PaP: Bedtime Stories

by Starscribe

Queen for a Day

Chip didn’t stay until dawn, as she sometimes did. This was a shame, since Study Time’s conversations afterwards were always more interesting than getting a little to eat. Unfortunately she had somewhere to be, and had to fly away.

“I’ll be back when I can,” she whispered, slipping out into the night. She flew quietly, as quiet as a bat though she lacked any of their magic. Even a changeling queen couldn’t imitate the unique racial magic of the different pony tribes.

She passed over the city’s mostly-repaired wall, angling towards the stables that contained her changelings. She was early enough that none of the ponies of interest had arrived—not Accounts with his soldiers, not Chives. She waited for a moment the guards on the wall weren’t watching, then touched down lightly on the roof. With the help of the drones within she lifted the loose thatch out of the way, then squirmed inside.

Again came happy greetings, as she shared with her drones some of the glamor she had gathered. It spoke for the health of her growing swarm that the trough of meat was still mostly full. She didn’t share nearly as much as she often did, even as she let her disguise fade away, her wings and body shrinking back to an undeveloped child. Still a changeling, so she’d grown far faster than a regular pony. She looked about ten in pony terms, not quite ready for the cutie mark she’d never earn.

Still dwarfed by the other drones, still a runt. The physical distinctions between them were now practically impossible to miss. A green mane and tail instead of frills, eyes not unlike ponies, instead of the multifaceted blue that they so often dismissed. A pair of scissors soon did away with as much of the growth of her mane and tail as she could, trimming it away until she looked even more sickly and strange. Better sickly than a queen.

The kingdom of Yileron had discovered Riley’s many-thousands of eggs and turned them into slaves, yet they seemed remarkably ignorant of the truth of what they were dealing with. Were it not so, Chip would’ve been long dead.

Chives would pass his inspection today, and earn his promotion. Would she? She had her backup plan, tucked up and tied just under her tail where even most inspections wouldn’t find it. Chives knew about that, but he didn’t know about her own backup—didn’t know that the chains her drones wore had been modified to break away with only modest effort. Didn’t know she’d been teaching them to use them as heavy steel flails.

She still wasn’t a proper queen, she couldn’t use them all together to fight in perfect unison as though she had one gigantic body. If she could’ve, she already would’ve escaped. As it was, she was far from confident in their ability to win against trained soldiers. It was only a last resort.

As they had the year before, the soldiers came around dawn. They arrived at about the same time as Chives himself, who no longer spent most of his nights asleep in a pool of his own drool outside the building.

“Good morning to you, Chives,” Accounts said, waving politely. As before, Chip watched from one of the windows. She could’ve hovered there with her gossamer wings, except that flying was forbidden for them and would certainly be overheard.

Account had twice as many soldiers as last year, and not a changeling in sight. No real surprise there. He knew yesterday all of us were still alive.

“I’m ready for your inspection,” Chives said, holding up the scroll Accounts had given him the year before. Well, a copy of it. At Chip’s own suggestion, the original was currently held by one of Chives’s religious leaders, who had also been present when it was signed. “You’ll find my entire work crew inside, just like they were yesterday.”

“I’m sure we will,” Accounts said.

Why the hell does he feel so smug? Chip could sense it from him, sense the anticipation from these soldiers. They expect a fight. God, what am I missing?

Chives didn’t notice. He made his way to the door, unlocked it with the heavy key, then pushed it open. He cracked his whip loudly in the air, as he always did when they had an audience. “Line up!” he shouted. “Inspection!”

To an outside observer, it might have looked like the drones snapped to almost military attention. In reality, there was just a little delay. Long enough for Chip to hear the command, then repeat it. The drones didn’t fear Chives anymore, didn’t care what he did. Only she kept them obedient.

As they made their way out, Chives snapped the chain into place around their hooves, instead of the usual work-harness. Chives seemed relieved to see her as her turn came in line, almost as though he’d been afraid she really had run off.

Thank God you didn’t do anything stupid, Chives, Chip thought. If you’d gone and told Accounts about me… she didn’t know what would happen. Nothing good, for any of them.

