Konrad came to, curled in a soft ball of blankets in a poster bed somewhere with curtains drawn closed. He tried to remember what happened, but every attempt was blocked by Avarice. {Not letting you trap yourself. Fuck. So that's the stimulus. Better than being scared of all females though.}

'The fuck happened? I was shooting the breeze with Tia, then we got to the important matters, and next thing I know I'm waking up in a different bed.' Konrad steadied himself as he sat up and peeked out the curtains of the poster bed, finding himself in a sun-themed opulent room. 'Hey, this must be Tia's room. Why are we here?'

{Tia seems the kind sort. Likely she brought us here rather than the infirmary so we could be isolated from other potential triggers.} Avarice reasoned as they looked around while they left the bed, checking themselves to find they now wore some silk pants that were way too nice, and seemed to be from Saddle Arabia. Possibly Tia trying to make them feel comfortable with something familiar. {Wow, she's considerately generous. Then again, she probably still feels guilty.}

'Pfft. I told her not to be. Not her fault this happened.' Konrad snorted in irritation before he decided to cut to the chase. He'd been without his gear for a long time, and he needed his portable shop if he was going to be making any deals. Not to mention, nice or not; he was still a criminal for using illegal magic. So booking sounded like a good idea compared to settling on a punishment, or being banned from using his magic. Fuck that.

They could easily sense their gear in the direction of the door, and they quickly strode through the plushly carpeted chamber and opened the doors only to freeze. “Going somewhere?” Tia asked with a cheeky grin as she stood there, arms crossed under her bust as Avarice's whole ensemble floated next to her in a way that seemed as though it moved without a person, and had a slight “hot mirage” red shimmer inside the exposed space between the bandana and the hood. “I think it misses you just as much.”

Konrad blinked as he focused on the possessed black leather outfit that folded it's arms in an upset manner. “Hey! Not my fault! I was drugged for months and couldn't use magic to return to normal and break free!” Konrad yelled at the possessed outfit, which pointed at him and then waved a hand idly. “Like hell! I wasn't going to just get myself killed!” The outfit then waved him off dismissively and Konrad snorted before he casually whipped a hoof up to kick the thing down onto it's back. “Yeah. Missed me like a scorned lover.”

“The spells and enchantments woven into it are...disturbing to say the least. It had to be kept in a cell apparently, because according to some notes my guards found, it became animate after a week of separation from you, and was progressively violent in it's attempts to reach you.” Tia said as she helped the silent specter up with her magic, and it nodded to her thankfully. “Firstly, and most obviously; it is self-aware. You and it are bound together by such an iron-clad Contract that I cannot fathom just what you did to achieve this.”

{We didn't do anything...this must be that swindling fuck's work.} Avarice informed with heat in his tone, and Konrad grit his flat teeth.

“I didn't do anything. I was swindled. I never wanted this, all of this...sure, it's all good fun, it's all such an adventure, but at what cost? The moment I got here, I was a fugitive for possessing magic I didn't know how to use properly. Then I had to discover that I'm not a unique case, and that there are countless Displaced tossed among the multiverse like so many jacks. Then I died. Then I became a monster. Then I had that fulfilling time as a teacher to a lovely lass named Demir for a month. Then I had to be an adventurous idiot and throw that away once our Contract was complete to explore Equestria, and I wound up being a secret society's whipping boy for over two months! Can you possibly imagine what it's like?! To be considered evil, and unwanted the moment you rear your ugly face?!” Konrad raved at the princess who gaped at his ranting exposition while the stallion panted to try and calm down.

Tia was trying to come up with a response when the possessed black leather put a glove on her shoulder and shook it's head slowly, before it went to it's owner and gave him a hug, before vanishing and Konrad was once again, for the first time in months, properly equipped. When that happened, Konrad calmed right the fuck down, and chuckled darkly, making Tia step back a little at the sudden flip in demeanor. “What was I saying? This is too much fun. So...Princess Celestia. You know I'm not about to stop making deals, stop providing my services, stop making Contracts. I've already suffered enough in my opinion, and I feel that proper reparations are in order.”

