Sisters Of Light And Dark

by KommandoStalker

Chapter 6: The Brothers and the Changeling attack

The bird’s songs woke Celestia with a start as she sat in a chair, her halberd resting next to her. She had tried to stay up all night as guard for the barricade they had set up but she had soon succumbed to the touch of sleep. But as she looked at the barricade with sore eyes, she was thankful no one had tried to get in. She groaned as her sore muscles complained as she tried to rise from the chair in her armor, which might as well been impossible. But, she managed to rise from the chair as Luna came into the room, also still wearing her armor and holding her spear.

"Morning... Celestia..." Luna yawned as she looked towards her sister.

"Morning... Dang, my whole body feels like a bruise." Celestia stretched her wings as she looked around the house.

The fire in forgery was now only a smoldering pit of ash and charcoal while the damage from last night was still around. All except the beast's body, this had mysteriously dissolved and disappeared to leave only six gems, which Luna had in a pouch on her.

"What shall we do today?" She asked as Celestia looked around outside.

"I'm not sure. Especially after last night but maybe we can just take a nice stroll through the woods, just for a short time to relax ourselves."
Luna nodded as she opened the front door and waited for her sister to leave first before she closed the door.

The woods were filled with noise as they walked down the lonely cobblestone road that winded through the forest. Birds flew around the treetops as small woodland creatures scurried around in the underbrush. Celestia felt herself relaxing a lot as she walked onward, allowing herself to bask in the natural warmth of the sun and fill her lungs with the smells of the forest.

Then, the screams came to them, loud and long and from their left side.

They immediately took out their weapons as the screams continued on before they abruptly stopped. The woods were silent for a moment as the two sisters listened for anything coming from the left side of the woods. But when they heard nothing, Celestia decided to be brave and she went into the woods with Luna in tow. They walked through the brush and the trees as they looked for the source of the screams. Then, just as Celestia was going to turn back around, she stumbled across the first body. It was a Shadow warrior, the pony of red and blue. A long, deep wound had been gouged in the warrior’s side and Celestia looked around to see more bodies of Shadow warriors. They were all dead, with various wounds on their heads, flanks, and chests from some weapon.

"Well... Someone obviously doesn't like Shadow warriors..." Muttered Luna as she looked around.

"Whoever it is, its best we try to not meet them." Celestia slowly began to leave the massacre scene as Luna took one last look before she followed her sister from the hallowed place.

They got back on the lonely cobblestone road and continued to walk its length to wherever.

But they had just begun to walk along when a nearby tree rustled suddenly. They would have ignored it but both noticed how much it swayed and as Celestia held her halberd out before her, she shouted to the tree, “Who’s there? Show yourself!"

The tree and whatever had been in there stayed silent but Celestia stood her ground as she stared up into the tree, trying to see what was making a ruckus in its branches. She caught a glimpse of something dark moving around the branches and she was about to whisper something to her sister when something came flashing out of the trees and they both dove out of the way of the object as it managed to wedge itself between the cobble, its handle waving in the air slightly. Celestia looked up to see two figures cloaked in a dark green come jumping from the tree and they both landed between her and Luna. Both were armed and she knew they had to be Warrior ponies. One held a claymore sword, meant to be a two-hoofed weapon, and a shield while his fellow pony held a scythe, its blade curving outward from the handle.

Celestia twirled her halberd as she dashed forward and slashed with it. She knew it was only dull and had not figured out how to sharpen it yet, but how could these two warrior ponies known?

Regardless, the one holding a scythe batted away the blade as he launched himself in the air to twirl his whole body before slamming down on the ground, his blade meant to slice through her head but she held her halberd shaft up as she managed to halt the blade, its tip closer to her face than she liked. Luna jumped forward and jabbed her blade at the other but he slapped her spear away with his shield as he tried to cleave her in two. Celestia pushed away the warrior as he twirled his scythe around him, the blade homing for her as she was forced to block each and every attack as he advanced on her slowly. Luna parried a blow from the others claymore but she late stop his shield from smashing her off her hoofs.

