Alma Mater
#20 of Robbin Red
Is there a circle of life? Or just beginnings and ends?
Jon-Tom's
former room at Huntchy's, now solely occupied by himself and Alma, was devoid
of furniture. As equines, they hardly needed it to be comfortable. However,
both stood there assessing each other. Despite the urgings of the flesh, he
refrained from making an opening move. Alma was doing the same, suddenly aware
of the magnitude of possibilities their union now posed. She was suddenly
nervous, fearful even. She was a creature of her own time, and whatever she did
affected her and those around her. But his presence meant that they could cause
ripples in time. What she had been able to retain of his memories showed a wide
and varied panorama of creatures, situations, and confluences of multiple
threads that wove and rewove into a confusing tapestry of time.
He spoke of Fairy Hooves and Dhoov
Capell. Did he really know anything about them? Did he know the origins of
unicorns and their relationship with the other equines? Being something didn't
make that form part of your natural self, not the way she had been taught. But
this human seemed to have rewritten those rules. It was as if he was aware of
things that were only hinted at in the most arcane of texts. Yet, on the
outside, he was at times as simple as child. He made no sense. Therefore, the
best way to deal with this was to be straight forward about it.
"I couldn't agree more!" he said
matter-of-factly. She jumped.
"You can read my thoughts!"
He whinnied out a chuckle. "I don't
make a habit of it, but since we were connected mentally, the link remains. You
haven't noticed because I'm dampening my end to save you wash back from my
memories. But your mind is very open, and I might add, refreshingly clear.
Despite your time as a dragon, you bare essence has remained untainted. I
congratulate you. You adapted very well to the conflict between preserving life
and destroying evil. That's not an easy tightrope to walk, especially for a
quadruped."
She was suddenly very shy. "Then
you've seen my feelings for you. I'm still trying to sort them out. I have
misgivings about this liaison. My body wants it in the worse way, but my better
judgment says I should forego such a thing. What do you think?"
His laughter boomed around the
room. "What do I think? My present wife put me into this loaded and cocked body
without the safety on! You're lucky you're not pinned to the floor right now
screaming for me to withdraw. If it weren't for the fact that I've had decades
of practice controlling my urges to some extent, we wouldn't be having this
conversation."
She trembled a little at his words.
In her time, she was both praised and despised for being one of the strongest
powers around. She knew that a good part of that was her inherent magic. No one
had expected a magical being to also have magical power. This stallion standing
across from her was at least a thousand fold what she had been.
He laughed again. "Power doesn't
make the magician, nor the unicorn.
Power is all around us, in the wind, the sun, the waves, the movement of
the planet in its course around its star. Controlling power is a talent, having
power is a gift. As a unicorn I can heal, myself as well as others. I can tap
into minds, as you know. I can also communicate with you mind to mind," which
he was suddenly doing, "and I can transform to a secondary form."
As she watched he became himself
again, a tall lanky human, now completely naked. She liked the stallion better.
She said as much. "I like the big black fellow much more than a skinny hairless
ape; no offense meant of course."
His laughter was less booming now.
"None taken. I've been called worse. And I am what I am. But my point is that
you should be able to change into another form as well. Have you ever tried?"
It was a good question. "The only
time I ever tried to change was to that scaly form you two rescued me from.
It's hardly what you've got there."
She could tell he was thinking.
"Hmmmm. I wonder... Maybe you did something you weren't aware of. Perhaps your
other form was a wild card, so to speak, and what you ended up with was a
dragon. Weirder things have happened!"
She protested. "But that
transformation took all of my magic! It took the immense power your wife holds
to pull me back to this, my natural form. If that form was something inherent
to my abilities, why couldn't I change back?"
He chuckled, reforming into the
stallion. "When I was pulled over here to this world, I was an absolute idiot.
I was stoned and out of my head. Sometime later I happened upon an instrument,
a duar. That's when I found I could do magic. Over the decades I learned a lot
and I've done a lot. My point is, you changed once, and you assumed that it was
simply due to a spell. But what if you were wrong? What if you can change at
will? Do you have the strength to do it again?"
She was shaking. If what he said
was true, then she had wasted nearly a century stuck in a form she could have
switched from at any time. The thought scared her and infuriated her at the
same time. In her rage she felt a spark in her belly. The next moment she was
brushing the ceiling with her leathery ears.
Jon-Tom gazed up with admiration.
"Well look at that! I don't know if this was your natural secondary form, but
damn; it's one hell of a change. Now, can you revert back to unicorn?"
