The afternoon has rolled in, and the passengers are now lining the shady edge of the jungle with only several of them swimming in the sea. Quest Security specialists are still continuing to build makeshift shade from the smaller trees either cut down or pilfered for leaves. From the perspective of the drones, the SECURITY ponies were too busy and any offer of help was rejected, so they spent the morning mostly observing. So far, even with the guests awake and occasionally chatting about the haunting memories from the night, the opportunity to help hasn’t arrived, but to the curious drones all it means is more time to examine the effort in progress.
10013, being “the drone in charge”, came to the conclusion that to improve its in-charge-ability it should observe other “chargers”. The Queen didn’t like it staring at her, though, and told it to bugger off, so it decided that finding the second biggest charger could be interesting, and finally it did. The pony discussing things with everyone, giving orders, and overall organizing work proved to be Glorious Quest, currently busy arguing with a unicorn about whom the hive mind has no information.
“You can’t be serious!” huffs the unknown unicorn indignantly, “Do you have any idea about the amount of security checks the ship went through before undocking?”
“I do, Captain,” Quest sighs, “My staff performed most of the non-technical ones and the paladins did the rest. Do you have a better explanation than a lightning rod failing and lightning striking the side of the ship? Besides, why are you so concerned? I heard that Celestial Sea Cruises does have a seriously generous insurance policy.”
“It’s about reputation!” objects the captain, “We do proper checks and hire the best engineers. You don’t get government contracts just by yelling really loudly,” the Captain sneers, “But what would you know about that? I have no idea who you had to blow for your second-rate agency to get this job.”
Quest’s eye twitches.
“Captain, I understand this is a tough time for you but I advise you to be more careful with your words. Your usual security company refused the contract due to the amount of attending changelings, because they were worried about their lack of ability to contain them in case they caused trouble.”
“And you assumed you could contain them? Don’t make me laugh,” the Captain rolls his eyes, “Who’s to say they’re not behind this?”
10013 shuffles into a bush.
“Behind the lightning strike? Possibly, but probably not, to both your concerns,” Quest smirks, shrugging, “I’m just not worried as much, that’s all. Everything in life is a gamble, but I can understand that a mercenary and a paper-pusher would see stability differently.”
“We’ll see once the investigators search the wreck,” huffs the Captain.
“See what? Lightning strike? Changelings… existing? Sabotage?” Quest chuckles, “Rest up, Captain. The pegasi have confirmed we’re really on the main island of the peninsula and I sent a party to the resort already. A ship will pick us up late in the evening at worst. You’ll be sleeping in a real bed tonight after a proper dinner and things will look better in the morning.”
Neat! I should tell the Queen.
Spurred on by the good news, 10013 stops hiding and walks past, immediately earning an irritated glance from the Captain and causing a break in the conversation. Due to the Queen’s link still being damaged for reasons the high ranks refused to tell the drones, 10013 opts for taking a walk along the beach instead of mentally searching for someone closest to the Queen to inform her quickly.
***
99380’s exploration of the beach happenings leads it to 99111 sitting just on the edge of the still dry sand where the tide can’t reach, staring ahead. An exploratory touch of 99111’s hive link makes 99380 shudder with strangeness, so it pokes 99111’s shoulder instead.
“Is everything okay, buddy?”
“No, actually,” 99111 twitches at the touch, “My head isn’t working around water.”
“Huh? How come?”
After 99380 sits down, 99111 recaps what happened when 10013 saved it yesterday from drowning inside the heretic cabin.
“-and so I came here to try to do something similar to what 10013 said it should do - to face my fears,” 99111 kicks the sand, “And… I just can’t do it. Every time I step into the water, I just freeze up and can’t think of anything other than being underwater and drowning. Even just the smell is making my legs shake,” 99111 sighs and hangs its head.
“Hmmm, I think I know how you feel,” says 99380.
“Oh?”
