Author's Notes:

Kudos to johnsparkly251 for the idea.

"--and so," Cadance finished, "this is why I, with the backing of the Crystal Empire, desire to exit our status as a dependent nation of Equestria. The aid we received to update our infrastructure has been far more than enough to suffice, and ideally, the ability to function independently as a sovereign nation would greatly improve the status of the Crystal Empire upon the international stage."

Celestia blinked.

"Also, if we don't have to follow Equestria's current laws on shipping ponies, then I can play matchmaker any time I want."

Celestia blinked again and pressed a rubber checkmark stamp on her niece's face.