A/N: Took me some quite of time with this one i hope you guys like it. Anyway enjoy and here's a carrot
“Ya’ll are trespassin’ at mah’ farm, so git!” the old frail voice continued poking, forcing the couple to leave the farm.
“We apologize for trespassing into your farm; please relax, we’re not going to do anything to your farm,” Shining Armor tried to take a peek at their captor.
Not wanting to tick off the enraged farmer, Shining Armor cautiously turned his head, with his eyes reaching the limits of his peripherals just to get a glimpse but he did see he was being held by a pitch fork pointed towards him; however with too much caution, Shining Armor could just barely see the farmer’s appearance.
“Listen, we mean you no harm, we were just passing through.” Shining Armor added hoping to avert the situation.
“You lyin’ vermin!” the old farmer raged on. “That ain’t what ya said earlier,” Shining Armor felt the poke from the sharp object got stronger.
“We’re sorry about that Ma’am, we thought that this farm was abandoned” Shining Armor identified their captor to be an old mare from her old frail voice as he tried to talk their way out. “Please let us go, you won’t hear from us anymore.”
“You city folks and yer fancy words,” the old mare was getting even more agitated. “Ya’ll show up with yer papers and fancy rides and ya’ll just gonna take ‘em all.”
“We’re not those kinds of ponies,” Shining Armor tilted his head to get a better glimpse of the old mare farmer. Instead of what Shining Armor hoped for, he felt the grip on the pitch fork tightened and the poke got more intense.
“This is getting us nowhere,” Chrysalis blankly said losing her patience to Shining Armors lack of action.
“What are you…?” Shining Armor asked but was quickly interrupted by the changeling’s sudden impulse.
A swift tackle from the cloaked changeling princess sent the old farmer pinned down on the ground.
“This is what you get for sticking a pitch fork behind MY Shining Armor,” Chyrsalis pinned down the old mare. Parts of the cloak slid down from the sudden movement, revealing her featured hooves, twisted horn and her green eyes and her dark colored appearance.
“Chrysalis the cloak, wait—“Shining Armor rushed to calm the changeling princess. “You said your Shining Armor?” he asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“Yes,” she darted a look on the white unicorn. “You belong to me, any problems with that?” she stared at him with ill intent.
“Nothing,” he rolled his eyes out of fear. “But how did you managed to tackle her down?”
“I just turned back and tackled her down,” Chyrsalis pinned down the old farmer. “I was surprised she didn’t react to it.”
Shining Armor finally saw the old farmer mare’s appearance as he looked down on the mare Chrysalis pinned down. She was an old earth pony; her body was sort of thin to the bones due to old age type of structure. Her white aging mane and tail was tied to a bun-like shape. She had a yellow-orange colored coat and her face was full of wrinkles due to her age. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of heavy dark shaded sunglasses. Her cutie mark was a slice of cake with a carrot sticking on top.
“I’m so sorry about this, “Shining Armor went besides the two attempting to aid the old mare to get up from the ground and apologizing for Chrysalis’ sudden tackle. “We really mean you no harm.”
The old mare suddenly burst out laughing to the couple’s confusion.
“You’re laughing?” Shining Armor asked puzzled by the farmer’s sudden burst of laughter.
“I don’t understand how you manage to still laugh at the face of me striking you down.” Chrysalis was also bogged by the sudden laughter.
“I like this mare of yours. She’s got spunk and guts; unlike you.” she said pointing out to Shining Armor. “In my days, stallions were tough, brave and certainly they don’t let their mares do the fighting.” She babbled on lying down on the ground pinned by the changeling princess.
“I know, besides I can’t imagine a pony such as yerself bein’ harmful and all.” She gave out a soft chuckle as she got up with the stallion’s aid.
Chrysalis smirked chuckled at Shining Armor upon hearing the old mare’s remarks. “She got you right on there.”
“It’s not my fault that I am ‘soft’ “Shining Armor defensively replied.
Chrysalis shook her head. “That’s one of the things that I liked about you. You may not be the roughest toughest stallion out there, but that’s all I need.” Her lips curved up a smile with a hint of redness blooming in her dark colored cheeks.
“I take it you two are a dating?” the old mare suddenly asked.
“You could say that.” Shining Armor replied.
“What do you mean ‘could say that’?” Chrysalis said with her eyebrows crossed. “Yes, yes we are,” she turned to the old mare with a stern look on her face.
The yellow earth mare chuckled a bit. “So when did you two started going out?” she asked.
“We just started going out recently.” Shining Armor replied.
“Ah, a new couple I see.” The old mare replied.
“Quite a fighting mare you got sonny boy.” The old mare laughed.