Celestia managed to stop the scythe attack when suddenly, the pony hurled several sickle blades at her and she managed to stop two before the warrior walked up to her and kicked her down.

As both princesses lay on their backs, gasping for air, the two warrior ponies approached each one of them and stood over them. The one with the scythe looked toward his ally and he said, “They aren't Shadow warriors."

"I know... But that doesn't mean they might not be from another kingdom..." His companion said as he looked back to his partner.
"Then why aren't they wearing said armor? Remember, it's been awhile since we saw any Warrior ponies around, so let's try not to assume."

"Who the heck are you? I demand you let me go!" Spat Celestia as she struggled to rise.

The two Warrior ponies gave her a look like she was a nut.
"And you are...?" Asked one.

"We... We are the Princesses... Luna ... And Celestia..." Said Luna as she gasped for breath.

The two Warrior ponies looked at each other and one shrugged his shoulders as his friend asked, “I have my sincerest doubts of that."

"Then do you wish us to prove it?" Asked Celestia as she slowly got up.

"We would like to see you try... But we must see your weapons." Said the one with the scythe.

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other as Luna asked, “Why do you need our weapons?"

"We need to see something involving them."

Celestia was very suspicious of these two ponies but she grudgingly gave her halberd to the one with the scythe as Luna followed suit. The Warrior ponies took the weapons and Celestia watched in surprise as they began to examine the weapons with such thoroughness, she almost wondered if they were actually looking for something. She heard them muttering to one another but she couldn't catch what they were saying.

Then, one stopped examining, looked up and at his friend, said something with a nod, before he looked back to the two sisters.

"Well.... Everything checks out... My apologies, Your Highnesses..." Said the one with Celestia's halberd as he bowed to her and held her weapon out handle first as his brother did the same.

Celestia and Luna took their weapons from the two ponies as Luna asked them," What are your names?"

The warrior ponies stood up as the one with the scythe said, “I am Steeltrix. My brother here is IronBlood."

"Steeltrix... IronBlood... By any chance are you the sons of the late General IronTrix?" Asked Celestia.

"We are his sons, yes. Why?" Asked IronBlood.

"We found your cottage... Though it’s a little bit messy from last night but could it be possible you could come with us?" Asked Celestia.
Steeltrix and IronBlood looked at each other before IronBlood asked, "You serious? We haven't been back at that cottage for... A few months maybe?"

"Will you come with us?"

"We will accept... But, perhaps can you tell us what's going on? I don't think you’re supposed to be out here alone without a guard." Said Steeltrix.

"You are adept in perception and knowledge." Praised Luna as she and Celestia began to lead the way back to the cottage.

Twilight woke up to another day in the Crystal Empire. Yet, ever since the Changelings had come back to Equestria, things haven't been the same. More and more guards from the palace were being sent out to check on those who lived out in the wilderness. What's more noticeable, Celestia and Luna have begun to practice more with their weapons and as she rose from her bed, she felt like the peaceful world of Equestria was beginning to be consumed by chaos all over again. She put on her crown as she began to walk out of the room and she began the walk to the library. She had been going there quite a lot now, she noticed as she continued waking along.

As she past guards of ponies, she felt like today would be shattered by something and that sense of doom wasn't leaving her.

This was very worrying.

Shining Armor had been trying to organize as many ponies as he could to help out on patrols, sometimes going on a patrol himself sometimes. And every time he did go out, she was worried he might not come back.

As she entered the library, she went to where the book that Celestia had shown the other day was. She had read only a small section of it and with each page, her knowledge expanded but she also felt a hole being rent within her.

How could ponies have been so mean? She would always think as she read the book and as she flipped back to where she had last been, all she could think about was how Equestria had gotten better after all this devastation.

