//------------------------------//
// An ultimatum over the fire 
// Story: As The Sun Sets 
// by Noobblue 
//------------------------------//

Cadance, Shining Armor, and Amber along with several of their non-direct advisors, spent the morning doing a 'study session' esc paperwork extravaganza. Cadance had cleared her desk and canceled court citing the details the crown had to deal with for noble traitors. She'd never once caught up with all her paperwork; it was an accomplishment.

Cadance and Shining Armor had then broken for lunch, and spent an hour or so talking about their future. Cadance couldn't help but make the conversation serious with her mental state at the time. It didn't matter though, the conversation still made her happy.

Now her, Shining in tow, plus a guard detail were at Silver's residency. Cadance had gone right up to the door with the express intent of barging in. The muscle was going to stay outside, close enough for her to send a magical flare to get their attention, except of course, just before walking in, she was stopped a series of noises. 

No, not a series of noises, a pattern of noises.

Music.

There was some, jaunty orchestral piece playing, almost exclusively with string instruments. There was no telltale scratch of a record, but-

It's just music, don't get distracted Cadance

Cadance pushed the door open with her magic, it's not that it wasn't locked, it didn't even have a door latch. There wasn't even anything keeping the wind from swinging the door open.

Silver was in the foyer, and glanced quickly to Cadance from behind a pair of goggles before returning to her orb.

The room had been turned into a forge of sorts, there was a furnace carved out of glass and crystal, among numerous tools and cast iron implements for manipulating hot objects laid strewn about. 

Not a very organized worker

Silver at the moment, had a pair of two hoof long cast iron tongs in her teeth, and was holding a black and silver stripped sphere over a violet flame with runic sigils floating around it, and at it's base; she was rotating the sphere to... heat it evenly, Cadance guessed.

Cadance waited until Silver was done, which happened to be around twelve minutes. Cadance during that time realized that the music was gone. It had cut out so quickly when she entered that she hadn't even realized it was missing while she was keeping an eye on Silver.

There was a spark, and the flame went out. The orb slipped from tongs and began to float in a cyan aura. In conjunction Silver raised a hoof with a similar cyan aura emanating from it, and the orb floated onto a stand on the crystal island next to the furnace. Silver turned to Cadance and pulled her goggles off.

Cadance noted that Silver didn't put her hoof back on the ground, instead, awkwardly holding the leg up and balancing on one side.

"You should really knock before you come barging in here. A minute ago, and the gas would have burned your eyes out." She said, nonchalantly.

Cadance took a deep breath, "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Silver smirked, "Are you giving me the opportunity to seclude you before you give me harsh news?"

No

"Think before you speak Little Princess," Silver waved her hoof, the one that glowed, and opaque equally cyan crystal sprouted from the ground. Their magical construction was like watching tree roots grow upwards in slow motion, there was a tinkling noise as the crystal resolved itself into two ornate looking crystal seats. "Here is as good as anywhere else." and Silver sat down.

Cadance walked up to the opposing chair, and put a hoof on it. Real crystal, for sure. She elected to stay standing, "I'm going to give you a series of rules you have to follow."

Silver snorted, "Straight to the point then, eh?"

Cadance looked up from her inspection of the chair and put on a determined look, "If you don't follow them, I'll get Celestia and Luna to come remove you."

"No. Actually you won't."

Cadance felt her eyebrows furrow, "Actually I will. I need you to take this seriously."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

Cadance felt the emotion in the air warble. 

Imagine standing behind a monolithic wall, something that stretches in any direction into infinity. That was a little bit like what sensing emotion was like. The closer you were to a certain section of the wall, the easier it was to feel what somepony was feeling on the opposite side.

This wasn't like that.

This was like something moved the entire wall forwards an inch. Like the field got closer, bigger, as something on the other side, bigger than the wall, decided that the wall should just be somewhere else.

"Okay." Silver's face changed from mildly amused, to serious, her eyes went from empty to sparkling. 

Cadance tried not to stop breathing as she felt the same magical affect from the previous night return in force, she did however, light her horn. The force remained passive, but present.

