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Dancing to a Cadence (Closed)


Bellosh

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DANCE INSTRUCTOR - WANTED

Overworked married couple require services of PRIVATE dancing tutor

MUST have experience in working with couples

Position based in CRYSTAL EMPIRE

CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY essential

 

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In retrospect, Princess Cadence realized that her classified ad for a dance tutor might have gotten a lot more responses if she had revealed her royal identity. Apparently, moving to the Crystal Empire was not the most attractive of job prospects in that field. But the important thing was that one pony DID respond; a fellow by the name of Foxtrot. Cadence and her husband Shining Armor now had somepony in their employ to give them dance lessons, and add a little spark to their relationship to keep things... interesting.

 

A small chamber in the Crystal Palace was already cleared and prepared for the first dance lesson. Cadence was already there; all that was required now was Foxtrot... oh, and her husband too. The dance tutor had received written instructions to wait beside the Crystal Heart to be collected; a guard should be escorting him to the chamber any minute now. Now then, where was Shiny....?

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Cadence would hear Shining Armor approach long before he came into sight.  That was the thing about Crystal architecture, hoofsteps clacked and echoed in empty halls, making it almost impossible to sneak up on anypony inside.  Probably a classic security measure, to be honest.  Not that the stallion now approaching the ballroom was making any attempt to remain discrete.  On the contrary, he was flat out galloping, thundering hoofsteps pounding a rhythm through the floorstones.  

 

The reason for Shiny's hurry entered the ballroom a few seconds ahead of him, in the form of a small pink baby alicorn, taking her wings out for a rather haphazard spin.  "Wheeee...!"  Little Flurry tumbled through the air, flapping wings nearly every which way, somehow managing to stay airborne throughout, though she was losing altitude.  Right behind her was a blur of blue and white, accelerating to intercept his daughter's downward trajectory.  The subsequent one-hooved diving catch was poetry in motion, with Shiny sticking the landing on the waxed floor on three hooves, skidding to a halt in front of Cadence.

 

"And the crowd goes wild!"  He called out, hoof-pumping the air as the little filly in his care laughed with delight.  "And coach used to say this technique was useless showboating..."  The unicorn let out a breath, trying to get his adrenaline to cool down as he looked up at his wife.  "Flurry got out.  Apparently, she wasn't tired enough to take her nap yet.  I thing she's about ready now, though."  Indeed, the baby alicorn was already yawning, ready to be put back to bed for at least an hour, hopefully.

 

Shining Armor loved being a husband and a father, but it was not always easy to balance the two, when both your wife and your foal are both alicorns.  And then there's the whole running-an-Empire business on top of that.  Few and precious indeed were the times that the unicorn could get one-on-one time with either, but now that he'd had some with his daughter, he was free to spend some with his wife for the first time in... how long?  *Don't answer that, you'll just get depressed.*

 

He smiled at Cadence, levitating Flurry over to his shoulder to let her fall asleep.  "So... there was something we were going to be doing today... right, dear?"  He was pretty sure about that; they always made plans to spend time together, but it was hard to do specifics, since every opportunity had to be snatched when it came, and then whatever happened to be possible, they did.  But today... there was something, but he was having a hard time remembering...

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Now this was going to be an interesting job! The Crystal Empire! Everyone at work who passed up on this chance was so going to be kicking themselves in the flank for not taking it. Who wouldn't want to see the Crystal Empire? Foxtrot had been wanting to for a deal of time now, since the news first broke that it had returned as a matter of fact. But work and taking care of his brother meant that some plans had to be put on hold. That didn't matter now though, cus here they were! Once the unicorn had all of his things packed away and made sure his brother wouldn't get into any trouble, he made his way out into the absolutely beautiful and glistening streets of the Empire.


