Chapter 1

The mithril chainmail on Ace Gambit's back weighed less than thirty pounds, but it felt like a mountain to his tired body. Sweat ran in rivulets down his face and the back of his neck in the humid air of the Everfree; breathing was a struggle in its choking atmosphere, especially after having been on the run for the better part of an hour. A short sword repeatedly banged against his chitinous side as he ran helter skelter towards one of the Everfree Forest's denser groves.

"Changeling spotted!"

An orange pegasus in bright golden armor came out of the clouds above, with his spear leveled in Ace's direction. Ace kicked himself for having drawn so much attention. He dove into the trees and drew his sword. The sharp ring of metal filled the air as Ace pointed his weapon at the canopy above, waiting for his pursuer to attack. Strangely, nothing happened; his ears as he strained to hear the flapping of wings, but there was nothing around him except for the ambient sounds of the Everfree Forest. Perhaps his pursuer was waiting for backup, in which case, Ace could still–

"Flash Entry!"

A solid hoof caught Ace in the back, sending him flying into a tree and his sword into a nearby bush. Both of his fangs sank into the trunk and the taste of bitter bark and sap soon overwhelmed his taste buds. Gravity then decided to add insult to injury by dragging him down the tree. Bark soon filled Ace's mouth as his fangs carved two paths down the trunk. He gently touched down on the bottom and fell onto his back. Ace's vision swam as an orange pegasus loomed over him, with a foreleg raised.

"Alright, you're out." Flash Sentry extended a helping hoof to Ace, and pulled him upright. "Go join the others in the castle courtyard."

Ace spat out his mouthful of tree shavings, with a helpful pat on the back from Flash. He nodded mutely to confirm that he had heard, and retrieved his sword. His dignity felt as bruised as his face, but at least he was not the first changeling to have been caught; that dubious honor went to Eta Blue, who had chosen to hide in a bear den, and who was found running out of it much faster than she had gone in.

Seven changelings waited for him in the courtyard of the Castle of the Two Sisters, standing at attention in front of a teal pegasus with an electric blue mane. She turned sharply and shot Ace such a stern glare that it almost distracted him from the fact that her left wing and foreleg were metal prosthetics.

"Mr. Gambit! Would you care to tell us why you are joining us here today?"

He straightened up and kept his eye firmly focused on one of the taller trees on the horizon. Anywhere but her eyes — he had seen her reduce a veteran hive soldier to tears once for looking at her the wrong way. "I, er, got caught?"

There was a smattering of snickers from the crowd. The pegasus was not amused.

"Think you're funny, do you?" She came nose to nose with him, so close that he could feel her breath. "Think you're some kind of comedian?"

A thin river of sweat ran down the back of his neck as he struggled to avoid looking at her. "N-no, ma'am! I just, well, I was in a knot of trees, and Flash Sentry caught me from behind."

She circled around him like a shark that had tasted blood. "And why, exactly, were you standing with your back exposed, Mr. Gambit?"

Ace looked down at his hooves. "Because I'm an idiot?"

"You're damn right you're an idiot; a mistake like that on the battlefield could get you killed! You'd better learn to keep your head together real fast if you want to make the cut, or else–"

Her tirade ended in a cry of pain as she staggered into him. Ace caught her in his hooves and quickly laid her on the ground. "Meriwether! Are you ok?"

"Can't feel my bucking legs," she panted. Her wings twitched sporadically, but the rest of her body refused to respond. "Call Life Preserver, and get her to take me to Ponyville General!"

Ace cradled her head in his hooves as he looked up at the changelings around him. "Eta Blue, Wintergreen, you heard her! Get to it!"

At this point in her life, Meriwether considered herself a connoisseur of hospitals. She had been to the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manehattan to have her wing amputated as a child, the Center for Orthopedic Medicine in Los Pegasus for her leg, and repeated trips to the Canterlot Institute of Health for therapy and screenings.

Ponyville General sucked.

The rooms were comfortable, the staff friendly, and doctors full of optimism. The kind of place that would do its best to cheer you up with false hopes as you lay dying. It was the cruelest thing that could be done to a pony, made worse by the fact that they thought they were doing their patients a favor.

The squeak of door hinges interrupted the steady monotone of beeping from the medical equipment around her. She looked up at the door to see her cousin Thunderball walk in, a dark grey pegasus with a navy blue mane and possibly the saddest green eyes she had ever seen.

"Hey." A strained smile appeared on his face.

"Hey." Meriwether let loose a weary chuckle. "Sorry to keep adding to your plate. Celestia knows you've got enough trouble going on directing our side of the Everfree colony."

Thunderball pulled a chair up to her bed. "So what now?"

"Bone cancer's caused vertebrae deformation. It's pinching my nerves at C-2 and C-3. Doctor says it's inoperable, but I beg to differ." She looked at him with fire in her eyes. "We'll replace the damn vertebrae with replicas, either surgical grade stainless steel or plastic. Don't give me that look, we both know it could be done. I want–"

"No." Thunderball shook his head. "I'm not going to let you mutilate yourself with experimental surgery you just came up with. If anything goes wrong, you'll be a quadriplegic."

"I'll be even worse off if we do nothing," she growled

"And what then?" Thunderball paused, waiting for an answer. "Look, Merry, this isn't going away. What happens next time? Are you going to cut out your ribs next? Your jaw? Your skull?"

Tears welled up in Meriwether's eyes. "I will excise out every traitorous pound of flesh if that's what it takes."

He leaned over her, until her head was pressed against his chest. "Merry, please don't do this. Let me find an alternative, alright? There has to be a better way"

Thunderball felt Meriwether nod into him. "You got it, pone. Doctor says the cancer's progressing quickly, so you'll probably have to grab a cocktrice and petrify me in the meantime." She licked her lips and her breathing grew heavy. "I'm going to become a statue — Celestia have mercy, I'm going to get turned into a rock."

"You'll be fine," Thunderball whispered. "I'll ge as many of us together as I can. We'll read you stories and everything until you're better, I promise."

Years of frustration and worry finally broke through, and Meriwether's tears flooded Thunderball's breast. He felt his own tears mingling with her's as he had done when they were kids.

Adjutant, the administrator of the Everfree Colony, was waiting patiently for Thunderball in his dungeon office in the Castle of the Two Sisters. A multitude of papers were hovering in front of her as she reclined on his couch, lazily sorting through them all. There were production reports for love gathering and the royal jelly the colony produced, patrol logs, and even an offer from the local spa to create a treatment involving royal jelly, which had raised more than a few eyebrows when it was first submitted.

The idea was not far fetched; a mixture of royal jelly and changeling slime was what larvae were raised in, with the amount of royal jelly critically influencing the development of the larva. (Adjutant herself had received quite the dose of royal jelly in development, a fact that she was forever grateful to Queen Chrysalis for, if nothing else.) A similar, but much richer, mixture was used to keep ponies suspended in the cocoons of a pod farm, where they would dream and produce love for changelings to feed on.

Royal jelly would probably have a beneficial effect on pony coats, but exports were out of the question. The fledgeling colony barely had enough royal jelly to maintain the pod farms. The complex mixture of nutrients, enzymes and proteins in it would decay after a few days. The production of royal jelly was a constant affair without room for error. It was the lifeblood of a hive.

