Blueblood Posted February 24, 2017 Report Share Posted February 24, 2017 'Failure is the necessary pre-requisite to success.' At least, that was what Shiny's DM had said after his first party-wipe. And that was honestly a bigger setback to finishing the module than a simple tumble was to learning to dance. It just took working through your first failure to realize and internalize it. It had to be said, too, that the potential rewards for success were beginning to appear disproportionately large compared to the pains along the way. For instance, one mere skipped heartbeat to enjoy the sight of Cady taking his example of a perfect spin around the pole, and blowing him a kiss. The impact was visible, widened eyes, fluttering ears, and a palpable rush of adrenaline and drive in Shining Armor to impress his beautiful mare. Or, at least, to make a fool of himself trying. "On to Level 2, then!" With an eager shout and deep breath, he sprung back up on his pole, some two feet above the ground. At first he gripped it between his knees, which was stiff and seemed to prevent movement. With some turns and wiggles, he was able to hook one of his rear legs around the pole, gripping it in a still solid hold, but in such a way that he could pivot more easily. His first attempted spin was slow, carefully testing his grip, but the earlier lessons held true, as did he. He was even able to release one of his forelegs to pose, leaning out from the pole with a lidded-eye 'top this!' look on his face. He couldn't help but be somewhat competitive, but he was pretty sure Cadence was up to the challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted February 26, 2017 Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Foxtrot clapped and smiled as his students managed to get 'Level 2', as Shining called it, figured out. "There you go, that looked beautiful you two! You're getting the hang of it real fast! But here." the stallion wandered over to Shining's pole and gently put a hoof on his back for balance. "Try letting go of your other foreleg and see if you can hold yourself up with just your hind legs. We'll try with you next, Cadence, unless you're feeling up to it. I wouldn't want you falling from up there since it'd hurt a biiiit more ahah." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted March 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 LEVEL 2 START! Pleased with Shining Armor's approval of her Level 1 "completion score", Princess Cadence also moved on to figuring out how to climb the pole. Shiny had to be a showoff of course, flaunting his ability to stay on his pole while posing. Well, Cady would show him! ...Eventually. Yes, she was able to climb that initial two feet, but the alicorn ended up slowly skidding down once she was stationary. Apparently, the mare's grip with her hind legs wasn't tight enough to keep her up on the pole. Determined to succeed, Cadence made another attempt to similar results. At least this time, she felt brave enough to extend a foreleg as a flourish; if a princess should fall, she should fall with style! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted March 3, 2017 Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 If there was one thing that Shining Armor had not expected to happen over the course of dancing lessons with his wife... well, actually, there were quite a lot of things that he did not expect to happen, and all the things that had happened so far were among them. This included him actually 'leveling up' his skill faster than Cadence. "I think..." He said, leaning back to talk to Foxtrot. "That she might need some support? At least more than I do right now." He honestly felt a little guilty that he wasn't doing so himself, but he was currently halfway up a pole himself, so... what could you do? In any case, he decided to hold off a little on trying to lean out on his rear legs alone, just in case he was needed to support his wife in her efforts to catch up. At least, that was his plan, but he'd been unconsciously leaning on Froxtrot's offered hoof, so when the stallion pulled it back, his forehoof grip failed, and he tilted back flailing. "Whoa!" With a sudden whinny, he made an effort to recover himself, which he managed after only slipping half a foot, giving Cady a sheepish smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Foxtrot wasn't sure if it was just Shining wanting to make sure his wife was alright, discomfort at having a stallion helping him poledance, or a combination of both, but the unicorn understood either way. "Alright if you're sure you've got it." he said with a little nod and a smile as he stepped back...Only for the other stallion to flail and squirm to regain his balance. He gave Shining a pat on the shoulder before moving over to Cadence. Once the Princess made it back up onto the pole again, Foxtrot helped her scoot a little higher up, acting as a stabilizer to keep her from sliding. "Okay, so what you should do now is start off gripping as tight to the pole as you can. Once you have it were you're not slipping down, you can start letting loose bit by bit, until you find that comfort zone!" if it wasn't for the fact this was a hush hush job, he'd so tell his friends that he helped these two to learn to dance!...Then again who would believe 'Hey so I tought the Princess of Love and her husband how to poledance'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted March 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 "Tehehe, speak for yourself Shiny!" That was Cadence's playful retort as she watched her cocky husband almost fall down the pole again. With help from Foxtrot, the pink alicorn found the stability she needed to get comfortable with the grip tightness she needed. Within a couple minutes, Cadence too accomplished the art of staying on the pole with only her hind legs. From there on out, the rest of the pole dancing 'levels' proceeded in a similar manner to the first two, with husband and wife both learning from their fumbles. It was thus only a matter of time before the royal couple were ready for the session's final challenge..