They're... ON HOLIDAY?

by Nameless Narrator

Day 5 - Standard procedure: 5/8

Despite the potential magnitude of the discovery of Smiley’s chalk-imitating goop, the trio led by 10013 don’t rush towards the water bungalows forming a half-circle against the sparkling morning sea, instead they walk at casual pace, taking in the sights. Also, secretly hoping that 387 would pop up at some point and they wouldn’t have to bother the Queen.

99380 twitches and bumps into 10013 when a series of loud, high-pitched caws rings through the air. Immediately, the drones freeze and start looking around.

Nothing happens. No ponies or griffons start running around, no sign of any predator approaching them, no one seems to care about the noise.

“...this place is so loud…” mumbles 99380 when they resume walking, now a bit more on edge.

“From what I’ve seen in my life, the surface tends to be,” 10013 nods, nudging 99380 with its nose to comfort the newbie, “But so far it seems that critters that are loud are like that either as a warning or just… you know… because. It’s the ones that are quiet until they’re screeching and rushing at you that are the problem.”

“Really?” the words of authority reassure 99380.

“That’s the best I can tell you,” 10013 shrugs, “I think the drones who spend the most time on the surface are 36658 and 57999 so they’d know better. Oh, and of course 65536.”

“But I thought you were a much higher rank.”

“And?” 10013 smiles, “We’re not in the old days anymore. I mean, things were a lot simpler then - you just did what you were told, there was always a clear map marker to follow, and if there wasn’t one it meant you should be sleeping.”

“Is it wrong that I kinda like the idea?” asks 99380, “I know that whenever you veterans always talk about those times you get… strange. Distant,” when it hears 10013 sigh and hang its head, 99380 adds, “Sorry.”

“No, that’s okay,” to 99380’s surprise, 10013 looks back at it with a soft smile and a slightly detached look, “You’re right in a way. Things were simple. Not good whatsoever, but simple. Sometimes I want to go back to ‘simple’ too, especially with my responsibility for you guys and for the well-being of other drones. On the other hole, we don’t randomly get eaten by peckish high ranks anymore. When we get hurt, we get time to heal instead of being recycled or sent back to the tunnels. The amount of love we’re used to these days is… still crazy to me,” it wipes its eyes as they walk, smiling and looking down the long, paved street leading directly down towards the beachside promenade, “We never knew we had any unique talents because all we were supposed to do was dig, carry, and use our goop as basic reinforcement of tunnel walls. Every drone only knew about tunnel dangers whatever little it learned before it got killed by something it didn’t expect,” 10013 chuckles, “And look at us now! We’re on the surface, we can learn from each other, we can scribble down knowledge for newbies, and now that you’re here we’ll all eventually be able to use our portion of the hive mind. I only wish High Score was here to see it. With it around there’s no telling how far we would have gotten already.”

“Ummm…” 99380 scratches its head, instinctively briefly using its wings to compensate for missing a usable leg for the next step, “I always listened to 36658’s stories and… and… don’t take this the wrong way because I know how much you respect High Score, but… haven’t you done way more for all dronekind than it did in your life? All of you veterans have, really.”

The horrified look that 10013 shoots 99380 only serves to confuse the newbie more. On top of that, Smiley adds its own mental string of:

*Drone face* *Happy face* *Distorted face* *Sad face* *Happy face* *Sad face* *Happy face* *Sad face* *Confused face*

“Uhh, sorry?” apologizes 99380, having no idea why but feeling that what it said was somehow perceived as incredibly wrong.

“Sorry, Smiley. I have no idea what you mean,” 10013 shakes its head. Smiley briefly wibbles at it to no avail, and 10013 only reaches up and pats its head which seems to help, “99380, I don’t think you can understand how easy I have it under the new rules. High Score did everything it did in such a hostile environment that we can only hope you newbies will never live through again. It even learned a warrior-level transformation! On top of that, it did something no other drone could have even dreamed of. It’s the one story which 36658 never told anyone.”

“Oooh, what?” 99380’s eyes open saucer-wide.

“If I tell you, you’re not allowed to tell anyone. No matter what.”

“B-But what if a high rank wants to see inside my head? I can’t stop that.”

“That’s fine. If that happens, it happens, but the fewer drones know, the lower the chance of the high ranks-” 10013 pauses, thinking, “-making sure it can’t ever happen again.”

“Gotcha,” 99380 nods, “No telling anyone, I promise.”

