//------------------------------// // More questions than answers: 1 // Story: They're home. // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// A new day rises over the Badlands. As the drones would say, the outside of the hive “reset itself” again, and the only remaining marks of their yesterday’s games are the skiing slope and some small mounds. No drone will say that, however, because today they’re all back underground, busy with their usual designated work.  One non-drone busy with something unusual is 99, lying exhausted on the floor of an abandoned tunnel one level below the High Score Cavern. Her mental self, though, is searching through the hive mind like she’s been doing for hours of real time and painfully slow days of dilated internal time. After searching hidden and forgotten memories of every changeling she could reach as secretly as she could, she finally finds a mental thread responding to the topic of “Chrysalis’ daughter”, and follows it. She doesn’t know its source and, when she creeps far enough along the path of information while maintaining every mental protection she’s learned from 387 and the others so far, a single memory flashes through her mind. A muscular changeling mare with mane the color of red wine, broader and taller than any changeling 99 has ever seen, is flying above tree canopies just as several surrounding changelings ambush her out of nowhere, attacking from the back first and managing to take her down under the treeline. Everything blurs almost immediately as whoever the memory belongs to ignores the encounter just like every other changeling flying in a large swarm around. All they hear is the mare’s mental scream: “HELP ME!” The brief memory ends, leaving exhausted 99 back in the darkness of the hive mind. Was that right before the Canterlot invasion? It could also be an event further in the past where changelings gathered en masse, but the only changelings with memories of those times are the Queen and 387. Even 156 is under thirty and other living high ranks are at best half her age, and the memory didn’t come from the Queen or the top ranks. So, this happening during the Canterlot invasion is the most likely. It’s hard to believe but 415 wasn’t lying. Was that his memory? Likely. Was it tampered with? Why would he change his own memory if he wanted to persuade me? Holes, he was so sure that he would be fine even if I told Chrysalis, and she would find the memory easily. If it was fake, she would make 415 grow balls and repeatedly slam them between two flat rocks. On top of that, if his mind was protected enough to hide our conversation or the memory from the Queen herself, how could have I found it? Alright, let’s assume for now that Chrysalis really DID abandon her daughter for being weak, or at least that 415 wasn’t completely faking. From the way he talked, he can’t be the only one dissatisfied with Chrysalis and, as far as I know, most high ranks have been alive before the invasion, so it’s possible that they know about it too and it’s a topic they never bring up out of fear of Chrysalis. Heh, “high ranks”. I’m speaking like a drone. 99 forces her mental body to sit up and her joints crack from lying down for so long. I’m running on no sleep, but it’s a good thing that I didn’t miss anything yet. I guess training with 387 will be a bit more painful today. Time to wake up for real. Nothing. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and opens them again. Her mental form stubbornly remains in the hive mind room. Without any warning, she senses an oppressive presence seemingly right behind her, turning her legs to jelly. 99 gathers enough strength to turn around just in time to see a purplish-black rift in space hanging in the air and somehow contrasting against the pitch black background of the hive mind. Before she can jump backwards, the rift boils and opens like a flower, its tentacle “petals” growing, surrounding, and swallowing 99. First, she tries to break through the mental barrier, but that’s like punching a steel wall with only her basic hooves. The darkness doesn’t move, and 99’s mental pressure just “slips”, as if the mind or entity she’s using her power against was completely alien. For a moment, she stops attacking and just floats in the darkness, reinforcing her own mental defenses instead.  It doesn’t help, but her shifted focus makes her sense something reach inside her… and take it away. I forgot something.  IT’S MAKING ME FORGET THINGS! What did I-? She senses another intrusion. By definition, she has no idea what she’s forgotten this time.  The realization that none of the skills she’s learned so far is working shakes her to the core and she feels her mental walls cracking.  If I can’t trust myself, there’s nothing left. Another intrusion. Another memory gone. A core memory? Something irrelevant? Something that will change her outlook on life? No idea. 99’s composure breaks completely and all she can do is scream: “HELP ME! HEEEEELP!” The darkness parts and two tiny black sticks poke through. 