//------------------------------// // CONGA COMMENCES! (Because the previous chapter was long enough, and I promised CoNgA!) // Story: Advent of The CuddleBugs // by ConnorTempest //------------------------------// "CON~GA!" Shouted the drunk Tune, wearing a large sombrero with some hatchlings playing in it. He was dancing wildly along with the rest of the Changelings. Somehow or another he managed to swagger his way a vendor stall without collapsing, he took a seat, placing his hat and hatchlings on the ground. Turning he saw a Changeling from another hive, and with his drunken spirit he said, "Hello beautiful~." The other Changeling looked around for a second before turning toward Tune. "I'm a dude." Tunes drunk mind responded to this quickly and he turned around and walked away, scooping his hat and the hatchlings up and placing them on his head. When Tune got of out sight the other Changeling quickly scanned the area before tapping the vendor stall. As she did two other Changelings rose from behind the counter. "Well that was a bit harsh..." one of them said. "But very effective." the other one added. "He won't be thinking of me anytime soon, I can tell you that." the first Changeling chuckled. Somewhere else in the festival Akrid and Mantis were walking together, having lost Tiny to the Conga line. Eventually they found a game stall, a simple Ring-Toss. Akrid walked up, dragging Mantis behind her, and tapped on the table, gaining the attention of the stall owner. "Ah! Young Akrid and young Mantis, enjoying the fair?" he asked, handing both of them three rings each. "Of course! Have you seen any of your old Hive?" Akrid asked, tossing a ring which misses. "No, they decide not to come it seems." he responded as Akrid tossed another ring, this one tapping the neck of a bottle. "Pity, Which hive did you hail from anyways, Traveler Surrogate?" Mantis asked as Akrid flung her final ring like a disc, merely skimming over the tops of the bottles. She then slumped on the counter. "Fifteenth." Surrogate answered while Mantis tossed his first ring, it bounced off a bottle. "Didn't they abandon their hive, heading south?" Mantis asked, leaning slightly and sticking his hooves out, his tongue barely hanging out. "Aye, they did, but I got lost and ended up heading elsewhere. Found myself at a farm where I befriended the owners. They fed and housed me, and I helped with chores and scaring any 'Nightmares' away." Surrogate told them. Mantis was tossing the ring up and down in his hoof while listening. "So what happened to them? Seeing as you're here now." Mantis asked, gripping the ring. "Oh, they're doing swell, but when I arrived I wanted to form a pact with the family, I grew quite fond of them, and to preform a pact I needed the permission of a hive leader, yours was the first I came upon; as for right now, I'm just here for the festivities." Surrogate explained. Mantis had returned to his slightly bent over position. Closing one eye, he gently tossed the ring and watched as it fell around the neck of a bottle. "YES!" He yelled, hooves in the air and a smile on his face. "Congratulations, here's your prize." Surrogate said, handing him a stuffed dragon plushie. Taking his prize he nudged Akrid, placing it on her head. "Come on cheer up, the day is young!" He said, taking her hoof and dragging her to another of the many stalls, the plushie bouncing softly on her head as she gave a smile. "TUNE! TUNE! I'm going to gut you when I find you!" Alter yelled, who was wearing a nurse uniform. How did I let him talk me into this? she thought angrily. Turning a corner she ran, or more accurately, crashed into something. Standing up she noticed what she ran into, more rather who she ran into. "Agh...watch where your running please." the Changeling said, still in a daze. "What's the hurry anyway? The festival is all day lon-Hello~what's this?" He said, finally regaining his sense. He gave a small frown, "Wait, did I just die? Are you some spirit come to whisk me away?" Alter began to blush furiously, avoiding eye contact with the other Changeling, "Ah-em...No, I'm pretty sure you're still alive. S-Sorry for ramming into you, Anyway gotta go, have to strangle an idiot, bye!" She said, turning to run. "Hey, why don't you try the Conga line if your looking for a drunk?" he offered. She stopped and gave him a skeptical look. "Nearly everybuggy in the Conga line is drunk." she deadpanned. "Better than nothing, right?" "...I guess..." she said, now running toward the Conga line. The Changeling turned around and watched her leave. "Wow...Dat-" "AAAAAASSSSSSSS!" Screamed a dripping wet Transmute, who was running for his life on his hind legs, forehooves in the air. Trailing behind him was a horde of mares. Turning the corner he saw an alley, and seizing the chance he dove for it. Then a thought from the back of his head managed to poke it's way to the front. "...They can smell me..." he said aloud in realization and horror. As if on cue the ground began to rumble as the sound of hooves grew louder. Looking for an exit Transmute spotted none, he was cornered. In desperation he flew up, only for one of his hind legs to be caught and dragged to the ground. "ATLAS!" The Albino Cuddlebug yelled as he was dragged away by the hoard, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" In truth it was, Atlas had been carrying some chemical pheromones and crashed into Transmute, covering him in the stuff, and mix that with a bunch of drunk mares...it's not pleasant. Strolling behind the hoard of mares was Atlas, notebook and quill in hoof. "...chemical pheromone mixture number-87...successful...continuing further observation..." He muttered whistle writing.