Princess Mi Amore Cadenza-Cadence to her friends-was sick. Not the occasionally sneezing kind of sick. No, she had somehow come down with a full range of symptoms. Her nose was running. Her head was pounding like a drum. Every few minutes, she would break into a fit of coughing. A full box of tissues had been beside her bed, but it was now nearly empty. The doctors said that all she had was a simple flu, exasperated by the fact that she had decided to go out flying in the middle of a snowstorm the week before.
Pegasii were supposed to be able to do things like that and normally she was. She had spent all afternoon dancing among the fluttering snow, letting it powder her pink coat white. It was always so much fun! When she had returned to the castle, Aunt Celestia had made her a cup of cocoa and they had curled up by the fire together. It had been a lovely time. The next day she had woken up with a sniffle which had progressed into a cough. Concerned, her auntie had insisted that she go to the doctor. The doctor had taken one look at her and diagnosed her with a flu, like many other pegasii patients had developed. Cooler air apparently helped the influenza virus transmit itself. Due to their love of flying in colder weather, pegasii were particularly vulnerable to the illness. Cadence had just been incredibly lucky.
Cadence had been sentenced-or at least that's how she thought of it-to bed rest and plenty of fluids. Aunt Celestia had hardly left her bedside, holding her hoof, making sure she had enough water or that her pillows were fluffed enough. Cadence couldn't deny that she was enjoying the attention even if the terrible monster of a virus was making it hard for her to do so. It was a little distressing to see just how protective Celestia could get, not even allowing her to walk over to get a book off the bookshelf. (Due to the headache, she couldn't use her unicorn magic.)
On the other hoof, Celestia remembered when the flu wasn't just an annoyance, but a potential death sentence. It was doubtful Celestia would have left her side had it not been for the fact that a crisis had broken out in Parliament. Something about a fist fight between two governors over cutting taxes. Or raising them. Cadence was too sick to think about taxes. She burrowed down into the pink covers and rested her head on the pillow. A violent sneeze cut through her body, spraying snot everywhere.
"Ugh..." Cadence groaned, tossing the top blanket off the bed. She grabbed the last tissue and blew into it. The sneezing was followed by a coughing fit. She quickly ripped open a new box of tissues as more violent sneezes ripped through her. The sneezing ripped the tissues apart quicker than she could grab them. Finally, for one blessed moment of stillness, she wasn't sneezing or coughing. She laid back on the bed. The only problem now was that all the movement from the sneezing and coughing had intensified her headache. She held it and groaned and, ignoring how foalish the thought was, wished her aunt was here to rub her back or preen her. That always felt so nice.
But Celestia was in Parliament and she was half-dying, all alone. She groaned and bundled back under the covers, holding the box of tissues close to her. She wasn't going to have any more snot covered sheets. She pressed a hoof to her temples, which were hot of course, and began to rub. That managed to ease the headache somewhat. Just as the headache began to subside, she sneezed once again.
"Why me?" She moaned. She ate right, did military-style exercises everyday and at her last check-up the doctor told her she was in peak physical condition. How could a little virus, something she couldn't even see, bring her down? She never got sick except one time when she had been a filly and that had only been because she'd eaten too many candied apples. She wiped away the sheen of sweat on her forehead. A sweat stain had formed under her. Her fever had reached one-hundred and six degrees, enough to drop a normal pony. It was fortunate that she was not a normal pony. She rolled to the side and wrapped her wings around herself in an instinctive, self-comforting behavior. If not for her fever, the sweat would have been cold against her fur. She laid her head on the pillow and tried to sleep. Sleep eluded her and a coughing fit jolted her from her semi-asleep state.
After deciding that she wasn't going to be able to sleep she pushed herself up and leaned against the pillow. She reached for the book on her nightstand and accidentally knocked it down on the ground. Muttering a string of profanities she reached down and picked it up. It was a trashy romance novel and she was halfway through. It was about to get to the good part. She settled in away from the sweat stain and blushed. Lily and Starshine were holding hooves! They were about to kiss! She squeed, which turned into a coughing fit. The coughing fit morphed into a sneezing fit that left some snot on a page of the book.
A growl escaped her throat. She wiped her nose with one tissue and used a second tissue to wipe away the snot. She tossed both tissues into the trashcan before returning to the book. She couldn't help but put herself in Lily's place. In the place of Starshine, she put in a handsome, white-coated unicorn with blue eyes and a blue mane. A handsome, white-coated unicorn who was training to be a guard, who loved to protect others, who had a kind smile and loving personality. The thought of him made her heart flutter. The thought of his lips touching hers, of his hooves around her, nearly made her breathless. It had been too long since she had seen him. He had an adorable and playful little sister that she enjoyed foalsitting. Foalsitting her also gave her an excuse to spend time with him. She hadn't been able to do that in a week and she missed it.
Unlike the average stallion who would just ask her out on a date he had gotten it in his head that he should do one-thousand noble deeds to win her heart with her being a princess and all. It was a bit of a game now since they were already unofficially dating. It was a miracle he hadn't shown up yet. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." She weakly moaned. The white-coated unicorn guard private she'd been thinking of opened the door. A smile spread across her face. "Shiny!"
