The cavern wing that had been assigned to Adjutant's group was soon bustling with activity as word spread of their impromptu aid distribution. There was a surprisingly large amount of food in Bluebloods cupboards — Ace could have sworn that they were bigger on the inside than on the outside — and a portable stove, which Flash Sentry was currently using to work wonders. This left Silent Knight and Ace the task of standing behind a large obsidian table distributing the meals he cooked.
Curious workers, drones, and even several off-duty soldiers had come to taste the Equestrian fare, while Prince Blueblood's gramophone and record collection made an outstanding contribution to the atmosphere; a nice, soothing Trotkovski violin concerto turned out to be just the right thing to get the changelings talking to each other. They seemed happier than they had been for a long time.
A timid changeling child, in her early teens at the latest, edged towards the serving table on her gangly legs. Silent Knight gave her his best smile and held out a plate of eggs and hash browns. "Hey there! Do you want some breakfast for dinner?"
She eyed the plate wary. "Mommy says I shouldn't eat pony food…"
"Well, I know you aren't vegetarians, but eggs are full of protein, and potatoes are very nutritious! Plus our cook's used some really great spices on this; the flavor alone is worth it." He waved the food under her nose and let the aroma waft through the air. "What do you say?"
The child looked down and pawed at the ground. "Mommy says I shouldn't trust ponies after last time, though…"
Silent Knight looked over at Ace, only to see him regaling a small knot of changelings with his previous adventures. He thought about asking for help, but then remembered that Princess Luna had personally chosen him to represent her on a mission of peace and goodwill! Surely he could live up to her expectations and win over one small child?
He put the plate back on the table and knelt down in front of her. "Look, I know what some of us have done and I'm very sorry that it happened, but we never wanted things to turn out this way, and I promise we'll do our best to make it up to you, ok?"
She took her eyes off of the ground to meet his and nodded slowly. "Ok. Can I have some pony food, then?"
"Sure thing!" Silent Knight handed her the plate and watched her nibble at the eggs.
The room became deathly quiet as he got up. The changeling child was staring behind him, as was everyone else in the room Silent Knight felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he turned around to see Adjutant looking at them in shock.
"What is the meaning of this?" She hissed. "Ace Gambit, I don't remember asking you to throw a party! If I wanted a celebration, I'd have brought Pinkie Pie!"
Ace swallowed nervously and edged towards Flash Sentry and Silent Knight. "But they looked like they could use some cheering up!"
Silent nodded. "And this is distributing food, isn't it?"
Adjutant grabbed the three of them with her telekinesis and pulled them in close. "Doing this without seeking permission also counts as usurping the ruling queen's authority, you dolts."
The three stallions looked at each other nervously.
"Oh, I um, hadn't thought of that," Ace whispered back sheepishly. "But everyling seems to be enjoying themselves!"
"I know I am." They looked back to see Princess Apida standing right where the young changeling was, holding the same plate of food in her hooves, with an amused smirk on her face.
Adjutant immediately relinquished her telekinetic hold on the trio and bowed low before Princess Apida. "Your Highness, please forgive the actions of my retinue. They are young and inexperienced, and have rocks for brains."
Princess Apida motioned for Adjutant to rise. "I think that we can overlook this minor transgression in the spirit of friendship." She turned away from them and headed towards a side passage. "Come, mother is ready to meet you now. Let's not keep her waiting."
Adjutant shot Ace one parting glare before following Princess Apida away from the party. The four of them were lead to a set of plain oak doors flanked by a soldier on each side. The guards bowed as Apida knocked twice. There was a moment of silence before the doors swung open of their own accord to reveal a cozy side chamber filled with statues and paintings. Many of them depicted changeling works, but some of the art was of Equestrian origin. There were even a few Zebra masks and totems scattered about.
Queen Andrenida was seated on an obsidian throne in the back. She looked to be about the same size as Princess Luna, and had the same aquamarine mane as her daughter, but her face was much warmer.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she chuckled. "I hope that you will excuse our lack of accommodations. I'm afraid my hive has seen better days."
Adjutant knelt before her. "You have shown me much more hospitality than I deserve, my queen. I particularly appreciated your gift of food; we all enjoyed it very much. I can only hope that I am able to repay your kindness in due time."
"Nonsense." Andrenida put her hooves around Adjutant and raised her off of the ground. "I am deeply indebted to Princess Luna, and would like nothing more than to help the both of you. Am I to understand that you seek to establish trade agreements with changeling hives in this part of the continent?"
"Very well put, my queen," Adjutant nodded. "I can already see that you make use of some Equestrian technology in your hive; I am sure that we could supply you with more parts, machines, and fuel through the Equestrian government. Flash Sentry and Silent Knight can represent the diarchs in that matter."
"Splendid. What may we offer you in return? I am sad to say that our woods have been devastated by the eruption, and we no longer have access to our most abundant resource. This mountain is home to many gems, but I fear we are not miners, and lack the numbers to mine safely at any rate. Especially with ash still clogging many of our tunnels."
This was it. Adjutant took in a deep breath. "Would you be willing to trade your hive's royal jelly for it?"
Princess Apida immediately planted herself between the two. "Absolutely not! We're not going to give away our lifeblood for your cheap toys!"
"My daughter, control yourself." Queen Andrenida's voice remained as calm as ever, but it now carried a steely edge. Princes Apida scowled, but stepped aside nonetheless. "Allow me to apologize for my daughter's rash behavior. I do see much value in Equestrian technology, but I sadly cannot trade you royal jelly for it, not until my hive is recovered. If, however, you require some, I can invite other queen to join these negotiations. In fact, Hive Ephemera lies less than a day's travel from here."
Adjutant swallowed her disappointment and nodded. "That is all I desire, my queen. Shall we continue with our trade negotiations? I believe Flash Sentry has a few proposals from Celestia herself on establishing exchange of services with select Equestrian corporations."
The negotiations, mercifully, did not require Ace or Silent Knight's expertise, which left them free to wander the hive once charts had been pulled out and the discussion began in earnest. They retraced their steps to the diplomatic quarters, which were empty now that the party was over. Ace plopped himself down on the nearest bed, while Silent Knight stood ill at ease next to the door.
Ace rolled over so he could get a good look at Silent. "What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing." There was a brief pause. "Actually, there is something."
"Go on."
Silent Knight licked his lips. "Well, when I first joined the Night Guard, I thought I'd basically be a glorified decoration. I never thought I'd be sent on diplomatic missions or anything like this. I feel out of my depth, you know?
Ace shook his head, as if he found the statement to be funny. "I can relate to that — feeling out of place. I can't return to my own hive and I haven't quite been fully accepted in Ponyville. I mean, I'm grateful for what I have, and it could be a lot worse, but I want something more."
"No, I mean I don't think I'm qualified for this line of work," Silent corrected. "I'm terrible with words, and I've never really had experience dealing with dire situations like this. I never thought things could get as bad as I saw in this hive today, or that ponies would want to hurt others this way. And I don't know what I can do to stop it."
"It certainly makes you think," Ace said slowly. "The old problem of good against evil, I suppose. If you asked me, I would go with the school of thought that says all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good ponies to do nothing, and as long as we do our best to spread harmony and the magic of friendship, we make a difference. And there's more of us trying to help than not, aren't there?"
"Yeah," Silent Knight sighed. "But it doesn't take many to screw things up."
"They say an eternity of darkness cannot extinguish the flame of a single candle, if that helps." Ace tossed Silent Knight a pillow. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."
"Yeah, I guess so." Silent Knight unfastened his armor and dropped it at the foot of his bed. "Thanks for talking, Ace."