> Third Party
>  by Valuable Ashes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Desert
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pegasus. Thirty degrees to your right"

I shifted my rifle over to the side and aimed down the scope. I saw him. A pegasus male donned in a standard solar military uniform. A service rifle slung over his shoulder. I closed my left eye and held my breath. I squeezed the trigger and the gun did its job.

The gun roared out a deafening blast. The bullet whizzed through the air and finally struck its target. The pony fell like a sack of potatoes and hit the earth hard. Any other pony nearby quickly scattered to look for cover. Two others look around wildly, looking for the sniper. It only made my job easier and they one by one fell.

"Sniper. Fifty degrees to the left"

I moved and aimed down the sights. There was a little pony head poking out of a window of a brick building. The pony was clearly waiting for my next shot so he could track where it would come from. Sadly, there was nothing he could do to stop a .308 mm bullet. The bullet pierced his eye and out the other side. As he fell, his sniper rifle fell from its mount and to the dirt.

Nopony was able to find me yet. I took my chance and aimed at anypony cocky enough to leave his head out in the open. There were a few but they had their helmets on. Unlucky for them, I had armor piercing loaded in my gun. I aimed for another pony and fired but it went click. Sighing, I reloaded my rifle.

My sniper rifle was the best of the best. Only few have been ever manufactured in the hive. It was the Lust & Hatred CRS. A bolt action rifle. It was only given to the best sharpshooters in the hive. I was not one of them until I fought in my first skirmish in the battle of Appleloosa. I ditched the standard rifle that I initially carried so I could carry a fallen ling. We were outnumbered five to one and the defensive line that the remaining changelings were holding was slowly being decimated.

I still remember that day. I grabbed a semi-automatic sniper rifle from the dead hooves of a changeling and it's ammunition then I blasted a hole with my magic to the wooden roof. Then I flew through it to take position from above. I had thirty confirmed kills after the battle and I with a few other surviving lings were promoted. Then after that there was another skirmish. The battle for Whitetail Woods.

I climbed up a tree to get a good position so I could shoot the ponies hiding in their bunkers. I was issued my own semi-automatic sniper in that mission. We lost but not before crippling them with our firepower. We were able to capture ponies of our own. The higher ups told us that they will be sent to POW camps to decrease our work load.

To be honest (and that's huge coming from a changeling), our work load never decreased one bit. In fact I think it increased.
There was one thing changelings have and that is being able to work for days before getting exhausted. Queen Chrysalis exploited it and made up a routine.

The army is separated into two and they will switch roles everyday. The first role is to defend, attack, and sabotage while the second was to manufacture guns, ammo, and get some sleep. It made us formidable to look at seeing as how the changeling army seems to never sleep. It was like we had no weaknesses, only strength and it was growing in each passing day.

While we had the power of infantry, the ponies had vehicles. Tanks that would ravage and destroy defenses like paper. Jeeps that carry ponies from one point to another in fast speeds. Helicopters that act as sniper points or support for their comrades below.

While we did have plans for our own vehicles, it did not end well on their first attempt in battle. Until now we haven't deployed any vehicles on the battlefield.

"Carapace! Focus on the mission! Earth Pony. On that water tower"

I jolted from the sudden voice of the Captain next to me and settled back on the ground. I spotted the pony on the water tower. He held a sniper rifle with him and I took the shot. He slumped down the tower and with a sickening splat when he fell on the ground.

Everyday on the battlefield felt like hours but every death that I made felt like an eternity has passed. Here's the thing: We changelings can sense emotions. Whether it be happy or sad. Angry or afraid. We would sense it. Every second I spent on the battlefield made me wish I was living somewhere peaceful. Somewhere I could walk around knowing that I wouldn't get shot. All I could sense was guilt, anger, and fear.

Over the years, the pony population has been reduced from five million to its last ten thousand and the changeling army shows no signs of stopping their slaughter. The number of casualties were too high and the changeling army was only getting stronger.

Then one day, the higher ups forced us to shoot fleeing ponies. I didn't want to. I didn't want to fight anymore but I had orders to obey or else I'd be executed for treason. It was like a nightmare for all drones. We didn't want to disappoint our officers at all.

