"I really had a thing for him." Chrysalis didn't want to pull her snout away from Big Mac. Each breath was pouring McIntosh into her senses and soon there was no room for Shining Armor.

"Eeyup." Big Mac had already guessed something of the like, but it was him she turned to. He didn't care about Cinnamon's chitinous body, or the holes in her legs, or even the history of the changeling race. He nuzzled along the crest on top of her head and smiled at the chirp of surprise she gave.

It was easy for Chrysalis to become completely distracted with Big Mac; there was just so much of the big stallion to be distracted by. "When he was… when Queen Chrysalis had him…" Part of Chrysalis jerked back from the memory of what she had done.

McIntosh nuzzled at his fillyfriend's face, clearing up the tears that had leaked down her cheeks. Several customers came, left their bits, grabbed some apples, and left again. Big Mac knew each and every pony that lived in town and trusted them. "What did I say?" His voice—seldom used for anything but "eeyup" and "nnope"—was deep and rumbled at Chrysalis' ear.

"I'm not just Cinnamon Stick." Chrysalis remembered her pledge to McIntosh; she had told him she wouldn't lie, and he had promised never to ask for more than she was willing to share. She couldn't seem to stop her mouth, words were tumbling out.

Big Mac lipped gently at Chrysalis' ear, enjoying the way her autonomous nerves tried to flick it out of his grip. "I knew that."

Chrysalis drew back a little and stared into McIntosh's eyes. "I am Chrysalis." The words were impossible to take back once they were out. "I was the one who did… who hurt Shining Armor. I did so many horrible things because I thought what I was doing was right."

"Would you do them again?" McIntosh's thoughts were racing. Everything he had heard about Queen Chrysalis had been about a terrible tyrant and invader—foalnapping and generally being a bad pony. He watched her shake her head, loosing more tears down her cheeks. "Ah want to know everythin' you did."

Cursing inwardly at herself, Chrysalis moved to stand next to McIntosh, pressing against him for comfort. "When I was hatched, I was obviously different from the other nymphs. Right from the start mother… she cheered when I beat up another changeling to take something I wanted." Words tumbled out, and despite being terrified of Big Mac's reaction, she felt that telling each horrible part of her life eased that terror.

"No." Big Mac cut in after hearing about Chrysalis' youth. "Tell all of it. The nice parts too."

A customer distracted McIntosh from her for a moment, and it let Chrysalis reflect on her nymphood. She reached for an apple from the little stash they had behind the counter, and bit into it. Flavor burst in her mouth, and Chrysalis closed her eyes to think.

Her youth hadn't been all nastiness, and one drone in particular was to thank for it. "Chitter." Just saying the changeling's name made her smile. "Chitter was the first drone I ever knew. She brought me my meals, she chirped softly to help me sleep…"

Finished with his customer, Big Mac turned to the mare he had taken a liking to. "She sounds nice." Simple words, he knew, but he was trying to prompt Chrysalis to continue.

"She… she didn't like my mother… her mother." Chrysalis reflected on the revelation. "Mother wasn't nice. She was worse than me… than I was."

McIntosh was happy to watch the day go by as they talked. As usual, more than a little commotion seemed to follow the usual six mares as they roamed around town together, and it made Big Mac smile to see his sister having fun with her friends. "Did you have other friends?"

"Not really. Mother…" Memories of the horrible things her mother had done flashed in Chrysalis' mind. "Mother didn't like me having friends, so Chitter started to tell her I had become withdrawn… Which was true. Do you really want to know everything?" Big Mac nodded, drawing a sigh from Chrysalis. "You aren't going to like me when I am done."

The stallion didn't say a word. "I warned you…" Chrysalis started over, describing all the things that happened, and all the horrible things her mother had done, and taught her to do. The day wound onward, passing by until Chrysalis got to the part where she had locked Cadance away and mind-controlled Shining Armor. "He will never forgive me… nor should he." Strong legs wrapped around Chrysalis and pulled her against Big Mac. Crying like she hadn't been allowed to as a nymph, she lamented having told McIntosh everything.

She just wanted to keep crying, to lock herself up and stay in Big Mac's hug forever. Then she got hit rather suddenly, but not by any attack she could defend against. Love poured around her, and she turned her head to face the source.

"What's wrong?" Big Mac couldn't discern what was the matter, but Chrysalis had practically turned to rock in his embrace. Unable to see any physical attack, he followed her gaze. "Sugarcube Corner?"

Chrysalis could only nod, but as she struggled to fight off the intense wave of love pounding against her defenses, Big Mac was already in motion. Grabbing her and throwing her onto his back, he began to gallop in the one direction she wanted to go the least. Her mouth opened, but words failed her in the face of stronger and stronger waves of love.

Heavy hooves carried her to within shouting distance of the shop, and Chrysalis saw them. Princess Cadance, Princess Twilight, all of Twilight's friends… and a changeling queen. "N-N-No…" Everything came crashing into focus. Chrysalis now knew why all her drones were missing, why no information had returned from her attempts to spy on Shining Armor.

"Stop!" Big Mac glared at the assembled ponies. "Stop now, please!" He rarely raised his voice, but this was a special occasion.