The office door swung open with a bang; Adjutant lowered the papers and raised her eyebrow as she saw Thunderball storm into the office. "Bad day?"

He reached his liquor cabinet and pulled out a handle of whiskey. "My cousin's just been petrified to prevent her body from launching a coup d'état."

"Sounds like a very bad day." Adjutant drew herself upright into a proper sitting position and motioned for him to join her. "Come, I have news that might cheer you up."

He hesitated for a moment before curling up on the sofa, with his head nestled against one of the pillows. "Did someone finally tar and feather the Flim-Flam brothers?"

"Not quite," Adjutant chuckled. "Actually, this all began a couple of months ago, when Ace mentioned that Meriwether might have some genetic issues that would require an extensive rewrite of her DNA — such as through assimilation."

"You're suggesting that I let Meriwether be turned into a changeling?" Thunderball raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that terribly dangerous?"

"Oh, absolutely," Adjutant nodded. "An unskilled manipulator could kill the subject, and there's always the risk that a pony might lose their memories and identity, either during the process or to the hivemind. But it would be a certain way to cure her." She paused to let the information sink in. "If it helps, I promise to be very careful, and the lack of a formal hivemind here would reduce the risk of Meriwether losing herself considerably. Besides, she's a very strong-willed pony, and I doubt she has much to fear."

Thunderball nodded. "So what will it take?"

"Ah, now we run into the real problem; we would need a lot of royal jelly. Both for me to turn into a queen and gain the power necessary to convert a pony, and for the process itself."

"And you barely have enough for your own needs." Thunderball frowned. "If we reduced the size of the pod farm–"

"We'd be unable to supply Queen Chrysalis with enough love, and the current cease-fire would collapse." Adjutant shrugged. "We'll need to get some from a bonafide hive."

"Great." Thunderball laid his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes. "Which one? I assume asking Chrysalis for help is off the table?"

The mention of her former queen brought a frown to Adjutant's face. "She knows how much we need, and won't provide one iota more without demanding heavy concessions. Other hives may be willing to help, but it would be an uphill struggle. Chrysalis killed many of her rivals in the Badlands, and the survivors have gone into hiding. Given the aftermath of Chrysalis's invasion and the hostility towards on changelings in Equestria, not to mention your private war with Chrysalis and the terrorists who destroyed Hive Mephera, I would expect hive to be wary about revealing themselves. In addition…"

Adjutant abruptly cleared her throat. "From my admittedly limited experience, a changeling queen is expected to enforce her will absolutely. Insubordination and failure are dealt with harshly; forgiveness is often a foreign concept. When your House was punished lightly for its own private war with Chrysalis, it may have been seen as tacit approval for your actions. I can assure you that's how Chrysalis has interpreted it."

"Celestia would never have sanctioned anything of the sort!" Thunderball growled.

She gently stroked his tail to calm him down. "Of course not. Nevertheless, there would be the suspicion that Celestia wants a group with plausible deniability to carry out illegal missions. Not good for mutual trust."

"Dammit." Thunderball banged his head against the back of the sofa. "I told them that raid was a bad idea."

"Well, it wasn't so bad. You got me out of the deal, didn't you?" Adjutant winked at him. "Let's assess our options. The crown surely has a list of hives, or at least their suspected locations, that we could seek aid from. Why don't we gather a team, ask for directions, and figure things out from there?"

Thunderball sighed and stared at the ceiling. "You'll want to lead, no doubt. We'll need changelings to accompany you if they won't trust ponies. Cunning, well versed in diplomacy, and capable of handling themselves in a fight if negotiations break down. Do you have anyone fitting that description?"

Adjutant tapped her chin as she ran through the list of changelings in the colony. "No, but there is Ace Gambit."

Chapter 2

Unlike the majority of changelings who had chosen to live in the Everfree Forest, Ace Gambit only worked a part–time job there in the castle library. He actually preferred to make his home in Ponyville, where he could befriend ponies. Unfortunately the latter was much more easily done than the former; his circle of pony friends in town consisted of Pinkie Pie, Skeleton Key (his boss), Stiletto (his girlfriend), and the mailmare with the crossed eyes — Derpy? Ditzy? He could never quite remember her name, but she answered to both, so it worked out in the end.

Still, it was a good start. In fact he had a 33% increase in the number of friends compared to last month. This was due to Stiletto having set up a hoofwear shop across from Skeleton Key's bookstore, his irresistible charm, and sharing a very strange adventure with her. (Nothing formed tighter friendships than adventures. Evidently, they were also great for romance.)

The door chime of The Open Book rang merrily for the first time that morning, and Ace scurried to the front to receive his newest customer. He was expecting a pony looking for the latest bestseller, or a filly in search of the latest Daring Do novel. What he got was Adjutant's regal form stepping through the doorway. He swallowed nervously; while she had never treated him badly, high ranking changelings were always careful to maintain an air of haughtiness towards their subordinates, which made it very difficult to discern their true motivations for anything.

He put on his best smile and stepped out from behind a bookshelf. "Hi there!"

Adjutant lazily surveyed the shop and took her time responding. "Hello, Ace. I see that you're having a slow day."

The gears in Ace's head immediately whirled into motion. Adjutant was not the type to care about his work schedule unless she needed him for something. Clearly, a scheme was afoot.

Ace chose his response carefully. "I'd like more customers, of course, but slow days can be a blessing in disguise! It's given me plenty of time to sort out my inventory!" It translated into Just because I don't have customers doesn't mean I have time for you.

Adjutant rolled her eyes. "I thought you had a spell for that?" Translation: Horseapples.

"I, er, had a headache today. It's clearing up though." Ace sighed. Ok, you got me. What is it this time?

"Good, then I can discuss something with you." She motioned for him to take one of the reaching chairs. "Now, it has come to my attention that our colony needs a great deal of royal jelly, so I am going to have to engage in negotiations for more. As most of our comrades are woefully lacking in experience and diplomacy, I am extending an invitation to you to join me in this endeavor." I'm surrounded by morons. You're the least objectionable one I could find. Pack your bags, say goodbye to your girlfriend, and use your vacation days.

Ace stood up and bowed. "Oh, it would be my pleasure to serve you and the colony. Just let me know when you need me." I hate you so much.

An unexpected knock on her chamber door roused Princess Luna from her morning nap. She opened a bleary eye — last night's patrol with the Night Guard had cumulated with her fighting a rampaging pyrohydra, a most exhilarating experience — and quickly straightened out her mane before ordering the visitor to enter. The door opened to reveal a pegasus clad in the violet armor of the Night Guard which contrasted with this white coat, yet matched his purple eyes.

He promptly saluted and did his best to explain the interruption, but the envelope he held in his mouth impeded him. "M'ssge f' y' H'ness."

Princess Luna gently smiled at him. "Silent Knight, what have we told you about speaking with your mouth full?"

Silent Knight promptly dropped the message onto the floor, then scrambled to pick it up in his hooves. "Message for you, Your Highness!"

The telegram glowed blue as it flew into Luna's hooves. She slit open the envelope and quickly read the message within. "Well, it seems as if Adjutant has been busy! She wishes to ask our permission to establish a trade agreement with other changeling hives, to better Equestrian relations and to strengthen the Everfree Colony. Excellent; I already have a potential candidate in mind. I shall suggest it posthaste!"

