//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6: Seed-ling 
// Story: It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling 
// by MattTOB 
//------------------------------//


It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling

Chapter 6: Seed-ling






When Applejack and Mandy got back to the Golden Oaks Library, they found Twilight taking care of Spike (who had gotten sick from last night). They went to explain, but she said that Spike already did, and that she wasn't mad at Mandy (after all, nopony could leave a Pinkie Party once they'd entered). Mandy then told her of his plans for the day, and she waved him off with a friendly smile.





Several minutes of walking later, and Applejack's homely red barn came into view. Mandy oogled at the sight of the vast sea of trees, which were just starting to bloom in the spring air.

"There it is," AJ announced proudly, gesturing towards the orchard while still walking, "Sweet Apple Acres!"

Mandy replied with: "Honestly, I think it's the prettiest thing I've ever seen."

AJ blushed. "Aw, shucks. That's mighty kind o' ya, but it ain't nothin' special; s'just an Apple Farm."

Mandy scoffed. " 'Just an Apple Farm'? Our Hive's in the badlands, where plants are scarcer than..." He struggled to think of a comparison.

"...scarcer than rattlesnakes in the Arctic?" AJ suggested.

The Changeling shrugged, chuckling slightly. "Sure, why not?"

He then turned back to the farm, flicking out his tongue. "But it's not just that; it's all the emotions! I can sense the pure familial camaraderie and happiness from here!"

AJ blinked. "Emot– Oh right, y'all can see 'em, can't ya?"

Mandy shrugged. "Eh, more or less. I can explain in detail while we're working."

AJ smiled contentedly and started to move again. "Well, c'mon then, we bes' be goin'."

"Oh, right," Mandy blanched, having not even realized that they'd stopped. How long had they just spent idling there?

Shaking his head to clear any stray thoughts, he began walking again, a smile creeping onto his face.





The moment they entered the farmhouse, Mandy's good mood was promptly ruined when a large, red mass plowed straight into him and pinned him painfully on the ground. Mandy could barely wheeze as he felt his assailant –

"Big MacIntosh, what're ya doin'!?" AJ screamed at her brother.

"It's a Changelin'!" He answered. "Ah'm surprised ya didn't see 'im walk in after ya! But don' worry, Ah'll –"

Whatever he was about to say, he never got the chance as Applejack pushed him off of Mandy. "He's here by Celestia's orders, for Apple's sakes!"

Big Mac blinked at this. He looked at the bug, finally noticing the bandages, the magic-inhibiting ring around his horn, and the now soiled suit that Rarity had made for him.

"Oh," was all he had as a reply.

The threat now dealt with, AJ turned to Mandy and helped him to his hooves. "Y'alright, sugarcube?"

Mandy groaned as he felt his bones creak. "I think it might've exacerbated my broken leg, but other than that, I'm fine."

AJ turned to glare at her big brother. "Now, what do ya have ta say fer yerself?"

Big Mac mumbled something that sounded like a "Sorry," not daring to look up for fear of catching his sister's gaze.

"I don't blame you," Mandy mused, "After the Canterlot invasion, I'm surprised you didn't do more."

AJ looked at the Changeling incredulously. "Now, don't say that! Ya know ya did wrong, and yer workin' ta make up fer it! 'Twas wrong o' him ta jus' jump ta conclusions like that!"

Big Mac looked between them in disbelief. "Ah'm confused. Wha's happenin'?"

But before either of them could explain, there came a sudden battle-cry from the staircase, and Mandy winced as something filly-sized landed on his back and grabbed his mane.

Was the world just out to hurt Mandy today?

"Yee-haw! Ah caught a Changelin'!" A small voice cheered from atop his back.

AJ stared wide-eyed. "Apple Bloom, what're you–"

But before she could finish, the little filly pulled at Mandy's hair, causing him to rear up reflexively. Two little legs positioned themselves on either side of his barrel, and he presumed that the filly was attempting to ride him like a bronco.

