//------------------------------//
// State Dinner 
// Story: Affairs of State 
// by The6thMaster 
//------------------------------//

	"Okay, do you think the pink gown will blend too much with my coat? It would go well with your guard uniform, which I'm going to send to the cleaners tomorrow morning so don't forget to remind me." Cadence, speaking quickly and in clearly of something of a rush, darted her head out of the closet to look his way. "Are you paying attention?"

Truthfully he wasn't. Shining was going over the guard rotation schedules; he made a note to have a talk with Gemstone about requesting leave at the end of the month. "Whats that?" He asked, finished what he'd been writing down and looked up at his unamused wife.

"Shining Armor, how can you not be taking this seriously? This is our first visit from a foreign country. It would be different if Princess Celestia or Luna were coming to see us but they're from another continent entirely!" She was walking towards him with a 'you're in trouble' face. "As it is we have less than a week to get everything ready. They're already on their way!"

They'd gotten a letter from Celestia that morning which informed them, rather cheerful in its tone, that the President of Prance was on his way towards Canterlot from the other side of the eastern ocean. Apparently it had slipped her mind until that moment that she'd suggested that he head north after his stop to meet her as a formal introduction. He could still remember the way she phrased it.  

To my dearest friends Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.

I am very pleased to know that you are both doing very well in managing the Crystal Empire. I had every confidence that you could handle the responsibility and you have not proven me wrong yet. You may be interested to know that President Briedle of the Republic of Prance will be stopping by in Canterlot for a conference concerning free trade. He is a very charming pony and has even brought his wife, Reneigh.  The return of the Crystal Empire is well known internationally and I may have mentioned that this could be an excellent opportunity for him to make his introductions to you.

He is very enthusiastic to meet you both and, though it is not traditional to be the one who asks, was curious if you would be interested in hosting a state dinner upon his arrival. I am sure he would understand if you were too busy to receive him though. As always Luna and myself are available to provide any assistance you may need if you feel that the work of running an empire is too much. 

With all of my love
Princess Celestia.


Shining Armor had his suspicions about just how and why Celestia had maneuvered them into this situation. He'd never known her to just do things unexpectedly unless it fulfilled some ambition on her part. Of course she wasn't above having a little fun at their expense as well. He also noted that subtle way she implied that they might be foalsat if they tried to turn down the dinner. All in all it was clear that they were being shoved into the wider world of politics whether they wanted to or not.  He vowed to get revenge on Celestia at a later date for her 'help'.

The first thing to deal with, however, was his frazzled wife and avoiding getting yelled at. He put the book down and gave her his full and undivided attention. "Cadence, I don't think this is as big a deal as you're making it out to be. I'm sure the first family of Prance will be very cool and we'll have a great time. Or it'll be really boring. Its just dinner."

Apparently his first tactic wasn't going to work because the look went from 'you're in trouble to' an outright glare. "It is not just dinner. This is our first introduction into...into diplomacy! What if we don't give a good impression to President Briedle and his wife? What would they say to other world leaders about us?"

Shining tilted his head a little, surprised to hear how stressed Cadence was feeling about this. She was usually a bit more laid back. "Aren't we world leaders too? Its not like we talk about Celestia or Luna behind their back, do you really think they're all sharing gossip about one another?"

With an exasperated sigh she stalked off back to the closet. But Shining was now concerned, whatever was bothering her was clearly deeper than just getting ready for a dinner.  With a quick glow of his horn the closet doors swung shut, cutting Cadence off before she buried her head. "Cadence...whats the matter?" He asked while getting off of the bed and walking over to her.

"Its just...its stupid.." She paused, looking away. Shining decided that he'd need to use the 'big guns' and so placed a hoof across her back for comfort.

"If it's bothering you it isn't stupid. What's the matter?"

Sighing, Cadence turned and looked to be on the verge of tears. "Sometimes I still think we're just playing pretend...I mean, I know I'm a Princess but, compared to Celestia or Luna?....I want to be taken seriously."

Oh, that was the problem. "You are being taken serious. I don't think the leader of Prance would come out all this way after visiting Canterlot to see us if he thought we were a joke." 

Cadence looked a little better at that and nuzzled up against him. "You're right but I just want it to go well."

"And I'm sure it will. If you'd like we can get Proper Etiquette to run us through all the courtesies ahead of time." 

Even as he suggested it he knew their Master of Ceremonies was already fretting over all of the preparations which needed to be done. The fussy stallion was probably becoming a terror within both the ballroom and receiving wing of the palace. He'd seen some of the request lists and was sure they were struggling to keep up with his demands which ranged from decorations to the meals and seating arrangements.

Cadence nodded and pulled back.  "I always like it when you wear your dress uniform you know. You always look so handsome in it." She commented, still looking at his chest.

"Yeah, I am pretty studly like that." He boasted, Shining would wear it more often for her if it wasn't such a pain to get on and tight around the collar.

She gave him a playful nudge of her hoof. "You're something alright. Help me pick out what I should wear."

Shining winced, knowing that since he was in 'reassuring' mode he couldn't very well plead that he'd rather just lay in bed and finish up his work. "I don't know anything about dresses. Maybe we could set a fashion trend by just going as ourselves...like we usually do."

A death glare from his wife cut him off from that train of argument, the closet opening wide and the many outfits to try on and inspect looming. Shining Armor resisted a sigh, knowing it was going to be a long night.




"When the dignitaries arrive it is important to remember that they are to greet you first. Then you return the bow and accept their gift. On receiving and thanking them for it you will also give them a gift, though it must be a far less significant one, so do not go handing off the key to the city." Perhaps remembering that he was speaking to his bosses he added "But it is your discretion as to what gift you'd like to give, your majesties " Proper Etiquette had brought a hoof up to twirl at his thin Dali mustache that pointed out and up on either side.

