As The Sun Sets

"Alright ponies!" Shining yelled out to the smattering of colourful cliques.

Cadance was stood just next to him, covered head to hoof in snow gear, bargain bin stuff she found in one of the Spire supply closets at Ivory's direction. The head maid herself, plus a pony she brought along, Homeward and Dawn Ray; Marker and Symbol had chosen to sit this particular activity out. Then there was her and her Shining, and a representative from the House of Agriculture.

All heads turned to Shining's call, and the ponies approached the border of the Heart's shield. It was a shimmering blue, like it always was. Just beyond it? The wastes of the Frozen North.

Not for long.

"You sure about this Honey?"

Cadance nudged Shining with her wing, something that took far more effort than normal due to the heavy coat. "I'm sure I have to try."

Shining lifted his hoof, and while his expression was hidden partially by his snow goggles, she knew him well enough to know the supportive concern plastering his face. That, and she could feel his emotions like a beacon.

My empathy is getting stronger...

"Not trying to discourage you, but how many ponies do you think said that moments before disaster?"

Cadance sent him a flat look. Something that had the intensity stolen by her undersized ear muffs, "Shining, if I can get this to work-"

Shining lifted his hoof to say something, but Cadance give him a look that said: 'let me finish.'

"If I can get this to work." Cadance looked out towards the swirling snow, just beyond the shield. "The entire waste would be open to us. There's a lot of little details, but this could be an incredible victory."

Shining lifted his hoof again, and Cadance nodded for him to say what was on his mind. "I'm here. Again, not trying to discourage you, just trying to see the whole picture."

"We're ready Princess!" Cadance spun around to the tiny crowd. There were two total cameras

Times like this where I think I should give a speech

She glanced over them once, and the words didn't come, so she spun around again. "Nobody wander out any further than a few lengths, Shining is going to keep everyone in sight, I'll let out a flare if we have to turn back. Everyone got that?"

Nods, and vocal affirmations.

Cadance walked up to the shield and stepped through without any fanfare. The blizzard on the outside was a stark contrast to the shield itself. It was angry, whirling with barely restrained might. Cadance knew storms, they were neutral entities, they had power, power that had to be used. The blizzards of the northern wastes were vicious, old enough to have a will of their own. As soon as the group made their way into the snow, Cadance felt the wind shift, and a brush of some kind of weather forging magic, and the snow coming down on them doubled.

Shining stuck right by her side.

"Did everyone pass through okay!" She asked, yelling over the wind.

"Yeah! We're ready when you are!"

Cadance planted her hooves in the snow, ignoring the temperature on the outside of the boots, and lit her horn. Pink and black smoke turned kaleidoscopic as they mixed and dribbled away from her eyes, instead of her natural aura, a sickly rose flame with splotches of green spread from the base to the tip of her horn.

"Here we go!"

Cadance cast the first part of the spell. A little pink cube filled with invisible flame appeared and bagan to rotate just above the tip of her horn. She increased the complexity of the emotion, the facets of Love that made up the little thing. Corners and edges split into more as the shape grew, as she did so, she filled it with raw arcane energy. There was a pulling sensation like a nullification ring, and her magic simply started to fall away as the pink ball began to bulge.

It passed over her first, the shield had a distinct emotional sensation, something she very easily related to, since she was the one casting it. It passed over Shining next without any issue, then it hit the snow, and there was a sparking increase of magic that yanked on her horn. Cadance grit her teeth, and the mixing double corona with emotional components turned into a swirling beacon of colour.

The snow congealed around the edge of the shield, the ice underneath the snow cracked and split into shards, melting from the pressure. The once little pink cube continued to grow, passing over Ward and Ray, then Ivory and her friend. The now exposed ground was visually filling with mud, where ice had been melted and pressed into the ground by the force of the shield.

Then the shield touched the Heart's shield and Cadance gasped.

I will protect you.

It wasn't so much a promise as Cadance knew it. The outstretching emotional spell, broadcasted over Cadance's empathetic senses was a command, a call of righteousness, straight up to the heavens, filled with belief that nothing else was possible.

Her shield latched onto it like glitter onto fur, and the draw from her magical reserves lessened. Cadance stopped adding more corners to what was by now, visually, a simple sphere. As the pink dome slowed its growth, the magical draw became negligible, and eventually, Cadance cut off the power flow entirely.