"Move, Carapace! If we finish late I'm demoting you from Lieutenant to Corporal. Now, forty degrees to the right"

I moved the rifle and aimed down the scope. My target was inside a brick building through a glass window. It was not a soldier but a mare tending the wounded. I zoomed in to get a better view of her. She had a purple coat and a blue mane. She was wrapping bandages around a stallion.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot her!"

I don't think I could take this anymore but I had orders. I just had to squeeze the trigger.

But I couldn't.

"Why aren't you shooting? She's right there, in the open. She's practically begging to be shot"

I already had problems shooting a soldier but shooting an innocent? He just crossed a line.

"Oh, give me that rifle, Lieutenant. If you're not going to shoot her then I'll shoot her myself"

My partner tried to grab the rifle from my hooves but I struggled to keep it in my possession. Before long, I grabbed my combat knife and plunged it deep in the throat of my partner. He gurgled in his own blood before dropping to the dirt. I killed him. I killed him and I didn't feel anything from it.

Is this what it feels like to be free? Before I could ponder more about it, a loud beep rang from my partner's right foreleg. It was a radio device to communicate to other changelings in a short amount of time. I heard static then a voice.

"Chameleon? This is Beetle. We are sending our troops now. Do you copy?"

I stood there, not sure what to do. The voice repeated then static. I decided to answer it.

"This is Chameleon, We read you loud and clear Beetle"

"Beetle here, did you take out the snipers?"

"Yes we did, but some of them found us out and killed the Captain. I'm wounded and bleeding out. Don't bother getting me, sir"

"You did good, soldier. We'll take it from here"

Then static. I replaced the radio back into the hooves of my former comrade and looked back to the battlefield. Only a small amount of ponies are left to defend the town from a hundred of changelings. I took one look at my CRS308 then back to the town. Then I came up with a plan.

I disguised myself into a silver pegasus with a black mane. A cross hair on a bug was my cutiemark. I aimed down the sights of my sniper rifle other end of the valley where the army will pass through. The very race that I lived with, fought with, will be down in my sights ready to be taken down one by one. I didn't want to do this but the lives of the ponies was on my shoulders.

I had a decision and made my choice. I will desert my people and help the pony race. I will be damned if I shoot one more innocent again.

I saw the changelings march through the valley. In the front of the army was a buff changeling with a recognizable beret on him.  I aimed at the changeling captain and squeezed the trigger.

BANG
> The Battle for Clementine Valley
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A bullet whizzes through the air and it hits a changeling captain. The bullet pierces through his eye and into his brain. Any changelings nearby quickly scamper away from the dead bug. After a moment of silence I finally heard the familiar war cry of multiple changelings. With their captain gone, their numbers are disorganized and confused. They galloped through the sand with some trampling over the dead captain.

I took my chance and popped a couple more with my armor piercing rounds. With every hit, I pulled back the bolt sending spent shells off the cliff or on the rocks. Once I was out of AP rounds, I quickly switched to normal rounds. It would be harder to shoot through the shells of changelings. I have to shoot precisely in the weak parts of the shell now.

I aimed down the scope onto the nearest changeling near the town. I fired and the changeling fell to the ground. Even if he was still alive from the bullet, then he would die by his comrades trampling him. I fired on the another one but I missed. The bullet hit uselessly hit the tough helmet of a changeling.

I fired again slightly lower this time and pierced through the ear of my victim. The green blood spraying anyone in his left. I felt disheartened shooting at my race but if I stop now, This town full of ponies both innocent and have seen their fair share of war will perish under the bloodthirsty changelings. I'm sure as hell that I won't leave this town to its doom.

I focused on another one and fired. The bullet hit the underside of his neck sending him rolling to the ground spraying green blood on the dirt. The infantry has made it to near the walls of the town and are now firing on the ponies. The ponies are exchanging fire but with the changelings outnumbering them they won't be able to defend for long.

