Ari

It didn’t matter what world I was in, something’s never changed about how people of any species showed they cared. This was clear with how much Chrissy and Lyric were trying to fuss over my wounds, keyword was trying. I was never a good patient when I was in pain.

“Stay still! If you keep moving I can’t clean them!” Chrissy growled in frustration as she tried to lick the angry red spots again, that was where the hydra’s blood had burned through my fur. Weirdly enough she wasn’t trying to use magic on them or to stop me from moving. Not that I was going to point that out to her.

Having moved closer to Lyric now to escape Chrissy’s tongue I immediately regretted it as I felt Lyric’s horn touch my limp wing, sidestepping into Chrissy and away from the even worse pain I started to realize I couldn’t avoid this fussing. The pain was inevitable and they were trying to help me, despite their initial ignoring of my pain. I mean Lyric just suddenly jabs her horn at my wing joint roughly, okay I may be oversensitive there right now but it did hurt. No warning what so ever and lots of pain shooting down my wing. What did they expect me to do, welcome the pain?

“If you stopped hurting me I would stay still! Just jabbing me with your horn and touching my burns like that hurts you know.”

This got me a snort from both mares, “Quit being such a foal about it and take it like a stallion!” Lyric snarled at me. This made me freeze, not due to her words but her tone, I don’t think I had ever heard her frustrated with me before, and quite frankly it scared me a little. I mean I had only known for like five days now so really we were still getting to know each other but I still felt I should know her better. I only knew Chrissy for a week before she was my marefriend, I couldn’t help but feel a mild confusion over the speed of the relationships.

Was the god telling the truth about me being me still?

Yes I did like women before this but I certainly wasn’t attracted to a horse, which was new, and strangely enough not strange to my mind. Looking at Chrissy, Lyric, and hell even Princess Luna I could see what features were attractive. In fact they were much the same as what I thought was attractive on women before: a lithe figure, a little muscle, and a nice butt. Not that I didn’t appreciate the non physical attributes of honesty, kindness, and a good sense of humor; but I guess I’m trying to understand if I am still me.

And I sort of was still me, except for one pattern I was noticing with my thoughts.

I never was violent before I became a stallion, sure I would kick an asshole till he went down, but I had never killed anyone before coming here. The deer I hit notwithstanding I was a very civilized modern woman, defending my friends from men who didn’t know what the word ‘no’ meant, and holding my tongue with the perpetually stupid. It was a big jump to go from beating up jerks to killing them. But since I killed those Diamond dogs I was completely open to killing, I felt a strong drive to protect, and honestly my instincts were starting to seem suspicious to my doubtful mind.

Were they just my new hormones or were they part of a bigger plan?

Was I-

“OW!” I didn’t move away from the pain this time as my thoughts were interrupted, Lyric had moved to my side and was touching her glowing horn to parts of my wing bone. It hurt!

But… I could feel my wing twitching now as I thought of moving it, whatever she was doing to it was helping.

“S-sorry Lyric, whatever you are doing it is helping. Let me help find the bags.” I might as well do something and I really wanted to learn how Chrissy found them soo quickly before. “Chrissy how did you-“ I paused midsentence as I looked back at Chrissy.

She had licked my wounds, coating them in the same translucent material she had used on my muzzle before. The pain was dull now, a faint whisper in my mind, no longer quite as urgent.

“What is that stuff you put on my burns Chrissy?”

“It is what we use to make cocoons. It’s used to seal cracked chitin, make nests, and anything that really needs something sticky and cool.” This caused me to blink owlishly at her.

“So like a bug’s spit?”

“No, not like a bug!” I jumped in place at that, not expecting such a reaction. She looked a little embarrassed as she noticed my reaction, “Well sort of like a bug, changelings did evolve from the same ancestors as yours though. We just needed to rely on alternative food sources and that’s how we began feeding on love-.“ She continued on as my mind drifted with this new information, a changeling was a pony that had bug like characteristics. Just how bug like was she if she went into heat like a mammal but produced cocoon spit like a bug?

“-do you have any questions?” She finished talking and I was left grasping at straws, what had she said?

“Yes, three that I can think of actually, Firstly how do I find the saddlebags like you did before? Also what is 'the heat' exactly? Can you explain in what way Changelings are like a mammal and what way you are like a bug?”

My barrage of questions may have broken her.

