Silent as the nights they share blissful sleep, Chrysalis watched her husband walk in a panic, gasping for breath and arching his back, her body and soul feeling his cringe with pain, the echo of her worries filling her with concern as each step to the gates of Ponyville drew them closer to the hospital. How could he have ever been so stupid as to attempt such things on the train? And what was wrong with her that she had such feral instincts to blind her conscience from the consequences that came?

She was completely different from him. She was not a soft creature like Andy. Her body was strong and flexible for almost any position she could think of trying when alone with him. She stared at the ground solemnly and sighed under her breath whilst his hand held hers and they pushed Forest's stroller together.

It took tremendous effort not to think about how wrong it was to use the shower as they room of fun. Her head exploded with thoughts of her husband being so limited in comparison to the things she could do, her mind so faint to the differences she might punch a wall. Drawing in a deep breath, she looked up to the suffering man. She was in an unfamiliar position, unknown to these circumstances that a wife must deal with. It was very strange: traditional purposes as a wife was confusing when thinking about how a changeling queen should act to her mate. She was no longer a queen though; that title was stripped when she surrendered herself to the princesses for redemption. She was married to this man, not bound by breeding but with love, devotion and a marriage that connected them.

She felt thin and stretched out, so utterly tired and unable to think. She wanted to leave the hatchlings with Andy and run home to curl up in a fetal position under the warm covers and sleep it off. But the duties of a. . . loving wife. Emotions threading through her body. . .

She couldn't breathe for a moment. All the air was gone from her body. What am I supposed to say or do? She hadn't dreamt being a wife meant showing a different attitude that was built on love and care for her significant other. Things were so much easier when she had Shining Armor under her spell for those few weeks, but her heart was so hollow at the time. Being a queen meant never caring for others when they were in pain. Sure, she had to feed her children to keep them alive. Shining Armor was that source and she did not care if it drained him of his very life.

Now, draining Andy of his love frightened her. She was afraid of hurting him. She was stricken with terror that her old-self would return and suck the life out of her human. The fears and thoughts were tearing at her slowly with her imagination ending in multiple ways for Andy to lose his life. The sight of him being in pain was bad enough, but the stress snaking its way through their marriage was pure agony. How can he handle so much? She had felt herself to be a failure. Completely defeat for not showing her concern. She closed her eyes to hide the weeping.

"Chrissy." Her eyes shot open instantly with the hand holding hers now gently caressing her cheek as they stopped in the middle of town, all eyes on them, whispers spreading rapidly while the love she fed on became her shield. She nuzzled the hand that softened her emotions and smiled as the tears were wiped away with his thumbs.

"What's the matter?" Andy wrapped the changeling princess in a kiss while she leaned into his chest, her face buried against his shoulder. "Is it everyone looking at us?"

"I don't know what to do," she whimpered, tightening her arms around him. "I'm so confused as to what I should do. I'm used to not caring about others being in pain, but I see you and feel useless for not knowing how to care."

Andy did not say a word, just held his princess, letting her shed some tears while he fed her with his love, pecked her lips and stroked her hair.

His kiss more than anything else stopped the tears. She reached a point where she could not cry freely. She couldn't do anything but cling to Andy stare at him in a confused manner.

"How do I show that I worry about you right now?" She whispered, lowering her head into his shoulder to hide from his gaze while she made the question. "I don't know how to be a proper wife."

There was a small flash of amusement, and then he poured love into her mind and body. It was impossible to be frustrated with her when he fed her his emotions deeply into hers. He brushed at the tears running down her face. He understood that she hadn't been able to comprehend the differences of a wife and a queen, but that didn't make it any easier to help her.

"You're not failing me. You're still learning and I have no problem with it." he whispered into her ear, caressing the lobe with his lips until she drew in a sharp breath. "I know it's not caring that troubles you. It's showing that you care. But you have nothing to worry about."

"Then tell me what I should do." She had absolutely no idea yet what it was that must be done to show she's a good wife.

Andy laughed softly whilst she held onto him, as if he knew she was struggling to figure out who she really was. His laughter cocooned her in his love, and then the connection between them slowly warmed the changeling's heart as if fuel was added to her fire.

