Themyscira’s fields stretched across the lands for acres in all directions. The rolling plains were filled with swaying grass, all of which brought up by the in the light Mediterranean breeze. Flowers held a near constant bloom, their fragrant scents mixing with the slightly salty sea air. A few trees dotted the altogether surprisingly flat area, casting shadows, providing protection for the few that remained among the lands from the sun.
“Lift those hooves higher!”
A few structures could be seen here and there, made from an old Greek marble, some having fallen to ruin over the centuries, others seeming like they were just built recently. A small round temple sat on top of a hill, a simple tholos design, with a ring of steps, sixteen pillars holding up a roof, and an inner round room for the statue and offerings. It was a common place for some of the Amazons to sit and rest, read, or in this case, watch.
“You are a monster!” Tia cried out as she gasped for air.
While normally males were not allowed on the island, there was one who had been there for centuries. He spent most of his time reading these days, but every so often reveled in the chance to train someone new. He took pride in it.
“Power comes from your hind legs; your front legs are for steering! I want to hear those hooves pound like thunder!”
Tia panted hard as she ran, perspiration soaking her sides and back, clotting parts of her fur, as she crossed the fields. A single thought ran through her head, alongside the consistent sound of her consciousness reminding her to breathe.
‘This is worse than gym class! This is worse than those President’s Fitness Challenges!’
Pounding his staff on the ground a few times, it's shod ends casting sparks as it impacted with a rock, it proved more than enough to get the filly's attention. Turning she trotted back, slowing as she approached the instructor. Though, her heavy breaths kept her from truly saying or doing anything else.
“The more you run the stronger your legs will get and the more confident you will be,” swaying his tail, the instructor crossed his arms and stomped a foreleg.
“We'll get you something to drink, then we can pick it up again,” at this Tia gulped, her throat dry from her heavily put upon exercises as she attempted to give out air in more than just a pant.
“Why do I have to run like that?” Tia asked, tiredly looking up towards her centaur instructor.
“Magic is more than just words or energy, little one,” the centaur responded before slowly walking around the little pony, his hooves crushing the short grass below him with a series of stamps and rustles.
“It requires focus and discipline. It requires a unity of body, mind, and soul,” walking in a circle around Tia, the centaur smiled, though he did well to hide it from his student, before he continued. “Now go, get something to eat and drink.”
“Yes sir,” Tia breathed out with a sigh, managing a thankful smile of her own before making her way towards the ruins of the Greek structure nearby.
Lying upon its steps, a pegasus gave out a hearty laugh.
“Wow, you look wasted,” she said, chuckling.
“I am,” Tia responded, shaking herself in an effort to get off some of the sweat that riddled her body. Oddly, it felt as though it wasn't even close to enough.
“He is such a slave driver. So wanna join me for lunch, Dash?” Tia inquired, to which the pegasus responded with another laugh as she bounded towards her.
“Oh sure, definitely. Free food other than grass and hay is always a yes,” rolling her eyes at the pegasus' response, Tia looked over her shoulder, watching as the centaur trotted out of sight, likely returning to his cabin.
“Why is he here by the way? I thought this island was females only,” she asked.
“Well, female humans. There are still male pegasus here, after all, and a male dragon,” Dash responded, her face suddenly taking a downtrodden appearance.
“But, in reality, he’s been here for a long time. He simply has nowhere else to go.”
“That’s… so sad.” Tia whimpered, glancing back towards the direction the centaur had left before returning her gaze towards Dash.
“What happened?” Dash shrugged.
“The world changed. There was simply no room for those that were not… human,” as she spoke, she shook her head, her tail giving a light flick.
“He has given the world so much; it was only fitting to give him a safe place to rest. Chiron trained so many of the great heroes. Achilles, Hercules, Perseus, and all of the other great heroes of the past,” hearing this, Tia couldn't help but blink, her eyes moving downwards towards her hooves.
“Is... that what will happen to me? I’ll be forced to live here, or someplace else?” Tia inquired, concern and sadness clear in her voice.
