As The Sun Sets

Cadance had to admit. It may have been a product of Silver's direct involvement, but the whole, 'everything is some form of thematicism' was starting to apply everywhere Cadance looked. Having that particular nail finally hammer itself all the way in, Cadance was struggling to take the situation she was in seriously.

The nobles, sans Isotope, had gathered together in the throne room. A pair of semi-circle stands had been placed around a running orange glittery carpet that had been rolled into the front of the room. Cadance sat sideways on the throne, her new crown in tow. She hadn't heard anything from, or about Silver since the Solstice. Astralation and her sister, Ichor and Sugar Cane sat to her left. Immaculate to her immediate right, followed by Fractured, then Isotope, when he returned. He had left to fetch Silver. There was a seat left open for Stone Cut, but apparently the stand in mare for him wasn't invited.

Things were about to change.

This was it, Cadance had been dealing with Silver on her lonesome so far; there was no going back now. Hence the intent to 'win' in one fell swoop. That being said, it was nearing comical. If the tension hadn't already weaseled its way under Cadance's wings, she would've been fighting off a tiny smile at the theatrics the nobles were oh so serious about.

Yes, that chair had to go exactly right there, and a little higher. The carpet-

Oh my gosh, the carpet.

Cadance hadn't seen anything so opulent. So... Pointless, some sort of Star Citrine, rolled into cloth, arcano-chemically bound with something else. That was what was on the floor.

Wild.

They had already discussed everything. Now they were only waiting and sharing glances. Wondering how long they'd be waiting for. Luckily, Cadance could sense Isotope's pessimistic paranoia from a distance, he was in the Spire, on approach. They wouldn't have to wait long, and going along with the theme...

Now seems about time for a short and sweet speech about what we're actually doing here.

"They're on their way." Cadance said at a regular tone, drawing the attention of the nobles. She lifted her nose and spoke a little louder. "The future of the Empire is at stake, I hope we all remember that we are here together by part of all of our efforts."

Mirror nodded, "Mostly you though."

Sugar Cane raised his hoof, "Hear-hear."

"If both of you could relax. Please." Immaculate groaned, "We are here with you Cadance. Never before has the Crystalian nobility had such an alliance with whomever sat on the throne. We recognize the importance, despite my compatriots inability to act respectful of their stations."

Ichor's low, almost impossibly low voice toned out, "I'm still wondering what we've missed."

Me too.

Cadance couldn't say that aloud, though, her face had been trapped in a stern but neutral look of confidence for the past forty minutes or so. Letting even an ounce of the anxiety she was feeling make its way onto her face was a quick way to lose the respect of some of the harder ponies in the room. Instead, she turned towards Everette and Astralation. The latter turned to face her in the same moment, and the eerie sensation of not being able to meet the scarred mare's eyes, but still being visible to her passed over Cadance for a moment.

Astralation nodded silently.

The doors to the throne room opened.

"Cadance!" Silver shouted out with a warm smile. Her voice was back to 'acting', with none of the usual undertones it held when they spoke one on one. Isotope looked like he was about ready to buck the pegasus he had just led here in the mouth. Which was arguably fair.

Cadance very visibly ignored Silver's greeting. "Isotope," a nod, "If you could take a seat. We can begin immediately."

"Thank the maidens." He mumbled, coming around the side of the half circle stands and making his way up the sides.

Silver stood in the center of the carpet. Frowning after she was ignored, and waited for Isotope to sit. Immaculate spoke first, to start everything off. "You know exactly why you are here." she accused.

Silver's eyes narrowed in confusion and vague annoyance. "Actually, no I do not."

Astralation took a shuddering breath and choked out, "Save Them."

The nobles looked at each other. In concern as Everette rubbed her sisters back, as she usually did.

"If I can make a random stab at it, I'm guessing this has something to do with my noble title?"

Why are you playing stupid.

Cadance could already see half of Silver's plan in the works. She was still pretending to just be a regular mare. Cadance hoped the nobles could see through the act. Like always though, the question is why. Cadance expected her to come out swinging, papers and logic and things Cadance had never thought of spinning out of her mouth like a tornado. She was expecting a debate, not a half hearted 'why am I here'. It was wrong.

Something is wrong.