She was flustered. The world was
spinning. The floor came rushing up to embrace her. She was stopped by an iron
grip on her head. As her eyes cleared, she could see him there, his black and
powerful horn touching hers. It was as if their bodies had merged into one.
"Whoa there
Alma. After a century, I would have thought you would have figured this out. It
wasn't external magic that transformed you; it was your own natural ability.
And people call me dense sometimes. But don't think of your past years as a
waste."
She was so emotional right now she
was glad he was holding her upright. "I did a lot of things that I found
repugnant. I'll have to live with that knowing I could have altered the course
of my own history with a little effort. What's good about that?"
He smiled so warmly that she nearly
melted. "If you hadn't, I would have never been able to meet such an
extraordinary creature as yourself. As far as affecting the timeline, well, I
say we make our own futures. In my time the past has happened, but as I am
presently in my past, that therefore makes it the present. So my former present
is now the future. It seems to me that everything I do is what should have
happened, in one form or another. So whatever we decide to do is what we will
do. I don't foresee us damaging the timeline. I've done some pretty disruptive
things, and the temporal dimension has righted itself every time."
He sounded so sure of himself he
appeared arrogant. The fact that he meant every word nearly floored her. One of
her old professors had taught a class on theoretical magic. He had told the
students that disrupting the timeline would, should it be possible, destroy the
very fabric of the universe. This human toyed with it like it was a child's
game. If she didn't have a foal by this being, then she would regret her
decision for whatever her remaining years might be.
She went to speak. Their horns were
still locked together. "I can hear everything you think my dearest little mare.
I am not averse to offering you a foal. But be warned that I have neither the
capacity nor the assurance of being available to be his proper sire. It's happened
before. But...I will say this. You are free to remain in Hobarrow as long as you
wish, and by the same token, you are free to leave whenever you wish. I will
neither push you away, nor can I be dedicated in a manner that I find to be
suitable. I made a firm commitment to Sybeele, and she has gone to
extraordinary lengths to be here with me. "
Alma's mental answer made him let
out an undignified guffaw. "My, my, my. When was the last time you got laid my
pretty little pony?"
He loosened his grip on her horn,
allowing her to stand normally. "I'm not a pony, damn you, and as you know all
too well it's been ninety years since I've had the pleasure. Do you think
you're game to making up the lost time?"
The images that flowed into her
brain put her system on the edge of an orgasm...and he hadn't even touched her!
But the thought that he projected caught her off guard. She considered it for
about three seconds before complying. Jon-Tom was delighted. He had the
opportunity once before to do this, of a sort, but his commitment to Talea kept
him from considering it. Sybeele had sanctioned this, so there was no reason
not to get as much out of it as he could. The clock was ticking after all.
She followed his directions,
shifting her body into a comfortable position on her back. Equines never had
sex like this, but then at the moment that rule was fairly much moot. He
straddled her, getting in position over her back legs. She wanted him in and
her impatience was making her antsy. "Calm down girl. We'll get there soon enough."
Indeed he did. Once he found the
best position, he allowed his cock to slide out. She couldn't see it, but she
could feel the weight of it. It might give Maarteel's a run for the money. The
tip of it found its way where it needed to be. Lubrication was no problem, as
it was flowing out in a little rivulet. She would never have believed he could
reach bottom, but then she had never encountered a male unicorn before. He
adjusted his length, finding that it was the longest he had ever had to make it.
"Damn
Alma! I've been a dragon on several occasions, but never once did I have to
opportunity of making love to one. As human, it would have been rather pointless;
kind of like the mouse raping the lion."
She
sucked in a deep breath. When she exhaled she whispered, "No one I know..." A
little smoke flowed around her teeth and curled to the ceiling. As it was, she
was raptly engrossed by the sensation of his cock inside her, moving around
like a serpent. Once it hit bottom, or top or whatever, she could feel him
expanding it until she knew it had to be the size of a small tree trunk. It was
as if a L'borean riding snake had invaded her body.
He
ground his belly against her scaly underside, pushing in with all his might.
She was wondering where he could keep that much cock when it dawned on her that
she had just went from equine to dragon to equine to dragon again. That was a
hell of a lot more change in mass than one cock. Magic did some funny things.
She'd put her mind to it later. Right now it was time to shut down the brain
and let the hormones flow.
She
propped her head and neck in a corner of the room, being able to simultaneously
relax and watch him work. He wasn't small, but she presently massed four times
what he did. It didn't seem to bother him. He planted his back hooves on the
stone floor and grasped her sides with the front ones. Any tighter and she was
sure he was going to dent her scales! She let her wings out to her sides and
lowered herself into the pleasurable feeling.