“Actually as you can see she’s quite different.”Shining Armor tried to correct the old mare.
“Too bad sonny boy Ah can’t see a dang thing; been blind for a couple of years now.” she coughed and cleared her throat.
“Just who are you exactly?” Chrysalis suddenly asked.
“As much as gutsy as ya are, ya still hav’ta respect yer elders,” the old mare bopped a hoof over Chrysalis’ head.
“How dare you!” Chrysalis stomped her hoof.
“Ok,” Shining Armor cut himself between his changeling and the old mare. “Sorry for being rude,” he turned to the old mare “And that we trespassed into your farm.” he apologized once more. “I’m Shining Armor,” he pointed to himself. “And this is,” he turned to the changeling beside him “my marefriend, Chryssie..”
“I told you that name is for private use only!” she blared out at the unicorn stomping her dark holey hoof onto Shining Armor’s hoof as her cheeks were fuming red.
Shining Armor agonized in pain from the sharp stomp against his hoof. “But you said it’s ok,” tears were forming around the unicorn’s eyes.
“Not unexpectedly like that.” Chyrsalis reasoned out.
“Come on, “Shining Armor rested beside the changeling princess and softly embraced her.
“You’re so unfair,” Chrysalis rolled her eyes hiding her smile as she too liked the sudden embrace.
“You two sure are a cute couple,” the old mare smiled at the two. “Mah’ name’s Carrot Hat and Ah own this here farm,” she pointed her hoof towards desolated land that was used to be a farm.
“It has been boggling me,” Chrysalis looked at the old mare puzzled. “You said that you’re blind but how are you still able to locate where we are despite the huge and dead land here.” She asked, skeptic about the farm mare’s blindness.
“Don’t worry little missy, Ah’m really blind,” she took of her dark colored shades revealing her disabled eyesight to the couple. “It’s just that Ah’ve been too familiar with this here land, been blind and living here for years now.” she gave off a proud smile. “Ah’ know it sounds ridiculous but sometimes there are more things that you can see when yer blind that with yer own two eyes.”
“I guess it wasn’t just an old mare’s tale.” Shining Armor pondered about Carrot Hat’s last words. “Hmm,” he turned to his partner. “What seems to be troubling you?” he noticed a boggling expression on Chrysalis’ face.
“Little missy?” the changeling whispered as her eyebrows crossed. “Shiny dear, did she just called me little missy?” she turned to the unicorn beside her.
“No, not really” Shining Armor tried to lie as he remember on how Chrysalis was easily aggravated when not addressed properly. But the crooked smile, the awkward eye twitches and cold sweat gave it all away.
“She Did!”
“Ah’ really like you two youngins,” she tapped the couple’s back simultaneously. “Come Ah’ll show you around if there’s still somethin’ to show that is.” She chuckled as she went back towards the barn house. She slowly tapped the pathway in front of her walking towards the structure in the middle of the farm.
“What happened here?” Shining Armor asked looking around the dead farmlands with several dead crops lying on the soil.
“Ah’ use tah’ plant carrots here until some ponies from Las Pegasus came over,” she walked along the dead plantation. “Handed me some weird plants and told me if Ah’ could grow ‘em they would pay me top bits.”
“I take it they were scamming you?” Chrysalis asked with an indifferent tone.
“As a matter of fact, they did pay me bits with zeroes Ah’ have never even heard of.” Carrot Hat replied.
“Just how did it turn into this?” Shining Armor asked with a puzzled on his face as he stared on the dead crops.
“Ah’ never knew that what Ah’ was plantin’ was illegal,” she looked down in shame.
“What do you mean by illegal?” Chrysalis curiously asked.
“Turns out I was plantin’ illegal drugs, in plant form of course.” The old farmer said. “Ah’ wanted tah’ stop, but them Las Pegasus folks kept pushing me, forcing me until Ah’ told the authorities.”
“I take it that all war broke loose?” Chrysalis replied.
“Not just any war, the whole field got boom blang kapow bang crash whoosh,” the old mare reenacted the sound effects with her hooves. “and by the time they were done. All they left of mah’ farm was dead soil. Tried restorin’ the farm but the damage was too big.” She looked down in sadness reminiscing one of her painful past. “Mah’ life’s work, gone.”
“I’m sorry that we made you remember those events.” Shining Armor sympathized with the old farmer mare.
“That’s okay sonny boy.“ She smiled a frail smile towards the direction of Shining Armor’s voice. “That was a long time ago.”