Konrad finally returned to normal during his shockingly bipolar behavior, his Verdugo form had also gained the mass his horse form had, so that likely applied to all his forms now, and he invaded the stunned and worried mare's space by getting in her face, his eyes encompassing most of her vision. They flashed and Tia felt a Contract trying to bind her. “You do owe me. Even if it isn't your fault, as a ruler of this nation; I am due recompense for your failure in securing the structure of your own personal military.”

That did it. Celestia winced as her eyes were overtaken with the red glow, and she wilted in submission. “I had planned to regardless Avarice. You didn't have to use your magic to force me....” Celestia looked up at him. She knew the only way out of a Contract was to fulfill it to BOTH of the Contractor's satisfaction, and considering how wronged he was, she could only hope that his demands weren't too much for even her. “I will do whatever is within my power to make it up to you. This I swear.”

“Good. Good. First order of business then; you are to aid me in bringing justice to these louts. These cowards who would hide behind the innocent lives of others, and force slavery upon those of free will. There is a difference between a Contract and enslavement. Something is actually owed in the former, the later is nothing but taking.” Konrad said hatefully. Slavery had no place in economics. It only drew in more and more resources for a failing project. It is so much easier to hire workers properly than to force them through threat of pain and other wrongful harm. At least then the job is likely to be done right, and done by people actually capable of the task.

“I planned to anyway. What else. That isn't enough.” Celestia said, the Contract urging her to admit she felt the payment inadequate for the debt she owed, and Konrad blinked at her.

“That's...pretty much all I had planned. Um...anything else I can get for myself...maybe ammo since your engineers are producing it, but aside from that I don't know...money is no object to me....” Konrad thought on it, and while he was considering it, he snapped his claws. “Therapy. I need therapy to help me with my fear and rage towards...ponies like Sharp Snap.” Konrad growled hatefully.

“You mean thestral mares? I'd be happy to. What else?” Okay, Celestia's sense of debt was incredible, this mare was way too caring.

“Okay, I don't know what else.” Konrad said, giving up. “I'll think on it, just don't let yourself get all crazy about it like that stallion you mentioned. In fact, don't forget to bring him to me so I can free him of his debt.” Konrad then transformed back into his horse form, it being about second nature at this point. “Well, I'll go take a walk to think on it.” Konrad was about to walk past her, but Celestia grabbed his arm.

“Actually....” Celestia grinned lecherously as her other hand shot down and cupped his groin to his surprise, making his cheeks flush under the bandana as she lidded her eyes at him. “I think I know how I can finish repaying you~....” She licked her lips, leaned up under his bandana, and kissed him as she led him back through her doors, her magic aura encompassing them for a moment before slamming them shut.

[ $ ]

Konrad groaned as he walked down the halls to the engineer's workshop, waddling a little bit from how sore he was. 'Fucking...13 times?! In five hours?!' Konrad grunted as he rubbed his groin. He was wearing the red silk pants from earlier, and the soft material was much more comfortable than his leather pants at the moment.

{Well, at least she filled her debt. I don't think it would've happened that fast otherwise.} Avarice replied, equally frustrated with how virile they seemed to the opposite sex, and how damn randy they were themselves. They were walking alongside their equipment, which they decided to dub Vagabond. Thanks to whatever Contract bound them, whenever Vagabond was off them completely, it formed together and took shape as if someone was wearing it, reflecting their form.

Meanwhile, Celestia was in her lavish bathroom to “ensure no royal foals” were consummated considering their extremely potent fertility thanks to that bitch Sharp drugging them with fertility drugs. Said drugs had permanently enhanced their fertility and libido, along with their body, which was exactly why the said drugs were illegal and that the accepted drugs were temporary. Now they couldn't have casual sex without much more powerful contraceptive methods, and sadly condoms don't exist here yet.