Jon-Tom
had considered bedding the lovely unicorn a privilege, but his mind had gone
one step further. He had had his cock in a lot of females, but never had he had
a chance like this. It was almost too bad he couldn't change into the dragon he
had come to inhabit as of late, but that was his wife's doing. It wasn't a
complaint. Just idle wishing.
The
first thing he noticed was that she was hot. He had hardly noticed when his own
dragon blood was running at a temperature far higher than a normal human body
could withstand. Her's was equal to that. She was warm enough inside to cause
him to break out in a sweat. It was alright by him. What was sex if a person
didn't perspire a little? Besides, there were other things to be concerned
about.
He was
finding his hooves didn't get a grip on the smooth stone floor. He finally gave
up and worked with his front legs, which already had a tight lock around her
lower belly. He had sufficient strength to pull with them. She didn't mind.
With his rear support gone, his full weight bore down on her flesh. He hardly
massed enough to cause discomfort. Quite the contrary, it was a glorious
feeling. As he worked away, she reveled in how this was the best she'd felt in
nearly a century. Her cares were suddenly gone, and her body was topped out in
pleasurable activity. And the best thing was, she might finally get to be a
mother! And it was all ahppeneing within the span of a single day.
Jon-Tom
could sense her thoughts clearly. It made him smile inside. While he was
delving into her deepest bodily reaches, he was plumbing her mind as well. She
was so relaxed that he had no trouble wandering through it, much like taking a
pleasant walk through a flowered meadow. She was full of surprises despite the
difficulty of her decades of draconian living. He carefully backed out and
returned to his own mind. Just in time too. He could feel his body rising up to
the peak that arrived just before a climax. He caught hold of it and made it a
plateau, keeping himself from blowing.
Alma had
felt a tickle in her mind, like having a fly in her ear. It wasn't enough to
distract her from the tension building up in her belly. When she felt him
stiffen up even harder (if that was possible) she knew he was ready to blow.
She brought her lower legs up and encircled his body. She wisely locked her
toes together to keep her deadly claws off his fine black hide. Her embrace was
enough to crush a normal sized creature. She was careful not to overdo it.
Jon-Tom
had intended to keep going for a few moments longer when he felt her shift and
lock him in place. It was such a turn-on he lost his concentration and spilled
forth. He was going to thrust with a fury, but was unable to move. Instead, he
could feel her take over, using her locked limbs and tail to move him. She did
it with forced deliberateness. As the minutes ticked by she became more
forceful, so that by the time she came he felt like she was going to be pushing
his entire equine body into her hot depths. He ignored what discomfort there
was when his own body responded again. This time it was nearly painful, pushing
as it did through already tightened passages. He couldn't help but let loose a
whinny as his fluids ripped from their moorings and shot like a cannon into her
waiting body.
She
shuddered with him; then, as one they fell into a state of euphoric stupor. She
reached down with a massive paw and gently stroked his mane. "I'm glad Maarteel
isn't around to hear this, but that beat anything that old brute could ever do.
I would never have thought of doing something like this in a manner, well, like
this. You certainly know how to show a girl a good time!"
He was
lying rather sprawled over top of her belly. His cock was mostly still inside.
With the length he had had to create, pulling out was going to be more work than
he wanted to do right now. "And you're quite the dragon Alma. Thanks! In all my
years, I really never had an opportunity like this!"
She
gave him a massive hug. "I find that hard to believe, after all I've seen in
your head. Too bad I can't recall more of it, but I was rather drawn to your
sexual experiences. And come to think of it, I believe you did have sex as a
dragon!" Her tone wasn't remonstrating, just one of surprise.
He
chuckled out a whinny. "Yes, I did. I was the dragon, and my wife was the
female. I could tell you about it sometime. That was quite the experience. It
was when I found out I had a son by Mel-Aura. He was sick and my form happened
to be perfect for fixing what ailed him."
She
searched his memories and found the image associated with the name Mel-Aura.
She was a lovely golden eagle, with feathers that glowed like the metal so many
valued. She was something to behold. "I say Jon-Tom...or do you prefer Aiden
Drake?" His chuckle was barely discernible.
"It's
less confusing to use my normal name, but if you'd like, you can use Aiden.
I've got nicknames up the butt, so to speak. All I ask is that you be
consistent."
"Then
Jon-Tom it is. What I was wondering was; all these female you've bedded. Now
that I'm one of them, what will that mean for me?
He gave
a mental shrug which carried over to her mind. "Like I said, I have a
commitment to Sybeele. I was surprised she allowed this little union to happen.