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 Minor setbacks aside, Shining felt pretty proud of his progress by the end of the afternoon. He could grip the pole with just his hindlegs and lean out without falling, he could spin centripetally rather than centrifugally, and even once managed to get upside-down! Of course, he then needed Foxtrot's help to get right-side up again... The benefit of taking these lessons with Cady was that each of them could learn from each other's mistakes as well as their own. And the bonus of getting watch each other when they got it right wasn't bad either, though admittedly such sights were quite distracting. By the end of it, Shiny could definitely 'feel the burn' from the workout that this was proving to be. Good muscle training, this. *Wonder if I ought to let the guards know about these sort of lessons? It would definitely be a way to keep their physical conditioning in top shape.* An idle thought, given the likely feedback that suggestion was going to get. "Alright, what's the last thing for today?" He asked, one eye to the clock. Still a few minutes to go before they'd have to return to work, or watching their daughter, respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 "Great work you two! See, once you get the hang of it, it's easy!" he said, stepping back from the two to let them practice the various bits he had taught them, stepping in to give a helping hoof if ever somepony got stuck. Cadence and Shining were great students, they retained the information (at least for today!), followed instructions well, and were having a great time. Foxtrot often found that the last one in the list was the most important out of all of them. After all, if it wasn't fun, what was the point? "Alright! So the last thing for today, isn't actually a lesson, it's a challenge." Foxtrot said with a little grin. "I'll leave these poles here for now and I want you to practice! Next time you have me come in, I want you to each show me a routine. Or if you want to work up one together that's fine! I'm not expecting perfection or anything like that, I just wanna see you two having fun. Sound good to you two?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted March 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2017 How intriguing: preparing a pole dance routine had been the most interesting homework assignment that Princess Cadence had in years. Not to mention the first one she'd been assigned in years. "Sounds good to me!" Cadence shouted off with gusto; "Is there anything we can do for you before you leave today, Foxtrot? You've been SUCH an amazing dance instructor! Perhaps you'd like to stay for dinner?" It never hurt to ask..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted March 19, 2017 Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 The proposition sounded pretty good to Shining Armor, too. With a little work, they could probably each carve, say, an hour out of each day to work on the routine. Probably in the evening, to de-stress together from their normally busy days. *Better have Sunburst study the compression spell for these posts, too. Might come in handy.* He nodded assent to his wife's invitation. "Of course we understand if you're busy, but we'd like to offer hospitality. Frankly... it's not often that our old friends from Equestria come all the way up here." He sighed, trying to keep smiling as he confided. "It's understandable, and we have made a lot of new friends here, but... well, one does get homesick from time to time." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted March 21, 2017 Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 Foxtrot grinned brightly. A chance to have dinner with the rulers of the Crystal Empire at the Crystal Palace? There was no way he could pass that up!...Well, one way. "I'd be absolutely delight to! Thanks. But there's just one stipulation, I'll come so long as it's okay to bring my little brother, Eden." the stallion replied with a nod. "I can assure you he's polite and well behaved...Just a little on the quiet side." Perhaps a little was an understatement, but that was beside the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted March 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 Geez Shiny; try not to make your wife yearn to see her Equestrian friends and family, 'kay? Thankfully, Foxtrot quickly dispelled that brief bout of melancholy by mentioning his little brother. "Oh," Cadence's lovely voice assured her guest; "We don't mind at all! Shining Armor and I would LOVE to meet your little brother." Aww, but Eden was on the quiet side. No worries though; if the Princess of Love could lure Twilight freaking Sparkle out of her shell back when all other fillies had failed, then surely Eden would be a piece of cake! "Where is Eden now?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 "Sure, why not? The more the merrier, and it's good to bring family along when you can." Shining was always eager to offer hospitality. After all, having a palace full of servants was a little weird to use just for oneself, especially after the more spartan conditions of the royal guard. "In fact, Cady, wasn't there another guest that was showing up this week? Rune, that was it. If he comes in time, maybe we can have a seat for him, too." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted April 2, 2017 Report Share Posted April 2, 2017 "Awesome this will be great. Thank you both so much." Foxtrot said as he packed up the rest of his gear, sans poles and powder. "The place we're staying at isn't too far from here! I'll take my stuff home, get Eden, get a shower in, and be back in two shakes!" with that the stallion dipped his head and scampered off! Eden would be sooooo excited. In his own little Eden way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 *A COUPLE HOURS LATER* Everypony had found their seats at the table in the royal solar, a modest room on the Crystal Palace's upper levels. Normally serving as the private dining room for Princess Cadence and Family, three other guests would be eating with them tonight. Flurry Heart occupied one of the table's heads, Shining Armor on the baby's right-hand side and Cadence beside him. Directly opposite the royal couple were Foxtrot and the previously mentioned Rune. And at the table's other end sat Foxtrot's little brother, Eden. "Thank you all for being able to join us this evening," the pink alicorn spoke to all guests present, only to focus her lively gaze on the little unicorn colt to her right side. Cadence could never resist the charm of children. "Especially you, Eden. How are you liking the Crystal Empire so far?