An Elite Guardian

A week has passed since Harmony told me of the Ifrit's capabilities, and me and my group were close to the middle of the Everfree, where both the records Twilight had read and Harmony's own word was a location of where we'd find concrete proof of the return of the flame masters.

For the last two days, we had barely gotten ant sleep, the animals of the forest attacking us during the night. Only reason we were all still alive is that we're all trained soldiers, and always have one awake on guard duty to wake the others if needed.

"Jeez, how much further?" Rainbow asked.

"At most, another day's worth of hiking," Twilight replied as we passed a small stream enveloped in shadows.

"Oh, come on, really?" Rainbow protested.

"I thought you were one of Celestia's Lieutenant because of your resolve," I said, not looking back as I was at the head of the group. "Not because you gave her a baby to mother."

This made the others chuckle. "That's something the princess would do to everypony," Fleur said. "She always wanted foals, but injuries form an old battle made her sterile. She told me about that a few weeks ago, before you got here, Ruso."

"Which only makes me wonder why she ripped her sister's family apart even more," I said. "I'm certain a niece to baby is still better then nothing."

"Yeah, with recent events, it is weird," Twilight agreed. "Still, we need to worry and ask about it later. We're almost there."

"That would explain the feeling in my horn," Fleur said.

"What feeling?" Rainbow asked.

"Like it's on fire," the white unicorn replied.

"I don't feel anything," Twilight said.

"I do," I said. "In my brain. I think only those with Harmony's seed- no innuendo meant- can feel it."

"I guess that makes sense," Fleur said. "Of what Harmony told me, she and the Ifrit queen are mortal enemies, and their magic interact rather. . .negatively with the other."

"Makes me want to kill her even more, then, so I can end the pain of her presence," I muttered.

"Still, it means she's opening the portals they're going to be using, meaning," Twilight said, "a large amount of hostiles can come through, and that's not including any mind raped agents already here."

Here, we came a cross a ridge. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I grumbled.

"What are you bitching about?" Rainbow asked with a smirk before I gave her a blank stare.

"You have wings, and the other two can levitate the other up, whereas I have reverse-jointed knees, making climbing a true bitch unless you're a mountain goat, which, in case you haven't noticed, I am not, nor do I have a jetpack customary to Sangheili rangers."

"You'r people have jetpacks?" Twilight said.

"Effective only in zero or low gravity and for additional mobility," i said as I turned back to the ridge before we proceeded to travel up it. "Not for general flight."

"Oh," the purple unicorn said. "Damn it."

From there, we continued up the ridge, with me having my energy sword hilts drawn but not yet ignited. Near the top, I heard something I could not identify. "Remain quiet," I said in a low volume but high enough for them to hear. "Move up and observe." They nodded, and we made our way to the top of the ridge, only to go prone and observe the sight before us.

On the other side was a large clearing with multiple glyphs made of their flames, their actual symbol indistinguishable, along with a large army of beings who's skin was red and orange, along with large groups of ponies, Griffons, every race on Equis, really. But there was one thing that surprised me in all this. It was not the size of the army, nor of the non-Ifrit soldiers. No.

It was that many Ifrit were in the shape of Elites. Of Sangheili. Of my kind, and that had ammased a large fleet of Banshee like vehicles.

"By the gods," I whispered in Sangheili before, in English, or Equish, whatever you wish to call it now, "How is this possible?"

"The vehicles, or the fact they look like you?" Fleur asked.

"Both."

"Looking like you might be to make others think you've joined with them," Twilight whispered. "The vehicles, of what my scans can tell from this range, are similar to those Banshees you describe, but made out of a special crystal."

I looked at Twilight in anger. "You what?"

She didn't have a chance to reply before I felt something hit the back of my neck, and darkness envelop me.