Both Cadence and Shining Armor had made their way the formal ballroom and had asked for quick lessons on protocol for the evening. What they'd gotten was an in depth immersion into the world of etiquette and a touch of international protocol. It actually reminded Shining of being back in school, his depth of experience at state dinners was providing security and making sure there weren't any threats to Celestia.

The crystal pony dominating the room appeared to be very high strung. He was a bright yellow stallion with a clear perfectionist streak judging by the way he darted among the working ponies and made small corrections here and there.  Not even the appearance of the royal family seemed to unnerve him once he was in his particular element. They'd asked him for some pointers and he'd taken to instructing them with as much bossiness as they'd seen him give the ponies decorating the room.

He was actually walking up and down in front of them, much like a drill instructor might, which Shining Armor couldn't help but find entertaining. Cadence raised a hoof after that latest tidbit of information. "Why are we giving them a bad gift?"

Proper Etiquette paused in his pacing and turned to look at her. "Why? It is a custom of sorts. They have come and see you, not the other way around. If you were to visit Prance I would suggest any number of meaningful gifts but in this case something 'lame' will suffice." That made absolutely no sense to Shining but he supposed Proper Etiquette was the expert here.

"Now then. The seating arrangement will be yourselves and the Prance First Family at the center of the dinner area parallel to the ballroom. After a meal it is customary to lead the dance so do not eat too much. The President and his wife will follow in the next dance and you will be free to continue or return to your seat once the rest of the assembly joins you."

They both nodded, Shining wishing he'd remembered to bring something to take notes on. Apparently protocol was a little more complicated then he'd guessed. You learned new things every day, he glanced over to Cadence and was happy to see she looked a great deal less anxious now that they had something to go by.

"Now it will be also your decision how much you wish to talk to the press but I suggest that you do not leave the guests from Prance with them too long or-."

"Reporters will be at the dinner?" Shining asked suddenly, giving Etiquette a quizzical look.

The other unicorn stallion nodded quickly. "Absolutely. There will be many that wish to take a picture of both you and the Prance couple, especially while you dance. It is outside of my capacity as a Master of Ceremony but there has been a great increase of interest and speculation about you, the royal family."

Well that won't give us any reason to be nervous at all now. He thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"We shouldn't leave the President alone with the reporters?" Cadence spoke up once more, looking confused at the notion.

There was a moment of hesitation from Proper Etiquette. "You keep asking me about things that I am not entirely suited to give advice upon your highness. But I know that reporters, not bound by anything approaching decency-" The pony gave a disdainful sniff. "Can sometimes ask questions for which a head of state might not be prepared for. Your presence can not only deter embarrassing questions but keep the line of inquiries along a productive path." 

Shining Armor was starting to regret suggesting that they come speak to this pony. At least then they wouldn't have a whole new reason to be worried. It looked like Cadence was matching his new concerns.

"So we should stay next to them all evening?" He asked, resigning himself to a nerve wracking night.

Thinking for a second, the fussy stallion wirled at his mustache before answering. "I do not think that will be completely necessary. In the past I believe press conferences were given with the hope that journalists would sate their need to write stories and take photographs and avoid seeking them out another way. A sort of quid pro quo if you will. 

Well that sounded promising. "How do we-" Cadence started to ask but was cut off by Proper Etiquette.

"Princess Cadence, I am a pony who specializes in matters of ceremony, dinners and other events, I am not a pony who knows much of anything about matters of communications, press or anything of the sort. If you have questions regarding how to conduct yourself during the dinner itself I would be happy to answer but I simply refuse to risk giving improper advice about that particular subject." He insisted, looking slightly exasperated at the pair.

"Oh, well. Alright then." Cadence answered with a blink. Shining couldn't quite remember the last time that a pony, at least one that worked for them, had outright told them no. 

"Now where was I?" The Master of Ceremonies thought for a second then jumped back to his task. "Ah yes, now you must remember not to mix your silverware. A misused salad fork is very noticeable when it is being used with the non-salad entree let alone the rest of the meal."

Shining Armor was only listening with half a ear. He was wracking his brain for whether or not they had any ponies actually working for them that were specifically hired to do what Proper Etiquette had described; public affairs, communications and handling 'messages'. Glancing over to Cadence he saw a similar look of distraction and realized, with growing dread, that they might very well not have hired any pony for such a job.

Now I know what we're going to do next... He thought, even as the lesson on proper topics of conversation during dinner were discussed in depth.





"Now you may all be wondering why we've assembled you here." Shining Armor said while facing the nearly filled conference room which was now had any pony that Cadence and he thought even slightly qualified to deal with press. 

Cadence was sitting in her own chair, watching him as much as the rest. Shining was pretty sure that either one of them would have been completely overwhelmed at this point if it had been just them alone. They'd grabbed their legal council, Amicus Brief, Post Haste the mailmare who admitted during her interview that she liked to write almost as much as she liked to deliver letters, Rock Steady who had recently been appointed head of security and a half dozen others. All together the room was almost completely filled and now even seemed a bit cramped.

After the gathered collection of ponies nodded at his question he continued, taking a deep breath. "It has come to our attention that we should be holding a press conference for the arriving Prance leaders. "Since we only have a day or two to learn how we hoped some of you could help. While it is not any of your direct jobs we would find it incredibly helpful if you had any suggestions for how to hold a press conference."

Rock Steady leaned forward in his chair, frowning. "Sir, for the last few weeks I've been removing 'journalists' from the premises of the palace. They've been trying to gain entrance presumably to take unflattering pictures or statements from both of you or the staff. Whenever we've seen them out of the palace they have been generally rude and uncooperative.  You want to give access to them now?"

Amicus Brief tapped her hoof on the table, looking at the head of security with a frown. "Perhaps they've become so rude because of how you treat them. I've fielded dozens of complaints from the press, they do have some rights to report on matters of concern."

"You think that gaining access to the royal bedroom to take pictures of one of the royal family while he showered is a 'matter of concern'?" Rock Steady shot back.

"No but we're not going to let tabloid journalists into the press conference. They mean respectable reporters. You shouldn't paint them all with the same brush stroke." Amicus argued.

