//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: My little hive. 
// Story: Astro Lord - Act I Molten Rage 
// by Uros 
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The night was quite beautiful today, a veritable contrast when one thought about what was happening around the world. It had been hidden, almost, but too many people had suffered this new illness, some short of comatose state that left people in limbo. They required no food, no water, and it happened all over the place, not only in third world countries, as it had been theorized at first, but everywhere.

There were so many affected in such a short time... Panic rose like fire when the count reached five million, and a worldwide program was started to have all the victims directed to certain locations once it was discovered that there was no risk of contagion after a few unlucky breaches. It was almost like someone had wanted to laugh at their faces by simply dismantling every precaution that the doctors had put in place, only for several teams to notice they were perfectly fine while a random passerby fell into deep sleep outside of the hospital they were located at.

Someone really had a very special sense of humor.

Once it had been discovered that this 'sickness' was not a contagious one, and once the locations had been decided and made public, things had been good... for a while. People were scared, and despite this malady being little more than a Russian roulette kind of thing (a game that had you wondering if you had your gun loaded or not before you checked by shooting yourself was quite the perfect comparison here), it was very common for most people to freak out when anyone showed the symptoms. It went to the point of treating the affected as carriers of a damn plague by people that would've gone through tooth and nail with them because simple fear makes people worse than stupid.

What were the symptoms? Let's talk about the most obvious affected people: Insomniacs. These people, in extreme cases, do not sleep; they just rest and close their eyes, hoping for some relaxation and recovery. Now imagine that these people finally manage to sleep a few hours for a few days, no pauses, all of them straight in a nice line without a single bump. Then they sleep like any normal person, maybe six, seven, eight hours... There will be a time that has them sleeping almost a whole day whenever they finally close their eyes, and once the twenty four hours mark is reached, there is almost nothing left to do, because once you break twenty five hours you won't wake up again as far as the medics are concerned.

Was it a problem? Not really, not when compared to some of the most destructive sicknesses in the world, be it artificial or made by nature one way in another. It was new though, and that was the problem. With people fearing for their lives, loved ones and other such things, it was very easy to just push others away when it became apparent that they were going to go down that route. This was partially because, as far as scientists had determined, there was nearly not a chance to bring the affected back to the world of the awake unless there was a, very unlikely, breakthrough.

Under the starlight sky there was someone that wondered if that had been the reason for him to be in this situation, or if it had been him being, simply and plainly put, stupid.

"Bro, let it go"

It was not one, for in truth there were two. There was not a time in the life of either of the two men that they had been separated from one another for more than a few hours. They weren't brothers by blood, but as far as they were concerned they were brothers in every sense of the word, more so than most.

On the right was Amos, most known as Bone, and on the left was Pacho, most known as Bender.

Amos was a tower o f a man, almost literally, with two meters and four, almost five, centimeters to his name. Lanky and thin, most people considered him to be a sickly man, which didn't help any when they saw that he suffered from albinism, had a clear skin that allowed to see the veins close to the surface and that his eyes were of a red that approached pink just enough for it to be some more ammo that people used against him.

He had soft features with a bit of a stubby nose that was smaller than usual, he lacked width as far as his back went and, as far as lanky people go, he was noticeably longer in certain parts of his body, longer than he 'should' be anyway. It wasn't exactly bad though, mostly because while he lacked a bit of meat in those bone ( he didn't eat that much), he was very strong as far as his arms went. It was easy to notice if one looked, and one of the few things he took pride in, because while his legs were perfect for jumping, it had been his arms that had the lion's share of the work every night that he did what he loved most: Parkour.

You could say that the young man was accident prone.

Despite this it was hard to take a look at Amos. He usually went around with the trademark clothing that both brothers were known for: Green hoodie with a pair of bones on a red circle on the back with the words 'Bone' written in bold white letters over the picture. This is paired with a white shirt under the hoodie and blue pants. He tends to wear durable shoes with a good grip.

If you ever saw this guy jumping around like a monkey it would be with those clothes on, the hood up, his self inflicted baldness covered (he shaved his hair a lot) and most of his body concealed but for his eyes. Considering that he was not a people's person, talked as little as possible, was as direct as a kick to the nuts and had a hate for liars that could spur violence as easily as you could snap your fingers, most people had learned to just give him a wide berth whenever 'Bone' was around, with or without his brother.

"She promised" And despite appearances, Amos was a very soft individual, as his bloodshot eyes showed.

His brother was a total contrast in most cases, and this didn't just meant height. True, Pacho had the Hispanic features of a Mexican while his brother was American, true that he had quite the belly and very muscular arms and legs, TRUE that he was TRULLY bald and he had a well trimmed beard and moustache that made him look like a younger Santa, and yes, he was barely over a meter fifty, but that wasn't what made them both all that different.

Physically speaking Pacho was almost the polar opposite of his brother. Large nose, wide back, muscular (and rotund) frame... He was basically a dwarf in appearance as far as most people were concerned. He was short, stocky, had harsh features born by how hard he worked compared to his little brother, whom preferred to take things calmly unlike Pacho, whom worked hard every day of his life, and he was tanned since he preferred sunny days to the cover of the night.

It was a myriad of differences as far as the physical body goes, but Pacho was mostly different in that he had made sure to steal his brother's spotlight every time he could. Why? Because Amos had simply asked for him to do so.

Horny and forward, friendly and jovial, welcoming of food and drink, Pacho did his best to captivate everyone's attention when he was in the room. At first it had been so he could make sure his brother was as inconspicuous as possible, but he had learned to enjoy the attention over time and it had basically made him the charismatic front of the two brothers. They were tighter than tight however and it was so damn hard for people to get Pacho to forget about his brother that it looked impossible despite how different the two of them seemed to be.

As a testament they were matched in many ways, like the clothes: Red hoodie with a broken iron pipe located within a green circle on the back with the words 'Bender' written in bold black letters over the picture. This is paired with a black shirt under the hoodie and blue pants. Unlike his brother he preferred booths with metal reinforced tips and usually adds gloves to his repertoire.

The 'Bone Bender Brothers', a moniker they got after their first fight. Quick, nimble and precise in his blows, Bone was there to support the tanking and hard hitting Bender. Could you believe this stupidity was born after a little school brawl over the brothers' favorite game? If you are thinking Super Mario Brothers you'd be right.

And yea, it was stupid, but it stuck and they were quite happy with it, so they made it a thing, a very obvious thing, as you could see from his clothes.

Hell, they even had their own 'Peach'. Well, 'had' would be more precise.

"Bro" That was why it was being so damn hard for Pacho to help his brother "Let it go man... I know it is recent, but..."

"It is NOT easy, brother"

Pacho hardly had a frown or scowl in his face, and it matched his voice. Gentle but grave, as if he was a giant of a man, while Amos was light and quiet, even when angry. Right now both of them were full of hurt.

"You must understand that people are scared" Despite his best efforts and how much he knew about his brother, meaning everything, this was a lost cause "Sara didn't mean to hurt you"

Amos scoffed at that "Yet she did, again"

Unlike the real Mario Brothers, these two had their own brand as far as 'princess' goes. Sara was more like Daisy than Peach, but she got in so many problems that even the tomboy couldn't get out of every mess she made. And unlike in the games it wasn't the 'red plumber' the one to get the goodies. They had grown together, they had been friends since they were young, but it was obvious that Pacho and Sara were just that while Amos and her had wanted a thing since they were teenagers.

Less than a month after they start and everything goes to hell, go figure.

There had been a few problems at home, with their parents panicking as their family was hit hard by this new sickness. Both Amos and Pacho had almost been forced to stay within their house at all times and their parents had snapped at them so many times that even the understanding pair was hurt. With every friend they had made also refusing to get close to them as more people from their family became sick, it didn't take long for their parents to notice they were sleeping longer and longer and react either.

"It isn't fair" And once things escalated, Amos just broke.

Years making the few friends he had, that is how hard it had been for him, everyone knew that he would've preferred to be alone. And yet, with how little he enjoyed most modern topics, be it games, movies or even books and series, it was hard to just make small talk when he wanted to talk, but he had done so. Now those friends had said their last goodbye by running away, scared of a monster, at least that is how Amos saw it.

So many failed attempts to approach Sara because he thought it would just blow in his face, so many heartaches, so much hurt, with hope blooming when he was about to let it go, only for her to react in a less than stellar fashion once he told her what was happening. As said Amos was, despite his usually stony exterior, quite weak emotionally, and this time even his brother had been utterly floored.

At any other time, ANY other, going to the woods during the night would've meant a campfire, some marshmallows, his brother getting drunk and a few laughs as he monkeyed around from tree to tree, much to his brother's delight. Today it meant loneliness and a tiredness that was encroaching like an impending storm. To say that Amos' birthday, the mark of his twenty two years of age, had gone down the shitter was, to put it bluntly, underplaying how fucked up this month had been.

"It isn't fair, a'ight" Pacho was, at least, intact enough to try and knock some sense into him "But are you sure we should be here, bro? Why not go back and..."

Amos wanted none of it "Do we need food and drink?"

"Well, the brainiacs say we don't but..."

His brother cut him as quickly as he could "Then I want to rest in peace"

Was this stupid? Oh, you have NO idea. Well, not that stupid really, more like self centered if you knew what Amos wanted to do. The woods close to the city were, sadly, devoid of big animals, and the predators were mostly small ones. The younger brother had been all but subtle whenever he muttered to himself, so his brother had caught on.

For that reason Pacho had made sure to send a message to their parents with his phone, saying they would probably stay in their usual spot within the woods. It is true that Pacho was hurt, probably as much as Amos, but he wasn't as uncaring as his brother and his broken heart, even if he too wanted for many things to happen in a different way. He just hopped that his brother would be the first to go to sleep, but telling him that would be stupid.

Whatever else he wanted to say he kept to himself, it was the smart thing to do. Getting Amos riled up was not exactly something anyone wanted to do one on one, much like with Pacho. Alone thy could wreck someone's face, together they could wreck whole groups, standard co-op as far as close knit teams go. Whenever they fought, usually play fighting, they ended up bruised.

Fighting him out of anger was not something Pacho wanted to do, not like he wanted to hurt his baby bro or tire him out faster than necessary. This was going to be their last day awake if he was correct, and while he worried, he wanted it to be peaceful.

Yea, that wasn't going to happen.

"Happy birthday to me"

Both brothers felt Amos' melancholic tone in different ways. Pacho felt like hell just because he was unable to help his brother. Amos just feel like a discarded tissue. Both of them just felt bad thinking about their family and friends and how they reacted, but could they blame them? What was going to happen was basically guaranteed unlife as far as the scientists and doctors were concerned.

Hell, even Amos had said that he wasn't sure about how to react if someone he knew ended up afflicted this way, and he did a great apathetic act.

At least the clearing they were headed to had not changed any: The usual four stumps, the rock circle ready for a fire, the almost ever present pile of crap left by some of the less civilized visitors that the brothers usually cleaned because no one else gave a damn... Yes, at least this one thing hadn't changed any.

"Greetings"

Or had it?

No, the place was the same, minus a single person clad in a brown fedora, jacket and pants, all of it high end alongside a very well kept white shirt, black tie and black shoes. Sharp features crossed his face with a well trimmed beard, populated eyebrows and a perfect smirk and nose to match it all. Taller than Amos and perfect in his proportions, with a large cane with a silver head in one hand and a bundle of something cradled to his chest in the other, the man was an imposing figure waiting right there, as if it was the right thing to do and he had been expecting the pair.

"A few minutes late, but it was to be expected that schedules weren't going to be mingle perfectly" The man smirked with a voice full of mirth as he lifted his face just enough for both brothers to see the red glint and that yellow color even under the moonlight "I trust you had no problem coming here?"

Pacho was the first to react, one step forward and a fist up "Who are...!?"

The man shushed him quickly with his cane pointing at the shorter brother "Please... the little one is sleeping"

It came as a shock to see that the little bundle that the man had in his arm was nothing more than a little horse, or it looked as a horse at first. It quickly became obvious that it wasn't.

For starters: The thing was black, and it looked segmented, as if it had a carapace. Want more? It had a very little horn with a hole in the middle, gossamer wings, holes all over its legs (Seven tiny ones in each) and the mane and tail were of a light purple coloration that was just not normal, that and even the damn things had holes on them too. This is if we miss the pair of prominent fangs that the little creature had on its cute little muzzle.

"Poor little thing" The man said with care and a smile as he looked down "His parents left him here when they found out he was sick, like you two are" Pacho lost whatever was left in him after the shock, with Amos just standing there, watching "Such an unlucky little one... You humans tend to be chaotic, but being downright evil? Not so much, and yet this poor thing was unlucky" The man tsked at that "No matter, he will be much happier with his new mother, and I am sure he'll entertain me quite a lot as a just reward"

"Who are you?" This time it was Amos the one to talk. He was even, almost dropping to a whisper in his tone.