So instead of relenting to her desires, he fell onto his rump, letting the little weight fall off his back and onto the floor.

Turning around, he found a little yellow filly with a red mane and a large magenta bow. She had just picked herself up from her meeting with the ground, and was beginning to cower. "D-don't hurt me!" She whimpered.

Mandy groaned dejectedly, collapsing onto his back in exhaustion.

Apple Bloom snuck a peek from behind her hooves, then leaned over him curiously. "Wait, what's it doin'?"

Mandy sighed. "Just ruminating over my misfortune."

Apple Bloom blinked, clearly taken aback by the talking Changeling. She looked at his suit, then at Big Mac (who was still sheepishly pressed up against the wall).

Then she saw AJ's fierce glare, and withered. "Ah'm in trouble, ain't Ah?"

"Eeyup," Applejack replied, her harsh glare not wavering for even a second.





After the situation was fully explained, the two Apple siblings seemed to be more at ease with Mandy's presence. He could still sense their trepidation, but they were improving.

AJ checked Mandy over for any injuries. "Yer leg's been misaligned, and yer wings took a few hits. You might walk with a limp fer the rest o' yer life, but ya'll make a full recovery."

"Ah'm so sorry!" Apple Bloom pleaded relentlessly. "Ah thought, 'cause o' the–"

Mandy silenced her by putting his good hoof over her mouth. "I already said it's fine; I'm used to being untrusted."

"So," Big Mac finally spoke up, "what IS he doin' here?"

AJ turned up her nose, still clearly upset with her siblings. "He offered ta help me with chores."

Then she looked at his leg and grew concerned. "Although now, Ah don't think ya should be exertin' yerself..."

Mandy scoffed. "It's fine, I'm fine! I'm sure I can– OW!" He tried to stand up, but his leg immediately gave way.

AJ helped him back to a sitting position as Apple Bloom mumbled another apology. "Ya see? Ah think ya should rest fer a bit."

Mandy shook his head. "No, I said I'll help you with the chores, and I mean it!"

Big Mac chuckled. "Yer just 'bout as stubborn as AJ," he mused.

The mare in question shot him a glare, silencing him.

But soon, she shook her head, then turned back and eyed Mandy. "Ah have ta admit, he's right about that. An' knowin' how Ah'd act... Fine, Ah'll let ya help with some o' the less physical tasks."

Mandy nodded. "Thank you, AJ."

AJ smiled sweetly as she helped him to his hooves. She grabbed a list of chores off of an end table, and they carefully walked out of the house together.

Apple Bloom looked on with astonishment, then turned to Big Mac. "Was it just mah imagination, or were they...?"

Big Mac, equally as stunned, simply replied, "Eeyup."





AJ held a bucket of slop in her teeth. "Alright," she spoke with practiced ease, "Here's the bucket o' feed. Take it, an' Ah'll go over the steps on how ta feed them piggies."

Mandy took the bucket in his hoof, using his limb's holes for extra grip, and said, "Okay, what's the first step?"

AJ gestured to the gate. "First, ya open the gate."

"Okay, that makes sense," he mused, opening it.

"Now, ya close it."

Mandy nodded and began to step into the pen.

"What're ya doin'?!" AJ cried out. "Yer s'posed ta stay out here!"

Mandy blinked. "What? Why?"

"Because that's how it's done!" She replied indignantly.

Mandy set the pail on the fence. "But why is that how it's done?"

"Because we're reassurin' the piggies!"

Mandy did a double-take. "Huh?"

AJ stood onto her hind legs and rested her forehooves on the gate, producing a small creak. "This 'ere gate used'ta squeak somethin' fierce, and it got the pigs runnin' an' hidin'. So Ah open the gate an' close it ta show 'em it's safe."

Mandy looked at the gate, then the pigs, who were still lying in the mud. "The gate doesn't squeak anymore..."

AJ huffed. "Well, of course not! Ah fixed that a while ago! An' that's why Ah started doin' this next step!"