I scout around the town for any holes in the walls are any weak spots where any changelings could blow through. Seconds later, I found one over to the left part of the gate. It's a concrete wall with a large hole, two ponies wide. It was guarded with a squad of five ponies whereas the gate and the right side had a two platoons.

All five were focused on the fight towards them but failed to notice an offending changeling flying above them. I focused and aimed at him.

Their were four types of infantry that have been developed in the course of this war. One of these were the air infantry. The uniforms that the land infantry were heavy and are not suitable for flying so the air infantry are only issued their weapon, a helmet and a simplified uniform.

I shot one from the air and he fell from he sky. It landed on the firing range of the squad. One had the decency to look up and fired at any aerial changelings. While this was happening, I noticed that my killing weren't going unnoticed. Three were flying at me.

I quickly retreated and thought over my next move. If they catch me, I will be questioned and they will know that I deserted and will most likely kill me. Either way, even if I do go back to the hive they'll kill me as well. I ditched the CSR and backpedaled away from the cliff side.

I wielded my Colt and readied myself. Soon, three changelings flew above the cliff. I fired a couple to the nearest one. Few of the bullets merely bounced off but I got lucky and killed one. The other two charged at me. I panicked and discharge my entire clip on one of them. Three bullets clipped one of his wings and fell. With no ammo in my pistol I holstered the gun and lowered my head. I aimed my horn at the last changeling and charged at him.

The changeling fired his rifle, the bullet missing me by a inches. He fired again, this time grazing me by the shoulder before I speared him with my horn. He gasped and dropped the rifle. I picked up the rifle with my magic and aimed it at him.

BLAM BLAM BLAM

I originally aimed for his head but the recoil brought it up a notch as the last shot missed the head entirely. It was unnecessary though as the first shot to the brain killed him. A changeling groaned beside me and I shot him as well. Green blood spraying the sand and rocks. As the gunshots echoed all across the battlefield some of the aerial changelings broke off and flew to me. I quickly grabbed my CSR308 and focused on my new assailants.

BANG BANG

Two fell before one of them fired their weapon, missing me entirely. I fired but my shot never landed. My hooves kept shaking this entire time. Even though I swore to myself mere moments ago that I would defend this town, my instincts told me to back off and kill myself for killing allies.

I shook my head and pulled out the Colt and reloaded it. I kept it in my magical aura in case any of the bugs came close. I fired a round into the eye of one and he fell from the sky ending up as a mere splat of green. I fired at another but the bullet hit his left foreleg. Despite the pain that changeling was suffering, he continued on. I ended his suffering quickly as I put a well placed shot to his chest.

I reloaded my sniper rifle as fast as I could. The changelings were a few meters away from me now. I shot twice before retreating grabbing the pistol and rifle of the fallen bug beside me. When the first of the bugs came up, he was welcomed with a shot to the face. The standard changeling army rifle did not have the same punch that my CSR could do to its victims but sometimes some shots get so lucky and do more than what it could do normally.

In this case, the shot pierced through the bridge of his muzzle and came out the opposite end. He fell backwards over the cliff side, a permanent shocked expression fixed on his face before falling out of my sight. Then, another changeling appeared in front of me. Instead of the standard rifle he had an MG26. The machine gun that started out being distributed to defend core positions then became a devastating offensive weapon against the ponies.

With no time to waste, I shot at the machine gunner before he got a chance to fire. The bullet hit him in the right shoulder making him drop to machine gun and cripple him. His black horn shone a green light but stopped as I shot him again. He fell on his side all the while bleeding out.

Two more bugs appeared and one tried to take the machine gun with his magic. I retaliated by taking the machine gun for myself and fired a long burst at them both. The machine gun was louder than my CSR. My ears will be ringing for weeks but it was worth it.

The machine gun shredded both changelings before they could raise a gun. The bullet spray tore the right leg off of a changeling then his left foreleg almost met a similar fate. The foreleg was riddled with bullets and some pierced through or hit the hind legs. The other bug had his head detached from his body. The bullets slicing off his head like a sword.

