A blue fiery rimmed portal opened up in the air just over where Konrad had left this realm, and he crashed at terminal velocity straight into the cave floor. Of course, even not in his true form, the term “terminal velocity” didn't fully apply anymore. At most, it just broke a few bones, and those were already healing from the leftover energy he had from devouring parts of Leere of the Void. 'Fucking...ow....'

{Well, that was a venture. Even had our first hand at magical smithing, fought a dragon of the void....}

'Infinite ammo for Chiappa.' Konrad focused on the rewards, had to in order to distract from the utter agony of his smashed face and ribs. 'Got a sample of dragon, gotta try that new form out, and incorporated a flame sac. Now even as a Verdugo we can breathe fire.' Konrad mentally cheered. Being lightning fast and having more potent melee potential or not, breathing fucking fire was metal. 'Not to mention all the examples of prime firearms we got to study for our craft, and Dox told us about a Displaced Handsome Jack out there. If we can bargain with him, we'd be able to maybe make even better guns with a little understanding of Hyperion tech.'

{Even if they were the shittiest guns in the Borderland series?}

'Oh, shut up. Just because we liked Jakobs and Dahl the most more isn't an excuse to turn down superior firepower.' Konrad chastised his alter ego, and sighed as he healed enough to get up. “Vagabond, go ahead and wander like you like to. I'm going to rest up here for a bit.”

The sentient set of leather vanished from him, and once more he was in just his red silk pants as he transformed back into a changeling. “King Avarice!” The mare's call caught him in surprise, and he stood as he turned to face a changeling mare drone as she ran up to him. “The Queen requires your presence in the birthing chamber.”

Confused, Konrad followed the harried mare to the hatchery. After wading through the concerned crowd and entering it with his guide, Konrad had to marvel a bit at the sheer number of glowing little pods here. Each held a new life, waiting to break free and greet the world. Konrad was led to a secluded corner where Ichor hovered over five specific eggs in concern. “What's wrong?” Konrad asked her and Ichor swiftly tackled him to the floor, utter fury in her face.

“WHAT ARE YOU?! You are no changeling! Speak! Speak before I disembowel you right here!” Ichor threatened, and Konrad wasn't having that. He easily threw her off him, and pinned her to the floor. Her struggles were fruitless, and he sealed her mouth with some resin he spat into it, leaving her nose free to breathe as she looked up at him in fear and betrayal.

“Indeed, I am not a proper changeling. Originally. I am one so much as you are when I am in this form. But I do not require love to be sustained, and I have far more available to me.” Konrad then transformed into his true form, and both Ichor and the stunned-still drone mare, clearly the doctor, were shocked at his terrifying Verdugo form that was...oddly appealing, even with the dark red lines replacing the green ones he'd had before. “I am a Plaga. A parasite that can infest a living or dead host body, and control them from within. I was little more than a small thing in a mammal's chest cavity when your scouts killed my host, and dragged me to your hive to be added to the pile.”

Sensing they weren't about to try anything, Konrad released Ichor and stood, clearly blocking their path out of the hatchery as he continued. “I lost myself for a time, my host having died I would've normally followed, but I had grown strong enough to continue feeding on my own. And I had so graciously been dropped on a veritable feast. I know not how many days I fed, and grew, and changed into what you see, but I slaughtered the two changelings who were dragging your latest victim to the pile, and when I ate them, I regained my awareness and gained your race's power to change, if much more limited.”

Konrad then went through his multiple forms before staying in his changeling form. “I am Avarice. And while I deceived you, know that I did not do so with malice. Now, tell me, what is wrong with our offspring? What has happened?” Konrad then spat a solvent for the resin on the wad silencing Ichor, and she quickly spat it out, getting deep breaths before she stood and briskly trotted to her eggs as Konrad and the astounded doctor followed, not fazed at the idea he killed two of their own. Life out here was harsh, they didn't form attachments to just anyone, and the two lost had nobody special in their lives.

