The Prince's Predicament

Cadance pulled herself out of bed and flopped onto the floor. Her regalia sat in a magically sealed glass case on the other side of the room to remind her of what she used to be, and of what she must strive to be once more.

She shook her head. Luna had stopped protecting her dreams when she'd settled in, as an additional punishment. She was still monitoring them, checking to make sure it was all going well. She had made it clear at the hearing that her decision as to whether Cadance would be allowed to return to her throne would be based not on testimony, but on evidence. That is, the doctor watching her had to file a report, and Luna would be basing her decision on that.

Furthermore, the doctor was happily married and monogamous. She couldn't seduce him to accent the report in her favour. It meant that she actually had to make progress. But that was okay. She wanted to be better. She hadn't meant to cause harm to Shining Armor, and she would gladly take it back if she could.

A knock at the door caused her to remember why she'd pulled herself from bed in the first place. She quickly brushed her mane and tail, and left the room. Immediately, a guard started following her, having been waiting outside the door.

"Good morning, Private Information. How are you? Sleep well?"

"Sure."

"Oh, come on, you can tell me..."

"Indeed I can."

"Did you have any dreams?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What were they about?"

"Dreamy stuff."

Cadance chuckled. One of these days, he'd stop dodging her questions and just answer one, but for now, the chase was the most exciting part of her day. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Food."

"What kind of food?"

"Edible."

"What's it called?"

"Breakfast."

It's not like the name of breakfast was that hard to figure out. The kitchen was right down the hall, and she could already smell the eggs and grits. She knew the answer, but bothering this curmudgeon was the most fun she could have inside the cabin.

She walked into the kitchen, where her plate was waiting for her. "Morning," uttered Doctor Heart, barely glancing up. "Sleep well?"

"No, I made a few mistakes," joked Cadance.

"I'll tell Luna to take a closer look, then..."

"No," sighed Cadance. "I slept fine."

"Then perhaps you should say as much. Your breakfast is ready."

Cadance sat down at the table and ate with some of the guards. As much as this was supposed to be a punishment for her, it was still a cozy little cabin with a good view from the windows. She was even allowed outside to tend to the flowers. Shining always loved lupine. The many different colours, the tall, spiked crown... Sure, he couldn't eat them, but they were beautiful to look at.

After breakfast, Cadance washed her dishes and moved to the living room. The doctor was waiting for her, and closed his book as she approached. "You are ready, then?"

Cadance flopped down on the couch. "Yeah, let's do this."

The doctor set aside his book and opened his clipboard. "You have three hours. Now, yesterday, we left off with your friends telling you that this was a good idea. Let's continue from there."

"...So that's where I was able to pick up the grum eggs."

Doctor Heart jotted that down. "Dragons tend to be pretty resourceful. Even moreso, given that grums tend to like cold environments, a dragon who breathes fire would be a good candidate." He glanced up at the clock. "Let's call it there for today. I'm going to go compile this and start lunch." He flipped the cover of his clipboard closed and stood up, walking into his office.

Cadance just lay there on the couch for a bit. She knew there were multiple reasons she was being made to talk about everything that happened over and over. This was the third time she'd gone over the events from the beginning. Every time she admitted it, she felt worse, and that was one of the reasons. Comparing the stories was another reason, as the truth would be consistent, whereas a lie would not. Humility and honesty would win the day for her, that she knew, but reliving the events over and over was just making her more stressed. Although, perhaps that was just another point.

She rolled off the couch and walked outside, her guard escort following close behind. The cabin was half-buried in a hillside, with a hefty garden on the roof. It was a bit of a slope going up, but it wasn't a long walk.

Aside from the Lupine, she was also tending to a few vegetables up here. The cabbage was coming along nicely, and the radishes were ready to pull up. The peppers weren't doing too well, but considering her lack of experience, having any of this growing properly was an achievement.

She still had the power of flight, as her wings were unbound. She'd even flown up into a tree a few times to sit in the branches. She had the ability to fly away, and probably even return to the Crystal Empire. But she wasn't that desperate yet. It would still be a few months before her next hearing, and her hope was that she'd be released. She was trying to cooperate, after all.

Then again, with very little out here to occupy her time other than the very basic stuff, she'd done quite a bit of thinking. She'd taken the time to look outside of herself at the big picture. Had it been anypony else, she'd have demanded that they spend the entirety of their remaining life in prison for daring to harm her Shining Armor. Six months was nothing, especially with her extended lifespan in comparison to normal ponies.

She clung to the hope that Shining would forgive her. Maybe it wouldn't be swift, maybe she'd have to spend a year or two in here, but she held onto her hope, her fear, and her sorrow. Sorrow for her actions, the hope that she would be forgiven, and the fear that she would not be. It could even be that Shining had moved on, and she would be ruling alone; The princess of love, with love departed. She deserved nothing less.

A greater regret, she could not imagine.