Her horn went out, and she opened her eyes.

Around them was a pink dome, right up against the shimmering blue of the shield. The snow was piling up on the top of the pink barrier, which cast a similarly coloured glow all around them, leaving everything on the interior ever so slightly tinted pink. The ground was covered with wet or frozen mud. Several of the entourage were already covered in the stuff, but their reactions were far from focused on their dirtying coats.

As Cadance turned to Ivory, she nearly snorted, the mare was tossing and kicking up mud like she was at the beach. Homeward's horn was lit, likely trying to get a feel for the magic around them. The representative of the House of Agriculture was prodding the mud with a shocked look. Cadance figured she should talk to him first.

"I take it, this is what you were hoping for?" She said, crossing the short distance between them.

He let the mud drop from his hoof and looked up towards the top of the pink dome in something akin to a mix of awe and shock. Cadance let the moment pass and he managed to get out, "Is this permanent?"

Cadance smiled, trying to keep herself from giggling at him. This was distinctly not the time to titter, but she was proud. Having someone so directly admire your work did that. "As far as our testing shows, yes. Though, I have an expert on the way to verify that."

The stallion's response was interrupted by Shining brushing up under Cadance's wing, it was a nice shift from the snow clinging to the limb. "Good work honey." He said simply.

Cadance raised an eyebrow and hip checked him. "That's it? Just... Good job?" She snarked.

"Alright alright" He bumped her back. "You revolutionized Crystal Empire living and all that."

Cadance raised her wing threateningly with a smirk on her face.

Shining prepared to duck, but said a bit more seriously, "I'm deeply impressed. I'm just not surprised."

The stallion across from them cleared his throat very pointedly.

"Apologies." Cadance said on reflex, returning to a more princessly posture.

"When will this expert be arriving?" He asked, the awe on his face wiped away for noble indifference. She could sense the rising mix of annoyance and trepidation in him, he didn't want to believe this was possible.

Shining gave her an imperceptible nudge of confusion.

"Any minute now..." Cadance trailed off, looking towards where the pink met the blue.

Silver spies on me all the time. She has to be monitoring the Heart's shield.

It was a gamble, but gambling on Silver had worked before. Cadance smirked as, in the moment where she was staring off towards the city, she felt a vague warble at the edge of her shield.

"Cadance?"

Cadance turned towards the approaching Homeward and Dawn Ray. They were both covered in mud, Homeward, a little less so.

"How did you do this?"

"Dark magic." Said Silver, dramatically revealing herself, as she do.

Shining didn't go stiff like she expected, instead, the negative response came from the representative of the House of Agriculture. His ears went stock straight, and he spun around to face the silver pegasus with as much of a sneer as was decently respectable. "You?"

Silver let off a menacing smirk, something Cadance was starting to recognize meant 'amusement.'

"Happy midday!" She danced forwards on her hooves, splashing the mud around, "Your expert is here Princess."

"Thank you for arriving promptly."

"Princess, I'd hardly call this mare an expert. She-

Before he continued, Cadance lifted a hoof to her chin, the mud mussed up her fur, but the gesture was key for the comment. "What was your name again?"

The stallion silently grit his teeth, "Avalanche, your majesty."

Cadance waved the hoof, gently, as to not splash him with mud, "Please. No need for such formalities." Now with a stark command over the conversation, Cadance continued, "and I would call her an expert, she's gone through advanced studies of blood magic under Princess Luna, and as I know it, has a sweeping understanding of all kinds of magicks?"

"That's right." Silver answered, flicking some mud from her fetlock. "Emotion. A diverse and generally impossible to study form of wielding magic, due to the differences between casters. So, with me, I brought a student of mine." Silver gestured to her side, and suddenly, a warble of air shifted around like someone popped a balloon in slow motion. A glowing red horn doused itself, and Misty Scarlet was revealed.

Okay. I've never had someone dodge my emotion sense before like that.

Even Silver had a strange sort of non-presence in her magic, something she could feel the edges of, but not reach into. Scarlet was blocked off, intentionally.

A spell?

"Misty, darling, if you would tell the class what you've gleaned so far?"

Misty's eyes burned as she lit her horn agian. Red light, bubbling more viciously and viscously than Cadance's covered her horn as she took a deep breath. "Love." She said, "Mostly. Creativity, as the modular component. I can sense Hope, twisted into Guiding Light, and a smattering of Domination, littered throughout the whole of the spell."