Suddenly, she heard screams from outside and she yanked herself from the book and ran to the nearest window as she looked down into the town surrounding the palace.

And her heart froze with fear at what she saw.

Changelings, armed with swords, spears, crossbows, clubs, and more, were running everywhere in the town. They were attacking everyone in the town, destroying whatever they could in the town as they went and she watched as one with a spear stab a guard before running off.
But then, just as they had begun to devastate much around them, they suddenly left.

Twilight then rushed from the library to help those down below.

Twilight ran from the palace as she quickly grabbed a bucket of water with her magic and she quickly tossed it over a nearby flame. As the flame died out, she ran to where a mare was trying to get a sword out of her colt’s leg, his blood spreading around him.

"Here, lemme help you." She said as she took hold of the blades hilt. As she tuched the blade, the colt made a whine sound as the pain got to him.

The mare held down the colt pony as Twilight gritted her teeth and then yanked out the sword in a wash of blood.

The colt howled in pure agony as a nearby guard came over and began to quickly bandage up the wound. Twilight held the sword in her hoof as she continued onward to find someone else to help. Then, AppleJack came to her and she stopped as AppleJack said to her, “Twilight! You gotta help me. Mac... He's... I can't stop the bleeding."

Twilight ran after AppleJack as they headed for the farm and the orchard. The Changelings had chopped a few trees down and apples were scattered everywhere as they went. Twilight soon saw Mac, slumped up against a tree.

And with a spear through his side.

As she stopped next to Mac, AppleJack grabbed some nearby bandages and then asked Twilight, “Please, you have to help me."
Twilight knelt next to Mac as she placed her hands on the spears shaft.

"This is gonna hurt Mac." She said as she prepared herself for what came next.

Mac shouted as the spear was pulled out of his side and AppleJack immediately began to bandage him up. But then she saw the most solem sight ever before in her life. Rarity was crying as she slowly walked towards them and as she looked at one of her arms, she realized there was not only bood but she saw something in her arms.

"Is that?-" Began Applejack when Rarity stopped and began to bawl as Twilight gasped at what the CHangelings had down to Opal. Her fur was covered in huge, long gashes and she had been obviously butchered becasue she saw parts and chunks of her gone. Twilight looked at the spear and sword in her hooves adn mouth and she realized she would need to do one thing alone that would probably keep them safe.
She had to find the four ponies from the woods and ask them to help stop the Changeling attacks.

And so, she left AppleJack and Mac as she headed towards the road.

The forest wasn't quiet as she entered it, walking along the small cobblestone road that cut through it. She still had the spear and the sword and though it was difficult to walk with both, she was determined to keep them with her. She anxiously glanced around her as she walked forward, trying to find where those ponies could be.

Just as she thought she was where she had last seen them, a rustle drew her attention to the right side of the road.

"Hello? Who's there?" She called out as she held the sword out before her.

She kept looking around as she heard another rustle in a bush behind her. The stress of what had happend before was starting to get to her.
"Hey, come out! Please we need your help." She said as she kept looking around.

And then, a voice from somewhere nearby said “Why do you need our help? We are outcasts, pariahs, never wanting or wanted to be seen."
"You're the only ones who can help us stop the Changelings! They just attacked us and killed some of us!" Cried out Twilight." Please, just come and help us!"

No answer came back and as she waited, her heart began to sink in her chest. Her head drooped as she began to walk away.

"Wait."
She stopped and turned around as the four figures from before materialized from the forest. They still wore their green, hooded cloaks and still had their weapons with them.

"You’re... Your Warrior ponies?" Realized Twilight as they came forward.

"We are the last ones, as far as we know. What is it we need to do?" Asked the one with a scythe.

With tears coming from her eyes, she asked them in a plea, “Please... Please help us... We need you more than ever now that the Changelings are back..."

The Warrior ponies looked at one another before they nodded and said, “We shall, Princess." as they bowed to her.