Chapter 1: Love in unlikeliest of places

Location: Grand Central Park, Manehattan, Manehattan Province, Changeling Queendom

Date: January 2nd, 1037ALB

On a snowy day in a large park in Manehattan, many creatures, in varying shapes and sizes, visit for several reasons. They come for a breath of fresh air, for scenery, or, in some cases, by orders from high command.

Most are here to witness a new statue being erected in the botanical square at the centre of the park. A gleaming grey concrete statue, depicting a couple. One of the pair is a Unicorn Stallion and the other is a female Changeling, kissing passionately with tears in their eyes, embracing their final moment. A moment when, famously, a bomb destroyed much of Manhattan nearly 20 years ago.

Unfortunately, not many creatures know about the story behind this statue, but I know... and let me tell you about the story of this wonderful Odd Couple, shall we!

------------////////////////---------------

January 5th, 1017ALB, Somewhere in the Canterlot Commissariat, near the newly charred Everfree Forest.

No one’s perspective:

A month has passed since the Zecora’s Resistance uprising was vanquished. The Everfree Forest was once untamed and lush. Now, only charred and decaying vegetation remained. By a constant bombardment of incendiary bombs, a nuke and massive biological gas agents have ravaged this forest and became barren. Only a few hardy vegetation is left from a massive bombardment.

A battalion of Changeling Wehrmacht are here near the 'Woods' of Everfree and was ordered to clean up the mess that Zercora's Rebellion made during the uprising, one of these changeling soldiers in this battalion was a grenadier named Clara Pistil, young and fresh from the Academy. She was tasked with keeping an eye on the area where there was a report of some Equestrian rebel activity not long ago, and for the moment she hasn’t seen any suspicious activity on her post, but she keeps on guard ready to attack if there’s any suspicious activity she detected.

In the same area where our female protagonist was, and within the Everfree. Rebels, from the Equestrian Liberation Front, were hastily preparing to leave their current base of operation and head over their new base of operation on Manehattan Protectorate, one of these rebels that were in the base was a young unicorn stallion named 1st-class Private Golden Shoes recruited almost two years ago. Enlisted in the Equestrian Army within the last months of the Great War, like most of the soldiers in the Equestrian Army, he refused to surrender and he retreated to Everfree to seek shelter. Over a year ago, he heard a growing resistance called the Equestrian Liberation Front, a resistance organization from Manehattan Protectorate that is setting up shop within the forest, he immediately joined the Front so he could participate in liberating his country from the Changeling tyranny.

At the moment our future lovers have not yet encountered each other, Only to have their respective battalions meet one-another the very next day.

------------////////////////---------------

3rd POV:

On the very next day. Clara’s battalion was sent over to the next area to do another cleanup operation. Once again, at the same time, Golden’s battalion was on their route to the extraction point, to be transported to the secret base of operations somewhere in Manehattan Protectorate. Both battalions are unaware that they're about to cross each other, and soon they will be a battle once upon with each other.

As soon their scouts have encountered their battalions on each side, a massive gunfight ensues, more changelings and ponies soldiers soon pouring in to reinforce their lines. Soon the entire area, part of the forest, is now a battleground.

Clara’s POV:

By the queen! I didn't know we would encounter such a large group of rebels, nonetheless, I have to kill them all before they would get away from us.

Though I'm just fresh from the academy and inexperienced yet, I can accurately shoot their dumb heads easily. My best friend, Ayana Helix, an experienced Obergrenadier, spotted one stallion unicorn running away from my sight. I think I shot at his head with my trusty G43, but alas, it appears I missed it. “Ah, Scheiße!” I cursed. And I have no choice but to chase before he gets away.

“You get away from me, you Gnat!” he shouted at me.

“you think you could get away from me hah! I have wings babe!” I said with a smirk.

Golden Shoes’s Perspective:

By Celestia, this bug is quite persistent! I have to get away before she could suck my love to death. I have managed to get away from her shots and enter the forest unseen until she finds me again. I weaved through branches, roots and leaves just to shake her off, but boy, she’s quite persistent. “Get away from me you gnat!” I cursed at her. “Nein!” she spoked back furiously, beating her wings furiously as well.

As I ran for more through the forest, I hit myself against a steep rock wall, scraping my left cheek, with blood dripping and nowhere to run, she finally caught up with me like a tiger confronting her prey. She grins knowing her prey is now cornered; she cocked her rifle at me, ready to shoot at me. “So you have confronted me huh, you gnat!” I cursed at her.

