Morning dawned over Canterlot, as always exact down to the minute give or take a few. Likewise accurate, the last of Equestria's princesses arrived in the eastward dining room. They'd be able to appreciate the sunlight in its full glory from there, as well as block it out with thick curtains if they decided that it was too early for celebrations.
"Good morning, Twilight," said Princess Luna with vigour that steadily drove the other princesses insane with each morning. At least they could avenge themselves each evening, when it was Luna's time to rise.
"I wished you stopped calling me that," replied Princess Twilight Sparkle, taking her usual seat at the side of the long table. "It sounds like we were... something."
"Equals?" As always, Princess Celestia was present as well, opposing Luna. "I have to agree with you on that, Princess Twilight Sparkle. You are so much more than we, it would seem unfair to treat you like only one of us."
"I guess that's something at least." Twilight bit into a croissant, though she spat it out right afterwards. "I just wished that somebody would come up with a better prank than replacing sugar with salt in the kitchen."
The curtain folded and floated, coming together to form a face built out of so many different parts, yet clearly unified. "Oh, and I'd hoped you'd be a better playmate than they," the face said with a croaky voice coming from everywhere at once. As it spoke, it was accompanied by the gentle wrinkling of the fabric. "Nopony has any sense of humour any more. Fine, if you won't forgive me, I'll go play with the bunnies. At least they understand me."
"Not after what you did to her." Twilight kept a stern eye on the curtain until it dropped, manipulated only by the small breeze coming in through the window. "If only he'd stop his antics, he'd be quite lovely, with what a smooth talker he is."
"Twilight Sparkle, are you implying anything? With him, of all?" said Celestia, using a casual spell to move a cloud so that the sunlight dropped onto Twilight and only her.
Twilight couldn't respond; She was caught indulged in what had transformed back into a sweet treat without Discord's influence. Instead, a fourth voice sounded from the door. "I hope I'm not needed here, am I?"
"Cadance!" With much self-control and a bit of coffee, Twilight managed to stay in her seat whilst Cadance walked around the feast, to the chair opposing hers. "What brings you here?"
"A diplomatic meeting in order to discuss the conditions of a new trade route between Equestria and the Crystals," explained Cadance as she withdrew a glass of sweet wine from the tiny barrel standing on the table. "A trade route that's been running before this even began. In other words, an excuse to spend time with my favorite filly." She brought some of the wine over to Twilight's side. She would never ask for it, but she wasn't objecting either. A toast and a light chug later, she continued, "It's been too long."
"Since I was forced to become a princess, you mean? Lured into a dimension nopony ever understood except for her who was stolen from me, using a setup which would almost have driven everypony into danger beyond any monsters, forced to give up my friends, that which literally brought me into this position in the first place?" Three out of four alicorns' eyes met, none of them sure what to do. "Don't worry, I'm over it. For all the fun that you can have in the castle."
"Well, I meant since the wedding, there always seems to be a crisis going on nowadays. Unfortunately, Shining Armour had to stay back, somepony has to rule the Empire, after all." She paused, as if frozen in time from one moment to the next. "You know, I've never really thought about that he's your brother. I guess we're technically sisters now, and so are my aunties yours... we're all one big family now! Yay!" Another three alicorn gazes met, this time silently agreeing to ignore any consequences. "Thinking of really long times -" she pointed at Luna "- don't you still owe me five bits for that bet a thousand years ago? That you could totally beat Auntie Celestia in a fight?"
As everypony had expected, yet not foreseen, Twilight redecorated her plate with a good spit of coffee. Once Cadance had helped her remove the rest from her lungs, she shrieked, "That was a bet? And you were both into it?"
"My faithful niece Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, "once you've lived for a few tens of thousands of years, you'll start to see things from perspective. You obviously won't since you did not accept the glory, but you see the point. As for you" – she turned towards Cadance and sighed – "do I truly have to pay up after all this time?"
"You bet and lost, Auntie. If you'd like, we can also apply interest. Let me estimate... Twilight, how much is Equestria's net worth again?"
Twilight's wine glass stopped halfway, likely for the better. "Uhm, the last counting gave out a worth of five-hundred thirty-nine quadrillion eight-hundred ninety-four trillion nine-hundred ninety-nine billion eighty-three million two-hundred seventy-five thousand and three-hundred ninety-seven bits." The glass floated a few inches further upwards, allowing her to sip from it. "Give or take a few hundred thousand."
"Wonderful. The Crystal Empire officially owns Equestria from now on, then." She made a dismissing gesture towards the door. "Or you could pay up right now."
"Let me go acquire my purse." Luna stood up and left. For the following minutes, nopony dared to move, except for Cadance munching away at her breakfast with a filly's innocent smile. Before long however, Luna came storming back into the room, waving an empty purse in her magic and shouting, "There is nothing here! Sound the alarm! I have been thieved!"
"Huh. Now that's a twist." Twilight picked up the bag that Luna had slammed onto the table. There was nothing coming out of it, no matter what she attempted. "We all know there's only one solution to this. No, it's not to call the guard and follow our determined protocols, that'd be boring." She set Luna's purse back down, though her magic didn't leave it. Instead, it became encased in an orb of ruby energy, light as the energy it bound, solid as Everstone. Nopony would touch the purse itself any time soon, that much was certain. "We'll have to investigate."
