And now for the moment you've all been waiting for! Bit of a disclaimer that the following chapter does get a bit heavy at times, and I did my best to give the appropriate respect for the situation, so I hope you enjoy it.

This was a bad idea…

That single thought was running through Big Mac’s head on repeat as he stood in the centre of his room, the door shut behind him as he stared at one of the bags he had brought with him, the one containing everything he needed to indulge himself in his secret hobby of dressing up like a mare and fawning over himself in the mirror.

Only now it wasn’t a mirror he was about to get all dress up for…

Big Mac nearly jumped out his skin at the sound of several light knocks against the door, whirling around to find it still closed. “Big Mac?” Sugar Belle said from outside the room, a hint of concern in her voice. “Are you okay? You’ve been in there a while now…”

“E…Eyup!” Big Mac quickly replied, doing his best to try and swallow his building anxiety. “I’m just… just nervous is all! I’ll be done in a moment!”

There was silence for a moment before Sugar Belle replied, “All right, if you’re sure…”

Breathing heavily, Big Mac turned back around to face the bag once more, no closer to working up the courage to open it then he was before. As he stood their, his mind drifted back when they had been together on the couch by the fire, and what Sugar Belle had said to him then.

“I also meant every word when I said I loved you…” Her voice echoed in his ears, “… No matter what it is, it’s not something that could make me stop loving you…”

Breathing deeply through his nose, Big Mac readied himself as he strolled up to the bag and unzipped it, staring at the myriad of items that lay safely inside. Despite his hooves trembling like leaves in the wind, Big Mac reached into the bag and began to get ready…

***

Sugar Belle was starting to worry again. She knew this couldn’t be an easy thing for Big Mac, but she couldn’t help herself as she started to pace outside the room, periodically pressing her ear to the door in an attempt to pick up any sounds from inside. Occasionally she would pick up the sounds of muffled movement from inside, as well as what sounded like… singing? “What could he possibly be doing in there?” she wondered.

As she raised her hoof to knock again, she heard Big Mac call through the door, “Okay, I’m ready. You can come in now, Sugar Belle.”

Suddenly overcome with uncertainty, Sugar Belle glanced at the door knob, feeling a knot of fear start to grow in the pit of her stomach. Come on, Sugar Belle, you can doing this! You promised you would support him, no matter what! And yet, the aspiring baker couldn’t find the will to open the door, afraid of what she would see on the other side.

Of course, deep down Sugar Belle knew the real reason she was suddenly stalling. Once she saw what Big Mac’s big secret was, it would only be a matter of time until it was ultimately her turn to reveal her secret to him, and she wasn’t looking forward to that in the slightest.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Sugar Belle finally forced herself to open the door and step inside. “Okay, Big Mac, I’m coming I—“ Sugar Belle froze, her eyes widening and her mouth flopping open at what she saw standing before her. Honestly, Sugar Belle didn’t know what she was expecting to find on the other side of the door, but she could certainly say that this hadn’t been it. “Wha… what… the…”

Standing in the middle of the room was Big Mac… or what appeared to be Big Mac anyway, now dressed in a sunflower yellow sundress while wearing a large bouffant wig on his head, slippers on his hooves and… was he wearing makeup too!? Sugar Belle was at a loss for words, standing as still as a statue in the doorway as her brain tried to process it all.

With each passing second, Big Mac wanted nothing more than to find a deep hole to hide in. His face was even redder than usual, no matter how much he tried to hide it behind a layer of makeup. He had never felt so humiliated and ashamed in all his life at having somepony—anypony!—see him like this. During the Sisterhooves Social, he had told himself that it had all been for Apple Bloom, so he had been prepared to face what ridicule would come his way because of it. But now…

Working up the courage to look up, Big Mac met Sugar Belle’s eyes, looking for even the smallest hint of disgust in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes… the ones he had first fallen in love with all those months ago. Clearing his throat, Big Mac began to speak. “Do… do you remember that story I told ya way back, the one where I dressed up like a mare so I could compete with Apple Bloom in the Sisterhooves Social?”