“Here goes,” 10013 takes a deep breath, “High Score betrayed a high rank’s trust to save a fellow drone, lied to him, and defied an order. No creative misunderstanding, no mishearing an order, straight up… not doing something because it knew what would happen. Following that, High Score took the most dangerous assignment of us all, because it was sure that if the high ranks found out what it did it would get eaten or worse, and that the others might be punished for what it did.”

99380’s jaw drops.

“B-But w-we can’t do that!”

“Yeah,” 10013 chuckles again, “Even thinking about having to make that kind of a decision, my legs always start to shake. I’m far from High Score, 99380,” it shakes its head and repeats, “I have it easy.”

The three walk in silence for some time before 99380 asks:

“Who is the drone that High Score saved? 36658?”

“Nope. High Score saved a bunch of drones over its life, but it opposed the high ranks to save 17070,” 10013 shakes its head, “It lost hearing due to an accident, and High Score’s… trick allowed it to stay with friendly ponies while the rest of us went off to fight the Big Bad Starry Pony. High Score knew that 17070 would either get eaten by high ranks to save love or it would get killed in the tunnels shortly after. You know how important hearing is down there.”

99380 nods.

“And where is 17070 now? I don’t think I’ve ever sensed the hive link of a drone like that.”

“We haven’t seen 17070 again. I even asked 65536 if it hadn’t heard about it but it didn’t. The best I can do is hope that 17070 is okay among friendly ponies and that High Score is watching over it from The Great Gablonk.”

“That’s what 36658 believes, right?”

“I…” 10013 pauses, “I think that 36658 considers having a kind of belief like that to be important,” it says. 99380 isn’t complex enough to deconstruct the deliberately diplomatic answer and simply asks one of the most difficult questions ever:

“And is it?”

“I think that question is too big for a single drone to answer,” replies 10013 with a smile, “36658 says yes, 99111 says no. I think the answer is sometimes, for someone, and depending on stuff.”

“I see. So it’s okay that I know that I don’t know?”

“Yup. We’re drones. We’re not supposed to know the big stuff, at least not all of us, but we’re all always supposed to be helpful, and that means helpful to each other, and if we don’t know what is the right helpful thing, the best we can do is try in any way we can.”

*Smiley face!*

Smiley licks 99380’s ear, forcing a surprised giggle at the tickling sensation.

“See?” 10013 smirks, “Smiley’s not some grand thinker, and it’s still a valuable member of dronekind.”

“Thank you,” 99380 boops Smiley, “I was getting tangled in all that complicated thinky stuff about what’s real and what’s not, and I was just making it harder for myself,” announces the once again beaming drone, “We’re on breaky time and we’re going to make sure you get the point you earned.”

Smiley licks the side of the drone’s head in response.

***

The quiet click-clack of their hoofsteps on the wooden pier thankfully doesn’t make anyone look out of the bungalows until they reach the one marked on the hive map by “Chrysalis”. 10013 knocks and waits… and waits…

“I can sense the Queen,” it says after a while.

“Maybe she’s still asleep.”

“That would feel different. 93 is inside and sleeping, but the Q-”

“Down here, you nitwits!” replies Chrysalis, swimming up from under the bungalow and flying into the air briefly before landing on the pier, “What do you want?”

10013 salutes. 99380 imitates it and hits its forehead. Smiley beams, hopping up and down.

“Stop the forehead rubbing,” Chrysalis rolls her eyes, “It always reminds me of the little- 65536, and we’re no Equestrian guards. For one, we’re way better organized,” both drones simply sit down while Smiley remains hopping, and Chrysalis notices the remains of white powder all over Smiley’s muzzle, “Alright, who fed Smiley coke? I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed they didn’t offer it to me first.”

“Are coke and chalk the same thing?” asks 10013.

“Sounds similar enough,” 99380 nods.

Chrysalis’ eye twitches.

“Correction - who fed Smiley chalk and, if it wasn’t one of my drones, who is going to get thrown into that volcano?” she looks into the distance up the slope hosting the resort.

“Well, uhh,” 10013 pauses nervously.

“Speak. Now!”

“Smiley ate chalk in the dining room and now it can make drawy goop!” reports 10013, voice suddenly much higher pitched, and in the end it gulps with terror.

Chrysalis facehoofs, groaning.

“That is what its adaptability latches on to? Really? Damned chalk?!”

