• Published 17th Jul 2017
  • 4,455 Views, 854 Comments

An Exercise In Management - Nameless Narrator



A simple drone "accidentally" failed to leave the Badlands hive for the invasion to Canterlot. He was only two weeks old, one of the clutch specifically created to break through the protective shield. Now starving, he's just trying to survive.

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25: Into their hearts!

The link still exists. I can’t see anything, but the link is still there.

”Three? Three!”

“Ugh...”

”THREE!”

“B-Boss? What happened?”

”I don’t know. Where are you?”

“Miss Eight sent me to scout the mines. I got into this huuuuge circular shaft with a hole in the middle, then I went up and explored some smaller tunnels, then I felt something taking my love away, and then I’m hearing you. Sorry, boss. I think I fell unconscious.”

”Don’t worry about that right now. By the way, why is it so dark? Do you have problems seeing?”

Three opens his eyes. I can now clearly see a well worked tunnel sloping upwards.

”Oh.”

“Better?”

”Definitely. How are you on the old love level?”

“I’m a bit tired, boss, but otherwise okay.”

”Can you get back?”

“Easily, I think. I’d like to see where this tunnel leads, though. I think it might be the big city up top. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

”Definitely useful, true. Alright, keep scouting, but if you feel weak at all just come back. Eight and Four are hunting for love so we’ll get a refill soon.”

Hopefully.

“Cool. Oh, and one more thing. I think I saw the thingy Ten described. It moaned and shuffled, so I ran the other way and it was okay. It’s kinda slow… and it felt… sad. It’s weird, at first I wanted to hug it, then it threatened to take my soul. Boss, why did it want my boots when it didn’t have legs?”

”Maybe just in case it grew some. The ponies gave you a nice set.”

“I’ve got four, maybe I could have shared and then we’d have a new friend. I could call him Shuffles!”

”Uhh… maybe? You know what? Be careful with the scouting and leave Shuffles alone for now, alright?”

“Okay, boss. I’ll be back with a nice and detailed mine map for you.”

”With some luck, there will be a big helping of love waiting for you down here already.”

“Yaaaay!”

With that, Three starts moving up through the tunnel with a new skip in his step.

Phew, heart attack averted. Three is okay, so I can get some rest. Are there any urgent matters bothering one of my changelings?

I don’t feel anything other than cold, calculated focus from Eight, and anxiety mixed with curiosity from Four.

Goodnight, it’s been a long day. With a yawn, I finally drift off.

Fear strong enough to paralyze a changeling wakes me up. I don’t know how much time has passed, but it can’t have been much.

What’s going on?

"K-King?"

Four?

”Four? What’s wrong?”

Immediately tapping into her, the first thing I see is a drunk unicorn sitting on a chair shoved straight next to Four’s, his foul breath stinking their corner booth up.

"He isn’t a good target, King, but I can’t get rid of him. Ten’s experience mostly covers mares and they don’t act like this. Do I drain him or…?"

”Okay okay, I’ve got a dumb idea, but it might just work. Look around.”

As she quickly turns her head, I try to catch as much of her surroundings as possible. It’s early morning, there are few rare ponies walking behind the windows, and a Royal Guard is sitting by the counter, biting into a donut. Okay, Four's in some diner, maybe?

Hmm, judging by the chubbier shape of the earthpony, he’s not the Royal Guard, but a policepony. Ah, there’s the CPD badge!

Whoah, that wasn’t my knowledge… can I use Ten’s too, perhaps just as an instinct?

”Try asking that guy for help.”

"The guard?!"

”I’m getting the feeling that what the sleazy pony is trying to do to you isn’t exactly common pony behavior.”

"Okay, King."

“Com ooon, pretty ladee. The night shift’s been ruff. Just let me relaahx here a m’ment,” the unicorn leans against Four, putting his head on her shoulder. That, in itself, wouldn’t be much of a problem. The fact that he wrapped his foreleg around her waist and squeezed the thigh of her hind leg definitely is.

“Leave me alone, please,” Four raises her voice, and I spot the policepony move from the corner of her eye.

“Shhh, SHHH! Aw crap, yoo jus’ had ta play hard ta get. Git outta my way, bitch-” he shoves Four on the floor, scrambling to gain full control of what in his state must feel like seventeen legs.