Shining Armor blinked as he processed what Rock Steady had said before. "They were trying to take pictures of me doing what?-"

Cadence interrupted him. "There is no need to be hostile about this." Both Amicus and Rock Steady quieted immediately. "Both of you have legitimate concerns but Amicus Brief is right that we have to admit a few. Rock Steady, you have discretion to refuse entrance to any journalists who have misbehaved in the past. But please do not be too harsh, we would like at least a few reporters."

Rock Steady nodded, a smile now on his face. Shining Armor had a feeling that more then a few of the recently returned Crystal Empire press corp was going to regret giving the stallion a hard time. Not that he was feeling particularly charitable now that he knew that one of them had tried to snoop in on him showering.

"Amicus Brief, would you be willing to help coordinate the preparation of one of our meeting rooms to hold the conference in?" Cadence had continued, turning to look at the lawyer who nodded in agreement to the request.

"Perfect. Now the only question is how to get the information to the press. Does anypony know-."

Post Haste had perked up suddenly, raising her hoof and giving an excited. "oh, oh!" to be called upon. "My cousin is a reporter, News Worthy, I could ask him for all the addresses write the invitations and rules too." Apparently Post Haste was rather excited to help.

Having her question effectively and quickly answered Cadence blinked at the mailmare. "Well, alright. You can check with Captain Steady for who isn't going to be allowed in. If there are no other questions we can adjourn. If any of you who haven't spoken want to help those in charge feel free, I'd greatly appreciate it." She smiled at all the others, who smiled back at her. Many of those who had merely attended the meeting were actually from the palace's postal staff or the legal council office. It was likely they'd help their fellow coworkers in their respective department.

When the room had emptied itself so that only Shining and Cadence were left he relaxed, letting out a deep breath. "I'm hungry, want to get some lunch?" 

_________________________________________________________________________________________


"It looks like they'll be arriving by train." Cadence remarked, looking over a letter that had just been delivered to them.  They were seated in the residence wing of the palace which was, unlike the expansive and ornate dining hall being decorated, a great deal more small. Cadence had called it 'cozy' and he had to agree it was nice to speak and not hear the echo of his voice resounding off of the walls.

He swallowed the mouthful of lettuce and celery sandwich he'd been chewing. "Is that good or bad?"

"I don't think its either...It just means they won't be flying themselves up to the gate. I suppose it would be hard to accommodate the whole staff they're bringing on flying chariots."

"Or to make it across the ocean with them either." He commented, the sandwich now down on his plate and left alone. He knew enough about being polite not to eat during a conversation.

"Right. Now we have to decide whether to meet them at the station or have a receiving party walk them up to the palace." Cadence explained.

Shining Armor couldn't help but frown a little in thought. Not so much about the issue of how they were going to physically get the Prance delegation to them but that they were still talking about business. Life had managed to get very busy for them these days it seemed. Shining Armor didn't regret for a moment taking on this very important position but he certainly wasn't happy at the way it was interfering with his relationship his wife.


"We should probably let them come to us. Otherwise we might set some sort of precedent that we should meet every important pony that comes to visit. The next visit we might not be able to and then run the risk of insulting them." Was his advice, remembering dozens of seemingly nonsensical things that he had taken part in back in Canterlot with Princess Celestia, her explanation being that it had been done as a tradition and even she couldn't change what she'd set in the past.

Thinking about it for a second, Cadence nodded slowly. "Alright. That makes sense. I'll have a couple of our staff at the station to escort them to the palace."

Shining nodded back but had nothing more to say, curious if she had more concerns about minutia about the upcoming event he waited for her to speak further.	Instead, Cadence went back to eating and he followed suit. A comfortable silence followed, the married couple sharing the relaxing moment mid-day together.

"They're going to be making a play about us." Shining broke the silence after a few minutes, remembering something of interest he'd heard and wanted to share. 

"About us? What?"

He nodded, already grinning at what he'd heard. "Yeah, apparently the city has a famous playwright who wants to write all about our wedding and coming here to defeat Sombra and freeing them."

"Huh..." Cadence said, lowering her own sandwich to think. "Do you want to go?"

Shining nodded. "I think that would be pretty fun. Everypony is probably expecting us too anyway but I kind of want to see who they can get to play me."

"I wonder how they'll cover the parts that nopony was there for. Like when I was stuck down underneath Canterlot..." Cadence mused thoughtfully. "I haven't had anypony ask me what happened."

"Maybe they asked Twily."

"Maybe. Alright, whenever they're ready to premier we'll go."

Shining Armor was certainly glad to hear that. "Oh, and maybe we could go and visit a fancy restaurant."

About to take another bite, Cadence paused and looked a little surprised. "So like a date?" She actually giggled a little at the notion.

He laughed at that. "Well I don't think we really need to date anymore but a night out together would be nice. We've both been a little busy running things here and I'd love to spend a evening off with you, no work stuff."

"Actually that does sound really nice. I remember seeing a Cantalonia Restaurant that just opened." Cadence reached for her drink of water. "That's actually a really great idea Shining."

Shining grinned now, glad he'd thought of it. To him it just seemed like the upcoming dinner, as did everything else, was causing quite a bit of stress on both of them. They'd been essentially working full time and they hadn't had much time together to really relax outside of their mornings and nights. "Hopefully we can avoid the paparazzi."

"Oh I think they'll be fine." She said, suddenly looking rather amused. "You won't be in the shower then."

He gave his wife a look of mock annoyance. "Hey now, what if they took a picture like that and posted it all over the city."

Cadence put her hooves in the air, apparently intending to tease him mercilessly. "I'd think it was nothing I haven't seen before. Maybe they'd catch a good angle of you."

"Yeah but...think of all the little old ladies who'd be looking at my flank!" Even he hadn't exactly been thinking about that, nor was he particularly concerned. They were both smiling for that matter and Shining always enjoyed these little discussions about the weirdness that would surround itself with running the Crystal Empire.