With an eye twitching Chrissy looked at Lyric who just shrugged her withers back at the look. “W-well let’s start with the easiest one, to locate the bags concentrate on something in the bag to start with. If you focus on the whole bag it uses more magic and therefore more energy, energy and magic go hoof in hoof, understand?” I nodded and my horn glowed gold as I pictured the horrible thobe that I had stuffed in the bag, seeing my horn glow that she continued, “Okay now before you command it to come to you-“

As soon as she said that I willed it to me.

The thobe came firing out of the mud, giving me a idea where one of the bags were, it also earned me a long sigh. “Sorry.” My ears splayed a little as Chrissy’s eyes narrowed at me.

“As I was saying, when you have the object pictured, use it to feel the surroundings, and then encompass those in your magic and levitate it.”

“Why don’t you just teleport it?” Lyric asked in a curious voice, looking at Chrissy with a weird expression.

You can teleport here?! That explained the postal system in Saddle Arabia, oh, the possibilities with teleportation!

“That would take a lot of magic, why use a lot of magic when a little is all that is needed.” That was sound logic, not that I didn’t want to learn how to teleport things, and enchant things. Oh there was soo much to learn here!

I was not a nerd.

I just happened to find magic amazing, and I couldn’t help but think that I will love this world…After I save it and figure out my mind though. The latter wasn’t, well didn’t seem really as important right now, the instincts had actually helped me for the most part, and Chrissy wasn’t in heat anymore so I didn’t have that distraction for my mind. Seriously her natural scent is delicious enough without it being increased like it had been.

Involuntarily I inhaled at the thought of her scent. It smelled normal, well a little spicier and richer but not overpowering like in her heat.

Wait, when do mares go into heat, or more importantly when does Lyric? My eyes widening as I considered Chrissy’s behavior, the only base I had for what might be normal, and I shivered at the thought of Lyric like that. I didn’t want to deal with that, sure she was attractive, had a nice personality, and even liked me in that way. But I was in a committed relationship with a mare that wasn’t into herds, not that I was, well I did think they worked for the Saddle Arabians but I still didn’t know how to feel after growing in a monogamous society.

I really needed to learn about the heat, if there was one thing that will distract me it is that.

With the heat on my mind now I made haste retrieving the bags as well as testing a theory. Focusing on both the compass and a water canteen, one item from each bag, I imagined their surroundings and then willed them to levitate.

It actually worked, both bags floating in my golden magic, dripping mud but still intact. A feeling of pride glowed in my chest again and I looked to Chrissy and Lyric, levitating the bags to them as well. Both mares were done their fussing over me and looked at the bags, then back at me.

“That’s actually pretty good!” Lyric gave me a happy smile, still looking a little tired.

“See, you don’t need to teleport them, levitating is a much more efficient use of magic. Save your magic for later.” Chrissy looked even more tired than I felt but she gave me a happy smile anyway.

My wings fluttered a little at the praise and accomplishment of doing that, only a little twinge of discomfort coming from the left one after Lyric’s magic. Despite just killing a Hydra I felt pretty good, good being the equivalent of sore muscles and a pressing feeling of hunger, well I was hungrier than before. Wait…

Was my Appetite connected to my magic then? If it was connected to my energy then…

I shook my head. Thinking could happen later, I had to get out of Equestria. All this nocturnal business was way too dangerous.

“Thanks! Although it would be handy to know how to teleport things I’m pretty tired for tonight, maybe tomorrow,” I placed the bags on their backs, leaving the thobe in the mud, only a little feeling of guilt at losing the resource. It stunk of dried sweat though and they didn’t seem to protest so I left it.

Starting off at a walk I didn’t have to wait long for Chrissy and Lyric to catch up to my side.

However my thoughts also caught up to me, I would have thought my tiredness would have banished my thoughts but instead the left over adrenaline brought them into focus again. Not even the squelching of mud distracted me.

With the dead body behind us I began, “So this is going to be awkward but can you explain ‘the heat’ to me? On earth, uh, females don’t have ‘the heat’ as you call it, they have ‘periods’ instead. ‘Periods’ are basically the estrus cycle, they happened every month, but they certainly didn’t have the uh, symptoms you did Chrissy.”

****

Lyric

Well that both answered a couple of questions I had and raised a whole slew of new ones. Clearly Ari didn’t know much about this world, he was still learning magic, and about the species here. He didn’t even know what a Hydra was!

But this takes the cake; Ari, a magically gifted stallion, is traveling with Chrissy and myself, two magically gifted mares, and he doesn't know about 'the heat'!