“I am unsure, but this is not normal. The king and queen eggs seem just fine, but the drones....” Ichor's voice hitched as she hesitantly reached for one of the drone eggs, and cradled it to her armored bosom sadly. “They do not shine with the same vibrant energy a mother provides her eggs during gestation.” Indeed, they seemed more glassy and dull than having any glow of their own. “I was scared they were dead, but Weaver here says they're still alive, just...unresponsive to Love.”

Konrad then silently asked permission to hold the egg, and Ichor initially seemed opposed to the idea, but then relented as she carefully transferred the egg to him, and he held it in slight awe and worry, which was alleviated when Avarice seemed to gasp in his mind. {The Plaga has spread. This one is the first of a full Plaga-changeling hybrid.}

Before Konrad could inform them of this, to all their shock, the egg in his arms as well as the two on the floor cracked and shook, before bursting open. Konrad suddenly found himself looking at...something sinfully adorable. In his hands was now a blinking mini changeling that seemed to be a full pony version of one, with forehooves and everything, but had a Verdugo tail with the changeling chitin design. The thing wriggled as it seemed to smile and coo at him. Konrad teared up and instantly had to gently hug the critter to his chest. “So...beautiful....”

“My queen, these little darlings of yours are just so cute~!” The hatchery mare, Weaver stated as she snuggled one of the others, which seemed a little unhappy that it got the stranger while it's siblings got the parents. Ichor was cradling the third to her bosom, and it clung to her with little hissing giggles, and Ichor was both concerned, and awed.

“This...is unprecedented! Why? Why are the drones so...animalistic?” When Ichor turned to face Konrad, she suddenly burst out in laughter to see him flailing his arms as the drone had latched onto his face, giggling with it's sharp blade tail wiggling as it nuzzled his head. “Oh, that is just adorable! He's imprinted on you.”

“Mph!” Konrad peeled the clinging facehugger off gently before setting him down, and he whined as he tried to right himself, and like a real foal, he almost immediately took to standing and walking about. “Yeah, adorable. I can just imagine how much of a nightmare it'll be having these little buggers running about with their cuteness, fooling mares into doing their bidding.”

This got giggles out of the mares as they gathered up the three little Plagalings. “I shall take them to the nursery proper your majesty. They don't seem to behave much differently from the other foals I've cared for.” Weaver informed as she accepted all three of the little monsters, who quickly clung to her and began playfully swatting at each other. “Wow, playful little things.”

After Weaver left, Ichor and Konrad stood there for a few moments, awkwardly shuffling about a bit, looking at each other, a bit confused on how to continue from here. “So...leave and never come back?” Konrad asked, only for Ichor to consider it, and shrug.

“No. That's your choice. So long as they grow up to be productive members of the hive, I don't mind my drones being quadrupedal little hellions. Besides, they're so cute it's just wrong.” Ichor said fondly, before licking her lips, and grabbing the collar of Konrad's chestplate, and pulling him down to her face. “We ARE going to be making more by the way.”

“Now?” Konrad asked incredulously, and Ichor licked her lips again, this time being sure to run her tongue along her long fangs, before dragging him through the chamber. “But you just gave birth!”

[ $ ]

Following another several gos with Ichor, this time much more passionate than the first time, Konrad paid Demir a visit to let her know he was still alive. She was so glad to see him, but he told her he couldn't hang around too long since his libido was still way too active and he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't do something unbecoming. Demir then joked and said she'd never get any work done then, so shooed him off, saying she was seeing somebody already, which cheered Konrad up that she was with someone. He didn't want her smithing to ruin her having a normal life.

Konrad then finally returned to Celestia's bedroom in his horse form, once again wearing Vagabond, only to find both Celestia and Luna sitting on her bed, looking at him as if he'd just walked in on something important. “Um...should I come back la-?” Luna suddenly tackled the stallion to the floor, pinning him with her astounding strength as she looked into his eyes. “Hey, Lulu...good to see ya.”