99 immediately reaches out with her foreleg, and the sticks reveal themselves to be small, chitinous legs that hook against her fetlock as well. They start pulling, but they’re too weak, and 99 feels more of herself disappear. In response, two more legs poke through and she immediately reaches out with her other foreleg. She knows all of this is a representation of mental struggle and that her current weakness is making this more difficult for whoever is trying to help her, but the two pairs of legs are enough to, with one more heave, to pull her through the boiling and shifting purple and black wall. 99 finds herself in the hive mind room, trembling. The rift is gone, replaced by two much friendlier changeling shapes. “Phew, that was spooky but we made it!” 99380 is beaming at her but takes a moment to look to the side and hoof-bump a now familiar default drone number one, “Any idea what it was, Voice?” The form of the Voice shakes its head. “It’s a mental shape I don’t know how to interact with, nor can I track it. More importantly, are you okay, 99?” Voice reaches out to 99 who flinches and shuffles away, opting instead to touch 99380. Voice withdraws its foreleg, “Sorry, I know you don’t trust me, and whatever this was can’t have helped.”   “H-How did you… how did you find me?” 99’s trying to control her ragged breathing and failing. 99380 glances at Voice. “Voice told me you were in trouble so I looked for you. It wasn’t hard to find you but I dunno what that bubbling thingy you were inside of was. It tingled a bit when I poked my hoof through.”  “How did you know I was in trouble?” asks 99, her tone full of suspicion. This time, Voice briefly looks at 99380 who frowns and looks away.  “The Queen enlisted 99380 to help trap me just like you and 387 tried to, only her idea worked. She… I don’t know how to explain it, sorry. She did something to me that made her figure out how I was made, and that persuaded her to let me go free. I’m allowed to keep doing what I’ve been doing for the drones, but I’m now also allowed to help high ranks if I’m specifically called on. This wasn’t exactly the case but it was urgent so I think it still counts,” explains Voice, “Do you have any idea what that was?” 99 shakes her head, but the explanation and Chrysalis’ presumed knowledge about Voice moves some puzzle pieces around inside her head. “No, I don’t,” she breathes out slowly, “Can we return to the real world? I… I’m having trouble concentrating right now.” “Sure thing!” 99380 scrunches its nose in a highly boopable moment of focus, and the darkness of the hive mind is replaced by the natural darkness of an abandoned tunnel.  As expected, Voice is gone, but 99 is being very softly but insistently shaken by 99380. “Owwww…” she moans, trying to get up as her joints crack… again. “Do you need help? I can carry you if you want,” offers the little drone. “Thank you, but no,” 99 grunts in pain as her limbs protest and her blood starts flowing properly again, sparking the sensation of needles stabbing her all over, “I still have sparring with 387 on my schedule and I need to stretch beforehoof. I could use company, though. Do you have the time to come upstairs with me?” “Sure!” 99380 nods, smiling, “Voice will tell me if someone needs me to contact a drone far away, and I can keep looking for more hive mind buttons and levers while we’re walking. Oh, umm,” the drone giggles nervously and scratches its head, “If I start walking in the wrong direction, or on the walls… or if I suddenly disappear, just link up with me. My leggos aren’t always in the same tunnel as my head.” 99 just raises an eyebrow at the strange proclamation, but her own train of thought is already elsewhere. “Sure,” is all she says as she pats 99380’s head. If the attacker was Chrysalis, she would likely know I was the first rank whom Voice… observed, assisted, kept an eye on? I don’t think any help would have come in that case. No, the attacking entity wasn’t overwhelmingly strong, it was untouchable, it was something I didn’t know how to affect with my mental powers just like Voice said. There’s only one “changeling" I know whose mind works like that.  *** Physically, 65536 feels in working order as it walks up the hive’s passages towards the throne room. Mentally, not so much. 10k’s surgery is successfully over, although how long its physical body will hold itself together is a question depending on how well 10k will handle the guilt from lying about Smiley. The good thing is that 10k seems to have come to the same conclusion and intends to fix things on its own, admit what it did, and face the music.  In that, the new High Score’s example shows us the right path. Responsibility is something I mustn’t run away from. 65536 finds itself pacing in front of the throne room. Normally, 99 would be here at this time, but she must be busy with something elsewhere, so the guard drone takes a deep breath and enters. Okay, here goes. Chrysalis is lying on her back on the floor by the weakly burning stove, her hind legs stretched towards it, her head resting on one of the semi-goop pillows the top ranks usually sit on with her forelegs under it, and using 99200’s spider web cloak as a blanket. In response to 65536’s entry, she just turns her head and yawns.  “What went wrong this time?” she asks, easily reading 65536’s apprehensive expression, “I can sense 10k being alive and in a better shape than before.” “It’s not about 10k, Your Majesty,” admits 65536, approaching, “I… I wanted to ask if there are areas of the hive where I’m not allowed to go.”  “Why do you ask?” asks Chrysalis instead of just saying no. There are areas where 65536 shouldn’t go because they are stupidly dangerous, and there are countless of those, but the Queen knows that the drone, despite not having lived in the hive for years, is still aware of that. “Three nights ago, I went camping with 99200 into the lower tunnels,” 65536 frowns, “99200 has this trick where it can dig without the material disappearing-” “So… normal digging?” Chrysalis snickers. “Well, no. It can still dig through rocks that way,” 65536 shakes its head, “Nevermind, the point is that we dug out a burrow, hid ourselves, and were chatting when several extremely angry high ranks pulled us out and told us we weren’t allowed to be there.” “How about you let me look into your head?” suggests Chrysalis, finally taking the drone’s issue seriously and sitting up. “You can check the whole thing from 99200’s point of view, Your Majesty,” counters 65536 without any hint of antagonism. “Can’t blame a girl for trying,” Chrysalis shrugs and links up with 99200. Her witnessing the entire incident from the mind of a drone that’s currently carefully digging a tunnel following a gold seam far away from the throne room takes barely a longer breath. The following pause lingers a little longer, as the Queen disseminates the incident in her head and wonders if she can use the unidentified changeling’s death to her advantage. In the end, she opts for, “I can see why you were hesitating. A dead infiltrator…” she shakes her head, suddenly toying with her spider web cloak.  “Your Majesty, I’m ready to accept punishment and make what possible amends I can,” gritting its teeth, 65536 looks straight into Chrysalis’ eyes. “You do understand what would have happened to you not so long ago, right?” her expression hardens. “Yes, Your Majesty,” 65536 keeps looking directly at her. “Of course, you also understand why I can’t do that, right?” “Yes, Your Majesty,” 65536 briefly pauses. Chrysalis waits because she can see that the drone wants to say something more, “However, I did try to warn the mare the moment I understood what she tried to do, and I’m still a representative of the Equestrian royalty. All I would like to avoid is… the collective punishment that used to happen. There are ways I can make up for what happened, and if not myself then I can use what little influence I have in Equestria.” If it was any normal diplomat, Chrysalis would consider what was just said as a way to protect themselves and shift the blame. It’s not a normal diplomat, though. It’s a drone, and especially one known for its integrity.  “I have to think about this,” Chrysalis’ tone grows darker. It’s just for show, though. Objectively, the drone did nothing wrong, and any political pressure she could potentially squeeze out of the situation would be miniscule at best and incomparable to the valuable information it brought to her.  An idea comes to her, a fresh resource she can use. “Voice, what can you tell me about the recent encounter between 99200 and the unidentified ranked changelings?”  she asks mentally without directing the message to any particular target and while broadcasting it with such a low power that even 65536 in front of her can’t hear it.  “I can confirm that 99200’s account hasn’t been tampered with,” comes an immediate reply, proving that Voice has been listening already, “As for 65536, I’m more limited than you are.”  “Obviously to the latter. Any idea about who the changelings were? The vast majority of ranked changelings are away on a mission and the few who are around know nothing of the encounter.” “With the exception of 415, no one I can access knows who the changelings were,” replies Voice. Internally, Chrysalis sighs.  And I can’t grab 415 by the neck and ask, because everyone left for supply missions earlier just as the storm subsided. “Thought so. Dismissed,” she orders, and the fraction of a second the hive mind exchange took is finally allowed to pass. Ready to render her judgement, she resumes talking to 65536 as if nothing happened, “For now, avoid the area as you were instructed, and same goes for all hive drones. In fact, you specifically,” she leans close to 65536’s face, “and I believe you understand why, should stick to the upper tunnels altogether. If you feel the need to dig something or go camping with 99200 again, there are plenty of nooks and crannies, as well as areas rich in materials we’ve never needed for our operations but which 99856 and 99111 could find useful now.”   “I understand, Your Majesty,” 65536 nods. “I hope so,” she straightens up again and waves her hoof dismissively, “If that’s all, you may leave. 99 is finally back from holes-know-where and I’d like her to… well, none of your business. Speaking of your business, how are the surprises going? Both for me and for the drones.” Taken aback by the sudden shift in the conversation, 65536 takes a second to calm down before answering. “The drone presents are packed and your costume is ready! I’ll be giving out a couple things earlier,” it answers chipperly, a smile returning to its face, “As for the surprise surprise, I kinda realized I didn’t think it through entirely, so I’m polishing out a couple kinks. I was hoping to talk about it with 387 but I haven’t been able to sense him in a while.” “Ask 156 if you need help today. I’ll be sending her down shortly to keep an eye on the mad scientist and the suicide bomber,” before 65536 can object, Chrysalis adds, “Yes, yes, I’ll tell her she can keep your surprise a secret and I won’t read her mind. I promise… aslongasyoudon’tmakemeweartherednosethisyear,” she mutters under her breath in the end. “NO DEAL!” 65536 beams openly, “The guys love the boopable, red shiny!” “Hrrrrnghgrngrnr!” growls Chrysalis in defeat and calls out loudly, “You can come in, 99!” and to 65536, she adds with a flick of her hoof, “And you scoot.”  “Yes, Your Majesty,” 65536 doesn’t return to the topic of making up for the lower tunnel encounter. If the Queen wants something later, she will call for it.