A world of shiny colors unlike anything it's seen in its life so far opens before 20100 along with the door to the glass-walled casino overlooking the cruise ship's main deck.
"Woooow...!" the drone breathes out, bursts of colors from slot machines reflecting in its teal eyes.
SECURITY ponies are walking around, observing the numerous groups of mingling griffon and pony passengers busy by various tables or sitting in front of tall, flashing boxes that make loud noises of all kinds which nonetheless don't bother the ponies whatsoever, so 20100 doesn't get spooked... much.
As the drone stands in the doorway, eyes open wide, more guests push past and head off to the reception desk for a brief exchange before moving on to the least populated table where a pony wearing a black suit with a white shirt immediately starts giving them small pictures.
So far, 20100 understands absolutely nothing about this bustling place aside from it being full of noises and shinies, but it seems that the key to everything are small, two-colored discs that one trades for shinies at the front desk. Considering that 20100 left most of the shinies it got yesterday for drawing back in its stash, the drone flies up to be face to face with the rather surprised receptionist stallion, and puts five two-bit coins it has on itself onto the desk.
"Umm, hello!" 20100 smiles, "I'd like to trade these shinies for the discs that make those big boxes go clang clang and flash, please."
To the pony's credit, he simply counts the coins and gives the drone ten small, red discs with the number one painted on them.
"Do you need a tour?" asks the pony politely and raises an eyebrow in surprise when the drone shakes its head.
"I think exploring is part of the fun, right? Nothing has tried to eat me so far," it beams happily, adding, "I like it here."
"Well then, enjoy yourself," the pony says after a moment of hesitation caused by the peculiar interaction.
With the one-bit chips split safely between various leg holes due to them being larger than their equivalent coins, 20100 moves towards the most interesting thing in here - the flashy box. It's simple, the only pony scribbles on the whole thing are above a lever situated on the left side of its front face, reading 'PULL', and the whole thing is covered in pictures. An experimental prod of the hive mind reveals nothing about the box's function, probably because the only barely accessible high rank link is 93's and that one is fully occupied with providing a communication extension for the weak links of other drones. 93 is likely sleeping and this is her mind working on instinct.
20100 pulls the lever. Nothing happens aside from a set of scribbles which the drone previously missed due to the sensory overload caused by the colorful slot machine covered in pictures of pirates and fruit lighting up. The scribbles read 'INSERT'. After sniffing the slot, 20100 puts two and two together and pushes a single casino chip in.
Nothing happens. After a brief bout of detective work, 20100 pulls the lever for the second time.
The machine whirrs and starts flashing, causing 20100 to at first scuttle back and then start giggling and happily clapping as the three small windows in its center begin spinning. The drone doesn't know where to look first - at the flashing pictures, trying to make out what the small pictures on the spinnies are, or where the clicking is coming from.
The first one stops with a click. 20100 twitches. The picture it's showing is a chest!
The second one stops, showing a chest!
The final one stops - a pony with a black skull hat holding a slashy in its mouth!
*CLING CLING CLING CLING!*
*Thump.* *Thump.* *Click.*
With the final click, the machine stops, leaving 20100 staring in amazement. What does the picture mean? What's making it flash? Why does it eat the soft discs? Is it happy? Is it angry? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
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...