“A second year,” Accounts said, when they’d all been chained up and marched about twenty feet outside the stable. At her will, the drones held as still as a military formation at rest. “Even better than your first. Perfect. It boggles the mind.”

“I have a method,” Chives said, no trace of a slur in his speech. “You’ve seen it when you visit.”

“Yes, indeed,” Accounts agreed. He gestured, and two of his soldiers moved forward with a large crate. They set it down in front of her drones, opening it to reveal a set of livestock measuring equipment. “A bold move on your part, investing some of your own salary to pay for better food and improvements to the stable. The disciplinary system you use is quite unconventional as well, but I would be the last to question your success.”

“My promotion,” Chives said. “You promised.”

“A small matter first.” Accounts continued past him, ignoring the scroll Chives offered. He walked to the side of his measuring machine, which was just a primitive mechanical scale. “Measurements, for the crown’s official records. We’re going to weigh and record each one of your crew here. We need to measure a difference over the other crews. Bring your key, Chives. We’ll measure them one at a time.”

The effort took some time. Guards crowded around them, watching the chained drones with an expression of vague hostility. Accounts brought them each up onto the scale one at a time, and nothing much changed until Chip herself was led up.

“Now this,” Accounts said, glaring down at her with obvious disapproval and gesturing at the number on the scale. She weighed less than half as much as any given drone. “How is this runt even still alive?” He walked around her, poking at her with a wooden stick he had used to measure the strength of various muscles. “Come to think of it… I’m not certain I’ve ever seen this one in any of your work crews. Can you explain this, Chives?”

“Y-yes, of course.” He had stood by more or less ambivalently as each of the drones were weighed and measured, knowing there was nothing to learn but how impressively healthy each one was. For her they had practiced, she’d coached and roleplayed with him, getting Chives to memorize exactly what to say. Though his voice shook, he began repeating his lines. “Part of my work strategy has b-been letting them choose their own work order.”

“Letting them choose?” Accounts sounded skeptical. “They’re animals, Chives. They can’t choose anything.”

“Not like a pony, no,” Chives repeated. They were still on script. “But some are more willing to work on certain days than others. You’ve seen in the mornings, I call, ten line up, and I take them out to work. This one never lines up. I don’t know why, but she seems to…” Again, he hesitated. Looking at her for approval.

Damnit Chives, could you be any more obvious? He couldn’t hear the thought of course, and she didn’t look at him. She didn’t look at anything but the ground, for fear that even Accounts would notice the emotions in her eyes.

“I don’t know her role, but I know she makes the others calm and obedient just by being around. Whenever I take her away, the others grow agitated and less productive.”

“Hmmm.” Account looked her over one more time, forcing her head up with his wooden stick. Chip kept her face as impassive as she could, looking away and down as she expected a submissive animal to act. “Worthy of further study, for certain. There are… a number of fanciful stories about these beasts. I wonder if there might’ve been a grain of truth in some of them after all. This one does seem distinct.” He pointed back at the stables. “Let’s see part of it right now. Send her back inside. I want to see how they act.”

“It won’t be good.” Chives moved to obey, raising his whip and cracking it in Chip’s general direction. “Inside!”

She hurried to obey, keeping her head down as the whip cracked again. Far above her head, nowhere close to hitting her.

Move around a little. Don’t fight, but show them how upset you are. Even before she was back in the stables, the drones started to fidget in place, making pained squeaking and calling noises to one another. Chives didn’t bother following her all the way, didn’t even shut the door.

“See?” he asked. “I don’t know what it is, but I, uh… let them sort it out. You can see it works.”

They went on with their measurements, and Accounts had only good things to say about the rest of the drones. All healthy, no infections, strong muscles. “Just… how much of your pay goes into feeding these?” he asked, when they were all back in line and assembled. Well, all but her.

“Ten clips a week,” Chives said. “Mostly on vegetables. Round out their diet.” A lie, but they’d paid a merchant to say he had, if asked. Chives shifted uneasily on his hooves. The sun was up now, the drones uncomfortable at the change in their routine.

It’s okay, she promised. We don’t work today. Don’t freak out.

“That’s inspection enough, Captain. I’m ready for my bonus now. My promotion. Two years with the same crew. I’m ready to… teach my methods to the other teams. Or whatever.”

