Cadance was just on her way out of her room in the dead of morning when she met up with Amber. She spoke quietly, as not to wake the still sleeping Shining Armor just a door over. "Amber" She said as such so the name was a greeting in it of itself, "Thanks for meeting with me so early."

Amber didn't look tired, and she felt about the same as she usually did to Cadance. There but not there. "It's not a problem at all Cadance, it's my job."

"Did you get everything?" Cadance asked, eyeing up the stack of papers on Amber's back, plus the rolled up map. It was clearly a map, it had that map texture cloth maps have.

Amber's response was a simple nod.

Cadance clip clopped in place with the excitement of a plan nearing its moment of execution. "Again, thank you."

"Can I ask what this is all for?" Amber said while watching Cadance take all of the materials in her levitation, fitting them onto her own back.

"Yup."

Amber used 'politely wait' to little effect.

Cadance used humorous smile.

Amber was confused.

"It's for my meeting with the planning committee." Cadance rolled her shoulders to get the map up next to her neck, "We're going to get them all on board today."

A smile came to her muzzle. "For the Crystal Faire?"

"Yup!"

Oh woops

Cadance's ears swiveled back to her room, and she lowered her voice, "Yes, I imagine they're pretty upset I steamrolled their operation. They need to be involved pronto."

Amber's right hoof scuffed against the crystal floor. Normally one would expect the grating sound of crystal on crystal, but there was no such audio, merely a hoof scuffing the ground. "Do you need any help?"

"I've got all the required reading right here." Cadance tossed her head back, careful not to ruin her mane, "It's way too early to start a meeting now, so I'll just go camp out in the office until everyone's in for the day."

"Are you sure?"

Amber had a sense of desperation in the question, something that felt wrong with the polite smile on her face. Cadance, misunderstanding Amber's emotion for wanting to be useful, decided to give her something to do.

"Actually, can you head to the morning meeting and ask Ivory to send a maid and a guard to the office? I expect to run late, and refreshments are going to be a necessity."

She nodded, "I'll get right on it." She turned to leave

"Amber?" Cadance stepped forwards herself, her long stride letting her reach a wing to stop Amber. "Don't you want to take a break for a minute? It's really early, and the morning meetings won't start for at least another hour."

"I'm just going to find Ivory before then, so she can rearrange the staff postings before the meeting."

Hmmm

"Oh. Well okay then." Cadance lowered her wing. "Just make sure you take a break after, I don't want you overworked."

"I will,l Princess. I promise." Then she was off.

Hmmmmmrrrrrmmmmmm

Cadance's eyes narrowed and trailed Amber as she walked off. Her gaze became more introspective as she lost sight, and she tried to figure out what exactly had just happened. The weight on her back reminded her of her current responsibility, and with a hard-set frown, she banished the line of thought for later.

The trip down to the lower floors was filled with forcefully observing the scenery of The Spire to try and set her mind back into a good attitude, it didn't work.

Having to Princess sucks...

"Princess Cadance?"

Cadance lifted her head, quill in mouth. She met eyes with a pink crystal pony with a yellow, shimmery mane.

"What are you doing here?" They asked, trying to hide their incredulity behind a soft veneer of respect.

Cadance had pulled out a folding table, and had set up her map and several small books (that honestly should have been smaller) on said table. In the center of what looked to be the highest hoof traffic area in the offices that most of the old crystal pony palace staff worked. This space was the non-public side of The Spire's operations, and despite Cadance's personal wish that it wasn't so...

The place looked like shit.

Or more accurately, it looked like a construction zone. There wasn't any carpet, cubicles, or anything to define it as an office. Just a bunch of throw pillows, walls that hung up to separate rooms, what looked like a break room, and a sextet of four-drawer tall filing cabinets pressed against the unpolished crystal wall on the opposite end of everything else. In essence, it looked unfinished, haphazardly set up, and terribly inefficient.

"Princess?"

Oh-right.

"Sorry I-" Cadance magically removed the quill from her mouth, "I've been reading up before the meeting today. Are you on the planning committee? For the Crystal Faire?"

The mare's confused frown turned into an upset one. "Uhm..."

Cadance tried not to narrow her eyes in suspicion. Despite her attempts to otherwise improve her mood, her short interaction with Amber, plus the state of her current space had left her feeling sour. She wasn't exactly in the mood for more surprises, but they just kept coming.

"I am the planning committee." The mare shuffled in place without making eye contact. At least she knew that that particular statement wouldn't be received well.

