Chapter 17: Family Reunion
It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling
Chapter 17: Family Reunion
"Y'all have been invited to a special Apple Family Reunion on July 17th. We'd love to see ya there!"
Mandy looked down at the invite in his magical grasp and smiled. An Apple Family Reunion, and he was invited?!
For a moment, he was anxious about what Applejack's relatives would think of him. But then he remembered all the advice he'd been given, and he mostly calmed down.
Though he was still nervous.
July 17th seemed to come quickly that year, and before dawn even broke, Mandy found Applejack waiting at the door to the Golden Oaks Library.
"Ready ta go?" she asked.
He nodded, stifling a yawn. "I can't wait to meet your family!"
She smiled back at him. "Ah'm sure they'll love ya."
With that, they started the walk to the farm.
It was still early when they arrived, so Mandy offered to help Applejack with last-minute preparations. All the while, Applejack gave him a 'quick rundown' on the relatives' names.
And by 'a quick rundown', she actually meant 'a fully comprehensive list of every name in the family, including relatives that weren't going to be attending'.
He was setting up plates and silverware, when he felt a distant rumble. It was slowly growing stronger, so Mandy looked out in the direction of it.
The Apple Family was coming.
AJ whooped, "Hoo-boy, here they come!"
Granny Smith looked out at the arriving relatives and cheered, creakily rearing up on her hind legs.
The first arrivals quickly skidded to a stop when they saw Mandy, who was standing by the main table and waving at them.
"Um, hon?" asked Uncle Orange to Aunt Orange, "Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that a...?"
His wife nodded. "Yes, I think it is..."
Caramel Apple, who lived far enough away to be out of the loop, raised an eyebrow. "What? What is it?"
Braeburn took a step back. "A ch-ch-ch-changeling!"
"Nice to meet you, too," Mandy deadpanned.
Before anypony could make another move, Applejack stepped closer to the bug. "Folks, Ah'd like ya ta meet Mandy. Yes, he's a Changelin', but he's a good one."
Mandy didn't expect that to work as well as it did.
"Well," said Caramel Apple, "If AJ says he's good, then Ah believe it!"
The other three nodded, still a little sceptical.
"An' there's somethin' else y'all should know," AJ added, stepping even closer to Mandy.
"What is it, cousin?" Braeburn asked.
In response, AJ kissed Mandy on the cheek, making him blush deeply.
The relatives instantly recognized what this meant. "Y'all're datin'?!"
AJ nodded. "Yep. Figured Ah'd be upfront about it, instead'a try'na hide it. So go ahead, voice yer concerns."
The relatives looked between the two of them.
Then surprisingly, they cheered.
"Way ta go, AJ!" Caramel Apple cheered.
"I was right!" Aunt Orange self-congratulated, "AJ was the first of the siblings to get a partner!" (Big Mac, who was listening from over by the cider barrels, grunted at this.)
"Ah'd always thought it'd be that Rainbow gal, but who'm Ah ta judge?" Braeburn mused.
Mandy blinked. "Well, that certainly went over better than I expected..."
The farmpony winked at him. "That's the Apple Family fer ya. As long as yer not a Pear, yer pretty much good."
For some reason, Mandy could smell dramatic irony hanging in the air as she said that.
Soon, the rest of the relatives had arrived, with most of the introductions going the same (except for one or two REALLY stubborn ponies, who needed to hear the full story before they could trust him).
Once all of the attending family were present, AJ addressed the crowd through a megaphone. "Howdy y'all, an' welcome to a Special Apple Family Reunion! Ah hope yer ready, 'cuz this one'll be one to remember!"
Most of the crowd muttered amongst themselves, dreading what she had planned.
AJ didn't need Mandy's changeling senses to see their discomfort. She chuckled, "Don't worry, Ah learned mah lesson from last time."
Mandy blinked, finally understanding their discomfort. He'd heard about the disaster that'd happened last time, although he hadn't witnessed it first-hoof.