'Need to change that, need to invent condoms, balloons, latex in general.' Konrad mused while trying to remember just how latex was made. Something about a poisonous tree's resin? Bah, he'd figure it out eventually. He knew it had a similar process to harvesting tannin from oak trees, so he was already halfway there. And Anthon told him learning how to collect tannin would be useless, pfft.

They arrived in the workshop, seeing several stations having been set up, and the parts he'd finished fabricating just before Snap raped him were strewn about one of them, with notes nearby on the proper construction deduced from both the blueprints and the proper parts available for practice. What he was actually looking for were the parts to his new boomstick, and when he saw them carefully arrayed about a separate table, he gestured for Vagabond to take it back, and it did so dutifully. “Ah, so you're the master crafts-stallion who helped develop this murder machine?”

Konrad's attention was turned to the voice to see an orange unicorn mare in a filthy and dirty smith's smock like Demir, and aside from her coloration, drastic size difference, and her horn, she was basically a pony version of Demir upon sight. Her green eyes contrasted with her orange coat and candy-cane striped hair, but the gleam in her eyes, and the way she held herself was so analogues to the black mare that Konrad had to smile softly in nostalgia, and remind himself to visit Demir to let her know he was okay. “Yes. Might I know your name Forge-Mistress?”

She blushed at being referred to as such by such a ripplingly-built stallion of obvious skill in the craft, but instead of becoming meek, she grinned in yet another familiar gesture of confidence that reminded him too-well of Demir. “I'm Brass Bender. I'm the one in charge of making the shells and the brass pieces for the setup. I have to say, your notes you kept in your cell on the meticulous process for “beta” brass was a big help. Now we don't accidentally get “white” brass or “alpha-beta” brass so often when we're trying to get a stronger brass.”

“Well, as you could tell by the poor-quality ingots I had piled in one of the corners I had a lot of trial and error. I'm just glad I was able to keep up production so that Sharp only whipped me when she woke me or delivered my meals....” Konrad wilted slightly at how poorly he was treated, and was just now reminded of the whip scars he had on display. His fur didn't grow back over them, leaving his paint horse coat marred by curves and lines exposing his black flesh beneath, which wasn't so bad, beings it blended with his black markings enough that it almost seemed a unique pattern.

Clearly that was the case, as Brass's ear's wilted at realizing what she'd thought was an attractive pattern was really symbols of his pain. “Oh, I-I'm so sorry for bringing that up. Forget that place.” Pretty much half of the castle knew about the atrocity, but they were keeping it under wraps so it didn't spread to the common pony. They didn't need to find out such cruel ponies were so close to their beloved solar princess.

“I can't. Even if I wanted to.” 'And thus, Recall's drawback has made itself apparent.' Konrad hissed as the memories of the whippings brought back fresh pain, and Brass seemed about to approach but he held his hand out to gesture to stay away. “I'm cursed with perfect memory, I even remember the sensation. Not your fault. I just need to try and ignore it. I can't forget it, but I can dull it.”

{Damn, well, we'll be needing Recall in the future, trust me on that. Just try swapping the memories. Like, switch the pain of the whipping with the sensation of Luna groping our muscles when we-.} Konrad let out a sudden pleasured groan, and Brass blushed as her ears and tail perked at the sound. {Maybe something less effective?}

'N-no, that's good!' “Replaced the whip sensation with, mph...being groped by a rather enthusiastic lover. Need a less effective memory, but it'll do for now.” Konrad's explanation just made the mare shuffle nervously as he looked at her intently. “Well? Is there something you wish to know Forge-Mistress? I was involved in every part of the process for the Demir Classic, so ask away.”

“Sorry. You're just very distracting with your...provocative form and demeanor. Well, as I was saying, I'm in charge of assembling the shells, and you can guess it's very tiring and dangerous work. I was wondering if you knew of a way to make the primers less volatile.” Brass asked as she tried to ignore the way Konrad's hips swayed slightly. 'You are such a damn tease....'

