment to breathe, Lonnie took stock: Kyle and Rogelio were in one piece, the Princess was yanking on the sword and the archer was screaming. Alright.
"Ro, staff!" She yelled, catching the telescoping weapon that he tossed her.
"Ok, Rogelio and I will get out in front of it and keep it busy. Kyle get behind it and try and fry anything soft, got it?"
They both nodded and together the trio rushed in to save Bow. He was backed up into a hollow tree, yelling out for Glimmer for help when Lonnie nailed the bug in the eye with a rock. It hissed in rage and lumbered round, finding Rogelio and herself poised with staff and claw. They charged in.
"For the Horde!"
Blocking and swiping and stabbing, the pair drew it back away from the edge of the clearing. Kyle crept up behind it, shock-baton live in his hands. He saw his target, the soft lilac flesh under its deep purple plating, and rushed forward.
The ground gave way under him, a random animal burrow swallowing, his foot and he fell forward. The baton sparked off its armoured leg and the beast screeched and turned. The sudden move caught Lonnie off guard and a huge forelimb batted her through the air. She crashed into the stone, sword and Princess and blacked out.
The world rushed back in and she saw Rogelio down on the floor, along with Bow, and Kyle unarmed and trapped as the creature advanced. She sat up and her hair brushed against the sword, without a thought she grabbed its hilt.
Everything vanished in a rush of light. Words and images echoed around her skull: Eternia, First One, She-Ra.
Kyle saw the creature turn, cringing away from light as Lonnie strode forth. Except it wasn't Lonnie, not as he'd ever seen her before. Seven foot tall, clad in white and gold, with her dreadlocks flowing out behind her. She held the sword out in one hand to her side like it weighed nothing and she placed the other on the creature's snout. It hunched over, settling down like a scolded canid and let out a low chirp. The light faded and her eyes opened, full of peaceful glowing calm, that immediately shattered as she looked down at herself and yelled out in surprise.
With a flash she was shorter than him again, wearing her Horde uniform. They stared at each other in disbelief until Glimmer cleared her throat.
"What was in Etheria was that!?"