Cadance froze at the look McIntosh was leveling at her. "I… What do you mean?" She had, of course, just started releasing powerful waves of her love that were washing across town and the surrounding area. "We need to do this, McIntosh." Glancing to Shining for support, she couldn't get over the anger in Big Mac's eyes.

Shining's eyes were locked on just one target. She ignored Cadance's quick glance, and walked up to face Big Mac. "We have to do this. Either she gives in and joins us, or she leaves here. Whatever she has told you is a lie—"

Big Mac was looking between Shining and Cadance. "Nnope!" McIntosh was ready to do whatever it would take, but a single black hoof reached up to his head and brushed one ear. Spinning his head to look at Chrysalis, he saw a smile on her face.

"Ish okay…" Chrysalis had lost. She couldn't stop the love from beating down the defenses she had thrown up and now it filled her to capacity. Flopping all four legs down, she got two on each side of McIntosh's back, straddling him. "Ah'm glad I gots to know ya, Mac." Lifting her head, she looked at the other queen. Chrysalis' mother had been adamant about how face offs with other queens always turned out—kill or be killed.

"Queen Chrysalis." Shining saw a mix of terror and acceptance on his nemesis' face. "You mistreated your hive. You mistreated my wife. You mistreated me." Shining saw confusion blossom on Chrysalis' face now. "What are we going to do with you?"

Drunk as she was on Cadance's love, Chrysalis still tried to make sense of what she had just heard. Narrowing her eyes at Shining Armor, she looked from her to Cadance, then back. "Wife… You…" Her eyes flew wide and she pointed a hoof. "Shining Armor?!"

Shining blinked at the accusatory tone. "You did this to me! Of course you know it's me. Stop playing games!"

"Wait!" Princess Cadance stepped between Shining and McIntosh—and Chrysalis by dint of her not being able to move on her own. "She is actually shocked. Chrysalis, what did you think your trick was going to do?"

"It was meant to turn him into a drone. He was going to come back to the hive and… and…" Chrysalis sighed and slumped her head down to McIntosh's back. "It was wrong…"

Big Mac, throughout the encounter so far, stood his ground against an empress and a changeling queen with firm resolve. He held a steely look in his eyes, and turned them from Shining Armor to Cadance. "She is sorry."

"I need to hear that from her." Shining had never spoken words so true in her life. She looked at Chrysalis and saw a changeling defeated. Even more, Shining could feel Chrysalis was now connected to her hive.

"I'm sorry…" Chrysalis felt a knot deep inside start to weaken at the two simple words. "I'm sorry. I wronged all of you. It was stupid and I… I didn't think it—" She was grabbed and choked, she was sure of it. She didn't blame Shining Armor, not considering what she had done to them. Looking up at her attacker, she expected it to be her last sight.

Cadance watched as Shining hugged Chrysalis. She looked to Big Mac and saw surprise on the stallion's face too. "Oh you should see her at weddings. I am lucky if she doesn't hug the cake and cry."

"She was lonely." McIntosh sat down and watched the two hug. He didn't need to be a changeling to tell both were crying for different reasons. "What will you do with her?"

"We have so many stray changelings that one more wouldn't be a problem, but being away from the few friends she has made would not be good for her." Cadance looked away from her husband, turning her full focus on Big Mac. "I hear she has some friends here?"

When the Princess of Love pays such close attention to you, you either have a special somepony or you soon will. Big Mac blushed and turned his attention back to Chrysalis. "Eeyup." He caught Chrysalis' gaze over Shining's shoulder, and couldn't stop himself smiling more.

"Change back, Chrysalis. You don't need to hide yourself." Shining could still feel distress in Chrysalis. "Come on, let me see your true form." He set her down and stepped back. Fire pooled around Chrysalis. The flames roared with all the power of a changeling queen, but when they faded she was not fully restored to the shape of a changeling queen.

"I… what in Tartarus?" Chrysalis looked at herself. She was larger than a drone should be, but her stature wasn't close to what she would have as a queen. Her mane and tail were still there, but she also had a fin tucked inside each, too. She looked directly at Shining Armor. "You did this to me?"

"I don't think so… Can I do this to somebuggy?" Shining looked to Chrysalis, finding her diminished stature more acceptable than if she had been a queen in body. "Cadance?" Shining turned to her wife. "Did you do this to her?"

Chrysalis stopped listening a moment as her eyes locked with Big Mac's. They were eye to eye now, rather than her being far smaller. A little pulse of love—not as massive as what Cadance had used to snare her—thudded into her, and she gasped. Love freely given was the tastiest, and Chrysalis almost melted at the love that McIntosh sent her way.

"Cady?" Shining looked between Big Mac and Chrysalis. "Cady, I think we need to give them some time." She backed off to kiss Cadance on the cheek.

"Huh." Applejack and her friends had been standing nearby, but for once the big event wasn't anything to do with them. Except possibly Applejack herself. "Ah guess the family's got a new addition…"

Author's Notes:

Big Mac: You, sir, have quite the eye to single out such fine mares as Cinnamon Stick and Trixie Lulamoon. My compliments! Have you considered asking both to start a herd with you?

"Uh..." McIntosh Apple gulped and shook his head. "Nnope!"

---

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