I can’t speak for Chrissy but from my knowledge, due to our magical core requiring such a high presence of magic to enter estrus we didn’t go into heat often, and Ari certainly had the magical presence to cause it. So this situation was just asking for lots of good rutting in my opinion, he was one of the few males capable of signaling to our bodies to enter estrus, and both of us were willing…

In fact, thinking about it now, there is so few stallions left magically strong enough to induce heats in beings like us that I would almost be willing to bet that was Chrissy’s first heat, especially with the way she acted. After being through several myself I can safely say that control is a learned skill, let’s just say my first one was incredibly embarrassing. If it wasn’t for-

“Well where should I begin…” Chrissy looked lost, her eyes getting a faraway look. I don’t blame her, I was not expecting to have this sort of talk with my future stallion either, might as well help a mare out.

Pausing to hop over a log I thought back to my mother’s explanation, “Let me be the first to say WOW those poor mares, every month? That would be hard, even if they don’t get the same symptoms, I wouldn’t wish that on any pony. Right Chrissy?” Trying to get her engaged in the conversation didn’t work if anything it just showcased how out of it she was. Ari noticed this as well.

“Chrissy you okay?”

Her eyes weren’t focusing on anything anymore, the light of the moon showing a distant look. Something was-

“EEEEEEK”

We all jumped in place as an owl swooped down ahead of us, grabbing a frog off a lily pad. This also got Chrissy out of her thoughts though.

“Sorry what did you say Lyric?”

She sounded calm now, interested in what I said, and most certainly fake. Glancing at Ari I caught him glancing at me with worry clear in his eyes, there wasn’t anything I could tell him though. How do I convince a Changeling to talk when they are known as master infiltrators, able to create intricate lies at the drop of their hoof?

That was one stereotype that was true about them.

Chipper smile back on my muzzle I repeated myself, “Oh just how much it would suck to be a mare on Earth, having estrus every month, I mean I thought the ponies had it bad right?”

“EVERY MONTH and Earthlings are monogamous still?” Chrissy was actually ‘here’ now, eyes wide and ears back in fear of what she heard.

“Well, yes, but the estrus on earth isn’t the same as… well every female is different but most just get a little stomach ache for four days, bleed a little, and feel a little extra emotional. I have never heard of anyone, err, anypony acting the way Chrissy did.” Ari was blushing a little now, looking at Chrissy with a nervous smile.

My heart raced, they actually bled every month?!

“I think I will stick with a week of the heat, the ‘period’ that sounds horrible!” Chrissy nodded, remaining silent, slowly retreating into herself again. Buck what was up with her? I mean I sort of cared how she felt, she had given me far more chances than I thought she would, and in battle I totally saw her watching by shield. She looked like she had my back, almost like we were herdmates.

I could hope.

Ari laughed at us, “That’s exactly what an Earthling would say about your estrus cycle. Anyway, how long does your ‘heat’ last for?”

Again Chrissy was silent.

“Well like on earth it varies but most mare’s are in heat for five to eight days, I’m not really sure how often mare’s are going into nowadays but it used to be every three months… Actually Chrissy would know, she’s had to disguise herself as one recently!”

He looked at me confused, “I thought we were all ponies? You talk about it like mares are separate from you two…”

Chrissy finally tuned back into us, “Actually most mares are going into heat every six to eight months now.”

“WOW!” Both Ari and I said at the same time, although for very different reasons. I could hardly believe that they were soo infrequent now, just what was going on with them? It wasn’t like they were getting magically stronger, I hadn’t been in heat for at least six hundred years, not that I was complaining.

I wouldn’t mind it if I had Ari around though.

“Ari, I don’t know if you noticed but there isn’t exactly lots of Royal Changelings or Sirens running around anymore,” I took a deep breath at the reminder that my family wasn’t in this world right now. “Well, we are sort of programmed with a ‘population control’ in our body, Alicorns have it as well. Mares with a large magical core need a large magical presence before their body will enter estrus, and once in estrus conception is even harder. A lot of magic is needed to make a foal and with our lifespan it is probably best that it is that way, we can all live up to ten thousand years old. But after the last power struggle resulted in soo many deaths the 'population control' turned into a curse… Most of the stallions had fought to the death, or been killed in the resulting executions, that left a lot of mares single and foals orphaned. I don’t know the full details as I wasn’t even born yet but my mother hated talking about even centuries later.”

I stopped and looked at my audience, Ari looked worried with his ears splayed out, while Chrissy was lost in her thoughts again. That was a hard topic to properly explain to them, Chrissy hadn’t been born then and i'm sure she had a controlled education with all the anti-Changeling propaganda that was present still to this day, and Ari just didn’t know what he meant to this world.