Cadance had soooo many questions. As usual, whenever Silver was involved.

"What of the permeance?"

Her horn twisted with a few more colours, all of them getting swallowed by the angry red twisting around her horn. She focused, clenching her eyes shut as the bubbling got faster, and green and blood red smoke began dripping from her eyes. "I can't see an edge..." She grunted and twitched her head, sending her mane flopping around. "The Crystal Heart is feeding into it..."

Silver took a step to the side and gently placed a muddy hoof on Misty's shoulder. "That's good Misty. You can stop now."

Misty let out a shaky exhale, and there was a drift of magic that popped away from her horn, drifting into the air. Cadance felt the emotion that bushed and sunk into the ambient magic around them. The sensation of power, and being so far above a belief that you couldn't see all the little things moving around beneath you, and the vibrancy that comes with showing that power hit Cadance like a brick.

Maybe... I should check on those ponies again... Maybe letting Silver teach them wasn't such a great idea...

"And... How accurate... is this information?" Ivory said, finally joining the group, she sending a respectful, professional look towards Quick Silver, but her emotions read nothing but vague irritation.

"Very accurate." Was Silver's response. Ivory turned towards Misty, but Silver moved with Ivory's gaze, stepping in-between the two. "You're talking to me. Thank you." Silver added on, her malicious smirk returning.

"I can speak to the validity of the claim." Shining interjected, stepping out from under Cadance's wing. "My wife says it's permanent. A magical expert says it's permanent, and I know shield spells; as long as the Crystal Heart is active, it's permanent." Shining looked at Silver, who nodded as he finished.

"Sounds like that's that." Dawn Ray smiled to himself.

Homeward took the moment to ask, "Cadance, is-"

Cadance interrupted, knowing where the question was going. "Yup. This will be how we make space for the school grounds."

"I believe I have some letters to write." Avalanche said, quickly excusing himself from the conversation. He made a light trot out towards the shield, and became practically invisible after stepping through.

"He's a joy, right?" Silver joked, having snuck up next to Cadance to elbow her in the side.

Cadance jumped slightly, and Silver laughed at her, which she responded to by smacking Silver over the head with her wing.

"Ow." Silver said in mock surprise, overdramatically stumbling away.

"Princess... Cadance..." Ivory said, lifting a tentative hoof while eyeing up Silver's antics. "I'm... not sure..."

Shining voiced Cadance's thought. "I know she's... exuberant, but she means well, Ivory."

"That's not-"

"So!" Silver interrupted, once again showing an unusual amount of speed, swinging around and half lounging with a hoof slung over Shining's shoulder. "Big plans, big moves. I'm honestly impressed. Say, Ivory, right?"

Ivory took a step back, but nodded.

"You know, I've heard a lot about you from that Morning fellow. You run the origzation side of The Spire, right?"

Cadance lifted a hoof with a flat expression. "Please don't antagonize her Silver."

"What? No. Me? Never." Silver twisted, reaching out and grabbing Homeward's hoof off the ground. "and Homeward! From desk attendant to working on the Princess's personal project? It's a pleasure to formally meet you." Homeward awkwardly returned the hoof shake, and turned to Dawn, who, after seeing the other two attempts at socialization, already had his hoof prepared.

Silver reached out to bump it, then turned and slung a wing over his back. Cadance finally got a good look at Silver's coat next to a crystal pony, and noticed the similarities. Like Silver's coat had crystal just beneath it. "Cadance, did you knoooow-" Silver said, pushing Dawn Ray forwards towards Cadance, "Dawn Ray is cousins with Sunlight Ray, your college roommate?"

Cadance blinked, Dawn looked at Silver in confusion, "You know Sunlight?"

Shining made a face.

"And how do you know that?" Cadance only kinda asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well." Silver sat back and did a series of confusing hoof gestures, "After you told me about how speakers work, I went looking for the source. Turns out the Ray family is pretty extensive."

Homeward coughed violently, turning the attention of the conversation to herself. "I'm sorry, but... can you introduce yourself? Please?"

Ivory responded, and Cadance noticed again, the second pony she'd brought with her, totally silent, and watching on with a curious look. "This is Quick Silver, of the Noble House of Silvers."