"That is much better" The man smirked and bowed just enough, almost mockingly, towards them "Discord, spirit of chaos, creator of mischief and funny guy to know and party with. I also have a mean poker face" The hushed chuckle did tell the brothers just enough: This guy was crazy. The information he gave was just the icing on the cake after they processed it "I came with an offer"

"An offer" No question, no statement, just disbelief. Pacho resumed a neutral stance as he crossed his arms "If you expected us then you do know enough to be aware that we don't tolerate this kind of crap, right?"

"Would be funny if you did" Discord smirked widely, showing a single fang growing from the corner of his mouth, just big enough to show even when he closed his mouth "Then again, this is not the usual 'Pick up, drop in the forest' kind of thing I do" That made both brothers twitch for a second "After all, and no offense to you, I hardly make my involvement known. It is just les funny when humans are ready for the travel"

Blood ran cold at the many possible implications, and neither brother wanted to explore what the man meant. He was obviously insane and... different in ways they could not explain.

"Oh don't worry about little old me" The man's smirk and playful voice made both brothers flinch "I am not the one to make the offer per se, kids, it is my friend the one you have to hear out"

A loud snapping sound caught the brothers by surprise, making them flinch and turn their heads away from the man. At any other time they'd decide who watched the back and who watched the front, but right now the situation was a bit special so to speak. Paired with tiredness and just plain worry, well, both of them ended up with an eyefull of changeling.

Many questions were made and unmade at lighting speeds within the brothers' minds as they saw the creature walking towards them: Was it an alien? As in a xenomorph, those that burst from your chest and all? Not really, but there was an undertone to it as far as the brothers could see. Was it simply a monster? If you cross a bug with a horse she did look that way, but not exactly. Was it simply a mythical creature? That could be it, but still...

Whatever it was, it was soft to the eyes, as if it was a... cartoon, so to speak. Was it a visual hallucination of some kind? Altered perception? Or was it something else? Whatever the case it was obvious that such a creature had to have sharper features than that, like a real mix of a bug and an equine. Instead of that, instead of the sharp exoskeleton, menacing mandibles, weird antennae, strange hair and whatever other thing most bugs had, the changeling was, well, pretty in a sense, with those green eyes looking their way and a smile that seemed perfect.

Had the eyes turned up the brightness at some point? Because there had been a flash and the brothers found the thought of the creature being 'pretty' as alien after a moment. There was not denying that it walked with a regal poise and very sure of itself, until their moment of admiration vanished at least.

"Do allow me, gentlemen" Discord had approached the pair without making a single sound. For a man at least over two meters and ten centimeters, wide as he was, it was impossible for him to do so in this place "Meet my friend: Queen Chrysalis, leader of her hive and mother of the brood of changelings under her command" His grin was a mix that neither brother wanted to describe. They already had their minds full.

"Please Discord, leave the games until we are done" Chrysalis' voice, or simply the fact that she was speaking, caught the brothers by surprise. She didn't miss it of course, so she turned to face them with a smile "But I am Chrysalis, and I was told I was here to meet you two..." She lifted a one of her forelegs and offered a hoof to the pair so as to encourage them to... to do what?

Oh! Pacho knew right away, and this was one of those situations he had to defuse before his brother got a conniption.

"Pacho, Pacho Baros" He pointed at his brother before shaking the queen's hoof, just in case "Amos Baros, we are brothers"

The grin on the changeling was... unsettling as she took the hoof away once the greeting was done "Delighted to meet you two, my darlings" She almost purred "Would you like to know why are we here?"

Amos nodded crisply at her question, but Discord was faster than the queen this time "Well my friends, allow me" He chuckled as he started, much to the brothers' surprise, to levitate until he was inches away from Chrysalis "I am perfectly aware of the sickness that has afflicted your kind, and you two" The brothers flinched, making Discord chuckle "Do not worry; no one is in danger, not an imminent one anyway" Which didn't help them in any way "Except for the little one and you two"

"You see" Discord cut before they could ask any questions "This is not a malady born here my friends, it was created in our world by a hostile entity" He offered another smile before he touched the ground without a sound, just shy of stepping on Chrysalis' hoof, much to the mare's displeasure "It is affecting this one because we are linked, and it is affecting you two, and the young one, worse than many other people because you have suffered certain events that have weakened your grip in life, in a manner of speaking" The brothers eyed one another for a moment. No need to ask questions when it came to which events "This, sadly, means that unless you are, let's say 'treated', you will die"

"The sickness just forces us to sleep" Was Amos' curt, short reply.

"Under normal circumstances, yes" Discord wasn't affected, or he didn't seem to mind at least "But in  your case? In your case your soul will just be plucked away, much like your inherent magic energy" If there was a question here, it just died. It just did. There was a weird creature and a floating man in the picture, who would just ASK about magic instead of just winging it in case you got force chocked for being dumb? "So the offer here is simple"

Amos wasn't dumb, but this was one case that didn't allow him to see truth or lie as clearly as he'd like to "You are going to offer us a way out?"

"With consequences, of course" That did make Amos relax a bit. At least there were consequences, not the 'perfect choice' that would have raised red flags to fill a country "You two cannot stay here. If you remain on Earth you will just waste away, and I dislike waste, a lot" The way Discord said it had an air of finality that neither brother liked "I can take the both you to another world, full of magic, that will fuel the remedy I can offer you, but it will be a permanent transfer and you two need to know it beforehand" All as straightforward as one could hope with this much bull... "There you will find no other humans, or not many anyway, not yet. There will be many more that will be unable to cope with grief, anger and many other feelings, situations that will weaken their souls, thus there will be many other humans that will end in our world. This will help and lessen the effect of this sickness, but you should understand that it will not cure it"

Pacho clenched his fists at that, but Discord hadn't finished "An incredibly evil creature linked our worlds together and created the entity that is generating the phenomenon that ails you two. Said phenomenon could be resumed as a magic imbalance that is hurting both worlds, and the moment one of said worlds dies, most probably yours" The brothers flinched "Then the other one dies too. Doing it this way will 'cleanse' the worlds, which is what this entity wants, but it will take time, so as you can imagine..."

"It will just get worse" Both brothers said at the same time.

"Exactly" Discord smirked as he nodded "But things should get better if what we are trying to do works, something that will inherently require people like you. More humans will end in our world and we do need to make sure things are okay and that everyone gets along, after all  you will be in a new world with many different species that are as intelligent as you" This brought no surprise, after all it was mild compared to just seeing one of said species pop out of the woods like it was nothing "So the offer is not just whether or not you accept to come, because you WILL come with us" And this was said in such a serious tone that no amount of balls could counteract "The offer, offers, are... different"

"I offer you two a place in my hive" Chrysalis purred, surprising both of them.

The brothers snapped to attention like a pair of soldiers.

"Let's say that I know a lot about you too, like I do about the little one, it is part of my job after all" Discord grinned, disappearing from view for a few seconds, only to appear behind the pair while the young one floated in midair "He was mistreated, abandoned, practically abused... You, Amos" He began with a casual tone as if it was nothing "Have been lied and betrayed, you have been left in your time of need and the love you sought was just taken away" Which made the tall man fume and look away "While your brother has been given fake friendships and suffered the disdain of others on his back to keep attention away from you for years, and he has endured it with a smile" He placed a hand on each brother's shoulder "Neither of you feel wanted"

"I, on the other hoof, would offer the opposite" Chrysalis kept her purring tone as she approached the pair "No lies, my dears" Her grin widened "Acceptance of who you are, and a big and nice family that will keep you company" 

Her toothy grin was... unnerving, but was it insincere? Pacho had his arms crossed, wondering, while Amos stared at those big, green eyes. Really, was it worse than being here? Was it worse than the alternative he had opted for? That he didn't really give a damn didn't help much, but his mind was tired and the temptation was there.

"Would you lie to us?" Amos pursed his lips as Chrysalis sat, relaxed, with an entertained smirk, in front of him "Would you leave us like everyone here?"

"No, I wouldn't"

She didn't say why, nor did she specify if she would not lie or leave them. It was obvious she didn't want to and Amos knew she would not do so even if he asked. He wasn't going to anyway. He felt heartbroken, abandoned and angry, but he wasn't one to lash out unless he could, unlike many people that did their best to make it happen regardless of the consequences.

Amos had decided to come here to die, and if there was any kind of truth to the man, Discord, and his words, then he would have died and nobody would've cared until they found out. He was sick, his brother was sick, and instead of support when everyone knew that they wouldn't get sick themselves, they treated the brothers like the walking dead, both in disgust and fear. Was this normal? To not give a damn? Well, that was the point: Not fucks given. That it was the right thing to do or not didn't matter, maybe it would matter, later on, but not now.

People would call him mad, or they would at least call him stupid, but at the moment he didn't give a shit about anyone else's opinion except his brother, and Amos knew that his brother would come with him if he decided to go. Besides, would you care about anything when you were about to die, be it by your hand or someone else, once it was obvious you WOULD die and you could do nothing but to trust the devil and its deal?

Weird alien creature offering a home to be alongside magical human thingy? He had seen worse on the internet, so fuck it.

So, to resume it all for you: "I accept" To which his brother reacted by almost breaking his own neck. Turning his way that fast wasn't healthy "Going in blind or having a place? If she is sincere, then I accept"

"You have to be fuckin' kiddin' me, bro" Pacho was basically stupefied "We have jus' been told we were goin' to die, man, if we don't go to this other world bullshit that is"

"You are going whether you like it or not" Discord pointed out matter of factly.

"Whatever" The older and smaller of the brothers was trying to wrap his head around this "Thing is: We are screwed, probably drugged, suffering from hallucinations or the like"

Chrysalis eyed him with curiosity "What is his problem?"

"He freaks when he isn't in control" Was Amos' simple response.

And it was true too: Pacho kept the attention on his person, talked people out of almost any problem, be it his own, his brother, friends or family, or managed to get things done one way or another. He was all sunshine and lollipops all the time, but he was always more or less in the lead. It wasn't something all that important to know because he hardly got surprised, and if something goes down the drain, it goes down the drain... But a situation that couldn't be explained to this extent? This was considered 'out of control' in his book.

"... and we don't know if you are right in the head right now!" It also made him prone to rambling, though Amos knew how to tune him out.

"New place with a guide? New place and good luck? Option A" Was his morose response.

"..." Pacho just rubbed his forehead. A good wall, or a close enough tree, would've gotten a different response out of him "You really don't give a fuck"

Amos just shrugged "Not really. There are worse things"

"... Fuck you, bro, fuck you" Pacho grunted and just shook his head before his smirk returned "Well, let's say this is happening and that I haven't fallen asleep on the way here" That got a chuckle from Discord while Chrysalis just gave him a deadpan stare "And let's say I accept..."

"Yeeees...?" Chrysalis arched an eyebrow at him.

"What is the catch?"

The mare chuckled openly at his question "A level headed one when it suits you, aren't you?" She smirked at the man's questioning glance "Well my dear, truth be told, us changelings aren't in the... best of terms with the rest of the world" Her purring tone hid obvious anger and distaste, but she hid it like a master with her sweet voice and calm acting "And with how things have been, why, I think that mending bridges would be an apt thing to do" Chrysalis didn't catch herself on time as she winked at the man in a teasing way, and much to her surprise neither of them seemed worried, disgusted or just plain surprised. In Equestria she'd been incarcerated for less, mostly because ponies knew about her and what her 'favors' entailed "So, in all sincerity, you would be helping me out and I would be helping you in return"

Ironic how things would turn out to be in the future.

"I scratch your back, you scratch mine, huh?" Pacho didn't seem to like that as much as he thought he would.

"Oh don't get me wrong my dear" Chrysalis got up from her sitting position and flapped her wings gently until she lifted herself, gently sitting on a low branch close by "My kind is, shall we say, misunderstood. We aren't like the rest, we need to change ourselves to be able to blend in" Her purr became more obvious until a flash of green light blinded the brothers for a second. When they opened their eyes the only thing they saw on that branch was a black cat staring with deep green eyes in their direction "So..." And the surprise was as Chrysalis expected "I would think you two of all people would prefer a place where you could be ourselves, a place with... kindred spirits. It would be a mutually beneficial deal, one where the mismatched find common grounds to care for each other"

Well, that was that. Vague promises of a 'good life' or just rocking it by ear. If this was really as things looked, and Pacho wasn't all that sure about it yet, then could be the worst thing to happen?

Stupid question, yea, you know you fuck up when you ask that one.

