//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: "Punishment"? 
// Story: It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling 
// by MattTOB 
//------------------------------//


It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling

Chapter 3: "Punishment"?






Two days later...

Blinking, Mandy Carapace stepped out of the hospital and into the sunlight. 

It just didn't make sense.

By some stroke of luck, not only had he survived being thrown from Canterlot straight into Ponyville Town Hall, and not only had he been unconventionally tried by Celestia herself, but he'd walked away from it with only a thousand hours of community service and limitations on his movement and magic, along with free food and board.

One thousand hours of community service. If he was to get through 8 hours of that each day (which is what was recommend to him), it'd take him 125 days before his sentence would be completed. That was a long time to be stuck in Ponyville, to live without magic (which, sadly enough, included the shape-shifting that Changelings were known for). And when asked about what exactly qualified "community service", Celestia simply said, "Whatever Twilight Sparkle and her friends deem fitting".

After some deliberation between the Princesses and the citizens of Ponyville, it had been decided that he'd be bunking with Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and Celestia's personal protegé. She'd mentioned something about living in a library with a baby dragon and an owl, and, with the guidance of some Royal Guards that'd been chosen as his escort, that was where Mandy was headed at the moment.

And to top it all off, he was going to be fed! Celestia had gotten Cadence to agree to spare rations of love magic for Mandy, to ensure that he'd be properly healthy during the course of his punishment.

It didn't make any sense to him why he'd gotten off so relatively easily.

But Mandy wasn't complaining in the slightest.





After some time spent walking, all-too aware of the glares he was receiving, Mandy and the Guards finally reached a large tree that'd been hollowed into a building. Several windows and balconies poked out in places, a large red door with a candle decal on it marked the entrance, and outside was a sign that read:

GOLDEN OAKS LIBRARY

Mandy pushed open the door to the building he'd call home for the foreseeable future, and marvelled. Almost the entirety of the walls were covered with bookshelves, filled entirely with... Well, books. A winding staircase that seemed to be carved to follow the wood grain led up to a second floor on the other side of the room, a few doors into other rooms were placed along the walls, and a wooden carving of a horse's head adorned a round table at the center of the room.

And sitting at the base of the stairs, reading a Power Ponies Comic, was a purple baby dragon. He looked up, flinched, then realized, "Oh wait, you must be Mandy, right?"

Mandy nodded sheepishly.

Spike stood up and offered his claw, which Mandy warily shook. "I'm Spike, Twilight's #1 Assistant and baby brother."

Mandy looked at him incredulously. "How does that work?"

"Well, when she was trying to get into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, she had to pass an entrance exam, which consisted of hatching my egg. She passed, then adopted me into their family afterwards."

"Then wouldn't she technically be your mother?" Mandy asked levelly.

Spike blushed. "I mean, technically yes, but I look at her more as a sister, since her mom did more of the raising."

Mandy conceded, "I guess that makes sense."

Spike shook his head to clear the thoughts. "Anyways, how 'bout I show you around?"





"...and finally, this is the guest room, where you'll be staying," Spike concluded the tour as he led Mandy into a small room much like the one he'd said was Twilight's bedroom.

The Changeling eyed the bed. "Wait, she has a second bed?"

Spike blinked. "Yeah, why?"

Mandy recalled seeing a small basket in Twilight's room, where Spike said he slept. "So, she already has another bed, and yet, you sleep in a basket?"

Spike went to rebut, but his eyes widened in realization. "Hey, yeah! What's with that?!" Spike climbed up to stand on the bed. "Equal sleeping conditions for all!" He stated.

Mandy smirked mirthfully at Spike's rebellious spirit. If only Mandy were confident like that; he could stand up to Chrysalis, rescue his brother, and possibly even get the big screech-y bug bitch knocked down a few pegs.

It was at that moment that Twilight Sparkle walked in through the front door. "Spike, I'm home!"

