//------------------------------//
// Pain Redefined 
// Story: The Changeling King 
// by th3l0stch1ld 
//------------------------------//

	Amor dreamed as he slept, but these dreams were not good dreams.  Amor kept reliving the memories he received from Chrysalis, kept reliving the pain, but Chrysalis would calm him, carry him back to reality with her tune, over and over again.  He did not awake until the next morning.  His eyes shot open with another attack of pain.  He began breathing heavy, sweating, pain filled his entire body.  He found himself with his head in Chrysalis’s hooves.
“Calm yourself, forget the pain
As your hoof feels through my main.
Fill your mind with a happy thought,
Calm your mind, and fear not.
I am here, by your side
And know that while you slept, I cried.”
Amor calmed and slowed his breathing enough to speak.  “You cried?”
“Of course.  Seeing you in pain, I imagine, was as bad as when you saw me the same way.”  A damp rag hovered to Amor and wiped the sweat from his head.  It landed nearby and a glass of water did the same.  “Drink.”  Amor obeyed, and as Chrysalis held the glass to his lips he drank.
“Chrysalis.”
“Yes?”
“Share your pain with me, no matter how much it hurts me, share your pain when you need me.”
She smiled and put her muzzle in his main.  “We’ll see.”
“No.  I don’t care what it does to me, just share your pain when need be.”
“Amor, I don’t want to put you through any more pain than you have to.”
“It’s not a matter of whether I have to or not, I want to do this for you.”
“We’ll see.”  
Amor sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get a straight answer.  “So when you said you had secrets, were you hiding anything else from me?”
“No, just this.”
“Alright.  Hey, will I get any more of those pain attacks?”
“No one can say for sure, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Amor rolled off of Chrysalis and sat up beside her, wrapping his hoof over her shoulder.  “We’re working more on the house today, right?”
Chrysalis’s head fell onto his shoulder.  “If that is what you want to do, yes, I will help.”
“Good, good.”  Amor pulled Chrysalis close.  “Let’s stay like this for a while.”
“Good idea.”  She laid back, her head on Amor.  “I hardly got…any…sleep.”  She dozed off in Amor’s hooves.  	He grinned and curled his head around her.
“Sleep, you deserve it.”  He exhaled deeply into her hair.  “Sleep.”  When he was sure she was asleep, he slipped out from under Chrysalis quietly.  Amor floated the blanket above the bed and spread it out, then placed it on top of her.  He kissed her on the head before heading out to the house, which he was going to try to finish today, although he knew he wouldn’t.  He added a layer of wax for the ceiling and started with the house’s roof.  After placing a thick layer to both of them he sat in the center of the house.  Suddenly, his head began throbbing, but he shook it off and paid no attention to it.  The ceiling was dried enough so he climbed the wall and added another layer.  After an hour Chrysalis appeared in the door.
“You really want to get this done, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.  I feel I owe her something after letting her get attaAAAUUUGHH!”  Amor fell off of the wall and hit the ground hard.  Chrysalis was quickly at his side.
“What is it, another pain attack?”  Amor only nodded.  “Okay, calm down.  Breath slowly, I’ll figure something out.”  She began casting the mind control spell and Amor instantly felt slight releif, but not enough.  She crawled up behind him and wrapped her hooves around his neck as she sang.
“Close your eyes, here my voice,
Remember that this was your choice.
Please forget all the pain,
Or else I fear my tears will rain.”  Amor’s breath slowed as the pain eased.  “It’s okay, I’m here for you.  I won’t leave your side.”  He closed his eyes as the pain numbed itself.  Amor tried to stand, but when he moved the pain began to come back, so they lied there together, motionless, but painless.  “I’m so sorry.  I never should have given you my pain.”  Tears filled Chrysalis’s eyes as she pressed her face into Amor’s neck.  It hurt, but he had to say something.
“No.  Don’t… be sorry.  You did…what you thought was right.”
Chrysalis wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.  “Don’t speak, it hurts you too much.”
“I… don’t care.  You need… to know that… you did the right thing.”  Amor winced in pain before stopping.
“You’ve proven your point. Now stop, before you cause yourself more pain.”  She nuzzled back into his neck.
“You…should work.”
“Amor, I’m not leaving your side just to work on this house.  It can wait.”  Amor was about to open his mouth in protest, but realized he didn’t want to, so he shut his mouth and closed his eyes.
“Thank… you.”
“You don’t need to thank me.  I would never leave your side.  Now shut up before you hurt yourself.”  Amor wasn’t about to argue.  His mouth felt like someone had put a hot iron to his lips, his neck felt like he had swallowed broken glass.
Amor laid there silently for what felt like an hour.  He heard Chrysalis sigh behind him and curl up.  Could she really be asleep?  I guess she did have a long night.  Amor decided it would be best if he at least tried to move.  His front right hoof twitched, but he felt no pain.  He gave a light kick, and still no pain.  Must be over.  Amor quietly climbed to his hooves.  He looked back at Chrysalis, and sure enough she was asleep, curled in a ball with her tail wrapped around herself.  Cute.  Alright, enough distractions, back to work.  Amor climbed one of the walls and applied a fresh layer of wax to it, along with the others and the roof.  Hours passed and Amor kept adding a new layer after each one, making progress rapidly.  Halfway done with the ceiling, Amor could tell he needed rest.  The wax in his mouth wasn’t right, and when he tried to apply it, it was runny.  His body wasn’t producing it right, meaning he overused himself for today.  Amor tried one more time to apply the next layer to the ceiling, but of course, it dripped right off.
“Hey!”  Amor looked down to see Chrysalis standing below him, wax splattered on her face.
“Umm… oops.”
“I think you’ve been building enough.  You worked yourself dry.”  She used her hoof to try and wipe the watery wax from her face, but only smeared it around.  Amor landed on the ground nearby and approached her.  He pulled her hoof off of her face and kissed her, then he stuck his tongue out and proceeded to lick her face, starting at her nose and dragging it to the top of her head, repeating the process until he got all of the wax out of her coat.
“Better?”
“Y-yeah, thank you.”  She blushed before turning for the door.  “Come on, it’s getting late.”