Silent Knight raised a hesitant hoof. "Pardon me for asking, Your Highness, but shouldn't we seek Celestia's permission first?

"Such is the standard protocol, but it seems that Princess Twilight has been informed and has already sent a message to our sister." Luna flipped the message over and continued reading the backside. "Intriguing. Adjutant is requesting a representative from both the Day and Night Courts to be present at this meeting. An excellent idea!" She clapped her hooves together and looked Silent Knight over.

Silent Knight was one of her first guards. He had volunteered to serve her right out of boot camp. Serving as part of her honor guard was usually a decision made at the end of a soldier's career, as the position offered little excitement or chance for further promotion, yet he had done it anyways when he heard the call, when no one else would. Because no one else would.

He had grown much in his time serving her, but still had had much to learn about the finer points of life. His single–minded focus on upholding his family's tradition of military service had left an indelible mark on his social skills, a matter she would have to remedy if his career was to advance further. (Or his relationship, for that matter.)

"Tell me, Silent Knight," Luna smiled, with all the radiance of a full moon, "Do you feel ready for the rigors of diplomacy?"

His eyes shone with excitement as he saluted again, with such vigor that he unseated his helmet to reveal a mop of teal hair beneath it. "Yes ma'am! It would be my honor to represent you! I won't let you or Equestria down, I promise!"

"Splendid! Be ready in an hour; I expect Tia will have made her selection and travel arrangements by then." Luna looked over the telegram one last time. "I wonder who her choice will be?"

A small white airship — barely a yacht — descended out of the clouds above the Everfree Forest to touch down in the courtyard of the Castle of the Two Sisters. The name Virtuoso was stenciled on the prow in bold black letters, along with the Blueblood family crest. This was a luxury vessel for the most spoiled pony in Equestria. Its appearance caused no small amount of trepidation among the castle's inhabitants.

The door of the cabin opened and Silent Knight stepped out onto the deck, accompanied by Flash Sentry. (There was a merciful absence of royal unicorns.) The pair of guards lowered a boarding ramp and proceeded to stand at attention on both sides, awaiting Adjutant's arrival.

Thunderball glided down to the deck from the parapets and saluted them. "At ease, gentlecolts. I trust everything is prepared?"

"Yes sir!" Flash nodded. "All the helmspony needs is a direction and the Virtuoso can cast off."

"Good." He looked around the ship, made of the finest hardwood and outfitted with the most opulent furnishings money could buy. "What did it take to pry this out of Blueblood's hooves?"

Flash Sentry gave a hearty chuckle. "I hear he was kicking and screaming when Celestia requisitioned her."

"Well, be sure to pass on our regards to him when we're done. "Thunderball offered a hoof to each of them. "I wish I could join you, but I fear I've made a big enough mess of the situation as is. Allow me, then to wish you the best in your endeavors."

"Permission to speak, sirs?" Silent Knight waited for both of the others to nod before continuing. "I know a lot of this is above my pay grade, but will it really be so difficult?"

Thunderball pursed his lips. "Given that there has been harassment and persecution of friendly changelings in Equestria, along with two terrorist attacks on changeling hives, can you understand why changelings might be hesitant to trust us?"

Silent Knight fiddled with his hooves. "Um, pardon me, but which attacks are you referring to? I mean, I know that you and your house went after Chrysalis — no offense — but there was another?"

"You read about Mount Reindeer's sudden eruption a few weeks back? It was actually the result of dark magic wielded by some very nasty ponies." Thunderball sighed. "A terrible tragedy. I hear they crippled Hive Mephera. I suppose I'm not one to point hooves, but they were vile ponies to stoop so low."

"Two attacks in the same month?" Silent Knight let loose a low whistle. "Heck of a coincidence."

Thunderball shook his head. "There are no coincidences, kid."

Flash Sentry raised an eyebrow. "You don't think it's mere chance, I take it?"

"I know my family rubs shoulders with all sorts in order to find lost artifacts, nip threats in the bud, and manipulate others into fighting our battles. I wonder if they put the idea into someone else's head, or vice versa. It wouldn't surprise me either way." He bit his lip until it turned white. "Well, just keep that between yourselves and do your best."

Silent Knight saluted again. "Yes sir! For crown and country!"

Flash followed suit. "Celestia points, and we obey."

Thunderball met their salutes and walked off of the yacht just as Adjutant strolled out of the castle, with Ace in tow. He waited for her at the foot of the ramp, and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Do you miss me already?" Adjutant teased, smacking him lightly with her tail.

He blushed and nuzzled her neck. "Just come back safe and soon, alright?"

"Oh, you know me," she grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chapter 3

Adjutant sat in the lounge of the Virtuoso sipping on a glass of champagne. Their pilot had caught a northbound wind towards Mount Reindeer, so there was little left for her to do except relax in the comfortable appointments of Prince Blueblood's private yacht and plan her next move.

The dossier Princess Luna had compiled for her indicated that Queen Andrenida was grateful to Equestria for providing aid to Hive Mephera, but her hive had been crippled by extremists and would be unable to spare royal jelly while they were rebuilding. Still, it was the right place to start; Queen Andrenida was Adjutant's ticket into the world of changeling politics.

Adjutant frowned as she realized just how little she knew of diplomatic protocol. Chrysalis's emphasis on conquest meant that she had never passed on that knowledge to the others of the hive. From the stories she remembered, though, a visiting monarch was entitled to an honor guard for the duration of her diplomatic mission.

She looked over at Ace, who was playing cards with Flash Sentry and Silent Knight, and sighed. It was just as well — she could not be expected to receive the privilege of a formal retinue. Just an assistant.

So, she would be going in virtually alone to negotiate with either Queen Andrenida or whomever the queen could introduce her to. What could they offer in return? Changelings had little need of money, and they were rather self-sufficient when it came to manufactured goods. Love and power were the primary currency between changelings. Of the two, Adjutant could only offer love.

Unfortunately, there were precious few ways to gather it — indeed, virtually all of the colony's love currently came from the members of House Argent. It was a good bargain on their part; amnesty in return for giving Celestia enough love to barter a truce with Chrysalis. But they were slowly being released and their skills put to use by the crown, while volunteers were few and far between.

The obvious proposal would be to ask for royal jelly and promise a great deal of love in return. It would, of course, depend on the other party being a gullible idiot, as no queen in her right mind would make such an investment with a traitor such as herself. While there was little love lost between Chrysalis and other monarchs, treason against one's hive was positively heretical.

She looked up from her dossier and saw that Ace had won a sizeable amount of bits from the other two. Ace infuriated her. He never had problems getting along with others, and even seemed to enjoy it. To a certain extent, this was to be expected; Chrysalis had expended no small measure of resources in endowing him with the charisma, cunning, and magical prowess to become a supremely skilled agent provocateur. But everything he did to make friends was annoyingly genuine, in a manner no self–respecting changeling would tolerate.

He was also an idiot. (Maddeningly, it did not seem to impede him in the slightest. Some changelings were born lucky.)

