//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: To Her Own Rhythm // by mrscribt //------------------------------// The entire summer stuck in the palace! It's not fair! Not only was she stuck in the palace for the entire summer, but she had also been forbidden from attending last week's dance. But on top of it all, she had had an embarrassing, drawn out talk with Princess Celestia about what she had done. That had turned into an impromptu lesson about appropriate use of her special magic. Not a stiff lesson, but Cadance could feel the Princess's disappointment in her very being. She had never felt so horrible, small and ugly. When she started crying, it came unexpectedly for her. She was too old for that. But she could not control herself with the Princess there. There was just something about the Princess that pulled at a pony's heartstrings and made it impossible to hide a pony's feelings. Cadance could not imagine what it would be like to be openly rebuked by her, but the thought sent shivers up and down her spine. Luckily, it seemed the Princess understood what to do with a filly crying stupidly, as Cadance found her spirits lifted soon after by the Princess' gentle words. But that did not absolve her from punishment. She had been confined to palace grounds, and before that, she had had to give a very embarrassing apology to the class, even if she did not have to give any specifics beyond how a spell she was working on had gone very, very wrong. Worse, she never did get to go to her last middle school dance. Then again, she was away from the campus the day after the dance when somepony decided to feed a baby dragon magical gems or something that had made it grow so big it caused a hole in the roof of one of the outlying buildings of the gifted school. Dealing with the ensuing panic had kept Princess Celestia busy all week reassuring everypony. The only saving grace to the entire misadventure was being given the job of Princess Celestia's official Page while confined to palace grounds. Although it was to be a punishment, not only did she get to do interesting things for the Princess every so often in between taking a reassuring note to this or that self-important pony, but working for the Princess meant she also had some small clout that she could hang over the head of her not-enough-times-removed cousin Prince "I take extra lessons in obnoxious" Blueblood. She would always remember him screeching about how it was stupid that she had wings when he deserved wings a hundred times more the first time they met, and how he should have her wings for now until he could get proper ones. Her father had brought the whole thing to a halt as he explained to the young colt exactly what would happen to a unicorn, prince or no prince, that tried to take a pegasus', or pegacorn's, wings. He'd been graphic enough that the princeling was uncharacteristically quiet about how special he was for almost three whole weeks. Her mother often joked that Captain Star Spear's performance that day earned him the promotion to Commander of the Guard. So it was that Cadance, though somewhat tired after a whole day of running around, was in perfect position to overhear her father visiting Princess Celestia on the fifth afternoon of her punishment and employment both. "Commander Star Spear, what a pleasant surprise! Are you here to visit your daughter Princess Cadance? She has been a most dutiful Page, and I am glad to have her." "Princess Celestia, as much as it pleases me to hear you say that, I'm here on more urgent business." There was a snick and paper shuffling as her father took some papers out of the military saddlebag he always carried since his promotion. "I have just gone over the security memos for tomorrow and see that you personally made a few changes. Were you going to inform me about those, Princess, or were you maybe hoping I wouldn't notice?" Cadance's eyes widened. She had never heard a pony take that tone with the Princess. To think that Daddy would be so...so...rude? "If you would be more specific, Commander Star Spear? I wish to be certain we are talking about the same issue." "You know perfectly darn well what, or rather who, I'm talking about, Princess! And she's to have complete run of the Palace? She's dangerous! She shouldn't come anywhere near here!" "I see. Perhaps you would like her to be confined to the rest of Canterlot instead? That way we here in the palace will no doubt be safe. Of course, I will have a harder time teaching her to control and focus her magic, but I'm sure that a little uncontrolled magical wildfire remodeling large swathes of the city would be a small price to pay for your convenience." "What? No! Yes, I mean no! Wait, she can do that?" There was a pause. Cadance imagined Princess Celestia raising an eyebrow. "I...I apologize for my outburst, Princess. But you saw what she did, and know better than I what she is capable of. That kind of power needs to be confined, not let loose at the heart of Equestria's government. At your doorstep. "Princess, as head of your security, and by extension that of Equestria, I must protest most sternly against this decision of yours. We cannot know what this unicorn will do, or even what she's capable of. No pony has ever shown that kind of ability. She needs to be controlled, not coddled." "What would you have have me do, Commander? Manacles, perhaps? A spell that completely cuts her off from her magic? And if that should be impossible, how about a spell to put her to sleep until she is an old and feeble mare?" There was silence as Commander Star Spear seemed to know better than to answer the questions. "Did you have these objections when I had you set the security detail for her? You did not possibly provide Captain Griffinbait with instructions I am unaware of?" "Of course not, Princess! I had not had time to learn what she did. I was just..." C'mon! Gimme a name for the mystery mare! "Enough, Commander. You may be in charge of Palace security, but you forget that it is I that am in charge of the security of all of Equestria. I have watched over this land for more generations that you can fathom. So if you find my instructions objectionable, perhaps you had best recuse yourself from the palace grounds for the summer. Instead, we can have Captain Griffinbait report to me directly." Silence reigned. Does Princess Celestia sound mad? Yeep, Princess Celestia is mad at Daddy! "I...Princess, I apologize again. I was out of line. I will carry out your orders with utmost care and alacrity. I will see to it that your new student is welcomed to the Palace tomorrow as per your wishes." "Very well. Was there anything else?" "I...I was wondering if you know where Cadance has gone off to." Cadance's eyes widened in horror. The Princess knows I'm here. Does she know I'm awake. Well, this is the Princess... "She went to the side room to rest after a long day. As I mentioned earlier, she has proven herself a worthy Page during this somewhat hectic time. You can go visit her in a moment. But one last thing, Commander. "If it gives you any relief, she will only be here for the summer. Before then we should work out any problems she might have in control, at which point she can start lessons and boarding at the school. But, I must make myself clear, she is to be treated as my pupil, an honored guest of the castle, a member of the Extended Royal Family. Not a prisoner. And further, any dispute she may have with anypony is to be brought to my immediate attention and I will settle it myself. I will not tolerate any deviation from these instructions." The Princess' voice held a level of authority that Cadance had never heard before. "Am I understood, Commander?" "Perfectly, Princess." Her father's voice had never seemed so meek.