Three months.

It had been three months since she had descended to the mortal plane and gotten a body again. She couldn’t count how many eons had passed since last she had truly possessed her own flesh and blood, been able to feel the wind against her face and through her feathers. Some lesser and more gutter-minded might say that the feeling of wind flowing through her feathers as she sped across the skies was orgasmic. She, however, would simply say that it was a feeling she had missed and joyously accepted as being part of her daily life again… for however long it lasted. 

She opened her eyes and looked down at the plains passing below her as but a blur of green, though every possible threat or even mortal, whether sapient or not, was noticed and catalogued. She wasn’t one to take chances despite her confidence in her ability to out-maneuver and do away with whatever target sought to eliminate her. She smiled ruefully as a hawk dove down and impaled a pigeon with its claws, silencing and killing it almost immediately. She was much like the hawk, an expert killer; strong and fast. Like the hawk, she preferred to attack unseen, to ambush once and then be done with it. There was no reason to attack more than once if the first arrow struck true which, in her case, it most often did. 

She glanced to her side, away from the hawk, and noticed the large mountain near the horizon. She couldn’t see who resided there, but she knew who lived there regardless, if her web of sentinels spread across large parts of the country anyway. Arcon, she knew, had taken up residence in that mountain, even crashed into it as he descended if some of the stories she’d heard were true. 

[i]Meteor hitting a mountain. Heh. Always the klutz—probably reading when he fell, too, I bet.[/i] She chuckled although the sound was lost, drowned by the rush of the wind passing by her. 

Even as she flew, her thoughts turned to Arcon and she couldn’t help the frown that crept onto her brow. Of all her siblings, he was the one that protected himself the best. That also meant that getting information as to his going-ons was incredibly difficult. Her sentinels could not break through his barriers, and doing so herself would not only alert him to her presence, but it would also make her look needlessly hostile—and she had no intention of getting in the way of any of her fellow Godlings so long as they steered clear of her and didn’t interfere with her plans and goals; for while she dearly loved each and every one of them, she was not adverse to showing them that she was not to be trifled with. 

A smirk started to replace the frown that had previously marred her face as an idea started forming in her mind. Her horn lit up in a faint leaf-green colour and beside her appeared a hawk not unlike the one she had seen catch the pigeon, the only difference being that this one was somewhat transparent, though this was only visible at a relatively short range. She glanced at it and through her magic, passed on a small message to it, as well as a purpose. 

It was to bring a message to Arcon, her brother. She had made sure to impart the knowledge on it that it would not attempt to break his barriers as such a thing would be futile, but instead take the form of a mountain hare once at the barriers keeping his fortress secure, and then make its presence known which, she assumed, would happen if it kicked the barrier hard enough for a couple minutes. With no visible sign of acknowledgement, it angled its wings and took off towards the mountain, leaving Theá to her own devices. 

[i]I wonder how he’ll react to my little ‘Hello Sweetie’. He always was a bit of a prude, too absorbed in learning about the ponies to have a little fun. A shame, really. Would’ve been fun to play around with him a little, but never could get his attention up there… it might be easier now that I have a corporeal body. Guess I’ll find out at some point.[/i]

She banked and angled her wings downwards, starting a downward spiral towards the edge of a forest she had just passed over. She loved the view from the skies, but the view one got from just sitting on a hilltop was still something special in its own right, and something she felt like watching at the moment—Not to mention that it would make it significantly easier for Meelo, Rati, or even Amaretto to find her, or at least get to her. In the air it was practically impossible to keep up with her. Or rather, it was literally impossible unless one was a master of teleportation, as she scoffed at the thought of anyone being as faster or faster than her, except for her elders, of course. 

She touched down outside of the trees and sat down, looking towards a city in the distance, and the plains divided by a single road which separated the city from the rest forest and surrounding areas. Glancing to her side, she noticed the mountain range upon which Canterlot was located, frowning at the sight of the bubble that was just visible to her keen eyes even from this distance. [i]To think that the unicorns would return to their arrogant ways. Paragon of the pony species or not, I always thought of each and every one of them being equal, yet the unicorns always had the idea that they were better… Speaking of which.[/i]

Turning towards the Canterhorn mountain range, she looked to the Everfree forest not so far away from it, by her standards, and felt her thoughts turn to one unicorn in particular. A unique stallion, to be sure, and possibly the only moral she had ever let make demands of her. She didn’t quite know why she hadn’t simply turned her back and flown away when he initially proposed his deal—or made demands of her, as was how she had viewed it for some time after that—but she had listened and agreed. She would help return his daughter from the Whitegolds, as well as make sure the remainders of his family had a safe haven, and in return he would swear his allegiance to her. He was one of her first followers, having joined on only her third day in the mortal realm, and he had been true to his word. She had helped retrieve his daughter unharmed from the Whitegold faction, and she had given them a safe haven in the middle of the Everfree where his wife, in-laws and daughter, as well as he when he was not on some errand for Theá, could live in peace and safety. 

One might say that the Everfree is a dangerous place, and normally one would be right, but the clearing in which the Jamison family had made their home was riddled with a wide variety of detection spells and traps, ranging from both physical traps like those a hunter might use, them magical traps invisible to the eye. As if it wasn’t difficult enough to get to, she had also covered the clearing in camouflage enchantment, rendering it, not invisible, but nigh on unnoticeable to any but her own kin, and even they would have trouble finding it. That is not to say that it was impossible to get to, as it was only the perimeter of the clearing that was filled with traps, and only the clearing itself that was hidden. One might stumble upon a place riddled with traps, but would never find the reason for said traps. 

If, however, one had an invitation, so to speak, it was possible to find the clearing, but such an invitation was difficult to come by, and no one but Theá herself had one, save of course Amaretto himself and his family; it was a testament to the stallion’s determination to keep his family safe. 

[i]I wonder when I’ll meet him again,[/i] Theá mused as she returned her gaze to the city on the other side of the plains again, laying down on her belly with her massive wings folded at her sides.