> Saving Little Ocellus
>  by Thomlight Sparkle 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: A Shocking Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Normandy, June 9th, 1944


A group of U.S. Soldiers was walking through an open field. 

The group consisted of nine men, starting with Captain Thomas S. Fredrick. Of Company C, 5th Ranger Battalion. Then Technical Sergeant Reggie Meyers. Followed by Private Harry Stans, Private Andrew Walters, Private Daniel Randall, Private Carl Jasper, Medic Jake Merlin, Private Frank Harrison. And holding up the rear was Corporal Tyler Browne of the 29th Infantry Division. The men had come in on D-Day where they were a part of the Normandy Landings. And after the grueling Battle of Omaha Beach, they had made base camp at the beach. When the Captain had received an assignment from the Lieutenant Colonel to retrieve a 101st Airborne paratrooper, Private Fred Jerry Stevens, whose four brothers had been recently killed in combat. So he could be sent home. As the soldiers made their way in the field, the Corporal was trying to get to know the other men. At one point, he tapped Walters on the shoulder, startling Walters. 
“Hey! You want your head blown off you fancy little smuck? Don’t you ever touch me with those little rat claws of yours again. Get back in formation!” snapped Walters.
“Uh, I was just wondering where you’re from,” explained Browne, only to receive a glare from Walters, in which he quickened his pace up to Randall. “Randall, right?”
“Hey, drop-dead, Corporal.” said Randall rudely, “And another thing, every time you salute the captain, you make him a target for the Germans. So, do us all a favor and don’t do it. Especially when I’m standing next to him, capisce?”
“Capisce,” answered Browne as he walked up to Merlin.
“Hey Corporal, what’s your book about?” asked Merlin. As Browne briefly chuckled, bringing up his rifle, nearly hitting Merlin’s helmet with it. “Hey, watch your rifle.”
“Sorry.” Said Browne, before explaining; “Well, it’s supposed to be about the bonds of brotherhood that develop between soldiers during war.”
“Brotherhood?” asked Randall as Walters let out a laugh. “What do you know about brotherhood? Get a load of this guy, Walters! Why don’tcha ask the captain where he’s from?”
“Yeah, ask the captain,” said Walters. “He’ll tell you everything you wanna know about.”
“Does anyone wanna explain the math of this to me?” asked Stans. “I mean, where’s the sense in risking the lives of the nine of us just to save one guy?”
“Anybody wanna answer that?” asked the Captain.
“Stans, think about the poor bloke’s mother,” stated Merlin.
“Hey Doc, I’ve got a mother, right?” asked Stans. “I mean you got a mother, the sarge has got a mother, I mean, shit, I bet even the captain’s got a mother...” Stans also added before looking back at the captain only to see his blank expression. “Well, maybe not the captain, but the rest of us got mothers!”
“Thiers not to reason why, theirs but to do and die,” said Browne.
“La la la la la,” Walters mocked, “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Corporal? We’re all supposed to die, is that it?”
“Browne is talking about our duties as soldiers.” replied the Captain.
“Yes, sir,” said Browne.
“We all have orders, and we have to follow ‘em. That supersedes everything, including your mothers.” added in the Captain.
“Yes, sir, thank you sir.” complimented Browne.
“Even if you think the mission’s FUBAR, Sir?” asked Stans.
“Especially if you think the mission’s FUBAR,” replied the Captain.
“What’s “FUBAR”?” asked Browne, confused at the word.
“Oh, it’s German.” Walters fibbed, as Randall chuckled.
“I never heard of it,” said Browne.
“Sir, I have an opinion on this matter,” said Harrison.
“Then, by all means, share it with the squad.” said the Captain.
“Well, from my way of thinking, sir, this entire mission is a serious misallocation of valuable military resources.” expressed Harrison.
“Yeah, go on.” said the Captain.
“Well, it seems to me, sir, that God gave me a special gift, made me a fine instrument of warfare,” added Harrison.
“Stans, pay attention,” the Captain said, “Now, this is the way you gripe! Continue, Harrison.”
“Well, what I mean by that, sir, is if you were to put me and this sniper rifle anywhere up to and including 1 mile of Adolf Hitler with a clear line of sight, sir-- Pack your bags, fellas. War’s over.” finished off Harrison.
"Amen!" stated Stans. "Now that's brilliant, bumpkin." 
"Hey captain, so what about you? You don't gripe at all?" asked Jasper.
"I don't gripe to you, Jasper. I'm a captain, there's a chain of command. Gripes go up, not down." answered the Captain. "Always up, you gripe to me, I gripe to my superior officer. So on and so forth. I don't gripe to you, I don't gripe in front of you, you should know this."
"Sorry, sir. But, let's say you weren't a captain. Maybe I was a Major?" said Jasper. "What would you say then?"
"Well, in that case, I'd say: this is an excellent mission, sir, with an extremely valuable objective, sir, worthy of my best efforts, sir. Moreover, I feel heartfelt sorrow for the mother of Private Fred Stevens, and am willing to lay down my life and the lives of my men, especially you, Jasper, to ease her suffering."
"He's good." Walters said simply, and Randall agreed by saying, "I love him!" and he made kissing noises.
As the men continued their way through the fields, the Captain then stopped and held up his hand, signaling the others to stop.
"Captain, what's..." Meyers started to asked.
"Quiet!" ordered the Captain, as Meyers instantly shut his mouth. Then the Captain made out the sound of someone moaning. "Someone's out there. Step lively, men." With that said, all men put their hands near the triggers of their weapons as they brought them up to their shoulders, and slowly walked forward. Just then the other men began to hear the moaning too. Which in turn, came from the foliage on their right. As the Captain held up his hand, signaling the others to stop. Before he called out; "Thunder!" But there was no reply, the moaning only got louder. "Thunder!" the Captain called out again, but still no reply, then the Captain signaled Walters up, then pointed to the foliage. As Walters nodded, then taking out his bayonet, he mounted it on the end of his shotgun before placing the tip of the bayonet on the bush as The Captain, Sarge, and Stans all held their weapons out ready to fire. The Captain then nodded to Walters, which Walters quickly threw up the foliage, as the 3 soldiers pointed out their weapons, but as soon as they did, a female squeak of fear was heard as all men shut down as all stared in shock at what they saw. 