"That is not the only thing though, I do offer you a little something else, a choice, so to speak" Discord distracted both brothers from their worries and thoughts as he proofed into existence in front of them with his hand open "There are more choices than  you those you see, so pick one"

On his hand rested two bands. One of them was white, the other was black, quite simple. He had them extended in a way that made them fall down on both sides, but they weren't more than a few inches in length and as simple as they come, other than being capable of shining brightly under the moonlight.

"Do not be shy, do pick one" Discord smiled, his red pupils watching the pair intently "This will be a parting gift, one you can keep until I come to collect them. It may be soon, it may be not, but this will be a bit of a lucky charm one way or another to show you that I do mean well" He chuckled at that, making Chrysalis hiss at him "Most the time at least"

The brothers eyed those bands, and from out of nowhere the things multiplied. Instead of just two bands there were four, perfect for both of them to chose whichever one they wanted. Since Pacho had already decided that 'Hey, fuck it' was the only viable option, he went ahead and picked the black band. Amos was reluctant even after his brother had pocketed his own, looking perfectly fine and with Discord still smiling.

"Something the matter, my young friend?" Discord grinned at the younger brother.

"No, just thinking" Was his simple answer.

"Do be careful" And even such a simple thing made Discord chuckle "They say that it is bad for your health" He winked at him and waited, still as a statue.

Amos let out what could be considered a chuckle despite his best effort. The man was damn crazy, but at the moment crazy was perfectly fine with Amos, mostly because he hardly gave much of a damn and this case made that little concern go fuck itself. 

So Amos just shrugged and picked the band in the middle.

Not white, not black, it was a grey band that hadn't been there before. Discord had said that there were more choices, so it was obviously hinting at something like this. Amos was sure that he could have chosen to not pick any band, but not doing so had seemed wrong somehow.

"I was right with you, kid" Discord's voice was full of mirth "You were a good choice, both of you" The bands just disappeared from his hand as he pulled away, giving them a playful nod "Now, what will it be? Do you want to wake up wherever, or are you accept Chrysalis' offer?"

The brothers looked at each other, one worried, the other uncaring at this point. Both asked the same question at the same time "For the swarm?" And at least got each other to smile amidst the craziness before nodding to each other "For the swarm"

Pacho smirked at his brother "Someone has to keep an eye on you, you know, so you don't blow in front of a crowd"

"Said the wanted sex offender" His brother replied in kind.

Discord did his best not to laugh, mostly to respect the little one if nothing else, but at any other time he would've been roaring for a good while now. Maybe the humans didn't know it, maybe they did, but the spirit of chaos was having quite a blast with how things were going right now. He had a hunch indeed, and he loved it when those paid off in spades, much like this one did.

Chrysalis decided to get back to ground level by then, change back and also approach the brothers. At that point it became obvious that the mare was as tall, if not more (Which was quite probable but hard to see at night), as Amos. This close and with her smile in full force it was easy for Pacho to think of her as dangerous, though his brother kept the neutral face he had been offering since this had started. That only served to make the mare's smile wider it seemed.

"Good to hear, my dears. I am sure you two will be a fine addition to my little hive, and capable of oh so many things" She let her purring tone drip with a flirtatious undertone that made Amos shiver, the one and only reaction the mare had managed to get out of him "But you will need to sleep for a bit for my friend to work his magic, if all is done"

The brothers nodded and Discord closed in once more, only for Chrysalis to stop him when she remembered a little something.

"Do wait a moment though, this is a perfect time" 

Her smirk curved a bit, but neither brother saw it as she inclined her head enough for her mane to hide most of her face as she touched Pacho on the forehead. The stockier of the brothers promptly felt dizzy and fell on his ass, with his brother's attempt to help being halted by Chrysalis touching his forehead in the same way with her horn. That made Amos felt both the dizziness and the small pinprick of pain that surged through his mind, as well as the sliver of blood running down his forehead, as if Chrysalis had penetrated his skin (Though the feeling made him think it had gone right to the brain for a single moment) before he fell on his knees, sweating profusely as he gasped for a few seconds.

"You two will feel more at home with my children and me once you wake up, though it may take you some time to appreciate, or control, my gift" Chrysalis half whispered to them "Now sleep, and have sweet dreams" Neither brother heard or saw what was hidden behind the mare's mane or apparent kind words as Discord snapped his fingers.

The sound didn't even fade before both humans were in a heap on the ground.

Once both humans were out of it, at least as far as Chrysalis could see, and care, Discord let out an animated (Literally, the words appeared all around him) 'POOF' and changed back to his usual form. Without effort, and despite the lack of magic still around him, the large draconequus lifted the little larva atop of Amos before both figures were guided to the sleeping Pacho. Discord let out a little chuckle at the sight and stopped himself before he muttered something aloud.

"Good, let's go" Chrysalis cut the purring from her voice altogether, sounding serious and to the point "The portal is close by and I don't want to risk Celestia finding about this, not yet anyway"

"That sounds like a plan" The mirth in Discord's words was all too obvious for the changeling queen's tastes "Sounds so, so boring"

"You wouldn't dare" Chrysalis hissed at Discord without any hint of fear.

"Of course not, taking that much control of things would damper my fun" Discord waved her concerns away, after all he knew how Celestia was. He was pretty sure that Chrysalis' little plan was going to get shattered, and he would laugh a lot when it happened "Besides, whatever happens, happens, and I'll be entertained. In fact I have some popcorn ready by now I am sure"

"Better be true" Chrysalis growled as she walked towards Discord. She had managed to hide it before but there was a glint in her eye, madness ready to break free, that looked outright unnatural "There is too much at stake!" She hissed to him in a low tone.

"Oh do be quiet my dear, you could be heard" The spirit of chaos was having too much fun at the mare's expense, but she needed this little set up more than she realized "But believe me, my little dragonfly" And it was oh so hard not to laugh as Chrysalis reddened with ire "This will give you what you desire most"

Chrysalis didn't miss the wink Discord offered her, much less his tone. She hadn't been alive when he was at his best and causing the most chaos, but she had been around and heard from his 'reformed' antics. That was more than enough to give her pause. No one was stupid enough to trust him fully, not with some leverage. He WAS genuinely friendly, mostly because he always ended up with entertaining someone apart from himself, but things could get out of hand.

"Then we should move, unless you do want for us to be discovered" As apprehensive as she was Chrysalis still had many an emotion dripping like venom from her voice.

"Do not worry about me, my dear ladybug" Chrysalis did wince at such bad pun "I'll drop them close to the portal,  you just need to get there and take them away. Treat them well and you'll have your dues, as I promised"

Chrysalis grumbled something before the bundle of people, and larva, was transported somewhere else with Discord looking their way. Amos was the only one awake, and barely at that, but he was still very aware of whatever was being said, which had made his utter distaste for manipulators quite known to Discord. For the magical being it was much easier than even Chrysalis to read someone's feelings, he was an specialist as far as manipulation and control (the opposite would be equally accurate) went after all.

"Do give her a chance, friend" He spoke to apparently no one. Amos was sure whom was his target though "Chrysalis has a few problems she should be able to iron out" Strangely enough, Discord did his best to sound neutral as he talked "You could use a lesson or two too, you know?" And that killed it "But in all seriousness; don't jump to conclusions yet, it would spoil so many things for me"

After that it was sweet oblivion for Amos.





The fog within the young man's mind was shattered in the same way as his sleep and mind were: By a literal burst of pain. It wasn't anything new, since he had gone out with his brother a couple more times than recommended, which meant very big headaches after a night of drinking with their friends thanks to those stupid games they played. So yea, waking up dizzy, with a huge throbbing headache and feeling like he was about to puke was more or less normal. Not being able to move at all was new though.

Waking up to the sound of dripping water on stone? Nice. Opening his eyes to see darkness illuminated by faint light? Cool. Seeing his body trapped by some kind of green/grey thing? Yep, he was sure he remembered something about aliens, it was a lingering thought on his mind, but whenever that happened once he opened his eyes it meant a nightmare and brutal pain in his chest.

...

Any day now.

...

Hello?

OF COURSE Amos wasn't going to say anything. People in dreams usually did, probably would do it in real life too, stereotypes (And confusion, and stupidity, and just plain fear) die hard, but much like he did all the time, talking was not part of his routine if he could help it. The thing was, and it was rather important, that this kind of dream usually took place before a lot of imaginary pain surged forward alongside screeches, blood, entrails, etc. You get the picture. But it didn't take more than a few seconds.

After that it was all sunshine and rainbows since it basically wasted a whole night's worth of sleep, dreams seemed to be funky that way as far as he was concerned. This time was weird because he was basically struggling a little bit and the cocoon, or whatever the hell was trapping him, was slowly giving away.

Scratch that, it gave away.

*Crack!*

"Shit!"

*THUD*

Face full of stone, pain in the noggin, he was awake.

"Fuck"

There was no life flashing in front of his eyes, but the previous night did come to his mind in a quick rush of memories. Surprising when you consider that he barely avoided cracking his skull against the floor. Then again it is not every day that you find magic, or whatever the hell that was, and an insectoid horse of some kind, a talking one at that.

Interesting night indeed.

Getting back to his feet was easy enough, minus the dizziness of course. Walking was a chore however, and instead of trying to get out of here, or at least finding where 'here' was, Amos found himself resting against the remains of the cocoon as he looked around in search for something or someone, hopefully his brother. He found the place deserted however, with little more than the droplets of water disturbing the silence.

Despite the water's apparent nonstop echo, which would get old quite fast in Amos' mind, there was no stalactite or stalagmite formation anywhere. The area was spacious and clean, except for the remains of the cocoon Amos had been in and a much sturdier looking one, not to mention smaller, a few steps away from him. It looked completely grey instead of somewhat green like the one he had been on, and only when he found that did Amos notice that his own was graying out slowly around the area that had been destroyed so he could get out.

That is to say that his brother had been up before for a while. Typical.

While Amos waited, trying to get his legs to work properly and expecting the dizziness to go away at some point, he noticed that the light was coming from some kind of bug. It was large, very quiet and he was close to him. It resembled a segmented scarab, but it was larger and it didn't seem to have wings, only a multitude of plated segments connected, segments that gave off faint light that illuminated quite a lot. It didn't seem to have the normal eyes for a bug, even when Amos closed in a bit more, it was... stylized, like the body of the creature, Chrysalis, that had offered them a new home.

He was about to touch the bug, just for curiosity's shake, when he noticed that his hand wasn't the same. Well, it WAS the same, but he had to put some effort before he saw it as it would normally be. It was so damn weird to see himself... softer? It was hard to explain, but the best way to go about it would be this: It was as if he was slightly more cartoony.

Literally, whatever it was, wherever he was and whatever had happened, perception seemed to have sifted. He was still himself, he was sure of it, and his hands were still pale, with his veins visible as they had always been, but it just was... softer, smoother. It looked like someone had taken all the time in the world to just draw and animate him.

You know what? There were worse things to wake up to, like the massive claw marks that had been imprinted all over one of the walls. It looked like Godzilla had decided to come by and redecorate his home by hand, literally, and the cuts looked so smooth that, perception playing tricks or not, Amos was sure that he didn't want to meet whatever could cut stone like it was butter. He could be very, very stupid, but not that kind of stupid.

The wonders of what would happen if he poked the luminescent bug on the side became secondary as Amos got up, new determination found, and walked towards the only corridor available for him. There could be many things out there, but right now the only one he cared about was his brother and his health. If there was a creature out there...

"Hey bro"

Amos almost got another face full of floor.

His brother was perfectly okay, and he, much like Amos himself, looked slightly different, but by now Amos had already decided that this was going to be the norm, so screw it. What wasn't the norm was the creature that his brother was hugging like his life depended on it.

It was smaller than Amos, that much was obvious and borderline expected, but it was also slightly smaller than Pacho himself. One meter something in height, more or less one ten, maybe one fifteen at best, and probably little more than a meter in length. As far as Pacho was concerned the creature in his arms was close to him in size, but it lacked the width to compare since the little thing was quite as thin as Amos.

The black creature on Pacho's arms was like Chrysalis in a sense. By this it meant that it had a horn, wings, holes on its legs (Just three in each, almost egg shaped all of them), a pair of little fangs showing from the sides of her cute muzzle and also the colorful spot of carapace on its back where the wings were located, though in this case it was a very light green, much like its eyes. That part called to him because the creature did have white pupils within those eyes, but they were purely green otherwise, and the light coloration made the pupils almost impossible to see if you didn't look for them.

Its horn seemed to be shattered at first, but it wasn't. It just looked like a large, thin needle with four smaller ones growing on the side, pointing at the larger protrusion's tip once they stopped growing. While Chrysalis' horn was large and twisted like if it was a tool of war, the insectoid's own horn looked like a fixed antennae of some kind. Amos could call it interesting, maybe cute, but he would really call it different as far as horns went, as well as fragile looking.

