//------------------------------//
// Chapter 22 
// Story: Other Duties As Required 
// by Hiver 
//------------------------------//

I read the report before I sighed and dropped it on her desk, "Alright, enough is enough. I'm done dealing with this pile of horseapples. Flower, if you would be so kind as to send a letter to Canterlot and request a judge."

Flower looked up from the papers she had been sorting, "Your majesty?" she asked in surprise.

I shook my head, "Two more arrests. This time a local and a guard that got into a screaming match in the middle of the market that escalated to physical violence. Nopony got hurt, they're in separate holding cells. Seems to be some kind of relationship that broke down. The point is that I have enough on my plate without dealing with this as well. Which means that we need a more formal justice system set up. Which means we're starting with an experienced judge."

Flower Rain looked uncertain as she hesitated, one hoof of the floor, "I would think somepony local would be a better pick, sir," she finally said.

"Possibly, or possibly not," I said and shook my head, "But in the end it's rather moot as we don't have anypony with the experience for it. We have a couple of advocates that so far have been doing other jobs, they'll likely be happy to be able to do their thing at least part time. But none with what experience we need."

"What if they're not fair?"

I smiled at her, "Flower, do you think I would let something like that stand?"

Her eyes went wide and she shook her head, "Of course not, your majesty!"

"They'd be out on their tail so fast they think they'd learned to teleport," I said, "But I don't see Princess Celestia sending anypony she was not certain of. I would just ask her in a dream, but I want this to be nice and official."

Besides, I was a bit annoyed with her at the moment.

Flower perked up a bit, "You are of course right, sir."

"Just because somepony isn't from here does not mean they're against bats, Flower," I told her gently, "The majority of ponies either do not care or are at least mildly supportive. Don't fall into the trap that makes you think everypony from Equestria is against us. They're not."

"I know, sir."

I regarded her and she shifted slightly, ears folding to the side, 

"It's... it's just every day we have reports of some daypony causing trouble."

"And how many guards from that outpost visit Nocturnis every week?" I asked with a smile, "It's called survivorship bias, Flower."

"Survivorship bias?" she asked with a small frown.

I nodded, "Yes. Let me give you an example. Say there is a war and ponies come back hurt. You look at the number and notice that the majority of ponies that return with head injuries have been wearing helmets. What's the conclusion here?"

Flower slowly nodded, one hoof lifted off the floor, "That wearing a helmet in a fight makes you more likely to get a head injury. But that doesn't make any sense."

I smiled, "So what's the real conclusion?"

Her ears drooped slightly more after a moment of thought, "Those without helmets and get hit aren't on the injury list because they don't come back at all."

"Correct," I said with a nod, "And the moral of the story?"

"We have to be careful to make sure we know all the facts before making a decision. There may be things you don't see," she said and then nodded, "And just because it's in the data doesn't mean it's the entire picture."

"Also, wear a helmet."

That got a small laugh from the small bat pony, "That too, sir. Alright, I see your point. Dozens of ponies arrive and we hear of one or two."

I nodded and then sighed, "What's next on the agenda?"

"There is an appointment with Tight Bit in fifteen minutes, sir," Flower said and gathered up some papers from the signed pile, "I'll alert the kitchen for some tea."

"Maybe a snack as well?"

"Of course, sir," she said with a smile as she trotted out.

Slipping down from my chair at the desk, I stretched before folding my wings again, slowly blinking. I was already sleepy and it was barely three. After Tight Bit leaves, I'll take a bit of a nap. I had not visited Sunny and Sparks yet and they should have arrived at their hotel by now.

I likely need that visit anyway, talking to him always made me depressed.

Not his fault, he's a perfectly nice pony. It's the subjects and the joke is always the same, the punchline being 'this is how much we owe' and that number always grows.

Walking onto the balcony, I looked out over the town, the lights glowing among the trees, scents drifting up from the market.

I... actually kind of missed the week I spent as Night Wind. Just the life of a normal pony arriving with nothing. It hadn't been easy exactly, but I got a job, somewhere to stay.

It Could have been the first time they felt they could walk around without hiding they were a bat. They leave where they had lived for this.

Be it to life without fear, without feeling the need to hide or just because they wanted their foals to grow up with other bats. No matter the reason, they left all they knew behind. Maybe alone, maybe with their families.

...And moved here.

Those ponies put their trust in us. In this village.

In me. 

We owed them to live up to that trust. Which meant that we had to make this work. And it did work! Just needed to figure out how to make the bits balance a bit better than they currently are.

Because I wanted ponies to have that experience.

To step off that train and then feel safe. Feel like they have a home.

"Your majesty?"

I glanced back, seeing Tight Bit poke his head in through the open door and I smiled, "Bit, welcome. Come here."

He held his bag of papers beneath one wing as he walked up next to me. The thin bat was almost as tall as I was. He had lived up to his name when he arrived. A dour and somewhat uptight pony.

He was a good example of why we needed Nocturnis. I had seen the change since he arrived in the first wave.

Happier. More confident.

"What do you see?" I asked, nodding out over the town.

Tight Bit carefully put his bag down before looking out, ears slowly shifting, "The town of Nocturnis, sir. The market is in full swing. Ponies moving about their business. A school class going somewhere. A guard patrol on the way to the barrier shield."

I nodded, "It is all of that. Want to know what I see?"

He nodded.

"I see ponies. Ponies that feel safe, not needing to hide. Ponies that do their best with what little they have. Ponies that with even as little as they have, pooled bits to buy me this, because they wanted their prince to have a crown," I said and touched the silver circlet on my head, "Ponies that deserve better."

"Your majesty, I-" Tight Bit started to say and I smiled, shaking my head,

"Just putting some things into perspective for myself," I told him, "Did you review the idea I sent you and the offer from the Crystal Empire?"

"I did, sir," he said with a nod, "We'll go through the numbers, but I think it will work. If it works, it's not a solution, but it will at the very least help."

I smiled, "Now that is great news. Let's look at those numbers."