He probably looked every bit the part of a gawking tourist that he felt like, even as he carried his pack on his back. A few dance essentials, he wasn't certain what this mysterious couple was wanting to learn, there weren't many specifics on the job listing...maybe that was why no one took it. Regardless, Foxtrot made sure to pace a few pairs of tap shoes, some outfits as well! After all, some dances were just as much about the movements of the costume as they were the steps, you had to look the part...hopefully they would fit. Shaking his head he dug through one of the pockets on his pack to look over the note that came after he responded to the job listing.


The note said to wait beside the Crystal Heart to be collected. Which in and of itself sounded kind of weird, why the Crystal Heart specifically? Either way he made his way there with due haste and milled about as he waited...and waited...and waited. About a half an hour of waiting passed by before a guard approached the stallion and inquired if he was Foxtrot. The unicorn was more than a little concerned...Was he already in trouble? Much to his relief however, the guard quickly explained he wasn't in any trouble and asked for him to follow along into the palace. This caused a bit of pause for Foxtrot. The palace? Surely he misheard that, who at the palace would ever need dance lessons?


As he was guided through the crystalline halls of the palace, his mind wandered to wonder at the beautiful architecture...and how awesome it would look lit up by dance lights for an awesome party or rave or something. It barely registered in his mind when he and the guard finally arrived at the destination and was introduced to the couple...It took everything in him to not let his jaw drop at the revelation of who it was. 'No one is ever going to believe me.' he thought to himself as the guard departed. Quick you fool, say something to not look stupid. "Hey! Uh wow, wasn't expecting this. N-nice to meet you both, I'm Foxtrot. I hope I didn't show up too early...or late." Close enough.

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It was impossible for Princess Cadence not to smile at Shining Armor treating baby-catching as a sport... as if wife-tossing wasn't enough for the stallion, heh heh. With a glowing smile, Cadence looked down at her now tuckered-out baby daughter; "Tehehe, she's quite the handful, isn't she?" Giving Flurry Heart a peck on the cheek, the Princess of Love stepped back as her bundle of joy was levitated onto Shiny's back.

 

.....And now came the time for a mental face vault from the alicorn. "You forgot already?" Cadence incredulously teased, booping her husband's snout; "The two of us are starting dancing lessons today. The instructor we hired should be coming along any moment-"

 

On cue, an unfamiliar stallion was escorted into the room, and he seemed rather shocked to learn who his clients were. "Nope, you're right on time!" Cadence rushed towards Foxtrot to greet him, shaking his hoof; "I'm Cadence, this is Shining Armor, and that little munchkin on his back is our daughter, Flurry Heart!" To be fair, the royal sovereigns didn't really need an introduction, but it helped to discourage ponies right off the bat from using the more formal "Mi Amore Cadenza".


"You had a smooth train ride up here, Mr. Foxtrot?"

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Dance lessons...?  Shining scrunched his muzzle as his wife gave his nose a playful boop.  The phrase was quicker to summon memories of awkward adolescence, when he was powerless to protest the flugelhorn lessons that his mother had signed him up for, than the joyful planning of joint dates with his wife.  On the other hoof, it ultimately turned out to be very useful to know which was the end you blew through when he actually had to jointly rule the origin of that instrument, so he could hardly justify protest in this instance anyway.  

It would have availed him little at this point.  Cadence wanted it, and therefore the best policy was to comply.  Besides, it might actually turn out to be fun!  Most of Cadence's ideas were, unless they involved cooking.  Maybe when Flurry was old enough to enjoy playing firepony...  "Oh, dancing lessons!  Right, that was what we were going to today, yes."

 

Right about then the instructor appeared, announced by the guard, with an accompanying "Hebwo!" from Flurry Heart.  What that rather cryptic remark translated to, it was uncertain, but it was a happy cry, soon translated into a yawn.  "Welcome to the Empire, Foxtrot.  Just a moment, it's almost time for Flurry's nap here."  Shining gestured the guard over, entrusting their daughter to him until the Crystaller could be fetched.  It helped immensely to have somepony to act as a dedicated sitter on the royal payroll...