The machine gun was heavier to carry so I dropped to the sand. Three more appeared over the cliff and I sprayed once more. Two of them died and fell down. Before I could fire at the last bug, the machine gun clicked indicating that it had no more ammo in it. The changeling took his chance and flew at me. I dropped the gun and brought up my Colt only to get it swatted out the way.

I faced the snarling changeling as he attempted to bite me. I rolled out of the way and jabbed at him. He staggered but went into an aggressive stance. I did the same and we stood there for several seconds. Then he ran and lunged at me. Thinking fast, I slid under him completely missing me. While he was turning around I grabbed a rifle with my magic and shot him.

Once I was completely certain that there were no more reinforcements coming to kill me, I peeked over the edge to the town below.

The ponies were not doing so well. With their snipers shot and a few front line soldiers, they had to retreat to their last defense point. A two story brick building. Fortunately, they're not under heavy fire like last time.

I raised my sniper rifle and did my best at killing the rest of the land infantry. Soon, the intense battle was over. I carried my CSR and reverted back into a changeling. Before I flew down to meet the ponies I've just saved, I looked down at my hooves.

Did I do the right thing? Did saving five platoons of ponies from their deaths worth it? I ignored those questions and flew from the cliff towards the town. Their savior needs to be known after all. I stopped a few kilometers away from town. I doubt they would trust a changeling after all that. I changed back into my pony self and trotted the entire way. 

My alias is Shell Shot, and I will end this war one shot at a time.
> Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I approached the town's gates. From there, I spotted two ponies up in the sniper towers. They must have switched places with the dead. Not like the dead are going to say anything about that.

"Halt! State your name" One of the sniper ponies said.

"I am Lieutenant Shell Shot. My squad was traversing the cliffs to reinforce your position but ended up being ambushed. I was the only one alive. Even after all that, I went up a high cliff to provide sniper support on your location" I thought about this one carefully. One slip and I will be shot.

One of snipers retreated from his spot while the other was talking into a telephone. Finally, the gate opened and three ponies were by the gate. One was the same sniper pony before but he was flanked by two others. I couldn't see their colors as they were obscured by the clothing. The trio was armed and would certainly shoot me if I did something suspicious.

"Alright Shell, tell me this. I'm sorry but this is the only way to know if your a friend or a foe. What happened to the Battle of Ghastly Gorge?" The lead stallion asked.

Ghastly Gorge? I racked my brain for any massive war reports for this location but I ended up having none. I saw one of the sniper ponies aim his rifle to my head. I thought harder but I couldn't think of anything. Was there a town named Ghastly Gorge? No, I remember that it was a ravine nearby the Everfree forest. However, I do remember seeing a report about this particular place. I brought up the courage to answer the question.

"There's no such thing as the Battle for Ghastly Gorge. You're just making that up"

"Really? How so?"

"There was no battle as both armies were forced to a stalemate as they couldn't fight each other. The changeling army bombed the only bridge so supplies couldn't reach the armies that were in Appleloosa. Pegasi and Changelings alike couldn't cross the gorge as they would be shot. Soon, everyone left to not waste military resources"

An uncomfortable silence followed. I did not reach out my magic to grab my CSR in fear that they will see it as an attack. The lead stallion held his expressionless face until it turned into a smile.

"He's clear" The stallion said to his companions. "Welcome to Clementine Valley, Lieutenant. While our guns are not in the best condition, our fruits are"

"Aren't you going to do that changeling scanner thing?" I nervously asked. The changeling scanner was one of the best detectors in the Equestrian army. A hoof held device shaped like a gun that beeps red if the pony was a changeling in disguise and green if not.

"No. It has been proven useless against changelings now. Something about their magic adapting to it"

"Damn" While I was relieved, I couldn't help but think about the ponies in towns and cities that were lost to changelings. Maybe that's what helped us capture Baltimare. When we found that the spies we sent at a heavily guarded train station were a-okay, we thought that was because the guards didn't have those scanners. It was a smooth victory for us.

Well, not us anymore. It's them now. I'm a one changeling army at the moment. The thought alone made me want to cower in a corner. It's not usual to have changelings live on their own. Most would die from the lack of seeing any friendlies around them and any defectors would be killed either gun point or by suicide. I'm afraid I will one day end up dead by any of the two.