"You can't enforce anything on me Little Princess." Silver's voice rang in the small room, echoing with magic, "because you have no power to."

Cadance, despite Silver's attempt at intimidating her, stood tall, and didn't lose her determined look. "I may not have that power, but there's a reason you hid. I bet Celestia can stop you."

"Oh she can." Silver didn't lose any menace, but her voice took on a higher tone, like she was teasing Cadance, "You know what a thousand years of being driven to hate someone leads to?"

"I-"

"Factor in my notes on severing my immortality, and I'd reckon by now Celestia knows how to kill me." She said, still in a teasing tone, "Of course, I also know that for sure, since Luna told me."

Cadance tried to verbally be present, but failed, her words being cut off by Silver's dominating presence.

"Of course she told me, she warned me." Silver scoffed, "The gall."

The force began pressing against her, and she put more mana into her horn to keep it at bay.

"She also will, you know." Silver said, "Which is why you won't do it."

"What?"

"Celestia, the first chance she gets, will kill me."

Cadance frowned, "Celestia wouldn't do that."

Silver smiled a smile that was far too wide for a normal pony, "So I take it you haven't noticed my little curse then?"

"Curse, you cursed me? Is that what this is?" Cadance said while vaguely trying to reference the force pressing down on her magic.

"No no. Little Princess, I said, my curse." Silver raised a hoof to her chest, "Discord's curse on me? Did he not tell Twilight to warn you?"

Cadance shook her head, her neck straining under the pressure of whatever Silver was referring to.

Silver laughed, "Still running from your mistakes I see."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Cadance tried

Silver stood, slowly, and stalked forwards towards Cadance, "So Luna didn't tell you either. Didn't tell you why I'm immortal. Not about my curse, why... She basically threw you into the deep end." Silver growled out the last words, as she came muzzle to muzzle with Cadance.

"Stop, please stop."

and the tension left. Whatever curse or force was there was still there, but Silver took several steps back, and their snarling face turned neutral.

Cadance forced herself to speak, "No, I don't know what any of that means. You won't even talk to me! Much less tell me your history!"

"This is me talking to you."

Cadance shook and she didn't realize it, but she had lost control of her expression, she let the mask slip. "This is an assault! This hurts!"

"Yes. It does."

Silver looked on impassively as the force lessened, it lessened because it had found a way past Cadance's magical pressure. 

Hatred, fear, paranoia and more started filtering into her mind. She was an expert when it came to emotions, both literarily, and personally. She realized she was shouting, realized the look of rage plastered over her face.

She's infesting me with negative emotions.

The strange part was that they were her emotions. Cadance's own hatred and rage, strengthened and bubbling unnaturally to the surface of her mind. 

So she changed the aura of her horn from cerulean to pink and drew upon her ties to Love, and the force cringed away from her, as if it had been struck, or so, the magical equivalent.

Her mind went blank as the sudden void of emotion in her head twisted her mind. Her brain reacting defensively to the rapid shifting of her emotion. Cadance closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still channeling her magic.

She lost sight of the room, of Silver, and the domineering presence that came with her. She stopped listening, and just focused on herself, on her Love.

and just like that, she was herself again. Whatever mind altering affect emanating from Silver didn't dare touch the Alicorn of Love.

The entire mental gymnastics felt like it took forever, but in reality, it all took place in less than two seconds.

She opened her eyes to see Silver staring on in shock, and...

Is that fear?

As they locked eyes, Silver's face morphed, her ears pressed flat against her head, wings spread and her tail flicking rapidly.

No. That emotion is Terror.

Silver took a step away from Cadance and looked away.

Cadance didn't know what to say.

"Alright" Silver said, quietly.

"Alright?" Cadance said dumbly, just repeating the word in leu of anything else.

Silver looked back to Cadance, the energy from her eyes gone, and her face covered in a false smirk. "I'll play by your rules."

"You will." Cadance made it sound like a statement, but it was meant to come out as a question

Silver nodded, "But I do have one addendum."