Adjutant decided to slip upstairs into the helm and check on their progress. Comet Chaser — an earth pony mare, surprisingly enough — was sitting with a navigational chart in her front hooves, idly drawing on it with a protractor in her mouth while her rear hooves steered the ship. It looked dangerously unprofessional, but Comet Chaser was Blueblood's personal pilot, and if the pampered prince trusted her with his life, she probably knew what she was doing. Or had a parachute handy.

The table in the back where the chart would have gone was empty, so Adjutant sat in the navigator's chair and took in the view from the front of the ship. They had already arrived at the edge of the White Tail Woods between Los Pegasus and Seaddle. At this rate, it would not be long before they reached the remains of Mount Reindeer to the north.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" Comet Chaser tilted her head back and shook a hooffull of violet hare out of her eyes.

A burst of laughter rippled through the cabin from the game downstairs, interrupting Adjutant's reply. While she was inclined to tell the pilot to return to her duties, a part of her was curious as to whether Ace's unorthodox method for gaining trust and establishing alliances worked. She licked her lips and imagined she was Ace. What was the most impulsive thing she could say?

"Isn't Comet Chaser more of a pegasus name?" Adjutant cringed as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

Amazingly, Comet Chaser chuckled and set the chart aside. She shifted her aviator's jacket aside so that Adjutant could see the comet soaring across her midnight blue flank. "Most of us like to stay well grounded, but I was born in Cloudsdale, to a pegasus family. I was in my first hot air balloon by 5, gyrocopter by 8, and my first genuine chopper by 11. I made it all the way to Canterlot University for an aeronautics degree, and wound up working as a private pilot after graduation."

Adjutant looked around the cramped helm. "Seems like a step down from what you could have been."

"Nah, it's not so bad. I get paid a lot to do what I like, and even get a budget for customizing this ship." Comet Chaser patted the steering wheel fondly. "You notice how it runs quiet, and how nobody's been stoking the boilers? This baby doesn't run off of fuel, it runs off of electricity. All I need to do to charge her up is throw out an antenna in a thunderstorm or get a pegasus to buck some clouds. Every lightning strike is collected in a Leyden jar — 1.21 gigawatts of electricity on tap whenever I need it."

"I take it such an arrangement would be prohibitively expensive without Blueblood's patronage?"

"Yeah, I'm currently running a setup using ultra–pure graphene sheets in ionic media. Stuff costs more than I make in a year, but Blueblood only wants the best." Comet Chaser gave the ship another fond pat. "I'll be able to build my own in a few years, once the state of the art nudges forward another few inches and His Highness comes in demanding I upgrade the ship to something more befitting his royal status." She grinned and shook her head. "Funny thing is, he never seems to care what happens to the old parts when he tells me to get rid of them…"

Adjutant found herself sharing a laugh with Comet Chaser at Blueblood's expense. Maybe Ace was onto something.

The setting sun outlined Mount Reindeer later that evening. Its shattered peak loomed majestically in the light, reflecting sunlight off of dull grey volcanic ash mixed with snow. A titanic crater had been carved out of the top, with a small mound in the middle that billowed smoke at intermediate intervals. If it were not for the tragedy that had befallen it, Adjutant would have found it breathtaking.

A flight of four changelings came out to greet the Virtuoso. After taking up positions on each side of the ship, they guided her down into the caldera. A cliff jutted out from the outer rim, with a clean, smooth surface free of debris save for flat rocks embedded in the soil in the shape of a capital L. The Virtuoso down on the landing pad and the diplomatic party stepped out into the crisp mountain air.

The flight's lead changeling, a tall teenager with aquamarine hair, bowed before her. "Greetings. I am Princess Apida, Queen Andrenida's heir and daughter. I welcome you and your delegation to our hive."

The party looked at Adjutant, who returned the bow. "The honor is all mine, Princess. Please lead the way."

Princess Apida gave a curt nod to her guards and they slowly moved down a path down the cliffside to a solid iron gate several dozen meters below the landing pad. The heavy iron doors slowly swung inwards, accompanied by the clanking of chains and gears, to reveal the interior of Hive Mephera.

It was pleasantly warm, from a combination of the body heat of the inhabitants, fluorescent blue fungus growing on the walls, and volcanic activity. Indeed, judging by the stepped texture of the walls, the hive was built into extinct lava tubes. Water could be heard rushing through the walls, likely trying to escape the magma reservoir below.

Adjutant felt a shiver run up her spine despite the temperature as she saw the changelings within. A hive was normally bustling with activity, but here changelings sat huddled in lifeless clusters that were plagued with persistent coughs. Many were children, who would otherwise be playing. Gaunt work teams wearing dirty cotton masks stumbled in and out of the lower reaches, clearly having gone too long without rest. The rumbling of machinery echoed faintly through the walls, sputtering like the changelings around them.

For a fleeting moment, Adjutant could have sworn that she could taste the acrid volcanic ash in her mouth and feel it choking her lungs. She shook her head; it was all imaginary. The illnesses was an after effect of inhalation poisoning from the initial attack weeks ago. The inhabited portions of the hive had surely been cleaned up by now.

All activity in the hive had come to a halt as the other changelings watched them warily. Adjutant looked at their hollow eyes nervously. Did they know who she was? Did they care?

Apida glared at them. "What are you waiting for? Pay your respects to our esteemed guests."

One by one, they knelt before the delegation. Adjutant let loose a breath she had not realized she had been holding and motioned for them to rise. "Please, there's no need to go overboard."

The workers looked at Apida for confirmation, who dismissed them with a wave of her hoof.

"Do forgive them," Apida said. "Your reputation precedes you."

Adjutant kept her voice level. "Hm. I suppose it would. Tell me, Princess, will we be meeting with your mother first, or shown to our chambers? I would like some time to prepare myself."

"Certainly." Apida gestured down a tunnel to their right. "Follow me."

Flash Sentry and Silent Knight stood beside the door of their guest quarters and watched Ace wear a circle into the floor from his furious pacing. Adjutant sat in a wicker chair off to the side, enjoying the complimentary fruit basket that had been left for them. She had worked her way through a coconut, and was now eyeing a pear.

"Did you see what things were like out there?" Ace hissed. "Who would do something like this?"

The two guards exchanged glance. Silent Knight reached out and put a hoof on Ace's shoulder. "That's no longer a concern. Let's focus on how we can help them, okay?"

Ace shrugged his way out of Silent's grasp. "If I knew, I'd have brought more supplies. Food, water, anything! Why didn't they tell us?"

Adjutant raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect a hive to advertise its weakness?"

The pear she was eating went flying across the room as Ace smacked it out of her hooves. "Stop eating that! We have a full pantry on the ship. Why are you so calm about this?"

Silent Knight wrapped his hooves around Ace's barrel and dragged him back as Adjutant picked up her pear. She walked up to him and gently stroked his mane. "Ace, I understand why you are upset, but your emotions will do nothing to help these changelings. Now, I propose we stick to our mission and gain an audience with Queen Andrenida, during which we can offer our assistance."

"Fine." Ace relaxed and let Silent Knight guide him to an armchair in the corner. "How much aid could we get?"

Adjutant nibbled at her pear. "Us? Virtually none," she eventually admitted. "The colony has no money, and House Argent's assets are either confiscated or frozen. Our best bet is to try and convince the princesses to bankroll it, since an actual foreign aid package would get wrapped up in red tape."

