As The Sun Sets

by Noobblue

...Finish,

"Hey Amber!"

"Afternoon Cadance."

Cadance quickly trotted up to the mare in question in the courtroom. Very similar to an actual court room, since apparently the pony who was in charge of modeling the room and the surrounding crystal heard 'court' and just galloped with it. The room itself had a couple of crystal stands, one for herself, potentially an addition, and Amber to sit comfortably on what was basically a high chair for quadrupeds with a matching pulpit, the remainder of the room was a series of crystal pews and what amounted to 'fancy crystal bleachers'.

"What's on the menu for today?" Cadance asked while she was climbing up onto the stand where Amber was sitting, so half her question came out as a grunt as she hauled herself up.

Amber, instead of answering, slid over a leaflet with hoof scribbled notes to her.

"Hmm..." Cadance was just in a random mindset to talk aloud, "No 'versus' interactions today."

"I know you like those." Amber said, still reading through a proper packet of paper.

"What can I say? Princess of Love." Cadance leaned over to Amber, "What's this one mean?" she held the paper up and pointed to a line that said: 'cloth change request'

Amber looked over, "Oh, I'm not entirely sure, it's about The Empire's textile industry, an import issue to be specific."

Cadance nodded, "I see"

She did not see, but it didn't matter too much; Amber was the pony who did all of the work during open court. Her memory for fringe and normal laws meant that Cadance was only a relay for the court communications.

Honestly, Amber could probably do most of my job if she had a horn and wings...

The sheet was more of a reference guide for Amber to look up laws and court precedents rather than something to make any real sense of. Things like 'building code violation' and 'walkway funding' tended to be too obscure for Cadance to really glean anything, for example, one just said: 'Banana problem'

With a single exhaled laugh, Cadance turned over the sheet and glanced at Amber, the mare still nose deep in a pair of tomes.

"Ready?"

Amber nodded, closed her books, and made to mark something down as Cadance gestured for the guards by the door to start open court.

The pair simultaneously pushed the doors open as another pair of guards moved to the sides of the stand.

In the next couple of minutes, as Cadance smiled and waved at the incoming ponies, and Amber pretended to be paying attention while continuing to take notes, ponies moved to the bleachers with journals or books, and petitioners took their seats in order of arrival at the pews.

Once everypony was seated, Cadance let off a chime from her horn; something she always did. The crowd settled, and she spoke out to the crowd, "Open Court is now in session. Can the first petitioner please come forwards?"

An icy blue crystal mare with a white mane slid off her seat in the pews and approached the stand. After a short 'bow' she started talking in a tired tone, "Good morning Princess Cadance" she nodded again, and then drew herself up to banish whatever exhaustion was plaguing her.

"As you know, going back a bit, The House Cut's Mansion was burned to the ground by criminal elements."

Ah so we're starting there.

"I represent The Cut House when it comes to... reimbursement for what they lost."

Cadance silently nodded

"Normally such a thing would be simple, but the Equestrian insurance agencies refuse to fund the reconstruction of Stone's mansion because of his criminal nature." She made a light sweeping gesture with her front hooves, "They claim that the loss was self-inflicted under category criminal activism; now, of course, The House of Cut does not stand with Stone, but his resources being thrown to the wind is something my client would prefer against."

Cadance spoke once the mare was done, "I believe I understand. So you were hired recently?"

"No, Princess, I've worked for The House since the Empire's return."

Mhm

"Please continue."

"Essentially, I was hoping for either a diplomatic solution with our Equestria contacts managed by the crown, or recompense in part for the property that was destroyed, as the manor was a local library."

Cadance nodded slowly, waiting for Amber to pass her whatever she was scribbling down on a scrap sheet. The 'I was hoping' and the mare's exhausted disposition stuck out to Cadance enough that she reached out with her senses towards the mare; normally her ability to sense other's was limited to touch, or her immediate surroundings. What she felt was desperation.

Why would you be desperate?

Amber slid the paper over to her. There was a note about the Empire's 'fair ownership acting clause' and the Equestrian insurance rights to refuse payouts to criminal elements. In short, Cadance could do something, which basically boiled down to asking a company very nicely for a very large sum of bits. So no guarantee, coupled with the Crown's lack of responsibility for Stone Cut's actions, since he was a 'private' citizen...

