I finished the last sandwich up for tonight, having just finished off a dinner rush quicker than I would’ve expected. I finished up wrapping the sandwich and handed it off to Flip, who was working the counter today, and let out a deep breath. God today was slow. Not a lot of ponies were coming in today, so not a lot of orders, which meant not a lot of work. To top it all, none of the orders were insanely large to make up for the lack of orders.

In other words I was bored.

“Good work boys! I know today was slow, but I really appreciate y’all holding out for me!” Mr. Mint patted me on the back. “You’re good to go, Fruit. Good hustle as usual; I still don’t understand how you move faster than unicorns do when you make sandwiches, but I’m not complaining.”

I chuckled. “I did say I had a little experience when you interviewed me. Just ten years of experience; small numbers really.”

“Fruit Punch, I am older than you, and have been doing what you’ve just done for longer. With magic, I’m only about half as fast as you are. Granted, my talents in magic aren’t the best, but you could probably give a skilled unicorn a run for their money while you don’t even know how to use magic!”

“Boss, it's been a month and a half since I’ve started working here. You’d figure by now that you’d be used to how fast I can move when I choose to.”

“But it’s like you’re an earth pony in disguise. I even offered to get you into a school to learn how to actually use magic, and you’ve adamantly refused even the notion of using magic.”

I walked around to the door. “Sometimes the easier thing to do, in this case, magic, is just the lamer option. See ya in three days, Mr. Mint.” I nodded to Flip as I walked out from behind the counter. “I’ll see you around, Flipper! Don’t burn the place down when you mop!”

“Ey buck off, Fruit! I only burnt three patties today!”

“And the grill!”

“Buck you!” Flip and I had a good laugh, and I was gone.

I stepped inside my house to a really good smell. Fuck, why is Chrysalis so good at cooking? Like we’ve been living together for at least a month, nearly two at this point, and every night Chryssy whips together something absolutely amazing. It makes me kinda mad because… Chrysalis doesn’t even need to actually eat food. Not in a normal sense at least.

From what I have been told by Big Buggy, food is about as nutritious as eating for changelings. The positive emotions(Chrysalis won’t tell me what emotions exactly) were more than enough to keep Chrysalis going. She then just eats the food she makes because it would be ‘rude to let you eat alone’ and that Chrysalis can actually taste food, so eating said food is more for pleasure rather than survival.

“How was work?” Chrysalis asked. Okay first thing I notice is that Chrysalis is wearing a dress and a nice sun hat.

“It was boring, but not too bad. What’s with the dress?”

“I was hoping to go on a date with somepony after I feed you,” Chrysalis answered. I put my hat on the coat rack, trotted over, and sat down at the dinner table to finally begin to relax. “Tonight I made… Chicken soup. I know it probably isn’t the most savory thing for ponies, but I know you aren’t exactly a pony, and yes, you can digest chicken even if it might not be pleasant on the way out. I’ve done some research.”

A bowl of the dish was planted in front of me and I took a whiff. Oh my god that is heavenly. God I love this woman.

“So, who do you plan on dating?” Chrysalis just gave me a dead stare, before planting her own bowl on the opposite side of the table from where I was sitting. “Uh… did I say something wrong?”

“Well, Fruit Punch, I was hoping to ask you out on a date. It won’t be anything spectacular, but I believe it is traditional to get to know your love interests over a meal?” Chrysalis asked.

“Well… Yeah it is…” Wait what? “W-whoa! Me? You wanted to take me out on a date?”

“Of course. I know that you love me; I can taste it. On top of that, I have, for the last month, been dropping hints that I would like to court you. But because you are an adorably stupid stallion, you didn’t pick up on any of my hints. So here we are, a nice dinner, on a beautiful night. A beautiful mare and a rather dashing stallion if I must say so myself,” Chrysalis grinned. “You’re quite the optical treat if you don’t know it.”

“W-well… I uh…” Jesus christ. Fuck it! What is the worst that can go wrong? It’s just dating somebody that I happen to like, and Chrysalis is quite warm and cuddly… “Yes, I would love to share a meal with you, Ms. Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis brought a hoof up to her lips and giggled. “Keep that up, and it will be Mrs. Chrysalis Punch to you, my dear stallion.”

What?

“And then I had to tell Cocoon that he could not, absolutely couldn’t just go feed a rock to a nymph that hasn’t even grown its fangs yet.”

“So Cocoon… tried to feed a baby a rock?” I asked. Chrysalis nodded. “What the fuck?”

“My questions exactly. I love my drones, I really do, but some of them can be… quite a dull on the edges. They’re like ponies, some are incredibly smart, others are incredibly dumb. But as their Queen, I love them all the same, and would do anything for them. So if nothing else, I at least taught Cocoon a lesson in how to properly care for a child.”

“Say… since you’re a bug, aren’t you every drone’s mother?”

“Yes… and no. In a sense, every drone does consider me to be a second mother to them, and I love to treat my drones as such, but biologically I am not every drone’s mother. Every drone has their own parents and family units, and at last, I have noling in my own family unit. The last of my family unit had passed on from old age a century ago… And with how I try to claim pony stallions for my mate on occasion, I simply could not maintain my family unit.”