Silent Knight raised his hoof. "How about a fundraiser? I'm sure Fancy Pants would set a great example if we had a charity dinner or something."

"It's a thought," Adjutant nodded. "In the meantime, why don't you three borrow whatever supplies you can from Blueblood's stores and distribute them as a token of our appreciation?"

Comet Chaser stretched herself out on the cabin's plush couch as she flipped through the latest edition of Wings magazine. She paused at the centerfold of a pegasus with a particularly fetching wingspan and grinned. Enjoying the luxuries of royalty while they were away was one of her favorite perks.

The cabin door flew open, backed by biting winds, as the stallions poured into the ship, teeth chattering from the cold. Comet Chaser quickly hid the magazine behind her and straightened her jacket. "Uh, hey there! Welcome back! Is it over?"

Ace shook his head. "No, we just came to get some supplies."

Comet Chaser gestured to the small kitchen opposite from her. "Go for it. What do you want?"

"All of it," Flash grinned.

Chapter 4

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."

Chapter 5

It was difficult to tell time in an underground cave lit by fluorescent fungus, but Ace was fairly certain that Adjutant had woken him up far too early the next morning. Silent Knight and Flash Sentry might have been used to rising at the crack of dawn, but Ace worked an 8–3 retail job and slept in on the weekends.

"What do you need me for?" Ace grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. "I doubt whoever Queen Andrenida has invited is coming in at this hour."

"I need to make sure you're all familiar with protocol so we don't have another incident like yesterday. Now, Silent Knight and Flash Sentry already know how to treat dignitaries, so this won't be too hard for them. I'm worried about you." Adjutant looked him up and down. "Do you even know how to behave around royalty?"

Ace threw up his hooves. "Of course I do! I used to deliver reports to Queen Chrysalis all the time, remember? I'm a trained infiltrator."

"Right, I'd forgotten about that." In her defense, the only thing she had seen Ace infiltrate was a kitchen pantry. "Let's practice. Greet me as you would Queen Chrysalis."

Ace immediately dropped to the floor and covered his head. "I'm sorry, your highness! Please don't hurt me! It wasn't my fault!"

Adjutant ground her hoof into her forehead. "On second thought, maybe you should just pretend to be a pony. An earth pony. The most boring earth pony you can think of. Ideally, one that could be mistaken for a statue."

With a sigh, Ace gritted his teeth and changed into a passable doppleganger of Filthy Rich.

"Perfect," Adjutant beamed. "Go stand in a corner and don't say a word to anyone."

She turned to the guardponies. "Alright, you two act as you would around your diarchs. Don't speak until spoken to, and be deferential to both queens. Queen Andrenida is nice, but that's no guarantee that the one we're meeting today will be. Be ready to deal with unpleasantness."

"Don't worry," Flash Sentry assured her, "We've had plenty of experience with that."

The insult slipped over Adjutant's head as she nodded. "Good, then let's go over possible trade options again. We have half the day left, and I want to make the most of it."

While Adjutant drilled the guards on protocol and economic data, Ace crept out the door in search of a quiet corner to resume his sleep. The tunnels of the hive were eerily quiet, without the persistent hacking coughs that he had become accustomed to. Had the sick been moved out of the way to prevent a visiting queen from seeing how weak Hive Mephera was? If so, where? Spending time with sick changelings was not as invigorating as a good rest, but entertaining others who needed their spirits lifted gave Ace a warm feeling inside.

Why did she have to keep treating him as if he were some sort of moron? That might have been how Chrysalis did things in the old days, but it was not as if Ace was dumb. He just failed to think things through sometimes. (Ok, a lot of the time.) But it was intentions that counted in the end, and he always had good intentions. At least his friends seemed to think so.

The clopping of his hooves echoed through the tunnel. Where was everyling else?

"Hello, Ace."

The sudden voice from behind caused Ace jumped up and clung to a stalactite. Down below, he saw Adjutant raise an eyebrow at him.

"Wow, you scared me there." He dropped to the ground and looked at her sheepishly. "I– You're probably wondering why I'm out here being un–-statue–like, aren't you?"

"No, I actually just wanted to apologize for earlier," she answered. "I've been under a lot of stress lately, and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate all that you've done for me."

The gears in Ace's mind started turning. Was that a freely given compliment? Something felt wrong. "I understand," he said slowly. "Stress can make us all grouchy and we've been under a lot of stress this trip. Can I do anything to help?"

Adjutant leaned in and whispered. "I have an idea."

Before he could respond, she pushed him back against a stalagmite and planted a kiss on his lips. His eyes widened as he pushed her off.

"Hey! We're both in relationships!"

She grinned at him. "They're not here, are they?"

Ace lowered his horn at her. "Okay, that definitely doesn't sound like something Adjutant would say. Drop the disguise, whoever you are."

A green flash enveloped the impostor, leaving Princess Apida in its wake. "Can't blame a girl for trying, can you? It's not often we get to see Chrysalis's handiwork running around."

"So what?" The reminder of what he was bred for caused Ace's expression to darken. "Did you suddenly see a rare opportunity to get a genetic sampling of Chrysalis's handiwork?"

"Maybe," she smirked. "Although I wouldn't say the idea came to me suddenly."

He made a disgusted noise and turned back towards the diplomatic quarters.

"Wait!" Princess Apida put on her best pleading expression, a pout known to have brought down even her mighty mother on occasion. It caused Ace to stop dead in his tracks. "I apologize for the ill–conceived attempt at seduction. These are hard times for my hive, and I don't want us to be seen as weak in the eyes of other hives. If we had infiltrators as good as Chrysalis, well...but I suppose that is no excuse to use you as a tool for power. Still, I must admit that you do have my curiosity, Ace. May I ask you some questions?"

Ace leaned against a stalagmite. "Alright, go ahead."

"Is it true that you've been living among ponies openly? Isn't that dangerous? I heard you were attacked along with your leader in the capital a while back."

"That was just one time though! Most ponies are... well, they don't necessarily like us, but they're at least neutral as long as we're not gathering in big groups around them. Besides, I've made enough friends that I feel comfortable living in Ponyville." He regarded her suspiciously. "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," Apida shrugged. "But mother has this bizarre obsession to learn their ways, and I've been trying to understand it for years."

"You don't think it's a good idea?"

Princess Apida rolled her eyes. "We're changelings. We survive by stealth and deception. It's the way things have always been. To ally ourselves with our prey and paint a target on our backs is the height of foolishness. Oh, Equestria may speak of peace and goodwill now, but relations change with the times, and when they sour, I would prefer to leave our enemies grasping at shadow."

Ace crossed his forelegs. "Celestia has ruled for a thousand years. I would imagine that Equestrian policy is fairly consistent. Your mother has been around for a while, and probably agrees."

"Believe what you will," Apida scoffed. "As princess of Hive Mephera and their future ruler, I have a duty to study and prepare for any potential danger." She waved her hoof at him. "But for now, you can go back to bed."

When Ace returned to his lodgings, he saw that Adjutant was still rehearsing for the meeting. By this time, she had moved onto practicing gestures and posture in front of a polished crystal mirror, while Silent Knight and Flash Sentry were gently sparring in a corner. Ace sat down in the wicker chair and began thinking.