“Yes, indeed. I’m sure you would be,” Accounts said, removing another scroll from his back pocket. “There’s just one problem, Chives. You did something you shouldn’t. You took in an outcast.”

“W-what?” Chives stumbled back, towards the still-open stables. “I don’t know… I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’m not an outcast! You can ask Generous Offering—I’ve never missed a feast day, never missed a donation, nothing! No outcast has ever set hoof in my home!”

What was he talking about? Chip hopped down from the water barrel, creeping back towards the entrance. If she had to act, she would be ready. Outcast was a word she knew—it meant a pony like her, who’d come from before the Event. They were ritually unclean in the primitive religion the kingdom practiced. Chip hadn’t really bothered to learn more than that. She was already breaking a dozen laws, so why concern herself with that?

“Not you. Last month there was a series of arrests in the Underground. Smugglers, brothels, that sort of thing. I know you can’t read… but this is a ledger from a smuggler. Specialized in foals. There’s an entry here for one Nancy Patterson. Living name, Blooming Posy. And look, here’s your name as the assisting party.”

Chip couldn’t see what they were doing, couldn’t use the eyes of her drones. I’m still not a real queen. Not yet. She had made it to the doorway, crouching just beside it, just out of sight. Ready.

“Arrest this criminal,” he ordered. “The outcast you sheltered has been bringing curses down on our city, Chives. A pity only prison awaits you. I would love to watch you banished to the Nameless City with her.”

“Damn you!” Chives spat, his voice boiling with anger. “Chip told you, didn’t she? She wanted me out of the way… fucking monster, how could you?”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Accounts said, mildly amused. “Why are you yelling at the stable? There’s no help waiting for you there.”

Remember the damn plan, Chives!

“Before you take me away, Accounts… you need to see the stables. There’s something in there you missed.”

Chip had half a mind to play dumb—to give this earth pony a tiny bit of the justice he deserved for all the mistreatment he’d showered down on her kind. Maybe if she hadn’t known about his daughter, she could’ve done that. She didn’t know what a Nameless City was, didn’t know what banishment there entailed, but it didn’t matter.

Chip’s plan required Chives to be promoted into Accounts’s position, so that she might take over all the enslaved drones. The chances of getting another workmaster as pliant were not good.

“No, let him go. We have a moment. Maybe Chives intends to share the real secret of his success, now that he realizes he’s been caught at last. I’ll allow it. The rest of you, wait here. Make sure the beasts don’t run off.”

Chip couldn’t see either of them, but she could sense their feelings. Chives, desperate and betrayed but still clinging to hope that somehow Chip would find a way out. Account, on the other hand, felt only greed and smug satisfaction.

Chives came through the door first, a few feet away. He didn’t attack her, though his betrayal and anger were very close to it. Even without knowing his exact thoughts Chip could be confident he thought she was responsible for this. “I didn’t,” she whispered. “I’ve been working—”

She didn’t get to finish, because at that moment Accounts stepped through, looking around expectantly. He almost didn’t seem to see her, searching the stables. “Well, Chives? Make this quick. I have an appointment with a filly in a few minutes, one you’re familiar with. I wouldn’t want to be late.”

Chip hesitated for just a second, considering the very betrayal Chives suspected. She considered what her future might be if she betrayed him. He would certainly tell everyone who would listen about her. Would any of them believe it? If she did act to try and save him and Posy now, she might still fail, and be in just as much danger.

Both of these thoughts crossed her mind at once, resolving into an inevitability. No matter how much she loathed him, no matter how justified she thought this prison would be… she couldn’t let it happen. So she reached back, removing the black envelope from where it was hidden and holding up a thick stack of paper in her green magic.

“I am holding five thousand marks,” she said, her voice a quiet whisper. “Spare Chives and Posy… forget about what you’ve seen, and you can have them.” She flipped through the pages so he could see, displaying the official seal that marked legitimate currency, the wear and tear on the bills.”

Accounts’s smugness melted into shock. He stared down at her, mouth hanging open, before reaching for them with magic of his own.

Chip brushed it aside with a brief surge of her own power, intense enough that her eyes glowed for a second. “No,” she said, a little louder, more firmly. “You have to swear first. Then you get it.”