“Not without making them nearly ineffective, no. They need to have the charge to properly set off the blasting powder. Ugh, I just have to finish making proper cordite. I'm sick of calling black powder blasting powder. It's so...general.” Konrad's tail twitched, making his long ginger tail hair whip, and Brass grunted; she couldn't stand it anymore.

“Stop being sexy or just get on with it! You're being such an unbearable tease!” Brass's irate demand was punctuated with a snort and her own candy-cane tail swishing back and forth, displaying that he was very much agitating her both erotically and temperamentally.

“Ugh, sorry. You know I've been drugged with those illegal fertility drugs? I'm so damn randy from it, and I didn't realize it until Celestia explained more about it after the fifth time or so. But I can't have casual sex without impregnating a mare anymore. Not without extensive contraceptive measures and it's so fucking frustrating!” Konrad growled as he humped the air slightly, gritting his teeth angrily at his libido. “I mean, seriously! I just went 13 rounds with your princess, and I'm still raring to go! Fuck!”

Konrad panted as he tried to calm down, his frustration working him up even more, and the mare began panting too, putting her palm to her head. “Whoa...whoa...how long were you drugged?” She moved to the side and sat down on a worktable. “You'd better leave. I think you're putting out way too much testosterone because I'm kinda losing it too.”

“Ugh...I need some time away from proper civilization right now. Vagabond, Ichor's.” 'I need to see that queen, see if she's with foal or not. That was the obviously intended purpose of our mating for her. And if she isn't, she damn well might be before I leave again.' The animate clothing nodded it's “head” and opened the coat invitingly in a mocking gesture to simulate the real Merchant offering his wares, and Konrad transformed into a changeling as he passed through it, Vagabond following behind shortly.

Brass then instantly rushed to her private room off to the side to work off the frustration, grabbing a clean steel barrel on the way for a clear intention.

[ $ ]

Konrad appeared in the entrance to the hive, his changeling form having grown to the same height as his horse and Verdugo forms. Sadly, it seemed the scars intended to stay, as he had discolored green lines on his chitin armor now. “Great, can't escape those in any form then. Whatever. Vagabond, just go do whatever, I'll call on you when I'm ready to go.” The reason Vagabond couldn't warp to him before during their respective imprisonments was because it uses his magic, and since his magic was blocked by the drugs, it couldn't come save him even if it's Contract insisted it continue to try and reach him. Now though, it could, so Vagabond shrugged and vanished off for wherever it fancied.

Konrad then walked into the hive, his movements becoming more languid and inviting as he progressed. As soon as he hit the hive proper, every uncommitted female changeling within line of sight practically bristled with excitement and looked to him. “Ichor.” At his simple single-word demand, a few eager changeling mares gladly led him expediently to the queen's bedchamber, and one left while the other two stayed to pamper him. 'I forgot how hospitable the changelings were.'

“Avarice?” Ichor's surprised voice rang out as she waddled into the room with a couple changeling escorts, one being the mare that had left to fetch her. Konrad blinked in surprise at how gravid she was, especially since it had only been more than three months since they'd mated and she seemed full term with quints. “I hadn't expected you back. Least of all not so soon~.” Ichor cooed as she lovingly caressed her swollen red stomach. It seemed changelings could remove their outer layer of chitin, as before the red eyed and haired queen was just as completely armored as the rest, even when they mated to result in her bearing offspring.

“Goodness. How many?” Konrad asked with genuine surprise and slight concern. He didn't know how changeling reproduction worked completely, just that there was a period of gestation within the womb, and then they were laid as eggs to finish developing outside the womb into a full-grown changeling foal that would still need to go through education and growing up, but all had varying life-spans depending on how well-fed they were with love. Some lived average life spans if they had little love, but some like queens who are required to have love on-hand could live centuries, possibly millennia if they had a constant source.

“At least five. One certainly a queen, another a king, the rest are normal drones sadly.” Ichor informed as she smiled at her belly. “So, why did you return? It is quite unusual for a wandering king to visit a hive twice so soon.”