A few inches away from the base of that horn was its mane. Unlike its black carapace the mane on its head was of white coloration with slight hints of green that managed to flow down the creature's head to her neck, reaching the midway point between neck and body before splitting in four directions for a short while. It was interesting to see the mane rigid over its head and neck, as if standing to attention, looking almost solid, while the four segments lower down were floppy, as if whatever made them stand had been shattered, but no wound seemed to exist on the creature's body.

Overall its body was lithe, and other than its tail seemingly having the same split as its mane (meaning its base looked rigid, only to let four different strands fly everywhere past certain point), she looked just like a miniature version of Chrysalis, minus the pouty frown and pleading eyes asking Amos for help.

Well, there was something that did call for his attention once Amos took another look at the creature's base: Two socks were lying on the ground while. They were long and with hooves in mind, not only that but they seemed to match the green on the creature's body quite well. Pacho seemed way too happy while he 'forced' the second one into a perfect fit for the poor thing in his arms.

That... that just made him chuckle and crack a smirk despite his mood.

"Meet Quadra, the cuddliest changeling, ever" Pacho announced with a grin on his face and voice.

"I am not cuddly..." Quadra pouted with but a whisper. Her cute voice would've made a normal person aww.

Amos was about to laugh, but caught himself in time to sound at least partially serious "So I see... I was scared out of my mind when I didn't see you"

"Oh yea, you seemed to need more time to rest" Pacho began with a nod of his head as he picked up the third sock "Seems you were worse than me, just a bit though, but still"

Amos grumbled a bit at that. The last pieces of the previous night were coming to him still, but he was sure of what he had heard before he was put to sleep, just a few minutes after his brother. There were other things in his mind but he couldn't place them, neither did he know what they meant.

"I have to say that a whole day seemed overkill, but I was promised you would be well" Amos did raise one eyebrow at that. A whole day? "I got to meet Quadra, her sisters Dual and Triada, and her brother Uno, so I was busy, otherwise I would've pummeled you until you woke up" Quadra squeaked as Pacho chuckled "Once I managed to calm down and get out of here I also found work right away. Do you know that they made a tunnel going to the closest village? And do you know they lacked a decent bartender? Now you can't laugh at me for liking a good drink"

Amos just pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation "You can't be serious..."

"I couldn't stay put man! There was so much sugar waiting for me, so many flavors, so many drinks!" Quadra eeped at the eager Pacho and his antics "You better get there tonight too, there are other humans already here, I meet them this morning and told them you'd be over once you got your sorry ass out of bed"

"I dislike socializing" Amos growled at his brother "And I am not in the mood"

"Yea, well, I don't give a flying fucking fuck" Pacho was indeed in high spirits as he kept on harassing the poor changeling "And you stay quiet. Rarity offered you some clothes and you chose the leg warmers"

"I don't want my wings touched..." Quadra spoke in such a squeaky voice it could just be considered pure sugar.

"But you are such a cuddly thing!"

She pouted again "I am not..."

"For the love of all that is holy, sweet and good" Both Quadra and Pacho looked at the increasingly frustrated Amos "You haven't done anything, have you?"

"Not yet" Pacho grinned from ear to ear "I mean, we got here, I woke in the morning, meet the hive, went out, talked with a nice tall mare that is almost as tall as you, found out about her protégé, they are alicorns by the way, and princesses too in case you wanna know, and then they gave me a tour around Ponyville" His brother didn't let the glare drop "I didn't say anything bad to anyone, I swear"

"No hitting on girls?" Amos prodded further.

"Nope! The ratio is fucked up though, so I doubt they would mind" And the shit eating grin he had spoke volumes of him.

Amos was beyond concerned when he asked "How screwed is that ratio?"

That was the wrong question because Pacho's eyes lit "Depends on the place and species" Pacho picked up the last of the socks, much to Quadra's chagrin. She had hoped that the man would forget about those things "There are theories, or so I was told by Cheerilee a teacher at the village. Basically they range from the wrath of the gods or some shit, to a deliberate gender imbalance to force feed the sharing of love in quite a few ways, as well as the acceptance of homosexuality and such, something about the betterment of everyone and the creation of harmony. I honestly thought it was bullshit and it is just magic being magic since this place seems to have a lot of it"

"For example" He started to recall what he had been told "Gryphons and dragons, and yes, they do exist here, have a gender imbalance of two to one in favor of females, while minotaurs and diamond dogs (I don't know what the fuck diamond dogs are) have the complete opposite. I was told that gryphons and dragons are basically cranky motherfuckers, but not violent unless provoked one way or another, while minotaurs and diamond dogs seem to be naturally aggressive, so another theory has that into account and says that the more violence prone a species is, the more males they have" Pacho thought for a moment until he added "Then again I really don't know shit about how things work here"

"Mmmhmm, and where is here?" By now it was obvious that Amos was only paying partial attention.

"We are in Equestria, believe it or not, and yes: Horse puns, a lot of them" Amos groaned even more than Quadra as Pacho finally got the last sock on her "The population? Ponies, mostly. Pegasi, unicorns, normal ponies that are called earth ponies as well as crystal ponies and bat ponies called thestrals with a few alicorns, and now our little hive is added to the mix" He smiled at that.

Amos felt satisfied with that, but Pacho just kept babbling "Ponies are really pacific most the time, but it depends on the place they live in, there is a 95% chance of you finding nice ponies anywhere you go though. They do have the most random imbalance though, because Cheerilee told me that there are places with almost one to one gender ratio, but they are extremely rare, while some areas have up to eight mares to one stallion! True that there are spells to have a temporal sex change, natural or artificial hermaphrodites, or the usual adoption, but ponies are very open about love and fun" His grin just got bigger "Boy, I can tell you I am going to get around" He laughed obnoxiously while Quadra tried her best to escape "Trying to escape again?"

"Pleeeease, let me go. I want to have my wings free" Quadra pleaded, giving Pacho the best puppy eyes she could.

"Aww... okay, okay, I'll be nice. I need to get up anyway before my ass gets numb" He sighed and let the changeling go. She just got up and walked away a few steps, she had been asked to guard him after all, but hugging made her uncomfortable "And before you ask" Pacho got up, finally eyeing his brother once more "Yea, ponies don't really need males around, so they are one of the most chill species as far as homosexuality goes, in fact I meant it when I said they are the most calm species I have seen, heard or read about, period. They are also basically the apex species, as ironic as it sounds, whether the other species want it or not, so their culture is quite widespread and popular, that is why most species are a bit more open than you'd expect"

"Like I care" Despite all that Amos had been told, his worry was simple and his annoyance clear "All I want is for you to stay out of trouble"

"Hey, I can be a saint" The look Amos was giving his brother could level a city "When I want to" At least that got him a nod "Besides, with monogamy all but frowned upon in this world, except in certain cultures that we probably won't meet unless we travel a lot, I am going to have a field day one way or another"

Pacho was way too happy about that, but his brother wasn't. While both were liberal as far as sex went, not caring for one's orientations, sex, likings and other such things, which seemed to included species too, they were different on the basic thing: Amos wanted someone to love, singular, Pacho just wanted to have fun. 

It had been obvious that the elder brother wasn't fond of monogamy and hated to be tied down, in fact it had been made so clear that he had been banned from the church their parents went at. It was just silly to him, and a very egoistical thing to do in his book. Amos didn't mind being a self centered asshole as far as that went because he wanted only one special someone in his life, not a damn harem.

"Hey, don't give me that look, I am not saying you should quit your little search" Pacho could be many things, but one that he wasn't, was an asshole to his brother "By all means, do go and seek someone, however I would like you to do two things" He lifted one finger. Amos sighed and prepared for his rant, because he knew what was coming.

"First: Take time to heal, and take time to calm down. I know you will get worked up easily, the same as me, until you do" Amos grumbled but didn't say anything, mostly because his brother forced the second fingers against his lips so he would shut up "And two: Get used to the idea that you will get grief if you decide to marry instead of forming a... herd. Apparently only nobles or shit like that get to have a single mate for some reason. Gay guys, even girls that don't want or need a stallion, tend to go in groups of three at least" That did make Amos grit his teeth. Did he have to get a noble to have at least something he wanted? 

Pacho was fucking giddy though, and it showed "This place is fucking perfect, bro, serious shit hardly happens, or so I am told, and most creatures tend to be very forgiving. Only monsters and other non intelligent beings will really try to screw you over, so you can talk away most worries. It will be the same if you decide to explain why you only have one mate whenever you find it"

"Because 'I' am a talker and I can explain, of course" Amos deadpanned with a level stare.

"No, you most certainly aren't and probably can't" The smallest brother grinned again "Look, what I am saying is that we are in a new place with different customs and fewer assholes. Try to open a bit and be happy, okay?"

Amos scoffed at his brother "You are the one that freaked out last night"

"Because I am still sane and I CAN have a cold and calculating mind if I decide to give two shits bout the situation" Pacho defended himself with a far serious tone than his face betrayed "Besides, you are the one that just didn't give a shit 'bout anything after... You know what? That is spilled milk, and we don't cry over that" Neither brother was able to look at the other in the eye for a few moments "But this place is great; then again the ponies did freak out a bit, and everyone that came here did so in a less than stellar way, in fact I think we are the luckiest ones and I heard Chrysalis was basically a bad guy, so yea" The short man grinned as he remembered something Amos wasn't privy to "So there are a few ponies that aren't exactly happy about us being here, that is to be expected, but they will get used to us soon. And man, there is magic, there are so many creatures and there are a lot of chicks"

"For fuck's sake"

"The internet caused much harm, okay?" Pacho, as any older brother did, enjoyed his little brother's pain whenever he could tease him like this "Look, I don't give a fuck about almost anything, but things are like this: We have lost everything" But when he was serious and his smile banished, Amos knew to pay attention and stay firm "No family, no friends, no lovers, no nothing, got it?" Amos did nod, albeit begrudgingly "I don't know if we could've said no or if we would've tossed here no matter what, I don't know if we would've died, but we are here, so fuck everything else and make most of it. Do not cry, do not weep, do nothing but live on. We have gone through similar shit before and the only thing that has changed is that there is magic and way less humans than what we are used to"

Quadra had approached the pair during Pacho's rant, prodding at the elder brother with one of her hooves "Ummm..."

"Wait a second, Quadra" But whatever the little changeling wanted to point out was lost on both humans as the elder brother keep pushing "Do we have a deal, bro? You didn't even think about coming here, for once it was you the one to decide, so I am telling you that I am making an effort here, an effort to be like I was before the shit hit the fan" Amos' expression softened a bit, nodding slowly "Now I want you to relax, think about what I told you, maybe talk with our little queen and go to Ponyville at night to relax"

"Sounds like a beautiful idea"

The brothers turned their heads so fast that a wince of pain was the least thing anyone expected out of them. Despite having hooves instead of feet the changeling queen was deceptively sneaky, much like her companions it seemed.

The brothers turned their heads so fast that a wince of pain was the least thing anyone expected out of them. Despite having hooves instead of feet the changeling queen was deceptively sneaky, much like her companions it seemed.

At one side, and with a painful neutral expression, was Princes Celestia. Being barely smaller than Chrysalis she was basically at eye level with Amos, and she obviously towered over Pacho like his brother did. She made sure to change her expression as soon as both brothers looked her way, but it was obvious that the queen to her side was souring her mood considerably despite appearances.

On the other side, and with a more genuine smiling face, was a smaller pony with a light purple coat and a mane with various other purple colorations, or Amos at least thought they were purple. Mostly she had what looked like very dark blue with violet and pink, the latest two in perfectly made streaks with the blue taking most of her mane and tail. Whatever, her mane and tail looked pretty much ironed, or at least brushed flat, and very well cared for, it almost shined under the dim light of the cavern.

That made Amos grunt and roll his eyes. He already didn't like the idea of technicolor creatures and how confusing it was going to get them spot on because he could see a buttload of combinations. Whatever the case, the smaller pony was as tall as Quadra, maybe slightly taller in fact, and had both horn and wings, so she was filed under 'alicorn'. 

The difference with Quadra (other than the species, of course), was that this mare (at least Amos thought it was a mare thanks to the eyelashes and all), seemed happy, curious and a maybe a big giddy as she carried a pair of saddlebags with books and some supplies that she left at the cavern's entrance with some kind of purple field.

While Celestia had the mark of the sun on her flank the other pony had a sparkle of some kind. A large pink sparkle in fact, with white bat wings and smaller, white sparkles surrounding the large one. Amos stopped looking at her flank when the little alicorn cocked her head to the side, after catching him. She didn't seem all that bothered, but her violet eyes had the shine of curiosity in them grow as she inspected him from head to toe.

Amos was willing to bet money in the obvious and simple fact laid in front of him: He wasn't going to like her.

