//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Therapy With a Bug-Horse 
// Story: It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling 
// by MattTOB 
//------------------------------//


 It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling

Chapter 8: Therapy with a Bug-Horse 






Mandy groaned as he woke up.

Last night had been incredibly tough on him; after the CMC incident, he'd stayed at AJ's to help with work for the rest of the day, making up for the work he'd missed due to Pinkie Pie's party a few nights back.

Now, as he got out of bed, he winced as his muscles ached and his head pounded. "Oww..." he grumbled as he staggered to his hooves.

It was at that moment that Spike decided to skip into the room, looking especially energetic. "Good morning, Mandy!" he cheered as he bounded past the bookshelves, dusting them with a feather duster. "Twilight asked me to tell you that Fluttershy would like some help today."

Mandy huffed slightly. "Of course, gotta complete the set," he mused under his breath.

Spike stopped and looked at the Changeling. "What's that mean?"

"Nevermind that," he deflected as he stretched his wings. "Can you just give me directions to her house?"





Mandy looked up from the list of directions Spike had given him, and stared at the cottage in front of him. "This certainly wasn't what I was expecting..." he mumbled. If she was so easily scared, then why did she live so close to the Everfree Forest?

But duty called, so he steeled himself and knocked on the door. After a moment, a nearby window's curtains parted slightly, and Mandy heard a shrill gasp from inside.

But eventually, the door opened, and there stood a quaking and trembling Fluttershy. "H-h-h-hello, M-m-m-Mandy..." she barely managed to whisper out.

Mandy sighed. "Okay, it's pretty clear that this isn't gonna work," he groaned, then turned to leave.

Fluttershy, seemingly shocked by his immediate defeatist attitude, quickly blurted out, "W-wait, don't go!"

Mandy only glanced back. "It's obvious that you're not comfortable around my presence, and that'll seriously hamper anything we try to do. So, I'll just leave and you won't have to deal with me."

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she frantically thought about what to do.

Then a little white bunny exited the house, got onto her back, and nudged her forward.

"No!" Fluttershy declared at a volume that would've surprised Rainbow Dash.

This caused Mandy to pause.

"I simply won't let my fears get in the way of helping someone!" she affirmed, seemingly more to herself than him.

Mandy turned around, and she flinched slightly – but only slightly. Then, she took a deep breath, and waved him inside. He hesitantly stepped forward, and, when she didn't flinch again, followed her inside.

The inside was quite cozy, even more so than the Golden Oaks Library. So many animal houses were spread about the room, suited for anything from birds, to cats, to ferrets, and even spiders!

She ushered him to the couch, and he sat down. Her yellow wings took her into the kitchen, and she came back a few minutes later with some pre-made, reheated tea. "Now then," she began, clearly still unsettled by him, "tell me about your life. If I want to be comfortable with you, then I need to know what you've been through."

Mandy gave out a little huff of air as he took his teacup. "Oh, where do I begin?

"Well, I guess I should start with my childhood. I was born in the latter part of the generation, to Princess Chrysalis and Prince Mothra."

Mandy sighed. "Ah, Mothra. I don't remember much about him, but from what I know, he was one of the kindest Changelings in history. He'd go out of his way to play with the nymphs; he'd make little toys out of rocks and Changeling resin; and he'd always be there to comfort us if we weren't feeling well. Heck, I think that's where my older brother, Thorax, gets it from."

Fluttershy cooed. "Aww, that's so sweet...."

Mandy sighed forlornly. "But then, one day, he just... disappeared."

Fluttershy blinked. "Huh? What happened?"

"Noling knows," he admitted. "Some say he got tired of the Hive and left, some say he was killed by a predator... But I think it had everything to do with HER," he spat the last word as if it were the foulest curse he knew.

"If Mothra was the nicest Changeling, then Chrysalis was the absolute WORST. She only ever cared about herself and her bid for power, outwardly justifying it with her 'My subjects and I will feed for generations' schtick. But I didn't let her fool me; she was only looking out for herself. That's why she was willing to go through with the Canterlot Invasion; she only cared about the slim chance it had of making her more powerful, without so much as a thought about the Changelings she'd have to sacrifice to make it happen."

Fluttershy shuddered. "I only met her for a brief moment, but that definitely sounds like her. I can't even IMAGINE growing up with that for a mother!"

Then she turned back to Mandy. "But do you really think she made him disappear?"

"It was no secret that she didn't like him; she only wanted kids to grow her power, and he happened to have the best genes in the Hive. So you can imagine it was only a matter of time before...."

This time, it was Mandy who let out a shudder. "Poor Dad...," he whimpered, hardly able to keep his voice steady as his eyes twinkled wetly.

Fluttershy gasped. He was on the verge of crying!

No longer looking skin-deep, Fluttershy scooted closer and wrapped a feathery wing around his chitinous body in a comforting embrace. "It's okay," she reassured, "that's all in the past. You're in a better place now."

Mandy looked up at her. "But am I REALLY? Most of Equestria doesn't like me OR my kind, and I get the feeling that the only reason I haven't been pounded into the ground yet is because of Princess Celestia and you six."

She held him closer, shivering at the feeling of his tough and cold exterior but pushing through the discomfort. "I promise that, as long as I'm able, you won't be hurt."

Mandy looked up and smiled at her. He flicked out his tongue to taste her emotions, and...

She was still afraid slightly, but she was pushing that far back to let her motherly compassion take over. It wasn't the same kind of caring as Applejack's, but it felt even more comforting somehow, as if a void from his childhood was being filled.

And so, in a rare moment of weakness, he resigned himself to lean into her hug, and he let the tears flow.





Once he had no more tears to shed, he broke off the hug. "Alright, I think that's enough," he said, drying his eyes. "So, what'd you need me here for?"

Fluttershy smiled. "That was it."

Mandy blinked. "Huh?"

"You, coming over here to tell me about yourself, so that I wouldn't be afraid anymore. That was why I invited you over!"

He could barely process this, let alone come up with a response, so he opted to just sit there with his mouth dropped in an 'O' shape.

She giggled. "I'll tell Twilight to add it to your Community Service time."

Mandy finally shook his head to get his brain cobbled into a somewhat functional state. "That doesn't really seem fair to me. Surely there must be something else I can do for you!"

Fluttershy shook her head, "You don't have to–"

Mandy silenced her with a wingtip, wincing slightly at the small pain his still-sore appendage shot back. "Fluttershy, I insist on helping you with something."

She pushed the wingtip aside and smiled in a motherly way. "Well, I suppose I need some help shopping. There's just too many assertive ponies for me to handle, and I guess I could use some help dealing with them..."

Mandy stood up, standing at full attention. "It would be an honor to serve you," he said stoically.

Fluttershy couldn't resist giggling. "Alright, if you insist."

With that, they headed outside and began the walk to the marketplace.