*Sad face…*

Faced with two expressions completely lacking any comprehension as well as Smiley’s drooping ears, Chrysalis sighs.

“Look, you know what the final batch of Silents were supposed to be, right?” she glares at 10013 who nods, “Unlike you drones who roll your speciality from the mangled, indecipherable mess that is the changeling genetic code, their biology was supposed to adapt to the one task in their brief life they were supposed to do. For example, if I needed a Silent who could eat through specific parts of a magically sealed door to Canterlot vault, like hinges, without getting immediately fried by a vast array of defensive spells, I’d spend a bunch of fresh Silents on that. Then there would be more who would try to bite through the reinforced material of the door itself. Hypothetically speaking in case someone is listening. And that was over four years ago anyway!” she looks around. When nothing happens, she keeps talking, “And out of all those options over the course of its life, the first thing this one managed to get into its stomach for long enough to assimilate was CHALK?!” her shoulders slump, “Why did it have to be something so useless-”

*Wibble!* *Wibble!*

“-so extremely situational?” Chrysalis winces when all three changelings focus their unexplained infernal power on her and corrects herself.

Things were so easy when she was evil and heartless. Overall worse, but easy…

“Does that mean that Smiley doesn’t get a point?” squeaks 99380. Smiley hangs its head low and looks down at the pier.

“N-No!” Chrysalis finds herself leaning back, “There, point. Happy?! I don’t know if it even realizes what those are for instead of just seeing a bigger number,” she grumbles.

Smiley’s ears perk up.

[10013:1, 20100:4, 36658:3, 99111:2, 99380:4, 99526:2, Smiley: :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-),

65536:1]

“What the holes is that?” Chrysalis frowns before barking out, “Stop mucking up the table with nonsense, Silent!”

Spooked Smiley whimpers and concentrates, or at least scrunches its muzzle.

[10013:1, 20100:4, 36658:3, 99111:2, 99380:4, 99526:2,

Smiley: (=^ ◡ ^=),(=｀ェ´=),(=´∇｀=),(=｀ω´=),=^._.^= ∫, (=‐ω‐=),

65536:1]

“SILENT!” Chrysalis smacks the side of Smiley’s head.

*TERRIFIED FACE!*

[10013:1, 20100:4, 36658:3, 99111:2, 99380:4, 99526:2, Smiley: 6,

65536:1]

“And keep it that way or I’ll take your points away!” she huffs, “You got what you came for. Anything else?”

Everyone looks at 10013.

“Umm, do you have any tasks for us or something?”

“No,” Chrysalis shakes her head and waves them off, “Now shoo! I want to enjoy some peace and quiet before everyone wakes up and starts making noise.”

Smiley walks over to her, boops her chest with its nose, leaving a white, chalky smudge as high as it can reach, and simply starts walking off, inspiring the other two to do the same… minus the booping.

Comments

[Skarsnik]

Poor Smiley but Chrysalis is weirdly nice.

[Booster Spice]

Chrysalis is just neing catty cos Smily is doing a better job at it and relaxing than she is?

[Kiue Jin]

I do love that Chrysalis seems to have a 'No one is allowed to bully my idiots but me!... and maybe other changelings.' relationship with the drones.

[Screw]

Did the Smiley spoke or is that a typo near the end there? The "TERRIFIED FACE!" line. It felt like they would have more of a reaction if it did

[Morphy]

11332438

Chrysalis is the royal tsundere waifu... but don't even think that around her if you value unbroken extremities.

[Scyphi]

“It always reminds me of the little- 65536, and we’re no Equestrian guards. For one, we’re way better organized,”

Yeah...keep telling yourself that, Chryssi.

“That is what its adaptability latches on to? Really? Damned chalk?!”

Case in point.

[Nameless Narrator]

11332411
Even she can't resist the power of the innocent wibble.
11332429
Heh, catty. Because of the cat hive mind emotes.
11332438
Yeah! It's HER hive. Not like in the old day when it was... uhhh... HER hive.
11332514
Yes, I'm a moron. Fixed it. Thanks.
True, I'm pretty sure that would cause a LOT greater reaction.
11332884
As drunk Blazing Light once said to Cromach "Ssshee got ten tickles in her pussshy!"
11333237
They might not always do things HOW she wants, or WHEN she wants, but they damn sure do WHAT she wants!
Eventually...
...stillbetterthanRoyalGuards...

[Kiue Jin]

11333439

Very much the same energy.