The individual was a girl but was no human. This girl was an anthropomorphic equine of some type. She had artic blue-colored skin that looked insect-like. With small ears, folded on her head. A curved, pointy horn on her head. With a transparent pink-colored mane and tail.  She wore a teal-colored turtleneck sweater, a red denim skirt that ended halfway down her thighs, with a pink belt with a magenta, heart-shaped belt buckle. She also was carrying a small light red shoulder satchel. What was more, she had a beetle shell opened up on her back that was colored like a ladybug shell but with pink spots instead of black. And pink transparent wings, sticking out. But the most shocking of all was her big cyan-colored eyes. Which resemble that of a bee's own eyes. Which were staring at the soldiers in fear. 
"P..p..please, don't hurt me." said the girl, timidly. "I mean you no harm."
"Hey, hey, it's alright." said the Captain, shouldering his Thompson. "We won't hurt you, we're soldiers."
But the girl only shrunk back, whimpering. In which all other soldiers put their weapons down.
"It's okay, sweetie. We're all friends here," said Merlin. "You can trust us."
Slowly, the girl walked out cautiously, before stopping in front of the captain.
"Where am I? Who are you?" asked the girl, trembling in fear.
"I'm Captain Thomas Fredrick, of Company C, 5th Ranger Battalion." said the Captain.
"And you're in the fields outside of Neuville." added in Meyers.
"Neuville?" asked the Girl. "Oh my, goodness. I'm really far away from home! I wanna go home!" the girl stated, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hey, hey. It's okay, it's okay. We can help you." said Harrison, as Walters and Randall could only stare in surprised looks. "Where do you came from?"
"Equestria." said the girl. "I'm from Equestria."
"Equestria? What the hell's Equestria?" asked Randall. Only to receive a glare from Meyers.
"So, what's your name, little one?" asked the Captain.
"Ocellus, Captain." replied the girl. "My name is Ocellus."
> Chapter I: Unusual Contact
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group of soldiers was at a loss for words. What was this girl? What was this Equestria? But more importantly, how did she get there?

"Ocellus?" asked Randall. "That's a very odd name to be heard around here."
"Well, my name is normal in Equestria. And to answer your previous question, Equestria is my homeland," explained Ocellus. "It's land inhabited by ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and many other creatures."
"Well, you sure don't look like a pony. Or a unicorn for that matter. And your wings are too insect-like to make you a pegasus. I don't wanna be rude, but what the hell are you?" asked Walters.
"I'm a Changeling," answered Ocellus. "We're a unique species in Equestria that can shape-shift into other creatures."
"Shape-shift into other creatures?" asked Meyers. "Like what?"
"Anything really," said Ocellus. "But sometimes most of us can only turn into things of equal size."
"Oh really?" asked Stans. "If you really can shape-shift, let's see you turn into a different creature."
"What kind?" asked Ocellus.
"Anything you can think of," suggested Stans.
"Okay," said Ocellus, as green flames began to surround her body, and then in a flash of light blue, Ocellus morphed into a sheep. Even her clothes disappeared. All soldiers' mouths dropped in awe at the sight, as Walters even dropped his shotgun in shock.
"Holy Mother of God!" exclaimed Browne. With that, Ocellus changed back to herself. Her clothes also reappeared.
"Interesting. Well, what are you doing out here?" asked Jasper.
"I was hiding out because I didn't know where I was," answered Ocellus.
"No, I mean; What are you doing in our territory, here?" clarified Jasper. "How did you get here?"
"Oh. Well, my friends and I were looking for some books about railways to help a friend of Headmistress Twilight's, Mr. Brillington. And then Chancellor Neighsay was in the library at the time we were and assumed we were planning to sabotage Mr. Brillington's Heritage Railway he works on. So Headmistress Twilight told him to leave us be, but when Neighsay went to take his leave, he tripped on a discarded book. Then when he landed he hit his magic medallion, and it opened up a portal under my hooves. Then, I fell through, ending up here." explained Ocellus, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"Why would this "Neighsay," think you were going to sabotage a Heritage Railway?" asked the Captain, confused.
"Because he has a distaste for non-pony individuals. Not just me, but my friends," explained Ocellus. "Silverstream, a Hippogriff. Gallus, a gryphon. Yona, a Yak. Smolder, a dragon. Even a new friend we made, a giraffe named Connie. He thinks we're all dangerous creatures and cannot be trusted."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Meyers in shock. "How can he think such bullshit?!" asked Meyers in anger at such a crazy thing.
"Well, I don't know about the Giraffes, but the reason he calls me dangerous is that Changelings launched an attack on the Royal City of Canterlot, in which my former Queen, lead us to steal a lot of love, to increase our powers. While the Hippogriffs were skeptical to come out of hiding when this monster attacked their home. Then the Gryphons and Dragons used to be very prideful and rude and disrespected Ponies. While the Yaks are extremely prideful themselves." said Ocellus. "But now they all changed. But Neighsay just doesn't see it that way."
"That's Goddamn Racism!" stated Harrison. "He could make a civil war happen with that kind of attitude!"
"You really think so?!" asked Ocellus, getting scared at the idea of Civil War breaking out in Equestria.
"Hell Yeah!" stated Merlin. "America, our homeland, broke out in Civil War because of Racism!"
"Well, it seems to me, the only dangerous individual I see in all this, is that Neighsay." said the Captain. "We may have just met you, but I can see you are not dangerous. No offense, you're too timid to try and attack. If you were as dangerous as this Neighsay guy says, you would've tried to attack us as soon as Walters lifted that bush."
"Oh, I feel so much better hearing that from a Soldier," said Ocellus.
"Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how old are you?" asked Browne.