Cadance narrowed one of her eyes, trying to read Silver's face. Trying to understand what just happened, what she was feeling. Anything to connect with her.

"Clear out your Thursdays, that's our girls' night out."

AHa?! What?

"What?" Cadance smiled and nearly laughed from the sheer shock factor of such a statement.

"You wanna reform me? Whatever, you can't do whatever you want to me unless we're friends first." Silver waved her hoof around, "So girls' night out, every Thursday, me and you."

Cadance blinked rapidly, "What just happened Dusk? Why the sudden change?" Cadance tried to change her tone of voice to soft, but it just came out normal, "What's this curse? What was all of that?"

Silver just shook her head, "You want to get to know me Little Princess? Well you can't do it like this, like that rather; spoilers."

That... Has distraction written all over it

"And you'll stop causing a ruckus in the Empire?"

Silver snorted, "Kinda too late for that, and not quite." Silver stuck up a wing quickly, "But! I will start keeping you clued in to the goings on."

"That's it then?"

"Yes, you can leave now." Silver looked at Cadance with a dead smile.

Cadance felt the ideas in her mind not quite connecting. The weight of her wanting to Understand was starting to give her a headache. She needed more information, but of course apparently that was gated behind...

Idea

"How about the Gala?"

Silver raised an eyebrow, face unchanged, still encouraging Cadance to leave.

Cadance nodded to herself, content with this plan, "You come with me to the Grand Galloping Gala at the end of this week, and I'll be able to convince everypony else that you'll..."

Silver pipped up, "Do the things you want me to do, as ambiguous as they are."

Cadance nodded

"Of course there's the problem of Celestia." Silver said; every ounce of essence or meaning behind her words gone. Cadance wondered how she never noticed, how Silver could talk like this, so dispassionate, so empty. Cadance had seen a sparkle of Dusk's real intent and thought, and now everything else seemed... Just as hollow as it was.

Cadance didn't respond, her mind still trying to put the pieces together.

Silver just waited.

"Will she recognize you?"

Silver nodded, "Absolutely, she's smart enough to be scanning for my distinct magical signature. The only reason she hasn't found me yet is because of the Crystal Heart."

"Can you disguise it?"

Silver took on an unreadable expression of disgust. A moment later, she spoke, "Do you want to go to the Gala with a meat puppet?" Silver laughed, "No? Okay, then no."

"What about Luna?"

"What about her?"

Cadance spoke slowly, trying to piece together her words as she thought of them, "She... knew you escaped,  can she hide you from Celestia?"

Silver frowned, "She does, and she might."

"I'll send her a letter."

Silver didn't respond.

"Dusk?"

"Start getting used to calling me Quick or Silver. You're going to have to be doing it in public."

Cadance nodded, "A bit for your thoughts?"

"No, and I hate that phrase. My thoughts aren't worth your bit."

Cadance tried to rebuttal that, but Silver held up a hoof, and rubbed her forehead with a wing "I'm actually going to have to go to a Gala aren't I?"

Cadance kept her face even.

"Buck."

She failed. Giggling at Silver's explative

"So you'll go?"

"If you can get me a ticket, and confirm Luna can keep me hidden. She doesn't particularly want me to die either."

I hope this doesn't get shot down

"Why did... Well I'm guessing Luna intentionally let you go?"

Silver nodded

"Why?"

"Because Luna is scared of me, like Amber. The difference being that what Luna is scared of is very; very real."

Completely unhelpful.

"I'll ask her then, and then... I'll have somepony bring you a message, and I'll come get you from here the day of the Gala."

"Alright, it's a date." Silver said, turning away and back to her tools.

Feeling suitably dismissed, Cadance turned to leave. She hesitated, and looked back to Silver, day dreaming of Silver just telling her everything she wanted to know. 

Cadance caught Silver staring. 

Just as she brought herself out of her thoughts, she locked eyes with Silver, who was side eyeing her as she left. Silver twitched like she was going to look away, but was already caught.

I don't know you

Cadance gave a tired smile to the empty stare.

But I will

and she left.

