Exiled soldiers

"Well, that definitely could have been worse," Ken said as he cleaned his combat knife of purple blood.

"Dude, do you want it to be worse?" Josh said as he reloaded his newly acquired Needler.

"Please, you don't believe in jinxes, do you?" In reply, Josh hooked a thumb toward Twilight, who was helping Domino squad with clearing the rubble from a collapsed cave entrance. "Fair enough, I guess," Ken said. He then activated his radio. "Riptide, how are things looking up there?"

"Good, Ken," Bella replied. She and all of Riptide had taken over watch positions in case a Remnant patrol returned. "Nothing so far."

"Right. Let us know if something's coming," Ken said.

"Will do."

"Hey, come on," Josh said. "We need to help get the rubble out of the way so we can see if there's anyone lucky enough to have survived."

"Right," his squad mate replied, and the two holstered their weapons before making their way to the cave entrance.

"'Bout time you guys joined in," Brendon said as the two arrived.

"We were making sure we were good," Ken replied.

"Bullshit, that's Riptide's job," the Spartan replied, though in a friendly tone.

"Yeah, but which of us is the leader of the company again?"

"Oh, go to hell."

"Would both of you can it and help out here?" Palmer asked. "The more we have working, the sooner we can get back to the ship and you two can fight all you want."

"Seriously, dude, what do you see in her?" Josh asked Ken in a whisper as they began to help clear the exit.

Five minutes later, with Spike and Elegance helping as well, they still hadn't cleared the entrance. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" Ken asked. "Just how many rocks are blocking this thing?"

"Could really use an Incineration Cannon to disintegrate these," Josh muttered. "Make it a hell of a lot easier."

"Twi, can't you just lift the rocks out of the way?" Spike asked, to which the lavender alicorn Spartan shook her head.

"Tried to earlier," she replied. "I'd take too long, and I do still have my limits, Spike, especially after we just finished the battle."

"Same for me," Elegance said. "And I don't have anywhere near the amount of magic Twilight has."

Spike was about to reply when April pushed him away, shouting, "Get to cover!" just before an orange beam struck where Spike had been standing. "Snipers!"

"Damn it," Ken said as he and Josh took cover behind a rock pillar. "Riptide, what the fuck?"

"Sorry, guys," Kevin replied. "Fuckers found a blind spot. We'd support but, well-" the sound of a light rifle round hitting stone was heard -"they've got us pinned."

"Shit," Josh muttered. "Sam, please tell me the Warden isn't here!"

"Not as far as I can tell, Josh," she said. "My best guess as to why the sub-routine hasn't come into play is that they only saw Twilight from the back, and, really, humans and ponies look the same from behind."

"I'm not taking my helmet off," Josh said. "I'd rather fight and keep my head-and my entire body-than lose it."

"Jesus, you're a pussy," Ken muttered before activating his radio. "Twi, we need our helmets off for the sub-routine to have a chance. Sam said, ask her."

"Uh, Starburst?" Twilight asked her A.I..

"That seems right," Starburst replied. "Quite frankly, though, I'm surprised they didn't notice the horn."

"Yeah, um, question," Josh said as a few light rifle shots peppered the ground. "What if these morons don't have that?"

"Unlikely," Starburst replied in a sigh. "Every Forerunner construct has that sub-routine in it, as it was sent upon humanity's contact with the technology on Installation zero four."

"I'm still not risking my head on a hunch!"

"I could put a field around your guys' heads, if it'll help," Elegance said.

"Maybe," Twilight said. "And I could use mine as a secondary if the first fails."

"Alright," Ken said. "Twi, helmet off and out of cover on three."

"Copy that," she said. "Hold on, I thought they had sensors that could tell was species we were?"

"Mostly, yes," Starburst said. "But a few special strike teams, mainly assassination groups, have those removed so as to ensure species based protocol does not interfere with mission directive."

"I'm not sure if I'm honored or terrified that we got our own hit squad after us, then," Spike said

"We can think it over later," Ken said. Assuming we live, that is, he added mentally. "Again, on three, Twi."

"Right," Twilight replied as another binary rifle shot hit just above her head.

"Okay. One. . .two. ..,"Ken and Twilight both slowly removed their helmets, and set them on the ground here, "three." Both Spartans quickly got out of cover, and, even with Twilight and Elegance shielding the both of them, they expected to be filled with holes if not completely disintegrated, only ot be surprised by the lack of fire.

"Yeah, um, whatever you guys did," Kevin said, "it worked. They stopped firing."

"So, any idea what to do now?" Josh asked, still in cover behind a stone pillar.

"One idea," Twilight muttered before going to an equivalent of the royal Canterlot Voice. "Whichever of you is in charge, report in now!"

There was silence for a while before a single Soldier, in the Sniper variation of armor, phased in front of Twilight. "Name?" she asked.

"Resilience of Infinite Moonlight, Inheritor," the Soldier replied in a male voice. "My apologies for firing upon you. We were ordered by Cortana to investigate a human signal, and kill any non-Forerunner individuals." Resilience then looked closely at Twilight. "You are former Princess Twilight Sparkle, correct?"

"Yes," Twilight replied. "Why?"

The soldier did not reply, but instead sent a communication ping through his group's systems, locating, and then ordering, the newest arrival in it to report immediately. "Given the reports I have heard of your exploits on your home world, I believe you two," he said as a Soldier, colored blue and in the Captain grade armor, phased in, "know one another."

"I don't see how," the lavender alicorn said. "I haven't known any Soldiers except those I've met since I was banished."

"You misunderstand, Inheritor," Resilience said. "Soldier class Armigers, much like those you call Knights, are both ancillas, as well as composed essences. This one is of the latter, and you knew her before she obtained this body."

"Then why isn't she speaking?" Ken asked.

"Because you were banished for a reason, Twilight," Rainbow said, forgetting she could mask her voice, from her new body. "Oh, buck."

Ken looked at Twilight with a confused look.

"Really?" she asked before looking at Rainbow. "So, Rainbow, it looks like I can finally have some payback," she said before a small, wicked grin donned her face.

"Yeah, um, while you do that," Ken said. "Resilience, can your troops help us clear the cave exit?"

"Indeed, Reclaimer."