"15. I just turned 15 last month," answered Ocellus.
"Right," said Browne.
"Alright, I know the Captain's name, but who are the rest of the Squad?" asked Ocellus.
"Well, we have Sargent Reggie Meyers. Private Harry Stans, Private Andrew Walters, Private Daniel Randall, Private Carl Jasper, Private Jake Merlin, Private Frank Harrison, and last but not least, Corporal Tyler Browne of the 29th Infantry Division." answered the Captain indicating each of the men in his squad.
"Pleased to meet you all," said Ocellus. "You wouldn't happen to know a way I can get back home, do you?"
"I'm sorry, Ocellus. But magic is something that is not possible for humans to do," said Merlin. "I'm afraid you're stuck here."
"Stuck here?!" shouted Ocellus in shock, before falling to her knees. "I'm never gonna see my friends and family again!" With that, she began to sob. Feeling pity for the poor changeling, Browne shouldered his rifle and then crouched to Ocellus' level and pulled her into his arms, as she rested her face into his shoulder, still weeping. As Browne rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.
"Poor little thing," said Harrison. "Ended up in our world in a freak accident thanks to a racist."
"And to make it worse, it had to be during a battle of all things!" added in Stans. "Such a sweet little girl doesn't deserve to be among this!"
"She's lucky we ran into her, I'd hate to think what the Germans would do if they found her," said Meyers, as he patted Ocellus' head, as she sobbed even louder.
"Hey, Sweetie. Don't cry. We'll keep you safe." said the Captain.
"You... You will?" asked Ocellus hopefully as she lifted her head from Browne's shoulder. Letting out a sniffle.
"Yes, I promise." said the Captain. "You'll stick with us until your friends or even Headmistress Twilight finds a way to bring you back to your home."
"Oh, thank you so much!" shouted Ocellus with glee as she hugged the Captain. Fredrick was startled by this, but he wrapped his arms around Ocellus and patted her back. But Walters and Randall were speechless.
"What?!" exclaimed Randall.
"Captain, can we have a word?" asked Walters. "Without Ocellus?"
Fredrick turned to Ocellus, who nodded as she stepped back to give them privacy. As the Captain stood up, then all men moved a little away from Ocellus so she wouldn't hear in on their conversation.
"Are you out of your mind?!" asked Randall in shock. "We're already trying to find Private Stevens here, and now you wanna take an unusual creature we never saw with us?!"
"Well, what are we suppose to do?" asked Merlin.
"Leave that weird bug horse to fend for herself!" stated Walters.
"We can't do that!" stated Harrison. "You saw how scared she was when she saw us! Imagine how'd she react if Germans found her!"
"Who cares about that?" angrily stated Randall. "She may be timid, but I'm not gonna waste my life to not only find a private to send him home but babysit a shape-shifter from a land we never heard of!"
"Randall. Listen to yourself! We can't just let her wander around here on her own!" exclaimed Meyers. "Who knows what Hitler could do to her if the Germans got her!"
"They might dissect her or run experiments on her!" added in Stans. "You really think a little girl deserves that?!"
"Well, I'm not comfy with taking her along, she'll just slow us down!" said Walters.
"Well, I'm not going to leave her here and let the Germans get her!" stated Fredrick. "We are taking her with us until her friends or even Headmistress Twilight comes here to bring her back home! And you will not try to get rid of her, that's an order!"
"Fine," said Walters with a sigh.
"Alright, I'll do it. But only because she's 15. And a 15-year-old girl doesn't belong in a war zone." said Randall.
With that said and done, the men walked back to Ocellus, who was putting a book back in her satchel. As the Captain walked up to her.
"Okay, Ocellus. You're coming with us as we do our mission." said the Captain. "But under no circumstances, you leave sight of this squad. I don't want you to wander away from us. We're heading into some dangerous territory. Got it." said the Captain.
"Yes, Sir," said Ocellus with a nod.
"Alright, let's move out!" ordered the captain as the squad and Ocellus set off into the fields.
> Chapter II: Into Nueville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Group of soldiers made their way through the fields as Ocellus was walking alongside the Captain, humming a tune before taking a water bottle from her satchel and taking a drink as the Captain decided to ask more about the Queen that Ocellus mentioned.
"Hey, Ocellus?" Asked the Captain.
"Hmm?" Hummed Ocellus as she put her bottle back in her satchel.
"You mentioned that your kind was lead by a former Queen. What exactly do you mean by "former"?" Asked the Captain.
"Well, there was once a time where all Changelings were lead by the evil Queen Chrysalis to Rade villages to feed off of emotions to increase our strength in Magic. But the emotion of love was the strongest. So when the Crystal Princess was to marry Headmistress Twilight's older brother, Captain Shining Armor, our Queen snuck in and masqueraded the Princess to get past the shields around the royal city. But despite the shields being breached, the attack failed since the love between Armor and the Crystal Princess was strong enough to make a shield that repelled all Changelings. Then shortly after that, after regathering up the troops they moved to smaller villages to try and reboot themselves but it wasn't as good. Soon enough, most of the Changelings got sick of this minuscule power as some of the changelings decided to get their own back at Chrysalis for the failure of an attack." Ocellus started explaining as the rest of the squad listened in, intrigued by this info.
"So, what happened?" asked Meyers.
"The group of changelings decided to make a new order, one of which that wasn't lead by Chrysalis. But Chrysalis hated this, as she wanted all of her changelings, young and old on her rule and no one else's. Which a civil war broke out, one side with Changelings against Chrysalis and the other against them, Both sides were badly crippled, but then one Changeling, our new king, Thorax decided to try a new method to increase their powers, so he and a few other changelings secretly left the hive, and then came to a remote village where they made friends with some of the locals in which lead him sharing love with them rather than stealing it, which transformed them into new forms. Then they returned to the hive and shared that same power with the Changelings that were against Chrysalis, which in turn made them win the war. Then all of them left to go find a new home. Which succeed, and now All changelings under King Thorax's wing are allies with all other species of Equestria, helping to fight off Chrysalis and her Changeling Army." finished off Ocellus.