"Now," AJ continued, "there's lawn darts over by the water silo, the seven-legged races are over by the sty, an' the hayride will be startin' in an hour. If anypony needs me, Ah'll be with mah coltfriend at the fritter-makin' station."
Mandy blushed. Sure, he was already dating her, but this was the first time she'd called him that. It felt... oddly nice.
She turned off the megaphone, then led him off the stage.
"Hey AJ," Mandy finally asked as they walked, "why's this reunion special?"
She smiled, then gave him a peck on the cheek. "Because you're here."
"Alright," AJ began as Mandy sat down, "Fritter makin's easy. Ya jus' roll, crimp, fold, an' slide to the left, like so."
Mandy watched as she made an apple fritter with practiced ease. He looked down at the doughy lump that sat on the table in front of him, then at his hooves.
Mandy carefully grabbed the fritter dough and began to delicately work with it.
"That's a fine start," she encouraged, "but yer bein' too gentle with it. Ya gotta work it with confidence; otherwise, it won't stay together."
Mandy nodded, then started to roll the dough more confidently.
"There ya go, that's it!" she congratulated, then started working on her own. "So, how's life in Twilight's Library now? Anythin' different since she became a Princess?"
"Surprisingly, no. It's just about the same as always. Although, ever since the summer solstice, she's been really absorbed into trying to figure out how to open some strange chest."
AJ chuckled. "Figures. Ah know how she can get when she's determined. Just be thankful ya weren't here fer her deadline meltdown."
Mandy shivered at the thought, then shook it off. "Well anyways, other than that, not a lot has been going on. Twilight recently got Spike a proper bed, but that's about it."
"Well, good fer 'im!" she smiled. "Ah can't even imagine how much the li'l guy appreciates it."
He chuckled. "He's actually been really responsible with it. He washes the sheets once a day, fluffs the pillows, oils the springs, and only uses it for its intended use; no bouncing on it or anything."
AJ blinked. "Reminds me o' Twilight an' her books."
They both laughed at the parallel.
Then there was a lull in the conversation, and Mandy only now realized how many fritters they'd made while they were talking. "Woah, look at that! We could probably feed everyone here twice over with that many fritters!"
AJ looked up and gasped at the mound of baked goods. "Oh wow, Ah hadn't even realized..."
Click!
They turned to see that Granny Smith was standing behind them, pointing the family camera at them.
She winked, "Now that's one fer the scrapbook."
Mandy and AJ passed out fritters to everypony in attendance, finishing just in time for the hayride.
The bug and the pony sat side-by-side in the wagon, and were soon joined by several of the others.
Mandy almost immediately recognized the pony sitting next to them, Babs Seed, from the Summer Harvest parade. He'd only seen the aftermath of the accident, but she'd stuck in his mind regardless.
"Hey, Babs," Mandy greeted as she sat down with Apple Bloom.
She looked up at him, a hesitant smile growing on her face. "Oh hey, Mandy," she said in her Brooklyn accent, "didn't see ya there."
Mandy leaned back. "Dunno how; I stick out like a sore hoof like this."
Suddenly, a flash of burgundy fire surrounded him, and when it dissipated, he had the form of a mouse. "Now THIS, on the other hoof, is much more inconspicuous!"
Babs chuckled at the display. "I knew ya could shape-shift, but that's impressive! Can ya do a pigeon?"
Another flash later, and he was that very kind of avian.
She clapped. "Ooh, how 'bout a dog?"
He obliged, transforming into a crimson-and-cream border collie. "Too easy!" he exclaimed.
Suddenly, Winona leapt onto the wagon, having been drawn over by the sight of another dog. She playfully patted the floor in front of her, and he responded by getting down from his seat and chasing her.
Babs was now laughing as she watched them roughhouse, and even Apple Bloom had joined in. AJ was smiling at the scene laid out before her.
Eventually, Mandy transformed back. "Eugh, I think I got dog hair in my mouth," he mumbled as he sat back down again, using a hoof to try and clean off his tongue.