Cadance staggered over her words internally, what came out was, "I'm not sure I understand? I was under the impression that this was the event's planning offices?" A blatant 'hey can you please explain this to me, preferably right now?'

"Oh it is." The mare said, lifting her hoof in fleeting excitement before drooping again. "It's... well you're probably looking for the floor above this one. That's where all the business ponies meet up."

Cadance dropped the quill onto the fold out table and lost all desire to pretend she was a princess in that moment. "Please explain."

"Well..."

"I'm sorry." Cadance shook her head, "What was your name?"

"Mevea Blossom." She did a quick little nod with her head, reminiscent of a bow.

Mevea? Isn't that a wild berry?

Cadance smiled, "Hi Mevea, please, call me Cadance. I've been working on my image recently, and approachability is a new direction I'm trying out."

"Okay..." Obviously Mevea had no clue how to respond.

"So" Cadance clapped her front hooves together, "Can you quickly explain to me the dynamic of the Faire committee?"

"Of course" She nodded, happy to have a simple question to answer, "I'm in charge of planning everything, and the business ponies tell me what they want. I have a friend down in the warehouse who gets me in touch with Shard whenever I need to make a request for supplies."

Oh dear...

Cadance stood. "Can you lead me to this other floor?"

"Sure." She stepped backwards, and propped the door open again with her back hoof.

It was upsettingly clear that Mevea had no idea what was wrong with her explanation.

This room made a far greater impression than the one below. Though, the opulence only served to make Cadance more concerned. She had a sinking hypothesis as to why the next Crystal Faire was supposedly a year away until she decided to make it happen this month.

It looked less like an office, and more like a lounge. It vaguely reminded her of the sitting room in Las Pegasus, only with more Crystal. A hooffull of suited, or otherwise 'expensive cloth wearing' ponies sat inside, all but two of the roughly thirteen were Equestrians.

As she entered, just behind Mevea, the chatter stopped as the majority turned to look.

There was a conflux of emotions, enough that she couldn't get a solid read on any single one. Though, she didn't need to be an empath to see the sudden alert and excited looks from the pair of crystal mares.

"Princess Cadance! How lovely to see you here." A pegasus mare stood up from the couch that was just sitting on open floor, "What can we do for you?" There was scattered chatter from the others, 'I'd like to know that myself' and 'what is she doing here?' were two of the phrases that caught in her ears.

Okay Cadance... you got this.

"I'm sure you all heard the announcement yesterday that the next Crystal Faire will be held on the winter solstice?" Cadance took a step forward. Her tone mildly betrayed her growing annoyance. Cadance wasn't against opulence as a rule, but she was getting 'Canterlot noble' from these few. Big no no.

The unicorn mare with a two tone orange mane and stark yellow fur gave a haughty laugh from the circle of seats. "Oh, we heard alright. It passed around a nasty case of chuckles between us all." She looked around, visually encouraging the others to laugh at her half made joke, they did.

"Really, the Crystal Faire in less than two months would be mad."

"I imagine some poor sap mistook this year for next."

Cadance's smile became more forced. "I appear to be at a loss. I don't recognize any of you. Could you-"

The pegasus in front of her interrupted her, "Of course! I am Ever Tesla, representative of the Skrim corporation." She turned behind her and began pointing, and naming the ponies in series. Cadance watched them all preen under the attention, some of them fixing their pocket squares or otherwise making themselves look more presentable as they were called on. Cadance tuned out most of it, she only wanted confirmation that they were all wealthy merchants.

Tesla skipped over the two crystal mares

"Thank you very much Ms. Tesla, tell me, what work have you done since yesterday?"

"Work? What do you mean?"

Oh great, yeah, like that's a viable answer to anything.

"I can confirm that the 'joke' you heard is indeed, accurate. The Crystal Faire will be hosted this coming winter solstice."

The mare's ears pinned back as the others looked to each other in confusion. "But princess! That's... ridiculous! We don't have the time to-"

Cadance's princess voice came out on reflex. Building frustration led to passive aggressive comments, which led to Cadance dipping into the personality that was forced upon her when she was growing up in Canterlot.

"I didn't ask you what you had time to do." She silenced her, raising her wings slightly in a clear 'shut up' gesture. "The Crystal Faire will be hosted then."

"Princess, surely you see how impossible that is. We'd have to finish half the work today in order to-"

Cadance cut him off, not even looking to see who was speaking, "That is exactly why I am here." She levitated the series of objects off her back and into the air. "We just have to focus, and we can get it done."