"Jesus Christ! That's insane!" exclaimed Jasper.
"It was, but on the upside, I don't have to worry about having to be afraid of someone bothering me anymore," said Ocellus.
"Bother you?" asked Browne.	
"I personally don't believe in violence. And I never liked the way we tried to get powers to increase our magic and energy. I just wanted to stay in my section and read books and study many things that interested me." explained Ocellus before her ears drooped as she recalled some nasty moments in the earlier ages. "Many of the older Changelings would bully me a lot. It started with Insults, then physically hurting me. There was even a time where 3 of them hung me by my panties on coathooks." finished off Ocellus, as she rubbed her hips, remembering that one moment.
"Jeez, that's really messed up!" said Harrison. "I'm personally glad you're kind doesn't have any more cruel Changelings bothering you lot anymore. I'm glad your King Thorax found a new way to get energy for you lot."
"Well, there is one interesting thing about that." said Ocellus "There was one Changeling who defected before the Civil war happened."
"Really?" asked the Captain. "Who was that?"
"His name's Figge. He was once a special operation Soldier in the Changeling Army," explained Ocellus.
"What made him defect?" asked Meyers.
"From what I know, Figge and a group of troops were on a simple scouting mission, but then they were attacked by some hostile creatures. I can't remember what they were, but all I know is, Figge was the only one who survived the attack, but he was badly wounded, close to death. Then a local zebra villager from a Zebra village found him and brought him back to the village where he was treated and healed. Figge then spent some time there, getting to know the zebras, and then realized that he didn't need to steal love to have power, he just needed to share it. Moreover, one of the elder zebras made this special energy drink that completely rejuvenated Figge altogether. But soon enough when Captain Thorn of the Changeling Army went to try and find him, they decided to launch a raid on that zebra village. At first, Figge went along with it, but then he remembered how that one villager helped him willingly despite him being a Changeling and decided against it. So when Thorn and his men went attack Figge fought with the Zebras and with his help, Thorn and his men were driven away. Not before the Captain threatened to get more troops to hunt him down and kill him for his treachery." explained Ocellus.
"So, what happened to Figge?" asked Walters.
"Unfortunately for Thorn and his men, they were too late to try anything new as Figge's actions were found out by the Princesses of Equestria, and for his brave heroics, he was drafted in the Canterlot Honor Guard," said Ocellus. "He still is now. And he's listed in Ponyville right now."
"That's quite the story." said the Captain. "If I get the chance, I'd personally like to meet this Figge."
"Well, I might be able to help arrange that if I get back home," said Ocellus. Then she had a question of her own to ask. "Captain, I have a question myself."
"Then, by all means, let's hear it." said the Captain.
"It's about those weapons you and your men are carrying. I've never seen anything like them before. What exactly are they?" asked Ocellus.
"Well, they're known as "firearms". They are an object that can shoot a lead projectile at the speed of sound with the use of an explosive known as gun powder. As you probably noticed, we all are carrying a different type of firearm." said the Captain before indicating 2 of the men. "Private Randalls and Corporal Browne are carrying an M1 Garand Rifle. It is a semi-automatic rifle that fires a .30-06 caliber round from every pull of the trigger. It holds 8 rounds a clip, many Privates are issued this rifle." 
"What about Harrison's? The one with the scope on it," asked Ocellus.
"That is the Springfield 1903A4 Sniper Rifle. It's a bolt-action rifle. It also fires the .30-06 caliber round but holds it in a 5 round internal clip. This rifle cannot fire as fast as the M1 Garand, but it makes up for it by firing longer ranges. The scope mounted on it, helps with long-range shooting. Harrison here is one of our squad's best snipers." answered the Captain.
"Okay. And is Walters' firearm a rifle too?" asked Ocellus.
"No, this is a shotgun," answered Walters. "This bad boy is the Winchester Model 1987 Trench 12-Gauge Shotgun. Unlike rifles, this guy fires a shot that is a burst of small pellets that spreads out when it leaves the barrel. It's especially good for close range, where its shot can have the best amount of effect." added Walters as he walked up to Ocellus to let her examine his shotgun. "My shotgun holds 5 shells in the tube and one in the chamber. And it's pump-action." Then with that said, he racked the pump handle, ejecting a shell, and grabbed it. Then he held it out to Ocellus, who took it and examined it.
"This is a pretty big round here. And you say this round holds a bunch of tiny pellets inside it?" said Ocellus as she gave the shell back to Walters, who put the shell back in his shotgun.
"That's right, but the shells I've loaded in here have 9 pellets inside them. So it has a more damaging effect at close range," said Walters.
"So, it's basically like a cannon?" asked Ocellus.
"You could call it that," said Walters.
"Okay, got it," said Ocellus before turning back to the Captain. "Well, what about those firearms Stans and Jasper are carrying?"
"Stans, is carrying a B.A.R, "Browning Automatic Rifle", it's a light machine gun that holds 20 rounds of .30-06 caliber rounds in a box magazine. It is fully automatic, firing its rounds at a rate of fire of 500 rounds a minute. His job is to provide effective cover fire in many situations where it calls for it." answered the Captain, as Ocellus nodded. "Then Jasper, is carrying a Lewis Light Machine Gun. It is also fully automatic, firing a .30-06 round from a 97 round drum pan magazine. The reason it looks the way it does is that it uses a vacuum system to suck air through it as a round is fired, which cools the barrel down. Heat build-up can cause a gun to malfunction."
"Huh, that is rather interesting," said Ocellus.
"Then Sargent Meyers is carrying an M1 Carbine. A smaller rifle that fires the smaller .30 carbine caliber round. Like the Garand, it's semi-automatic. Holding 15 rounds a box magazine." said the Captain, indicating Meyers' firearm.
"What about yours, sir?" asked Ocellus indicating the captain's own firearm. "It's smaller than the rifles, but still kinda big."