The trio finally arrived at the wooden cottage house; it was simple and wrecked over time. it had a simple cottage design with a standard front porch with a wooden rocking chair swaying back and forth carried by mild winds passing by. Inside, habitable as it may, everything looked old and weary. There was a mix of broken and still usable furniture lingering around the living room. Across the living room, there was a doorway leading to what appears to be a kitchen. If there is anything still intact it was the kitchen. Though old and aged, the oven, utensils and the counter top were still usable to bake something.
“It looks,” Chrysalis observed the whole place top to bottom. “Habitable in the very least.” She continued with disgust in her eyes. “So what are we going to do now?”
“What do you mean?” Shining Armor looked at his partner.
“Surely you don’t mean to stay here forever?” Chrysalis asked. “I mean I did told you about that ‘thing’ meant to track us down. Being the second in command, I can weaken the connection between my Mother and I, but I don’t know how long will it take them to find this place.”
“Till then we have to do something to earn for our next travel.” Shining Armor replied.
“Ever tried farming?” Chrysalis jokingly asked.
“What?!” Shining Armor was taken aback by the question.
“Farming,” she looked at him. “You know, shoving seeds in the dirt, drowning them with water, leaving them to burn in the sun and the next thing you know food.”
“That’s not what farming is.” Shining Armor tried to correct the changeling princess. “It is…”
“I know what I said,” she interrupted the stallion. “Now, have you tried it?”
“No.” he replied.
“Today is a good day to start.” She smiled at him deviously challenging the stallion to take up farming.
“I have never farmed in my entire life. It’s not that simple.” Shining Armor replied. “I mean you have to plow the fields, carefully place each seeds so they don’t get clustered too much, give them the right amount of water.”
“Quite knowledgeable for somepony who hasn’t done farming.” Chrysalis replied questioning the stallion.
“I just read them in books in the Libraries of Canterlot.” Shining Armor replied. “Anyways I can’t do it.”
“You haven’t even tried.” Chrysalis said.
“I am a unicorn,” he pointed to himself. “It’s just impossible; there are no records in history that a unicorn is successful in farming.”
“Are you disagreeing with me?” Chrysalis’s eyes widened.
“No, I am simply saying that it is impossible.”
“So you ARE disagreeing with me.”
“No I’m not.”
“You just disagreed with me.”
“But that was...”
Shining Armor soon felt his energy depleting, leaving his body. His hooves wobbled and became shaky; his head
suddenly starting throbbing in pain. He soon found himself surrounded in a green aura slowly depleting his energy.
“I’m so sorry about that.” Chrysalis quickly shut up her draining spell and reached out towards Shining Armor.
“I just need some fresh air,” Shining Armor raised his hoof stopping Chrysalis’ holey hoof to reach him. He slowly got up with his hooves still staggering due to the ill-effects of the draining magic and walked towards the exit of the cottage.
“Ah’ just heard you two were fightin’ from the inside” Carrot Hat appeared afterwards Shining Armor left.
“He started it,” Chrysalis shrugged.
“Sorry tah’ say but Ah’ heard the whole thing.” The old mare confessed.
“You were eavesdropping on us?” Chrysalis found the act invasive.
“Now now little missy.” she answered calmly “None of them loud volume shouts.”
“Fine!” Chrysalis said. “What do you want?”
“Ah’ dunno what ya’ did to sonny boy back there,” she looked towards the direction Shining Armor left. “It ain’t gonna do you two good if it keeps that way.”
“What do you know about it,” she looked the other way.
“Trust me on this little missy,” she tapped Chrysalis’ shoulder. “Ah’ maybe old but that doesn’t mean Ah’ know nuthin’”
“It was out of habit,” she turned back to the old mare. “Whenever ponies disagree with me, I just drain them of energy to shut them up.”
“Poor old sonny boy,” Carrot hat shook her head in pity of the stallion.
“And I thought you were sympathizing with me.” The changeling shrugged.
“Look, little missy,” she reached out for the changeling’s hooves. “You two really seemed like a cute couple, and that would be darn shame if you two would break-up just because of some habit.”
“What do you mean by ‘Break-up’?” Chrysalis wondered about the ominous word.
“It means that you two are no longer together. Splittin’ ways, you two are over kaput!” she emphasized on the meaning of the word.
“He won’t do that would he?” Chrysalis started to panic. “I mean, he loves me right. I’m sure of it” she started stroking her teal mane anxious of what may come. “It’s just a simple misunderstanding I’m sure he’s not yet fed up.” she laughed.
“Just how many times hav ya’ done that to sonny boy?” Carrot Hat asked.
“Two, three, four, everytime we had an argument. “She started to realize something horrible. “This is bad.” She became frantic.
“Hold yer horses, just because I said that it doesn’t mean that he’ll really do it.” Carrot Hat explained grasping the changeling to calm down.