Sugar Belle nodded her head, her eyes not even so much as glancing away from him as she picked her jaw up off the floor.

“Well, ya see… the thing is… that… that wasn’t the first time I had gotten all dressed up like that. The truth is I’ve been doin’ this for… for some time now, long before you and I started datin’. When I’m like this, I just feel… prettier. Happier, like there’s nothing I can’t do if I really wanted to!” A smile spread across Big Mac’s lipgloss covered lips as he finally put into words how it felt for him to dress up like this. However, his joy was short lived as he was overcome with another wave of shame. “I… I wanted to tell you sooner, but I…” Big Mac hung his head, too ashamed now to look as Sugar Belle as he muttered, “I was too embarrassed ta. I mean, who ever heard of a stallion wantin’ to dress up like a mare!? Like… like some kinda… some kinda freak!” Big Mac shouted, clamping his eyes shut to keep tears from leaking down his face.

Hearing Big Mac shout like that finally managed to snap Sugar Belle out of her stupor. With slow steps, she walked closer and closer towards Big Mac until she was standing directly in front of him. “Big Mac, you look… you look…”

“Ridiculous?” Big Mac muttered, his eyes still trained on the floor. “Disgusting? Pathetic?”

“Gorgeous!”

Like a rubber band, Big Mac’s head snapped up to look at Sugar Belle, dumbfounded to find the mare smiling up at him. “Wha…what?”

“I mean it! You look absolutely gorgeous right now!” Strolling around him, Sugar Belle took in his every shape and curve. “Could you twirl for me, please?”

“Uuhhh…” Still in a state of shock, Big Mac did as he was asked without question, his shoes clicking against the floor while he did so.

Sugar Belle practically squeed with glee as she took in Big Mac’s new appearance. “Oh, I wish I could look even half as good as you do right now! And your makeup!” Getting up right in his face, the exited unicorn squished his cheeks with her hooves as she admired his makeup. “Did you learn to do this all by yourself?”

“E…Eyup? I’ve had a lot of time to practice and— Wait, wait, wait!” Pulling back, Big Mac shook his head to make sure he wasn’t imagining all this. “You’re not… disgusted by all this?”

“Disgusted?” Sugar Belle echoed, tilting her head slightly. “Why should I be?”

“Because… because I’m a stallion!” Big Mac shouted, stomping his front hooves in frustration. “Stallion aren’t supposed to wear dresses, or put on makeup or… or… or any of this!”

“Says who?”

“Says… says everypony, that’s who! If anypony ever knew… if my family ever knew, I’d… I’d…” Grunting, turned his back to Sugar Belle in shame. “You… you should be laughing at me, not encouraging me!”

“Would it make you feel better if I was? Laughing at you, I mean.”

“N…no, but… but…” Big Mac was at a loss for words, having fully expected Sugar Belle to be disgusted by all. Before he could wallow any further into self doubt, he felt a hoof against this back and the feeling of soft lips against his cheek.

“I’m sorry…” she said, her voice practically bursting with concern. “I’m sorry you had to hold all this in for so long. I can’t even imagine how you must have felt, feeling like you should be ashamed because of something you truly enjoyed. No matter what any other pony might think, I don’t have a problem with you wanting to dress up like this.”

“You… you don’t?”

“Of course not! I mean, it’s obvious to me that this is something you really enjoy doing and you’re not hurting anypony by doing it, are you?”

“N…No…”

“And there you go!” Smiling, Sugar Belle nuzzled her cheek against Big Mac’s, making sure not to accidentally smug his makeup. “As long as you enjoy it, I don’t see a problem with it. As far as I’m concerned, all that matters is that you stay true you, instead of trying to be some pony you’re not.”

In that moment, Big Mac felt truly lighter, like he had been carrying the weight of the world for so long and had finally had it lifted off his shoulders. A smile spread across his lips as he leaned down and nuzzled the wonderful unicorn beside him. “What did I ever do to deserve somepony as wonderful as you, Sweetie Pie?”

