The day had gone downhill rather quickly for Shining Armor, somehow (he couldn't be sure but he had a pretty good guess) mistletoe was being hung all over the castle. Needless to say this raised many awkward situations with various ponies, especially considering it wasn't anywhere close to Hearts And Hooves Day or Hearth's Warming Eve.
He even had to order most of the guards to take them all down, he was currently on his way with a squadron to the ballroom where it was reported the majority was being hung.
Approaching the double doors the room he turned to give his troops a pep talk.
"Soldiers, somepony has hung mistletoe throughout the castle, the vast majority being in this room before us. With the Grand Galloping Gala quickly approaching we cannot afford for foreign dignitaries to get caught under them, otherwise it could cause an international incident. Understood?!"
"Sir! Yes, Sir!!" The soldiers saluted in unison, ever vigilant.
Shining Armor opened the door for them, as they passed by him his thoughts drifted back to his get together with Cadance.
'Why can't I get her out of my head? She's still the same old Cadance but...something is different now...'
"Shining Armor,"
He jumped a little higher than he would have liked to admit, but he quickly turned to see Cadance behind him.
"Cadance, I hope you're not here to try something."
"Actually I wanted to talk to you about the troops. They seem to be a very tight unit."
He smiled. "Oh thank you, that's actually because of me. I tried some new drills with them which really seemed to pay off."
"It shows. You've had quite the impact on them."
Shining Armor couldn't stop his smile, he was having a pleasant conversation with Cadance without the subject of love. "I'm really happy you know. I thought for sure you'd have try to pull something by now."
"Actually..." Cadance blushed and sheepishly pointed towards the ceiling, looking up Shining Armor saw mistletoe hanging above them.
"You..YOU...You set me up!"
"Sorry Shiny, I promise it will only be a peck this time."
"TROOPS!!! DEFENSIVE MANEUVER TWELVE!!!"
The guards swarmed towards Shining Armor and formed a defensive perimeter around him.
Cadance wasn't just surprised by Shining Armor's resourcefulness, she was impressed. To get them to perform so quickly and effectively he must have really cracked the whip on their training.
She brought a hoof to her chin, how was she supposed to get past these guards? A bad girl smirk crossed her face as the answer came to her.
She cleared her throat. "Ahem. As a Princess of Equestria, I hereby order all of you to take the rest of the day off."
They didn't need to be told twice, the guards quickly dispersed, dropping their weapons, saying things like "Sounds good to me." and "Good luck, Captain. I hope you have fun."
Shining Armor looked almost heartbroken as his guards left him alone completely defenseless against his self appointed love interest.
The grumbled word "Traitors" escaped his lips.
"Now Shiny, all I'm asking for is a peck..."
"I don't believe you!!" he snapped.
Cadance playfully folded her hooves (A/N: Hooves! Ugh!! Be so much easier if they had hands) so a little square hole appeared in the middle of them. "Laser lips closing in on target!"
"Laser lips?!"
"Well not really, I'm only playing."
Shining Armor let out a sigh of relief.
"I am going to kiss you though."
Shining Armor immediately tried to get out of Cadance's 'line of fire' but she was following him with her 'bullseye'.
"Come on Cadi, cut it out!!"
"Beep! Beep! Target getting closer!"
"Cadance this isn't funny!!"
"I'm just trying to get you to lighten up a little! Beep! Beep! Beep!!"
Shining Armor suddenly felt something behind him and saw he was backed in to a corner. "Cadance, knock it off already!"
Her response was a mere giggle. "Target locked!"
Shining Armor started to panic, he needed to think of something quickly. He had it! In a bright flash, Shining Armor's shield bubble was up keeping him from Cadance. "Ha! I outsmarted ya, how are you going to get to me now?"
Cadance rubbed her chin in thought. "How indeed..." she mumbled to herself. She had to admit, that was a pretty good move. How could she kiss him if she couldn't get at him?
The answer came to her in a flash of brilliance. She closed her eyes tight focusing her magic, in a pink flash she disappeared.
Shining Armor frowned, he looked all around the room but Cadance just simply wasn't there.
"Uh-Oh..."
In another flash of pink light, Cadance reappeared...in front of Shining Armor...inside his shield bubble...which was only intended to have enough room for himself.
"Oh. Nose to nose. Wasn't exactly planning this but I'm not really complaining either."
"I-I-I-I-I-I..."
"I wonder if we could fog this thing up?"
"Cadance!!"
"I'm only joking, Captain Serious."
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't want this?!"
"If that were true than you wouldn't really be blushing right now, now would you?"
The shield finally dropped and Shining Armor stumbled back.
"You know you want us together just as badly as I do. So why don't you just give in?"
"Because...Because you're lovesick!!" Shining Armor quickly ducked around Cadance and darted off.
"Lovesick?" Cadance repeated. "I think the proper term here is lovestruck!"
(A/N: Okay, I know one of you was very very very very against the idea of a songfic chapter. But this is a fic about ponies who sing in the actual show. If you can't get with that I suggest you find a different franchise.)
Shining Armor dashed in to the garden coming to a stop on the stone bridge above the duck pond.
