Princess Cadence

[Bellosh]

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria RP - Tier 1

Name: Mi Amore Cadenza, but calls herself Cadence.

Sex: Female

Age: Mare

Species: Alicorn (born as an earth pony)

Eye Color: Purple

Coat: Light pink, with her wings tipped in purple.

Mane/Tail: Cadence’s mane and tail features a tricolor streak pattern of purple, dark rose, and pale gold. Both her mane and tail are kept long and curled at the ends.

Physique: Taller and more slender than the average mare.

Residence: Crystal Empire

Occupation: Princess of the Crystal Empire

Cutie Mark: Cadence’s cutie mark is a light blue, multi-faceted crystal heart cradled by two gold lace patterns. This elaborate cutie mark symbolizes both her calling as a princess and her highly empathic personality, which enables her to spread the power of love wherever she goes.

 

One thing that captivated the attention of young Cadence was the nature of how ponies bond; how they acted around each other and what made them grow closer to one another. Something the filly noticed during her observations was the odd, dullish way her parents treated each other compared to younger couples. Sure, her mother and father always talked to each other cordially and always did what they could to please their spouse, but something felt missing. It was as if they… the filly’s parents weren’t actually excited to be together. As a matter of fact, Cadence perceived this phenomenon among a number of her friends’ own moms and dads throughout her hometown of Roam.

 

Her mind racing, little Cadence used every resource available to a filly of Roam to figure out the riddle of “loveless love”. A week or so later, the pink filly believed she arrived at the answer; that her parents’ lives had become so samey-samey that little actual love was exchanged between the couple. But Cadence also learned of something else; that the same emotions of fear and heightened awareness felt by ponies during times of distress nearly matched those who were in the first stages of falling in love. It took some advice from a knowledgeable adult or two, but Cadence’s developing mind conjured up a devious scheme to make her parents, and those of her friends, to make them all feel those same sort of emotions so that they’d fall in love all over again.

 

Cadence’s plan: to convince her’s and her friends’ parents to participate in the next upcoming Eponnine Hike for charity. The filly chose this event because the hike took trekkers through extremely-rough mountain trails, ensuring that every couple would have to work together to get through the ordeal. Yet because Cadence kept her ultimate intentions a secret, the other adults did not necessarily grasp what the filly wanted them to do. At the Hike’s finish line, nearly everypony the filly saw passing by seemed more physically drained than anything else. When it all seemed like a huge waste of time, along came Cadence’s parents… who beamed like no tomorrow. As it turned out, the novelty and adversity of the situation their daughter put them in encouraged the two to work together as a team and to enjoy the natural sights around them, rekindling their relationship in the process. Overjoyed over her small but very significant victory for love, a cutie mark formed on Cadence’s flank while she ran over to give her mom and dad a welcome back hug.

 

For most other ponies, the cutie mark story would have ended right there. Not so for Cadence, whose hitherto-unrealized empathetic nature made her experience a sort of… “love overload”. So immersed in love was the young girl at that exact moment that she felt a blissful surge flow through her entire body. Before anypony knew what was happening, Cadence disappeared in a flash as if the little earth pony filly somehow whisked herself to another dimension. When she finally reappeared back in the temporal world… she was no longer a mere filly… or an earth pony for that matter. It seemed that not only had Cadence communed with Princess Celestia herself in the ethereal world, but that Cadence’s potential aptitude to spread love to everypony made her worthy of becoming an alicorn princess!

 

History: Back in her earliest years, Mi Amore Cadenza of Roam would probably have been among the last fillies that anypony would expect to become a princess. The pink earth pony filly was a friendly child by all accounts, and not apparently remarkable other than being a notorious free-spirit. Mi Amore ignored her chores in favor of running off with friends, had trouble concentrating on schoolwork, and insisted on being called Cadence instead of the fancier name given by her parents. But oddly enough, what little Cadence liked to do most of all was watching other ponies; sometimes she’d observe the schoolyard, and other times she spied on crowds waltzing through Roam’s touristy areas. In time, this activity morphed into taking a greater interest in strengthening the bonds of friendship and love forged by everypony, and her successive attempts to carry out her desire ultimately culminated in the event that earned Cadence both her cutie mark and crown.

 

Being a princess was not something Cadence frequently dreamed of becoming before her first meeting with Celestia… which some would say is one of the most important qualities a princess could have. Although the new alicorn expressed severe misgivings that she could carry such an important burden, the new princess was inevitably persuaded that she could do wonderful things for Equestria by opening the hearts of others to the power of love. Cadence had absolutely no idea what those wonderful things would be, but the filly chose to leave her old life in Roam behind to learn under the watchful eye of Princess Celestia in Canterlot.

