They're EVERYWHERE!

65536: 12

Darkness fell on the castle, the Nightguards left the barracks for their respective duties, and 65536 was left alone after being pried out of its glue and paper armor. Said armor would require some serious rebuilding because, before leaving, Pink Sunset got 65536 several cardboard boxes from the kitchen supply closet to supplant the original layered paper structure. After everyone had gone, 65536 decided that accidentally getting stuck to things with the remains of the glue was slowing its efforts down and it could take a shower like Steel Glimmer was doing when it arrived.

"Scrub scrub scrub," 65536 doesn't have a sponge which for the hard carapace of a drone is absolutely unnecessary, so it simply works its best to scratch the remains of the dried up mix of glue and some paper off with the help of some borrowed soap.

It looks directly up to the shower nozzle and opens its mouth. The hardened membrane protecting changeling eyes allows it to enjoy the simple warmth all over its body without any damage to its sight.

"Blub blub blub."

A sudden moving rainbow reflection from its soaped up leg hole catches its attention and it blows into the hole.

"Bubblebubblebubble- stop! You still have work to do."

65536 turns the shower off, spreads its wings, and starts buzzing them as hard as it can to dry itself off.

Practice salute? Looking good. Leg glued to head? No? Perfect!

Time to get to fixing the flat colors of the new cardboard parts of its armor. Within minutes, 65536 is lying on the ground, a crayon in its mouth and many more scattered around it within reach.

"Grey, purple... no, darker purple," it mumbles to itself, "Exactly like the armor Night Hunter showed me."

Some sort of a completely silent flash barely visible from the corner of its eye catches the drone's attention and it looks up. A shimmering golden dot surrounded by a hoof-sized aura is floating through the barracks, darting from side to side and hovering momentarily over Nightguard beds as if searching for something.

"Huh? A floating shiny?" 65536 stands up, narrowing its eyes.

As if hearing the words, the shiny beelines towards 65536, trailing golden sparks, and starts circling over its head.

"What could you be?" 65536 reaches out to touch it. The shiny deftly dodges to the side, stops, and starts shaking again.

"Are ya laughing at me, shiny? I'll get ya!" pumped-up by the taunt, 65536 pounces at it but, with unnatural accuracy, it passes through the holes of the drone's legs, tickling a little.

65536 grins, rising from the ground to face it again.

"This is the Nightguard base and Sharp said I was a horrible- no, honorable- no... honorary, right, Nightguard so I have to detain you!"

The shiny shakes and makes a few circles in the air.

"No, you're not a Nightguard! You're not wearing the right kind of helmet," 65536 points to the cardboard one on the floor, "Like that one."

The floaty flies into the helmet and remains there, glowing. 65536 puts its muzzle on the floor and looks directly into the open front section of the armor piece.

"Nice try, but Sharp has to say if you can be a horrorbabble Nightguard like myself-"

With a small flash, the shiny fades into nothing as 65536 hears the barracks door click and swing open. The drone stifles a squeak of surprise, quickly darting under the closest bed.

The door closes again but no one seems to have come inside. Puzzled, 65536 peeks out of his hiding spot.

Nothing.