“He won’t?” Chrysalis sighed in relief.
“But it doesn’t mean yer safe,” the old mare said. “What Ah’m tryin’ to say is cut down on that thing you do to sonny boy when you two are arguin’. All couples argue but that’s not a way to resolve it okay.” She faced the changeling with a sincere expression.
Shining Armor sighed in depression as he walked aimlessly away from the farm. It has been not that long since they have been together. He never knew it would be that tough to be with Chrysalis. His head was still hurting from the drain earlier. he never knew that changeling magic bore such effects, despite the training he did back at camp. Before everything, he thought that it would be an exciting experience to date and love a changeling but not like this. But he did also recalled that most of those times were brought by his stubbornness. His cling to his past role, to the normal pony life.
“Maybe I was a bit stubborn,” he said with a guilty tone. “I guess there’s no harm done in trying it. and she did say sorry before I left.”
As he sighed once more, he turned his back facing the farm once more. He smiled on his way back.
“You’re back!” Chrysalis excitedly welcomed the stallion, but soon remembered their little argument and the result. “I mean you’re back.” She repeated with guilt ruining her excitement.
“I’ll try farming.” Shining Armor sheepishly agreed.
“You will?!” Chrysalis excitedly embraced the unicorn. “I mean,” she quickly let go. “I’m glad that you have seen it in my terms.” She remained stoic in her appearance.
“I guess I was being stubborn and all.” Shining Armor sheepishly grinned as he scratched his head. “I guess I’ll start by tomorrow or so.”
“I’m sorry for draining you for the nth time.” Chrysalis mumbled in her apology.
“What was that?” Shining Armor barely heard a word.
“I SAID I’M SORRY!” She shouted at the stallion’s ear. “I don’t want to lose you just because of some stupid habit of mine.”
“I’m actually surprised,” Shining Armor shocked to hear the words that came out of the changeling’s mouth.
“Surprised?!” Chrysalis replied shouting. “Is that all what you’re going to say? After you have made me, a princess, lower herself that is all you’re going to say?” she stomped forward giving an intimidating presence.
“Shhh…” Shining Armor hushed the changeling princess embracing her with both hooves. “You know that won’t happen. Remember what we promised back then?”
“Through any kind of weather…” Chyrsalis calmed down.
“We’ll always be together.”
“You claim that Shining Armor is alive and is hiding somewhere along with your princess?” Captain SonicBoom was skeptic of the information delivered to him by the disguised changeling messenger. “And you have the means of tracking them down?”
The brown earth pony nodded in response.
“On what basis should I aid your search, let alone believe the words of a deceiver?” the muscular pegasus sternly looked at the disguised changeling in front of him still skeptic of the messenger’s story.
“It’s up to you captain to believe us or not.” The changeling smirked. “But it would be your loss if you refused to work with us and if in case we found them.” he paused. “We will surely end the life of that wretched unicorn as per our Queen’s orders,” He stepped forward towards the muscular captain. “If you work with us, then you get your precious unicorn back and we get our little princess back,” he stopped reaching the front of the captain’s wooden desk.
Captain SonicBoom closed his eyes thinking of the changeling’s words. In just a split second he grabbed the changeling’s head and slammed it against his desk. The changeling lost its disguised due to the pain and pressure dealt to it. A loud thud echoed within the room, the papers, quill on top of the desk were knocked over by the intensity of the slam. “Never use that method of coercion to me,” he pressed his hoof harder against the changeling’s head. “Sure his talents maybe one of a kind but he is still just a pony. And I can just find another pony who has the potential to be the next captain,” He stared at the struggling changeling. “You, on the other hand only have ONE princess, ONE heir to the throne as far I remember. And it would do me great service if your race would be just wiped off. So you better think again on who needs who. Got it?” he pressed his hoof even harder against the changeling’s head.
He tossed the changeling from his desk after his statement. “I hope your ‘Queen’ gets my message.”
“Our Queen has heard everything,” the changeling held its head recovering from the sudden assault.
“And her reply?” the captain didn’t waste any second.
“She agrees with you and is willing to work with the guards in searching for our princess.” The messenger replied.
“Since you’re on the requesting end, I would also like to add a little condition in case we are successful.” The captain added. “You changelings are to leave Equestria and never show your faces around here ever again. “ He didn’t minced words as he gave his condition
“Our Queen has agreed,” the changeling messenger looked at the Captain. “Since finding the princess is the utmost importance in the survival of our race.”
“Then onwards, following this so-called hive mind of yours we’ll track them down.” the captain stood bearing his intimidating presence and marched outside his office a in forceful yet disciplined manner.