Chrysalis huffs and measures 36658 through narrowed eyes when she's done searching the drone's mind. Despite her annoyed tone, her digging has been much quicker and vastly less uncomfortable and draining than 387's previous mind reading.
"Hmph, another changeling who thinks the changeling Queen is the one to change the least. If you don't believe that things have changed then I invite you to examine why you still have a head and why you haven't been executed to send a message that the traitorous thoughts in your head aren't the smartest idea," she smacks the back of 36658's head and transfers a small amount of love during the contact, just enough so that 36658 can keep going through the day, "Now for the important things-"
She looks down at the still shaking 36658.
"I'm not going to disappear you or the other derps I took on this trip unless you really piss me off somehow," Chrysalis rolls her eyes, "I'm entirely aware that learning new stuff will have you compare your life with what's up here, and I still brought you because this guy," she nods towards 387, "had some ideas I considered beneficial to the hive as a whole and drones are part of those. So, are you going to stop shaking and focus? Neither me nor 99 and 387 can move freely now and if we want to get out of this without major consequences then we have very little room for error, got it?" she leans closer to 36658, looking the drone straight in the eyes.
And at that point, as it's looking into the glowing green, slit eyes, something finally clicks within 36658. Never, in no world under the old rules, would it be in this situation, would the Queen be talking to it without it being followed by torture and painful death. They owe High Score and its work with 387 in the logging camp so much more than they'll ever know, and so much more than it can even tell in a believable story.
"What do we do, Your Maj- Majic- Queen-ness?" 36658 just asks and waits.
"Good," she pats 36658's head, "First thing first then - is there a way we could use the Reforger?"
"Chrysalis!" 387 shoots her a disbelieving glare.
"I didn't mean in a military sense. There's like ten and a half of us overall in the hive these days. Even if we wanted to use the device in some way all it would take would be a short-term treaty between ponies and literally anyone else and we'd be history, this time for real."
"According to all we've heard so far, the device doesn't work anyway," 387 shrugs.
"Wrong!" Chrysalis shoots 387 a crooked smirk, "The machine very carefully danced around the subject but it does something, just not everything it's supposed to. That means we're taking it."
"For the love of holes..." 387 facehoofs.
"Hey, the machine offered!" Chrysalis pouts at him, "We can either take the Reforger away or destroy it. It even accounted for the eventuality, so we're in the right here. I wish I could talk to it..." she huffs in annoyance.
"Umm, 10101 is in our room," says 36658.
"I know, but I can't communicate at that distance to have a chat through one of you," she explains, "And I can't just sit for an hour by the main entrance or visit you straight up now that all three of us 'under arrest' have eyes following us twenty-four seven. Pretty sure Ten would at least think that I'm working through you and you'd all end up locked in some hole," she scowls at a wall as if realizing something, "Hmph! And in the same way 1313 and Ten can just read your minds and learn everything. No, we're getting that Refoger now and figuring out what to do with it, if anything, later... and we're doing it in secret. Is there an advantage we have?"
387 taps his hoof against the floor.
"Ten did read the drones' minds last night before all this while we were being questioned," he says, "So-"
YOU ARE READING
They're... ON HOLIDAY?
Fanfiction[SEQUEL TO: They're EVERYWHERE!] Several years after the changeling invasion of Canterlot, queen Chrysalis gets an invitation to attend a cruise followed by a stay in a luxury holiday resort on an island belonging to the Griffon Empire. Supposedly...