"Hey queen lady, how's everything going?" Pacho didn't seem to mind, or detect his brother's automatic uneasiness.

"Perfectly fine, thanks you for asking" Chrysalis gave a smooth and gentle tone to her voice as she approached alongside the other two mares "But I have to say I hadn't expected you to be so... lively after coming here"

"I have drinks, I have sweets, I have a working place and there are lots of girls to ogle" Pacho enumerated with no shame whatsoever "Give me videogames and I am served"

Chrysalis chuckled good-naturedly "Well I will not be the one to deny you your fun, that is for sure" And yet Amos couldn't help but seeing something hidden behind her smirk "I'll admit I hadn't expected you to be so... promiscuous, though. I hope you won't create too many scandals for me to handle"

"Not in my first week I promise" Pacho grinned back "But browsing is free" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at that, making Chrysalis laugh some more "Speaking of browsing" Turning to his brother, Pacho all but presented Amos with little to no shame "My greatest friend and  younger brother: Amos, but call him Bone until he feels better around you. Bro, these are Princess Celestia"  He pointed at Celestia with little formality "And Princess Twilight Sparkle" And then at the purple mare.

Amos' voice was little more than a hiss "Brother..."

"Just Twilight please" Twilight's melodic voice called for Amos' attention "It is nice to meet you, Bone" She offered him a hoof as best as she was able to with the size difference.

"..." Amos stayed put for a second, but decided to bend over and shake the hoof, which Twilight seemed to grab somehow with her hoof like it was a hand. The feeling was, shall we say, different "Likewise"

"I have to say it is a welcome change" Twilight smiled, apparently quite happy after Amos let go "The other humans I saw were not as different from one another as you are" Pacho's smile fell into neutrality and Amos' expression hardened as Twilight said that "I would like some time with you to go all over your differences if you don't mind? Since the four, taking you into account, humans currently present in Equestria have been guided to Ponyville I would like to be the first to conduct some research. Your brother and the others were quite open to the idea and..."

"I am sure he wouldn't mind, Twilight" Pacho went forward as any good brother to the rescue would. Amos knew better, his little plan had been obvious by now "But he just woke up and I am sure he would like to have a few words with the queen if you don't mind?" He offered his best smile, all but a pleading look towards Chrysalis "She did spare some time for me too after all"

Twilight blinked a few times "Umm.. But... I thought..."

"Excuse Twilight if you don't mind, young Amos" Celestia came forward to defuse the situation as Amos' brow furrowed further and further "Despite all she has learned there is always something new for her to see, and she thrives when she delves in knowledge, be it old or new"

"Then sensibility seems to be a topic she needs to rediscover" Amos didn't bat an eye, neither did he, or the princesses, notice Chrysalis' grin at his words.

"Twilight is just enthusiastic about this" Celestia chuckled a bit despite the young man's lack of tact "She got used to excitement, adventure or other events happening weekly. You all have been branded as a novelty, and you will be for a while, so you have to understand that this won't be the exception, but the rule" She could do little more than offer her understanding when Amos groaned "I am sure you two will make friends and will enjoy your new home, after all I was told you knew you would be staying here"

Discord decided to use that exact moment to teleport there. He did so in a very special and very inconspicuous way of course. In fact it was night impossible, or so he thought, to be discover thanks to his camouflage. 

A crude and massive drawing in the wall.

"Oh, it is so sad, I ended up arriving a bit late" Discord chuckled, grabbing everyone's attention "Seems some beauty sleep did marvels with you though" The crudely drawn draconequus chuckled as he pointed at Amos "Hope your bed wasn't too tight for you, my friend"

Celestia directed one scornful glance to the sifting painting "You and I have yet to talk, Discord"

"Come on Celestia, aren't you the one always preaching about making your little ponies the best of the best?" Discord chuckled as his face moved from the wall to the rocky ground, expanding to cover the whole room "What better way to make them even better than having them accept others into their fold? I am sure you won't oppose to that"

A flash of light enveloped the cavern for a second, and when it was gone Celestia found herself staring at, well, another version of her. This one had a colorless mane, basically a rosy grey instead of the multicolored one, with a less vibrant white for a coat and much harsher eyes.

"Of course" And the voice was hers too, despite Discord obviously impersonating her "We may be having a little relapse here. But we wouldn't want that, do we, Tia? So how about relaxing and accepting somepony else's help for once?"

"I will relax when you stop playing games" Celestia caught herself before snorting, but the harsh tone was still there "Now how about you stop what you are doing and instead explain your impromptu visit to our young friend here? I thought you wanted to be polite after all"

"My, my, Celestia, you'd think I would come here and not offer an explanation?" Discord smiled, shedding the disguise with the cover of some randomly appearing smoke, only to show his real body "I wanted to check on our young friend here after all" Discord grinned, pointing a talon at Amos "Many of our little visitors are going to make a ruckus, but he is going to be something else, I assure you"

"Excuse me"

You know, most people would've tried to get a word in once this little debacle began, but if there wasn't obvious by now, some prefer not to say anything at all. In this case they would prefer to be anywhere but here. One or two strangers would be fine, but more than that would be smothering.

In all honesty Amos would've left outright if he had heard the group incoming. If it had been Chrysalis alone he would have stayed, though it wasn't lost on the queen how differently the young man looked to, or felt about, her, what she didn't knew was why. The fact that this section of the cave had various exits only made his nonchalant escape all the easier, not like anyone here but Chrysalis would've liked to force him to stay. Doing it would have been quite a mistake however, for various reasons.

No door closed without another being open, and the leaving human had given the queen a perfect opportunity whether he knew it or not.

"Do forgive me, princesses" Chrysalis called as she trotted towards the retreating human "It seems something else requires my attention more than our little scheduled talk"





There was silence as Chrysalis left, there was literal silence until she exited the section of the cave and her hooves resumed their clip clop as it should have been. Amos hadn't noticed it, he had been way too embroiled with his brother's rant. Celestia had noticed right away, she was sure that Chrysalis had too, but Twilight had been preoccupied with so many thoughts floating within her mind that she probably hadn't noticed. It wasn't hard to miss either, after all most ponies were so used to the sound of their hooves that they tuned it out most the time unless they were alert or searching for the sound itself in a game or something else, after all it could be quite annoying otherwise.

A spell could be easily noticed though, it would be blatantly obvious when someone wanted it to be too.

"Discord" And despite what was growing within Celestia, she made sure to keep a calm front. She had already exploded two days ago and this was not going to be a repeat "Why did you do that?"

"Whatever are you referring to, my sweet Celestia?" Discord gave an innocent grin to the mare on his side.

"Why did you cast a silence spell on our hooves?" She let go of a tired sigh "Haven't we had enough trouble?" Celestia turned to face the spirit of chaos and disharmony, wondering if her words would someday get to him or not "I lost it in front of Chrysalis over a... measly piece of paper, I haven't slept in three days in a row by now and I am not sure why I didn't dispel your little trick, thinking there was a reason to it. Would it be too much to ask for some peace and quiet once in a while?"

"My, my, are we losing our heads now?" Discord chuckled as he did just that, lose his head for a good ten seconds and acting like he was trying to find it before it reappeared, backwards "You should really calm down, Tia" In a more serious note he added "And it is not just a 'measly piece of paper', if you remember what we talked about"

"That is why I haven't had any sleep!" Celestia was unable to control herself, be it the hoof smashing the stone or her yell. A blink, another sigh, a calming breath and the worried look of Twilight got her to relax, if barely "I can't stand this, Discord, I just can't. Humans and ponies now depend on me, more so than I ever wanted ponies to. I could have endured with just our kind, maybe even the rest of the species here, but there are two worlds out there, three even. I am too old for this and I just want to rest"

Celestia was surprised to see a cane fly over her head, shy of touching her horn. When she looked at her side she saw an old looking Discord with wrinkles, bald in the tail, fake teeth and slightly grayed out with age. Her deadpan stare was noted within seconds.

"In my time, young lady" Discord waved his cane in a way that made everyone around him evade for dear life, Twilight let herself fall to the ground in the end or risk a concussion "The younglings respected their elders!" 

"Discord!" Twilight jumped back up, grabbing the cane with her teeth and throwing it away. It was more a reflex than anything else "Can you take things seriously for once?!"

Discord changed back and huffed, looking perfectly upset at Twilight's jab "I'll let you know I can be perfectly serious and collected when I want, but it is way too boring" He grumbled a few words under his breath "Besides, I was not alone in this"

The mismatched creature wasted no time, he simply pointed at Pacho.

"Yo"

"You mean... Bender helped you?" Twilight was much less direct than Celestia, and since Pacho had asked for her to use his nickname, it stuck "B-but why? I thought you would like your brother to be alright..."

"Because he isn't going to be okay" Pacho let himself fall down on his ass. He didn't give a damn that it hurt, but he showed disappointment when he found that Quadra was nowhere to be seen "I can shrug almost anything that comes my way, but..." He didn't really want to say it, it was true, yea, but it hurt.

"But your brother can't" Celestia supplied in a tired but concerned voice.

"My brother can't take shit" It was said in a much harsher way than intended, but it was true "He acts basically apathetic as all hell most the time, but he is way too sensible and gets worked up very fast. Lie to him and he'll find it perfectly fine to pummel you to a paste, and he can very well go through that without caring" He chuckled without much mirth "We got the 'Bone Bender Brothers' moniker for a reason, not only because we enjoyed that little old game, and we have had quite a few fights through our life. Be it because someone hurt someone we considered friend or family or because someone betrayed our trust, there were times we send people to the hospital, and quite a few times the reason was simply the worst one" Pacho sighed and let his back rest against the floor "We are not good people"

"I said that about myself, many times over, through the years" Celestia tried her best to calm the troubled man as she took a seat in front of the troubled brother "I assure you that there are worse things than just being slightly... aggressive"

"You don't get it" And Pacho found himself slightly exasperated at that "We aren't blood brothers, and that is only one of the many things that earned us bad looks. Do you know that there are humans that will make fun of you, or give you grief, for something as simple as a hair out of place? As far as Cheerilee told me that kind of conduct is hard to come by, at least one as serious as what we had in our world" The young man finally sat up once more "My brother suffers albinism, he has a skin condition that I am unsure is connected to that, and is prone to having brutal accidents that leave no damn marks on his body (Though that is mostly because he likes doing stupid things), that and he dislikes large groups of people. It is very easy to rile him up and I am very protective of him, heck, I have tried to shield him from the worst of it all for as long as we have been together"

By now Discord had summoned a couch from somewhere and was reading some kind of love story, if the cover was any indication, while Twilight scowled at him. Pacho didn't seem to care as he went on.

"I know he isn't a lil kid or anythin', ya know?" But everyone did notice that Pacho's speech was getting, well, worse "I thought I could make 'im a little tougher an' all, get him with mah friends and shit" He shook his head with a sad smile. English wasn't his first language, but he had been using it so long that he was almost perfect with it, unless he got worried in excess "He hardly liked to get out with us an' all, I tried to get him to come, a lot of times in fact... Ya'll would have nightmares with some of the shit I did to drag him out of the damn house"

He let out a deep sigh, calmed himself and decided to finish "I don't want to give the impression that I am breaking down here, 'kay? I was serious when I told him that I am pretty chill, but he was going to have a bad time and Discord's idea seemed sound"

"Force feeding knowledge is always a blast" Discord commented as he kept reading his book. Everyone knew he was doing something else behind their backs though "It was either that or let the introvert romantic discover that his human ideals were going to be shattered once he stepped outside of the cave system here" He stopped what he was doing and looked up in thought "Hmmm nah, would have been too big of a mess for me to clean"

"You are all heart" Twilight deadpanned as she let her ears fall down. She was worried about the younger brother after all.

"I am sorry I worked you so much Twilight, that I have to admit" The young princess' attention refocused on Pacho with a questioning look "I needed to put a lot of pressure on my brother. He needs to get angry now"

"But why?" Twilight was curious about what possible reason could exist for this "Getting angry over anything helps nopony"

"Because otherwise he would bottle that anger until the bottle shattered and it was let free" Celestia decided to explain with as much precision as possible "It is similar to what Luna suffered before she turned into Nightmare Moon, and similar to... It is a far more common problem than you think"

Pacho nodded at the princess' words "My bro talks with me, but he talks little. It is hard for him to go in a fully fledged conversation, and sooner or later he is going to let go of all the anger he has been holding since we got 'sick'"

"Do not worry my little ponies, and human" Discord hummed in high spirits "I assure you that the queen and our young friend are perfectly good for each other..." He coughed quickly and corrected his little slip "I mean to say that she will calm him down, of course" He looked over his book and offered a shy smile.

No one but Celestia saw that the cover and title of the book changed to 'Equestria Master - Ponies & Humans'. She was pretty sure that Discord did it on purpose too. All she could do was just roll her eyes at that and just hope for the best.