Cadance looked up from the paper, "I'm sorry, but I'm sure you know why the crown wouldn't need to get involved in order to say no." She watched the mare fight to keep her expression neutral and her ears from folding down, "However, if you'd like to stay in the stands until the end of court today, I may have a solution for you, personally."

The mare's mouth opened dumbly in confusion momentarily before she responded, "Of... Of course."

"Can you-?"

The guard was already on his way to open the gate to let the mare into the stands from the front of the room.

"Next please!" Cadance called out, as the blue crystal mare took a seat in the stands.

An orange earth stallion stood from his seat and approached Cadance's stand. Cadance had originally assumed he was already standing, his now towering height evident.

"How can the crown help you today sir?"

The stallion spoke with an even and deep voice, "Orange Oak from the Civil Guild ma'am." He tilted his head in respect, "I wanted to discuss the organizational..." He fake coughed into his hoof, "Discourse with the new central district lines."

Oh boy...

---

"So you want to have the shop remove its signage? The signage on its property?"

"Yes Princess, the shade from th-"

"Is their sign hanging over, your property?"

"Well... no, but-"

"Move your planter box to the other side of your yard. Next!"

---

"So you see, the classical style of presentation for the art should be altered to better fit the requirements, dare I say, the standards of which the Crystal Empire holds dear."

"..."

"..."

"No. Just... no."

---

"Actually, rather than funds, I think I can get you in touch with a team working on that very problem, here, Amber?"

"..."

"Here you go, their working hours and some details, tell Homeward I sent you; they'll help you out."

---

"The next Crystal Fair is in the works to be three months after the Winter Moon Solstice. Here, this is a room number for the event offices, on the third floor, you can ask them anything else"

---

"I'd like to sue the Noble Houses."

Cadance coughed

Eheh, heh

Oh. He's not joking

In front of her, and a couple hooves down from the stand was a stark yellow coated, brown maned earth pony stallion wearing a tan suit, tie and vest combo, with a white button down underneath.

Amber poked her from the side, and she looked down to see Amber pointing at the point on her list labeled 'Banana problem'

"Sir-"

"Mr. Slip, if you would, please and thank you."

Cadance slowly continued, after being interrupted, "Mr. Slip. Can you clarify, what you mean by, 'sue the Noble Houses'?"

The few onlookers still in the chambers were either watching dumbfounded, and in the single reporter's case, frantically scribbling in their notebook.

"Of course." The stallion smiled, in fact, he'd been smiling the cool, calm and collected smile of a lawyer for the duration of his presence at the stand. "To clarify, I've been trying to have a sit down with any of the Noble Houses' representatives for the past week or so, to no avail. As such, I've come to you hoping for an audience at worst, and a court date, at best."

Alright, this suddenly got very interesting, best take this slow

Cadance gave the stallion her full attention, "And on what grounds are you suing for? Both out of personal interest, and for the books."

"For the violation of several international laws, the criminal slavery accords of forty nine, in addition to violation of several of its derivatives; the economic bindery agreement dating back to Equestria's and The Empire's original alliance, and the civilized black magic pact of one fifty five. Also, absurd misuse of staff, to put it kindly, and several counts of treason, fraud, and wartime criminal activity. Association with hostile powers, and a number of legal violations of the Houses Oath's"

Cadance stared blankly forwards

Ah...

"I see."

"And that would be, all of the houses, your highness." The stallion's mouth twitched up slightly into a smirk before returning to normal.

"You're suggesting a full scale criminal investigation of every single Noble House in the Empire?"

"Yes."

Cadance's hind leg lightly tapped against the chair as she bounced it in thought.

Should I just dismiss this? It's preposterous to begin with, but some of my ponies were slaves.

Cadance debated the lash back versus potentially letting this go onwards. The unfortunate truth, however, was that Cadance didn't have long to think. Thinking, in it of itself, was a kind of answer, and thus she knew she had to only look 'contemplative', rather than, 'deep in thought'.