“I ask myself that same question every day,” Sugar Belle replied, looking up at the stallion in mare’s clothing with a sly grin. “Of course, you realize this means I’m going to inevitably ask you to do my makeup for me, right?”

“But of course!” Big Mac replied, adopting his Orchard Blossom voice as he gave a shake of his mane. “After all, it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of Equestria if I kept all these beauty tips to myself, now would it, hmmm?”

Sharing a laugh between them, the pair settled into a comfortable silence for a bit, relaxing from the stress of the last few minutes.

Eventually, Big Mac spoke up. “Hey, Sugar Belle?”

“Yeah?”

“I… I think this means it’s your turn now, remember?”

In a blink, Sugar Belle seemed to visibly wilt, her ears drooping as she quickly looked away. “It’s… I… I mean we don’t have to do this right now, do we? We could always wait until tomorrow to—“

“Nope,” Big Mac forcibly replied, placing his hoof on Sugar Belle’s chin and prodding her to look him in the eye. “I know how tempting it can be to put this off, but I also know that if y’all don’t do this now, then you’ll only keep puttin’ it of more and more.”

Sugar Belle sighed, unable to deny that he was unfortunately right. If she didn’t do it now while she had the chance, she might never be able to do it at all… “I know, it’s just…” A blush began to spread across her cheeks as she said, “… It’s… it’s kinda embarrassing…”

“More embarrassin’ than a stallion who likes to dress up like a mare?” Big Mac replied, trying his best to comfort his marefriend. “You accepted my secret, so the least I can do for ya in return is to try and understand yours. Remember what I said before?” Placing his arm on her back, Big Mac pulled her into a hug, running his other hoof gently through her mane. “I love you, and nothin’ will ever change that.”

Sugar Belle sighed, feeling some of her anxiety wash away. “I know, I just… need a moment…”

Big Mac said nothing, continuing to run his hoof through Sugar Belle’s mane comfortingly. They remained that way for some time, neither one of them uttering so much as a word.

Eventually, Sugar Belle reluctantly pulled away from Big Mac and turned towards the door. “Alright… time to get this over with. Follow me…” With heavy hooves, Sugar Belle trotted to her room across the hall, Big Mac following in step behind her. The whole time, Sugar Belle couldn’t shake the dread building inside her, like she was walking towards her own execution.

As Sugar Belle walked into her room, Big Mac paused in the doorway. “Do ya want me to wait outside while you—“

“No, you might as well come it. It’ll be easier that way.” Walking across the room, Sugar Belle stopped in front of one of her bags, the one containing all her foal supplies. Her heart hammered away in her chest furiously as she stood there, feeling her throat tighten and her mouth dry up as she tried desperately to work up the courage to do what she needed to do.

“Sugar Belle?” Big Mac said from behind her, noticing how much she was trembling. Could this secret of her’s really be that bad? he wondered, his mind starting to conjure up any number of possibilities as too what it could be.

After several agonizingly slow minutes, Sugar Belle eventually used her magic to unzip the bag, holding it above her head as she turned to face Big Mac. “Well… here it is…” she said as she turned the bag upside-down and unceremoniously dumped the contents onto the floor.

Big Mac was taken aback by the large pile of items strewn about before him. Lettered blocks, a rattle, a pacifier and plenty of diapers… all things you would need to take care of a foal. Big Mac’s heart shot into his throat as he wondered, Could… could Sugar Belle be pregnant?! But… but we never—

Panting slightly as he tried to collect himself, Big Mac began to notice something odd about all the supplies, especially the diapers. He had cared for both Applejack and Apple Bloom when they were foals, so he was no stranger to diapers like these, except that these ones seemed… too big. Much too big to fit a young foal. In fact, they seemed just big enough to fit a full grown pony, particularly a pony like—

Big Mac’s eyes widened as the pieces slowly came together in his mind. “Sugar Belle… are these… are all these for you?”