"Still angry?"

"Incredibly so"

Chrysalis chuckled "Did you expect to have a perfect fantasy world ready for you?"

"..." There was a moment of pause "Yes... Not that I gave it much thought"

"Oh I know you didn't. You may not be aware of it but both of you have been connected to the hive. I can read you two like a book" Chrysalis let out a low purr "True, I could do so before, but it is easier now"

"Then you know that I don't trust you" The sincerity and lack of fear was slightly off putting for Chrysalis. Amos, for his part, just stared forward.

She waited for a moment before asking "Would you have gone through with it?"

"Yes" For some reason, she flinched "We weren't going to wake up, I had lost everything. I didn't have any hope" Amos pursed his lips at that "Now I am unsure if I should have hoped for anything when you and Discord came along"

Chrysalis did her best to remain neutral at that "Just because this is not how you hoped? Don't you prefer this outcome? The idea to be with your brother? To have a family that won't let you down?" She didn't let the venom in her words show. This was hitting home more than she wanted "And what about Discord asking for you to give me a chance?"

Amos didn't say anything for a long time after that. 

He had been surprised to finally hear hooves clopping close to him, only to see Chrysalis following in his wake. When he turned to up the pace he found himself face to face with a miniature Discord, or his head to be precise, as he grinned. He had the gall to mouth 'Give her a chance' before disappearing. The time that he took to recover was enough for Chrysalis to get close to him and offer a smirk as if they were good friends.

God damn it too, because she was almost like Sa...

Of course she was, she had peeked around his brain, she had said as much. Copying Sara would be too easy, and a big mistake.

He had told her that if she tried to imitate his... previous acquaintance, he would forego any gratefulness and would instead slap her without so much as a second doubt. There were many other things he had wanted to do, both in anger and in hopes to regain what he had lost, but most feelings died as simple and stupid rage tried to take over his mind at the sight.

That had been an awkward moment, he had even been scared, but she just nodded as they resumed walking, leaving the anger behind.

Their walk had at least showed Amos that this tunnel went straight to Chrysalis' chamber, which was another reason for the queen to follow him. It was basically a very large chamber with a ledge dominating a mostly empty looking space that had been filled with an extreme variety of mushrooms, many of which were bioluminescent, green being the predominant color and the larger in size, though Chrysalis assured Amos that these could be grown to be of any color, even changed at any moment. Different hives had different giant mushrooms and they were an alternative way of having light if not enough segmented scarabs were available.

One of the largest mushrooms was so tall that it reached the naturally formed balcony, and it was wide enough to be considered a small room all on its own. The small larvae was there, napping, and despite Amos' doubts Chrysalis gave the little thing a very loving nuzzle before resting at his side. She called him 'Tiny', because the young little thing had admitted to her that he hadn't been given what his parents considered a 'real' name because he was special. The way she put it, and the way she said it, with the young one's own words, made Amos think that the young kid had been... well...

He didn't like to be so direct with this, but the little kid had been retarded, simply as that.

In fact, and since it was obvious that everything that happened the night before was beyond true, the kid had changed in body, but not in mind, so he was indeed deficient. It was never a really bad thing of course, they just needed a bit more attention and love, but they returned it in spades and were some of the best people to be around. Sadly they were so easy to manipulate or exploit that Amos felt bad for them just because of that, not pity, just sympathy because there were far too many bad people in the world. The fact that Chrysalis seemed genuinely enthralled by the young one made Amos think of her in a better light.

"I may give you one, but just one" 

He ended up saying before tearing his gaze from the pair. Chrysalis had returned to her nuzzlings, trying to make something out of the young changeling's mane, but it seemed intent on being little more than a fuzzball. Chrysalis said that Tiny had a much thinner 'hair' than she did, that it was almost real hair, a real mane, instead of what changelings had, so she had a hard time getting it done.

Amos felt no remorse whatsoever when he laughed silently at the scene.

"Hmmm... so the ice man can melt" Chrysalis purred, making sure to speak in a low voice while she was this close to Tiny "Or is there something else?"

Amos' look was one of neutrality, but Chrysalis could see he was not amused at her comment "I haven't promised anything to Discord, and since you didn't tell me the truth I don't owe you anything either" His eyes hardened at that "But my brother is happy here and I won't hurt him, so I will be civil"

"You won't try to get back at him?" Chrysalis cocked her head at that "Your brother did just hurt you"

"Like he has done, many other times" Amos let out a sigh. Even sitting as he was, even trying to calm down, he felt uncomfortable "He knows I don't take well to... certain things. I can't, I just can't, and I won't explain why to you because that is none of your business"

Chrysalis closed her mouth with a bit of a hiss that was between annoyance and a chuckle. She had made sure to try and learn as much as she could from the brothers, and she had been obviously displeased when the eldest woke up so early. Once he was up it was made clear that Pacho was mentally strong, even if he wasn't as adaptable and capable mentally as his brother, and Chrysalis meant that in the magical sense. This basically translated in worse communication that would limit Pacho as far as the hive mind went, and it would also make it more difficult for Chrysalis to address him directly in certain ways, if needed be. She was sure that Amos knew it too, since she had hardly used anything that only the elder brother knew better than the younger.

That, and she knew that Amos would catch fast when she referenced something. He had a lot more time resting than his elder brother, thus his mind had mingled longer with the hive mind. This included simple thoughts from some of her changelings to memories, even hers. It would be easy for Amos to catch the meaning of her words, or any other changeling's words, and the meaning behind them, their actions and much more. His brother didn't seem to need it, but Amos would benefit from it.

It showed, because Amos was sure that Chrysalis was pretty happy, despite setbacks. Simply because he and his brother weren't exactly model examples as far as any person, or pony, was concerned, she was happy. She had obviously lied, or she had at least hidden the truth, and that she wasn't exactly an angel was as obvious as the queen in a white room. Since neither brother was just plain 'good' she was more than glad that they decide to come, and she made no effort to hide it.

Doubts about that particular thing were the last thing on his mind, mostly because the facts were there. Chrysalis wanted them here, Discord did too, for whatever reason, and Amos had decided to go and jump through the hoop even when it was in flames because fuck it. Had it been a stupid idea? Yes, so much yes. But had it been better than the alternative?

...

Probably.

He had seen Chrysalis, he had been offered a hive, a home, a place to be where no one would frown upon him or his brother for being different. Despite Chrysalis' teasing and half truths he felt, as much as he loathed the idea of admitting this, that she was genuine. Seeing her caring for a kid that had all but been abandoned simply because he was sick and different was heartwarming, and it was that, and not Discord, that had given her the benefit of the doubt.

Or was this some manipulation? Some master plan? He had thought he would be in a nest of ants, and it probably was still that, but the lack of intellect expected on the other residents, minus Chrysalis of course, had been the first thing to be dispelled as far as misconceptions went. The simple idea of having a chance at a life he considered comfortable with his actual standards also died quite fast, mostly because if the princesses were an example, and he was pretty sure they were the best one, then the ponies would be incredibly social creatures. Guess what the hell he didn't want to be a part of.

Also, and very important, was the subject of romance. Why? Because he had messed up big time. He had grown up with love for someone, and at the first sign of the end it had shattered on her end. He had always been a romantic one, he had always hoped, because she was the one friend both brothers had, she was what he considered perfect.

But he also considered his family to be perfect despite setbacks.

Then, surprise, surprise, he was shown that no one was as perfect as he had hoped for them to be.

No one was...

They had been shunned so quickly... shunned by those he had cared or/and loved.

Was he really considering his end a better outcome than possible eternal sleep? He had never been a fatalist, more of a realist kind of person, though that mean jack where he was now with magic and all, but the idea of going to sleep forever and being dragged away to be studied/cared/stored away? He had hated it, he had hated the rejection and he only had his brother with him.

His brother, the one person that had shielded him from as much as he could while tackling problems together every day of their lives. Amos had almost left him alone because he didn't want to deal with all that crap. Despite whatever stupidity his brother did, no matter how many times he aggravated him, Amos loved his brother, and he had almost betrayed his trust like many others had done before him.

Amos felt like shit, and there was no other way around it.

"You taste turned sour"

Well, there was a way to be semi tactful about it, apparently.

"You are feeling many things, but the basic feeling is there: You feel sorry about yourself" Chrysalis was anything but subtle or gentle as far as words went though "Shame because of what you thought of doing, shame for jumping at this opportunity, shame for leaving just a moment ago and shame because you almost blew up in my face" The mare did her best not to laugh at that, but the naughty smirk was there "You could have some positive feelings, you know?"

"Yea, because it is so easy" Amos gave her a cold stare "Doesn't seem like you being nice is all that genuine either, and I don't eat or feel feelings like you do"

That did shut Chrysalis up for a moment.

"Should I be all sunshine and rainbows?" She asked after a moment "I lost everything, little by little. It began with my sons and daughters, one by one, followed by my patience, my mind and sanity, then what was left of my family, minus those that remain here today. The only reason I am still addressed as queen is because the few changelings that remain with me want to keep it up... And because Celestia seems happy to humor me, for some reason" She rolled her eyes at that, contempt obvious in her voice.

Before Amos had a chance to retort she was back in action though "But what about you? You had a breakup, you had your family and friends turn their back on you. How many were they? Less than twenty? Well, now consider around twenty being all that is left of a family of thousands" Amos grimaced at the thought "I thought so. Who is more qualified to feel sorry about themselves? Who do you think had a harder time waking up in the morning instead of allowing a manticore to eat her?" The question was, of course, rhetoric, but Amos felt so tempted to answer, just for the sake of arguing "Do excuse me if I can't feel pity for you, much less now that you have a new home and future"

Amos hummed for a second, bringing the only words that would shut her up "And you don't have a future because...?"

Chrysalis opened her mouth once, then closed it. Her smirk grew quickly "Touché, my dear human, touché. Few words seem capable of doing more than Celestia's little speeches" She laughed softly "I would have said many things a few months back, quite a few indeed, but you are right. Your brother seems to love us, quite literally, and he has been able to feed us without even feeling slightly worn out, much to my surprise, so I could consider my little hive lucky. I didn't expect to be this well off in just a few days"

"Wait until he has a few in him plus some sugar" Amos did his best not to grin "I would recommend Quadra to buy some contraceptive"

If Chrysalis was surprised she did hide it behind a little grin "I'll tell her about that" But what she didn't manage to hide was the humor behind that little grin of hers "Now, since you seem to be in a better mood, why don't you tell me what you think about doing?"

"Hmmm?" Great response, yea, but it was all that came to him.

"Your brother found work right after he got out of here" Which still surprised Chrysalis "He seems to be a highly social creature, charismatic and a bit of a jackass, but in a good sense" The human nodded, appreciating the queen's direct approach "You are not" And then frowned as said forwardness "So I wonder what will you do with yourself, after all I doubt you may enjoy a diet of fungus, insects and emotions" The mare chuckled lightly "Unless you can stomach that, you will need bits, and to get bits you will need a job. The hive will take care of you, but while ponies seemed quite ready to trust, which still surprises me, they do not feel comfortable giving us jobs... yet, so we can't support a creature with different needs within a civilized society" The queen grumbled. She had plans for a very different situation, not this one, so she had to go with the flow.

Amos frowned at that, but it was a valid question. He had a job back home, yea, but it hadn't been anything big really. Working at a game store as the guy that keeps everything tidy, the shelves stocked and those nasty kids away from the merchandise until they buy it, usually by scaring them away, isn't exactly the best thing.

"I am screwed"

"Undoubtedly so" Chrysalis couldn't help but smile widely at that "But this is also perfect for you to adapt to changeling life"

"Do explain" Chrysalis was happy that there wasn't as much confusion or distaste as there was interest on the young man's voice.

"Changelings adapt" She began "We can disguise ourselves as anypony, we can even change species, we can make it all work" And she had fun teasing him with a sultry look. It was so interesting to see a species that was as open as ponies, but so much more complex and different, as well as literally over charged with emotions. Chrysalis' visit to Amos' mind made up her mind about keeping the pair and the young man knew it "You have lost your previous life, as do most changelings when they are found. We endure, live on and get better. You shall do the same as a faithful subject and you will seek something that makes you happy since that would help the whole hive, would make you produce more for us and would ensure that you don't fall into another depression"

"Easy to say..."