“Oh heck no. If you have a friend as totally awesome as me, you will be able to go everywhere,” Dash assured, turning her gaze back to the filly in an effort to see if she had cheered up... only to see she was looking at the table up ahead of them, drool starting to form on her lips. Following her gaze, the pegasus saw that there was a small meal laid out — well, not that small really, being more akin to a small feast — and rolled her eyes. Also seated by this table was Princess Diana, who had been occupying herself by shining her sword. Upon hearing the sound of hooves, however, she looked upwards, a smile appearing on her face as she gave a small wave towards the approaching equines.
“Is that apple cider?” Tia asked as she approached the table, rearing up and putting her forelegs on one of the stone benches beside it.
Dash nodded slowly, letting her tongue hang out a little as she gazed. “They never let us have this stuff.”
Looking around, Tia waved a foreleg, staying propped up with the other leg.
“Princess Diana, can I ask you something?” Diana gave out a nod.
“Yes little sister?” she answered questioningly, reaching over and grabbing a stray apple from the table.
Climbing up, and rearranging herself to feel as comfortable as she possibly could have, Tia sat on the bench and motioned to the food.
“Why are the pegasus not allowed to have cider or real food?” she asked Diana gave her another curt nod.
“Mother says it's not good for them. Though, I do try and sneak them apples when I can,” Diana answered with a wink, offering Dash the apple she held, watching with a chuckle as the pegasus slowly took it from her hand before eating the thing whole within the next few seconds.
“Does that mean it's not good for me as well?” Tia questioned, looking at the food with a frown, her ears splaying back against her head. “Will I be limited to grass and hay too?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Diana said, a curious hum escaping her. “Mother may have some ideas on how to find out though. We can talk with her after lunch.” Giving Diana a nod, Tia looked to the pitcher of apple cider with confidence before turning her head sideways, Tia picked up a pitcher of apple cider with her mouth and poured it into an empty bowl on the table, before nosing it gently to Dash.
“There you go.”
Dash’s eyes lit up as she swallowed whatever was left of the apple she had eaten at once, seeing the special treat being offered to her. Unable to resist she leaned down in what was practically a spasm, sticking her muzzle right into the bowl, and causing a slight splash, as she downed the drink. Her own tail betrayed her excitement at the gift.
Tia giggled at this, but swiftly turned back to Diana.
“Have yourself something quick, then we can go see the queen for her wisdom,” Diana advised the filly in a soft voice, giving Tia a gentle scratch between her wings.
Nodding, Tia quickly dumped part of a salad bowl onto her plate with the fetlocks of her forehooves. It wasn’t the neatest way of doing things, but hooves could only manage so much. She finished her meal off with some fresh pressed apple juice, which Diana thankfully had helped pour to keep the filly from struggling anymore, before bounding over to the fountain to wash her muzzle.
“You are aware, that normally you also wash before you eat?” Diana mused with a raised brow and a smile as she looked at the filly.
“I know, this is going to sound stupid but… if I wash my hooves before I eat, even if I clean them as best I can, they end up picking up more dust and dirt when I walk back. If I tap them a few times before though, they seem clean enough to work with. As long as I don’t touch the food,” Tia waggled her tail a bit before looking up too Diana.
“I know it’s wrong but-”
“I guess I have to remember you walk on all fours,” Diana interrupted with a smile.
“Well, it would probably be easier if I could get taught how to fly…” Tia cast sideways glance towards Dash, whom had just licked whatever remnants of cider remained on her muzzle.
“Pegasus will be handling that,” she said with a belch, a giddy smile of satisfaction on her face.
“Which pegasus? Not you?”
“No, Pegasus, not pegasus.” Dash said trying to keep a straight face.
Tia blinked, not initially understanding. However, a few moments later, her eyes widened, her mouth forming a small 'O' as she suddenly realized just whom Dash was referring to.
“Come on Tia, let’s go see my mother,” Diana said, putting her hand on Tia’s back.