"Then they'd be jealous. Because its a flank that belongs to me. They only get to look." She declared, nodding with a grin. 

Their wait staff had came in and taken away the plates to leave them to relax for a few minutes after lunch. They essentially decided their own schedules but both Cadence and Shining Armor weren't the types to just be lazy and sit around. They took the position of running the Crystal Empire very seriously, even if they weren't always serious themselves.

"Well." Shining said, standing up and stretching. "This is a flank that has to go have a talk with his guards."

Cadence quickly got up as well and walked over to him. He'd been about to say something extra when she kissed him. It wasn't a quick one, either, but a kiss filled with unconstrained affection that had caught him by surprise. She'd even tilted her head a bit, her eyes closed as he blinked in surprise before closing his eyes and tilting his head down to return it.

When they broke apart Shining had to admit that lunch had suddenly become a lot more pleasant.

"I'm very lucky to have you Shining Armor." Cadence said, her voice low and pressing her face next to his. "In a lot of ways. I don't know if I could handle all of this without you. I know I wouldn't be as happy as I am."

He was used to being rather madly in love with his wife but it was always nice to get that sort of confirmation that she shared every bit of his feelings. "I don't think it was luck, I feel like we were meant for each other." Shining said, giving her another kiss which she returned.

It wasn't the same as the romantic night out that he'd suggested but heading back to work after that little moment definitely picked his entire day up. He'd been so happy that he ended up granting Gemstone's leave after all. 

________________________________________________________________________________________

The night of the dinner had arrived and there was a palpable sense of excitement and nervousness in the air. Shining did his best not to tug at the neck of his uniform. He hadn't had to wear it since the day of his wedding and he distantly hoped that the extra tightness he noticed was because the cleaners had shrunk the wool on accident. He hadn't had a particularly good work out routine lately and he realized that he might be going a bit soft.

I'll have to make a habit out of getting up early and having a run with the rest of the guard. He mused, glancing over at Cadence who had ended up going with the high quality pink gown after all. He knew she wouldn't like getting woken up before the sun rose by him waking up to go exercise. She liked to cuddle, especially when they were suppose to be waking up, and he would miss those pleasant starts to the day.

"President Briedle and his delegation have arrived at the station" one of their staff whispered into Cadence's ear, Shining overhearing it.

Shining Armor had somewhat optimistically hoped that this would all blow over and the foreign delegation would skip the whole thing. Of course, that would have wasted all of the hard work that had went into the evening. He glanced around and tried not to blink at the occasional flash of the cameras emanating from the cordoned off reporters. Both he and Cadence were standing up at the top of a series of steps which was the end of the palace's main foyer.

The flags of Prance and the Crystal Empire were displayed prominently on both sides of the couple. There were flowery crystal decorations displayed all along the walls from the foyer where they were waiting to and well into the ballroom that they'd be sitting down for dinner. The lead up to the evening had been a quick walk through all of the events and Shining thought things had been very well setup.

The string quartet they'd invited to play were ready as was the dinner. Shining and Cadence were to greet the delegation and share a few words and questions with the press before heading to dinner. Shining could only hope that all of the carefully scripted and prepared for eventualities of the evening would go as plan with a minimum of hardship. He hoped that, just once, the maxim that 'No plan survives contact with the enemy' didn't hold true.

After a seemingly endless span of time the main doors opened and in walked a well dressed unicorn. In a curious accent he raised his voice, the flash of cameras now practically bathing him in a glow that apparently didn't bother him all that much. "Now presenting President Briedle and First Lady Reneigh of the Republic of Prance!"

The band that had been sitting still until that moment broke out in a rendition of their national anthem as both President Briedle and his wife walked into the foyer and up the steps to greet them. What first struck Shining about the two was how relatively normal, for ponies anyway, they looked. Briedle was a blue earth pony in a styled black suit coat. His brown mane and tail were well styled and bobbed as he walked, not hiding his cutie mark that consisted of a circle of yellow stars. 

His wife Reneigh was simply stunning. She was a slim light pink pegasus mare wearing a fairly simple green one piece dress the colour complementing her long, straight lilac mane. Without staring too close at the wife of a foreign head of state Shining could make out what appeared to be a camera on her flank. Based on how she walked Shining was certain she must have had experience as a model and had the looks to support such a profession.

Shining got to meet Reneigh first, while Cadence greeted the President. Shining and Reneigh shared a respectful bow and hoofshake while the action was mirrored by the other pair. "When they told me how handsome you were, Shining Armor, I didn't realize how much they understated it." Reneigh said with a clear Prance accent. 

"Or How beautiful you are, Princess Cadence." President Briedle spoke up, turning and giving a warm smile.

"Yes, you make a most attractive couple. I am afraid we will look much less so, no?" Reneigh laughed. "I was less lucky when I found my colt here." Briedle put a hoof to his chest and made a hurt sound.

Then they both laughed together, which Shining Armor and Cadence returned with a shaky confusion as to what to make of it. Shining looked at Cadence and she looked at him, trading a glance that essentially said 'what?'. Shining had expected a lot of things from the leader of Prance and his wife. Had actually been war gaming the various ways they might act but he hadn't anticipated...well this.

"We are very happy to have you here in the Crystal Empire." Cadence said, recovering first. 

"And we are very happy to be here, madame Cadence." Briedle said, turning and motioning behind him.

A aide quickly walked up with a ornate box which he quickly handed to the president who in turn presented it to the two of them. "A gift, for the new and happy couple of the Crystal Empire." On opening the lid both Shining Armor and Cadence gasped at what was inside. 

Laying atop a set of cushions was an ornate inlaid crystal pony statue. The detail was almost lifelike in quality with every attention paid to give the surface of the statue a perfectly smooth quality. Somehow the artist had managed to make the crystal the different appropriate colors, rather then a single solid one. Along its base was a inscription written in a language Shining couldn't make out. 

"It's beautiful." Cadence said, still looking at it.