"... hard to do" Chrysalis smiled "I know, remember that you are not alone as far as that goes" Once more it was very easy, disturbingly so, to notice Chrysalis being sincere. The one most disturbed about such turn of events was the mare herself "I'll admit that my interests were for you two to be food and help, as well as leverage for the little princess to bend to my will" And the most surprising part was her being sincere even if it made Amos distrust her "But having your brother poking at my changelings had made them happier than I have seen for quite a long time. He is sickeningly sweet for an oaf with his libido in overdrive, not the serious, brooding creature that this hive was used to host before you two came along"

"Live with him for a week, it grows old" Amos chuckled, mood improving as he crossed his legs "I am surprised you are being so open"

"Me too" The queen admitted as her smile fell "But I have to or our dear and magnanimous princess will have my head"

Amos threw her a curious look "Would she do that?"

"Eh..." Chrysalis shrugged as best as she could "We both have something on the other, and while she says I never harmed Equestria, so to speak, I did give her a nice headache or two" She snickered for a few moments "However she has been on edge since I came back, and Celestia has been more than just a nice monarch, so I wouldn't rule out fire and brimstone in my future. She is not a goody two hooves despite what most ponies think of their little princess"

There was a few seconds of silence that, for once, seemed uncomfortable for the both of them.

"So..." And equally interesting was for Amos to break it without beating around the bush as he focused on a certain topic "Is it true that ponies have such ranges of, well, you know..."

"Mmmhmmm" Chrysalis nodded absentmindedly "But your brother probably told the same thing that the teacher pony would tell the children: That the spells to change are temporary. This is done to accept oneself first and foremost, it is a necessity to be happy, believe me on that because I know" She cracked a smile "There ARE permanent ones, though, and both mares and stallions can use them or have an official 'medic' unicorn cast it on them. You'd be surprised how many stallions want to be mares and how many mares want to be stallions" The mare snickered at that "Changelings have it easy as far as that goes since we may identify with one sex, but we can be both, at once if desired. Simply put: The imbalance within Equestria is there because pony society likes it that way and has been so used to it that they don't want it any other way"

Amos hummed at that. His brother would enjoy the idea, hell, a lot of humans would, but Amos was straight as an arrow, or so he said, and didn't enjoy the idea of more than one lover. Whatever the case, the idea of a society willingly loving polygamy didn't sit well with him when there was a way to make one on one relationships available.

Chrysalis went on "Ponies don't need males, or strict males so to speak, and there are many more mares than colts, but the 'remedy' of changing one's gender was not widely used until recently since it was considered taboo, ironically enough" The mare could feel the young man's unease, which only seemed to make her smirk grow as a result "I sincerely don't care about that part of their story and tales, so I don't know WHY that is, but in a hive it had always been common to have more than one mate since we are all a bit family and we share more than some ponies. We go quite far in fact, and being blood related doesn't matter to us changelings in the instances that brothers or sisters get together with each other or other relatives, it just doesn't harm us, or most species for that matter, thanks to some passive magic in the world" That part Amos could've lived without "Royals tend to get whoever has decent genes and hoard them though, disregarding everything else, but I never saw the need to have anypony after I started moving. Now that I am to have a quiet life once more... things may change"

"Right" Amos didn't feel comfortable saying anything else when Chrysalis eyed him like a piece of meat, much less after she was so... direct about how things work in the hive "But then why is there such a negative view on marriage?"

"Because ponies are goody two shoes and they have Celestia in a pedestal" Chrysalis huffed with distaste "Everything has to be harmonious, good and cute. It makes me gag" And she did feign the need to puke, way too realistically. It was not her fault that she looked back at a certain wedding "Sharing is caring, and it is something ingrained on them, like those butt tattoos" Chrysalis was indeed going all out, except for the need to  yell it all out thanks to Tiny "But of course, if it is royalty it doesn't matter that two ponies love each other so much that they deprive some other mares of a colt or a mare they love because the royals are linked to Celestia and everypony knows that Celestia is best pony, so said royals deserve the best" She growled under her voice "And those that aren't related to her would have their feelings hurt if Celestia reprimanded them, so she allows the higher ups to have their piece of heaven, or whatever they call it, while the common pony has the love of many very close friends when they have a herd. Everypony wins, Celestia is a goddess, Chrysalis is the evil monster under the bed"

"You really have it in for her"

"Don't get me started or you'll be lunch"

Both shared a little chuckle. Amos felt that it had been at least a decent idea to talk to Chrysalis, if only because his mood had improved.

"Ponies have had it all so much better" Chrysalis sighed as she nuzzled the little one at her side "I can be a total monster, but they don't know what some monsters go through to end like they do, even a hydra can be like a puppy if they are raised right" She sighed "Seeing your own family dying to famine, or killed when they try to combat said famine, despite not harming anypony to do so, takes its tool. Invasion, conquest and feeding frenzy is how every changeling life ends these days, either that or you end cold hearted as most other queens, if you have that position and survive long enough"

"So you chose insanity as an extra alternative I gather" Amos prodded.

"You know I can nibble around the edges and no one will notice" The queen grinned, shutting him up "But you could say I did... or well, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter to be sincere. I just lost it between hunger, desperation and anger" She snorted "Fat load of good it did everypony in the end, even with my mind clear enough to make a decent plan for my hive to succeed"

"Everypony?" Amos arched an eyebrow at that "I would expect 'everyling', not everypony"

"Despite what most think, I am not a heartless monster, just a monster, there is a difference" Chrysalis explained with a smug tone "I would have made sure that most ponies had a happy life, in fact I could have made sure that they ALL had a happy life, even Celestia... more or less, after I conquered the place" She huffed at the thought "Cocooning them all and trapping them forever would have dried them in record time, faster if their little princesses were part of the menu. This is, of course, disregarding the sun and moon and the fact that they would be a problem since I have no connection with them and could do nothing to control the cycle of day and night if I won unless Celestia and Luna remained awake" That part had been the only one she had doubted as far as her plan went "But scare tactics do work, so I hoped the invasion went well enough for me to reign over such a large food stock that no changeling would be hungry and no pony would be permanently damaged" She grinned at Amos "I thought humans had this kind of thing mastered down to an art"

"Yea, how about no?" This time it was Amos the one to laugh "We aren't the worst out there, but there are so many closed minded humans out there that we do need help. Most humans could be nice, or so my brother says, but I am no expert on that" He thought for a second "However, long term planning? It is not our forte, let me tell you, at least it is not practiced enough"

"Shame, otherwise I would have at least one good cold head by my side" Chrysalis purred, inching maybe a bit too close for Amos' comfort, but he didn't move "And I mean it, your brother is going to get in so many problems soon enough. I don't know how he managed to tell that damn pink pony to cancel a welcoming party for us when he seemed so happy about meeting that ball of cotton candy" When Amos' only answer was to look at her questioningly Chrysalis just snorted "Pinkie Pie, hyper active sugar addict, baker of all that is sweet, party maker, you'll hate her"

Amos found himself agreeing.

"He didn't manage to get her to back off completely though, in fact he admitted that he didn't want her to" Chrysalis' smirk made Amos shudder "There is a welcoming party for the humans living in Ponyville and any willing changeling from the hive the next weekend"

Shit.

"Tell me you suddenly got a very bad sense of humor"

"Nope"

"Fuck"

"Oh my, I would be delighted, thanks for the offer"

"What the f...!?" Amos almost shouted "You know what? We'll talk more tomorrow. I am going to be with my brother today and maybe even get a job at that"

Chrysalis almost lost it when Amos got up and walked away, but the same calm, so to speak, demeanor and low tone continued in hopes to let Tiny sleep. The young man was quite sure that the mare was getting a good look at him when he walked away however, it was obvious that she had enjoyed his company for some reason and she had made sure to try and get him to relax. Maybe it was because she was technically in charge of his sorry ass, or she just wanted to fuck with him, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions this fast.

Between bravado, haughtiness and quite a dirty mind, it seemed like Chrysalis had basically copied his brother, and this he didn't like. Then again it had been made painfully obvious that mare had so many colors that it would be impossible to just pin down a set of guidelines for him to follow so he would know 'who' Chrysalis was, not in a single day. 

He was sure that she was acting, at least partially, despite what sincerity she had offered with a smile and as much tact as she could muster. If it was true that changelings had it as hard as she had told him, then he would be understanding, but the idea of someone already lying to him made his blood boil to the point that there was no other feeling on his mind but anger once he finally left the chamber. It didn't feel right to be this angry, not anymore at least, but part of him was still pissed and doing its best to remain irrational.





The feelings as he left tasted disgusting.

Basically put, Chrysalis' mood plummeted as she felt the young man's anger and distrust once more. He thought she was lying, or at least he thought that she was being dishonest, and that was after she had managed to lift his spirits a bit. That he wasn't completely wrong was more painful than she had expected.

Damn Discord to Tartarus! Why couldn't he do something without playing her for a foal?!

She wanted to scream so bad, to literally wipe half the chamber from existence, and more than anything else, she wanted to burn the damn paper piece that she had hidden within that damn crystal shard! But of course she couldn't, because it would show everypony that she wasn't doing her best, because it would deny her the chance of meeting the little fillies once again and it could even cost her the only thing that had made her smile sincerely since she got back here.

"Tiny be special, momma Chryssi, first momma said so"

Chrysalis looked down at the little one. His velvet eyes had been so sincere when he said that, and he had such a cute squeaky voice... When she promised that she would love him as if he was her, that he was her little prince, those eyes had brightened and Chrysalis had felt the love coming from the young one. Love coming from a changeling, even if he was transformed, was not supposed to be the same as what came from a pony or any other creature, yet Tiny gave that love to Chrysalis with such a little thing as that promise.

Or was it a little thing? No, it was all but a little promise, it was something sacred, something she had forgotten. Chrysalis had many children, once, but after times turned harder than ever, after food became scarce, her children became a minimal part of the hive as the bulk turned out to be formed by those fleeing from other hives with far less luck.

She remembered a time when she would love all her children no matter what, like her mother did with Chrysalis herself, like it should've been... That had been so long ago.

But she also remembered a time when she had to leave some of them behind, when she had been a ruthless creature and had lost most of her family because... because they all would've died anyway if she didn't do so.

Was it fair to blame Celestia? Maybe not, or maybe it was, she didn't care. She cared for the hive, for the few children she had left, for the little one she had with her and those two little fillies. They had been the only ponies to not leave her, they had not only feed her, but her remaining children, they were part of the hive. Celestia would not take that away from her, she had already lost everything but these few scattered remains.

She would kill whatever stood between her and whatever happiness she could get for those that remained. That happiness was in the balance because one brother was unsure about his new home and family. There could be a chance of him finding something 'better', or a chance meeting that would spook him. As far as Chrysalis was concerned there was but one thing to do.

"If something, be it pony, gryphon, diamond dog, minotaur or the bucking sun itself, tries to take him away" And she was not above being a monster once more if it was needed "Kill it"

"Of course, my queen"

The four figures within the chamber moved away, be it flying, climbing the walls or, in the case of one of them, limping on its three legs. Quadra didn't talk much, but it was because she knew her job and did it well, much like the rest of her group. They were some of Chrysalis' best children, some of the oldest still alive and with her.

She had never told them she was so proud of their little group... And she didn't plan on doing so, the damage was done and there was no point in repairing bridges that had collapsed thanks to the builder's own doings. They didn't have any love for her anyway, just respect.

All of her children had respect, obedience, maybe fear, but not love.

They didn't love their mother anymore.

A whisper claimed her attention "Mommy Chryssi... Tiny had bad dream"

Well... maybe some of them loved their mother, even if she was not their birth mother. The feeling was ecstatic however, and it had nothing to do with feeding, the taste of it or any other such thing. It was a feeling that only a mother could understand, and she had missed it greatly until recently. She would kill to keep it, she would literally do it without a second thought.

"Hush little one, mommy is here and will chase the bad dreams away" She purred, looking down at those pools of velvet and the love they had for her "Mommy will be here for you, always. I promise you" She meant it, and she'd be damned if anypony forced her to break that one promise "Go back to sleep, my little prince" Chrysalis smiled as the little larva rested against her body, yawning gently.

She could have plans, backups and a blade aimed at a few ponies' back, just in case, but she had a reason to wait and see. She had reasons to bite back her remarks, to play nice, to be pleasant. But if those reasons were taken from her, if Celestia thought that she had gone back in their deal...

Any creature could do a lot of harm if they had nothing left to lose, and if Chrysalis lost her little ones, if she lost the only thing that was making her smile with any sincerity, she would see the world burn.





"So Princess, what was that you were talking about?"

Amos had walked to the chamber his brother was at, almost. He had heard voices coming from within and curiosity was a powerful feeling within him.

"I thought you were daydreaming" Came Celestia's playful prod at Pacho "After things quieted down you seemed a bit lost"

"No debauchery, food, drink or fun" Amos could even hear his brother's shrug "I got bored, but I heard something about immortality and some such"

Celestia's voice turned a mix of curious and serious "Does immortality tantalize you?"