Standing back, the Prince and Captain got a good look at the instructor.  Good, he didn't look the shouty type.  Shining never felt that he worked or learned any better with somepony yelling in his ear.  This made his early military career a bit of a challenge until he rose through the ranks.  Hopefully, this first lesson would go more smoothly than basic training.

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Foxtrot could hardly believe it! The rulers of the Crystal Empire? If he wasn't standing in front of them, let alone shaking hooves with Princess Cadence, the stallion would swear he was dreaming. Thankfully, all the practice of dance performances and teaching has given him a rather good semblance of composure in strenuous circumstances! He neither freaked out like an excited fanboy or grovel like an unworthy peasant. Instead he smiled and offered a polite bow in return. "It's great to meet all of you! Your daughter is absolutely precious." he said giving the sleepy little babby a wave.


"I gotta say, this is kinda blowing my mind here. But I promise not to gush too much." Foxtrot shifted his pack from one side to the other and grinned. "They job listing was a little vague on what you two wanted to learn, but that's fine, a lot of couples aren't really sure where to start when they first decide they wanna dance. But I figure being royalty you've already got the stuffier dances figure out? If not I know those too and would be happy to guide you to the best of my abilities!" Foxtrot certainly had an upbeat nature and great positive energy, it was almost contagious!

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Flurry Heart might not have been one year old yet, but she was already turning out quite the charmer. Princess Cadence gave a short giggle as Foxtrot greeted the baby, but all too soon, the yawning one had to be whisked off to her nap time. Now it was just Foxtrot and the royal couple in the room.


Truth be told, it didn't particularly matter which sort of dance Cadence and Shining learned, just as long as they were learning together. Togetherness; that's what counted! "Nah," the alicorn casually replied; "We mastered ballroom dancing years ago." Well, Cadence did at any rate. Taking a few seconds to consider her options, the pink princess asked the dance instructor; "Which sort of dance styles do you specialize in, Foxtrot?"

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The charming effect that Flurry Heart had on perfect strangers was a boon to her parents now, though Shining Armor anticipated losing sleep over it as she grew up.  As of now, though, she greatly helped in dispensing of all the formal stuffiness that introductions to royalty could get snagged up in, all the while being adorably unaware.

 

Not Shiny, though.  The stallion was intensely aware of what was going on, as the next few minutes would determine just how much of a fool he would make of himself on the dance floor.  He figured anything with a fairly regular cadence (no pun intended) would be alright, thanks to the similarity to military marches.  If Foxtrot expected them to start salsa dancing though, disaster would not be far ahead.  Thus, when Cadence blithely assured the instructor that she and him had 'mastered' ballroom dancing years ago, he couldn't help shooting her a nervous look.  "Umm..."  

 

Vocal opposition would be unwise; after all, it wasn't as if he didn't spend quality time with his lovely wife.  It's just that his idea of quality time did not include sprained ankles and broken vases.  He hoped Foxtrot would pick up on this little hint, without making any of them lose face...

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Foxtrot knew that look. He knew that look all too well! It was the look of a stallion who 'had four left hooves'. Ballroom dancing wasn't everyone's forte, it made sense that Princess Cadence would have it under wraps, while her husband? Well he was a guard so surely he had some sense of rhythm. Marching was...kind of a dance. Perhaps he could help with that though as the lessons went out. "Oh I try to pick up a bit of everything I can! Tango, salsa, waltz, tap, pole, ballet. Oh, and obviously I know how to foxtrot! he said, snickering lightly...that joke never really seems to hit but he tries it anyway every time.


"I've not had the chance to go around the world and learn firsthoof like some of my mentors have. But I've learned from them and from the ponies that come from around the world that visit the dance studios. It's honestly a great leaning experience, not to mention fantastic exercise. But I'll not blabber on about all that now. So perhaps the big question is, do you want to start with something slow and easy? Or try to kick it into high gear? Then again they both start with baby steps!"