"Among other things, we are stripping that title from you." Ichor answered Silver's question, to her surprise.

Silver looked up to Ichor's elevated seat and tilted her head, "Who are you?"

Immaculate's back straightened, "Allow me to clarify. Today, you are being stripped of your noble title. Your economic assets are being seized, and any power or influence you have is being given over to the crown."

"You're joking." Silver deadpanned. She opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but Cadance beat her.

"It's no joke Silver. This is happening. Tack & Co. is being seized, among the staff and your specialty operatives. You can't be trusted to run it, as you've made your intentions to harm the Empire clear."

"Harm th-" Silver's fake frown returned in full force. "Harm?! I'm not trying to harm anything, I'm trying to change the world. You can't even prove that I own the company, how are you goin-"

"Exactly." Cane flippantly interrupted. "As far as anypony knows, we've owned it the whole time. Who's going to care when the business model changes for the better?"

"This isn't just about my company."

"So you admit it's yours?" Everette asked.

Silver narrowed her eyes in Cadance's direction. "Even if you did strip me of my title. Tack & Co. is a global company, you can't just take it. Equestrian law sa-"

"No longer matters." Fractured interrupted next. "Not after the Empire seceded from Equestria. Not since the open and public declaration that the company operates exclusively out of the Empire."

Silver shook her head, "Seceded? What? Princ-"

"Empress." Cadance corrected, with the subtlety of a freight train. That was it.

How did she not know? How is that possible?

There was no way Silver hadn't known that, she was lying, there was some trick going on, something Cadance couldn't see. Silver had given all of the basic arguments, trying to prove what they were going to do was illegal. Except it wasn't. Not technically. It wasn't strictly legal either, it was in a middle ground of arbitrative law that allowed Cadance to make the decision herself. That's why they set it up that way.

Unless Silver challenged Cadance's rule, there was nothing she could do.

Legally

So what's the plan? What are you up to?

Silver shrunk back slowly, her face mixed with worry and deep thought. If nothing else, Silver was an incredible actor.

Fractured chuckled, "You know, I have to admit how deeply satisfying it is to see you with that face. After how much of a thorn you've been in my side."

Silver quietly responded, "You tried to hurt ponies."

"Yes. When we should have gone for you." Immaculate countered, "From the very beginning."

"No." Silver clenched her eyes shut. "NO. You can't."

"That tone implies that you have come to the realization that we can." Ichor said.

Silver spun her gaze around the room until her eyes settled on Cadance. Some manner of emotion passed through there, some twisted form of grief, so particular that Cadance wouldn't have recognized it had she not felt it before.

"Don't do this Cadance."

"What?" Sugar Cane said, craning his neck forwards.

Silver had said it so quietly that only Cadance had heard her. That must have been intentional.

What are you doing? Fight back!

Cadance didn't want Silver to succeed. She found herself cheering in her head out of guilt. She couldn't believe it, but Silver had been so clearly blindsided by all of this. She was losing, and the way she was just rolling over and letting it happen sat so awkwardly in Cadance's stomach that she wanted there to be something, anything. Any kind of resistance, it just felt so wrong to see Silver so...

and then Cadance remembered it was all an act.

She steeled her nerves and remembered Astralation's last prophetic muttering.

'Save Them.'

A moment passed by her senses, and Cadance took a deep breath.

"Quick Silver. You are hereby stripped of your title and your holdings, by order and will of the crown and the nobles of Crystalia."

The demand echoed around the throne room.

Silver took a step back and chuckled. Her face read confusion. She was expecting a joke, a 'but'. She looked to Cadance's face to see where the lie began, but she didn't find it. "You're..." Silver looked around. "This... What is going on? The nobles, how could you all support this? All of you?"

Sugar Cane shrugged, "Cadance is a good ruler. The first one I've ever felt comfortable getting behind. Made sense to me at the time."

Immaculate took a long suffering breath and sighed. "Yes. That. Though we have no reason to explain ourselves to you."

"Cadance... How... Why? How could you do this?" Silver's act was reaching some level of crescendo. It looked like she was near tears. "I thought we were friends!" Came the accusation.

Cadance kept her expression straight. She was an Empress.

I can do this.