"Fuck no!" The answer was so strong, both in the voice's volume and the feeling behind it, that it almost made Amos jump "Who would to live forever and see everyone around them age and die? Living for a few hundred years? Good, more so if we are still young and full of spunk, if you know what I mean" Discord laughed at that while a tiny voice, that Amos assumed was Twilight, tried not to sputter "But living forever? Forget it, I would prefer to go back to Earth and see how I end when I get that eternal sleep Discord told me about"

"I see" Celestia's voice turned neutral in a heartbeat "And if the life of countless creatures depended on one being immortal?"

"Fuck that"

Amos finally took a peek, seeing Celestia's eyes going wide "Excuse me?"

Twilight was located with her back aimed at the corridor Amos was at, while Celestia and Amos were sitting in front of each other. Discord was buried behind a book but a single eye was floating around, catching Amos and winking at him, or he thought he was winking at him anyway, while the scene unfolded.

"Yea, I mean what I said" Amos saw his brother and it was obvious he was uncomfortable "Do you know how many people have written about immortality, how many people have been seeking it, and what kind of things they would gladly do for it? Many atrocities were done in pursuit of real immortality, or just the chance of being remembered. The memory would outlast everything, good or bad, but for that to be you, for you to outlast everything?" He shook his head "I would hate it if I survived my brother, I am supposed to protect him, it is the only thing I want to do more than anything else"

"And wouldn't you give everything to be with him forever?" Celestia's expression was hopeful.

"No" Amos felt his heart skip a beat "I would give everything to live a life with my bro, but not forever" Pacho grumbled something under his breath "Immortality is a punishment, not a gift. Living forever would end up hurting you in the short or long term, it would be a kind of pain that would at some point drive you mad, period. People change all the time and to try to stay still as you are for hundreds, thousands or millions of years, would end up costing you... At some point you wouldn't recognize yourself, or you would end up twisting everything you once knew"

"You seem to speak from experience more than anything else" Discord commented casually as he finished one page of his book "It is quite accurate, I have to say"

"Give a machine enough intelligence and with the speed of thought that the artificial intelligence has, they would change and develop, as well as adapt, so fast that you would meet a person in a matter of days" Pacho looked down at his crossed legs for a moment "Keep it isolated for a few days and it would be an utter eternity for the machine. Now consider yourself" He looked at Celestia once more "Can you tell me that during your long life you haven't changed from the mare you once were?"

"I can tell you she isn't" Discord made sure to speak when it was obvious Celestia wasn't going to open her mouth "In this world, the next and almost every other incarnation of Equestria, Celestia always changes after a certain little event with her sister" He finally put the book and the couch away, although he was sitting on thin air at this point "There are always variables, but the only one that stays the same is me"

"Because you are pure chaos" Twilight almost snorted at that.

"Exactly" Discord grinned widely "I am what I am, and I can be as crazy or as serious as I wish because I am chaos" He smirked as he got up, finally catching his fluttering eye to put it back in place "No one can make me do anything I don't want, and that is why I am as nice as I am now: Because I want to and because I enjoy it"

"Wasn't it because Fluttershy got under your skin?" The purple alicorn gave Discord a deadpan stare.

"Oh don't misunderstand me, Twilight" Discord smiled at her like you would a kid "I love Fluttershy, quite literally in a few instances. She is one of the few ponies I tolerate in almost any incarnation of this world because one way or another I can connect with her, either when she is sweet and caring or when she is a monster" And Discord seemed perfectly fine and serious when he said that, which seemed to make Twilight blanch at the simple thought of it "There is something in Fluttershy that calls for me, much like there is something between your brother and Cadence in any iteration of Equestria as we know it, even if it doesn't mean love itself. You could say we are quite similar in that regard"

"That is the thing, though; I can fit any role for all eternity because it is me, much like Fluttershy is herself. I will never forget, I can relive anything at any time and I can go from one point in time to another whenever I please" Discord grinned from ear to ear, literally "Once it all stops, of course, there are rules even for chaos after all, but I can enjoy any world, any life, any memory, as many times as I want, and I can tell you that if you aren't me..." He spared Amos a glance that was missed by the others "Then you don't want to live forever. At some point it all breaks down, my dear Twilight"

There was silence as Amos slumped against the wall. Where had this topic come from? And why had his brother decided to butt in? True that they played a lot of games, true that they saw a lot of typical evil guys and gals seeking or having immortality and whatever else, but he had never thought that the topic was this touchy.

Then again he barely talked, even with his brother.

"I see where you are coming" Celestia, apparently, was quicker on the uptake "And I understand you. I suppose it hasn't been fair... for anypony"

"Princess?" Twilight's concerned voice made Amos frown.

"Cadance has asked me the same thing you did, Twilight. She asked me if she would survive Shining Armor, if she would survive her own kids if they aren't alicorns. It is a difficult thing to think or talk about" There was an almost imperceptible sigh "And I have to admit that I found out how to take away the longevity charm that is cast upon any and all alicorns a long time ago" That elicited a gasp from Twilight "But I was afraid to use it... I am still scared, even today"

"Why?" Amos thought that the question would come from Twilight, maybe Pacho, but it came from Discord "That is a question I always wanted to make" He clarified "Because I know that you do it almost in every iteration, but you always get scared, and not in every single incarnation you are alone or lack somepony special, but you always seem" He searched for the word for a few moments "Let's go with lost"

There was a scrape of hooves against stone for a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence and then the intake of air.

"I am afraid of death" The world fell silent "When I visited the mirror world I saw that my opposite was equally afraid of death, but was too stubborn to lose, too angry to lose, to malicious to care in the end because she accepted what I was afraid of. I can guess that the reasons for this fear is different in every world, but I am afraid of dying... alone, truly alone"

"But you aren't..."

"Yes I am, Twilight" Celestia probably didn't intend to let her voice sound so harsh, but it happened anyway "I banished my own sister because I hurt her, I hurt everypony under my care because I was depressed, I all but tested you since foalhood to be a princess and hardly gave Cadence any choice on the matter either once I adopted her. The only pony who cared for me after getting to know me as I am was turned into a monster because I am one myself and decided to go against my first friend's wishes and recommendations, something that also cost me Starswirl's friendship" Celestia took a long and heavy breath after that "It doesn't matter if I am better or worse from one world to another, there is hardly any difference between how Chrysalis was and how I am, because I am a conniving monster that cares for the end result. And what is that end result? Everypony living even if I have to hurt somepony else to make it happen because the happiness of the many outweighs the single pony. It is always the same story, always..." 

The sound of four hooves clopping echoed quickly. It was not as surprising as the loathing that Celestia seemed to have for her own person. There wasn't any self pity, just distaste, if not simple disgust "I'll prepare the four notices you asked for, Discord. I need some time alone... and probably some sleep"

Nothing made a sound in the cave system other than the occasional buzz or the hooves as they clopped further and further away. Suddenly Amos had to think if this had been luck or someone had decided that he had to be here to hear this little rant. It was maybe one of the few things that could get him to sit down and look at everything once more.

Then he was transported to Discord's side.

"That is why your brother hates immortality and would rather have a normal life at your side"

And the moment made him feel even worse.





Many hours later, with a great deal of silence and short conversations, two figures appeared in Ponyville after what looked like a train with Discord's colors went flying through the twilight sky at supersonic speeds. It was launched towards the sky through the hole that had once nestled Ponyville's library, surprising everypony and leaving both brothers to fall face first on a pair of beds that disappeared a moment after their first bounce so they would finally crash against the ground with a groan of pain or two, but no really damaging either of them.

"I hate him" Amos growled against the cobblestone path.

"Oh come on, he is funny" Despite the fall that he had suffered, and probably a very light concussion knowing his luck, Pacho seemed perfectly happy "You just can't stand anyone for more than five minutes"

"That is not true" It was a weak retort, but it wasn't like it was a lie. It was mostly true.

Pacho got up first, shrugged with a "Whatever", then fell down on his ass when he got dizzy, got up again and kicked his brother on the side just hard enough to make him jump to his feet. Roughhousing may be a family sport, but the ponies around were already eyeing them with various degrees of curiosity or/and animosity, while one mare seemed to have fainted a couple inches in front of them.

"Man, ponies are weird" Pacho chuckled. He was indeed in high spirits, then again it was hard for him to not be happy "Now, come with me and you'll get some drinks" He all but grabbed his brother's arm to guide him through the little village.

"Twilight wasn't very happy whenever you brought the bar up"

After Celestia left Twilight had been quite silent, even Discord had been quiet, for a few minutes, possibly thinking about all the memories he had of Celestia and looking through them to see if she was so consistent through them all. It was hard to know what Discord thought about, since it could change in a heartbeat and all, but he did end up poking everyone from time to time after a while.

It was a bit depressing to hear that Celestia had managed to stay in a more or less positive mood for a few days when things started, only to have her mood plummet at supersonic speeds. It was not the best topic to talk about, but Twilight seemed to idolize Celestia and even Discord found it left a foul taste in his mouth to see 'Sun butt' like this. Both of them had their own reasons, but Discord had made sure to explain that he loved to tease Celestia as much as possible because her reactions were priceless. Right now all she did was fume and, at worst, let her anger reign, and when Celestia was angry cities could collapse, so it wasn't as fun if she all but ignored him out of anger and spite, or worse yet: sadness.

Once that topic was exhausted, better say that Twilight had gone from neutral to eye twitching angry, Pacho started talking with Amos about how simple alcohol beverages are in Equestria. Alcohol does exist, but it is hardly used and alcoholism is not only frowned upon, really frowned upon, but healed as quickly as it is developed or when it is found. For that reason toying with alcohol is not exactly common for most ponies unless it is quite light, so bars did exist but nothing a human would call a real barman, puns aside.

Pacho was so damn giddy when he told his brother that.

Maybe it wasn't his great vice (Said great vice was simple: Sweets), but Pacho knew a lot about alcohol even if he didn't go for the stronger stuff. He knew how to make a lot of different liquors, mixes and some weird recipes that not even Amos knew about because they had been 'troublesome', and when Pacho meant troublesome you don't want to be near the end result. The younger brother had considered his passion for booze to be stupid, but now he had to wonder if it had been.

Apparently the village had only one bar, which would've been something unthinkable on Earth if you asked either brother. Finding it had been easy for Pacho since he had no shame when he asked Celestia, that and he had found Pinkie Pie, whom had been more than happy to help and give him sweets. 

Talking with Berry Punch, the owner, and sharing a lot of recipes with the mare had made him get a position almost right away. Ponies were nice, and if you were nice, and helpful, you had a place in their society almost as quick as blinking. Probably a lot of that going on since Pacho did say they had 'taste tested' a few drinks.

"Ponies are so cuddly man" Pacho commented "And when Berry got drunk she was sooo clingy, it was funny and warm as all heck"

As the night settled at last, and as the bar came into view, Amos had to think hard. What if coming her had been a bad idea? He was not a social person and the ponies were the polar opposite to him. Whether alcohol was common or not, a bar would be packed at night. Pacho was delighted, but Amos was obviously not.

It didn't help that the building was thrice the size of the rest of the houses around, houses that were large enough to house humans with ease. This was explained in a simple way: Many creatures were accepted in Equestria, and human height was more or less the standard since the tallest creatures, minotaurs, were as tall, or taller, than most humans. Since ponies seemed to range from around ninety centimeters to one meter as the most common height, or one meter and half on all fours (Alicorns tended to grow as tall, or taller, than humans), the bar was positively huge and it could probably house half the village.

There were some ponies milling around, with one specific pony waving at Pacho from the door. Said pony had a cutie mark composed of a bunch of grapes and a strawberry shining against the light coming from inside the bar, with a dense mane and eyes colored a certain shade of pink, purple? Pacho clarified it and called the color 'cerise', whatever the hell cerise was. On top of that she had a mulberry (Again Pacho knew jack about what it was, he called it 'pink') coat and was barely under a meter in height, maybe a centimeter or two.

Once they got close the pony almost leaped towards Pacho, giving him a hug, being all excited and such. Amos stayed put, doing his best to ignore the stares he was getting from every single darn pony, both because he was technically new and because his brother was making a scene. Berry seemed to be as hyper when she was happy as his brother, either that or their love for the fine things in life, that being drinking, sparked friendship quite quickly.

Or Pacho was just lucky, that worked too.

"I knew you'd make it!" Berry was so cheery it was about to give Amos diabetes "Come on in, come on in! And bring your brother with you too!" She all but bounced away from Pacho and went to open the bar for everypony willing to go in.

Yea, Pacho was lucky. Amos just wanted to get away from all the stares.

"Come on bro" Pacho grunted, stifling a chuckle as he got up "Let's get you a seat and wait for the others, they promised me a story or two"

Then again, he could have it worse, right? This wasn't the first time he was handed some shock therapy from his brother, so it would be all right.

At least he wanted to believe it would be.