“Well, if you can't tell, I needed asylum.” Konrad gestured to his scars, and Ichor and the mares all bristled in anger at seeing such a specimen of their race defiled in such a way. “That aside, I wanted someplace familiar. Also...I've been drugged with something that enhanced me quite excessively.” He then took a deep breath. “Especially in virility.”

Ichor blushed a little green, and smiled sadly. “I'm afraid I cannot supply relief, not in my condition. I'd have been so glad to. But~...how about it my little changelings? We're rather short on males here, and the doctor said his seed sample had a greater propensity for males~.” Ichor asked her female subjects, who all cheered in excitement, and Konrad felt relieved.

{Well, at least we won't have to worry about dying from blue balls. I just hope you understand you're spreading Plaga DNA.}

'Kinda figured, but I don't fully understand what's going on. It's gotta be more than the drugs driving me so mad.'

{It is. We're a Plaga, a parasite. The ONLY one. Primal instinct, combined with the drugs, as well as our invasive nature leads us to try and propagate as much as possible.} As Ichor left to give them privacy, the mares all began stalking up to him, and Konrad grinned as he watched one begin removing her chestplate. {So, for us; this is pretty normal. Surprised it didn't happen sooner.}

[ $ ]

Celestia sat on the edge of her bed, face in her hands and looked wilted as Luna flew into the room. “Tia! I teleported here as soon as the offensive had secured the town. Where is he? I wish to learn more about him.” Luna stated with excitement as she approached her sister, but she paused at realizing how mixed up her sister seemed. “Tia...sister...what is wrong?”

“Luna I...made a big mistake....” Celestia looked to her little sister, and she bit her lip as her ears flicked and her wings ruffled. Rather than try explaining with words, Celestia held out her hand, and a glowing bright pink orb hovered above it. Luna blinked in confusion for a few seconds, before she perked up and her demeanor brightened greatly.

“AH~ I'm going to be an aunt!” Luna shouted with glee as she pounced on her worried sister, giggling as she nuzzled the still unsettled mare. When she realized her sister wasn't celebrating, Luna backed off and nervously chuckled. “Um...why would you be so distraught sister? Thou hast expressed thy desire for offspring to me quite often.”

“No, it isn't that Luna. I'm quite happy about this. Very much so. But...the timing...the sire....” Celestia wilted, and sniffled. “I'm so sorry Lulu....” Luna was confused, only to realize what her elder sister was getting at, and Luna sighed.

“He was too much for the contraceptive spells wasn't he? Nearly got me.” Luna giggled a little. “It's alright sister. I'm not giving up on him though. A lover like that is so rare. Regardless, with the war, I can understand why you'd feel now is a terrible-.”

“No! Not even the war is a big enough issue for me to say this is bad timing. It's just...he...I....” Celestia began tearing up, feeling rotten. “I took advantage of him...he was so vulnerable and I...being compelled by Contract Magic is no excuse. It only happened because I wanted it....” Tia barely held off sobbing, she needed to be understandable for explaining to Luna the width and breadth of her wrongdoing. Luna then became serious, concerned for the situation as she knelt at her sister's hooves, and consolingly took her hands in hers.

“Sister. Just calmly tell me everything.”

[ $ }

Konrad laid still on his back, blankly staring up at the ceiling of the cavern chamber in Ichor's sleeping alcove, under the covers with three, maybe four? Yeah, four unarmored changeling mares under the covers with him. All spent. 'Why do I feel so empty?'

{Sharp Snap.} Avarice's mentioning of that harlot sent a spike of fury through Konrad's chest, and his heart pounded as he tried to calm down, not wanting to wake the mares who so graciously offered themselves to him. {This is part of your recovery, don't feel bad. This was bound to happen eventually. That right dike just sped things up. You're trying to get over her treatment of you by asserting sexual dominance in contrast to how she'd reduced you to nothing with just a pair of manacles, and a harness.}

'Please...stop....' Konrad's red eyes began dumping waterfalls of tears down his chitin cheeks, and he tried to rein in his emotions as the mares spooning him stirred. 'Please...no....'