"Follow me into camp. The militia here needs all the help we can get"

"Wait, militia?" I was taken aback. They weren't regular soldiers? "How long has this been like this?"

"About two weeks earlier, the army needed to take their soldiers for a small while to defend Ponyville. They haven't come back since"

"I heard that Ponyville got attacked and nearly everypony there died" I added. The pony visibly wilted beside me but tried to keep a brave face. "No doubt the Princess will send in reinforcements to the town"

"Yeah, but what about us? The town will not last long. Our medical supplies are almost exhausted, we're running low on ammunition, and all our food has been nothing but oranges" The pony furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth. "Well the last part is not that bad but my point still stands"

We walked together in silence. We passed by ponies tending to the wounded. I recognized most of the wounds the ponies had. Some of them were bitten, a few had their skin ripped off revealing a big spot of red and the rest were shot.

Despite having the advantage in the war, we have recently adapted primitive attacks to the front lines. From biting and gnashing to cutting and poisoning. The pony race have already found an antidote to the poison many years ago from when the first Canterlot raid began but there wasn't enough to supply multiple squads of ponies. 

The reason? One of the main ingredients is changeling poison. Why won't the ponies harvest the ingredient from a corpse? Because dead bodies can't reproduce poison. Why don't they take it from prisoners? Changelings do get taken to POW camps but they are more likely to off themselves before they reach the camp.

Which reminds me, I've never seen any of our POW camps. It's still a mystery as to where they are. The queen never gave us the information and ordered us to focus on the front lines rather than the prisoners. What do they do? I assume they feed on them.

I got nudged at the side by the pony and snapped out of my thoughts. In front of us was an old worn out shack. A sign hung above the door that was painted in large bold letters "HQ". The pony gestured me to enter yet I hesitated.

"You're just going to let a complete stranger into your headquarters?"

"There is not much intelligence to steal from here so if you are a changeling in disguise all you are gonna see are orange and water rations"

I entered the shack and was met with a wooden desk in one side of the room. A small lit lamp was on one corner of the desk with a couple of papers laying beside it. On one corner of the room were oranges in baskets and bottles of water. The pony sat on the chair behind the desk and I positioned myself in front of him.

"Let's start over. Welcome to Clementine Valley, of course you already knew that. My name is Fruit Slice and this is my town. We are... not in a good situation. As you know, our supplies are running dangerously low and in need of a refill but given the circumstances we are as good as dead"

"...And you brought me here to do what?"

"Seeing as you are the only qualified soldier here and not just a pony trusted to shoot changelings. How would you like to take my place"

"Whu- but... but this is all so sudden. Why do you want me to command a hoofful of ponies? Can't you do it yourself?"

"Well..." Slice gulped and tried to come up with words. While he was trying to squeak out a reason, I sensed his fear. The fear of losing his loved ones and his friends without being able to help them in the time of need. He doesn't think he can be a good leader. "I can't"

"Fruit Slice. I know what you're feeling" Obviously I knew but I got to act more like a sympathetic pony rather than an emotionless bug. "But I'm just one pony. I couldn't possibly run an entire town"

Slice's ears drooped and he frowned. I couldn't lead a whole town. I'm used to follow orders strictly and without hesitation. That's what officers are known for. Does this still count even if I did desert my entire race? I racked my brain for anything that could help him in the least.

They need supplies and extra troops to defend this point. If they are not met with any of them they would surely perish. I thought about it for a moment then had an idea. I asked Slice for a map then for the nearest allies. Turns out, Ponyville is the nearest town and recent attacks had left the town in the brink of destruction. However, with reinforcements on the way maybe some of them would transfer extra troops to defend this point.

Unfortunately, that would spread the military thin. So the only choice is to pack up and move to Ponyville. The chances of defending this town and waiting for help is slim. I tapped Fruit Slice who is staring at the light coming from the lamp. He looked at me with tired eyes.

"Fruit Slice, I've got a plan"