Briedle smiled. "It is a gift from Princess Sapphire to Queen Charlemane well over a thousand and three hundred years ago. As soon as I had heard the circumstances of the Empire's return I had a great desire to return it...as a, how do you say? A full circle. For though you are both very young you are the inheritors of a great legacy. I am certain that Princess Celestia knew very well what she was doing when she entrusted you with such a responsibility."

Proper Etiquette hadn't been kidding when he said that the gift would be impressive. "I don't think the words 'Thank you' do enough to show how meaningful that is to us." Shining said, Cadence nodded while she took her eyes away from the sculpture. The moment passed as one of their staff quickly approached, gingerly took the statue and departed to put it somewhere safe.

President Briedle turned to look in the direction of the press and gave a wave and smile. "Ah, no matter where we go the press always follows it seems. Shall we go say hello?" he said with a smooth, charming ease which Shining found impressive in how natural it sounded.

If nothing else it appeared that the practice of electing ones leaders resulted in skilled politicians. Cadence and he had stumbled repeatedly on how they were suppose to get to the press without it seeming forced and the notion that their guests would take care of it hadn't occurred to them. On the four's approach to the rope line the constant flash of photographs was mixed in with shouted questions which tried to make themselves over top one another.

Again the President of Prance showed his experience by motioning them to quiet with a hoof, which they did. "Good evening to you all, members of the press. I trust you will not speak too quickly, my Equestrian is rusty somewhat. Yes, you have a question?" He motioned to a crystal pony reporter with a notepad in hoof.

"President Briedle, what did you think of the protesters outside of the palace?" The reporter asked, a microphone being thrust out to take the quote.

Shining Armor was pretty sure his heart stopped. "Protesters?" He asked, preventing Briedle from speaking. "What protesters?"

Cadence looked worried too, and the eyes of the press swung onto him. "Yes, there are over two dozen ponies holding signs and picketing outside. They were here before and after the president arrived."

He could tell his mouth was hanging open now, horrified at the notion that a group of ponies were working to insult the head of state and his delegation before they had even stepped foot into the palace. This could be a disaster, a diplomatic blunder that would follow them for the rest of their rule...

The earth pony president actually chuckled. "Ah, a curious and heartwarming show of support for the Princess Celestia. Such a thing occurs on each of my visits and has for my predecessors. Since the days of our revolution those of Equestria fear such a cause will travel across the sea and befell your far more benevolent Princess. I did not see any crystal ponies and imagine that these protesters were the same which I saw when I arrived in New Yoke." 

The reporter, and many others, were writing furiously to take down the statement. "So you don't plan on starting a revolution in Equestria or the Crystal Empire?" She asked as a follow up.

"We did not have it on our itinerary, no." Reneigh spoke up with a chuckle which the reporters returned. Briedle shared the laugh and continued speaking. "If we poor ponies of Prance had been as lucky as Equestria to have the rule of Princess Celestia I do not imagine we would have thrown off the chains of oppression. Prance has always been long friends with Equestria, a relationship I hope is shared with the Crystal Empire."

Cadence apparently took that as a cue to speak and nodded. "Yes, we were very grateful to host both President Briedle and his wife for this dinner."

Another reporter suddenly spoke up, apparently waiting for the chance to ask his question in the brief pause. "Princess Cadence, there are sources inside the palace which suggested that you were largely unprepared for this event. Did it come as a surprise and has it impacted the running of the Crystal Empire at all?"

That was...a fairly difficult question. Cadence took a few seconds to think before shaking her head. "Of course not, we were happy to prepare for the dinner and event. Things have been fine here also. I'm not sure who told you that we were unprepared. You only have to look around to see how 'unprepared' we are." She smiled sweetly, though Shining was versed enough in her expressions to guess that she wasn't happy at the insinuation that they weren't entirely capable of their job.

"Though I have only been here for not too long." Briedle spoke up, taking the spotlight off Cadence for which Shining was fairly grateful. "I see only the signs of a well run city. The trains run on time, the streets are clean and a wonderful press is here to say hello. What more could a pony ask for?" That got another round of chuckles from the press.

As there was a sudden rush of questions said at the same time Shining Armor thought it was a good opportunity to excuse themselves. He was still just a little annoyed at the comparatively rude question towards Cadence to not give the press many more opportunities to have a repeat performance. "I think that's been enough questions. Would you like to have a tour of the palace before dinner, President Briedle?"

He nodded at Shining, smiling as the press tried to get in more questions. "A tour would be most excellent. I have heard much of this buildings natural beauty. I have already seen it has not been exaggerated." The four pulled themselves away from the press and advanced further into the royal palace.

Cadence let out a sigh of relief once they were out of sight from reporters. Shining completely shared that sentiment, one big hurdle had been cleared. Comparatively dinner seemed relatively easy now. The two sets of couples were walking through the expansive hallways of the palace, though saying nothing. Both sets of leaders also had their collection of aides and staff who kept themselves at a respectful distance.

Both Briedle and his wife were glancing around, giving faintly interested glances at various pieces of architecture and displayed art. "You have a wonderful home." Reneigh said, walking next to her husband. "So very grand. Our own palace is nice but I can't help but feel a touch of jealousy at such a place as this."

"You're very generous." Cadence said, sounding almost automatic in her reply. They paused, standing next to a painting of one of the previous leaders of the Crystal Empire. "I hope we don't seem a little..."

"Scared stiff? It is okay." Briedle laughed. "I know, how do you say...On the job training, when I see it. I was not simply covering for you at the press line, for I meant what I said. You both will make fine statesmares if you continue this way."

Shining Armor was starting to think he rather liked this pony, his assurances that they were doing a fine job were certainly helpful for his confidence. Cadence had expressed a similar sentiment before and would probably be very grateful as well. They were interrupted from speaking further by Proper Etiquette, dressed in a fancy outfit of his own, stepping forward.