“...Ironically, in spite of everything, it is good to see you too, you charlatan.” Luna then ripped off his bandana and kissed him deeply, which he wasn't braced for. “That's for giving me a good time in Dock End and a niece or nephew.” She then viciously punched him so hard his snout broke, and he screamed as he clutched his face and she backed off while shaking her hand. “And THAT was for leading me on a merry chase for months! I wasted hundreds of bits of resources and even stallions trying to capture you!”

“Well, if you'd tried being peaceful from the start, I would've cooperated!” Konrad shouted as his snout healed. 'Well fuck, there goes the last of Leere.' Konrad mentally groused. “Well, first off; I'm sorry for getting your soldiers killed in hunting me down, and I'm also sorry for getting your sister pregnant.”

“You're taking this surprisingly well.” Celestia commented from her seat on her bed, hands on her abdomen for reference.

“Hey, whatever you think, what we did was seriously cathartic and helpful for my recovery. I needed to remember I am strong, and have the ability to make others want me and not just my seed. But I'm still randy as all fuck though....” Konrad said with a hiss as he humped the air slightly at being reminded of how damn aroused he still was, making the sisters blush as he clenched his face in his hands. “Ugh! Damn it! Fucking...this damn libido! Please tell me there's a way to suppress it! I've had sex like, 37 times in the past three days and I'm STILL raring to go!”

“Um...I know of a way, but I will need to pay our mentor Star Swirl a visit to see if I remember it right.” Luna said, and then leered at him. “Who of Our Little Ponies did you inseminate whilst away?”

“None. I went to a place that's essentially out of your kingdom's reach, but not part of any country. That's all I'll say in favor of protecting them. Oh~....” Konrad rolled over and panted as he pressed his face into the carpeted floor. “I'm so randy...it's unbearable....” 'Fuck~! I can barely think!'

{I'd help, but not much better than you right now.}

“Our presence is certainly not helping you. Until this is resolved we won't be able to focus on what matters. Sister, since the deed is already done, I'd suggest you avoid trying to “help” him for safety of the forming fetus.” Luna then glared at Tia about to object, but Celestia sighed and nodded in agreement. “Then I shall be off. Leave him here alone sister.” Luna then vanished in a flash of blue light, and Celestia did so as well in a flash of golden light, leaving the hopelessly blue-balled stallion to moan in heated agony.

'I am never going to underestimate the power of hormones and the potency reproductive needs have on living things ever again.' Konrad bemoaned as he simmered in his misfortune.

[ $ ]

“-And so that is why I require the arousal suppression spell.” Luna finished explaining to her long-lived mentor, who was still older than her and her sister by decades and still lived through his guile and wisdom in the magic arts. Considering the stallion was as close to a father she and her sister had, Luna was of course quite embarrassed and her face was flushed in spite of her polite and regal tone.

Star Swirl, the ever knowing fatherly figure, chuckled at his adopted daughter's discomfort. “My, my. It seems even without a contract that Avarice has you both by the teats.” Star Swirl said amicably, getting Luna's wings to ruffle and her hooves to shuffle nervously at him calling her out so well. “Quite the stallion then. Well, considering the situation, and the poor lad's affliction caused by his excessive dosing of Desire's Art, I believe retrieving the spell is worth my time.”

Star Swirl grunted as he stood, Luna winced as her excellent hearing caught the sound of his very bones creaking as he moved. Were he not so magically empowered, his body would have been reduced to dust over a century ago. “Father, you don't have to-.”

“I'm not dead yet! Let me move by my own power while I still can!” Star Swirl growled as he forced himself to his hooves, and took his walking staff in hand, beginning a slow walk to the warp pad of his tower. Had to install them out of necessity the past decade. “I know where the spells and enchantments of that nature are stored, even if I do not require them. When I pass on, please, at least give me the honor of a wing of the archives being named after me, and my own library being transferred to it for any aspiring mages.” They passed through the warp pads, seamlessly moving from the top room of the ancient wizard's tower to his dauntingly enormous library. Clearly he couldn't even access most of it now with his condition. “It's up there. Under the compulsion section, section A.”