Cadance carried an even tone as she responded, trying not to hint her bias one way or the other. "I will send out missives with the details of your requests directly to the Nobles. If you can provide an address to the guards as you leave, I will equally send you a message personally when I either hear or do not hear a response."

The smiling stallion nodded and half turned away. "Will that be all?" He said, making eye contact

Not Silver... good to know

"Yes. Next!"

---

"Well that was stranger than it normally was."

Amber glanced over from her freshly made tome of notes, tried to make some sort of facial expression, and then looked away.

"Princess?"

Cadance turned from the stand towards the mare from earlier. "Ah, my apologies, I almost forgot you were there." She shifted her weight and rolled off the chair onto the small platform, quickly making her way down the high steps.

The mare spoke as Cadance approached, "You said you could help me?"

"Well I can't help you retain your job. Sorry," Cadance tried to look apologetic, mildly failed. She didn't care much for the Nobles as a whole. "I can, however, offer you a new one."

The mare looked shocked momentarily, "How- but... How could you know that?"

Cadance allowed herself a quiet chuckle at the mare's expense. "First, what's your name?"

"Blue Skies, your highness."

"Well Ms. Skies, I'd like to hire you to work on a project of mine; so long as you actually get fired for not solving the mansion issue."

Skies' desperation had long since vanished, and one didn't need to be able to sense emotion to tell.

"Of course! I can't guarantee that I'll-"

Cadance interrupted "You're a kind of lawyer? Yes?"

"Uh- Yes, Princess." She nodded hastily

"I'll need your expertise, please, go and deal with your current work environment, send Amber a letter, or come to my office if you become available."

Skies nodded again, "Thank you Princess Cadance, I will."

Cadance tilted her head slightly as the mare continued to stand in place.

Skies' smile turned awkward, "Right, sorry." before she turned and made her way out of the chamber.

What was that about?

"You didn't have to do that you know"

Cadance jumped ever so slightly, and put a hoof to her chest, "Amber! I didn't see you."

Amber rolled her eyes, "All in all, a successful day."

Cadance made a vague gesture, "So far, I still have that meeting with Fractured Mirror."

Amber nodded as her eyes darted to the binder full of paper in her hooves, "In just over an hour; lunch?"

Cadance bounced her head around in thought for a moment, "I think I'll go to my office, would you grab me something?"

Amber nodded instead of responding, absorbed in her notes as she walked away.

I really need to learn how to hold a book and walk at the same time like that

Cadance took a wing and cleared the room while Amber took one of the side hallways out. She waved to a couple of lingering ponies as she stepped out of the still open double doors before clearing the crowd and starting the short walk back towards her office. Her thoughts consumed by the missives she was about to draft.

Should I talk to myself?

Cadance snorted at the idiotic reflexive thought as she entered her office. A quick kick, probably a bit more forceful than necessary handled the entry.

Ugh, I really need to stop leaving my office like this

It was organized chaos at best.

Cadance lit her horn and got to work procrastinating the efforts of writing out to the Nobles Houses that there was somepony here to sue them. After a too short minute of cleaning up her desk, Cadance sat down with her head between her front hooves, and blew a sigh from her mouth.

Hoooooooow. am I. gonna. do. this.

A paper levitated to just in-between where she was resting her front limbs

No dearing, I have to make the opening sound blunt, but still cordial

She sat back

Is there a word for that?

Just start with a name: Miss Gemstone, I want to relay... mmm, no. Miss Gemstone, I crossed paths with a peculiar pony in open court today; I was made to believe you might recognize the name Banana Slip? After the showing he gave in court, I had to make the snap decision to attempt an actual meeting between the Nobles for his purposes, unfortunate bu-

Cadance hummed as an idea struck her. She levitated another paper on top of her letter and began writing anew.

Silver, I've got something that concerns you, are you busy?

heh, okay no.

Silver, I need your help with something, I know you're busy, this is important.

Cadance lifted the paper with her hooves

Yeah, okay.

She followed the same techniques she'd already practiced. Levitating the paper in an unstable aura, overcharging it, and as a little pink and blue smoke fell from her vision, the paper burned up and flew away in a flash of magic.