"This, is the Thompson Model 1928 submachine gun." answered the Captain. "Since I'm a captain, I carry a sub-machine gun rather than a rifle. A sub-machine gun fires a smaller round than a rifle. My Thompson fires the 45 ACP round. With a rate of fire of 700 rounds a minute. It can fire both 30 round stick magazines or 50 round drum magazines. I mostly use the stick mags when out in action. But I sometimes use a drum mag when I'm just sitting in one place and firing."
"That makes sense," said Ocellus.
"But besides our main weapons, we also have a sidearm. Meyers, Harrison, and I are all carrying the Colt M1911A1 Pistol. It's a semi-automatic pistol that fires the .45 ACP round in a 7 round clip. We use it as a backup when our main weapon runs out of rounds. Or when we're in close quarters that are too small for a bigger firearm to be used." added in the Captain. "Whilst Private Walters is carrying a Colt Model 1917 Revolver. It too uses the .45 ACP round, but holds six."
"Wow, none of the soldiers or even the royal guard have weapons like those in Equestria," said Ocellus. "I'm not sure what to think about it, personally."
"That's fine, you don't need to." said the Captain. "But trust me when I say this if you are injured by a firearm of any kind, it will not be like any pain you felt before. So you stick with us, and you won't get shot."
"Yes, sir," said Ocellus.





Soon as the squad was coming out of the farmlands outside of Neuville, the weather started to change. As it was sunny and calm but soon enough it slowly started to rain. It was at first gentle, but then it began to pick up, till it was a heavy fall as thunder crashed. But the men and Ocellus went racing on as they arrived at the forest that entered the town, as gunfire could now be heard in their ears. As Ocellus whimpered in fear at the sound, she was not used to hearing this kind of thing before. But she kept alongside the captain as they ran through the muddy ground as quickly as they could, slipping and sliding on the slippery slope. As the gunfire became louder, it was easier to tell which direction they needed to head towards to get to Neuville. The gunfire grew even louder, and they came across a big stone wall with an open gate right in the center. The gunshots could be heard loud and clear now, and that meant they had reached Neuville.
"I don't like this!" said Ocellus, "Is this common here?!"
"Believe me, Sweetheart, this is just the tip of the iceberg!" stated Jasper. Ocellus rubbed her arms, trying to calm herself. As the Captain walked up to the gate.
"Thunder!" called out Fredrick.
"Flash!" a voice replied.
"Browne, over there." ordered the captain as Browne walked to the other side of the gate before he turned to the men on the same side. "Stans, you four go." 
With that, Stans, Jasper, Walters, and Randall ran through the gate, and up to one of the buildings as a German voice could be heard. they paused at the building as Stans looked ahead to check to see if it was clear.
"Go, go, go!" Stans then called out. As the four men went running up to another wall, the Captain, Meyers, Browne, Harrison, Merlin, and Ocellus ran up to a destroyed cart, meeting up with a squad of soldiers stationed there.
"You guys are a sight for sore eyes." said one of the soldiers.
"Sargent Nelson, our relief showed up!" said another one.
"How many are you?" asked Nelson.
"Just 9 of us, and a civilian." replied the Captain. "I'm sorry, we're not you're relief."
"Huh? What are you talking about, sir?" asked Nelson.
"We're here for a Private Stevens." explained the Captain.
"Who? Stevens? What for?" asked Nelson, confused.
"Is he here?" asked the Captain.
"I don't know, maybe he's with a mixed unit on the other side town or something," replied Nelson before noticing Ocellus. "What the Hell is that thing?"
"Ocellus. She's a civilian from a land called: "Equestria". And as for what she is, she's a Changeling." explained to the Captain as Ocellus shyly waved her hand. "It's a species that's native to her homeland. She's staying with us for the time being until she gets a way to get home."
"Oh dear," said Nelson.
"What happened here?" asked Fredrick.
"The Germans' punched a hole straight through us in cut us in two! We've been tryin' to resist but it's not doing much good." answered Nelson before asking, "what's the name of the guy you're searching for?
"Stevens. Fred Stevens. He dropped in with the 101st." answered the Captain.
"Get me a runner up here!" ordered Nelson. Then he, Fredrick, and Ocellus went walking up to the wall where the rest of Fredrick's squad was stationed at. Before Nelson began to explain more, "We got stopped by some intense rifle action from the eastward. The Germans have been reinforcing 2 regiments all day. The streets have been quiet for about 45 minutes. Most of the German fire now is concentrated to the west.
"Who's that on the Loud Speaker?" asked Fredrick.
"That's Dusseldorf, our friendly neighborhood morale officer," answered Nelson.
Then Dusseldorf could now be heard speaking in English, "The Statue of Liberty is kaputt."
"The Statue of Liberty is kaputt." said Fredrick, "That's disconcerting."
"It sounds rather silly to me," said Ocellus. "What is this gonna even accomplish?"
Just then, one soldier came running up to the group, before stopping in front of Fredrick and Nelson.
"Your father was circumcised by my rabbi, you prick!" shouted Walters.
"They are looking for Private Stevens, Fred, probably misdropped with the 101st. Got it?" said Nelson to the soldier that came up. Who nodded, as he got up to run.
"Cover!" shouted Nelson, as all soldiers opened fire to provide cover for the runner. "Go!" shouted Nelson, as the runner soldier went off into the plaza. Unfortunately, the Germans spotted him and opened fire, shooting him down like a dog, in which Ocellus yelped in shock as she covered her eyes and turned away, whimpering in fear. As Randalls came over to Frederick and Nelson, as everyone looked through the holes in the wall, trying to make sure the runner soldier was okay, Ocellus slowly turned around and peeked one of her eyes through her hands. But more gunfire happened as the soldier was pelted with bullets, sending blood shooting up from the body, as Ocellus' face went sickly green before she covered her mouth. But then she turned away from the soldiers and dropped her lunch on the spot.
"Those sadistic fuckin' animals!" shouted Randall in anger, as Fredrick quickly pulled him down back in cover.