It wasn't long after that the three arrived at the palace in which the island's queen, Diana's mother, resided.
The palace was constructed of the same marble and quarried white stone as the other buildings. Greco columns supported a decorated roof. The walkway up to the front door was decorated with both statues of gods and humans, alongside small trees, in an alternating pattern. The inside, however, was opulent with silk pillows and cushions. Low benches and tables were set for feasts or simple dinners. Iron braziers burned a mix of coal and incense, giving off not just light, but fragrant scents.
A red carpet lead up to a set of steps and a raised dais, where the Queen sat on her throne. An amazon with black hair stood beside her, taking notes on a scroll as the queen talked with her advisers. At the foot of the steps stood two guards. Clad in armor and with swords and shields at hand, their purpose was more of honor then actual need. A show of status to serve the queen.
“Mother?” Diana called, walking up and lowering her head in respect.
Waving her hand gently, Queen Hippolyta dismissed the others who were present in the court. The scribe and guards proudly nodded once before they turned and headed into an antechamber, closing the doors behind them to ensure the queen's unspoken wish for privacy was kept.
Looking down, the Queen smiled gently towards her daughter.
“Yes, princess?”
Tia, whom was standing next to Diana, did her best to stand at attention, but found her tail wanting to wiggle on its own. Looking around from her position in awe, she noted all the interesting parts of the throne room; how everything seemed set up to draw attention to the Queen.
“Mother, we know very little about Tia’s dietary needs right now. We have been feeding her a mix of human and equine food, but this could be a danger to her. You have taught me in the past that some food is not good for the pegasi or horses of the island, did you not?”
Looking down at her daughter, then towards the filly next to her, who was still too busy scanning the room to notice, the Queen nodded once.
“I have considered that myself. We will need to consult an expert,” at this, Diana looked up curiously.
“But she is something new. A human turned into something not quite horse, not human, yet not centaur. Who would be an expert?”
With a soft smile, the Queen stood from her throne walking down the steps before kneeling in front the foal. Suddenly catching Tia’s attention, the foal jumped at the sudden proximity between her and the queen, settling as the queen began scratching Tia’s cheek. Instantaneously relaxing, the foal looked up wide eyed.
“She is still equine. She carries the magic of the sun in her, yes; she was human yes; but she is also equine. Take her to the temple of Epona. Ask for help there.”
***
The fires burned brightly in the background, the roar of the flames almost drowning out the screams of pain, suffering and terror. Almost. The rock was dark and cracked from the heat, and spires of flames rose from lava fields far below.
Walking along the path, steel boots sparked with each step against the rock. With each step taken, a pulse of light was highlighted by the dark cloak that dragged on the ground, a mix of leathers, furs, and armor hardly slowing the strides at all.
“Well, dear brother,” a voice seemed to come from all around, filling the air with an almost playful tone, “what brings you to my realm?”
Chuckling softly, the man spread his arms wide.
“Hello Discordia! It’s always a pleasure to see you,” the man said with a grin, knowing just which buttons to push to get a response.
“My name is Eris!” the voice suddenly yelled as it took shape, appearing in a puff of smoke to reveal a female form.
“Eris! Not Discordia, Eris!” her raven black wings flared as she looked on in anger, her similarly black hair blowing as though some unseen breeze passed through it, her eyes flashing with a deep orange and yellow light.
“And as always that gets your attention,” the man said with dark laughter.
“Are you just here to taunt and annoy me?” Eris questioned with stern annoyance, rolling her eyes.
Shaking his head, the man smiled.
“Oh no, I have a request for you.” Eris blinked.
“A... request? For me? This is new,” her lips pursing, Eris turned, snapping her fingers as an opulent couch appeared out of thin air. Turning she laid down on her side upon it looking at the man.
“Well? What do you need?” she asked, rolling her wrist so as to gesture for him to get it over with.
“Chaos, insanity, trouble. The usual one would ask of you really. I need you to cause problems, and draw attention,” the man responded, to which Eris rose a brow with interest.