Chrysalis reclined in her chair. “But it is comforting to know that, for any reason, a drone may seek me out and ask for a hug, advice, anything really. In a sense, every drone is my child, and I love them all as such.”

“That… Huh. That’s pretty cool. What does a changeling look like? Well, a normal changeling, and not a queen.” I asked.

“That depends… are you willing to take a couple weeks off of work? I can quite possibly bring you to the Hive and have you meet some of my drones. Like any children, my drones get a bit suspicious of any non-changeling stallions I begin to fall in love with. So I would like to introduce you to the Hive and get them acquainted with you…” Chrysalis magicked our bowls over to the sink.

“So, Fruit. What was your family like?”

“I wouldn’t really know. It’s been about ten, twelve years since I last spoke to my parents. I don’t have any siblings, no cousins that I know of. My parents disowned me for wanting to pursue a career in psychology, and I've only gotten strongly worded letters from them since.”

“And what are these ‘strongly worded letters’ about?”

“Long fancy ways of telling me I’m a failure. Sometimes I am in for a treat, and the letter ends off with telling me I should honorably kill myself.”

“What?” Chrysalis shouted. “I am going to find a way to find the dimension you are from, and I am going to slowly torture your parents until they die from blood loss. Nopony, noling, nobody who talks to their children like that deserves to be alive. Your parents are foul, horrible creatures that do not deserve happiness.”

“Ah, so my parents telling me to kill myself isn’t normal?” I asked.

“Do not joke about this, Fruit Punch.” I was lifted up by Chrysalis’s magic, and pulled into a hug. “Just know that I will forever be here for you, and I will love you even when you are old and gray.” Chrysalis then planted a kiss on my forehead. “Tonight was quite pleasant, and you’re a delightful little stallion. I love you.”

Chrysalis then picked me up and carried me off to bed.

After asking, I was given a month off of work, because… Mr. Mint is just that cool. Seriously, if the man wants somebody dead, I would kill that somebody for Mr. Mint.

Pony boss is the best boss.

“Are you ready to visit… my homeland?” Chrysalis, as Crystal Clear, asked.

“Yeah. Your drones won’t immediately murder me, right?”

Crystal Clear giggled. “No, they won’t unless you physically assault me in front of them. For the most part, they’ll probably just stare at you, because it has been quite a while since I’ve brought a stallion home.”

“Cool.” The two of us walked on the train and got ready for the two day long trip ahead of us.

Chrysalis

My eyes slowly opened, it’s been about eight, maybe nine hours since the train ride started, and Fruit was nice enough to let me use him as a pillow. In fact, Fruit was more than happy to hold me close and shower me in love and affection, which tasted great, but also felt great to receive. This stallion, this wonderful little stallion, is probably the only pony I’ve managed to date without having to hide who I am. Usually stallions I happen to marry think I’m somepony else, and don’t truly fall in love with me.

Or at times, I kidnap the bride, and end up living a loveless marriage. Which was exactly why I was in Canterlot when… chaos broke loose, I suppose. Even with my age and experience, that whole debacle was quite horrifying, and Fruit had dragged me out to somewhere possibly safer and then had stayed with me the whole time. To top it all off, this wonderful little thing, my precious little predator, had offered me a place to stay.

And because of Fruit, I can now siphon love from a stallion that I actually love. That’s right, Princess of Food, I’ll leave you alone for another century, or until my Hive is desperate for food.

Fruit Punch slowly woke up, as his eyes just snapped open, and he looked down at me. The pretty little unicorn that was using his neck as a pillow. “Are we there yet…” Fruit slurred. I could hear Fruit possibly swallow some drool, which was good. I didn’t want my fake coat to get wet, because despite it being fake, I can still feel it. However, because of this stallion, I would tolerate getting covered in a little slobber.

“No Fruit, we are not at the drop off point yet. Worry not, there’s only a few more hours left of the trip.”

“Cool.” Fruit looked down at me for a second, like he was contemplating something, and then… oh that feels good. That feels really… Okay yeah, I am kidnapping this stallion at a later date, and I am going to appoint him to the Royal Groomer, as this is wonderful… Did Fruit not state his species wasn’t one for grooming at some point? If that is the case… then how did Fruit- actually, why should I care? It feels good.

You know, as much as I like having Chryssy be about the size of a normal mare when disguised, I do miss being able to just see Big Buggy as she usually is at home. Y’know, like a giant bug horse that could easily bite my head off at any moment. But I will admit, having Chrysalis be fun sized is really fun too, because I get to hold my girlfriend, or was it marefriend? Because now I get to hold Chrysalis very close, which was good, very good.

Also, how the heck could I forget the best part about Chrysalis? She purrs! I had read… a book or two on grooming after Chryssy and I became a couple. Why? None in particular, I only wanted to study up on grooming because that seemed like it would be a nice, awesome little skill to have. Because why wouldn’t a guy like me want to know how ponies, and I guess changelings now, groom each other?