"Get down," ordered Fredrick, before turning to Ocellus, who finished dropping her lunch. "You okay, Ocell?" asked Fredrick as he patted her back.
"Oh. That, was the most brutal thing I ever saw!" stated Ocellus as she caught her breath.
"They know we're not in direct contact with the other squads. So, they're gonna single out the runners," said Nelson.
"But why do they keep shooting them even after they fall to the ground?!" asked Ocellus.
"As long as his lungs have breath in them, he still carries the message," explained Fredrick.
"How can they do something brutal and sadistic?!" asked Ocellus.
"That's a war for you, sweetie," said Nelson. "Radio! Try and make contact with Captain Moris, and let him know we're coming his way. And give him a heads up we've got a civilian with us!"
"Right away, sir!" said the soldier with the radio, as he began trying to make contact.
"What's the rest of Neuville look like?" asked Fredrick.
"The next block's got 2-story buildings on both sides of the street. Then, there's a good square with good cover on the left," answered Nelson.
"Show me," said Fredrick, as he and Nelson got up before he turned to Meyers. "Sarge, hold right here." then turned to Ocellus. "Ocellus, stay with the Sarge for now."
"Yes, Sir," said Ocellus, as she walked over to Meyers.
Both Nelson and Fredrick walked over to the building, as Fredrick surveyed the area.
"Right, let's stay out of this enfilade and use the buildings. Try a left hook. Shoot and scoot. Two of mine, two of yours." suggested Fredrick. As Nelson called the men up, they all came walking up, with Ocellus still by Meyers' side. "Stans, Randall. Fundamentals. Short Runs. High and low at the corners. It's gonna be tight. Be prepared for close combat. Go." With that, Stans and Randall went out first.
"They're still jamming us, sir." said the Radio soldier.
"Browne, Ocellus, you stay with Sargeant Meyers," ordered Fredrick.
"Stay right here," ordered Meyers as Browne and Ocellus went to his side. "I'll wear them like socks, sir. Stay with me"
Soon enough, all of the group went out into the square, not knowing what would lay ahead.
> Chapter III: Sniper Encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole group was making their way through the plaza, carefully keeping their sights for any threat that should appear, as Browne decided to ask more about the Captain.
"Stans, where's the captain from?" Asked Browne.
"You figure that one out, you got yourself a nice prize." Answered Stans.
"Prize? What kind of prize?" Asked Ocellus, her ears lifting in fascination. 
"300 bucks, last I heard." Said Harrison.
"Bucks? What are bucks?" Asked Ocellus. 
"Money. Dollars." Answered Meyers. "Don't you have any money back in Equestria?"
"Well, yes. But our currency isn't dollars. It's bits." Said Ocellus as she opened her satchel, (keeping in mind to not open it too far so rain would get in), then took out a tiny coin purse, and opened it as she poured out a few coins, then held it out to Meyers.
"This is your currency?" Asked Meyers, as he took the coins and looked at them. "These are friggin' gold coins! You could get a ton of stuff with coins like this in America!"
"Wow, I had no idea. And here I thought only nobles in Canterlot, Manehatten, and Prance were the richest bunch," Said Ocellus as she took the coins back and put them in her coin purse then put it back in her satchel. "So, what's this prize thing with the captain?"
"Company's got a pool. 5 bucks gets you in." Explained Jasper.
"Hmm, interesting," Said Ocellus.
Meanwhile, at the front of the line, Fredrick, Nelson, and a few other soldiers continued walking away before taking cover behind some destroyed furniture. Then the rest of the squad came walking up. 
"It's around this corner. Defilade right up to those gates." Stated Fredrick, surveying the area. As the soldiers moved up.
"Somebody must know where he's from, what he did for a living." Suggested Browne.
"Yeah, how about you, Sarge?" Asked Ocellus.
"I've been with him since Kasserine Pass, but I don't have a clue." Answered Meyers.
"Well, it was worth a shot." Said Ocellus.
The whole squad kept moving forward as Nelson began to feel a pain in his feet.
"My ankles are killing me. I'll need a wheelchair before this war is over." Said Nelson, before stepping on some rubble, which made the pain feel a bit worse for a moment. "Oh, that's it. Oh, my God. Got ankles like an old woman. Like an old... Oh, God." finished off Nelson, as the soldiers stopped by a building.
"Stans, so, you don't even know where he went to school?" Asked Browne.
"Captain didn't go to school." Said Stans, simply.
"Huh? Why not?" Asked Ocellus, rather puzzled at this fact.
"They assembled him at O.C.S out of spare body parts of dead G.l.s." Answered Stans.
"That sounds rather disturbing." Said Ocellus. 
"You gotta pay attention to detail. I know exactly where he's from and exactly what he did 'cause I pay attention to detail." Stated Randall.
"Hey, Browne. Careful you don't step in the bullshit." Said Harrison.
"Huh? Where?!" Exclaimed Ocellus, looking all around the ground, and even under her hooves.
"No, not that kind of bullshit." Said Walters.
"What other bull scat is there?" Asked Ocellus, sounding very confused.
The whole squad then came up to the wall, with a blasted gate, as Meyers then peeked through a hole in it.
"Okay, all clear! But step lively! There's not much cover ahead!" Said Meyers. 
"Cover? Cover from what?" Asked Ocellus.
"Cover in case we run into the enemy." Explained Walters. "Just stay close." All soldiers then came out from the cover of the wall, and into a huge open area, before coming to a stop.
"What now?" Asked Ocellus.
"We'll continue, but we must keep close to the buildings. We don't know what's out there." Answered Nelson.
"Maybe we should send someone ahead to scout forward, sir." Suggested Randall.
"No, we can't risk any more men getting shot down!" Stated Fredrick.
"Look, it was only a..." Started Randall, but he never got to finish his sentence as he was struck in the chest, as a gunshot was heard. Before Randall fell onto a piano that was sticking out of the rubble, emitting a horrible sound out of eight keys.