Regardless of how that expression tugged at her heart. The anxiety rose up and told her that she was doing something wrong, but it was just Silver playing games with her mind. It had to be. "This isn't about our friendship Quick Silver. You left that behind a long time ago when you threatened my ponies."

Silver's eyes narrowed, clenched, and a few tears left her face. The grief intensified. "I never threatened your ponies." She turned towards the nobles, "Is that what she told you!? You're all making a huge mistake."

"You can not fool us. Accept your punishment and be on your way." Isotope said, the first thing besides a glare that had come from him during the conversation.

Silver stuttered. The first time Cadance had heard unbroken words from her like that. She shuddered. It was visceral, partially produced by how sharply Cadance was observing her, but whatever was going on was so perfectly manufactured that it wasn't... Silver looked at her again, and the same request crossed her eyes, silently begging Cadance to stop.

It's not real. She's acting. She's that good Cadance. Relax. You can do this.

Cadance hardened her expression. The look went away and Silver let out a fake laugh, some twisted humor flicked across her muzzle before she pointed her nose back up at Cadance. "So that's how it is, huh? You just couldn't wait?"

"For what it's wor-"

"SHUT UP." Silver screamed.

A few of the nobles gasped, and Cadance reeled from the release of pain. For a split second, the wall came down. Cadance was struck with an unignorable thought.

She's not acting.

Silver reached up into her mane and pulled out a folder. "You've all been tricked. Even if you could strip my name from Tack & Co. you'd still lose. It'd go to the next available successor."

"Which is no one." Fractured argued. "I dove into your past. Your fake personali-"

"Quick Silver is not fake. I was born. I lived. I... had a family. I went to school with Cadance... without paying... it's where we met." Silver waved her hoof around, and the cerulean glow over took the folder and levitated itself up to Immaculate. "That's why I'm not in the paperwork. My next viable kin is-"

"Princess Cadance." Immaculate's eyes were wide as she stared at the document.

Silver continued to let silent tears fall down her face, but she nodded. "It was a gift."

What is happening.

Immaculate looked up at Cadance in horror. Fractured leaned over to reach the document and similarly grew more surprised as he looked it over.

"Well spit it out!" Cane slammed a hoof down, "What does it say?"

Astralation mumbled something and shook in place.

Fractured pulled it closer and stared harder, like looking at it more might change the words on the page. Slowly, but loud enough to be heard, "It is, in essence, a will. Should Silver pass, or no longer be able to run Tack & Co. the company and its assets shall henceforth be transferred to, and under the governance of one, Princess Flurry Heart, daughter of Princess Cadance. Signed by H.R.H. Cadance of Equestria and Crystalia and H.R.H. Luna of Equestria."

...

Fuck.

Cadance held her facial expression. Barely. Her thoughts raced, majoritively on what she was supposed to do, but the question of how Silver had guessed the name she and Shining decided on. What it meant was that the nobility stripped Silver of her title, Cadance herself became the private owner of Tack & Co. She couldn't make it a public industry, because she would only be the guardian of the company until her daughter was old enough. Not to mention the fact that Cadance had not signed such a document, but there was no way to prove that, there was no way for them to tell.

She could have just lied, and said that Flurry Heart wasn't the name she'd chosen; except she was so flabbergasted that all she could do was keep her head on straight, she couldn't find the words.

Silver could, and she did, after choking back a sob. "She set you all up. She set me up. If you do this, you'll be setting the precedent for economic and political control to Cadance, she got you to hoist her onto the throne, and this will keep her there forever." Beyond the tears, Silver found the mental fortitude to smirk. "So what'll it be?"

Cadance kept her gaze focused on Quick Silver as the nobles exchanged looks.

Astralation shook again, coughed, and let out a pained grunt. "Save Them." She said.

Silence followed. The stare down coiled around the room like a desperate snake, trying to get a final meal before its strength failed it. Strangling the time from the air as Cadance desperately tried to think of something. Two hoof claps rang out slowly. All eyes turned towards Fractured Mirror as he clapped again, and again. Slowly shaking his head with a smile.

"My father, really, would have liked you." He nodded in her direction, and then sat back down. Turning his gaze back towards the ceiling.

What.

"Well... I supposed if that's the way it's gotta be." Sugar Cane shrugged.

"The lesser of two evils." Ichor agreed.

What.