 

The next few years for Princess Cadence proved to be a rather awkward time; aside from struggling to learn the finer aspects of royal administration, the maturing filly also had to adjust to her new physical changes brought about by the alicorn transformation. Sitting in a magic kindergarten classroom full of younger students felt rather awkward at times for Cadence, and her first flying attempts amounted to what could be charitably described as “falling with style”. Things got better for Cadence as time passed by; her pegasus magic only developed to a basic level, but the princess’s unusual aptitude for love-based unicorn spells earned her placement in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Administrative tasks… still confounded the princess, but she had a great knack for personally resolving disputes between feuding ponies and turning them into close friends.

 

Throughout this time, what drove the adolescent alicorn most to succeed was the devotion she received from her many admirers; particularly younger fillies and colts. Princess Cadence always kept in mind how much children looked up to royal ponies like herself; for all the support Cadence earned from them, she’d return the favor tenfold through her nurturing. Above all else, the princess of love made sure to remind each child she met of their uniqueness and potential, and to always be the most amazing friend anypony could find. Noting how emotionally symbiotic such relationships could be, the older filly spent much of her free time providing kids with kindness and care through charity work, after school programs, and foalsitting.

 

It was through Princess Cadence’s foalsitting job that she met two of the most important ponies in her life. Of all the foals she watched over, the alicorn found herself cherishing the most an intellectually curious unicorn filly by the name of Twilight Sparkle, whom Cadence couldn’t help but see in Twi shades of her own emotionally curious self. Cadence regarded befriending Twilight as one of her greatest accomplishments of her adolescent years, for the filly had previously shunned the friendship of all others save for that of her older brother, Shining Armor. The young mare grew a massive crush on Shining Armor who she felt exemplified the ideal stallion; smart, brave, passionate, and pretty handsome to boot! Although the flowery delusions of immaturity and the shifting winds of life prevented a long-term romantic relationship from truly blossoming during their later adolescence, Cadence and Shining Armor remained good friends even as the two embarked on their separate paths of adult life.

 

Cadence by necessity ended up spending less time with children as she warmed her way into the role of Royal Arbitrator, her job being to officially settle disputes and encourage the opposing parties to make amends. The princess’s duties required her to travel all over Equestria, leaving her little time to spend socially back in Canterlot. Shining Armor meanwhile rose to the rank of Captain in the Royal Equestrian Army; with all the enormous responsibilities it entailed as well; Cadence saw the stallion as a relatable kindred spirit more than ever. Close friendship then turned into deep romantic affection, and the couple’s courtship didn’t last long before it transformed further into an engagement.

 

Princess Cadence’s marriage to Captain Armor completely changed her life… but in a way that she never could have predicted. Just before the wedding was to take place, the nefarious changeling Queen Chrysalis kidnapped Cadence and masqueraded as the bride-to-be in a plot to harvest love for her minions. When all seemed lost, when even Cadence’s rescue by a now grown-up Twilight Sparkle failed to forestall the attack on Canterlot, the bride knew she only had one measure left. Until that moment, even somepony like Cadence who regularly espoused the virtues of love would have believed it a foolish sentiment that love alone could vanquish a powerful foe. Yet knowing that Queen Chrysalis could utilize the love she stole from Shining Armor to her advantage, Cadence magically poured every ounce of affection she had for Shining Armor to give her soulmate enough strength to cast the marauding changelings out of Canterlot. From that point on, the alicorn finally grasped the true level of her capabilities; that love in and of itself was one of the most powerful forces in all of existence, and that it would be up to her and her new husband to champion that element for the good of all ponykind.

 

Feeling in her heart that other great challenges might be in store for her, Princess Cadence intensified efforts to improve her magical and physical abilities. That decision proved to be incredibly wise, for she and her husband were shortly called upon to protect the reemerged Crystal Empire from the dark shadow of King Sombra. For several days and nights, Cadence labored without adequate food and rest to maintain the Empire’s magical shield at all times. This shield lasted long enough for the Crystal Heart to be recovered from its hiding spot; with priceless help from Shining Armor, the ailing alicorn ensured that Sombra didn’t seize the Heart for himself, enabling the ponies of the Crystal Empire to vanquish their tyrant with love and light. For her gallantry and leadership, the crystal ponies hailed Princess Cadence as their new princess, and so the alicorn rules the Empire to this day with a nurturing heart and the assistance of her loving knight in shining armor. All in all, the alicorn has come a long way from simpler days when she only sought to have her parents appreciate each other more.....