Without another word, she walked to the side of the pen, leaned up against the fence...

And started making faces and babbling as though she were drowning?

Mandy was about to question it, but the pigs, seeing Applejack's display, all bolted up and scampered to the other side of the pen. In their wake, the bucket of slop teetered off of the fence and spilled into the waiting trough, filling it. The pigs then turned, saw the waiting food, and rushed towards it to dig in.

Both Mandy and Applejack were stunned, but for different reasons.

"Huh," Mandy began absently, "that actually worked..."

"Well, Ah'll be!" AJ cheered. "Ah never thought ta put the bucket on the fence post!"

Mandy blinked, then spun around on his good hoof to face Applejack. "What would you have done if it hadn't been there?"

AJ nonchalantly explained, "Oh, Ah'd've taken a corn on the cob, used it ta lure them piggies back toward this side o' the pen, then gone and lowered mahself down with a rope and filled the trough."

Once more, Mandy blinked as he tried to process. "Wha– Why?"

AJ elaborated, "Well, Ah don't want 'em to stay in that corner forever, so that's what the corn is fer. And Ah didn't wanna open the gate an' scare 'em again, so I use the rope to go around it."

Mandy could barely follow out her rationale. "Applejack, are you sure all of that is actually necessary?"

"Why would Ah be doin' it if'n it weren't?" She cried indignantly.

"Because you've fallen into a habit of using solutions for problems that no longer exist?" Mandy deadpanned.

Now it was Applejack's turn to blink. A dawning realization lit up on her face, then she grew red and kicked herself. "Aw, silly ol' Applejack," she muttered under her breath, "why ya gotta be so stubborn...?"

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Mandy tried to reassure her. "We all make mistakes. I took part in the invasion of a major city; you became less efficient with your chores. Nopony's perfect!"

AJ looked up at him, then burst out laughing. "Ah s'pose it does sound rather silly when ya put it like that."

Mandy couldn't resist giving some chuckles of his own.

AJ got up and thought aloud, "Ah s'pose now, Ah got a topic fer ma next letter to the Princess."

Mandy blinked. "Letters to the Princess...?"

She idly toyed with her hat. "It's a long story. Ya see, Twilight is Princess Celestia's personal student, and she..."





Throughout the rest of the day, AJ kept having Mandy do less labor-intensive chores, like irrigating a field of lettuce or repairing mesh fences. And all the while, Mandy pointed out any flaws he saw in her methods, much to her embarrassment.

Eventually, they found themselves sitting in a field, waiting as they allowed the sheep to graze on the grass.

AJ eyed Mandy. "So, ya said ya'd explain how ya see love?"

Mandy bobbed his head side-to-side. "Well, it's not exactly 'seeing'. We just have senses that perceive the emotions rolling off of ponies and some sentimental objects. It's kinda like a sixth sense." He paused, then added, "Actually, it's closer to taste than sight."

AJ nodded, vaguely comprehending. "Is that why ya keep flickin' yer tongue out ev'ry so oft'n?"

Mandy brightly replied, "Mm-hm!"

The farmpony kicked idly at the ground. "Ah wonder, whaddya sense comin' offa me?"

Mandy blinked in surprise for a moment, but quickly recovered and flicked his tongue out to read her emotions.

There was curiosity, that was a given. Embarrassment was also mixed in there, probably the lingering effects of the pig-feeding incident. And he could also sense idle familial bonds, stronger than any he'd ever seen in his life.

Then Mandy froze.

He could sense something else, too. It was small and pushed into the background, but the taste was distinct enough to catch his attention.

It tasted like strawberry ice cream.

There was love in there.

Not just the blanket term, either; the real, proper, 'get-to-know-somepony' kind. And it was budding, too; that sort was always the sweetest.

Mandy tried to shake it off, tried to convince himself that she was simply thinking of a memory in order to elicit a specific emotion, but that didn't stop his brain from planting a seed of an idea in his mind that led him to his conclusion:

Applejack was developing a crush on him.