Immaculate caught Cadance's look in a stare. There was a question written on her face that Cadance couldn't understand. They both turned back towards Silver, who looked like she was about to get hit by a train. Immaculate spoke, "You cannot intimidate us."

Astralation mumbled something else, though it seemed the majority of her shaking had passed.

Everette nodded, and met the eyes of a few others in the room, passing on their agreement.

"No." Silver said, mostly to the air. Shaking her head and walking backwards. "You can't. You- You can't."

Cadance had to say something to that look. Acting or no, Cadance had to say something. "I'm sorry it had to be this way Quick Silver."

Silver convulsed like she'd just been kicked in the stomach. There was a sound of pain, and she choked back a sob before running for the door. Cadance stood, unsure of what to do, her stomach hurt from standing up so fast but...

"I'm embarrassed to say I'm impressed with you, Empress Cadance." Isotope said with half a dying smirk on his face, "I knew you were good, I didn't think you'd cut a mare down that way, and your friend too. If you're willing to fight that hard for this place, I'll stand with you."

Cadance fluttered her wings, "I need to make sure she doesn't do anything drastic. I will return."

Then she was out the door, another flap and she was in the hallway, following the trail of pain and twisting grief. Hopelessness had mixed inside, tethering to two together in such a way that Cadance could see discoloration of the crystals on the ground where Silver had stepped, the emotion seeping into them like water into soil.

Cadance kept her wings moving to keep her weight off the ground. She wasn't thinking, she was just galloping, taking sharper turns down the halls until she watched Silver jump off of the balcony and take flight. "Silver!" Cadance rushed to the edge. Silver definitely heard her, she was just ignored. Cadance watched her power her way down an arch towards the far side of the residential district.

No time to hesitate Cadance! Go!

Cadence jumped. She already had it in the back of her mind. If Silver got violent, she'd run, she wouldn't try and take her on.

Silver had never tried to hurt her before. Not in any serious capacity, she'd talk first. Cadance had to know. She had to.

She was having trouble keeping up, what with how she was pregnant and Silver was doing the equivalent to dead sprinting in the air. Cadance could tell where she was going though, Immaculate's manor, the garden on the opposite side of the main grounds.

Cadance landed carefully away from where Silver had. She was standing in front of some stone plinth, and turned when Cadance's wings flapped one last time.

"Here to gloat?" Silver snarked. Her tears had stopped, but there were still marks on her face. She didn't look upset anymore. She didn't look like anything. Her face was blank, her eyes were full of things Cadance couldn't understand. The air hung with grief.

Cadance opened her mouth, her eyes narrowed in frustration. "Silver, what the buck just happened?!"

Silver smiled something sickening. "What, you don't like it?"

"Why did you just roll over?! What are you planning? You- you can't be about to try something dangerous, you can't be."

Silver snorted, followed by two choked laughs, and then half screaming as she stomped her hoof in fake amusement. She settled in a blink, "Isn't it funny how it all comes full circle? The only place I could do this, and it's back in some rich pony garden, chasing me down like something you need to solve."

Please would you make sense for once in yo-

"That, was. The plan."

Cadance reared her head back. "What do you mean that- You, what and that's it?"

Silver smiled.

Cadance reeled. "What you... you wanted all of that to happen?"

"Wanted? Cadance, fuck you." Silver shook. Like she was about to lunge, but held herself back. Her ear flicked. She clenched her eyes shut as more tears tried to form. "I trusted you. I believed in you. I guess that's my problem."

"What are you talking about!?" Cadance stomped, taking half an angry step forwards. "You're lying! That doesn't even make any sense, why would you want to put me so seamlessly into power that the nobles can't go back? All of those charades, and I stood to benefit from every step!"

Silver scrunched her face, "Why wouldn't I want that?"

A gear popped from the churning mechanism in Cadance's head and everything ground to a halt. "Wha- what? Silver. What."

She's not saying...

"You... you wanted to... hurt the crystal ponies, erase their culture."

Silver snorted, "No. I didn't. Don't."

"But you sai-"

"When?" Silver accused.

Cadance looked down as her mind chugged to skim through her memory of that encounter outside of Amber's old home.

She said that sh- She said that she was trying.

"You said that you were trying to destroy the empire." Cadance looked up, "You said that. I remember it vividly."

