"Strange, these aren't First Ones ruins at all," Bow said as they neared their destination.
Adora, Bow, and Glimmer had went to investigate a forest a few dozen miles from Plumeria. It was largely uninhabited and had been near impassable from the thick growth, but the Horde's efforts to poison Plumerian soil had long term and wide reaching consequences. Even those woods outside the power of the Plumerian runestone had died back, and while the trees were recovering, the deforestation had revealed older ruins.
So the Best Friend Squad was trying to get there first, before the Horde. Thankfully the side of the forest nearest to the Fright Zone had been less affected, so they had a harder time getting through. They also didn't have help from Perfuma, but she had only been able to clear the path slightly - it was a busy time for the Plant Princess as harvest neared.
The current ruins they inspected were a broken down and once overgrown stone circle, now mostly covered in dead plants and some new growth. The uncovered outer stones bore symbols, visible with sweeping some dead vines away.
"Nope. The writing uses some First Ones runes but the rest seems to be something else entirely," Adora agreed.
"And you can't read it?" Glimmer asked.
"Nope!"
"So for all we know they could be warning us this place is haunted, or that there's no parking between 9am and 5pm."
"Well, we didn't bring a cart and Swift Wind's helping the harvest in Plumeria so we shouldn't have much to worry about if it's the last one."
"But if it's ghosts..." Bow said nervously.
"I was just offering examples! Not an either/or thing!" Glimmer groaned.
Adora shrugged and readied her sword.
"Well, we can probably handle ghosts. Or holograms mistaken for ghosts. Or ghosts mistaken for holograms."
"Well, yeah, but we probably shouldn't just rush in until I try scanning the place with my Tracker-"
Bow's efforts were cut off by Adora jumping into the ruins.
"-Pad."
"For the honour of Grayskull!"
There was the usual bright flash, and Adora glowed. But her shape seemed to alter in different ways than usual. She still grew taller as She-Ra, but a long glowing appendage emerged from the base of her spine, her lower face seemed to be extending, and something flappy emerged on the side of het head.
And when the glow stopped, She-Ra stood there... With yellow fur, a dog's snout, a slightly furry tail, and floppy ears.
"...What?" Adora asked as Glimmer and Bow stared.
"Check your reflection in your sword," Glimmer managed to say eventually.
Adora did so. Adora stared. And then Adora shrieked in shock.
"How'd that happen!? I look like a dog!"
"A labrador. Labradora." Glimmer noted, and finally burst out laughing.
"Glimmer! This is serious, how'd this happen and how do I fix it!" Adora whined, tail drooping.
Bow, suppressing a laugh himself, pressed a few buttons on his pad.
"I might have an answer. I remembered something similar to those symbols, there was an old group of shapeshifting sorcerers, they built places to focus their shapeshifting. I think this was one of them if what my pad says here is right."
"So the magic in the ruins interfered with the She-Ra magic? I think we might need to speak to my Aunt..." Glimmer nodded.
"That's great but what do I do here? I have a tail!" Said appendage waved angrily.
"... Isn't that cat behaviour?" Glimmer frowned
"To answer Adora, it might be because you're She-Ra still. Drop the transformation and it should undo. And to answer Glimmer, dogs can do that too, it's just they wag when happy as well so we associate them more with that," Bow said.
Adora reverted, returning to normal. The trio decided to mark off those ruins on the map, and get in touch with Castaspella in case there were more magical ruins.
"But what if next time I become She-Ra it's the doggy form instead?" Adora then worried.
"Well, it's going to scare Catra at least...." Glimmer grinned.
"....Not really, she likes dogs."
"...But she's Catra. Catra."
"She's not racist, Glimmer."
"Yeah, I think she hates everyone equally," Bow agreed.