Chrysalis took a deep breath and let it out. She might be afraid to understand the changes she must make, seeking perfection in their marriage, but still, she was searching hard and deep for the answer. If she could find it though, that would bring her one step closer to being the wife that no mare could be. She looked up worriedly to the man cupping her cheek, feeling lost and faint from his love.

Andy tightened his arm around the princess and held her up when the emotions stuffing her were too much to bear. He knew had possibly intoxicated his lover. "Do you remember our first night together?"

She shook her head of the sudden dizziness and replied: "Of course I do. How could I ever forget that night?"

"Think of our marriage as something similar to that. It's not about what you should do," Andy said with a grin. "It's about letting the nature between us flow freely. Act on instinct, not with your thoughts."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes at the recurring memory. "So violence is natural in our marriage?"

"I meant about the connection we made," he teased.

She closed her eyes and let the past come back to her, grateful that he gave some sort of clue and was adept enough to find the answer that was sitting in front of her face. She took his hand and decided that standing in the middle of town was not best time to be remembering things, more to make certain there was nopony to bother her, her husband or their hatchlings because this was the first day in weeks they made to be free.

"How about we go somewhere to talk about this?" Chrysalis asked, suddenly anxious as there were townsfolk still whispering about them as they passed by. "Town Square is not the best place to talk about such things."

Andy chuckled, nodding his head before taking his family across the town for a little fun, his pair of guards now pushing Forest's stroller. "I will bet you that Fluttershy and Discord would like a visit. Those two have always been good sitters for the hatchlings. Plus she is good enough for a doctor. I bet she can fix my back and shoulder."

Chrysalis laughed softly and drifted into her mind as the trip continued, drifting into the first night they spent together while a certain earth pony with more energy than Celestia's sun spied from a bush and began plotting. She was unaware though, of the mare watching them as it was her goal to find the answer in Andy's clue.

"In our nature. . ." She pondered and twisted her mind as the past flashed back to her. Every moment, every detail coming back to her with clarity. Her heart wrenched when the end of her night came, but there was always light in the darkness that shrouded her painfully during that time.

. . .

Chrysalis glanced at her mane with fear, the very princess she imprisoned in crystal—now a friend and ally that was giving the finishing touches before Andy showed up to escort her to the gala. Her dress swayed, as it was enchanted to do after Celestia and Luna matched her magic to the fabric so she could appear elegant and almost heavenly with a flowing aura. She'd been working hard for several months to make her relationship with the human work. It had been the longest hurdle she made to being a better princess, everyone knew that all too well, especially Cadance. She had given her more advice and tricks to winning the man's heart than her own mother had given her to lure a stallion into bed.

Truthfully, that's what she'd been avoiding, day after day of fighting her instincts, but tasting his emotions as if she was trying to savor the love that grew in his heart. Several times she was astounded to fill her body with said love, so genuine and willingly given when it was needed to feed her hatchlings. Her body was throbbing. Cadance had ensured that everything she'd felt was natural when it comes to attraction. A mare—or changeling in her case—is meant to feel as light as a feather and have butterflies in her stomach every time the one they want is around.

She wanted him to not appear for several moments. It felt impossible for the princess in training to find a significant other and was having second thoughts about Andy as the rest of her outfit was finished and tidied up with magic.

"All done," Cadance tittered, turning the changeling into the mirror to show the beauty of her work. Chrysalis, however, was not so sure of herself when she realized how different she looked in formal attire. The crown was a nice touch, but the frills of her dress made her feel too. . . girly.

"I look like I'm getting married," Chrysalis said with bemusement, staring into the reflection as her caretaker giggled and adjusted the crown.

"You could get married," Cadance implied as she pushed up on the princess' breasts, startling her and adjusted them to be as plump as magic can make them. Though there was no need due to a female changeling's body never aging, Cadance felt you could never go wrong with drawing in a stallion by giving the boobs a little 'Oomph'.

"What are you doing?" Chrysalis barked with venom, covering her chest from the alicorn. "I asked for you to help me, not play with my breasts you damn hussy!"

"I'm sizing them up before Andy arrives," Cadance clarified with an evil grin. Something about this mare made the changeling princess shiver. "You want to snag him tonight, don't you?"

"Of course," Chrysalis stuttered, looking away with red on her cheeks.