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Happily oblivious to Shining Armor's discomfort, Princess Cadence noted how much of a well-learned dancer Foxtrot was. The alicorn gave a slight chuckle at the foxtrot pun; it wasn't the funniest joke in the world, but it was mildly amusing and it also kinda broke the ice a little bit. One of the dances Foxtrot described however sounded completely unfamiliar to Cadence, who liked to believe she knew the names of all the popular dances around.


The pink princess waited until the tutor stopped talking before inquiring further. "If you don't mind me asking... what's pole dancing? I don't think I ever heard of that one before..." Did pole dancing involve some sort of pole-twirling somehow? If only Cadence knew more of the world laying outside the sight of her pony-tale castles.....

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While Foxtrot's little joke wasn't all that impressive, Shining Armor did smile a bit.  Honestly, it'd be even funnier if that was the one dance the instructor didn't know.  And the guard could well understand the drive of learning all one could; he shared it in regards to his own profession and hobbies.  In fact, it ran in his whole family, as the career of his L.S.B.F.F. Twilight Sparkle demonstrated.

 

The stallion's own life, however was a little less cloistered than those of the two closest Princesses of his life.  He'd spent enough time in Barracks-room life to learn just what exactly pole-dancing was.  He hadn't quite caught that Foxtrot was offering lessons in that, but once Cadence called his attention to it...  "Snrk!"  He immediately brought a hoof up to stifle his laughter, but being a stallion, he could not suppress in his mind the image that immediately popped up of his wife enthusiastically applying her lessons in that art.  The more rational part of his brain kicked in immediately, pointing out that: One, that was probably another joke of Foxtrot's anyway; two, saying 'let's go with that' was likely to get him into trouble with Cadence when she found out what it really was; three, if he didn't get in trouble, Cadence would insist on them both learning to Pole-dance, which he would never hear the end of in all his natural born days.

 

Certainly made the prospect of swing or the waltz more attracting.  "It's a... bit advanced, dear.  And more importantly, a solo rather than a couple's dance."  There.  Now, as long as the instructor didn't push the issue, everything would be fine.  

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"Oh on the contrary, actually!" Foxtrot had entirely missed the other stallion's snicker at the mention of pole dancing. The poor prince. "Pole dancing is a great couples dance, or even for groups, and the basics are pretty easy. See, it originates some...ooooh, eight hundred or so years ago from a gymnastic sport in which one preforms feats and poses in concert with a pole or rope. In more recent history, it evolved into a sideshow act for traveling circuses." the unicorn gave a little nod and sat his bag down next to him before continuing. "It's also a great exercise! See, pole dancing is a great way to increase your core and general body strength, since you're using your body as resistance, while toning the body as a whole. I've also had ponies tell me that it has helped their self-confidence, though of course that's always a personal matter, rather than hard facts."

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Just like the dance instructor, Princess Cadence remained blissfully ignorant of her husband's snickering, although a subtle scowl did appear on Cadence's face as she took minor offense to the suggestion that any form of dance was too advanced for her to learn. But listening in on the history of pole dancing, the alicorn found the details quite interesting. And the exercise bits; another thing Cadence hadn't found much time for recently (at least in safe and controlled environments).

 

"Now that you mention it," the Love Princess rubbed her chin; "My body's been feeling a little soft ever since I had the baby." A couple seconds later, Cadence's expression showed resolve to indicate she had made up her mind; "Foxtrot... I believe we'll start with pole dancing!" And if pole dancing didn't work out, the dance tutor always had more styles up his sleeve...

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Shining Armor blinked, momentarily stunned.  *Did he just... yes, he did.  And did Cady just agree to us... yes, she did.*  This was not how he expected the afternoon to go when he woke up this morning.  On the other hoof... he didn't get to live the life he did now by turning down new experiences.  Heck, even risking social exclusion, such as joining an Ogres & Oubliettes group, ultimately gave him the tactical skill needed to rise through the ranks, giving him the confidence to actually propose to Cadence, leading ultimately to where he was right now.  