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novaburst Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 Rune smiled at Cadance, and the others. Having sat down at the table he looked at Flurry Heart and Cadance as he was seated. "You're welcome Cadance. The pony you sent as an aid to me really did their best.The Frost Wolves have stopped being a problem." Which was a relief that Rune could not begin to repay, because of how much effort it saved him on a regular basis. The attacks of the Frost Wolves... those had been vicious. Now that he had time to relax, Rune was happier. He'd then turn his attention towards Eden, and the others, smiling once more. For this made him happy. Enjoying a good meal with ponies seemed like it was enjoyable. At least, it wasn't boring like blasting Frost Wolves with lightning, and fire spells designed specifically for the purpose of dissolving them. "I'll have to think of some way to repay your kindness for sending me the much-needed aid." Rune said, grinning at her. The help of the pony she had sent had been invaluable, and more importantly ensured he wasn't going to have to deal with Frost Wolves again. Rune was ecstatic, because he no longer had as much to worry about. Half of the magical traps he had to set every day were no longer needed, because the Frostwolves couldn't be a problem any longer for him, as they had been relocated to somewhere else. And the other half were only needed as backups for the first half of the traps, which meant he could save even more of his magic. Cadance had done him more than he could ever hope to repay. "I recognize Cadance, Shining and Flurry. But who are the other two?" asked Rune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windwright Posted April 6, 2017 Report Share Posted April 6, 2017 Wooooow. The Crystal Palace! Eden had been a good colt all day, doing his homework just like Foxy had asked when he left this morning. They got in super late last night, so Eden hadn't gotten to see much, and this evening he had been too busy listening to his brother explaining all the rules for the dinner meeting with the Princess and Prince and little Princess. And someone else new. So many new ponies! So many new places! Eden was bouncing in his seat with barely-contained glee! He nodded at the Princess when she talked to him, and considered her question very seriously before saying "Pretty!" in a tone that rang of high praise. Both the city itself and its inhabitants were the most amazing thing Eden had seen in his life! So far, anyway, And there was something tickling the back of his mind. Like maybe there was more he wasn't seeing yet. Not that he'd seen more than the few blocks between the palace and their hotel, he was asleep last night when they got in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 Shining Armor was, as usual, seated beside his wife at dinner. This seemingly quite normal arrangement had actually been the royal couple's first bump against the local protocol when Cadence had assumed the throne. Apparently, the ruler and consort used to sit at each end of the rather long dining table. When he pressed for the reason for this seeming absurdity, the crystal pony servant had told him, "Well, remember who our last ruler was?" The point was taken, on both sides, fortunately, so nopony was going to have to yell in order to participate in the general conversation. Occasionally looking back to where little Flurry was perched, smiling, though still a little sleepy from the nap she just had, the stallion nodded to each new guest in turn. "I'm glad they were a help, Rune! I like to keep the guard doing useful work, even if it's a little unusual. Especially so, in fact. Setting into a routine dulls reaction time, and creativity in responding to dangerous situations." He'd seen how bad that could get first hoof, both back in Canterlot and here in the Empire. The responsibility of keeping the Crystal Empire's protective force weighed heavy on his shoulders sometimes, so he was really quite grateful of the other's request. It saved him having to make up something for the Crystal Guard to do besides endless drilling and patrols. He smiled at little Eden's answer. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" Despite the Imperial pretensions in the name, the Crystal Empire was really just a pretty little kingdom, almost exactly the sort of place that young fillies and colts would picture during bedtime readings of fairy tales, and then dream of living in or ruling over. And though he rarely admitted it, Shining dreamed of such things as much, if not more so, than Princess Cadence! "How much have you been able to see so far? Have you visited the Crystal Heart yet?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 There was still a kind of surreal feeling about all this. When Foxtrot took the job, he hadn't expected on being the dance instructor for the Princess and Prince of the Crystal Empire! Knowing what he knew about the long isolated nation, he expected a crystal pony couple looking to learn more about the dances of the world that passed them by. Either would have been a fun experience, but this did take the cake by a country mile. And now here he and his brother were having dinner with them! Foxtrot smiled over at his little brother. It always made him happy to see the little guy so happy. Nearly bursting at the seams he was! "Ah, sadly we got in pretty late last night and didn't have any time this morning when I rushed out to make it here. But seeing it's certainly on our to do list!" the stallion replied with a nod. There really was a whole lot to do and to see in