'I'm living the life that I've always wanted.'
Shining Armor looked down at his reflection but jumped when he thought he saw Cadance next to him.
'But with Cadance's advances I can't help but feel like I'm being haunted.'
He let out a sigh of relief when he saw she wasn't there. However, his ears started to twitch at the noise of wings flapping in the air. Thinking quickly he looked up only to flinch at sight above him.
'A princess has me in her sights!'
Cadance dove down at Shining Armor from the sky, a heart shaped bullseye covering her right eye as she shot giant hearts at him.
'Now I have to dodge her both during the day and Luna's night!'
Shining Armor quickly dove behind a bush to dodge his would be lover.
'Lovesick!'
'Lovestruck!' Cadance sang back.
'What can I do?" Shining Armor ran back in to the castle. 'How do you stop a princess from falling in love with you?!'
The scene changes and Cadance and Shining Armor and sitting on a couch.
'As the Princess of Love,' Cadance sang. 'I always know exactly who is in a pony's heart,' Cadance scooted closer to him and Shining Armor scooted a little farther away. 'And the love that he has I feel is so big that I never want to part!'
As she scooted closer again he found himself falling off the couch to try and get away from her.
'Lovestruck!'
'Lovesick!!'
'There's nothing I can do!'
Cadance threw her arms around Shining Armor's neck. At first he rolled his eyes at her, but then when he tried to get her arms off of him he found she wouldn't budge. He tried a little harder but still nothing, he was trying frantically now but it was to no avail.
A giant heart came up from the bottom of the screen changing the scene.
'But if his love is one that I want to keep,'
Cadance looked down at him from a balcony and blew him a kiss, however, his response to it was nothing but a dutiful salute. Cadance gritted her teeth and hit the railing out of frustration.
'then he needs to admit it's mutual by end of the week!!'
Cadance held her head with worry when she saw just how much time had passed on the calendar. It was coming down to the wire now.
'But even when I corner him in a room that's locked...'
Cadance had Shining Armor cornered at his desk. She leaned across it, fluttering her eyelashes at him, making him lean back in his chair.
'This stallion remains a rock!'
She closed her eyes and puckered up for a kiss, but when she only felt air she opened them to see window behind Shining Armor's now spinning chair was opened.
'Lovesick!'
'Lovestruck!'
'Both of our reputations are on the line!' Shining Armor sang. 'Her cute persistence is really putting me in a bind!'
Shining Armor turned around the corner coming literally face to face with the Princess of Love. Practically nose to nose, both were frozen in place with a blush until Cadance smirked at him.
'I try to escape her feeling which make me red!'
Fluttering her eyelashes at him, his eyes quickly darted to the corner where he saw a couple of ponies gossiping about them.
'But no matter what I try...'
Shining Armor dashed off down the hallway, locking himself inside his office.
'she's always just step ahead!'
He turned around and there was Cadance yet again. However, she looked different from when he just saw her. Her hair was done up fancy, her eyelashes seemed longer than usual, and she seemed to be wearing eye shadow.
'Lovestruck!'
'Lovesick!!'
The door to Shining Armor's office got knocked down as he raced out.
'I know that I can win and prove to him our love is not a sin.'
Cadance calmly chased after him at a relaxed speed.
'I know deep down inside that I am fated to be with him.'
She picked a random corner and waited patiently for her panicked beloved.
'No matter how much he struggles I wanna hold him tight.'
The speeding Shining Armor saw that somehow Cadance was right in front of him with her arms spread eagle for a hug. There was no time for a turn and he was desperately trying to stop but it was to no avail.
'Because I just can't let him go without a fight!!'
She wrapped her arms around him snuggled in to his neck but when he tried to slip away she pulled him in to her embrace firmly.
Meanwhile, up in the clouds, Soarin was sitting on cloud watching the duet down below, bobbing his head to the music.
"Soarin!!" a voice hollered.
"Huh? Oh, hey Spitfire."
"Don't you 'Hey Spitfire' me! You were supposed to meet me an hour ago for cloud busting!"
"Yeah I know, but it's just cloud busting..." Spitfire looked shocked for a moment but it quickly faded away as she started to burn holes in Soarin's oblivious head with her stare. "And then Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance starting singing this really catchy duet that I just had to...YOW!!!"
Soarin was cut off as Spitfire, his commanding officer, bit his ear.
"Slacking off on the job..." Spitfire said through gritted teeth. "Just to hear a song?!" She started to drag him through the air by ear. "You'll be lucky if you can hear anything when I'm done with you!!"
Soarin couldn't protest. He couldn't argue either. All he could do was go along with Spitfire to minimize the damage being done to his ear.
"Ow! Ow!! The ear!!! Ow! Ow!!"
Omake
Cadance pulls out a guitar from behind her back and starts to play. "You can love almost anyone, it's happy and it's free..."
"CADANCE!!!" Shining Armor roared. "We are NOT doing a crossover!! Do you understand me?!"
"Fine!" Cadance lowered her eyelids halfway and threw the guitar away behind her where it promptly shattered with a loud 'TWANG'. "It's kind of cheaty anyways."