{You have to face it Konrad. I can't just take control for this, that'd be doing you nothing. Recovering from the trauma of killing someone? Yes, you needed time that I could provide. For this? It means nothing if you don't face it head-on. You just need to remember that she doesn't mean ANYTHING to you!}

'She'll be bearing my foals...without my consent....' Konrad's eyes widened in realization of just WHY this hurt him so much. It wasn't just so much the act itself, it was because that bitch stole his seed. She used him as a stud without his consent. She was going to bear HIS offspring, and HE had NO say! 'That bitch! I'll get her if it's the last thing I do! I'm not going to let my foals be under her care!'

{That's the way! Just remember that Sharp is literally nothing before you. You can crush her like nothing! Of course, we can't until she bears those little tykes. But then we have to ensure she dies, and the poor things get a good home.} Avarice stated, and Konrad nodded slightly, resolved on this new quest.

'Find out who those bastards are, shut them down, take down Sharp, get MY kids out of her cruel grasp, and provide them a healthy and safe environment, even if I can't be the one to provide it.' Konrad remembered something his dad had said to him; that if he ever had kids and cut-and-run, then he'd hunt him down and castrate him for being such an irresponsible jackass, “teach you for making my grandkids bastards”.

Quest chosen, Konrad decided it was time to leave, return to the princesses and inform them of his plan of action, since Tia is still held to their deal of debt exchanged for services. But before he could, another changeling mare burst into the royal bedchamber, startling him and the dozing mares. “King Avarice! Queen Ichor is laying!”

“WHAT?!” Avarice bolted up, and ignored the mare's green blushing face at his unarmored red torso, the other mares in the bed with him also getting up and putting their chitin back on over their soft light blue flesh. Konrad quickly followed by first putting on his groin armor, which ironically wasn't necessary to remove for intercourse. Apparently most changelings preferred intercourse “naked” like most people, it was just apparently that Ichor enjoyed getting nasty while still armored. Something about it being like an impassioned moment in battle or something like that.

“There's no need to really hurry. She'll be in there for hours, and nobody is allowed in the hatchery save the laying mare and the doctor. You'd just be pacing about the entrance like everyone else.” The drone mare informed him, getting him to huff.

“I'd have rather you kept me in the dark until later then. Now I'm going to be antsy as hell.” Konrad groaned as he finished putting his chitin on. “I'm going for a walk, I can't just hover at the entrance to the hatchery like a worried vulture.” Konrad walked out of Ichor's chamber, finding the hive to be disturbingly empty. 'Wow, they must all be around the hatchery. Then again, they are her subjects.'

{We will be seeing the eggs won't we?} Avarice asked as Konrad peeled off his chestplate to see how it seemed to adhere seamlessly to his flesh. Like a sticker, that didn't hurt coming on or off.

'Of course! I want to see what I've helped bring into the world, even if they haven't even hatched yet.' Konrad suddenly felt a tingle, a very, very ODD tingle that he never felt before. “Vagabond! To me!” Just seconds later, Konrad was fully garbed just before the tingle came on incredibly strongly, and he heard a familiar voice.

"Avarice! I need you to get your butt over here! You have a debt to pay and I've come to collect! I need your help!" Dox was calling! Well, that debt wasn't going to pay itself.

Konrad was baffled as his body lit aflame in the blue fire reminiscent of his brazier icon's flame, and he vanished with a swath into what could only be described as dark liquid nothingness. He took the brief instant to change back into his unfamiliar human form, and seemed to simply pop out of thin air into a bedroom that looked like it indeed would belong to a cool nerd like Dox.

Speaking of which, this...average guy? What? "Dox? Thank Gog. I need a distraction. What can I do for ya?” 'Whatever is going on...it's odd.'

Author's Notes:

Yes, next chapter is another crossover with DJ and his Dungeon Master of Equestria. It's all sorts of fun, we had so much fun, it's going to be posted by him since he hosted the chapter, and it's all in his world. So, go on, have fun :D