“Heh! I just want to capture you as my love slave, you hornhead!” She retorted and readied her rifle point on the hooves, so I won’t run away from her. Suddenly the ground that we are on, starts to give in and collapses down to the ground, taking me and that gnat as well!

Clara’s POV:

As I ready my rifle to shoot at his hooves, the ground gave in and we fell together, falling to the cave floor. I fell to the floor and scraped my left hind leg, damaging my left-wing. The pain is excruciating as I could hear my bone crack, making it difficult to fly.

When I checked my ‘prisoner’, I saw him clutching his right hind leg and his left leg was sprained, he was screaming on top of his lungs from his pain. I checked my rifle beside it and it's all busted up because a large stone just crushed it when we fell. “Ah shut up you!- Ach!!” she interrupts her sentence with a sharp pain on my front hooves. “ Aahhh!!! It hurts!” I scream.

3rd POV:

Golden chuckles a bit as he sees that Clara is in pain as well as he. “Hah! I shut up?! You scream like a dying eagle there, hah!” he chuckled. “D-damn you yo-you hornhead!” Clara cursed as she's still aching from that fall and the pain she just endured from that fall.

“For a changeling, you’re one dumb bug! You chased me all the way here for what? A score for your kill streaks?!” He furiously asked her.

“You're lucky that my rifle is all busted up! If it weren't, I would've sucked all your love up and shot you!” she spoke back with a hiss from her snout.

From their bickering, the ground under their hooves starts to crack. Clara saw the floor beneath as the most unstable... She used all of the willpower she had and flew over Golden’s position, where it is the most stable. While Golden was slightly amazed at how deeply determined Clara was, he stood there, watching her struggling to fly towards him. As she finally neared her desired position, a piece of rock hit her back and nearly fell, she was clinging to her dear life by her hooves stuck on some roots sticking out from an outcrop. “Ahh-AHHH! Help me!” she cried out to Golden, who looked at her with a smug face.

“Hmmm I dunno.. you‘re going to suck my love away and kill me right?” he teases her as he puts his left hoof on his chin, smirking.

“By Queen’s Ass! Just help me!” She pleaded.

“ Hmmm Nah…” he answered nonchalantly.
“Ahh! You hornhead! For once save me please!!” she pleads more, this time in actual tears, fearing for her life. Shoes for the first time felt bad for the Changeling; he certainly hated her species, but he couldn't help but feel bad for her.so he came up with an idea, he would save her on his terms, so he could check the changeling if she attempted to suck his love away and kill him.

He looked down on her, clinging on to her dear life and said.“Fine! I will help you get out, but on three conditions!” he started.

“Anything!! I'll do anything! Just say it but please! Help me!” she pleaded.

“You will not suck my love and kill me and YOU will not tell anyone that I helped you! At the same time, I will not tell anyone that I helped a changeling in the cave. And finally, you will cooperate with me getting out of the cave together! Once that is done, we go our separate ways, do you understand?!” He stated his demands.

Clara immediately said. “Yes! I will not tell anyone that we cooperate! Nor I’ll suck your love away and kill you!! I promise!” She agreed to his conditions immediately. Shoes smile and he uses his magic to hoist her up from her predicament and place her in a safe spot. Clara was stunned by Shoe’s actions, as she didn’t believe that a Pony saved a Changeling like her, never in her life have she experienced this.

“Y-you actually saved me…” she stammered, still in shock of a pony saving her.

“Yea… Don't mention it, we’re not out of the woods yet,” he responded. “ We still have to get the Tartarus out of this Cave,” he said as he looked up above, to see an opening from this cave...“Hmmm... Is your wings still good Gnat?” he asked Clara with a bit of a smirk. She just rolled her eyes.

“ I'll try..” she said as she spread her battered wings until a sting from the wing injuries prevented her from spreading even more. “G-gah! Nope! I don't think my wings can fly like this…” she said wincing from the wing pains. Shoes responded by using his magic to open up his satchel. He grabs his first aid kit and he walks towards Clara to patch her injuries.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” she questioned him, she was surprised by Golden’s first aid care with her wings.

“Ugh! Patching your wings up, you ungrateful Gnat!” he answered with a bit of annoyance. With the grace of his magic skills, he starts to patch up her broken wings, Clara rolled her eyes from that taunting name.

“ugh! I have a name you know? It's Clara, you Hornhead…” she told her name to her ‘cooperator’.

