A powerful tremor rocks the ship.
"Haah?!" with a gasp, 99380 finds itself swinging in the upper left hammock, kicking its legs in the air. The three heretics are occupying a hammock each with one left empty for any potential visitor. 99111 would sleep alone since its spat with 36658 while 99526 wanted to sleep together with 99380 as usual but decided against it on the off chance it started throwing up again and took the hammock under 99380's.
What's going on?
A flash of lightning washes over the room and makes 99380 tremble. In short, 99380 goes through a similar set of storm-based stages of freakout that Smiley did, and in the end mentally reaches out for any help.
99111 - asleep. 99526 - asleep. 36658 - asleep. 20100 - asleep. 10013 - close enough to sense but too far to talk to. Smiley - the same. 387, 93, and the Queen - unreachable. 65536 - asleep. Unknown changeling - asleep.
10013 is responsible for us and everything is wrong and weird. 10013 is a smart drone. It'll know if it's okay to go to sleep again when everyone high up is missing.
Just like Smiley, 99380 stops at the top end of the stairwell and in front of the door to the main deck, listening to the repeated thunder strikes and dealing with the nausea caused by the strong waves shaking the ship.
How are Smiley and 10013 out there and how can they be sleeping? Are THEY okay? If they're not okay, what can I do?
Gotta find the smart drone. Gotta find the smart drone.
99380 walks out on the deck and gets its legs immediately swept by the wind. It covers its head as it's involuntarily rolled across the deck and slammed against the wall of the nearest bar.
"...ouch..." it hisses. 10013 seems to be on the roof of that big building covering the hind third of the ship. How did it get up there? There's no way it flew in this insane wind. 99380 narrows its eyes and shields its face from the water with a hoof, "...ah, stairs on the sides."
Several deep breaths later, it runs out of cover.
"AAAH?!"
A blast of wind knocks it backwards this time, followed by a disorienting lightning and thunder that makes the terrified drone reach in panic for anything to stop its slide. Suddenly, the ground disappears and 99380 finds itself falling.
It's the central pool which, presumably, had been drained for the night is far from empty due to the ropes of water falling from the sky. 99380 splashes into the pool, and its squeak of panic gets drowned out by the rain, only serving for the water to get into the drone's mouth.
Something sparks inside 99380's head, and 99111's experience with such a situation transfers into it at undronelike speed. Its wings immediately start buzzing, giving it a minor lift. The holes in its legs close up, and 99380 starts flapping its legs as hard as it can.
Somehow, it's working. 99380 manages to get to the side of the pool and hook its fetlock on the ladder leading up. With all strength it can muster, it climbs back on the deck while not letting go of the ladder, unsure what happened to stop it from drowning like 99111 did. One mental touch of 10013 later, 99380 has to reconsider this entire operation. The wind is just way too strong.
What to do? What to do?
A familiar sight greets it in the form of the bar where 99380 spent last morning. It's a simple G-shaped establishment - 3 walls and a counter. While its roof is shaking and the bar stools are gone, the walls are holding up just fine. 99380 grits its teeth, unhooks its hind leg from the metal top of the ladder, and rushes towards the bar counter. It slips on the wet deck again, but its momentum is enough to carry it forward into the small building itself. Now partially safe, 99380 admits defeat and crawls under the counter.
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...