"Cover!" Shouted Fredrick. "Get to cover!" With that, all soldiers quickly hid behind some rubble, and even a parked car as Meyers grabbed Ocellus and pulled her behind the car with them. Randall then tried to get back on his feet, and stepped an inch forward, only to topple over and land in a puddle on the ground.
"What the hay was that?!" Exclaimed Ocellus, shocked to see Randall go down as he did.
"It's a sniper! They're soldiers who hide in hard-to-find places and shoot out targets from far places!" Stated Fredrick.
"Goddammit, where'd that come from?!" Shouted Nelson.
"He was on the ground before we heard the shot." Said Harrison, then he looked out from their cover behind the car, before eyeing a tower in the distance. "That's where I'd be."
"I didn't see it." Said, Fredrick.
"450 yards, Captain. Maybe a shade under." Said Harrison, as he began to undo the screws holding the scope to his rifle. "I wouldn't venture out there, fellas! This sniper's got talent!" Stated Harrison as he then reached into a canister on his back, before removing the smaller scope from his rifle. Then he took a much longer scope from the canister and then fixed it to his rifle. Before sneaking around the car, then pausing as he eyed Randall, who was twitching. "Randall." Once Randall looked over to him, Harrison put his finger to his mouth, telling Randall to stay quiet. Before he went out from behind the car and over to a better shooting spot.
"Captain!" Called out Randall, still twitching.
"Hold on, Randall." Said, Fredrick.
"Help me up. I can... I can walk, I can walk." said Randall weakly, as a pool of blood was now forming underneath his body.
"Randall, stay still!" Shouted Merlin.
Harrison then came up to another pile of rubble, as he then slowly peeked over it, looking up at the tower, to determine a good sighting. Before he began to adjust his scope's setting for windage and elevation. "Two clicks left wind." Said Harrison to himself, as he adjusted his scope's setting.
"Walt!" Called out Randall.
"Captain, can you see him from there? How is he?!" Called out Merlin to Fredrick.
"Merlin, you stay put." Ordered Fredrick, before looking back over to Randall, as he started to reach into his jacket.
"Where's he shot, Captain?" Asked Merlin as he walked away from the building and over to another pile of rubble, trying to get a look at Randall. "Captain, can you see him from there?" Asked Merlin again.
"You stay there!" Ordered Fredrick, more sternly now.
"Damn it, stay down!" Ordered Nelson, as he grabbed Merlin's jacket and pulled him back into cover. "What's the matter with you? Am I gonna take care of you if you get hit? Huh?"
"Walt, come over here." Said Randall, weakly and his voice sounding raspy. 
"Randy put your head down." Stated Walters. "Put your head down."
Randall began to reach into his jacket, trying to find something before pulling out a white object from his jacket. A Letter, before holding it out for the group.
"O my God, I trust in Thee. Let me not be ashamed. Let not my enemies triumph over me." prayed Harrison, as he rested his rifle on the rubble, and began to aim.
“Copy it!" Randall said, his voice getting fainter, "Copy it and send it for me!"
"Randy, you're gonna send it yourself!" Walters said, trying to ease him.
"It's got blood," Randall said, "It's-- it's to my dad. It's got blood on it."
Ocellus felt bad for Randall and knowing how important a letter for one’s parents was, knew she could not let the letter go uncopied. So, she started crawling over to Randall. Browne noticed this and tried to stop her by grabbing her tail, but it slipped out of his grip. But then the Captain had noticed.
“Ocellus, no! Stop!” Shouted Fredrick.
“Ocellus! Come back here!” Shouted Meyers, now noticing Ocellus had gotten out of cover.
“Ocellus! Stop! It’s not safe!” Shouted Merlin. But Ocellus did not stop.
“Hold on, Rand. I’m coming.” Said, Ocellus as Randall weakly looked over to her. “Just hang on a little longer.”
“Ocell, get back. It’s not safe for you.” Said Randall, weakly.
“Ocellus, you get back over here right now!” Ordered Meyers. But soon Ocellus had reached Randall and was starting to get to a kneeling position to take his letter, when suddenly…. 
Something struck her right shoulder and cut through the flesh as a loud bang echoed all around. Ocellus let out a sharp cry of extreme pain as she fell to the ground, clenching her shoulder. 
As she hit the ground, Ocellus shouted in extreme pain. This pain was indeed like nothing she felt in her life. She had been smacked on her cheeks, kicked in the shins, even once punched in the face by many of the changelings that bullied her; but this was nothing like that. It felt like someone took a thick, hot needle and jammed it in through her shoulder flesh with such speed. Tears came to her eyes, as the pain coursed through her body, but then she felt her hand getting damp and warm. But this was not from rain. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at her hand as she lifted 2 of her fingers from her shoulder and nearly fell sick at what she saw on them. Blood. Her blood. 
“Shit! Ocellus is shot!” Shouted Fredrick.
“Ocellus! Are you okay?!” Exclaimed Merlin.
“It hurts! Sweet Celestia, it hurts so much!” Replied Ocellus in pain.
“Where are you hit?!” Shouted Merlin.
“My right shoulder! It’s my right shoulder!” Replied Ocellus, still clenching her shoulder in pain.
“Stay still! We’ll come to you when we can!” Ordered Merlin, as Ocellus nodded weakly.
“Oh my, dear goodness! Fredrick was right! This is pain I cannot even imagine! Oh, why did I foolishly go out of cover?!” Said Ocellus in her thoughts. But she tried to steady her breathing as she knew if she kept her heart rate going too fast, she would lose more blood. So, while dealing with the shearing pain, she started to try and breathe slower.
Up in the tower, the German sniper was sighting the area through his scope, as he could see Randall still laying on the ground, while Ocellus was lying near him, still holding her shoulder. The sniper briefly watched them feeling guilty as he saw the second target he had shot, was a young girl. A civilian. He could not bring himself to kill the girl. From the looks of it, the wound looked not so bad, she had a good chance of survival. He started scanning the area again, before coming to the spot where Harrison had set up his firing spot, then Harrison fired. Then the Sniper’s head shot backward as glass shattering sounded, as he dropped his rifle. Revealing Harrison had made a one-in-a-millionth shot through his scope! Then the sniper collapsed over, dead.