Cadance steepled her hooves and waited for Silver to spontaneously appear and try to startle her. What she got a couple of minutes instead was a return letter. Cadance unrolled it with her magic, and read it aloud.

"I am busy. Figure it out yourself."

She frowned, "Typical."

The next hour of Cadance's time was filled with drafting letters that basically said: 'This guy wants to sue you, we have to do something to deal with him, work with me please.'

---

"Princess Cadance, Sir Mirror is here to see you." Amber said, peaking in her office doors.

Cadance, who knew he was here since she wasn't doing anything after sending the letters, shifted a blank piece of paper over to the side of her desk for no particular reason. "Thank you Amber, please bring him in."

Amber did, she said something too quiet to hear, then pushed open the second door for the stallion in question. A sky blue furred, tanned pink maned crystal pony stepped inside Cadance's humble office. He was wearing a traditional Empire suit, what a tweed jacket would look like if it was closer to a fancy trench coat. A standard for stallions back in the day, if Cadance was remembering correctly.

She greeted him, "Afternoon, Sir Mirror"

Laying it on a bit thick there

"It's a pleasure to see you Princess, it has been too long."

Cadance sat down again, having stood for his entry, "Please sit down, we have much to discuss." Cadance turned to Amber, "Before you leave, would you like anything Mr. Mirror?"

"Oh no, I couldn't, your secretary has already been such a help."

"Of course. Thank you"

The stallion slid a cushion from the sitting table up to Cadance's desk. "And Mr. Mirror was my father, please, call me Fracture."

Cadance nodded, making sure to keep up her 'I care about that' smile. "Now Fracture, the reason I called you in to speak with you to-"

Fracture lifted a hoof, "Actually, if I may be so bold, your highness?"

"Do go on."

He spoke in a cultured voice, too reminiscent of the Nobles from Canterlot for Cadance's tastes, "We in the House of Mirrors have heard compelling stories from Head Sugar's House about your... Fund redistribution."

Cadance tilted her head in some sort of false admission, it just felt right at the time, "I'm not surprised, The House of Mirrors is well known for keeping ears to the ground."

"We like to think of it more as proactive journalism." He tutted, "Regardless, I believe that is the reason you asked for my presence? I've prepared several projects of which to present to your liking."

Mm, so you mean you knew exactly what you were going to get out of this.

Cadance paused for a moment to make sure he was done speaking, "First and foremost, it is the Crown's concern of acclimating each Noble House to the new age we find ourselves in."

Something flashed over Fractured Mirror's face, but he made no move to speak, so Cadance continued, "That and promoting Unity, the Crown and the Nobles are... at odds, at the moment, so to say; Sombra's rule left a lot to be desired."

"I'll say." He tried to say sarcastically, but it came out full of spite and anger.

As a pony who lived through it, that's an adequate response.

"The Spire is undergoing a full reorganization of staff and resources, something I was interested in presenting to you was a sort of 'Nobles' Embassy' in The Spire."

"Nobles' Embassy, Princess?"

Cadance nodded, "Of course, any of the Nobles are free to come and go from the Palace as they please, but having a more standardized location for work and communication is the first step to bringing the Noble Houses together."

Fracture's head moved off as he side eyed Cadance with a raised eyebrow, "You're talking about a melting pot of each and every Noble House? Princess, all due respect of course, but such a thing would never work."

"Why's that?" Came Cadance's flippant response, trying to fight away a smirk.

Fracture stuttered, "Well- Well it comes down to the nature of the Houses of course! We've always been separate entities, such a mish-mash of intents and ideas would break down, it just hasn't ever been done before."

"So it's a problem of leadership?"

"More so a problem of motivation, your highness."

Cadance nodded her head, thinking over her response, "This is why I wanted to present the idea of The House of Mirrors running such a thing."

"Running?"

Cadance smile turned genuine, "Yes. Instead of having each individual House vying for power, the 'embassy' would be run by the House of Mirrors, specifically because it's not a platform for management. Merely a place for the Nobles to communicate and plan with their chosen representatives."