 

"Alright dear; if you're game for that, I'm game for it!"  He assented with what he hoped wasn't too excessive of an enthusiasm.  There was still the risk that Cadence might react badly when she got the whole picture of what pole dancing really was, but Shiny had faith in her sense of humor.  Besides, if she liked the look of how he danced, all might yet be forgiven.  

 

He looked around the ballroom.  "We don't exactly have a pole ready... I don't suppose one of the support beams would work?"  He pointed over to a crystalline column that served as a roof support.  They were arguably more decorative than functional, as most of the weight in the Crystal Palace was borne by exterior buttresses, leaving some of these columns to be very thin indeed.

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Foxtrot did have to admit a small measure of surprise. Most ponies either knew the...less than work friendly version of pole dancing and shot it down right away or thought it sounded silly or too difficult. Either way, the royal couple seemed to be good sports and willing to at least try it out! "Awesome to hear!" he said as he unzipped his bag and started to dig. "One thing to keep in mind when learning to pole dance is grip. If you've ever done any sort of high bar gymnastics, it's kind of like that, only vertical instead of horizontal!"


With fortuitous timing at Shining Armor's mention of a pole, the unicorn finally found what he was digging for. In hoof he held two small, unassuming metal rods. They sure didn't look to be anything somepony could dance on...unless it were a Breezie maybe. "That's won't be an issue at all! I just need to be sure of where to set these two up!" the stallion gave the rods a little shake.

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Foxtrot's mention of gymnastics brought out a little anecdote from Cadence; "You know heh heh, I actually wanted to sign up for my school's gymnastics team when I was a little filly, but apparently I was too tall to make the cut." At least she always had singing to fall back on, extracurricular-wise. The pink princess's expression turned quizzical when the dance instructor brought out the two smallish rods. "Those... don't look like poles to me." Things were already off to an curious start, it seemed.....

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Now that they were underway, Shining was ready to throw himself in the task with full enthusiasm.  Four left hooves or two, this would certainly be a memorable time for him and Cadence.  Looking over to his wife as she related her anecdote, he chuckled a bit.  "Elegant from the beginning, eh?  That doesn't surprise.  It's a pity, I'd have liked to see you out there, but then you might not have trained that lovely voice of yours.  I can certainly accompany it better!"  Shiny's musical training was, of course, amateur, but competent.  Enough to break out the flugelhorn at official ceremonies, to the cheers of the Crystal Ponies.  That had, incidentally, been the cause of the latest of a series of letter's home that went, "Dear Mom, well, it turns out you were right again about making me do this thing..."  Now a parent himself, he looked forward to the days when he would receive such letters.

 

He gave an odd look at the poles Foxtrot brought out, but a colthood spent with a magical prodigy in the house dredged up a ready answer.  "They expand, I bet.  More or less basic dimension folding, I take it?"  He had little worries about his own grip, having kept up with his weapons drills.  And brought on new ones, too; Crystal ponies tended to favor lances over the shorter spears and swords of the Equestrian guard, meaning that jousting was still a viable sport here.  And as Shining was both enough of a nerd to appreciate the history and enough of a jock to want to try it out himself... there were a few extra bruises he picked up after practice.

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"Exactly friendo!" Foxtrot said with a grin, twirling one of the rods in his hoof. "I'm no magic expert or anything, but that's basically what it is! Now if I do thiiiis..." the stallion looked around and up at the ceiling for a moment pacing around as he judged the best place to put them. Once he was satisfied he tapped the first rod against the ground. The object began to glow faintly before rapidly extending up towards the ceiling, stopping just before hitting it with full force and gently clinking against it. A few paces apart he placed the other one and brushed his hooves off with a proud little smile. "I like to think they were worth the paycheck."