"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, President Briedle and lady Reneigh. Dinner is prepared and the guests await your entrance." He bowed low and departed towards the ballroom after being dismissed.

Reneigh smiled, nodding her head and motioning with a wing towards where Proper Ettiquette had departed. "That is our cue, I never like to keep a room full of ponies waiting for long. Too long and they might throw food at us for keeping them waiting."

That seemed like a good sense to Shining, the four walked able to quickly arrive at the doors leading into the ballroom which were shut until they were ready to make their entrance. The guards stationed were almost like statues, Shining had been very clear that discipline of the highest order was expected. It would be a few moments before Proper Etiquette could announce them as the room had to be quieted and those wanting to take pictures when they entered needed to make sure they were prepared.

"You look very familiar to me, Misses Reneigh." Cadence commented, looking towards the first lady of Prance.

She smiled, giving a easy wave of her hoof. "Simply Reneigh is fine. As to your question, I would hope so! Before I married my lovely husband here I was a model."

"Oh..." Cadence replied, blinking a little. 

Quite a few questions sprouted in his mind about how they might have gotten together. Now that he looked more closely he had to admit that Reneigh did look quite a bit younger than Briedel. His suspicions had been confirmed about what she had done before presumably getting married. It wasn't for him to speculate on of course and the questions went out of his mind as soon as the door swung open.

Shining Armor only half listened to Proper Etiquette introduce them as he walked into the packed ballroom. The sounds of hooves stamping onto the floor filled the room while Shining Armor recognized dozens of faces that had become very familiar with him since he'd helped take over control of the Crystal Empire. Important business ponies and recently appointed government officials lined the many tables around the center one that they'd be seated at for the evening.

Cadence moved away from the table, as had been planned, and moved over to a podium that faced towards the assembled guests and dignitaries. They'd both stayed up late the previous night finishing up on these brief remarks; almost as much as they had on the toast that he would give midway through the dinner. The next time, Shining swore to himself, they'd handle a formal occasion like this without any trouble. He just hoped that that time would come far, far later.

"I'm very glad to see so many wonderful ponies here tonight." Cadence began, the room now respectfully quiet. "I am also glad that we have had the opportunity to meet President Briedle and his wife as well. This is our very first dinner hosting a foreign leader and I can only hope that every visit can be as enjoyable and friendly as this one has been so far. Though Prance is very far from the Crystal Empire it is nice to know that friends can be found anywhere and that distance is not an obstacle." She finished, smiling to the crowd who gave a polite applause when she stepped away from the podium to return to the table.

Thus the dinner official began, waiters standing by wheeled out cart after cart of gourmet food from the Crystal Empire. What they'd be eating had been a interesting discussion in itself, the lids being pulled away to reveal the iceberg lettuce salad mixed with tomatoes and bits of cucumber. The main dish would follow after the first appetizers naturally. Ultimately it had been Chestnut, their head chef, who had decided on an Eggplant Parmesan. On tasting a sample Shining had agreed it would do well for all concerned. They hadn't wanted to feature a selection of dishes of Prance, reasoning that their guests would probably prefer something they didn't eat all the time.

"What a lovely introduction." Reneigh said when Cadence returned to the table. Briedle nodded in agreement as the food was set in front of them. The President chuckled as he appeared to inspect the crystal plates, wine glasses and cutlery, holding them up next to the candles that flickered on the table. They were high quality and sparkled when held up to the light and for a terrible moment Shining thought they might be chipped or even dirty to prompt Briedle looking at them so closely.

Apparently the president caught Shining's look and, turning to look at him answering the unspoken question Shining was hoping he didn't have to ask. "I see that the moniker of Crystal Empire is not undeserved. A great many things here are indeed made out crystals, the ponies even! It almost feels as if I am in a storybook of sorts." Shining let out the breath he'd been holding; there was nothing wrong, they were just curious about the city which was almost lost out of time.

A waiter arrived with a bottle of wine, pouring it for all of them. Cadence took up the glass and raised it in an unspoken toast which the the three of them returned. Shining had become rather familiar with the selection from the wine cellar, both of them had, though neither of them had much interest in the sub culture of wine tasting. Apparently Briedle however was an expert for his eyebrows jumped in surprise and obviously was impressed.. 

"This is an excellent Pinot noir." He remarked, taking another sip and clearly savoring it. "I have heard a winery expert say that it can make love hot and the soul wax poetic."

Reneigh nodded, also holding the glass a little longer than was usual. "A most romantic selection. Was this on purpose? It is said you are the Princess of love, madame Cadence."

Cadence flushed at that, and looked at Shining for support. He could only shrug, not being much of an authority on wines either. All he'd known was that the particular flavor of wine in front of them was something of a favorite for both of them. "Uh, no. I mean, I am the Princess of love but I didn't know that was what the wine was famous for."

"That is quite alright." Reneigh answered with a grin at the stumbled upon reply.

Shining Armor was quick to dig into the salad to avoid having to add anything. It was silly but he felt a little embarrassed to have been caught essentially unaware about the wine. They'd overlooked that the wine might be a matter of conversation and that important ponies from Prance might also know more then a little about the subject. Both Briedle and Reneigh were giving each other amused looks, presumably entertained at the reaction they'd gotten.

They ate in silence, the din of conversation washed itself over the ballroom from the rest of the assembled guests. Violins from a string quartet provided a light background noise that weaved itself through the air. Shining couldn't begin to guess at what sort of small talk might be best to make with their guests though. What did leaders of countries talk about?

Apparently Reneigh had an idea. "Ah, speaking of love. I am most curious. Not too long ago Princess Celestia visited after our wedding to make some well wishes. For such an attractive mare she is most...stilted in some capacities." She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "We kept her waiting, for a number of minutes, for a most personal type of exchange if you catch my meaning. I was curious if you had had similar experiences, running a nation can make times for privacy rare."

