Peace at Last Side Stories: the Trials and Tribulations of King Thorax

by Prince_Staghorn

A Look at the Aos Sí

The Aos Sí are a relatively recent race, arising roughly 30 years ago at the time of this writing. They are for the most part located on the border of the Badlands of Equus, but have recently been appearing within Stirrope and Khaan as well.

The Aos Sí resemble brightly-colored changelings, but lack the species' distinctive holes. What's more, some individuals lack horns or have a trio of strange, jewel-like growths around the base of their necks.

"Dominant" Aos Sí are taller than their underlings, being roughly alicorn-height, and possess a pair of antlers. This is caused by hormonal changes within the dominant individual. If another Aos Sí challenges the leader and wins, the latter loses his antlers and shrinks over time, while the victor literally grows into his station.

The Aos Sí possess the ability to not only absorb and metabolize love like their changeling relatives, but can also concentrate it into a more potent form, and can even exude it, either as a means of feeding others or as an offensive weapon.

The first Aos Sí were born as hybrids from matings between female Beebras and changelings. They hatched from eggs and went through a "grubling" phase resembling a somehow adorable mixture between a changeling foal and an insect larva. From here they molted several times until reaching a stage which resembled a normal changeling, albeit one afflicted with a near-constant hunger for love and a very diluted form of the Beebra hive mind.

It was only when these hybrids used their ability to literally give love that they metamorphosed into the Aos Sí.

Modern Aos Sí bypass the "false changeling" phase when growing up, but females do lay between 1 and 4 eggs, and the young likewise pass through a grubling phase for the first few years of their life.

The Aos Sí are for the most part pacifists, though they will not by any means hesitate to fight if needed.

The Aos Sí are on good relations with both pony and changeling populations, and often sell the love they produce as a means of commerce.

Comments

[DualKitsune]

They also occasionally help weed out the more “extremely stupid and stubborn” members of Tricorncupia. By letting them invade.