Digging into his backpack, the instructor pulled out a little bottle of powder and sat it down near by "That's for grip enhancing! If you tend to have like, sweaty hooves or problems gripping for periods of time it can work wonders." Foxtrot explained as he wandered over to one of the poles, grabbing it with a forehoof. Making sure everything was in place he smiled and gave a nod. "Alright, now the first and most important thing is, we have to make sure you're able to climb the pole well enough. Since a lot of pole dancing is based around acrobatics, you won't be spending a whole lot of time on the ground." to emphasize his point, Foxtrot pulled himself up on the pole and, using only his hind legs to keep grip, spun around before hanging there for a moment before making his way back down with a little leap. "And don't worry, I'm not expecting anything fancy from your first tries. Just have fun!"

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Hmmm, that little bit of magic settled the matter of the poles, earning an approving nod from Princess Cadence. While Foxtrot explained the importance of having a good grip on the pole, the princess used her time wisely to take off her royal horseshoes. Didn't need all that solid gold to make gripping needlessly difficulty, after all.


After oohing and ahhing at the dance tutor's acrobatic display, Cadenced mentally prepared herself for her first bout climbing the pole. Picking the one Foxtrot hadn't climbed on, the alicorn optimistically spoke out; "Okay Cadence, let's do this!" The Crystal Princess wisely took things slowly at this beginning stage, not doing much more than wrapping a foreleg around her pole to get a feel for the tall shaft. She didn't plan on proceeding further until Foxtrot was prepared with more specific instructions. No need to get an injury so soon by being hasty.....

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In addition to sharpening his tactical skills, Shining Armor's years of experience in playing O & O had also endowed him with the facility for creative thinking.  Immediately, his mind jumped to all the possible uses of a ten-foot pole that one could fit in one's pocket, from combat, to engineering, to practical.  "That is impressive!  You'll have to tell me where you got those from."

 

He accepted the offer of powder, dusting his hooves while Foxtrot gave his first demonstration.  While Cadence was the first up, she approached the pole more cautiously.  Not so Shiny.  Showing more than expected vertical enthusiasm for the wingless one in the couple, he leaped onto the pole, catching a firm grip with this forehooves.  Unfortunately, the fit stallion managed to jump so high that his rear hooves were no longer touching the ground.  He gripped with the rear legs as best he could, but slid down the pole with an audible squeaking skid until he hit the the floor with a bump.  

"Er, right!"  Clearing his throat and righting his stance, he waited alongside his wife for the next instructions.  He found he could stand well enough, and his grip was solid.  This shouldn't be too hard...

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Foxtrot couldn't help but to laugh a bit at Shining's little stunt there. Not a condescending or mocking laugh, but a friendly one. "Hey hey! Great enthusiasm there, I love it. Okay, so the first thing to learn may sound pretty simple, but is a little trickier than you'd think." the stallion smiled and walked over to the pole that Shining had picked and grabbed it. "You want to have a tight, firm grip that's just loose enough for you to spin." Foxtrot swayed slightly on the pole rather than spin around since the other stallion was occupying it. He then wandered over to Cadence's pole and demonstrated the same before stepping back once more.


"That's the first bit of practice! Finding your grip. If you've ever seen those films with ponies dancing in the rain and spinning around lamp posts I want you to try that, just a bit of simple spinning while you get used to the feel of the pole."

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Out of respect for Shining Armor's pride, Princess Cadence did not giggle as her husband blunderous leaped onto the pole with gusto, although she couldn't hold back a bemused smile. When most of the alicorn's daily schedule consisted of caring for the baby and doing princess work, it was little moments like that which broke up monotony and brightened the day.

 

Speaking of brightening things up, Cadence perked at Foxtrot's reference to one of her favorite Bridleway musicals (which had been adapted into a film too). The pink princess had been a sucker for old-school musicals, even when all the other girls in her age group reflexively avoided anything they thought only grandmas could love. Already, Cadence was "la-la-laing" a tune in her melodic voice; a reminder to the stallions present that the mare might have very well turned out a singer instead of a princess were it not for various twists of fate.