“Y…yes…” Sugar Belle replied, hanging her head in shame. “All of this is mine, even the… even the diapers…” Sugar Belle’s embarrassment only grew as she finally uttered the dreaded “d” word out loud.

“But… but why?”

“It’s because…” With a heavy sigh, Sugar Belle finally admitted, “I’m… I’m an Adult Foal. I… I like to pretend like I’m a foal again, playing with toys, crawling around everywhere, drinking from a bottle and even… even wearing diapers.”

Now it was Big Mac’s turn to stand there with his mouth hanging open, his mind working at full capacity to try and digest all this.

“I… I know this must be a shock to you… and I… I understand if you’re disgusted by all this but… but … I…” Unable to stop herself, the words just seemed to tumble out as Sugar Belle rambled on and on. “… This is a part of me, something I’ve felt since as long as I remember. I tried giving it up along with my cutie mark after I started living in Starlight’s village, but the urge just kept on coming back over and over again until I… Until I just couldn’t deny it anymore. When I act like a foal, I feel… happy, like all the stresses and problem in my life just fade away. I mean, what foal needs to worry about things like working a shop, or doing taxes to making sure your special somepony doesn’t accidentally discover your secret!”

Now hyperventilating, Sugar Belle looked about ready to faint as she continued to ramble, tears started to roll down her face. “And… and I started fantasizing about you… you looking after me, like a Daddy caring for his foal! I’ve wanted that more than anything else but I couldn’t… I couldn’t—“ Sugar Belle was suddenly silenced by the feeling of a pacifier being popped into her mouth. In a state of shock, Sugar Belle automatically began to suckle the pacifier, feeling some her anxiety start to dissipate. Looking up, she saw Big Mac standing over her, a look of concern written clear across his face.

“Breathe, Sweetie-Pie. Just… breathe.”

Doing as she was told, Sugar Belle took a deep breath through her nose, not once pausing from suckling her pacifier. As she filled her lungs with much needed oxygen following her outburst, she felt Big Mac reach up and wipe her tears away, glancing up to find, of all things, a comforting smile on his face.

“Better?”

Sugar Belle nodded her head, as she did feel better than she had before.

“Good. Now, I have a few things to say, so I just need to you to listen to me. Can you do that for me, Sweetie-Pie?”

Again, Sugar Belle nodded her head.

“Alright…” Taking a deep breath of his own, Big Mac began. “First of all, I just want you to know that you were very brave in telling me all this. I know it couldn’t have been easy to admit all this, let alone to another pony like me.”

Sugar Belle actually felt a smile start to tug at the edge of her lips, feeling herself relax a small bit from Big Mac’s appraisal of her.

“Secondly, I just have to say that you win our little challenge from before. I can honestly say that your secret is far more embarrassing and stranger than mine…”

And just like that, Sugar Belle felt those same good feeling start to fade, glancing down at the floor.

“…However,” Big Mac continued, “Just because it’s strange doesn’t mean it’s wrong, nor does it mean I don’t want to try and understand it.”

Looking back up, Sugar Belle felt like she was going to start crying again as she said, “You… you mean it?”

“Of course! Honestly, there’s still much about you being an ‘Adult Foal’ that I don’t understanding, so who better to help me understand than you?” Suddenly, Big Mac’s soothing smile slipped into a frown. “Sadly, I can’t fulfil yer last wish. I can’t be your Daddy.”

Sugar Belle felt her heart drop at hearing that from him, but she knew it was a long shot anyway. There was no way he was going to want to—

“However!” Big Mac suddenly said, his Orchard Blossom voice in full force as he said, “How you feel about havin’ a Nana instead, hmm?”

Sugar Belle’s eyes positively lit up like a neon sign. “Really!?”

“But of course! Why, what kinda pony would I be if I let an innocent foal like you without somepony to look away her and make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble? I’d be delighted to help!”