“I’m the same way whenever I look at that Sun Hammer lady. My legs turn to jelly and all I want is to run away. It’s as if I was reporting directly to the Queen that I didn’t meet my worky time quota a bunch of days in a row. I kinda feel like I failed too badly to fix it and that another drone will have to take up my slack in addition to its own work and that I’ll be sent to that crusher thingy the veterans always talk about.”
“Any ideas on how to deal with it? I can’t just… turn into a lump whenever water is involved. What if I need to fly over a puddle with ringy chompers back home?”
“Maybe, but so far, I’ve just been avoiding her as best as I could. It’s not as if we had a reason to look her up.”
99111 sighs.
“Something… I wish I could at least do something. I don’t need to swim, I just need to transform into the floaty form, and I can’t do even that anymore,” it stands up, takes several steps forward, but when the tide rises and the water touches its hoof, it scuttles back to 99380.
“Hmmm,” 99380 hums, “As I said, I think I have an idea, but you gotta stay here and promise you won’t get mad.”
“Ummm, okay?” 99111 tilts its head.
99380 runs off, its legs spraying sand behind it.
***
“Hello, Your Queenliness! Are you feeling better?”
Chrysalis groans when 65536’s chipper voice reaches her ears and two small shadows fall on her. Having to concede that her brutalized mind may, potentially, in some miniscule regard be her own fault, she doesn’t snap at 65536 and 10013 standing over her and opts instead for a marginally friendlier response in:
“What do you want?”
“Aww,” 65536 pouts, “I’m sorry, but-”
“I know. My fault,” Chrysalis grunts and repeats, “What do you want?”
65536 nudges 10013.
“Umm, we made you this,” 10013 plants a beach umbrella made of sticks and large leaves into the sand, all glued together with goop.
“Okay, what did you do?” Chrysalis sits up, suddenly suspicious, “This all feels extremely apologetic,” she lowers her voice into a whisper, “You did somehow sink the ship, didn’t you?”
The drones exchange glances.
“Umm, nope? I saw you on the first day around the pool and you looked like you really liked these umbrella thingies, so 65536 helped me make one. It doesn’t fold or anything, but it’s shady,” 10013 shrugs and sits down, “I asked 65536 about storms and about what I saw and it said it would be a good idea to tell you.”
Chrysalis raises an eyebrow, glancing at 65536, while the table of points receives an update and allows access to 65536 in addition to all hive drones.
[10013:1, 20100:4, 36658:3, 99111:2, 99380:3, 99526:0, Smiley: :-) :-) :-) :-) :-),
65536:1]
“I’m listening,” she says.
“How does lightning work?” asks 10013, “I saw a whole bunch of flashing while I was on the roof of the entertainment complex, but I didn’t see any of the flashes hit the ship. Earlier, though, I heard the head SECURITY pony talking with someone he called Captain, and saying the lightning rods failed. 65536 told me those make lightning go away somehow. I… didn’t exactly understand it,” it gives an apologetic smile to 65536.
“Neither do I, really,” the Nightguard drone shrugs.
“So what did you see?” asks Chrysalis, narrowing her eyes.
“Well, a lightning flashed a short distance away from the ship and then the side blew up like when we mixed 99854’s goop with 99311’s to reinforce tunnel x559ss-dd458,” says 10013, “Does that lightning thingy have to hit something to break it or can the sound that always follows do it too?”
Chrysalis lies down on her back again, leaving her head in the shade cast by the umbrella and exposing the rest of her body to the sun.
“Report this to 387 and tell him I sent you. He can dig through your head, I can’t do it right now thanks to this id- drone’s fortress-level mental protection,” she nods towards 65536.
“Alrighty!” 65536 salutes with a smile and 10013 amateurishly mimics it before they scamper off again.
***
“Hey,” hears 99111 and turns away from the ebb and flow of the sea to face approaching 36658, “99380 told me you needed help with your head.”
“Oh…” 99111 frowns, “That’s why it said to promise I wouldn’t get mad,” it ponders simply turning around again, but what’s the worst that can happen, really? “I can’t swim, I can’t transform to be able to swim,” it nods towards the sea, “The water makes me freak out whenever I try, and I don’t want to be a threat to our survival in case we have to swim again.”