He was so absolutely stunned by this thought that he didn't realize that the orange earth pony was trying to get his attention until she clapped her hooves in front of his face. Coming back to reality with a startled "Hzz-whaHUH?", he looked at the farm pony.

"Y'all okay there, Mandy?" She asked, concerned by his brief lock-up. "What'd ya see?"

Mandy stammered, "Wh-uh, yeah! Sorry, I just–"

But before he could go on some long ramble trying to make excuses, he stopped himself.

Nopony had EVER looked at him in his pure, unfiltered form with that kind of compassion. It felt strange; it made him feel like there were butterflies fighting in his stomach, his head felt woozy, and his legs wobbled as though they were gelatin.

And yet, Mandy didn't want to let that feeling go.

He had to be honest with her; she was the Element of Honesty, and she'd been so kind towards him. Sure, she had her prejudices at the start, but she was clearly willing to overlook them in order to assess the individual. And sure, she'd argued with him about the pig feeding incident, but she quickly swallowed her pride, admitted she was wrong and was now working to better herself...

In a way, she was almost the exact opposite of Chrysalis.

"I, uh..." He braced himself. "Well, I saw your curiosity, some of your pride, and your familial bonds were lingering in there as well. And t-then..."

AJ eyed him curiously. "Then what?"

Mandy gulped. "I saw... I saw love, Applejack..."

AJ blinked.

Then, she moved her hat to cover her reddening face. "W-well, o' course ya did," she defended, "and that's 'cause Ah love all mah friends!"

Mandy shook his head, blushing. "Applejack, it wasn't that kind of love, and you know it."

She opened her mouth, ready to retort, but nothing came. He could sense the conflicting emotions radiating from her head, quickly flashing from embarrassment to self-hate to regret, while the love faintly listened from the background.

Finally, she put her head into her hooves. "Of course ya woulda sensed it; Ah shouldn'ta asked ya ta look... What was Ah thinkin'!?" She scolded herself, ready to pound her hoof against her forehead.

But Mandy reached out a hoof and caught hers. "It's okay, Applejack; you don't have to hide your feelings."

Mandy knew how shmultzy that sentence was; he was fully and painfully aware of it. It'd just slipped out before he had the chance to catch himself.

Yet right now, he hardly cared.

He chuckled playfully and said, "Y'know, if it makes you feel any better, I would've eventually sensed your feelings on my own."

AJ only grew redder at this.

Mandy grimaced. "Sorry... I'm not exactly used to this kind of stuff."

AJ slowly looked up at him through bleary eyes. "Ah know..." she replied weakly.

Mandy placed his hoof onto her shoulder, a question dancing on the tip of his tongue, just eager to get out. Finally, he relented and asked it: "Why? What could you possibly see in me?"

AJ looked away again. "It's... Ah feel bad fer ya. Ah have no idea what it's like ta grow up in such a mean place, with such mean Changelin's. Ah guess... Ah started wishin' ya had a better fam'ly... like mine.

"And not only that, but yer just fun ta be around! Ya don't care what nopony thinks of ya; ya make those clever quips of yers; ya stand up fer what's right, even against a bull-headed fool like me, and... and... And ev'n though it don't always seem like it, Ah know ya mean well..." She trailed off, a sad smile on her face and a tear in her eye.

At this point, the compassion and sympathy were so palpable that AJ probably could've seen it if she were looking for it.

Mandy looked away, thinking everything over. "Nopony's ever felt this way about me before... I–I'm having a bit of trouble processing all of this right now..."

AJ looked forlorn. "That's okay, Ah can understand... Y-ya don't hafta feel obligated to reciprocate; Ah won't force ya if it makes ya uncomfortable."

Mandy mulled this over. "I'll have to think about it all..."

AJ nodded solemnly. "Take yer time; no need ta rush."

Then, without another word, she stood up and walked back to the barn, leaving Mandy alone with his thoughts.