the Empire and he knew that Eden, much like him, would want to see a lot of that. When the other guest at the table asked about 'the other two', Foxtrot gave a little wave. "Heya! The name's Foxtrot, and this is my little brother Eden Glow. Nice to meet you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted April 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 Eden was... a colt of contradictions. For a cheery kid who seemed to be bristling with pent-up energy, he sure was very deliberate in the words he used. Princess Cadence would roll with it, however. "What would you say is the thing you like most about the Crystal Empire so far, Eden?" While everypony was talking, the palace servants were busy laying out bread & butter on the table plus pouring glasses of grape juice for all to drink. "The chefs are cooking an Itailian meal for us tonight," Cadence voice rang out across the dining table; "I hope everypony likes fettuccine alfredo with broccoli and spinach!" A favorite dish from Mi Amore Cadenza's childhood as a little filly of Roam; hopefully, the guests will love it too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novaburst Posted April 23, 2017 Report Share Posted April 23, 2017 "Italian sounds wonderful, I'll admit it has been a while since I have been to Roam." said Rune. Rune thought about what Cadence was saying. As the servants laid out the food and the glasses of Grape Juice, Rune's horn lit and he levitated over the grape juice, his magic nearly faltering a couple of times but he managed to keep his magical grip on the grape juice, levitate it over to his mouth and take a sip. It was good. "Glad you enjoyed having the guards deal with my Frostwolf infestation. Hopefully they won't be back." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windwright Posted April 26, 2017 Report Share Posted April 26, 2017 "Everything is crystal!" Eden says almost right away. He'd thought about that while thinking about the other question, so he could spare a couple more words this time! He especially liked the way the buildings and the road did funny things with the light, he got to walk through a real rainbow! Without getting wet! Anywhere that did that was awesome in his book. Eden perked up when he heard what dinner was going to be. Spinach and (ugh) broccoli with a special sauce? He was pretty sure food that was the same colour as you was supposed to be good for you, that's why he always ate all of his veggies and Foxy got grape jam on his breakfast toast, but he didn't really like broccolis. Maybe they were different here, and maybe they use more spinach, which he did like. Besides, he wasn't going to wrinkle his snout with a Princess here! Especially a Princess with such a pretty Empire. He couldn't really stop the ear flipping back and forth between up and down, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted April 29, 2017 Report Share Posted April 29, 2017 Ah, the innocence of children! Shining looked forward to when his own daughter would be making such cute, yet astute, observations. It was easy to get used to the Crystalline architecture when one lived here, but he remembered seeing it for the first time... Even under the threat of shadow, it could inspire awe, and a desire to protect. That desire had not faded, though it helped to be reminded from time to time. Growing up in Canterlot, Shining had been somewhat exposed to different tastes, at least, the 'cultured' versions of international cuisine. Having actually grown up in Roam, Cadence's tastes were more rustic, yet more authentic for that. "Don't worry." He leaned over to whisper to Eden. "Broccoli's good as long as there's enough cheese on it; and since alfredo sauce is made from cheese, it's all good!" Having hopefully assuaged the young foal's culinary worries, the stallion looked up to see Rune's glass shaking in his grip. "You feeling alright?" He asked, concerned. He himself had been through a workout with Foxtrot's lessons, and he didn't feel that tired. Had the journey taken so much out of him? Oh, wait, magician. He'd probably expended a lot of energy on his researches today; Twilight used to do that a lot, and the royal Crystaller here had the same tendencies. "I don't think I've heard what you've been working on, exactly. Something ambitious?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubstep Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 Foxtrot hmm'd softly to himself. Seems as though Rune actually had little or not interest in who he or his little brother, or because it wasn't Cadence that answered him didn't pay it any attention when the stallion introduced himself. Either way it was more than a touch rude, but he'd try not to jump to any conclusions right away He seemed to be getting on in years so perhaps hard of hearing? Either way it was nice to see that Eden was enjoying his time, despite the inclusion of broccoli in the meal, and so too was it nice to see that Shining was encouraging the colt! All in all Foxtrot would chalk today up as grade A! "That sounds great! Sometime I'd love to invite you and yours out to Las Pegasus for dinner to say thanks." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh Posted May 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 "If Starburst is right," Princess Cadence explained to Rune; "Those frost biters won't return for a very long time. I'm happy that problem of yours has been sorted out. So... how is life like living in the arctic wilderness, Rune? Do you sometimes miss being close to civilization?" As for Foxtrot's suggestion; "Oh, I've never been to Las Pegasus before. I remember right after Shiny and I got engaged, one of our friends joked that the two of us should take a weekend vacation to Pegasus and tie the knot ASAP. Fortunately though, hehe, cooler heads prevailed, and we instead had the pony tale Royal Wedding we've dreamed of ever since getting together!" "Anyway, if me and Shiny find a free weekend, then we'd love to come down there. You know which hotel's the best in town?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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