“It talks,” Accounts said, his voice hollow.

“Yes.” The acidic taste of betrayal boiled away from Chives, leaving only the fear. “I wasn’t completely honest when I said I didn’t know what she did for my crew. She’s the one that makes them so productive. She’s the one that cares for them, keeps them healthy.”

“Consider for a moment, Captain Accounts.” She tucked the money away in the envelope, resting one hoof on it. “I could bring the same productivity that saved Chives’s crew to every crew you have. It doesn’t matter how many slaves you have. Ten crews, fifty… it makes no difference. I could make it so none of them die. You get to keep all of the profit, and all you have to do in exchange is let these ponies go.”

Accounts stared down at the money. “Where did… How are you making it talk, Chives? What magic is this?”

She answered before he could. “Nothing is making me talk. I’m intelligent, where the drones aren’t. I am willing to help you make them as productive and long-lasting as possible, that’s all that matters. That, and give you all this money. More than you make in months, I’m certain. She lifted her hoof out of the way. “Go on, then. Make the smart decision, Accounts. Make yourself rich.”

“I…” He hesitated. He levitated the envelope up into the air, no longer resisted by the downward pressure of her magic. He held the marks up to the light, inspecting them. “These aren’t counterfeit. Stolen, then? Are you a thief?”

“No.” She shook her head vigorously. “I practice a legitimate profession, but it’s none of your business. Take the marks and let them go.”

She could practically watch the thoughts forming in Accounts’s head. Emotions shifted through a delicate dance of greed, hunger, fear, hatred, and revulsion. He took the envelope, settling it under the clip on the same clipboard he’d used to make notes about the measurements on her drones.

“Or, instead, I could keep the money, send this sympathizing coward to rot like he belongs, and ship you off to my patron for examination. Maybe he’ll dissect you, figure out why you’re smarter than you should be. The truth must be in there somewhere.”

“It isn’t.” She advanced on him, eyes narrowing. “You want my help. If you don’t leave with a promise, you won’t leave at all.”

He laughed, though one leg twitched towards the door. “Am I being threatened by an animal? I think you should look outside, beast. I have a dozen soldiers. They would kill you without objection if I asked.”

Accounts darted for the door, as fast as his hooves could carry him. “Help! Help, he’s trying to kill me!”

Chip stared, dumbfounded, until she saw Chives crash into Accounts, breaking clean through the wall and tumbling to the ground with his limp form. “I won’t let you bastards take her!” he bellowed, casting aside the nearest guard like he was papier mache. Accounts didn’t move again, but the guards did.

So did her drones, and not at her command. Chains broke as they struggled and leapt into the melee, fighting alongside Chives as the guards came down on him.

Chip had helped fight multiple wars. She’d directly controlled a dozen drones once, the most she had ever mastered as a male. If she had been a little more mature, she might’ve easily taken control of thousands. Yet now, in the moment of conflict, when the drones roared their collective anger, she could not control even one.

Chip stumbled out of the hole Chives had made in the wall, staring at her drones and concentrating on them with all the magic she possessed. Their anger rolled over her like a wave, drowning her. She couldn’t stop them. Stop! We can’t fight like this! There’s too many, we’ll lose! Those are all earth ponies!

It wasn’t much of a fight. The guards didn’t spare their spears for Chives—he went down in agony, pierced by half a dozen bloody wounds. Chip watched him die, heard his last cries for the little pony he’d sheltered.

Only half a dozen of her own drones were killed, and mostly by accident. A few over-eager guards brought one or two down with spears, until somepony among them reminded their fellows just how much money they were wasting. They used the butts of their spears after that, along with common force.

Changeling drones raised in captivity with nothing more than chains to swing and without a queen to guide them did not fight terribly well against professional soldiers. Chip collapsed to the ground in the hole, crying as she watched her changelings fight, powerless to protect them as they were beaten into submission and thrown back into the stables like cordwood.

Please, God. Help me! Help me save them! No god answered her silent plea. The most promising immortals were, after all, already dead.