As for you, I already told you you could stay in town if you wished. I'll not
deny the foal is ours. I mean, what is anyone going to do? I run the town and I
have the power to back up my decrees. There is nothing anyone can do to cajole
me or control me. It's why I sent Huntchy to meet up with his loves. If they
want him still, then I will gladly officiate their union. I was married once to
a wonderful horse myself."
She
nodded her scaly head. "Yes, I seem to recall. Lorissa, wasn't it?"
He
smiled. "Yes, that's right. She was a wonderful little thing. She was the
descendant of Dhoov Capell and Fairy Hooves."
"Yes, I
saw them in your mind too. But that got me thinking. If I look like this Fairy
Hooves, what's to say she's not one of my descendants? Wouldn't that mean that
your presence here was preordained? And if you are, therefore, the sire to my
foal, wouldn't that make your foal with her your descendant on both sides?"
She
thought she might have gotten him thinking on this, but he let it slide off his
hide like cool water. "You may be right. I have no way of knowing what will
happen with our foal. He or she may go on to start the bloodline that becomes
the House Capell. What difference does it make?"
She was
very thoughtful for a few minutes. He didn't intrude into her mind, but waited
for her to think things through. "But don't you see Jon-Tom; the timeline will
feed back upon itself. Thats what my teacher said. It will get stuck in a loop,
feeding upon itself in an inescapable paradox."
"Oh I
get what you're saying. That by going back in time I have essentially become my
own grandfather-sort-of-thing. That could very well be except for one fact
which you've failed to take into account. I'm not from here. I'm an
off-worlder. My old mentor Clothahump pulled me from my planet to this one.
Therefore I have no past here. I got thrown into my own world by accident and I
did no damage whatsoever. One might say my part there was preordained, as what
I did actually happened. Therefore, here my presence is a wildcard. I either
was never supposed to be here, or I was predestined to be here. Either way, I
quit worrying a long time ago."
That
stumped her. "I see. Instead of being a fixed point, you are a random one. That
goes against what I was taught. But my teachers had only their own experiences
and learning to go by. So you may, in your own time, have already done
everything that you have yet to do here? That's a bit mind boggling. I can see
where you would do well to stick with your spouse. But what's to say that your
descendants from her might not evolve into your human wife, what was her name...?"
"Talea.
And again, you may be correct. But if it happens to be the case, I think that
our genetics will have diverged enough not to cause a problem. We have a son
together, before any of this time travel stuff, and he came out well enough.
Besides, my genetics are rather restricted, as you say, by my faithfulness to
my wife. She knows I'll always do what I
think is best, even when it comes down to something like this. She made a deal
with Eve just to be pulled across the cosmos like I was."
That got
her thinking on another note. "Yes, this goddess figure I saw in your head. I
do not understand her at all. Could you sum her up for me?"
"Eve is
the life force of this planet. I extracted her as a personality, and put my own
power back into the planet's core to keep it going. She is now free to roam at
will. It is her ability to time travel that has brought me back here. I have no
idea what I'm supposed to be doing, so I do what comes to mind. I'm not dead
yet, so I'm doing something right."
"Where
is this Eve?"
He
shrugged his big black shoulders. "I haven't the faintest idea. She comes and
goes as she pleases. She could be back in my time, or she could be here somewhere.
She can change into any form, or no form at all. I just don't dwell on her,
since I have no control over her."
Alma
got a crafty look on her face. "I don't think that's true. If you really wanted
to get a hold of her, could you not just go to where you found her before? She
would, by definition, still be there as a prisoner of her own body. Thus, where
ever she might be in time, if you contacted her in the present, the memory of
it should carry down the line."
He was
so taken aback by this logic he startled himself back into human form. He had
to make some hasty adjustments to his anatomy. Doing that, he slid off her
belly and onto the floor. She did the same, turning back into a unicorn. She
had to struggle a moment to get upright. She found her center of gravity and
stood.
"I
never thought of that. Of course she would still be here, but I wonder how she
can be in two places at once? That would be a paradox if ever there was one.
And she was here, because she brought me here. This will take some deep thought
for me to evaluate the possibilities."
She was
smugly happy with herself. She had just pointed out something to him that he
had never considered. That meant that despite his power, he was still a
prisoner of his own foibles. It was somehow reassuring. As he was wrapped in
thought, she glanced over his naked body. It was funny how his naked ape-form
was beginning to grow on her. It was too bad her secondary form was a dragon.
There wasn't much a dragon and a human could do well together. Then a smile
crossed her face. Or was there?