The brief encounter with Princess Apida had revealed an unsettling conflict within Hive Mephera. She was headstrong and cunning, with the potential to cause more than a hooffull of trouble. Adjutant might be worried about the Queens, but the next generation of rulership might prove to be the real problem. Apida was right, in a way; the shifting tides of politics meant that you could never really trust anyone else. But that did not preclude building genuine, friendly relations; it was just a caution against being naive.

Adjutant turned away from the mirror to face him. "Ah, Ace! I must say, you did a good job being quiet for once. Now tell me, what do you think of my performance?"

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," he shrugged absentmindedly.

"And what do you think of the speech?"

"I, um, well…"

Adjutant rolled her eyes. "Oh spit it out, I'm not going to pin you to a piece of cardboard over it."

Ace swallowed nervously as he prepared to bluff his way out of his latest conundrum. "I think that, er, your focus on the economic aspect comes at the expense of allaying political fears about Equestrian domination, because no changeling would want their hive reduced to a client state."

"Oh." Adjutant turned back to the mirror and let her shoulders drop. "You're right, of course. I guess I've been avoiding the issue because I don't have the political capital to do it. Queen Andrenida might, but the fact that her home was just attacked by terrorists undermines whatever point she might make in our favor. At the end of the day, it's up to me, a known traitor, to sway the ruler of an entire hive, and I just don't possess the charisma for it. I'm an egg counter at heart, not some orator or politician."

It looked like his bluff had worked too well.

"Ok, look, er…" He paused. How was he going to get himself out of this one? "Do you think that Princess Twilight and her friends were the most qualified to deal with Nightmare Moon, when they were, respectively, a sheltered bookworm, apple farmer, animal caretaker, weather mare, baker, and tailor? You might not be a diplomat, but I'm a failed infiltrator and I work in retail, yet we're both here, aren't we? We may not be the most qualified, but we were called here, maybe by fate itself. We shouldn't give up just because it's hard! I think we perform at our best when the situation's most difficult!"

"Besides," he added, "I don't think of you as a traitor for coming to Equestria. It was pretty clear Queen Chrysalis would lead the hive to destruction, and you took the most sensible option for yourself and our kind. If anything, you're a brave leader for making such a tough decision, and I think everyling will see it during the negotiations."

Adjutant grabbed Ace in a tight hug and kissed him on the forehead. "I...thanks, Ace. You're right. The die is cast, and we must do out best for all our sakes."

Ace blushed and stammered in her hooves. "I–I'm sure you'll do just fine!"

When Ace next woke, it was to the sounds of hooves thundering down the tunnels of the hive. The room was empty; evidently, Adjutant had decided his presence was not required at the meeting. For a moment, Ace considered going back to bed, but could not resist the urge to rejoin his group. Perhaps his speech about fate was not too far off the mark.

A contingent of soldiers stood at attention in the diplomatic quarters, with their carapaces gleaming in the blue light. His friends were waiting in the reception chamber where they had held the party yesterday. A trumpet blared and announced the arrival of Hive Mephera's latest visitors.

"All hail Queen Papilion, of Hive Ephemera!"

Queen Andrenida and her daughter stepped in, followed by a dozen unfamiliar warrior changelings who surrounded an unfamiliar Queen. She flipped her scarlet mane as she looked around the room. When she saw Adjutant, she gave a smile that did not quite reach her cold grey eyes, and revealed a pair of sharp fangs.

"Ah, so you're the turncoat from Hive Hypatia. I've heard much about you; I believe congratulations are in order for tweaking Queen Chrysalis's tail." Queen Papilion looked Adjutant up and down, as if scrutinizing a specimen under a microscope. "I must say, you look well fed."

"Thank you, my queen." Adjutant bowed her head low. "I am fortunate enough to have a consort who provides for me. Our partnership with Equestria has been quite profitable."

"Yes, I had heard that you were in bed with those that humbled your former queen," Papilion said dryly.

Adjutant flinched, while Ace glared at Papilion from behind Adjutant's back. It was a testament to their training that neither Silent Knight or Flash Sentry lost their composure. Andrenida looked at her guest reproachingly, though Apida seemed to approve of her tone.

"I am told," Papilion continued, "That you have an offer for me. Shall we dismiss our entourage and talk in private?"

Andrenida nodded; at once, all of the soldiers filed out of the room and closed the door behind them, though Silent Knight and Flash Sentry remained behind. Queen Papilion raised an eyebrow.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Adjutant bowed again. "These two are not my guards, my queen. They are here to represent the diarchs."

"Hm. One would have been quite enough." Queen Papilion chose to let the issue rest and seated herself at the table. "Speak now, while you hold my attention."

"Thank you, my queen." Adjutant took a moment to clear her throat. "You have, no doubt, heard that Equestria is willing to enter into partnership with changeling hives. Indeed, our gracious host has been the recipient of much aid that has helped rebuild her hive. I, too, was given the privilege of settling in Equestria in the spirit of peace. On behalf of the crown, I would like to extend the same offer to you."

Andrenida politely applauded. Apida rolled her eyes. Papilion rested her chin on her hoof.

"We would receive love, of course, without having to gather it for ourselves?"

"My colony in the Everfree could supply you with an ample amount."

"And you would, no doubt, supply us with modern technology, generators, and fuel?"

"All that you would need."

"And then," Papilion's eyes glinted, "After we have become used to licking your hooves, would you control us with economics, rather than force?"

Andrenida scowled. Apida laughed. Adjutant froze solid as Queen Papilion continued to speak.

"I know what this is, pony–lover. You couldn't make it among your own kind, so you chose to prostitute yourself to our prey. Well, I am not quite as naive as you would think; I can see this for what it really is. A thinly veiled attempt at domesticating us. You can crawl back to your mistress and tell her a Hive bows to no outside influence, especially not–"

There was a resounding crack through the chamber as Adjutant slammed her hooves down on the table.

"I have had enough of your attitude, you old hag! I offer you a chance to elevate your hive to greatness. Take it or leave it; if you don't, I guarantee you someling else will. And on that day, the same power of Harmony that flows throughout Equestria and allowed them to defeat abominations from beyond space and time will run through that hive. I stand to be a part of the greatest nation on this planet, and Queen Andrenida is set to join us. Get with the program or buck off, I don't particularly care which."

A stunned silence settled in the room after Adjutant's outburst. She mentally cringed as she felt every pair of eyes in the room staring at her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to take a break. Let me know what you decide when I return."

Cold sweat beaded on her brow as she walked into her own quarters. Once the door had closed, she let her legs buckle under her and collapsed against the back of the wicker chair.

There was a smattering of hooves from behind her, and she turned to see Ace chasing after her, panting breathlessly. "That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen! It was really beautiful–"

"Stop being so maudlin," Adjutant scoffed. "I only said what I needed to get what I wanted." She pushed him away and staggered back down the tunnel. "Come on, we need to get back to the conference and see how badly I've bucked things up."

"Already?" Ace asked. "I thought you were taking a break?"

Adjutant shook her head. "Timing is an important aspect in politics. I like to give my opponent only a moment of thought to doubt themselves before demanding an answer."

"Does it work?"

"I got you to come along, didn't I?" She kicked open the door and walked back to the meeting, leaving Ace behind her with his jaw hanging out.