He was the only Alicorn stallion.

Silence dominated us as we all were lost in our thoughts, inattentively observing the swamp as the night time orchestra went in one ear and out the other. Hours had to have passed as the terrain shifted again, now a large swamp spanned before us. The opposite shore was invisible in the dim moonlight and heavily canopied trees. We stopped of course, like we were going to go swimming in that filth, especially after a Hydra popped out of the last swamp. There was a thick layer of scum on the surface but no lily pads, no logs to paddle around either, and Ari was in no condition to fly us over. He had started yawning awhile back, Chrissy wasn’t much better as she wobbled along in the mud while trying to stay pressed to Ari, and I felt like being nocturnal just wasn’t for me.

Stifling a yawn I asked what I knew must be going around and around our sleep deprived brains, “How do we get across that?”

I received to grunts in response to my question.

Amateurs, there are ways to staying awake they just don’t know them. I used the quickest one that wouldn’t start a mare challenge, well most likely wouldn’t.Two outraged squeals sounded out as they both kicked back, well thank goodness I used my magic to pull their tails, I wouldn’t have gotten up from a those kicks.

Now they were awake.

Ari pinned his ears at me, eyes narrowed as Chrissy gave a loud hiss to back up their sentiment. “Now as I just asked, how are we getting across that swamp?”

Chrissy gave a snort, “Make a boat and paddle across, then we will be in Minotaria”

Glancing at the lack of logs along the shore I snorted right back at her, “With what logs?”

She looked along the shore as well, “Lily pads then.”

“There are no lily pads.”

With that she closed her eyes, “Vines?”

“Sorry, wrong swamp.”

Chrissy opened her eyes to glare at me, looking for all metaphorical purposes like death warmed other, when we heard it and paused.

Something was creaking.

Looking between us we noticed the glow Ari’s horn was emitting as a golden axe was connected to it, hacking into the trunk of a tree to our left. He was hardly blinking, looking at the tree with a single minded focus that comes in when sleep deprivation exhaustion sets in.

Another sliver of trunk went flying as the axe bit into the tree, pulling back the magic born axe cut into the trunck just as fast as it left, just over halfway now. I was speechless as a couple swift hacks later the tree was cut down, giving a ominous creak before it fell into the shore, and involuntarily splattering us with mud.

We were never getting this smell off at this rate.

He wasn’t done though, attempting to chop the log in half before realizing that it was near impossible, without any hard surface to brace against the log just sunk in the mud further with ever attempt. The axe faded as Ari looked thoughtful; seeming to decide on an action he nodded to himself and trotted to the log’s middle point. Looking uncertain he added some magic to his horn before letting it lose, the magic cutting down the center as his horn lowered the beam through it.

Seeing his plan work her speed up, changing sides and halving that, he repeated this once more, looking at the pile of split logs then at us. Each log was a little longer than Ari’s body length and cut in half, it was the base of a raft. The beam of magic shifted into a chisel as Ari began creating jagged joints along half of the logs before starting on the other half to compare.

Chrissy moved beside me and watched as he assembled the raft, a act that surprised me, but didn’t compare to what she did next. She pressed her chitin to my scales and fur. My attention was now solely on Chrissy as she pressed into me, steadying herself before closing her eyes.

My mind barely comprehended the splash of the raft as I stared at the Royal Changeling pressed up to me, the lead mare that less than a week ago wanted me gone. Was she that out of it that she is mistaking me for Ari? What-

“Hey! I thought we said no sleeping Chrissy!” Ari looked at us from his finished creation; it was bobbing up and down briefly under his weight before settling at a level. A proud but tired smile on his face as his make shift set of paddles entered the swampy water.

Opening her eyes, Chrissy nudged my shoulder. Right we needed to get on that! I took slow steps as i supported Chrissy , she seemed very tired, not that Ari and I weren’t but she seemed excessively so.

With us on the raft Ari squeezed between us and laid down, I lay down without a second thought and I heard Chrissy follow suit with a sigh. This night was more than we bargained for. Giving another tired yawn Ari looked at Chrissy, “Am I pointed the right way?”

A soft snort escaped her as her magic brought out the compass before us, miraculously not broken, it showed we were pointing west.

“Okay then, if I remember right this is the last stretch of Equestria,” A tired grunt came from Chrissy. “That means we can sleep all day tomorrow, but in the meantime any pony know a good ghost story to keep us awake?”