Star Swirl pointed up high in the massive three-story wall of shelves, and Luna dutifully flew up, and found the related scrolls she needed soon enough. “Thank you father. Is there anything you require?”

Star Swirl was about to reply in the negative when he felt his back crack from the strain of holding him up, and he sighed. “A wheelchair. And a scribe to write down my will. I don't have much longer dear....” Star Swirl said sadly, getting Luna to wilt as she landed before him. “Don't be so sad dear. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Better now when I'm still coherent rather than if I manage to outlive my wits. Send Tia along soon. I want to have a pleasant chat and tea before I go.”

“Y-yes poppa....” Luna replied with some tears, and she gently leaned down to softly hug the withering stallion and kiss his brow. “I'll miss you.”

“That's all I can ask of you really.” Star Swirl said wistfully as he pat her back under her limp wings. “Now, be off with you dear. You have your own problems to deal with. Let this old nag see to his affairs.” Luna sadly acquiesced, and teleported away to her sister to deliver the sad news, and Star Swirl sighed as he turned back to the warp pad to his bedroom. “If only I had made that breakthrough...perhaps I wouldn't have had to force you poor dears to suffer this loss, even if I was just a shell of my former self.”

In the end. Star Swirl's only true regret was that he knew his daughters would cry at his funeral, so distraught and helpless. A father only hopes his daughters to be happy after all.

[ $ ]

Konrad was in nothing but his thong again, having sent Vagabond off to wherever it liked to wander so he could...relieve himself in privacy. He did the shameless deed in a guest room's bathroom of course, he wasn't going to be any more crude to Tia, with him already having soiled her, even if she had been the one who wanted him enough to consider it payment for debt.

He forgot how many time's he'd masturbated, but no matter how many times he did it, he COULD, NOT, CALM, DOWN! As of this moment, he'd drawn a bath to clean up, hissing as he tried to suppress another unwanted boner while he soaked. 'Why, why, why, why~?! That bitch couldn't have done this to me JUST to have babies! Tia explained this could only happen if I'd been on that stuff for at least a month! And I didn't need to be drugged for THAT long to get the needed fertility effect!'

{She clearly had a fetish for large stallions. Probably wanted to watch us bulk up, and masturbated to thoughts of us growing bigger.} Avarice's deduction caused Konrad to gasp and groan as he tried not to reciprocate the thoughts back on images of the bottom-heavy mare.

'Gee, thanks for that! I'm trying not to have to handle myself again! I'm getting raw....' Konrad then had a song from one of his favorite bands pop into his head, which made him bark out in laughter at how well it suited his situation.

{Lavatory Love Machine~! Dude, we gotta bring heavy metal to this world.} Avarice said as the song played in their head, successfully distracting them from their problem. Sadly, it also reminded them of their old friend Anthon, who had been the one to introduce them to Edguy in the first place.

'Anthon...where are you? How are you doing old pal?' Konrad thought sadly. Although he only saw him like once a month, the working man still made time for his old high school buddy in spite of how tired and busy he always was. Konrad dreaded that when he graduated and if he didn't qualify for a scholarship like what happened to Anthon, then he'd be a lifeless working drone like his pal. Konrad knew from talking at length with Anthon that he was turned down for applications to universities due to both lack of funds, and that his scholastic achievements were “sub-par” when he had a 3.9 GPA and graduated with Honors when he didn't even try to.

In Konrad's mind, that told him that he had no future either. If Anthon, his creative pal who was always able to crack a joke, create entertainment by making a fool of himself, yet be intelligent enough to ace exams and the like without studying because he just “understood” the material couldn't get into universities, when dumb jocks and air-headed bitches could, what hope did he have? But here.... 'I had a fresh start...and both that swindling Merchant and those fuckers pretending to be some sort of Illuminati have royally fucked me over here....'