“Oh? And what do I get out of this?” Eris asked.
Leaning down so he was face to face with his sister, the man smiled.
“Fun. Pure and simple fun. Some time on the surface to play with humanity,” this time, it was Eris' turn to smile, clapping her hands.
“Oh dear brother, you know me too well. When do I start? It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to play with mortals,” zhe said with a giggle, rolling in her couch slightly from giddiness.
“Soon little sister, I will have a door opened for you,” standing, the man flipped his cloak and began walking off. A chuckle escaping her, Eris watched as he left, lazily waving a hand of hers in the process.
“Take care Aries. You know how Zeus feels about us causing problems,” Eris said with an evil smile.
“Zeus will have other things to fear soon."
***
The shrine construction was called an anta, one of the smallest of temples. It was little more than a small building with two pillars in front of a single wooden door leading to the statue. The building wasn’t much larger than a double long garden shed.
The outside trim of the roof was decorated with pictures of horses, pegasi, mules, even a zebra. Three steps lead up to the platform the anta sat on. The door itself was well crafted, but fairly plain in comparison to other temples seen.
“This is Epona’s home?” Tia asked, looking up towards Diana with a raised brow.
Smiling softly Diana shook her head.
“No, little sister, this is simply her temple.” Tia blinked.
“Temple? How come it’s so small?” Looking around, Tia poked one of the reliefs of a horse with her muzzle.
“It’s...” looking at the shrine Diana let out a slow sigh and shook her head.
“It’s complicated,” walking inside with a breath, Diana bowed her head to the statue of a woman. Turning she lit several small incense rods, as well as a series of thick candles.
“Can I help?” Tia askedas she watched Diana go about her processes.
Smiling, Diana nodded, kneeling down and holding out a small basket of fruits and grains to Tia’s muzzle.
“Sure. If you can place these in the bowl over there, it would help a lot.” Nodding confidently, Tia bit the top of the basket so as to get a grip upon it, moving away a few steps, towards an empty bowl, before rearing up on her hind legs. Wobbling a bit as she worked, she poured the contents into the bowl as best she could before then putting down the basket down, nosing some of the grains that missed the bowl into a pile.
Backing away she sat looking up at Diana.
“How’s that?”
“Perfect,” Diana responded, leaning over slightly and starting to stroke Tia’s mane.
“So who’s Epona then?” Tia asked, looking up at the statue.
Carefully Diana picked up Tia, holding her against her chest as she looked towards the statue.
“She is the goddess of equines. That means horses, pegasi, zebras, and ponies. She is honored by those who work with horses.”
“Don’t the Amazons work with horses and pegasi?”
“Exactly. And, before you ask why her temple is so small if we hold them in such honor,” Diana preempted, “the reason is because Pegasus lives here too.”
“But you said she’s the goddess of pegasi,” Tia reiterated, her nose scrunching up as she looked around confused.
“That’s because Pegasus is the name of Poseidon’s son. While the winged horses in general are called pegasus or pegasi, Pegasus is someone special,” a new voice suddenly intruded, causing Tia to jump slightly in Diana's arms.
Blinking, Tia looked up towards the source of the voice in awe, specifically towards the woman that had suddenly appeared, now leaning against the wall before them. Looking between her and the statue, Tia couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re her, right? Epona?”
Kneeling down, the goddess looked between Tia and Diana, her brows furrowing as she touched the foal.
“Hm... Even in this form I can sense her potential power.”
Diana bowed her head to the goddess, hugging Tia a little tighter in the process.
“Yes ma’am. We are doing our best to teach her.” Nodding at Diana, Epona gave out a hum.
“May I see her?” Epona asked softly, holding her hands out.
Tia, still in Diana's arms, looked back and forth between Diana and Epona, unsure of her place. In the small confines of the temple she didn’t know what to say or do. This was a goddess after all. It was the goddess of horses though. Looking up at Diana she gave a short nod.
“I guess.”
Gently Diana sat the foal in front of the goddess, giving her a final comforting pat before backing up a step.