Spike rushed downstairs, and Mandy followed at a more casual gait. The baby dragon demanded, "Twilight, I want to know why I'm forced to sleep in a basket, when there's a perfectly good bed in the guest room."

Twilight shrugged. "I suppose, since you slept in a basket back in Canterlot, it only seemed fitting, even if this place came with a second bed. But if you really want, I'll let you sleep in the bed as soon as Mandy's punishment is over."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Mandy conceded, "I actually prefer to sleep in a cocoon."

Twilight gulped. "C-cocoon?"

"Yeah, y'know, like the one that Chrysalis used to trap... Celestia...." Mandy trailed off when he realized that Twilight had understandable reason to be unsettled by a cocoon. "You know what? On second thought, I'd be fine with a bed, if it'd make you feel comfortable."

Twilight looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure? I mean, you're my guest, so I should try and make you feel comfortable."

"And I'd be comfortable knowing that you're comfortable with me being here," Mandy shot back.

Twilight mulled it over, then relented. "Okay, fine. Now then, shall we get started?"

Mandy eyed her warily. "Started with what?"

Suddenly, Twilight teleported to the bug's side, startling him. She magically held a notebook and quill, and there was a near manic look in her eye as she cheered, "RESEARCH!"

Mandy gulped. Okay, maybe this would be more fitting than he'd initially thought.







The next 3 1/2 hours consisted of almost non-stop questioning from Twilight to Mandy. She learned a barrage of new information about Changelings, from their reproductive cycles (the females request pheromones from the Queen, which set their biological processes in motion) to the nature of their shape-shifting powers (they use magic to transform their bodies into whatever they want, animate or inanimate, and the larger the form, the more magic it takes to create. It doesn't take magic to maintain, but it does to change back).

Finally, she seemed satiated. "Alright, that's enough for now."

Mandy looked up from where his head was planted onto the desk, and asked sardonically, "Do you really mean it this time? Or is it like the last 7 times, where you claimed we'd stop after 'one last question'?"

"I'm fully serious this time," Twilight rolled her eyes, then brought out a time table. "I'll just add those 3 hours and 27 minutes to your record..."

Mandy shot her a questioning gaze. "Wait, that counts?"

"She said 'whatever we deem fitting', right? You're doing us a service by giving us new information on Changelings, and so, I count it towards your hours."

Mandy blinked. "I suppose that makes sense... Thank you, Twilight."

"Don't mention it," the scholarly unicorn waved him off as she copied her notes into a notebook labelled 'Changelings: The Mystery Behind the Monster'. "Now, why don't you go upstairs and read until Rarity gets here?"

"Rarity?" The bug questioned.

"She said she'd be happy to give you a task to count towards your community service."

"No, I mean, who's Rarity?"

Twilight blinked, blushing. "Right. Well, she's an up-and-coming fashionista, and one of my best friends. Though you may recognize her as the Element of Generosity."

Mandy nodded. "Oh, she's the white-and-purple unicorn, right?"

"Actually, it's light gray and moderate indigo." Twilight corrected nonchalantly.

Mandy threw a questioning look at her.

"She's very particular about colors," she replied bluntly.





Mandy searched through the books, and was about to start reading 'Bridle and Prejudice', when there came three simple but elegant knocks at the door. Mandy put the book back and headed to the door.

Rarity stood on the other side, adjusting her mane with a hoof. She, like Spike, flinched when she saw the Changeling, then quickly calmed down again. "Right, sorry. Hello there, Mr. Carapace."

"You can just call me Mandy. And you're Rarity, I presume?"

She nodded at this.

Spike looked up at the sound of his crush. "Oh, h-hi, Rarity," he stammered, blushing profusely.

"Why, hello, Spike dear," she greeted back, not noticing his body language. "It feels like a while since we've hung out."

Spike nodded, "Yeah, I've, uh, been kinda busy..."

"Well, I wish we could stay and chat, but Twilight says that Mandy would be willing to help me with my dresses. Isn't that right?"

Mandy held back a groan. "Yes, that's right."