“Well little miss Clara the gnat! I have a name too. It's Golden Shoes, not Hornhead!” he told his name to Clara. Which made Clara chuckles a bit. “ uh... What's so funny?” he asked, feeling he was a bit offended by her chuckle.

She giggled “Oh nothing! It's just kinda funny how you Ponies name yourselves, that's all” she answers.

“Well your name is kinda weird too ya know…” he spoke back with a smirk.

“Heh, good point “ she agreed. After Golden finishes stitching Clara’s wings, he puts his stitches on his first aid kit and puts it back to his satchel.

“There! Better?” he asked. He just wanted to know if she's alright, to make sure she's alright and won't be a liability when they're going to get out of the cave.

“It's somewhat better… Thanks!” Clara thanked him for his amazing stitch on her wings. Something that she never told this to any other ponies before.

“Alright let's find something that we could-” he was interrupted by a sudden pain in his left hind leg when he tried to get up. “AAH SHIT!!” he screams from the pain in his hind leg. Turns out he broke his left leg when they fell from the cave. “S-shit! It fucking hurts!” He groans from the pain. Clara, though not good at medical skills, still knows how to patch his hind leg. She looks around for a strong stick and some vines to hold it in place. She had gathered some vines but couldn't find a suitable stick for straightening Golden’s legs until she found her busted rifle, still intact from that fall. She picked it up using her magic and lifted the busted rifle. Golden looked at her holding a busted rifle and spoke. “W-What the Tartarus are you doing?” he asked worriedly because she's holding a busted up.

“Don't worry! I won't hurt you with this! I'm going to use this rifle as a stick to straighten your hind leg!” she answered his question as she trots towards him with the materials she needed to mend his broken hind leg. She uses her magic to lift his hindleg to begin the operation. “ um it's gonna hurt would you want to-'' she was interrupted by Golden’s answer.

“ just do it! The sooner the better!” he said as he bit his mouth and held some sticks as he's about to feel sheer pain from her operation. She nodded and used her magic to forcibly straighten his hind leg with an audible bone crack. Golden screamed in pain.

“AAAHHHHH FFFFFFUUCCKKK!!” he screamed, clenching his hooves on some stick so hard that he snapped it in half. Soon after that she immediately put a busted rifle up and patched it with vines to keep in place. And use her remaining magic to ease the pain from the straightening of his hind leg.

“There all patch up! Sorry if it still hurts..” she apologises. Golden just shrugged off.

“ n-Nah! I i-am fine…” He shrugs. He started to get himself up in all fours. His left hind leg can finally straighten his stand, surprised and appreciate the Changeling’s mendings. “ hmm! Pretty good mending um… Clara?” He compliments her. Which made Clara blush a little bit.

“ oh it's nothin'..” she said.

------------////////////////---------------

Now with two future lovers finally patched their wounds and their broken bones. They've cooperated climbing up the cave, using Golden’s superior magic skill, he was able to lift some rocks to form stairs and with Clara’s shapeshifting abilities, she's able to transform into a small mulwurf to patch some unstable walls around the cave, so Golden can just put some rock stairs on it. After seemingly an eternity, two Soldiers are finally freed from the cave, with only a few scratches made on the way. The two future lovers finally lay down in exhaustion.

“Whew! What a workout!” Golden said as he lay down on the soft mossy ground.

“ yea! I’ve never shapeshifted that longer duration before!” Clara said as she just lay down on the flat ground with no soft moss around “Ow…” she squeed due to the flat ground. This made Golden chuckle a bit.

“Ya know you ain't a bad bug…” he said with a smirk.

“Same for you hornhead!” Clara said with a giggle.

After a couple of hours of laying down on the ground, the two future lovers start to get up and leave the forest. As they walked out to the forest, they knew that if they caught cooperating, both would be court marshalled on both sides and hanged for their crimes. And so they say final goodbyes. “ hey um, I gotta go find my battalion..” he said as he tried to excuse himself.

“ oh! Yeah It's alright I have to find my battalion too…though They won't be too happy that I went AWOL..” she lowered her ears thinking what punishment that major would have on her, she gulps.

“Hey! It's alright! Like I said I won't speak to anyone about this incident!” he promised.

“ yeah! Me too” she promised too. “So… Goodbye?” Clara asked Golden.

“ hmmm I prefer to say… See you later” He answered with a smirk.

“ heh! You sly stallion!” she teased him which made him chuckle.

And so both gave parted ways, waving goodbyes to return to their respective Battalions. Their signs of love continue…

Author's Note

whew! this is my first Chapter of the 3 part Story of my Write off! hope you like it!