“Avarice.” Luna's voice drew him out of his depressing thoughts, and he saw that she was looking over a scroll floating before her in her aura as she stood a few feet from the now cooling tub. “I have some spells here that suppress arousal, as well as some enchantments I could bind to your undergarments. Considering the potency of your affliction, it might only reduce your-AH!” Luna was interrupted by the damp stallion tackling her, and she was shocked to see his eyes glazed.

“Luna~! My beautiful, sexy battle maiden. I remember our time together~....” Konrad whispered into her ear breathlessly as he roughly grabbed her breastplate, and shockingly ripped it clean off her, snapping the leather straps and exposing her white lacy bra-garbed bosom. Luna's face lit up as the act very much impressed her, and if he was in the right of mind, she might have even gladly engaged in intercourse right then, but she quickly charged her horn with the suppression spell.

“Calm Avarice! I shall remove your desire's grip on your mind!” Luna shot the spell right into Konrad's eyes, and he shouted in pain as he reared back and fell on the floor away from her, and Luna sat up as she held her breasts with an arm, cradling them. “Art thou returned to thy senses stallion?”

'What the fuck just happened?' Konrad asked as he got up, and he panted as he realized he wasn't radiating carnal need anymore. “Y-yeah...what just happened? I was in the tub, the next thing I remember feeling such a rush I...couldn't really comprehend what I was doing.”

“You were as blind as a stallion in a rut during his mate's heat. Faust. Those fools hath made your body so geared for reproducing that you are just a step away from being a mindless stud.” Luna said as she magically retrieved her breastplate and repaired the straps before putting it back on. “Bastards. Had my sister's soldiers not caught on when they did...but why? Why would they make you a breeding machine?”

“I have some theories, none of them pleasant....” 'Oh fuck, do these bastards somehow know what I am? What I'm capable of?'

{If they mass-bred us, enhanced the Plaga portions of our offspring's DNA....}Avarice mused in horror, and their eyes widened in absolute terror, which Luna noticed.

“Super soldiers...monsters beyond comprehension. But to plan this far ahead, to know....” 'NO!' “VAGABOND!” The self-aware black leather set of equipment suddenly faded into view, and Konrad transformed into his true form, startling Luna further. “Ichor's!” Konrad leaped at the sentient coat and vanished through it's opened interior before vanishing itself, leaving a perplexed Luna.

[ $ ]

Konrad burst out of the open air, and barely stumbled at seeing a massive runed metal prisoner carriage take off for the thick and dark thundering cloud cover overhead, but he could easily see the scared red slit eyes looking through the bars alongside the similarly fearful large number of blue eyes packed in with her. “AVARICE~!” Ichor screamed in despairing hope as the varied flying people harnessed to it began pulling the feather-weight carriage into the air.

“ICHOR~!” Konrad screamed in horror as he was about to follow on foot, when a brown-leather armor wearing thestral stallion ran out of the cave leading to the Hive holding a large satchel. “YOU!” Konrad tried to leap onto him, but the lightly armored pony quickly dodged to the side and took off. “GET BACK HERE!” To Konrad's surprised relief, a crossbow bolt shot through the air and punctured through the slate-gray thestral's brown leather armor into his shoulder, eliciting a scream as his wing froze and he fell.

Konrad only briefly looked to the side to see that it was Vagabond who shot him down with a sniper's crossbow before he quickly sprinted to the downed stallion, and flipped him onto his back as he pinned him by pressing down on his chest with his left foot while he had his tail blade at the guy's throat. “WHERE ARE THEY TAKING THEM?!” The stallion simply glared him at him, even going so far as to use his sharp teeth to bite his tongue off to start killing himself, going into shock as he started to drown, getting Konrad to growl in fury.

{Recall.} Avarice said rather hesitantly. {Force him to Recall for you. But doing it like this, without permission to a specific memory, we'd be taking all he is, all he ever was. His earliest memories to as he drowns in his own blood right now. He has to be alive for it to work, and it will kill him without him giving us permission for it.}

'Why do you sound scared?'