Chapter 6

The chamber was calm when Adjutant returned, with all parties maintaining a respectful silence. Queen Andrenida gestured for Adjutant to resume her seat. She gave the queen a polite nod as she took her place at the table. Papilion's expression was inscrutable; Adjutant paid it no heed. There was no sense in apologizing now; the die was cast.

Andrenida was the first to speak. "Welcome back, Adjutant. I know this meeting started on the wrong hoof, but I am sure we can move past that to reach a decision that benefits all of the parties involved."

"A worthy goal." Papilion smiled, revealing far too many teeth for Adjutant's liking. "However, I fear that, in the end, this little competition over power and resources we are all engaged in is ultimately a zero–sum game, and I intend to come out on top."

The door to the chamber opened to reveal four of her soldiers, with spears held ready and black ichor coating their armor. Apida rose in shock. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" The princess was blasted back into her mother by Queen Papilion.

Silent Knight and Flash Sentry immediately stepped in front of Apida and Andrenida as spears were leveled in their direction. Andrenida cradled Apida in her hooves and stared at the scorch mark on her daughter's chitin in shock. "Papilion! Explain yourself!"

"I'm afraid that this is a hostile takeover," Queen Papilion smirked.

"You dare attack me and my children under the flag of truce? The other hives will not stand for this!" Andrenida hissed.

"I'm afraid that all they will know is how Celestia's pet changeling betrayed your trust, as she did Chrysalis's." Papilion strolled in front of her guards, who formed a protective cordon around her. "But fear not, I shall avenge the deaths of your and your daughter by assimilating your hive into my own, and leading our kind in resisting Equestrian oppression."

A stunned silence followed her statement, broken only by a dry laugh from Adjutant. "In many ways, I admire you, Papilion. If I had a choice of queens to serve under, you would rank much higher than Chrysalis." Adjutant lazily paced back and forth in the little space she was permitted. "However, you've made the same mistake as her; you let the power go to your head."

Queen Papilion narrowed her eyes. "I have the upper hoof. My soldiers control this section of the hive. All of you are at my mercy."

Adjutant shook her head. "Do you remember, my queen, when Chrysalis defeated Celestia herself at Canterlot? How powerful she became after beguiling Captain Shining Armor and draining him of his love for Princess Cadance? How much love do you think I've taken from my consort, from all those ponies who I have befriended and earned their trust??" She stood face to face with Papilion now, fangs bared in a feral grin. "I shall be merciful and afford you one last chance to take your soldiers and leave with your life."

"You're bluffing," Papilion snarled. "Guards–"

A blinding beam of green light shot out of Adjutant's horn and swept across the floor parallel to their position, leaving a deep gash in the rock as it did so. Queen Papilion and her soldiers jumped back to avoid it, though one of them was not so fortunate. His face barely had time to register the surprise of being hit before his front legs slid off of his body. Next to him, the obsidian table cracked and split in half, shattering into jagged chunks.

The air tingled with magical energy as Ace charged in from behind. He filled the room with an obscuring mist to prevent Papilion's guards from seeing their opponents. Flash Sentry and Silent Knight each grabbed one end of a table fragment and held it in front of them like a shield as they charged forward into the mist. They were rewarded with a satisfying crunch as they ran into two soldiers and slammed them into the cavern wall.

Papilion ducked as Andrenida's horn glowed. The remaining table fragments levitated into the air and soared towards her. There was barely enough time to erect a shield for herself;Her magical protection blocked the hail of stone, but her last guard was impaled with dozens of obsidian shards.

The magical shield cracked as Papilion unbound the arcane energy holding it together. She caused it to burst forth as a shockwave of energy that swept through the room, clearing out enemy and mist alike. It provided enough of an opening for her to make a mad dash for the door and out into the halls.

Flash Sentry and Silent Knight each grabbed a spear as the rest of Papilion's honor guard came pouring through the door, outnumbering them four to one. Ace lowered his horn and covered the floor with a layer of soapy bubbles. The enemy changelings skidded and fell in the doorway, causing a bottleneck for Flash and Silent to easily stab their way through.

Adjutant flew over the melee and chased Papilion to the iron gate, whose gears were already in motion. Arcane energy beaded up at the tip of Adjutant's horn as she shot a razor–thin ray of energy that sailed through the air and went right through one of the holes in Papilion's horn. Papilion retaliated with her own beam of searing light, which caught Adjutant in the shoulder. The agony was unlike anything Adjutant had ever experienced, as if her soul was being wrung out through her flesh. At the same time, it cleansed her of panic, fear, and doubt, until only white–hot anger remained.

Instead of stopping, Adjutant rammed her good shoulder into Papilion's chest, knocking her back into the left gate door. Papilion bounced off of the metal like a ball, but retained the presence of mind to twist around in the air and point her glowing horn at Adjutant. There was a flash of heat as the air distorted in front of Papilion, but before the spell could go off, Adjutant flew up and kicked Papilion under the chin.

An energy beam shot out of Papilion's horn and went wide, cutting into the cavern roof. There was a rumble as stalactites shook above them and came crashing down. Adjutant rolled back as debris formed a barrier between the two combatants. Papilion laughed and ran out the door, only to freeze in shock at what she saw.

Wild lightning shot out of the rear of the Virtuoso plowed through the tunnel entrance with an ear–splitting shriek. It burst through the entrance and caught Papilion neatly on its prow, carrying her back into the rock wall she had created. There was an unearthly roar as the ship burst through the debris and came to a screeching halt right in front of Adjutant. Dirt, rocks, and the scent of ozone filled the air; when the dust settled, Adjutant uncurled herself to see Queen Papilion's upper half decorating the helm windows. The rest of her was nowhere to be found.

A persistent squeaking sound came from the Virtuoso's left side. Adjutant leaned over to see a hatch open.

Comet Chaser poked her head out of the hatch and sighed as she saw the remains of Queen Papilion. "I knew I should have installed windshield wipers before I left."

Adjutant staggered back into the diplomatic quarters, leaning heavily on Comet Chaser as she did so. Ace immediately sprang up to assist her and guided her to a bed. Beside her, Adjutant could see Princess Apida, who was being slowly healed by Queen Andrenida. The scorch mark on her chest was gone now, though Adjutant could have sworn she still smelled burnt flesh and chitin.

Her shoulder ached; Adjutant looked down at it and realized she was smelling herself. She smelled like pork. When did she become injured?

"Hey, boss, are you ok?" Ace waved a hoof in front of her face. "You're looking a bit out of it."

"I'm fine." She swatted his hoof away, only to be rewarded with a burst of exquisite agony from her shoulder that left curses ringing through the room.

Andrenida's visage immediately replaced Ace's. "It's alright, dear. You'll be fine. Just let me work."

She levitated a jar over and opened it to reveal a rich, pale yellow gel within. Royal jelly. A substantial portion poured out of the jar and onto her shoulder. It felt good. Andrenida's horn glowed and gently massaged the royal jelly into Adjutant's wound, before weaving a healing spell over it.

Adjutant breathed in deeply as she tried to focus on what had happened. They were attacked during negotiations. There had been many deaths on both sides. Her eyes darted around in panic.

"Ace?"

"I'm here." She felt his hoof on her good foreleg.

"The others? Safe?"

"Silent and Flash are both in triage," he whispered. "We'll all be fine. Don't worry."

