The Changeling Trials

by PastCat


XIV: A Flim-Flam or a Flower?

The next morning, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Spike took the train back to Ponyville. Back in Canterlot, life returned to normal. Between Princess Luna, Eclipse, and Pine Climber, the three mares managed to modify Buzz Words’ spell so that Luna could hear the interviewed changelings’ words straight from the horse’s (or bug’s) mouth. The princess of the night returned to the mountain of petitions, including the ever-more persistent Flim and Flam. During the course of the week of working with Cookie N Cream and Professor Bugsy, the annoying unicorns had sent several more letters asking for “their” changelings. They still failed to mention any names, which continued to arouse Princess Luna’s suspicions, but now she had a way to confirm or disprove the claims of the obnoxious sales ponies. Carrying the most recent version of the letters, Luna and Eclipse headed toward the changeling barracks. Following the emotional reunion between Cookie N Cream and Chai Spice, the inhabitants of the building had begun to open up more with the princess, as they were feeling safer in the knowledge that she truly was trying to help their lives return to normal. Being able to be understood was not hurting their cause either.

Tonight, Luna read the letter from Flim and Flam aloud to the changelings. “Do any of you know these ponies?” She inquired.

A few changelings shuffled their hooves nervously. “Only by reputation.” One answered in a gravelly voice. “A bad one.” Another added. There were murmurs of assent throughout the large room.

One changeling, a mare, judging by her size, spoke up. “I was one of the changelings who worked for those so and so’s last year. They care for nothing but their own profit. I would rather rot in this shed among my own species than spend any amount of time in their company.”

Luna turned to the very vocal changeling. “Would you be willing to tell me more?” She asked gently.

“Gladly. If nothing else, it gives me someone new to complain to.” The bug pony answered, waving a limb at her roommates. She followed the princess into a smaller room at the end of the hall. The room was cozy and contained a few comfortable chairs; despite its name, the “interrogation chamber” (as the changelings referred to it) was no uncomfortable place of torture. The changeling selected an overstuffed blue ottoman while the princess settled herself in a large crimson arm chair.

“So what did you mean by what you said earlier? Were they abusive?” The princess asked.

“Not as the law recognizes. It was basically your standard freak show gig, you know, where you stand around for ponies to gawk at you and try and feed without them taking any notice. There were three of us who did it: me and Glow Wings and a stallion who just calls himself Trek. Any way, one of us would always be on display while the others wandered the crowd as ponies and tried to drum up business. The brothers would be peddling some weird tonic or whatever and we would act like we knew what it was and made claims about how great it was and so on. It would bring ponies to the booth and everything would be fine and dandy. Then it got worse after that wedding. Flim and Flam made up this new spray, they called it changeling detector or changeling B gone or something like that. It all went sour from there. The three of us were forced to become demonstration tools. They would spray some in our faces and we would shift from pony into changeling form as if it made us change. It was really just water mixed with some kind of pepper, but it never failed to leave our eyes watering. I suppose we could resist the change, but bug eyes are less susceptible to that repellent, so it was easier to shift away. Even so, we were totally stuck in their clutches. It was sickening. After they started selling that repellent stuff, it became much harder for us to feed from the crowds—all that hostility is bad for the digestion. The night they did their demonstration for a guard outpost was one of the best nights of my life, because the commander of the unit came around back afterwards to find all three of us trying to wash that peppery spray out of our faces and decided to take us away. I was just happy to get away from those two annoying fakers.”

A changeling of strong opinions, Luna thought, but seeing the completely serious expression on the mare’s face, she revised her thought process. If she is correct, she has good reason to hold them. After the changeling finished speaking, there was silence for a few minutes as Luna attempted to puzzle out what she had heard. Finally the princess asked, “are Glow Wings and Trek here too? Would they add anything?”

The changeling shrugged. “Glow might. She is not really one to speak up for herself though. I'm not sure she has spoken at all since we came here, and Trek, well,” the changeling mare hesitated before she continued, “to be honest, I don't think he is the sharpest tool in the shed, if you catch my meaning. I'm not sure how much he understands of what is going on around him. He is very sweet but I have seen more brains in a diamond dog.”

Luna nodded in understanding. She had known a few ponies like that over the centuries. “All right. What would you have me do with you and your two friends then? If the situation with Flim and Flam is as you described it to me, then it would be unhealthy to send you back to them.”

The changeling appeared thoughtful. “I can not really speak for the others, you understand. For me though,” she paused as she pondered how to phrase her request, “I would like to be made useful. Ever since I was little I have been very good at illusions and shifting, even better than Glow. I can even do a few other species besides ponies. If you would have me, I would like to work for you. Maybe as a spy or something?” The mare shrugged. “Honestly, I have never really thought about what my life would be like after escaping from those two. The escape was always the end goal.”

Luna nodded again in understanding; to some extent, she had felt the same way about escaping from her lunar exile a couple years ago. “I think we may be able to make some kind of arrangement. Let me have a few nights and I shall speak to some ponies in Intelligence and see if they would be willing to take you on.” Before the princess could add any more, the changeling was on her knees in a deep bow before her.

“Thank you, oh thank you, thank you ever so much,” the changeling babbled.

Luna raised the bug pony back to her feet. She was smiling. “Before you return to the others, what is your name, young one?”

The changeling’s answer was surprising. “I never had a true name of my own. Glow always called me her little crazy friend, and Flim and Flam never gave me one either. I suppose you could always suggest something.”

Luna thought for a moment. “How about Zinnia? It is a pretty flower, with complicated layered petals, a variety of beautiful colors, and very attractive to butterflies.”

“Zinnia.” The changeling repeated the name, as if tasting the flavor. “Zinnia. That's a flower of constancy, a flower of memory. I like it. Thank you, Princess. I have never had a real name before.” The pair smiled at one another.