“After me, lads!” Shining Armor barked, his hooves pounding on polished stone floors as he galloped up stairs, down stairs, through tight passageways and past innumerable banquet halls. “We’re almost there!”
“You heard the captain!” Sable Wing, his second in command, shouted in agreement. Behind him, he could hear the cacophonous hoofbeats of his entire battalion as they charged after him, armor clanking and breath panting.
Almost there, almost there! Would they make it in time?
Shining Armor came to a clattering halt in front of one of many closed doors and kicked it open, chest heaving, panicked eyes darting around the room.
Flash Sentry, bundled into a bed in the far corner, blinked up at Shining Armor with bleary eyes. His mane was flattened on one side, and he had a box of saltine crackers held in his hoof. He was halfway through pulling out another cracker. “Shiny?”
“Flash!” Shining Armor cried, his voice twisted in agony. He galloped to his side, collapsing beside his bed. “Flash, are you okay? When I heard - I came as soon as I could!”
“Uh …”
Shining Armor lifted his head sharply, his blue eyes overbright. “What?”
“You … you did say this was an emergency, right?” Sable Wing asked cautiously where he, and the other thirty stallions on duty, crowded in the doorway and hallway outside.
“Yes!” Shining Armor cried, his voice agonized. “Flash Sentry is sick!”
The room fell silent for a moment. Flash Sentry coughed.
“I thought it was just a cold,” Sable Wing said, very carefully, considering the way his captain was all but tearing up on the floor, cradling one of Flash’s orange hooves protectively in his own.
“It is just a cold.” Flash Sentry agreed, and gave Shining Armor’s hoof a little squeeze. “What’s wrong, dude?”
“There is no ‘just’ about an illness!” Shining Armor snapped, and rose to his hooves, brushing his eyes with a sharp, businesslike swipe of his hoof. “Sable Wing!”
Sable Wing snapped to attention, despite his misgivings. “Sir!”
“Go find Princess Cadance! I will need her assistance in this matter!”
“In … in the matter of Flash Sentry’s cold, sir?”
“GO!”
Sable Wing shared a quick, sidelong glance with the rest of their cadre, but took off on swift wings all the same.
“Pillar, take two stallions and go to the supply room; I want five of the thickest blankets you can find! And Celestia help you if you bring me that awful scratchy kind with the satin border!” Shining Armor growled, and three of his stallions saluted sharply and took off.
“Shiny?”
“Rainbow Fire, I want you to fetch me several buckets of cold water, clean towels, and ice from the kitchen. Take - uh - two ponies with you. I want chips AND cubes!” Shining Armor commanded as the trio saluted and galloped away.
“Shiny!”
“Aquabeam, see if you can track down Princess Twilight Sparkle, she ought to be in the library still; see if she can find any mention of spells to aid in the recovery of the common c-”
“SHINY!”
Shining Armor jumped, a little, at the shout. “Yes, Flashy?” Shining Armor asked, his commanding demeanor immediately dropping away as he turned to face Flash Sentry.
“Shiny, what’re you doing?” Flash Sentry asked thickly, and had to cough into his hoof to clear his throat. “It’s just a -”
“Shining Armor.”
His wife’s voice was ice cold, and Shining Armor turned sharply to face her where she stood in the doorway, her wings spread, anger radiating off of her in waves.
“Her Majesty,” Sable Wing introduced quietly, more than a little cowed by her obvious anger, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
“Cadance!” Relief flooded Shining Armor, and he was able to ignore her rage. “Flash Sentry is sick, I need you to fly to my mom’s house, she has this recipe for barley noodle soup -”
“Shining Armor, may I remind you,” Cadance began, low and dangerous, “that I am an acting head of state?”
“Flash Sentry is sick, and my mom’s soup is the only thing that’s going to help -”
“I am a member of the alicorn princess triad; did you know that you pulled me out of a meeting for this? I am not your little errand girl, I am the Princess of Love, and -”
“And this is the stallion that I love!”
Shining Armor’s voice rang through the silent room. He stood for a moment, frozen, then whirled.
Flash Sentry watched Shining Armor from his bed, his eyes wide and owlish. There was still a saltine cracker between his lips. “You love me?”
Shining Armor’s frame crumpled. “It - it wasn’t supposed to be like this! I wanted - flowers, and I was going - the beach, where we had our first kiss! I wanted to - it was going to be so special.”
Flash Sentry giggled, a little silly with fever, and reached out his forelegs for Shining Armor pleadingly. “Come here, Shiny.”
Shining Armor slumped his way over to Flash Sentry and slid to his knees, plopping his face onto the bed.
“You love me?”
“Uh-huh,” Shining Armor’s voice was muffled in the mattress.
“Well, I love you too, dude,” Flash Sentry chuckled, and stroked Shining Armor’s mane for the brief moment before Shiny jerked his head up again.
“You - you do?”
“Of course, Shiny!”
“But - but I wanted it to be romantic,” Shining Armor sighed, his brows furrowed in dismay. “You deserve romance.”
Flash Sentry giggled, in his slightly-looped voice. “I think this is pretty romantic. You brought the whole guard and a princess to take care of me.”
Cadance gave a little huff, but the way she rolled her eyes was softened by a smile.
Shining Armor grinned crookedly, and leaned into Flash Sentry’s hoof when he cradled his face. “I guess I did, huh?”
“You’re a silly stallion,” Flash whispered to him, and the pair shared a quiet giggle. “But you’re my silly stallion.”
“I sure am.”
Shining Armor and Flash Sentry were content to sit like that for a long moment, simply holding hooves and drinking each other in. It wasn’t very long before someone coughed awkwardly in the doorway. Oh, right; they weren’t alone.