Spike quickly blurted out, "I'll come with you!"

Rarity looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure? You've already done so much for me recently..."

"I'm sure that the other stuff I've got to do can wait," he nervously chuckled, looking back at his comic.

If Mandy had pupils, they would've seen him rolling them.

Rarity nodded. "Alright, if you insist. Just don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Spike nodded absently, focused on Rarity's luxurious mane, with affection rolling off of him like clouds.

Rarity ushered them both out the door, then waved off the Royal Guards who were still waiting outside. They looked at each other, then saluted, and remained stationed.

Rarity turned to Mandy. "So, Mr. Carapace, –"

"Mandy," he gently reminded.

"Right. Mandy, tell me about yourself."

"Well, okay. Let's see... I was born twenty years ago, to Queen Chrysalis – though she was still Princess back then – and Prince Mothra. When I was twelve, I–"

Rarity cut him off. "Uh, no, dear, that's not quite what I meant. I mean, that's interesting, too, but I wanted to know ABOUT you. Like, what's your favorite season? Are you a morning pon– er, Changeling? Do you prefer buttons or zippers?"

Mandy blinked. "I... I don't really know."

Rarity gasped. "Why-ever not, darling?!"

Mandy looked away, coming to a standstill. "Well, as part of the swarm, I was always too busy taking orders to really think about myself that much. It was always 'Wake up, search for intruders, go scouting, mealtime'..."

He stopped when his stomach growled. "Uh, speaking of which... You don't mind if I have a quick snack, do you?"

Rarity looked at Spike, then back at Mandy questioningly. "Well, of course not, but... Don't you eat love?"

As she said this, Mandy wryly eyed Spike, whose eyes widened at the realization of what he was insinuating.

Then Mandy winked. "Well, mostly. We can also eat some plants and insects, but they don't really give us the nutrients we need."

"Ah." She nodded in understanding. Then she thought of something: "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly DO you feed on 'love'?"

Mandy twiddled his hooves together. "Well... How can I explain this? Love is sort of a... 'blanket term' for most positive emotions, like happiness, confidence..."

He subtly turned to look at Spike and added, "...lust..."

Spike blushed.

Mandy then went on, "Emotions sort of... Float around the ponies that feel them, like fog. We usually just eat that excess love, leaving no harm to the ponies. But if we're desperate, we can rip it out forcefully, which... does... affect them..."

He looked almost ashamed at that last statement, which Rarity and Spike took notice of.

But he quickly regained his composure when his stomach growled again. "But, uh, anyways, I was just asking if I could snack on the excess 'love' you're giving off."

Rarity looked at Spike, who was blushing redder than a tomato. "Well, I-I suppose it'd be alright. What do you say, Spike?"

Spike only meekly nodded.

"Thanks," Mandy said. 

He closed his eyes and flexed his jaw, and a thin, hardly-visible pink mist appeared in his mouth as he gathered it up. The mist coalesced until it was about as dense as fog before he closed his mouth and swallowed.

He let out a breath in euphoria. "Ahh, that hit the spot. I gotta say, that was the most potent love I've ever had!"

Spike somehow grew even redder, burying his face in his claws.

Rarity thought for a moment. "What does it taste like?"

Mandy sighed in bliss. "Like the most wonderful thing in the world. If I had to compare it to anything, I'd say the closest pony food would be... Strawberry ice cream."

Rarity's eyes widened. "Strawberry ice cream? You don't say..."

This revelation made Rarity rethink some things; specifically, why Changelings might go to such lengths as infiltrate and invade to get some. Now, she didn't fully blame the Changelings – although she still didn't think they were in the right for attacking Canterlot, she could at least partially understand the motivations.

And from the look Spike was giving her, she could see that he was starting to think the same thing.

Mandy practically skipped as he continued walking. "Woo, I feel so much more invigorated! C'mon, let's go!"

Rarity and Spike shook off the shock, and hurried to catch up to him.