“It’s okay, Tia, I won’t leave,” Diana assured, to which Tia gave a slight nod.
“Me neither,” another, more familiar voice then added in, Tia watching as Dash suddenly stuck her head into the shrine, though she wasn’t able to fit through the door herself.
“Nothing’s gonna hurt you here.”
Looking first to Dash, Epona smiled.
“A loyal guardian and protector I see.” Dash gave out a smile of her own at this.
“Just call me Loyal Dasher, fastest pegasus on the island, and best friend,” Dash said, attempting to strike one of her poses, which, since at best her head and neck were in view, was somewhat lost on the others.
Kneeling down Epona shook her head and carefully started to examine Tia, whom attempted to be as still as possible. She looked her over almost in the fashion of a doctor or vet, her hands moving across the small foal as she checked her horn, wings, mouth, teeth, legs and hooves. Her face shifted to a motherly smile at the end, before she gave Tia’s sides a tickle.
Tia squirmed a little,letting out a soft giggle, Epona chuckling slightly at this before Tia looked up and asked jokingly, “Well doc? Give it to me straight? Will I ever be able to play the piano?”
Diana blinked, looking down at the foal in slight confusion. “I’m sorry little sister, I don’t think hooves will work for that. Were you good at playing the piano?”
Tia looked between the two and smiled brightly, wiggling her tail and holding back a giggle at the two's apparent missing of her joke. “I never actually tried. I was just wondering if the change might have given me super magical pony piano playing powers.”
Shaking her head Epona covered her face with a hand and groaned.
“She is healthy and stable. She can choose to maintain this form as long as she wants. Her true form shouldn’t tax her either, and in fact should take some pressure off her having to concentrate to stay small.”
“What about food?” Diana asked. “What’s safe for her to eat?”
“Her digestive systems are more efficient in some ways. It’s not set up for meats, but she should be fine for any fruits, berries, nuts, roots, tubers and such. Cooked, uncooked, high or low sugar, she should be able to deal with it. Though too much sugar might have her putting on some pounds,” Epona added on firmly.
“Yeah, so watch the cake and share some with me,” Dash said with a firm nod. “You don’t want your butt getting so big you can’t make it through doorways.”
Tia looked towards Dash before sticking her tongue out.
“So what does that mean diet wise?” Diana questioned, smiling the antics of the two horses.
Epona laughed at the little filly before looking at Diana.
“Mix of fiber, oats and vegetables, cooked or uncooked should do her fine. Chocolate, milk, and eggs won’t hurt her, just stay off meats,” she advised, to which Diana gave a slight bow.
“Thank you ma’am,” Diana responded, before looking at Tia.
“Now we know what’s safe for you to eat.”
“Yep, anything that wasn’t walking or swimming,” Tia said with a firm nod.
“Great, now we can get you at flight training!” Dasher chimed in with a whickering laugh.
“You really want to look after her don’t you?” Epona questioned, smiling at Dash.
Dash nodded proudly. “She’s like my baby sister at this point.”
Nodding, Epona proceeded to make her way over to Dasher, whose head was still through the window, gently touching her nose.
“This should help then.”
A glow slowly formed on Dash’s nose where Epona's touch had made contact. Pulling her head back quickly, the glow followed slowly growing covering more and more of her. Whinnying once, Dash shook her head as her form slowly shrank down to the same size as Tia’s, her head slowly lowering out of the window's sight. However, when the shrinking process did ultimately stop, one noted that she wasn't quite the same size as Tia.
Looking down at herself, and giving out a sputter, Dash made her way into the room for all to see, now able to fit through the door.
“Wow, Dash. Even like this you're taller than me.” Tia giggled.
“That’s because she’s, by human standards, a teenager, whereas you’re still a foal. Oh, and don’t worry Dasher. If needed, you can retake your full sized form at will.” Epona said with a smile.
Blinking, Dash glanced down towards herself again before taking a few test runs in circles of her new form. “Oh this is just too cool for school.”