He smiled at her as he trotted on her violet carpet. He was holding a bowl of soup in his purple, magical aura. The sweet scent of tomato and basil emanated from the bowl. He sat down beside her and sat the bowl of soup on the table.
"Celestia ordered the guard to check up on you. I volunteered."
She opened her forelegs wide for a hug, which he gave her. He wrapped his forehooves around her and gently nuzzled her. She returned the nuzzle and held on to his strong, muscular back. His presecence, his strength, made her feel safe.
He patted her back. "I made you some soup."
She gratefully picked it up and held it up to her lips, sipping the liquid. It tasted like tomato flavored water. He looked at her with his earnest, loving eyes.
She smiled and made sounds of satisfaction as she slurped up the soup. "Yummy, it's so good."
His ears wilted. "No, it isn't."
She sipped it. "No, really, it is."
He shook his head. "I can tell when you're lying. You look to the left every time."
She sighed and put the half-empty bowl in her lap. "I admit it isn't the best soup in the world, but..."
He stood up. "I can go get the chefs to make you another one."
She grabbed his tail in her teeth just as he went to leave. "Wait."
He turned. "Yes?"
She released his tail. "I'm not that hungry and the soup is fine. I do mean that. Do you know why?"
He sat back down, so close his fur brushed against her. She wrapped a wing around him, not worried about spreading her illness since Shining had had a flu shot. Celestia was going to make her get one despite her fear of needles. He rested his head on her shoulder. "I like it because it was made with love. I can taste it."
"You can taste love?"
"I'm the Princess of Love, remember? It's the best taste in the world to me." She sipped the rest of the soup. That wasn't entirely true, but she appreciated that he had put effort into making something for her. "So, how is Twily doing? Oh, goodness now I'm calling her that."
He chuckled. "Even Mom is starting to call her Twily. Soon, I'll have all of Canterlot doing it."
She lightly tickled him, eliciting an unmanly squeal he'd deny till the rest of his days. "So, that's your evil plan, huh?"
"Yep. Then I'll take over all of Equestria with my little sister's adorableness."
She rested her head against his, almost brushing their horns together. "That could work."
"But in all honesty, she misses you."
"Aw. Tell her I miss her too."
He settled onto the bed. "She's studying hard for her entrance exam next year. Yesterday, she managed to levitate twenty books at once."
Cadence whistled. "That's more than I could do. Though, I'm not really good at unicorn magic."
Shining wrapped a hoof around her. "You should let me train you. I'm helping Twily. I even taught her some combat magic."
"Nothing too dangerous I hope."
He shook his head. "Nope. Just some basic defensive stuff. Minor shields. A few lasers."
She choked. "Lasers?"
"Well, what if she gets attacked? She knows there'll be consequences if she misuses it and she's a well-behaved filly anyway."
"That's true." Cadence settled into him. "Anything else she's done?"
He gently ran a hoof through her mane"She made an A- in intermediate magical theory. Mom, Dad and me had to convince her it wasn't a bad grade. Oh and we had a snowball fight."
She sighed. "Wish I'd been there, instead of sick in this room with just Auntie Celestia for company. I love Auntie Celestia, but I'm a pegasus, or used to be anyway. We can't be confined for too long, it's just not healthy."
An idea began to form in his head. "Well, what if I take you outside?"
She shook her head. "I'm too sick."
"You can lean on me." He stood up from the bed.
She bit her lip. The idea was more than tempting. A bit of fresh air would be good for her. "Auntie might not like me walking around."
He leaned down. "You can ride on my back then. I can carry you."
The idea was more than tempting. Too tempting. Staying inside like she had been was about to drive her insane. She needed to feel the wind flowing against her fur and through her mane. "Sure." She stood up. "Just need to put on my saddle."
He located it atop her dresser. It was brown, pleather and decorated with hearts and thick enough to keep the cold away. He draped it over her and she climbed on his back, wrapping her forelegs around his neck.
"Hold on, I'm going to teleport." His horn glowed with arcane power and in a flash they vanished. When they reappeared it was in the garden. The flowers were dead. The grounds were blanketed with pure, white snow. Ice crystals hung from the branches and the bushes were a tangled mess of ice and snow. A cold, sharp wind blew. With her fever it actually felt good against her fur though her favorite season was still summer when the world was fresh and green. She nuzzled into Shining as he trotted along with his precious passenger.
They passed the oak trees. Their strong branches were still covered with dark green leaves. They walked deeper and deeper into the thick gardens. Several winter flowers were in bloom. The ruffled lace of pink and red carnations spread out, poking up from the snow. On the other side, white lily's spread their sweet fragrance over the fields. He used his magic to pluck one and wrapped it in her hair.
"Thank you." She said as they passed the pines, whose needles were frozen. Sheets of snow feel from one as they passed under it. He quickly activated his shield and the snow bounced against it. Once they passed from beneath the pines he let down his shields. "I'm not too heavy am I?"