 

Character Summary:

Princess Cadence never did acquire a taste for personally handling government administration. The alicorn’s life experiences give Cadence the belief that her primary royal duties as the primary embodiment of the Crystal Empire are interacting with her subjects, entertaining important dignitaries, and travelling to scenes of major crises in order to help out on the scene. The princess prefers leaving day-to-day governance to trusted and qualified bureaucrats; Cadence feels that just because she saved the Empire in its hour of need doesn’t mean she has the right to heavily intervene in her subjects’ affairs. But above all, the royal mare believes that although a princess should be cordial when the occasion calls for it, she should feel approachable to anypony at all other times. Aside from rarely bringing a guard detail with her when out and about, the alicorn’s efforts to initiate conversation with subjects are always done in a casual manner.

 

As one would expect of an alicorn princess, Princess Cadence wields a significant level of magical power. Through years of constant practice, the royal mare is now perhaps the world’s greatest practitioner of love-based spells. These magic spells range from epic feats such as powering a city-protecting shield to mundane acts like unhardening a pony’s heart to another’s love. Cadence from time to time amuses herself by using her powers to defuse petty arguments, but she of ponies knows that spells are no substitute for empathy and everyday acts of kindness. By imploring others to understand and relate to their fellow ponies, even their most bitter rivals, the princess feels that she’s doing the best thing possible to spend light throughout the land.

 

If anypony asks the alicorn how her marriage with Shining Armor is going, Cadence would be the last pony to dare paint a sugarcoated picture of saccharine conflict-free happiness. Marriage is in fact very hard work, and the princess thus treats hers accordingly. Cadence finds time when she can to make her husband feel cherished; sometimes she’ll serenade Shining with her singing (which is quite good considering she sang for the school choir), other times she makes the occasional hoofmade gift and meal (which turns out awful, as cooking and craftsmareship are not the alicorn’s strong points), and always always provide her love with physical displays of affection when called for. To make sure Cadence’s marriage stays out of a rut, the princess constantly insists on trying new activities with Shining Armor to take them out of their comfort zone and introduce new novelty in their marriage. Should she end up in a verbal argument with Shining, the mare will under no circumstance lash out in anger or derail the fight by bringing up nonsequitur grievances. And finally, Cadence realizes that sometimes a stallion simply needs time and space to himself, and so she’ll never show possessiveness towards her husband.

 

The other ponies that Cadence feels closest to the most besides her husband are Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia. Ever since being crowned, Cadence had always regarded the wise Celestia as an adoptive aunt, and would not hesitate to call upon her “auntie” for advice if needed. And while Cadence always held Twilight in high esteem since they first met, Cadence’s affection for her sister-in-law has grown significantly as the two mares faced multiple perils together. As for her other close friends, the princess inevitably prefers the company of those who are smart, civically/socially active, and above all else, friendly and fun-loving to all. Regardless of their particular talent, ponies who match Cadence’s devotion to serving others and her personality stand the best chance of forging lasting friendships with the pink alicorn.

 

Even though Cadence as a little foal did not go through a period of playing out stereotypical princess activities, years of entertaining the fantasies of fillies she foalsat have left their mark. Now burdened with the enormous task of helping to rule the Crystal Empire, the princess finds increased comfort in the nostalgia of hosting tea parties for her closest friends and drooling over the latest fashions (despite sticking to conservative spending habits). Whenever she can, Cadence takes frequent visits to the spa to rejuvenate their body, and would recommend that everypony else does the same. Yet perhaps most importantly of all for her psyche, the princess indulges time-to-time in various childish activities. Whether by playing silly board games or repeating old nursery rhymes to her ex-charges (at least the ones not embarrassed to go along with it), Princess Cadence feels deep down that the day she becomes “old” is the day she thinks herself too mature for playtime.

 

Ponies who wish to meet Princess Cadence socially outside of a ball have three ideal places to find her. The first two locations are obstinately the Crystal Empire’s spas and boutiques. The third happens to be the local library, where Cadence endeavors on a frequent basis to learn more about the vast land she now rules over, and also the emphatic crystal ponies that inhabit them. There have been times actually when Cadence herself wonders if one of her ancestors was a crystal pony. It could explain why she was always so interested in understanding the emotions of other ponies, although it’s extremely doubtful she can trace her ancestry back a thousand years.

 

Princess Cadence currently can’t envision a life more perfect than the one she already has. The royal mare has the adoration of her subjects, the love of a fabulous husband, and the companionship of many dear friends. Just about the only other thing Cadence would like to have eventually are foals of her own to raise and cherish. She’s going to have to talk to Shining Armor about that soon.....

[Armony]