The white police earthpony simply stretches one foreleg out and trips the unicorn who unceremoniously slides on the floor, and doesn’t get back up anymore. A moment later, we can hear his quiet snoring.

The policepony rolls his eyes. taking out metal cuffs, shoving the wasted unicorn towards his stool, and chaining him to it. Afterwards, he puts up his most comforting face when he finally notices Four staring at him, eyes wide.

“Are you okay, miss?”

She audibly gulps.

”Welp, answer the nice pony, Four.”

“I’m n- not sure...” she replies with absolute certainty, her heart beating like a jackhammer.

"Is there a chance he can’t reveal me in my disguise when he’s an earthpony, or can they use magic too?"

”As far as I know, they can’t. No clue whether there are some enchantments on their armor or something.”

Four quietly goes ‘eep!’ as the pony waves his foreleg in front of her face.

“Equestria to the pretty pony, everything is okay now.”

Four blinks, giving the policepony a meek smile.

“S- Sorry I was… scared. I still am...” once again, complete truth.

“Don’t worry, miss. We get ponies like these from time to time. Bad night, life isn’t going the way it should, or something else. Some time in the drunk tank in the company of their peers usually sorts them out,” he smiles at shaking Four who sqeaks when he pats her shoulder. He retracts his foreleg, “Oops, bad move on my part, all things considered. Miss, I’m not on duty yet, but I can escort you home if you want.”

“N- N- N- No!” she lowers her voice, “I mean no… I mean,” she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, then smiles at the policepony, “I mean thank you,” she nods to the earthpony’s unfinished donut and coffee, “Can I just stay with you until you have to go?”

The pony looks taken aback. While the magical armor is making sure he’s the white-coated, blond guard like any other, it can’t cover the signs of aging, slight belly, and stubby beard. Ten’s experience immediately tells me that this pony is not and hasn’t been a point of a mare’s attention in a very long time, especially one as good-looking as Four's disguise.

On one hole, this will raise suspicion, on the other, Four’s attention might make him spill the beans about anything she might ask as long as she doesn’t screw up.

Four knows, and she knows I know she knows.

“Uhh, sure?” the earthpony looks away, then jumps onto his stool before pointing at the one next to him. Four sits down too, sighing.

“First the… black things, and then this...” she puts her chin on the counter, “Can’t everyone just stick together?”

”EVERYPONY!”

I feel Four tense up.

“That’s alright, miss. The city is safe now, and all surviving changelings are safely locked up at the castle,” the policepony gives her a reassuring smile.

Four’s ears perk up.

“Are you sure it’s safe? All of them? They got in once, didn’t they? I still recall the green slime… blue eyes staring at me...” she shudders, huddling closer to the earthpony.

He wraps his foreleg around her back.

“I understand, but don’t worry. At this point, we’re just patrolling the city in case we missed one or two. Every single one of the changelings is deep down in the castle dungeons, and most of them can barely move anyway.”

“I guess it’ll be hard looking at the sky the same way again,” Four mumbles.

“Yeah.”

Four puts her head on the pony’s shoulder.

“How long before you have to go?”

“Ten minutes, but… I can make it fifteen.”

“Thank you.”

"I think I’ll be fine now, King. Thank you for helping me."

”Take care, Four.”

"I’ll be back with all the information and make you proud."

She already did.

With Three and Four sorted out as much as I can, I try tapping into Eight.

”Eight-”

The connection cuts off immediately, and the hive mind's voice booms through my head.

OHOHO! SHE’S LEARNING. Definitely a Queen material. So hungry for rank, so hungry for power. Such a pity we missed her in the first place. There is still time, though.

You know what? Sure. Go for it, make HER the queen. It’s not as if I wanted this in the first place.

Oh we WOULD do that. However, only your willingness is not enough.

I hesitate to ask what more you need.

Your life, of course.

Expected that, to be honest.

To make it even more interesting, let us mention this. Your worthless little drone you so insultingly gave the rank of three to… what would happen to IT if real Eight was in charge? Would IT finally fulfill ITS destiny as a chitin shield, or would she simply stop wasting the hive’s love on IT?

Holes damn it!

Heh heh heh...

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