Shining certainly did catch her meaning. He was proud of himself for not letting his mouth fall open in shock at the extremely personal question and anecdote. "Well actually..." He began speaking before Cadence suddenly kicked him under the table. She was beat red, even with the pink hue of her fur. "Ahem, no. I don't believe we've ever had those...experiences." was her answer.

"Reneigh, you are embarrassing our hosts." Briedle chided his wife gently but did not look at all upset. 

The former model turned first lady affected to look innocent. "Ah, my apologies. I have heard that there is much hope and speculation as to a potential future new royal to your new family. My Brie and I had been discussing as much for ourselves, though there is doubtless to be more attention paid to yours. An unfortunate reality of the allure and celebrity afforded to nobility I'm afraid."

Now Shining Armor knew his mouth was left hanging. Both he and his wife were rather openly staring at Reneigh and President Briedle looked like he was about to start laughing out loud. Shining glanced over to his wife, finding her just as mortified, perhaps even more so, as he was. What could they possibly say by way of reply to all of that?

He was saved to his great relief, by Rock Steady coming up next to him. "Sir, there's a small situation developing that we'd like to inform you about." The guard nodded to the others, unaware of the trail of conversation. Shining did not hesitate to jump up and essentially flee thanks to the excuse. There was a moment of guilt at abandoning Cadence to the two guests but he dismissed it. She was on her own.

The next room over was empty save for Rock Steady and he. Shining took a deep breath to relax as his head of security turned. "There's been a break out of a fire in the city, sir." He said simply.

Well things had just gotten a little complicated. "Is it serious?" 

Rock Steady shook his head quickly. "No sir, otherwise we would have alerted you sooner. I was simply bringing it to your attention. The fire department has been mobilized and is containing the blaze now."

"This doesn't have anything to do with the protesters does it? I would hate to have a riot." Though maybe a riot would at least give him something to do. If the President of Prance and his wife kept asking embarrassing questions like they'd been fielding.

Again Rock Steady shook his head. "I don't think so. The protesters were very polite and just waving signs. The fire is many blocks away to the north from here. We don't believe anypony was hurt either."

"Well thank you for telling me. If there's any more updates don't hesitate to get me." Shining insisted, hoping he didn't sound desperate. Rock Steady saluted, which he returned, and then left him to go back into the ballroom. It wouldn't do to dawdle and he'd been in worse situations. Though at least it was straight forward when you were facing down enormously powerful monsters. Walking back in he couldn't help but notice a few eyes going his way for leaving, likely wondering what could have drawn him away and if it concerned them.

Speculation about what had taken him away from the dinner was likely to run rampant but he hadn't been stopped. Returning to the table he couldn't help but notice that Cadence was missing. Both Briedle and Reneigh had finished their meal and had been chatting between one another.

"Your wife was called away as well to attend to a call from Princess Celestia" President Briedle supplied helpfully.

Reneigh nodded in agreement. "Is it always so busy here?"

Shining rubbed at the back of his head. "No, not usually. It wasn't anything serious for me. I'm not sure what Princess Celestia would want."

"I hope we have not given the wrong impression about ourselves." Briedle changed the subject. "There is a time for business and a time for fun. To be always serious about things is a quick way to become, how you say, burned out. Other dinners and functions might have politics and intrigue but we only wished to say hello and warm wishes."

"Well thank you. It can be a bit difficult to run everything." Shining admitted.

He had an opportunity to eat quickly, the time for the toast coming up with Cadence nowhere in sight. It wasn't like he couldn't give it without her, other then some ponies likely to notice her absence. Clearing his throat he lifted his refilled glass into the air with a bit of magic.

The ball room was quickly hushed into silence. The words he'd went over many times were easy to recall. "As my wife said earlier, distance has no impact upon the bonds that we form with those closest to us. President Briedle and his lovely wife have been ideal visitors and already we have been greatly happy to have them with us. I can safely say that we look forward to a long and friendly relationship with the Republic of Prance in general and President Briedle in particular." He tipped his glass even higher. "To Prance and President Briedle."

The assembly answered with "To the President and Prance" and then had a drink.

Briedle smiled and stood himself. As they could hardly have planned it out with him it came as something of a surprise to Shining when he raised his own glass. "I would also like to present my own toast. To both Shining Armor and his lovely wife Princess Cadence I give warm welcome into the community of nations. You crystal ponies truly are blessed to have hard working ponies, your Princess even now attending to matters of state. Such diligence is commendable and a good indication that the future of your great nation will be bright indeed. To the Princess and her husband!" He said, offering the toast which the assembly echoed as "To the Princess!.

It was certainly a warm way to largely end the meal portion of the dinner. Sitting back down it was about five minutes following the toast that Cadence returned. Next to him she glanced around and leaned in against him to whisper. "Did you do the toast?" 

He nodded. "What did Princess Celestia want?"

"I'll tell you in a second. We should start the dance." She said, standing up and motioning for him to follow.

It was, of course, not entirely necessary to dance at the dinner itself. It wasn't always entirely clear when the dinner was over however and the start of dancing seemed to be about as good as anything else to mark it. All eyes were on them as Shining and Cadence made their way into the open ballroom. He didn't have much use for dancing himself but was decent enough at it not to step any any hooves.

They swayed together, dancing slowly. "So?" He couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. "What did she want?"

Cadence gave a little sigh. "She wanted to know how the dinner was going. Then she started to tell me about past times she had hosted dinner for foreign head of states with all of the things we should probably avoid doing. It wasn't like I could hang up on her and she was pretending to not know I was a little busy." She slightly puffed her cheeks out, making a clearly disgruntled face at having her aunt 'mess' with her like that.

"This is all her fault." Shining agreed. "When do we start planning revenge?"

"After our guests leave, Shining." She said, patting him on the shoulder.

It wasn't very long before they were joined by Briedle and his wife, who danced together at a respectful distance. With the evening essentially concluded as far as official events a number of couples made their way to dance as well while the greater portion remained seated and continued talking. All in all, outside of a few unexpected events, Shining thought things had gone very well.