“Gotcha. Yeah, that happens. Trauma is tough to get through without help. I get the same around skittering swarmers,” says 36658, which makes 99111 look up in surprise again, “What?”
“I… didn’t think you’d share that with me since we’re… you know.”
“We’re drones, that’s the beginning and end of everything,” says 36658 firmly, “The world is stacked against us. We may disagree but in the end we stick together no matter what,” it sighs when 99111 keeps staring, dumbfounded, “You newbies would have benefited from meeting High Score so much.”
“This again?”
“Here!” says 36658 aggressively, scowling, opening its leg hole, and offering 99111 the same pill it gave 93 yesterday, leaving it only with three, “I can’t make more of these, they’re too difficult, so eat it and listen to me,” when 99111 swallows it, taken aback by the sudden oppressive presence of 36658, the drug drone continues, “I don’t know what to say or how to show you how stupid you’re being. Drones. Stick. Together. High Score didn’t invent that, obviously, but it did much more than anyone else I’ve ever known to help others. Now you’re here, staring at me like an idiot because I’m following the main rule you don’t understand and act all huffy about. Do you newbies really need to live through the misery we did to understand how easy it is to die? I preach about High Score to convey our experiences, something you guys need to understand can happen even though right now we drones are safer and healthier than EVER before.”
“Experiences like its ability to bite through a fizzy tangler’s tentacles?” objects 99111, suddenly feeling somewhat strange but more… able to concentrate? Less worried? Something along those lines.
“You’re still focusing on the fun part of the story instead of the message,” 36658 shakes its head and sighs, “And I’m getting dragged into a stupid conversation instead of getting to what’s important… again,” it smacks the side of its head rather forcefully, “Look, are you feeling better? Take a few steps into the sea, I’ll catch you if your legs fail.”
No matter the sudden shift in conversation and their differences, 99111 senses only absolute truth from 36658’s link, and takes a deep breath before walking towards the approaching wave.
The water washes over its hooves, making it tremble, but for once it doesn’t flee immediately and remains standing there, breathing heavily as its heartbeat thunders in its ears.
“Breathe,” is all 36658 says, standing next to it.
“Do you… do you really feel the same around skittering swarmers?” asks 99111.
“Yep. High Score saved me last time I got caught in their webs, and that was on the surface and against harmless swarmers. I saw them a few times during sunny time in the forest near my poppy patch. 57999 grabbed one and let it crawl over itself to show me they’re not dangerous but I still kept freaking out. It took me a long time to get to the point where I don’t panic or freeze up.”
“D-Do you use agonyslayers for that too?”
“Not anymore,” 36658 shakes its head, “Just understanding and repeated exposure. My agonyslayers helped only very little but it was a start. These anguishdecimators Miss Gem mixed up are the result of her trying to affect the head in a different way than I do and since they helped 93 who wasn’t hurt physically but in here,” it taps its head, “I figured they might work for you.”
“Heheh,” 99111 chuckles nervously, “I don’t think I can visit her whenever I need to jump over a puddle.”
“Yeah, that’s why you need to use this chance to train,” 36658 shoves 99111 forward. The drone trips and, as it keels forward against the wave, transforms on instinct into the buoy form.
Eyes bulging, breathing heavily, and stuttering out a mix of angry and shocked-
“Grumblegrumblegrumble!”
-99111 takes a few moments of the current carrying it off before it safely paddles back towards 36658.
“What? Why?” it faces the veteran drone.
“Tough love,” 36658 grins, “High Score wouldn’t approve, but I’m not perfect like it was,” it sits down, “Go float around while the pill lasts to get used to the water. Transform back and forth. Do anything you can to get better at swimming. I’ll be here in case anything happens.”
99111 takes a deep breath.
“I… I still don’t like your methods.”
“Be better. Help others to be better. Do it today because there’s no guarantee you’ll see tomorrow,” says 36658, mostly to itself, before adding sharply, “You’re wasting my anguishdecimator.”
“R-Right!” 99111 turns around and walks into the shallow water again.