"Well, while that is a generous offer-"

"To be clear." Cadance tilted her head upright, and straightened up her back, "We are moving away, from what happens behind closed doors. The Nobles and the civilian population haven't mingled together since The Empire's return. I know the Noble Houses haven't ever had issues communicating with each other before, all I'm suggesting is making it even easier, and to place it in a public spotlight. To reawaken the public's trust in the Noble Houses."

"I think I understand now." Fracture nodded, his face creased in thought, "It is a public relation project, that doubles as a center for future cooperation between the Houses."

"To say, you hit the nail right on the head, would be an understatement."

"In that case, I'm glad I prepared this for our meeting Princess."

Success!

Fractured continued, "You see, before Sombra's rule, and a ways into it, the House of Mirrors published a state funded weekly paper about anything and everything. It was the peak of high society in The Empire, and how The House of Mirrors became everything we are today. My grandfather penned the first folded article, and my father, may he rest in peace, was the creator of the Crystal Foundation Printing Spell. The House of Mirrors has been juggling the perfect time to bring it back to the forefront of Crystal Empire living, and I believe your embassy presents an incredible opportunity."

"So you'd need a space, and the funding to create the articles, likely the workforce too?"

"Yes, I kn-"

"You'll have it."

"He-ba-" Fracture cleared his throat, "Just like that?"

"I'll make a note to have a wall torn down near the embassy to be converted into a... newsroom?"

Fracture smiled, "In the business, we call it 'history's ground floor.'"

Cadance levitated a quill over a sheet of paper, and started writing down some of the details while she talked, "And anypony working there will be on the Palace staff's payroll, we'll probably have somepony working as the go-between for the supply orders and more."

"And in exchange, the House of Mirrors will be exquisitely happy to run your embassy."

As the two reached over the desk to bump hooves, Cadance turned her tone deep and serious, "I also have a very important job regarding it."

"Oh? Princess?" He said, a little concerned at the sudden shift.

"It's going to need a new name."

Fractured Mirror let out a single refined laugh, "Oh is that all? Not to worry Princess, me and mine are exceptionally good at naming things."

As their hooves touched, and they shook on it, Cadance felt a... revolting series of emotions from the stallion. That laugh was not a laugh, his smile was not a smile. Not something to be surprised by normally, Nobles always had two faces, but this was something else.

Ignoring that, Cadance turned her business casual expression to her favorite 'friendly Princess' expression, "Thank you very much for your time Fracture."

Fracture released her hoof and shook his head, "No, no Princess, thank you for setting this up. I can already envision the papers now. We have a very productive dream here going forwards."

"I look forward to it."

Don't slip, don't slip, don't slip.

He nodded, and gave her a toothy smile, "As do I. Though if that is all, I must be going."

"Actually, I did want to alert you to something."

He kept his smile, but spun his hoof in a 'go on' gesture, "Well don't keep me in suspense Princess."

"There was a stallion in court today, by the name of Banana Slip?" Cadance asked

Fracture's smile turned into a frown and his shoulders slumped. "Ah yes, I know of him. Some new lawyer, looking to make his name by assaulting the honor of the Empire's government." He seemed genuinely disappointed.

Cadance tilted her head, trying for sympathy, but the confusion was probably written all over her muzzle. "Yes, well, he made quite a splash in court today, big enough that I couldn't just send him away."

"Ah."

Succinct.

"Yes, I'm not interested in marehandling him into a poor position, so I figured I'd have to rely on the Houses to deal with him, unfortunately in a public setting."

"I see."

"You don't necessarily seem opposed."

"I'm not. Do with him as you will, you'll have my and my family's full support." he closed his eyes, and put a hoof to the center of his vest, under his coat like suit as he spoke what sounded like a rehearsed line.

"Oh. Well, thank you. That is all."

"Until we speak again Princess." He tilted his head, and Cadance gave a short wave as he left.

As soon as the door was shut, Cadance began mentally berating herself

What the buck were you thinking Cadance!? An Embassy?! You can't just make things up like that on the fly!

She glanced at the sheet of paper full of notes about a new massive undertaking she was probably going to have to organize herself, since no-one else knew about the damn thing.

Cadance awkwardly smiled at the paper as her eye twitched

*Incompressible screaming*