"It's not that simple, uh-" The pegasus withered slightly as Cadance turned her cold look to the smaller mare, "Your Majesty. The planning phases need a back and forth between companies, it'll take a month at minimum to confirm and gather the resources."

"I have a solution to that." Cadance flipped over one of the couches with her magic and rolled the map out onto the flat underside of it. "I was thinking that we instead set up areas for ponies who want to be represented at the..." Cadance trailed off, realizing what exactly Silver had asked her for.

"Ponies who want to be represented at the Faire to... Basically a first come first serve scenario, with Crystal Empire businesses or organizations taking priority. That way there's no arguing or back and forth."

Mevea was standing next to Cadance as she unfurled the map, and spoke out loud, mostly to herself as she looked over the lines Cadance had drawn around the areas in question. "Incentives to move quickly and efficiently."

The stallion she had vacated from the couch sent her an angry look. "Princess, I know you're new to this, but something like that just wouldn't work. If you gave us a mom-"

"You're fired." Cadance monotoned.

He shook his head in faux outrage. "What?"

"You're fired, please get out."

Yeah. Don't forget who's in charge here.

He snorted and left. Stomping his way out of the room like a foal.

Cadance rose to her full height. "Nobody in this room is going to tell me what can or can't be done. I'm looking for solutions, not excuses." That mollified the group, as they realized exactly what situation they were in.

"I think I have an idea." One of the crystal mares in the back braved the center of the circle of seats to walk over towards the map. The other turned away to go do something. "You said you wanted self directed zones for ponies to fill rather than having ponies pick and choose where to set up?"

She knows what she's doing! Haha!

Cadance's angry smile turned real, "Yes. Additionally, I was thinking about creating Faire grounds as a whole. Somewhere, but that's secondary."

"How will they be moving supplies?"

"Pricing, based on the size of the areas they want. The bits will go directly into subsidizing extra train runs to bring everything they need."

The mare tapped a crystal hoof to her crystal chin, making a quiet tinking noise. The other merchants were watching in supposed horror, one of them nearly fainted at the word 'pricing.'

"So transport is covered by the crown, what about information?" The mare was sparkling as she asked.

Cadance smiled, excited to have found a kindred spirit. "We've got a bunch of representatives right here." She gestured outwards, "You can all handle sending a letter, right?"

A few of them nodded.

Cadance lifted the map again as the other crystal mare re-entered the room, dragging a table table with her.

"Let's get started."

None of the merchants made it. They'd all gone 'home' as soon as it was noon.

Right now, it was just Cadance, the two mares who she had learned were named Yelitite and Bailey. Apparently she had a Diamond Dog in her family tree somewhere. Then there was the maid Ivory had sent, who had been in and out of the room, mostly bringing coffee and things to nibble on while Mevea dropped context from her experience of event organization as they tried to fit all the pieces together. Plus the guard, Brazier, who was standing around in case they needed anything else.

They were on their third iteration of a map, and the lines were only getting more complicated.

"Heeeeey." A new but not new voice sounded out from the door as the four of them were in the middle of staring at the map, trying to come up with a solution to the last series of issues. "Cadance? Honey?"

Cadance spun around slowly to meet the eyes of Shining. She blinked a few times, "Shining, hey, what time is it?"

"Just after closing time." He joked, "What's going on? I knew you had a meeting but-"

"We went a little late," She answered. Turning back towards the map.

Shining took the complex answer for what it was, and took a seat on one of the many now off to the side couches while Cadance continued to brainstorm.

"What if we moved the Faire booths over into the open grounds?" Yelitite gestured to a few lines on the map.

"I don't want to cut into the open flooring at all." Cadance said, "It's going to be the main event, after all."

Mevea pulled the map a little closer to herself, "What if we fill the open grounds with the Faire booths, and clear them away as it gets dark?"

"Can we rely on that kind of pony power?" Bailey looked to Cadance for an answer.

"We definitely can."

Mevea bumped Cadance. "You know, you can tend to your husband. We can handle this from here."

Cadance snrked, and Shining laughed form his seat on the couch. "It wouldn't feel right just-"

"Really princess. You helped enough just getting rid of the...erm." Bailey trailed off

Yelitite filled the empty space, "Call them what they are, but it doesn't matter. We know what you want anyways Princess, just let us handle it. As a thank you."

Cadance didn't need any more convincing. She stepped back, away from the map, and cleared the short term knowledge from her memory. "Alright. If you all insist." A glance confirmed the nodding smiles of the three crystal mares. "Shining?"

He hopped up from the seat in a smooth motion and made way for the door. On their way out, Cadance said to Brazier, "Take care of those mares for me, please and thank you." Brazier sent her a smile and a salute.