The door was just as easy to push through as it was the first time. Several ponies were closer than they needed to be. With Shining awkwardly standing near the back of the formation.

She gave them a nod and smile of assurance, before trotting off the step and onto the lawn.

She walked up to Shining

"So it worked?"

Cadance nodded, "I'm just going to need a minute. Silver was..."

"Not happy I take it?"

"Intense." Cadance settled.

She watched the guards pack up. Their officer took them out and back to the Empire.

She breathed in the air. Looked at Shining.

Thursday is... two days away. Gala is Sunday. We... I have to write that letter.

Did Luna? I guess she never lied to me. She still... She knew all that time...

These... Old creatures are maddening. I'm starting to see the trend. Discord, Dusk... Luna, all of them are crazy.

Of course, the line of thought lead her to Dusk's comment about Celestia. Despite what she wanted to believe. Celestia taught her everything she knows about diplomacy, negotiations.

Celestia knows how to be cut-throat. She's run a kingdom, the biggest one in the world, for more than a thousand years uncontested.

Cadance mentally approached the idea of her aunt being a murderer.

A proper one, since what Dusk described was essentially killing out of hatred.

She wouldn't. Celestia's not a killer.

Cadance banished that line of thought and refocused on the things happening around her.

Shining had brought himself next to her, and had placed a hoof in-between hers in silent support as she thought. 

"So... Shall we go interrogate some cultists?"

Shining Armor pulled his face back and smiled and shook his head, surprised. "That is not what I expected you to say."

She smiled and began walking a couple of steps, Shining took the cue, and they began walking together. Several crystal ponies and equally, journalists who had been drawn to the forty minute exercise out into the city followed discretely, interested in what was going on, and/or bored.

"We have to do it sometime right?"

Shining thought for a second, "I guess so." he said, uncharacteristically apprehensive.

"You okay?"

"Are you?"

Cadance kept walking,

"You seem shaken."

She kept walking.

"He was intense. She I guess."

"Dusk is always intense. This is different."

"I'm okay."

"Cadance, please, I know you. Something happened in there, with Dusk's ability to twist the mind-"

"He didn't do anything to me." She said, her tone dropping deeper.

Shining didn't respond. They kept walking.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I know how stressful this is for you."

They were nearly at the palace by now, the behemoth stretching into the sky only promised more stress and work for Cadance. Despite her ability to push through, and her practice, it loomed in her mind. Made her feel... bad.

I must be even more stressed than I thought

"He's just... confounding." Candace said with exasperation, "I want... He doesn't talk like he hates us, hates me, but he refuses to connect with me at all."

"Have you been able to read him?"

'Read him' was code for using her special talent. She, among the other perks of being an alicorn, could get a sense for what a pony was feeling.

"No. Nothing from him. No emotion."

Shining thought, "So what did he say?"

"He said... He'll play by our rules." She stopped and tried not to cringe at Shining's coming reaction, "And he wants to go out on... 'girls' night out' every Thursday, from now on."

Shining sighed. "And you said yes."

"It was-"

"Do I need to explain how much of a bad idea that is? For so many reasons?" Shining waved out to a passing citizen.

"No."

"Then okay, I guess. We can't go back on it now." He said tersely

Cadance wanted to explain, but Shining cut her off.

"I know it's your thing, so I'll just sit back and let you handle it."

I listened to your advice didn't I. Did this whole ultimatum thing to begin with.

"It's... I'm just the mouth piece, but-" She tried

"Cadance. We don't negotiate with hostile forces." He said slowly at first, though it turned into whisper shouting, "And we especially do not devote entire days to going out to have fun with them!"

"It works doesn't it? Dusk falls into line, and I have a chance to befriend him."

Shining sighed, "If it goes to plan."

Cadance sighed. "Which it won't."

It was something they learned together, about ruling. Nothing went to plan. Nothing ever could be trusted to go to plan. They were lost in the mire.

At least they were lost together. Cadance felt Shining's low bearing fear, and apprehension, along with her own. 

She was not alone.

That made her strong.