Sisters Of Light And Dark

by KommandoStalker

Chapter 14: Training the first wave

Celestia woke up with a start to the sounds of hammers and talking. She slowly sat up as she looked around with sleep blurry eyes before she blinked away the blurriness and looked around her.

And her jaw dropped.

The tavern had been completely refurbished and redone and though only she and Luna were in its bar portion, she could only assume that the top of it had been rebuilt too. As she slowly took the covers off and swung herself off the bed, Luna was also just waking up to the sounds of work being done.

"Who's making the entire racket?" She muttered as she yawned.

Celestia got her armor on and as she took up her halberd and began to walk towards the door, suddenly, Steeltrix and IronBlood came walking through that very door. They were casually talking until Steeltrix caught sight of Celestia.

"Your majesty," he bowed to her surprise as his brother followed suit, “I see that you’re awake. I hope you got enough sleep."

"I'm pretty sure I got enough considering that when we got back here I promptly past out on these beds. I barely had time to take my armor off my body was so tired." Said Celestia as she stretched her wings.

"Well, the good news is that the people have fully accepted us and I was just training a few new Warriors that volunteered to join our rebellion. Also, it seems the blacksmith has run us out of his business." Steeltrix looked outside to see the blacksmith working on more weapons and armor.

"Well, it's at least good to know that we can recruit and that we have a place to use as a base. But you do realize we're gonna have to do more now, right?" Said Celestia.

"I do. Doesn't mean we can't still be cautious when we do it. Every recruit we train is practically gold and means that we have to keep as many alive as we can." Steeltrix said.

"You know you can't save them all, right? As much as we try our hardest, we just can't save everyone...." Said Luna.

Steeltrix seemed a bit crestfallen but he soon said," I think... Its time you help us plan the next attack or ambush..."

Celestia nodded her head and acknowledged the fact he had given up on trying to save people when it's impossible. He led them up into the newly restored top-half of the tavern and they entered a small room that was dominated by a table, a map laid out across its surface. There were models of many types and colors all over it, next to the small miniature cities and forts of also carrying color.

"With Alihorn being under our protection, we can begin to look towards other small towns nearby. Until we have the numbers to take on a small city or anything, we won't be able to do much of course.

"The good thing is that with a few more warriors with us, I think the next town we can help liberate would be the walled town of Shilvan. It's not exactly a big town but it does have a small garrison protecting it." Said Steeltrix as they gathered around the table.

"And we should be worried?" Asked Luna.

"If Shilvan were to fall and SoulStorm found out, he will send a few small companies of Shadow Warriors to reclaim the town. And I have my sincere doubts that we would be able to hold out against even one company." IronBlood said.

"And even if we held off against his forces, he would contain us to the city and force us into a siege that would soon see us dying of hunger and disease." Steeltrix added.

"But," suddenly said Celestia," he doesn't know of us yet. You keep thinking too far ahead of yourselves when you should focus on what you can make happen and not on what you can't make happen."

Steeltrix almost said something but kept his mouth firmly shut as Luna said, “So if we are done making a pointless argument, I say we begin to train our forces for the next town to take over."

"You do realize they might not take kindly to us waltzing in and declaring they are under our rule, right?" Asked Steeltrix.

"Regardless of what they think, it's not like we may give them a choice. Of course, if you’re asking that we only take over towns that are destroyed and free its imprisoned people, then I cannot help you out." Luna said.

Celestia said, “Go easy on them, Luna." Before she turned her focus back got the map and said, “It’ll take more than taking over towns and cities to win this war. We will have to call upon the aid of the other nations."

This made Steeltrix and IronBlood uncomfortably silent.

"With each realm allied with us, they will give us hopefully men and resources to use against SoulStorm. And, if we can secure that and all of the Central Kingdom, we will beat SoulStorm and send Discord back to his realm."

Celestia looked up to Steeltrix and IronBlood as she said, “Can you prepare our forces for the next battle, most likely against Shilvan?"

IronBlood responded, “We might be able to train them well but accelerated training is beyond our skills. We would need the Northern ponies to do that sort of training. But, nonetheless, we can speed up their training enough for the next attack. How long do you think we will need?"

"Well, if training goes well, maybe we can take Shilvan within a week’s timeframe. Sound like a plan?"

"Sounds like a sketchy, hasty plan but I do believe it will work. I've honestly have heard worse from what our Father has told us." Steeltrix said.

"Then let's move." Celestia said as the meeting came to a close.

The week timeframe Celestia had given had been thoroughly used by Steeltrix and IronBlood. The recruits were trained by them and the North ponies while the blacksmith help fashioned them their armor and weapons. Each recruit no longer could be considered a militia pony given better weapons and armor. They were now true Warrior ponies for Celestia and Luna and the night before the attack happened on Shilvan, Steeltrix and IronBlood led their troops, numbering at only 50 ponies, into the night and towards the not too far away walled town of. Shilvan. As they travelled, none of them made a sound, as if they wore no armor whatsoever and such a thing was only made possible because of how the blacksmith had made the armor. Each pony was armed with a combination of sword & shield, axe & shield, or spear & shield. Each of their armor was imprinted with two unicorn heads and necks, one white and the other black. The same was imprinted onto their shields and as the whole group continued toward the town, Steeltrix wouldn't let his mind be at ease.

He wasn't worried this wouldn't work but he was worried for the future and it a habit that wouldn't leave him is, even when it was so close to consuming him. But this night, as he continued to march onward with his brother at his side, his fears and his problem slowly began to slip away from mind and he felt himself getting more and more at ease.