Once they were out in the hallways, walking towards somewhere, Shining started grilling her. "So how'd it go?"

"Rocky at first. Apparently more than half the staff were... Are Equestrian merchants. I have no idea how that happened."

"Who specifically?"

Cadance listed out the names she could remember, mostly they were all just going to serve as messengers. "I may have lost some businesses that may have wanted to take up a place in the Faire..."

"I'm sure it'll be fine honey, who were those mares?"

"The remnants of the actual planning committee I'm guessing, I dunno. I didn't ask." Cadance raised an eyebrow, waiting for Shining's next question.

"So what was the map all about? It looked like a whole operation you had going in there."

Despite what ponies tended to assume, Shining was a quiet pony, he didn't normally open his mouth without something he felt strongly about leaving shortly thereafter. So the vaguely emotionless questioning had a clear intent. She was less concerned as she was intrigued, he didn't seem like he was trying to distract her for any upsetting purpose, he felt excited, actually.

What are you hiding

She internally smirked and kept her eyebrow raised.

Shining took notice after she didn't answer his question. He chuckled, "Do you think I'll ever be able to slip anything past you?"

She laughed back, "I doubt it."

"Well, I tried, and I was pretty close too." Shining veered off from the center of the hallway, and pressed open a door.

Cadance followed after and looked inside, and her heart melted. There was a window, with a clear view of the setting sun outside, and a dinner table covered in food, candles, rose petals, the works. "Oh... Shining."

"Surprise." He stepped into her view line, "You've been working yourself to the bone, I thought it was a good time to treat you to..." Shining trailed off, as he started seeing Cadance lower her body in a pouncing stance.

She smiled, her wings having splayed themselves out the more he talked. "You better run."

"Uh- what?" Shining backed away

"I'm gonna kiss you so hard!" Shining took the warning to heart and ran into the room. "Come back here!" She gave chase. The door swung closed on its own.

"Yes Princess. I heard the news."

Cadance was walking next to a cyan crystal stallion, a shade darker than Blue Skies. His name was Ice Shard, and he was the forepony for the warehouse that The Spire sat on top of, and the mines that sat below that. The second job was mostly a guard and upkeep role, as the mines had been shut down immediately after verifying they were safe.

"And?" She asked, "Can you do it?"

"Princess..." He shook his head, "Listen, I know you mean well, bu-"

Cadance smiled and bapped him over the shoulder with her wing, "Cmon Shard, you're the most straight forward pony I know, besides Shining. Just tell me." A little flattery went a long way.

"It can't be done." He nodded to himself with a little finality. Their walk was leading them back up towards the palace grounds, where the Crystal Heart was kept. "I'm sorry, but we don't have the resources. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't."

Cadance frowned, her ears going all floppy. "Does the staff have something against the Crystal Faire?"

He chuckled, "No-no, I misspoke. We wondered what would be going on, obviously, but you're asking a bunch of inexperienced ponies to set something up with no foreknowledge. An entire faire grounds capable of hosting thousands of ponies at once? I don't even know where we'd get the food, much less the supplies." He tapped a hoof against a shelf.

The hall down here was less of a hall, and more of a chasm, centered beneath several massive racks of boxes and gemstones. It was essentially the Crystal Empire's coffers. Everything physical owned by the crown, including bits, was stored on these shelves. "Tents, railings, drill holes, bolts, carpets, canopies, tarps, crates, scrap wood; we'd need piles of it to even think about getting started on something that looks like a bunch of foals and fillies made it." He bit the side of his cheek and shook his head, "It's not like we even have the ponies for it. Throwing bodies at a problem doesn't solve it, everypony would need experience, and I can't have my only twelve competent ponies spend weeks teaching newbies how to grow crystal posts and then set up an entire festival, only to take it down half way through."

Cadance frowned a little deeper in thought.

"I'm sorry Princess, but it just can't be done." He spoke low and deep, truly apologetic. Exactly the kind of realism she needed.

Don't tell me what can and can't be done.

Realism was lost on someone like Cadance though. She tilted a hoof forwards, "What if I solved the experienced labor problem?"

"I dunno how you would, but we still need supplies."

Cadance smirked, "And if I solved that problem too?"

"You can't just 'suppose'. What are you getting at?"

"I can get hooves on the ground and supplies to you within the week."

His face morphed with a healthy dash of skepticism, "And how exactly are you gonna do that?"

"Details" She tossed her mane, "What I need to know from you." She poked him with a feather, "Is, can you handle it? Someone needs to be in charge."