Practically pouncing Big Mac, Sugar Belle wrapped her arms around the large stallion as she hugged him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!”

Smiling, Big Mac patted her on the back as he returned the embrace. “Now… it’s getting late,” he said, glancing out the window at the night sky. “I think it’s bout time for somepony to get herself ready for bed.”

“But… but I’m not ti…tired…” As if on cue, Sugar Belle let out a loud yawn, the emotionally trying events of that night finally starting to take its toll on her.

“Nuh uh! Foals need their rest if they’re ever want to grow up to be big in strong!” Pulling away from Sugar Belle, Big Mac turned around and picked up one of the diapers off the floor, holding it up for Sugar Belle to see. “Come along now, hop up into bed and Nana will change you.”

“Wha…what?” Sugar Belle gasped, her eyes drawn to the diaper. “Are… are you sure you’re okay with—“

“Now, now! I don’t want to hear any complaints!” Turning her around, Big Mac began to lead her over to the bed. “Foals can’t be trusted to keep themselves dry through the night, so Nana will just have to make sure yer nice and padded up! Now hop up!”

Is… is this really happening? Sugar Belle wondered as she hopped up onto her bed and laid on her back. The unicorn was a big ball of conflicting emotions, but the biggest emotion of all was giddy excitement. I’m about to be changed, not by myself, but by another pony!

“Lift up, Sweetie-Pie,” Big Mac said as he unfolded the diaper, gently sliding it under Sugar Belle’s bottom and threading her tail through the back.

“Do you even know how to change a diaper?” Sugar Belle asked in-between suckling her pacifier.

Big Mac just looked at her with a deadpan expression on his face. “Two younger sisters, remember?”

“Ah, silly me…” Sugar Belle was silent as Big Mac worked to diaper her, sprinkling a helping of talcum powder onto her belly before bringing the front of the diaper up and over her belly. Sugar Belle felt like she was on cloud nine, practically bubbling over with excitement as Big Mac securely taped the diaper onto her.

“And… there we go! My little filly is all snug like a bug in her diaper. Now she’s finally ready for bed!”

Giggling, Sugar Belle wormed her way under the covers, revelling in the crinkling of her diaper. Just as Big Mac was about to tuck her in, however, she suddenly shot up and yelled, “Wait!” Using her magic, Sugar Belle picked up her stuffed Bumblebee and brought it over to her, hugging it tightly in her arms.

“Oh my! Now who is this little fellow? A friend of yours, perhaps?”

“Yep! This is Cupcake and he’s my bestest friend in the whole world!”

“Well, it’s quite a pleasure to meet him. Now, no more dillydallying outta you!” Pulling the covers up, Big Mac tugged Sugar Belle, making sure she was nice and snug. “Would you like Nana to sing you a lullaby to help you sleep?”

Sugar Belle nodded, relaxing as Big Mac began to sing to her. Big Mac had the most beautiful singing voice, and she always loved it when he sang for her. Slowly, her eyes began to grow heavy as she drifted off to dreamland, secure in the knowledge that she had a Nana to look after her. Before long, she was fast asleep, making adorable purring noises as she slept.

Big Mac stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of his marefriend’s sleeping form. She looked so adorable and peaceful… With a smile, he leaned down and gently kissed Sugar Belle on the cheek. “Sweet dreams, my lovely Sweetie-Pie.”

Sugar Belle mumbled something, but remained fast asleep. On careful hooves, Big Mac tiptoes across the room towards the door, making extra sure to softly close the door behind him as not to disturb the slumbering mare. Sighing, he slumped against the wall, feeling more exhausted now than he had after even the toughest of work days. The night had certainly been a strange one, and he just knew that it was only going to get stranger from their.

As he got up and began a slow walk towards his bed, Big Mac was already making plans for the morning. Seeing how happy and peaceful Sugar Belle had looked had lit a fire in him, and he knew that it was his duty to make sure she had the time of her life during their stay.

After all… It was a Nana’s job to look after their foal, was it not?