AJ smirked. "Ah think it's worth it when yer makin' a kid happy."
Mandy blinked, then looked back at Babs, who was still smiling. "Huh, I wasn't even trying..." he thought out loud.
Eventually, the festivities had to end. Mandy and the others waved off the relatives as they returned from whence they came, eagerly looking forward to next year.
"Well," AJ began, "Not to toot mah own horn or nothin', but Ah think this's been the best Reunion we've ever had."
"Yeah," Mandy agreed. "I wish Thorax had been here to see it; he would've loved it!"
AJ looked at him. "He would?"
Mandy sighed longingly. "Yeah, he was never really like the other Changelings. He's gentle, sensitive, – heck, I think I saw him hiding during the Invasion!"
AJ wanted to chuckle, but something was nagging her. "Ya really miss 'im, don'cha?"
Mandy nodded solemnly.
AJ thought for a moment.
Then, she smirked. "Ya know what? Ah think we should go an' get 'im."
Mandy stood bolt upright at this. "Wh-what?"
"Ya've met mah fam'ly; now it's time Ah meet yers! As soon as yer allowed to leave Ponyville again, we'll head out an' fetch 'im!"
Mandy was now starting to tremble. "Y-you mean, b-b-break into the Hive and r-r-rescue him?! B-but that's insane! The Hive's too well-guarded; we'll be stopped before we reach him!"
"Well, we can jus' have Twilight–"
Mandy shook his head. "That won't work; Chrysalis's throne absorbs all non-changeling magic within a two-mile radius."
She blinked. "Oh... Yeah, that's definitely a problem..."
Mandy gasped. "But maybe..."
Thorax sighed as he ate his dinner, consisting of barely enough love to sustain him. The Hive had recently fallen into hard times due to their failure in Canterlot, and now they had to rely on their love reserves while Queen Chrysalis concocted a new plan.
Not that Thorax was looking forward to that, anyway; after he witnessed the Elements of Harmony working together to try and fight back the swarm, he'd started to realize that he didn't want to steal love anymore. He'd always known he was different from his brethren, but that had cemented it.
He finished his portion and headed back to his sleeping chambers, ready to turn in for another lonely night, when something unexpected happened.
A wisp of burgundy-colored Changeling magic entered the room, coagulating until a scroll formed out of it. Thorax, unsure of what it was, hesitantly took it in his magic and unfurled it. He read it through, and gasped.
It was from Mandy.
And he was saying that he'd found a better way.
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10409172
That's okay, I understand. Admittedly, he didn't really turn out the way I'd initially conceived (initially, his acceptance of everything was meant to be a "stay in their good graces because he's in no position to do otherwise" kind of thing, but that morphed into the blunt truthfulness that he now sports). I still like the character I ended up with, but if you don't, that's fine, too.
Though please answer me this: If you don't think the title is fitting, then what would you suggest I call this series? I'm honestly curious.
10410647
Starting today, I'll release chapters weekly.
10408018
Stay tuned to find out!
Don't worry big Mac just wait a few more season you will meet the special some pony And I know a lot of people knows it sugar belle
The farmpony winked at him. "That's the Apple Family fer ya. As long as yer not a Pear, yer pretty much good."
For some reason, Mandy could smell dramatic irony hanging in the air as she said that.
Ohhhh yeah About that Applejack You're gonna be a little surprise about your parents history trust me 😓 It's pretty romantic but also kinda sad
Well apparently the Apple Family Reunion turn out pretty well And they even accepted him thats awesome And it looks like we're gonna meet up with thorax and maybe pharynx Although He might be a little tough to convince But I wonder how this will work out I guess we'll find out next time
Glad the Apple Family Reunion went without too much hassle (regarding AJ & Mandy's relationship that is
) Also seems we'll get some interactions with the bug brothers pretty soon, can't wait!!! 
I mean. That's how it went in canon so uhhh gg Brae
Is this... Granny's first appearance in this fic?
Braeburn is so gay. I love him.
I love this.