"Are you askin' me?"

"I am."

He laughed, "You've got a pair on you Princess, lemme tell you that. I dunno what kinda plan you're cooking up, but I'm in." He lifted his hoof to meet hers, and they shook on it.

"I'd like to place an order." Cadance set down a stack of papers on the mix of metal, plaster and stone receptionist stand.

"I'm not sure-" The mare behind the counter peaked out from around the stack.

"I've got the bits to pay for it all, of course."

Tack & Co. was some kind of nefarious shell company for Quick Silver, that much was obvious. That didn't mean Cadance couldn't use it herself.

"I'll have to talk with my supervisor..."

Cadance spread her wings, "That's all I can ask for. So long as you send it up the chain, I'm sure someone will see my name and give the go ahead." She took wing and left the office without another word.

"So what exactly am I supposed to expect from this? Explain again?"

Cadance twisted a little in her chair, it was far too small for her. It was probably because of her widening stomach, but the point wasn't here nor there. She was sitting in a plush office, across from the current representative of the Cut House, Stone Cut's wife. A charcoal grey crystal pony mare without a mane.

"You're supposed to expect a change in procedure." Cadance used her magic to lift up the map in question. "We need raw materials, and your family has the only stable mine left in The Empire." She peeked around the map, "And I know that hasn't left your ponies idle."

"You want gems." The mare steepled her hooves.

"I want crystal. The raw waste of digging into the permafrost." Cadance squirmed in her seat again, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Well keep in mind, there's a price for that." She said, her voice sounded too much like Quick Silver's, elegant and full of hidden meanings.

At least she's accepted that I know she has access to the mines.

The verbal gymnastics that was: 'I'm not going to say what I know you know, I'm only kinda going to suggest you know something that I'm not supposed to know you think you might know about-' and so on, was something Cadance was used to as a Princess.

That didn't mean she liked it.

"Let's be clear. I think we would both benefit from not muddying intentions with an overuse of words." Cadance raised a wing as she forced her ears to face forwards, "I could just take it. I know you share the same... values as your husband, and the Cut House isn't doing very well under the scrutiny of the public." The mane-less mare's eyes narrowed in that imperceptible way that angry nobles do.

Funny, the thing that angered you was a comment on your House

Cadance grinned. "We stand to gain from doing this together. I'm sure you've heard of my involvement with the House of Mirrors?" A subject change, to give her a chance to mull over what was just said. Negotiations one oh one.

"Yes." She adjusted a quill on her desk, "I take it that is a requirement too?"

"A kind of one, yes." Cadance continued to gesture with her wing, "Every other House is already on board, what will you look like if you shun them? It all comes back to image. We need crystal for the Faire, you need to have ponies looking at you with something else in mind."

Then it was her turn to shift in place. She leaned forwards and opened her mouth, but when words didn't immediately come, Cadance knew she had her. A few more seconds passed, and Cadance felt the change into compliance and acceptance.

"How much crystal? Exactly?"

"Are you sure?"

Shining shrugged his shoulders, "Of course I'm sure. The Crystal Guard has been itching to do something since Sombra."

Cadance shuffled the blankets. She wasn't ready for bed yet. From Shining's posture and emotion, she could tell he was going to stay up with her until she calmed down.

"Construction isn't exactly what I'd call 'soldier material'."

"You're thinking about it too hard honey." He leaned and took a short step over their squishy bed and pressed his muzzle into her side. There was a short shuffling as she spread a wing and brought him close into a hug. "Did you notice you're getting bigger?"

"I am?" She looked down at her stomach, it looked normal to her despite her fight with a chair the other day.

"No, I mean taller. Look." He leaned away and gestured with his hoof. He was just about eye level with the tip of her nose.

Cadance tried not to lose her train of thought, "That's odd, but unimportant. Shining, advanced construction work isn't something everyone just knows. The extra hooves will be a help but..." Cadance trailed off.

"Oh I know that look. You've just had an idea."

She had. The beginnings of a plan were starting to form. Despite her confidence that she could solve the labor problem when she spoke about it with Ice Shard, she had no idea how until just now.

"Alright, time for bed. I want to see if I can meet with Luna tonight."

Shining gave her a mock salute, and she kissed him on the nose.

Author's Note

This chapter went through several iterations. Mostly a learning experience for me. I wanted to split from the normal, longer and slower placed slice of life to cover some of the important events that shift the narrative forward a little faster. I like the chapter as a standalone, not sure what I think of it with the story as a whole.