"A noble?" Dawn said, laced with disgust, he froze the moment after, looking to the mare in question. "Er- I mean-"

"Don't worry 'bout it kid. I'm not like the other nobles." She sent him a wry smile and a wink.

"Anyways." Cadance announced, "I think we all have important duties to att-"

"Haha, you said dooties."

...

"I think we all have important work to get to. Shining? Can you go tell Amber it was a success? I'm going to..." Cadance glanced over the crowd, "Busy myself, with my other project."

Shining understood the barely coded message and nodded. "Alright ponies, you heard her, let's go."

Ivory sent a concerned glance towards Cadance, but left with the crowd. Silver's outline followed with them, but Cadance could still feel the mare standing in front of her. Cloaked by the invisible Misty Scarlet, who had faded into obscurity after Silver had broken Cadance's line of sight.

Once the other ponies were gone, the invisible barrier came down. Silver sent a proud smile towards Misty, who huffed like a teenager getting her mane ruffled. "Little Princess. It's good to see you. Been a long week?"

Cadance's posture fixed back into a more comfortable state. A real, yet tiny smile found its way onto her face. "A little. Do you think you could help me clean up?"

Silver reached out a hoof, Cadance took it. She felt a warmth pass over her, and the mud on her fur simply fell off. Despite the burning magical academic questions plaguing her mind, Cadance flapped her wings once to air out the warmth on instinct, and retracted her hoof once Silver let go.

"I'll do the mud too, one moment."

Misty dodged Cadance's eyes as she looked over to the staring mare. "Hey. Thank you for coming out."

Misty blew a puff of air at the red mane hanging down over her muzzle. "No problem. Though..." Misty lifted her muzzle up for a second, gesturing upwards, "What are you going to do about the snow?"

Cadance followed the gesture, and frowned as she noticed the blizzard piling up on top of the shield.

Silver was done scattering glittering dust in the mud, and a pool of water started to form, sucking out the moisture from the dirt and pooling along the edges of the array she had drawn. A hole was shot into the ground with a dull thuwmpph and the water disappeared. "The snow will eventually pressurize the shield, it'll either collapse or explode, probably." Silver said, wiping her hooves.

"Well then." Cadance pursed her lips. "Permanent?"

"Technically-" Silver pointed, "Just not indestructible."

Cadance rolled her eyes, accepting the wordplay as some degree of honest. Her horn lit again, and she reached out towards the spell. It was shockingly easy to connect to, and the pink tint hanging in the air became denser around her horn, almost red. She simply visualized the adjustment, and the shield reconfigured to have a slanted top. The snow, not able to find purchase or grip on a magical barrier with no friction began to slide off under its own weight.

"There. Problem solved." Cadance mused, mostly to herself as she caught her breath.

Silver was making a face as Cadance caught her eye again, a face that disappeared in an instant. "Misty? Darling, I think me and Cadance have a few words to ignore from each other."

A portal coin flipped from Silver's hoof, and Mist caught the thing in her aura, a wisp of magic zapped the coin and is spread open near instantaneously. She gave a parting wave before stepping through, the portal closed, and the coin flipped off of nothing, going along the reverse arc and landing back in Silver's hoof. She stuffed the thing in her mane.

"She seemed frosty."

"I've been pushing her to become more comfortable not liking people." Silver glanced out into the snow.

Cadance fell silent.

"So?" Silver's head snapped back towards Cadance, "What is it? You said you had something planned? Was this it?"

Cadance lit her horn, regular spellcraft this time. "Will I ever be able to sneak something past you?" She joked as she pulled a picnic basket from her pocket space. It was a little more difficult, the magical exertion, plus the size restrictions for the invisible pocket spell just barely allowed for something the size of a basket.

"No." Silver said tersely. Eyeing up the picnic basket.

Cadance answered the unasked question, "I ~thought-" She sing songed, setting the basket down on the now dry ground. "That with you working so much, we could just relax this time." A checkered blanket flew out by her telekinesis, a classic red and white colour, something Cadance was tentatively excited about finding. "No thrumming music, no screaming, no villains, just a nice afternoon and some snacks."

Cadance's smile dropped at Silver's glare.

"What?" She asked.

"Really." Silver let out between grit teeth. "Little Princess. Please tell me this is a joke." Cadance didn't respond immediately, which was apparently enough of an answer for Sliver. She spun around with a wave of her wing and began walking off. "Goodbye."