Back on the ground, Randall had stopped twitching and was lying on the ground with the letter in his hand. As Ocellus turned to look at him.
“Randall?” She said, but there was no reply. “Randall?!” She said, louder this time, but still no reply. As she looked over to Harrison, who had a grin.
“We got him.” Harrison said, “Stand down.”
With that said, Merlin quickly got to his feet and ran over to Randall and Ocellus, as he helped her to a sitting position, as he examined her shoulder. “It’s a flesh wound, not too serious. Keep holding it, it should help.” Said Merlin as Ocellus nodded and keep clenching her shoulder as Merlin then examined Randall. As Fredrick stormed over to Ocellus.
“Ocellus, I told you to stop! What the Hell do you think you were doing?!” he said in a stern voice.
“I was trying to get Randall’s letter! I didn’t think the sniper would shoot me!” said Ocellus. “Most of the Changeling troops under Chrysalis’ wing don’t normally target Civilian individuals my age!”
“Well, out here. Snipers on the enemy side will always shoot someone in their sight! And since you were with us, the sniper shot you to try and lure us out of cover!” Explained Harrison as he walked over to them. Merlin then stood up and took out a blanket, as the rest of the squad came over. Ocellus looked on and saw Randall’s eyes were now shut in forever sleep. Fredrick then removed his dog tags and put them in his pocket. Then Merlin took Randall’s letter before coving the husk with the blanket. As Ocellus let a tear fall from her eye, sad to see he had died. As Merlin helped her to her hooves, then had her walk over to a wall with some rubble to allow her to have a better sitting position, as the rest of the squad walked over to her.
“Okay, I’ll need to look at your shoulder, sweetie.” Said Merlin kneeling in front of Ocellus. “But I’ll need you to remove your sweater.”
“What?” Exclaimed Ocellus as she looked down at her sweater. “I can’t take off my sweater! Not in front of all these soldiers!”
“Well, I need to look at the wound so I can check to see what it’ll need for care. And I can’t do it with your sweater in the way. You don’t wanna get that wound infected, do you?” Said Merlin.
“Okay. But please don’t watch me.” Said Ocellus.
“Of course not.” Said Fredrick, as all soldiers turned their backs to Ocellus as they formed a circle around her, to give her privacy.
“Okay, I’m good now.” Said Ocellus. As Merlin turned around first and saw Ocellus was now holding her sweater over her chest as her satchel was sitting next to her, as she was still holding her shoulder. He kneeled to her level.
“Alright, let’s have a look at that shoulder.” Said Merlin as Ocellus removed her hand from her shoulder, Merlin took out his medical kit and started to work on her shoulder but was surprised to see something shocking. “Holy shit!”
“What? What?” Asked Fredrick, concerned. “Is it bad?”
“No, sir. The bullet just grazed her flesh. It’s her blood.” Replied Merlin.
“What about it?” Asked Fredrick.
“Its… green.” Said Merlin.
“Green?!” Exclaimed Stans and with that, he turned around, and his jaw dropped to see on the gunshot wound on Ocellus’ shoulder, was in fact bleeding green blood. “Holy shit, it is green!
The other soldiers looked and were also shocked.
“What?” Asked Ocellus, worried. “It’s not creepy is it?”
“No, no. It’s just, we’ve never seen any sentient individual bleed green blood before.” Assured Jasper.
“Oh, I can understand that. My friends said the same thing when I once got a nosebleed when I tripped and fell on my snout once.” Said Ocellus.
“So, all Changelings have green blood?” Asked Meyers.
“Yeah, pretty much.” Said Ocellus as Merlin started to treat her wound. “I honestly don’t have a clue why, but it’s always been the same for all Changelings,” Ocellus added in as she yelped in pain briefly when Merlin started wrapping gauze around the wound, before finishing it off.
“Okay, that’ll do. Can you move your arm?” Said Merlin.
Ocellus turned her arm around and while the pain was still there, she could still move her arm in its normal motion. “Yeah, but it still hurts a little.”
“Give it time, it should go away sometime later.” Said Merlin as the soldiers all turned around so Ocellus could put her sweater back on.
Ocellus winced as she put her arm through the sleeve but soon enough, she had her sweater back on as she picked up her satchel and put it on her shoulder. Then stood up. “Alright, I’m ready.”
“You were lucky, if that bullet had been a few more inches, it would’ve shattered bone in your arm.” Said Merlin, as Ocellus gulped at the thought of her arm being more seriously injured.
“Thank goodness for that. As I am right-handed.” Said Ocellus. “But now my favorite sweater’s got blood on it! And a gaping hole!” This statement earned a chuckle from Stans.
"Nothing a needle and thread can't fix, right?" Said Stans.
"Yeah, there's that. But I hope Miss Rarity won't faint upon seeing my blood on my sweater." Said Ocellus.
"Alright, back to business. Sergeant Meyers, do an ammo check. Browne, canteens. Fill them up." Ordered Fredrick.
"Hey, Browne. Can you refill my own bottle too?" Asked Ocellus as she took her water bottle out from her satchel, as Browne nodded, before taking it before resuming with his task.
"Sergeant Nelson. Gather your men. We'll form up at the northwest corner of the square." continued Fredrick, as Nelson went on with the task. then as Harrison and Walters went to check the tower where the sniper was while Stans stared at the tarped body of Randall before simply saying "Fuck Stevens."
Ocellus on the other hand stood off near the captain looking down at her hooves before looking at the bullet hole in her sweater, as it was now clear that war, where she was currently, wasn't the same thing as war back home in Equestria. If a sniper was willing to shoot someone her age, then what could other enemy soldiers do to her? The only thought she had in her mind now was just following the orders of Captain Fredrick otherwise, she wouldn't get back home in one piece. Then she began to get worried about what would lay ahead in the task of saving Private Stevens?