They excused themselves after about twenty minutes of dancing to seat themselves at the table. Their guests joined them shortly thereafter and they chatted altogether until the room was mostly empty. Shining checked a clock and realized it was a little after one in the morning.

Evidently reading his mind Briedle stood up from the table. "The train back to manehattan is leaving rather early I recall. I think we shall depart to bed and see you in the morning for breakfast." Reneigh stood as well and they departed from the two.

Neither of them were interested in staying much longer after and quickly made the way back to the residence,  collapsing together on their bed, exhausted. They hadn't even made it all the way up to the head of their bed with all of its pillows either. 

"Oh." Shining said suddenly as he recalled something from earlier, not lifting his head from on the mattress. "The city caught on fire."

"What?" Cadence said with a start, more awake and staring at him now. "When?"

"Before, when Rock Steady called me out. There was a fire. It must not have been that bad because he didn't have any updates."

He heard her give a little annoyed huff and, with a sudden rush of magic, was hit on the head with a pillow Cadence had launched. "Don't scare me like that, I'm too tired."

"Sorry." Now armed with a pillow he shuffled to put it underneath his head and was completely content with it.

He couldn't tell but he was pretty sure Cadence rolled her eyes at him before moving up to lay properly on the bed. "We just have to see them off tomorrow after breakfast and then I want to take a day to relax." She said, yawning.

Shining gave in crawled up to join her. "That sounds good to me."

Cadence shifted a little, drawing the covers over both of them. "Mhmm." She gave a non-answer, nuzzling deeper into the pillows.

"So...Pinot Noir huh?" He remarked, a smile turning into a sleepy chuckle as he recalled that particular conversation.

Another thrown pillow landing on his face effectively quieted him and they went to sleep soon after that.

______________________________________________________________________________________


"President Briedle it is my great honor to present you with a token of thanks on the part of the Crystal Empire." Cadence was speaking while they stood on the train station which had ferried him and his delegation here and would send them off towards the coast.

He smiled, the flash of photography marking the occasion with the many journalists who'd woken up early in the morning to come see the foreign leader depart. Even they looked a bit fatigued, most of them having been at the dinner and had barely badgered them with any questions when they had arrived here.

"You have been wonderful hosts." Reneigh said, smiling brightly. With the formal occasion over none of them had worn anything, excepting Cadence and her ever present tiara and jewelry. 

Shining floated the gift to them and hoped desperately that the information Proper Etiquette had provided about giving a comparatively lame gift was true. "I present to you a...block of cheese from one of our local stores and a toy model of the Crystal Palace...."

Both Briedle and his wife stared at the gifts, which had been placed in a gift bag and then burst out laughing. "I think this beats the copy of popular songs from Prance that Princess Celestia gave us on our last visit.." Briedle remarked while covering his mouth to muffle some of her laughter.

"Or the model of the solar system we gave on hers." Reneigh said, wiping at his eyes. "It is nice to know that we have new entrants to that silly little tradition." 

"We had a little bit of help learning about it." Shining couldn't help but adding, relieved that they'd guessed right.

The pair traded embraces and hoof shakes between each other and then they boarded the train. Shining and Cadence waved them off and then excused themselves to their residence with a overwhelming sense of relief. 

They had a nice living room which they rarely had the opportunity to enjoy. It had the usual furniture of couches, bookshelves, coffee tables and various high quality decorations which marked any of the rooms in the palace. Shining hadn't actually taken much time to look at any of it but he supposed he'd notice if it was absent.

Shining Armor had laid down on the couch outstretched, eyes closed. He could hear Cadence relax gently into a chair. "Well, we're out of the clear."

"I think we can handle a little bit of business from here but I don't want to do too much." She agreed, he heard the twinkling sound of magic and the light crumple of paper. He distantly remembered he'd seen a newspaper laying on their coffee table but hadn't paid it any mind. If Cadence wanted to read the news to relax that was fine with him. He was already anticipating taking a nap.

He turned a little, eyes still closed and could feel the stress leaving his body. "You think maybe they'll deliver food up to us?"

Cadence didn't reply and he cracked open an eye to look at his wife. She was staring, wide eyed, at the newspaper. "Cadence?" He asked, worried and sitting up off the couch.

When she still didn't answer he moved over to look at what had caught her attention. Very quickly he saw exactly what had her attention.


Princess Celestia calls diplomatic summit!


Princess Celestia has issued a call to all world leaders to meet in Manehattan for a diplomatic summit over the summer. The Princess has admitted to being inspired by the recent visit of the president of Prance and claims that she hopes to start a diplomatic initiative for dialogue on a personal level with all world leaders. "It is my hope that all leaders who are concerned with the continuation of peace and the free flow of information and trade will join with me in Manehattan this summer. I personally know that, having been recently initiated into international diplomacy to great success, my niece and nephew Princess Cadence and Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire will be helpful in spearheading this effort." Princess Celestia was quoted as saying.

It was silent for a long time. If he'd been a little less fatigued after all of the trouble they'd went to in preparing for the dinner he'd have been more panic'd. They hadn't left the Crystal Empire since they'd arrived here. In order to travel outside of the borders to represent their country (for there was no way they could refuse an open invitation like, Celestia had effectively forced them with what she'd said to the paper) they would need to make arrangements for others to manage the empire in their stead. There was also the issue of studying foreign policy, laws and matters of trade. Shining Armor wasn't even sure they had a foreign policy beyond just a general idea of peace and cooperation.

All in all it promised to be a great deal more stressful. Perhaps even worse then something as seemingly benign as preparing for dinner and hosting a foreign head of state. But that all seemed rather distant. Shining Armor had something else on his mind.

"So..." He said with a great deal of calmness in his voice. "Revenge?"

Calmly folding the paper Cadence nodded. "Revenge sounds good." They had a whole evening with which they could lay the groundwork for some sort of revenge on Princess Celestia. Perhaps unbeknownst to her she had awakened a sleeping giant and filled it with a terrible resolve to prank.