"So? Of course I was." Silver waved her hoof like it was totally normal, "The Empire had already hit it's downwards spiral, but nobody is really interested in trying to fight Time. So I stepped in, trying doesn't necessarily mean I planned on succeeding, and what better way to bring ponies together than a common enemy they can point their hooves at and Hate."

Cadance's mouth dropped open.

Silver chuckled. "~There it is~" She blinked a few more tears out of her eyes. "Your daughter's future is whatever you want it to be, the Empire is yours, your relationship with your husband and the pantheon has improved. You're wiser, and more keen on the interworking of the world. You have everything you dreamed of wanting before you met me."

She...

She built a target.

Tack- the company was something ponies could band together to deal with the decrepit economic status-

THE TREE. That's how she knew the name! She looked into the future to check on Flurry Heart. She knew from the beginning the struggles of the Empire, she fixed the Spire, she fought monsters for me, and she set up her entire presence to end with me sitting so far on top of the throne that the nobles weren't even reluctant to do it.

She told me she was here to help. She was. She just did- I wouldn't've believed her.

"Your whole life is ahead of you, Cadance." So trapped in the realization, Cadance half missed Silver's mournful words.

She trained a group of ponies to run the company after we took it off her, she did that on purpose, she... from the very beginning... and I-

She bet the entire future of a species, a country, on the simple fact that I'd betray her in the end, because I wasn't paying attention.

She tried to warn me twice. She didn't tell me she wanted to hurt the crystal ponies, she was trying to stop it and knew I wouldn't listen to her regardless of what she said, because I was still treating her like someone who needed help. She came here for me, and I-

"Silv-" The beginnings of an apology died in her throat as she looked up and her breath hitched.

Silver had stepped backwards onto the plinth of rock and spread her wings.

She was stone.

"Save Them."

Astralation's request hit Cadance like a yak when she realized what the scarred mare was actually asking.

The only thing left of Silver's presence was the lingering, but drifting emotions of what Cadance could now recognize as betrayal hanging in the air, and an inscription at the base of the plinth, the tail end of the comment Cadance had missed in her thoughts.

"No." Cadance said, blinking in confusion. "Silver you can't." Cadance took a few steps forwards. "Silver, no, you-" Cadance heard her words, she remembered how similar they were to something she'd heard recently. Silver begging her to stop. Begging to be wrong.

She knew that moment was coming. She let it happen because... it was part of the plan, but she hated it. She wanted to believe that I'd find another way, so she begged me to stop. I betrayed her. I did exactly what she expected. She was so sure I wouldn't trust her that she bet my city on it, and she was right.

Cadance just stared.

All the words she could think of were twisted repeats of what Silver had said not thirty minutes before.

Minutes passed as she stared.

Eventually, Immaculate joined her in the garden. "Empress Cadance. I see Silver has been dealt with."

Go away.

"Yes." Cadance responded numbly.

Go. Away.

Cadance heard the snarking, biting expression on Immaculate's face. "Good. I was half tempted to banish her too. Looks like it didn't matter. We'll spin another story about her trying to damage my estate and you coming to the rescue."

Don't speak of her like that.

"Of course." Cadance responded numbly

A questioning tone. Immaculate stepped closer, too close. Cadance felt a spark of rage. Her wing wanted to lash out. It just wasn't fair. There wasn't enough Time. She had made too many mistakes, it wasn't fair. It wasn't her fault, but it was. Silver could have- and so could she. It wasn't fair. It didn't have to be this way, it was all upside down and backwards and Cadance was struggling to breath and her eyes stung and the world was turning over on itself and

"Empress Cadance? Are you okay?"

Cadance inhaled deeply.

"No. That took a lot more out of me than I expected. If you'll excuse me." Cadance took flight. She didn't do it right, but the hurt in her wing joints didn't matter to her. Her first thought, rising above the chaos in her mind was to go find Shining Armor. Now.

Another, darker part, whispered something else.

Write a letter, Cadance.

"I'll get you the quill."

Betrayer.

"I'm your rough awakening into the scuffed up world we live in."

What did Silver ever actually do wrong?

What did she do to earn the mistrust I placed on her?

Cadance's mind failed to come up with an answer.

"Yes. Cadance, I do care."

Cadance flew towards her office.