"No, of course not." He grunted. They kept walking. He kept to a leisurely trot. Here the gardens were thick. The trees grew into each other, their bare branches spreading out. The weak light of the winter sun filtered down upon the two. A row of hedges rose up on the side and beyond the hedges was a field of chrysanthemum. Her headache had begun to subside and she used her magic to delicately pluck a red one that she threaded into his mane.
"We match!" She said, clapping her front hooves together before wrapping them around his neck. He smiled. While she was heavier than she looked, he didn't mind carrying her. Just so long as she was happy, that's what counted as far as he was concerned. They passed by the field of chrysanthemums and into the rolling meadows which were now covered in snow. During the summer, they had had many picnics here. Rows of lemon trees stood, empty branches swaying in the wind. They walked by them. She sniffled.
"You okay back there?" He asked, resting near one of the lemon trees.
She coughed. "I'm fine."
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound fine."
She coughed again. "I want to stay out a little longer. I think I'm going to get down." She slid from his back and stood leaning against him. He supported her. The cold feeling of snow against her hooves made her shiver, but the contrast of cold against her fevered body felt good. They continued their stroll. A few blood red amaryllises sprang from the snow. She plucked one and braided it in his mane.
He plucked one and braided it in hers. "Now, we really do match."
She giggled and nuzzled his shoulder. He nuzzled back. She took a deep breath of the winter air, enjoying the freshness. Then, she unfurled her wings and let the wind whistle through each feather. They passed the amaryllis field and trotted onto a thick grove of fir trees. Cadence broke into a coughing fit.
Shining gave her a glance."I think we should head back."
"I want to stay out." She sneezed and wiped her nose. "But yeah, we probably should."
He lowered his back and she climbed on. In a flash they teleported back to her room. He deposited her on the bed and laid down next to her. "Hey, Shiny, can you do something for me?"
"Anything, my love." He kissed her ear.
"It's an official quest."
He perked up.
She continued. "A mission from the princess. You must commandeer me a bag of cookies."
He saluted. "Of course, my princess."
He got up from the bed, left the room and walked into the alabaster hall. He trotted along quietly, nodding to the guards, heading towards the kitchen. He went past the large table in the dining room and entered the kitchen. A maid was scrubbing some pots and pans. He went by her and started looking through the cabinets.
"What'cha lookin' for there?" The chef asked, walking in. He was a brawny, brown earth pony.
Shining straightened up. "I'm on a mission from Princess Cadence."
The chef raised an eyebrow. "Are you, now? What's she need?"
"A bag of cookies."
The chef pulled out a pot from the lower cabinet. "Left cabinet."
Shining opened the cabinet and found the cookies. He then teleported back to the room. Cadence lifted up as he came to sit beside her and hoofed her the cookies. She tore into the bag and started eating them before offering the bag to Shining. Shining munched on the cookies, the crumbs falling all over the covers. She snuggled up against him.
"My Shiny and cookies. Could anything be better?"
Shining popped a cookie into his mouth. "Yes."
"What?"
He captured her lips in a kiss. "Kisses!"
She kissed him back. "Uhm. Cookies, kisses and Shining. I should get sick more often."
He laughed and held her close. "But then we wouldn't be able to go on picnics, or go dancing or go chow down on donuts."
"You raise some excellent points." His warmth was lulling her into a relaxed state. She put aside the now half-empty bag of cookies which he hoofed her. "I'm going to have to work off those pounds."
"Oh yeah. Me too. I'll be jogging tomorrow."
She yawned. "Wish I could go with you. Will you come back tomorrow?"
"I'll find the time." He kissed her again. She wrapped her hooves around him and kissed him deeply. They lay together, a feeling of tiredness overcoming her. Soon, she was snoring. He stroked her mane and wings. It was at that moment that the Sun Princess decided to walk in. Shining snapped to attention, jumped off the bed and bowed.
"At ease, Private. I see you took care of my niece?"
He nodded. "Yes ma'am. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza requested some fresh air."
A concerned expression crossed her face. "Did you obey this request?"
Shining shuffled a hoof. "Well, she looked so sad all cooped up inside...er, Your Highness."
She softly smiled. "Yes, I've been a victim of my niece's puppy-dog eyes. She could melt a heart of stone couldn't she?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"That explains the flowers." Celestia walked over to Cadence. "All tuckered out. Well, she needs her rest." She turned back to Shining. "And I see crumbs on the sheets. I'd scold her for eating in bed, but I'll let it slide just this once. Thank you for taking care of her."
Shining saluted. "It was my pleasure."
Celestia patted Cadence's hoof. "You are dismissed...unless you want to stay."
He looked over Cadence's sleeping form and pulled up a chair. "I'll stay. Maybe she'll need me."
Celestia glanced at him. "You've been a good friend to her, Private Armor. If you ever seek her hoof in marriage know that you have my blessing."
Shining smiled. "I'll take you up on that one of these days."