“T-that one…” Accounts spat through a mouthful of broken teeth and blood, pointing at Chip. He could only stand with the aid of two of his soldiers. He was clearly the worst casualty of the battle, though he hadn’t fought any drones. “The runt is coming with us. My patron will find out what kind of magic Chives paid for to make her talk. The rest of you, stand guard here. Any of them try to escape until I can get a mason here, kill them. Damn Chives might’ve spoiled the whole crew. This is why we do things the right way…”

By then, Chip didn’t have the strength left to fight. A mature queen could’ve killed a dozen earth ponies without much effort. She’d seen Riley win against worse odds, when the war had gone badly and their own hive had been invaded. Riley had triumphed then against augmented human soldiers.

I can’t be a queen like you, Riley. I can’t fight. I can’t even keep twenty drones safe. I can’t even save one filly.

Chip collapsed into a crying heap. She didn’t fight the guards, didn’t stop them from tying her up, didn’t resist when they dragged her to her hooves and forced her to march back toward the city. Chip just didn’t care anymore.

She glanced once over her shoulder as they rounded the wall, to where Chives’s corpse still lay, unmoving in the grass. She could still sense the drones, sense their agony and despair. She didn’t even try to comfort them this time. I’m no queen anymore. I’ve only been pretending.

Author's Note:

Don't give up, Chip! You can do it! You can make it on your own!

Comments

[Ciber]

You are a cruel and capricious god.

[Booster Spice]

When a religious zealot cant even be bought, its time for Soddem and Gomorrah.

[Neece]

This was damn sad, Star. Chip was doing so well, Chives actually sacrificed himself to save her - most likely like his own daughter. Posy herself shall now be alone...

Unless his master is the dude Chip was seeing. Then she'll feel betrayed as fuck and swear vengeance. Accountant will end up dead either way, sooner or later.

[Firebirdbtops]

And here the best plan would have been to take Accountant by surprise, and shapeshift into him, thus securing his position, and with minimal waste of resources.

[Yami Vizzini]

[darkszero]

That was sad, but at least we know where Nancy came from

[The Chronicler]

I'm wondering if Chip's patron can get her out of this if he isn't at the heart of it already. I wonder if he could be trusted with knowing her secret...

[AyanamiRei]

Damn. I have to say I did not expect this. You're really slipping their Chip. You should have set up the stable to be more sound proof, along with locking the doors. You really didn't prepare Plan B nearly as well as you should have. Frankly I'm a little disappointed in you for this.

In terms of measuring yourself against Riley, you can't compare yourself to her, when you can't even directly control a single drone. A big reason why you lost, was that you're simply still too underdeveloped.

[Doppler Effect]

Ah, so close to being safe. And if that's the same Nancy we've already seen, there's not that long left before Alex overturns slavery in the kingdom. Another few years of hiding and Chip might have been able to just move to Estel.

Really interesting that there's an underground helping the refugees. Is that what Ezri and Jackie have been up to recently? I imagine it's largely staffed by refugees and their immediate descendants, so I wonder which Chives was? I don't think they'd have randomly placed a filly with somepony with no connection to them, so he must have had some link. Pretty sad that that means Chives also just missed out on having a safe city to move to.

[edgar_allan_pony]

Strong Bad email reference!

[Von Snootingham]

Nohhh-ho-ho-hooooo! Li'l Brudd-er-herr-herrr! You can make it, Chip! You've got the heart of a champion!

[oak-tail]

Auggghhhh, noooo! It was going so well...

Waaait... so posy, chives' daughter, is the little pegasus filly that alex "adopts"? Cool... maybe nancy and chip will be able to meet again, as free... equine-ish-things.

[Iron_Cauldron]

Rrah!! Chip deserves better!!!! Were I my character, I honestly don't know what I would do. It would depend on how the ponies would react knowing you were more than 1000 years old, as old as their world. I don't see it being to hard for many to put it together that some older dragons may be returnees themselves, but unable to do much about it, since a whole army is nothing to a mature dragon, but a swarm of knats.

I still want to swoop in and save Chip and the drones though!!!

[Helium]

Bloody primitives... I cant begin to imagine how hard it was for Alex to show them mercy after all they've done too refugees and human history.

Poor Chives. He went out as a hero. I guess we now know what background Nancy comes from.