 

Her enthusiasm running at maximum, Cadence's grip tightened. She remembered: tight grip, but not too tight! Still humming, the alicorn gave spinning her first shot, wanting to replicate that all-time classic ring singing scene. However, Cadence's grip wasn't tight enough, and she had leaned a little more to the side than warranted. Result: the Crystal Princess lost her grip in the middle of her spin. Unbalanced, there was no other direction for her body to go but down to the ground with a neigh and a THUMP!


To her credit, Cadence chuckled at herself for her silliness as she laid sprawled on the palace floor. No injuries thankfully, but an outstretched foreleg called for assistance; "Tehehe... little help here?"

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It was comforting, at least, that Shining Armor could make a fool out of himself in company that wouldn't give him a hard time about it.  Wasn't the first time, for sure, his wife and sister between them had a pretty comprehensive catalog, so it was a very good thing they all loved each other!  Foxtrot, too, was understanding, sharing the pole with Shiny for a bit while the stallion watched and tried to imitate his movements.  Gripping the pole wasn't quite like gripping his spear back in drills, so it was going to take a while to get the technique down.  After a few repetitions, though, he felt comfortable enough to spare some attention to see how Cadence was doing.

 

He had to admit, he'd been looking forward to seeing his wife perform on the pole, and the addition of her sweet singing just made it all the better.  She could certainly have made an alternative career as a singer, just as he could as a... scholar?  Game designer?  Huh, he'd actually never thought of what he'd actually do if he hadn't joined the guard.  Good thing he made it, then!

 

Of course, ultimately, she wasn't any more of an expert that he was at pole dancing, coming down to the ground in a tumble.  As soon as he saw her drop, Shining had come away from his own pole, ready to help her up.  "As you wish!"  He said, in humor and relieved to see that Cady was fine; reaching down a hoof, he helped her back up in a gallant manner.

 

"Now, I think what we have to do is a little something more like this..."  He returned to his own pole, gripping it with more confidence, but also more ease, the repeated practice he'd just done giving him more comfort with the level of grip and the momentum it could stand.  And sure enough, he was able to do a simple spin with little trouble, even leaning back his head with a grin and a wink back to his wife.

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A little internal wince came to Foxtrot. It certainly wasn't the first time a student of his took a spill, not just on the pole but in any dance really. But even still it was a worry whenever someone may hurt themselves. Judging from the Princess' little giggle, she was just fine though. Her husband of course was quick to her side to lend a hand. Some of those tabloids were true, they really did seem like the perfect couple!


"Don't ever fret about a little spill by the by. It still happens to me and I've been at this for a few years now. In fact taking a tumble in the early stages is a good thing!" the stallion said with a confident nod as he watched the other two ponies return to the poles. "Spills or missteps, they're not something to be afraid of, there's no need for perfection. They show you not only where you can improve, but when you do, they show you just how much you have improved!"


When Shining managed a simple spin, Foxtrot gave a little round of applause. "There we go! That's a great start. One of the best things to remember when spinning is to use your weight as momentum. When you're up on the pole, you don't quite have the traction with your hind hooves, so using the rest of your mass becomes the goal. When you both feel ready, the next step will be climbing the pole. It's a sort of a step up, you have to keep your grip tight enough that you don't slid down, but loose enough you can still move. I guess in one way you can think of it as different challenge levels in a game."

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In her own ladylike fashion, Princess Cadence gracefully pulled herself back up with the assistance of her heroic knight in shining armor. Surrounded by supportive ponies, the alicorn's determination to succeed only grew stronger. Observing Shiny's technique down to the letter, Cadence absorbed all the details on what to do. Maybe for now, don't extend the body quite out as far, hmmm?


More mindful of her weight distribution and her grip strength, the Crystal Princess gave spinning another go. Remembering how her husband did it, Cadence emulated the stallion's moves to perfection. After she finished a rotation, the pink alicorn repaid her stallion by facing him with half-lidded eyes, then blowing a playful kiss while leaning into the pole with the other hoof. "How did that look, Shining?"  Cadence's provocative gaze did not relent, uncaring of whatever effect it may have on her partner in royalty.....

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