"I–what do we do now? That was our only chance."

Andrenida gave her a reassuring smile. "The other hives will take disciplinary action against Hive Ephemera. I don't foresee much resistance as their queen has...prematurely expired, but I have a feeling that you'll get quite a large amount of royal jelly as compensation for Papilion's actions."

"I didn't think...I never wanted…" Adjutant's breathing broke down into a series of rapid pants. "Is she alright? Your daughter, I mean."

"I am."

They looked over to see Princess Apida watching them.

"An apology is in order, I believe." Apida extended her hoof towards Adjutant, who shook it numbly, and Ace, who did so suspiciously. "I haven't been enthusiastic about you or your ideas, but you're not out to stab us in the back. You have my support in your future endeavors"

Queen Andrenida nuzzled her daughter's neck. "That's my girl."

"Mom, stop it," Apida sputtered. "You're embarrassing me in front of the guests!"

Chapter 7

A week later, the Virtuoso limped into the Everfree, still bearing the proud scars of its battle. It touched down in the castle courtyard with much less grace than it had before. Adjutant stood on the foredeck smiling at the sight of her home, while Ace was napping on a deck chair and Flash Sentry and Silent Knight were finishing up a game of hoofball in the rear.

Comet Chaser strolled out of the cabin and unfurled the boarding ramp. "Thank you for flying Air Blueblood, fillies and gentlecolts. You may now disembark at your final destination. We hope you keep Air Blueblood in mind for your next exciting adventure."

Flash shot her bemused look. "Seriously?"

She grinned and gave a little shrug. "He pays me to say it on every flight."

Adjutant tapped her hooves on the deck to get everyone's attention. "Alright boys, playtime's over. Go unload the cargo of jelly. Ace, you too, and then you can go home and...do whatever it is you do in Ponyville until I need you again."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Adjutant noticed Ace looked quite annoyed and had a slight tremble in one leg.

"Fire me if you want, but I've had it with your attitude. I felt like I was just a tool without a use out there. I'm no soldier, nor an ambassador. I came along because I trust you as this colony's leader, but either you start treating me with a little respect for the talents I do have or you can find another dumb changeling to drag around as your lackey."

Adjutant glared at the others on deck. "What are you all waiting for? Get to work!"

The other three shot Ace a sympathetic glance. For a moment, Silent Knight looked as if he might intercede on Ace's behalf, but Flash cut him off with a firm shake of the head and hurried him below deck. Ace quivered as Adjutant walked up to him, but his hooves held fast. She raised her hoof and he flinched, only to realize that she was cupping his cheek.

"You're right," she whispered. "I brought you along for the wrong reasons, and you did well to help me despite that. You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I'd be very sorry to see you go. Will you accept my apology?"

Ace sighed a bit and relaxed his posture. "Yeah, I guess so. Just...why did you bring me anyway? It wasn't for my infiltration skills; I'm not even the best choice for that."

"No, but you have a certain..." Adjutant trailed off for a moment. "You have this...this uncanny luck wherever you go and somehow it allows you to befriend others so easily. Perhaps I wanted you to come along in hopes that your luck would rub off on me."

"I don't know that I'm really all that lucky. We did get attacked pretty badly at Mephera."

"True, but in the end things turned out in our favor. We have a future ally in Queen Andrenida and I have all the royal jelly I need. I'd say things worked out pretty well."

Ace gave her a light punch on the shoulder. "Well, we had a good leader who kept things together."

Adjutant blushed and looked away as Ace's admiration warmed her heart. "Thank you. Now, if you could please help bring in the cargo?"

"Sure thing," Ace smiled as he trotted off to help the others.

When Discord had escaped from his stony prison, he claimed that he had been fully conscious of the intervening time. It was an open question what his experience was really like, as he might have been guilting Celestia over his punishment, but it was known that ponies who had been petrified would retain a vague impression of events going around. Specific details were beyond the grasp of most minds, but their hazy consciousness would know that visitors had arrived, or conversations took place. It was much like waking up groggy from a strange dream and weaving in and out of consciousness.

Today was Thunderball's shift at Meriwether's side. He sat next to her petrified form reading from Daring Do and the Scarab of Ra. Beside him lay the other books of the series, easily enough to build a foal–sized fortress. If stacked on top of each other in order, they would be enough to stop a heavy ballista bolt dead in its tracks by Daring Do and the Mists of Marecropolis.

The door swung open without announcement as Adjutant strolled in, with a bouquet of flowers. "Good evening."

Thunderball glanced outside the window and saw that the sun had long since set. "To you as well. Can I assume that your mission was a success?"

"Beyond my wildest dreams," Adjutant grinned. "This is going to be big. I can feel it in my exoskeleton."

A shadow passed over Thunderball's face. Adjutant quietly laid her flowers down at Meriwether's hooves before speaking with him.

"You don't trust me."

Thunderball opened his mouth, but could not respond. He instead chose to look away. Adjutant cupped his cheek and turned his head towards her.

"Don't be ashamed. I'm actually quite flattered." She pecked him lightly on the cheek. "If you're having second thoughts about me becoming a queen, we can always send the royal jelly and Meriwether to Queen Andrenida. I'm sure she'd be happy to do it."

Thunderball looked deep into her blue eyes. "Why?"

"I want to become a powerful queen in my own right, but I also want Meriwether to live, and for you to be happy," Adjutant shrugged. "Two out of three isn't bad, though, and I'm sure I'll go quite far purely by my own efforts. I don't see any particular problem in forgoing an ascension for your sake."

He licked his lips and hesitated before stepping in close.Hot air rushed out of his nostrils as he nuzzled her neck. "Do it. Take the royal jelly and cure Meriwether. I have no objections."

Adjutant hugged him so tightly that he thought he might burst. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Give me a month or two to transform, and we can get started on Meriwether."

"Is there any way you can do it quicker?"

"Hm." Adjutant tapped her chin. "I've heard that a proto-queen could accelerate the transformation if she has established a mating pair. Care to try that one out?"

Adjutant chuckled a Thunderball began sputtering incoherently. "Then I guess I'll see you in a month or two."

Epilogue: The Great and Glorious Ascension of Adjutant

Down in the dungeons below the Castle of the Two Sisters sat a white marble dais. The original ceremonial role of the platform was unknown, but it had been appropriated for the cocoon of a changeling who had been immersed in a sea of royal jelly. Over the course of two months, the nutrient rich environment would catalyze the transformation of an ordinary adult changeling into a queen.

The cocoon slowly cracked open, and a thin trickle of liquid spilled out. A substantial section of the cocoon gave way next, flooding the chamber. The jelly oozed along the floor and threatened to envelop the hooves of a watching pegasus, who simply flapped his wings and hovered in the air as it continued on its way.

A changeling, almost as tall as Princess Luna, stepped out of the cocoon. She flicked her wet mane out of her eyes regally as she surveyed her surroundings. Her gossamer wings glistened as she unfolded them. She extended a long foreleg out and stepped off of the dais. The hoof slipped on the wet stonework and sent her crashing into the floor.

Thunderball glided over to her side and smirked. "Not used to the bigger body?"

Adjutant narrowed her eyes and spat a mouthful of jelly at him, hitting Thundeball squarely in the face.