“The, uh, blankets you requested, Captain?” Pillar asked, tentatively.
Shining Armor straightened up, and did his best to put on his Captain Voice. “Right. Thank you, Pillar. If everypony could leave their supplies here by the door, you may all return to your previous assignments for the rest of the day.” Shining Armor cleared his throat. “And, uh, thank you all for your help.”
The guard had a collective little laugh, and with a few farewells and well-wishes to Flash, the group filed out, far less rapidly than they had arrived. Cadance was the last to go, still fixing Shining Armor with a little glare; this time, it was tinged with fondness.
“You are so dumb sometimes, Armor,” she huffed, and gave him a little hug. “But if you need anything, I’m here, alright? But - IMPORTANT things. If you need IMPORTANT things.”
“Right,” Shining Armor agreed, chuckling as he returned her hug. “Thanks, Cady.”
“Bye, Cadance,” Flash Sentry called from his bed, his hoof a little floppy where he waved it.
Once the others were gone, Shining Armor returned to Flash Sentry’s side, and pressed the back of his hoof to his forehead. “You’re so warm, Flashy.”
“Dude, is this you calling me hot?” Flash joked, his eyes half-lidded.
“I’d kiss you silly if you weren’t feeling so crummy,” Shining Armor grumbled affectionately, smoothing back his forelock. “Poor Flash, my poor little colt. What do you need?”
“I was hoping you might ask, after you got done ordering the troops to bang down my door.”
“I kicked the door down myself, thank you very much,” Shining Armor replied briskly, and Flash giggled. “So, what would you like?”
“Well, could you get me one of the blankets for my back hooves?” Flash asked, and Shining Armor zoomed to the corner and back before he could even finish. “Thank you. And - maybe something cold for my forehead? I’m really warm. And cold. On different parts, though.”
Shining Armor couldn’t really zoom with a bucket of ice water, but he hurried back to Flash’s side all the same. He fished in the bucket for an ice chip for Flash to chew on, and gently dabbed at his face with a cold cloth. “Better?”
Flash Sentry sighed, his eyes closing beneath Shining Armor’s ministrations. “Much. Thank you, Shiny.”
“Of course, Flash. I’d do anything for you,” his voice was low, fervent.
“I know you would. You tried to bring in the whole guard for me.” Flash opened one eye, flashing Shining Armor a grin.
“Tried to? I did,” Shining Armor teased him with a playful huff, and Flash giggled.
Shining Armor worked in silence for a moment, smoothing the cool cloth over Flash’s fevered face, and Flash was so quiet and relaxed that Shining Armor thought he might have fallen asleep.
“Tell me again,” Flash murmured after a long time, eyes still closed.
“I’d do anything for you?”
“The other thing.”
Shining Armor flushed, his white face suffused with a warm pink color. “That I love you?”
“Mm-hmm,” Flash hummed in delight, and curled into his pillow more snugly, a smile curling his lips. “More of that, please.”
“More?” Shining Armor laughed, and while one hoof pressed the cool cloth to his cheek, his other hoof lifted to begin stroking back his mane. “Let me think … I love your eyes, especially the way you look at me. They’re so beautiful and - purple?”
“Dude!” Flash laughed, peeking one eye open as he gave Shining Armor’s shoulder a playful punch.
“Oh! Right! Blue!” Shining Armor laughed, and leaned close, pressing a kiss to his love’s overwarm cheek. “I love your voice, and your soft mane, and how good you look in your armor.”
Flash Sentry laughed, and pushed up into his stroking hoof. “You like my hot body, huh?”
“I mean, it’s a nice bonus,” Shining Armor teased, and tried to dodge Flash’s second punch, kittenishly weak in his fever. Shining Armor watched him for a moment, then leaned close, burying his muzzle in his mane. “I love your kindness, and your gentleness, and your goodness. I love you so much, Flash Sentry. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything before, and it frightens me sometimes with its strength. I don’t know how I’d ever live without you. So you have to get better, okay?”
Flash Sentry’s brows lifted, and he reached up, cradling Shining Armor’s face again as his mood suddenly darkened. “It’s just a cold, Shiny. I’ll be okay. Don’t be scared. I love you, too. And - all those things, I love about you too. I would say better things, if I could. My brain feels like mush, dude,” Flash Sentry admitted with a chuckle, and when Shining Armor pulled away to look down at him, he offered him a sleepy smile. “It’s okay, Shiny. I’m okay.”
Shining Armor nodded shakily. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Flash Sentry nodded back to him, then snuggled down into his blanket. “Can you give me another saltine?”
“Sure,” Shining Armor obliged him, and Flash crunched quietly for a moment. Slower than usual, Shining Armor noted; but that was okay. Flash was okay.
“Can you tell me a story?” Flash Sentry asked a few minutes later, his voice soft and sleepy.
“Sure, Flashy. What kind of story?”
“I don’t know. Whatever you like,” Flash yawned, and rolled over onto his side so he could face Shining Armor. “I just like hearing your voice.”
Something tugged at Shining Armor’s heart, twisting it sharply, and he leaned close to press another kiss to his forehead. “Anything for you, dude.”
Flash giggled. “Hey, that’s my word. Be careful, or else you’ll catch this, too.”
“I’ll be fine. So, let’s see; you wanna hear about the time my sister brought home a dragon from Magic Kindergarten?”
Flash gasped and huddled even closer. “Yes!”
“Alright. So it started off like any normal day…”
In the end, Shining Armor caught Flash Sentry’s cold, and Cadance had to tend to both of them for two weeks. She swore that if Shining Armor ever pulled this nonsense again, she would have him banished from the kingdom.