"Then let me do my work," Cadance resumed adjusting the very large breasts, although carefully now that her friend/ enemy was snarling. "Nothing does better work at snatching a stallion like having big breasts. By the way, how are they so firm and plump?"

"It's called breastfeeding the love to your hatchlings." Chrysalis droned, which was strange, because according to Twilight, changelings used magic to share the love that is gathered. She wasn't some changeling though—she was the alpha—and yet she knew with certainty that he spot on the dominance chain was robbed.

Cadance made her way to the sleeves, a small ribbon of magic as a stream and stretched the aura to Chrysalis' fingernails. It was close enough to be mistaken as running water around her body as it flowed over the fabric, making its way back to the source that is in the crown.

The moment she finished touching up the dress and sat down to catch her breath, Chrysalis knew there was no time left to pick at her outfit and talk, she knew her and Cadance were no longer alone. A wave of nervousness and excitement went down her body and she turned from the mirror and gasped at the door. "He's here already?" She made certain that her words hit the alicorn so that she too stood up and walked next to her as support.

Chrysalis let her gaze move from the door to the shadow looming under the crevice. Three soft knocks were and she yelped, a changeling frightened and unsure that tonight was going to run smoothly. Unfortunately, the emotions from this man were all too real and Cadance was letting the man in before she could compose herself.

"The man of the hour has arrived," Cadance commented. She stepped to the side and gestured for Andy to enter while her aunts, who were behind him, remained outside to watch the scene between the princess and their ambassador unfold. Their imagination got the best of the alicorns as the sight of Andy made Chrysalis blush like Fluttershy.

Andy stood before the nervous changeling and pulled his hat off, playing the part of the gentleman who is supposed to steal the breath of his date. And he did, quietly with a knee touching the floor and his hand touching hers. Even the princess of love was very impressed to see how good Andy cleaned up and acted when around the green haired princess.

"Princess Chrysalis," he kissed her hand, earning motherly coos from the three alicorns. Chrysalis, on the other hand, was at a loss of words. "I am here to retrieve you for our date at the gala. I hope I was not late or interrupting any preparations."

"What did Rarity do to him?" Cadance whispered to her aunties, who just giggled at her and continued watching the newest princess stare at the bowing man with wide eyes.

A changeling such as herself should not be nervous, but she did not know how someone of his character almost sweep her off her feet. She could the love from this man burning through her. Her heart began to pound and her mouth went dry. She felt terror. She finally realized what terror was, and right now, she had to fight it off. She was this man's date and he was patiently waiting for her to respond. She took several deep breaths, fighting off the need to keep from blasting the windows behind her and make a quick retreat. Her body shivered continuously whilst he came close to give her a rose that was enchanted to match her mane, and there seemed little she could to stop him from putting it in her mane.

"Chrysalis," Celestia spoke up, winking at her. "Doesn't Andy look very handsome tonight?"

"That is no joke, sister," Luna whispered. "I almost wish it was I in her position."

Twice the changeling princess thought the world stopped. Intellectually she knew it was wrong to keep the man waiting, but she told herself she was the one who suggested that their first date be during the gala. Finally, she snapped out of her stupor and stared at the tuxedo man with a few words to come to mind.

"I. . . am quite surprised," she admitted, making him smile. The lover birds seemed to stare at one another, endlessly in wonder of magnificent the other was. Andy couldn't help blushing whilst Cadance pushed the date to happen by pushing them out the door with haste.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. You two get out there and have fun. Shining Armor will be back to help me with the hatchlings, and we plan to use this bed tonight when they go to sleep."

No one needed a hint to what she was implying; how she could speak so freely astonished the pair as they left the room.

A snap of the tumblers and the door was officially locked behind the princesses and the ambassador, silent yet shaking their heads as they heard Cadance talk to herself about hiding her new lingerie for tonight. She had to be the most perverted princess to exist, but that was one of the reasons Shining Armor married her.

"As perverted as she is, I'd rather be around her than Blueblood," Andy confessed, earning nods and giggles from the royal sisters and his date.

"Shall we proceed to the gala?" Celestia asked, gesturing for Andy to lead them. He agreed wholeheartedly and curled his arm around Chrysalis' as they made their way through the hall.

Little did Andy and Chrysalis know that their date was going to bring them closer than expected.