Okay, making Chrysalis purr is the only reason why I did some reading on the subject, but can you blame me? Chrysalis Purrs are adorable!

“Fruit, if you want me to marry you, all you have to do is ask…” Chrysalis purred in pure bliss.

“Well… marriage would be nice,” I hummed, before pulling the disguised changeling’s head into a headlock, which was more or less a hug for ponies. “I really wouldn’t mind marrying you in all seriousness, but let’s keep on dating before we consider that, alright Chryssy? Can’t get married if you don’t love the person you’re marrying.”

“You can… it just might not be a very pleasant experience. I would know from experience…”

Oh.

“You wanna… talk about it?” I asked.

“No… let’s just drop it and focus on the present. Oh look at that!” Chrysalis pointed out the window. “The drop off point!”

We had hopped off the train, and the first thing that happened was two identical ponies walked up to us, saluted Crystal Clear after sniffing her, and glared at me. “This way, your highness,” one of the ponies said, guiding Chrysalis, and by extension, me over to a carriage. “Just step inside, and we will arrive at the Hive in an hour or two.” You see, with how these guys were glaring at me, I just went along with it, because I feel like if I don’t…

I might leave without my balls, and I kinda need those.

I don’t wanna be a girl by the end of this trip, thank you.

So I hopped into the carriage after allowing Chrysalis to go first, which made her laugh. “Fruit, you do understand that in Equestria, the mare lets the stallion go first, right?”

“And we monkeys let the females go first.”

“Shall we take turns in deciding who goes first then?”

“I suppose we should. Culture differences and all.”

I sat next to a now undisguised Chrysalis, as the carriage’s windows kinda blocked out the outside world from peeking in here. “By the way, while we were cuddling, it was your job to rub up and cuddle under my chin. That’s how ponies do things at least… but I suppose it did feel nice to have a stallion try and keep me ‘safe’ while we napped.”

“Hey now, I can definitely keep you safe… with my inability and refusal to use magic.”

“I can teach you, you know. It would be a pleasure, and I get to teach you! I’ve wanted to be a teacher, but I never get the opportunity to be a teacher as most drones know what they know on a purely instinctual level.”

“Nah, I don’t want to learn magic-”

“You can learn magic tricks that’ll make me smile. And the process of teaching you would also make me very happy, Fruit Punch”

You know what? With that kind of logic, I can’t really say no can I? I can make Chrysalis happy now, and possibly make her happy again later by just learning magic? “Okay, I’ll learn magic for you, Chryssy. When do we start?” I asked.

“Well, I suppose we can use this carriage ride to get your first spark, and then we can work from there.”

“First spark?” I asked.

“A coined term for awakening your magical capabilities. Usually very young unicorns and changeling drones awake their abilities, or ignite the ‘first spark’ at quite a young age. For now, we are going to try and ignite your ‘first spark’. Then I will teach you how to consistently use your magic, then some basic magical theory, how to break down magical equations, and write them down! Oohoohoo! This will be so fun!”

Chrysalis, you are lucky that you’re adorable, hence why I am going to learn magic for you.

“Son of a bitch!” I give up, I am angry. I couldn’t even get my horn to do the glowy shit.

“Worry not! I believe I know how to ignite your first spark, my little pony…” Chrysalis nipped my rib cage. I squirmed a little, and cringed. Okay that spot’s ticklish- Why are you Chrysalis no! You evil witch! No, no, no! No!

“Gahh Chrysalis stop!” I squired and wiggled to try and get away as Chrysalis buried her snout into my ribcage and started to tickle. And she kept going. My attempts were so desperate that I even thought about just moving Chrysalis’s snout with my magic- Chrysalis randomly stopped, and now she was smirking. “You, tortuous, evil, traitor… I love you.” I wheezed. “Why are you smiling? You just spent the last five minutes trying to kill me!”

“I got you to ignite your first spark. Who knew that just tickling you was the key?” I blinked, and tried again. This time, I inadvertently raised one of Chrysalis’s hooves, before it quickly dropped. “And it seems like you’ve got the basics of telekinesis, or in spell terms, levitation, down. However! You seem to not know how to hold a magical signal just yet, but that will come in time!”

“Your highness-” the front window of the carriage opened. “We have arrived at the Hive.”

Chrysalis squealed. “Thank you, Slither and Skitter. Your services are always greatly appreciated.”

“It’s a pleasure to serve you, your highness.” One of the ponies, now changeling drones, looked directly at me. “And good luck with the rest of the Hive. Judging from how you just spent the last hour and a half learning something you don’t wish to learn, all for Chrysalis’s sake, you’ll do fine.” One of the drones said confidently. “We look forward to calling you the Hive’s king one day.”

“Uh…” I was gonna be what one day?

Also, those drones, with those big ol’ eyes and cute little fangs… God dammit, I am not gonna want to leave the Hive after today.

Author's Note

Fruit will get silently judged next chapter.

Also Skitter and Scatter might show up next chapter.

and most importantly, Fruit will pat bugs next chapter.