{Because as I said; we'd be taking all of him. Everything. We might not be us anymore....} Konrad only hesitated for a second before he knelt at the side of the drowning stallion and put his claws on his head. {No going back.}

'Do it.' Konrad instantly regretted the decision. He screamed in agony as his head felt like it was going to explode from the utterly massive amount of information being crammed into his head. One moment he was experiencing his fifth birthday, the next he was talking to his marefriend at the theater. After a few lingering moments of pure shock, he realized he wasn't in pain anymore. He wasn't drowning in his own blood. 'Wha? What? I could've sworn I was drowning just now. What-?' “AH~!”

The Verdugo leaped away from the corpse, the thestral stallion's eyes had rolled back at some point. “I'm DEAD?! But if I'm dead why am I-?!”

{Hey! Hitchhiker!} Verdugo froze at the thought not his own. {Would you mind switching places? Thank you.} Suddenly, the new presence was in control of the monstrous form of a body, while he was suddenly in the back seat as the Verdugo approached his dead body. {What are you?! What's going on?!}

'I'm...I'm....' They paused for a minute. They...couldn't.... 'Recall.' Using the memory ability for themselves this time, they Recalled. 'We...we're Avarice. Just call us...me...Avarice.' Avarice replied, shaking his head as he reached tentatively for the satchel. 'And you are Crescent Luminescence. Your mom had a thing for long names.'

{How do you know my name? W-wait, hold on. That satchel is holding-.}

“My daughter.” Avarice said vindictively as he gently held up the burlap sack, and then unwrapped the glowing green infant-sized queen egg, cradling it as he transformed back into his changeling form, crying as he held the tiny thing to his chest. “D-daddy's here angel...daddy's here even if mommy isn't....” The distraught stallion curled protectively over his unborn daughter as he barely kept from weeping. 'You bastards...you took them all...you killed who you couldn't carry or wasn't worth the trouble, and bagged all the eggs....'

Crescent, being part of Avarice now, was utterly horrified at the feelings he was experiencing, the knowledge that the changelings were genuine people too, and not monsters like he was led to believe also added to it. {O-oh Faust...what have we done?}

'Killed innocents, ruined lives. All for your precious Die Leucht organization's continued dominance in the shadows....' The fact that there was, indeed, a version of Los Illuminados here sickened Avarice. However, unlike the original cult, instead of worshiping the Plaga, they planned to use them to produce weapons capable of bringing anyone they set sight on to heel. He brought them guns, that was what made them make a move on him. But they were planning to capture him long before, as Crescent's memories say that they knew of his unique abilities since he first left Ichor's hive. They had their members among Luna's scouts, and they went under Luna's radar by pretending to be MIA.

{Even with my knowledge, and experience with flight, you'd never catch up. They'd reroute and I was just told to follow them. I...I don't know where they're going. I'm so sorry....} Crescent wept along with him, barely believing he even thought being a member of Die Leucht was worth dying over, which he did.

'Don't apologize...you're not a bad stallion. You were just misguided.' Avarice told their new companion, looking down at the shining green egg in despair and concern. Engraved along the side in dried resin, was the name that Ichor wanted for her daughter. “Little Chrysalis...I will protect you.” Avarice put his fanged lips to the egg, and kissed her tenderly. She shined just a little brighter from her father's affection, and he sniffled as Vagabond put a hand on his shoulder consolingly while he gave in, and wept, his tears running down the sides of the green egg as the skies thundered, and began to cry as well.

Author's Notes:

I'm pretty sure a good number of you saw this coming. Nemmy did it, and I wanted this world to be the perfect setting for this.

You'll get the exposition in the next chapter.

Speaking of which, I'm hoping to do a crossover for the next chapter. I feel the time would be right to do it after Avarice exposes as much truth as he's unraveled to the sisters.