Fate/Amicitia

by Sanguine

Blast Radius

“Wow. It really worked.”

Twilight was, in her estimation, setting a new personal record for saying foolish things. But she was at least thankful she had managed to stop herself from offering this new Servant tea.

The human called Hector smiled wryly. “Ah, so the horse truly can speak. I’d thought perhaps the Grail was playing tricks on my mind. We Servants are granted knowledge of the time and place where we are summoned, but it was hard to imagine I was truly in a world ruled by talking animals.”

He wandered about the room, eyes glancing over the shelves of books, the furniture, the potted plants, taking stock of his new surroundings. The man was massive, and Twilight was momentarily grateful that the central room of her home was so spacious. She estimated his height at close to seven feet, about the same as Princess Celestia, and in a less open structure he’d probably risk bumping his head.

Shaking her head to clear it, she refocused on the task of introductions. “Um… well, anyway, hello! To answer your question, I suppose I am your ‘Master.’ My name is Twilight Sparkle. You said your name is Hector, right?”

The Servant halted his examination and frowned back at her. “A Master ought to know that it is patently unwise to refer to a Servant by name. Address me as Saber.”

Twilight actually felt herself wince. It felt like she’d just been scolded. “Oh! Sorry. I, uh… I’m feeling a teeny bit out of sorts here. Ruler said I should address her by her class instead of her name too.”

Saber raised an eyebrow. “So, a Ruler has been summoned as well? Not the usual state of affairs for a Grail War. Not surprising though. We are far from the ground where this contest was meant to take place. It is natural that the Grail would bring forth its shepherd to herd you all into your proper places.” He turned back to his snooping. “It seems I can read your script as well as speak your language. I have knowledge of all these objects you have around your home. And I can detect the flow of energy between us through the contract. There are no errors in my summoning that I can divine. I commend you, Twilight Sparkle. I am no magus, but performing a spell of another race could not have been a simple task. ”

Twilight smiled despite herself. She felt reassured to hear that everything had gone right. It wasn’t as though she’d get the chance to take a make-up test if she’d botched some part of the ritual. Plus, it somehow felt good to be praised after that initial chastisement. She got the feeling he wasn’t the type to be easily impressed.

Either satisfied or disinterested with the library, he turned his gaze back to Twilight and began to slowly circle around her. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but his eyes, which were a gentle brown color, seemed to be looking very intently at her. She stood there feeling uncomfortable as he completed a full rotation around her, when he finally spoke again. “Your lines aren’t all bad, but you show several signs of a lifetime of poor muscle development. Wasp-waisted, cat-hammed thighs, knife-necked, and you’re narrow-breasted and wide-hipped as well. Plus you’re over at the knee on top of it all. I can’t say you have much going for you as a horse.”

At first Twilight wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but she went beet red with embarrassment as she realized he was talking about her body. She abruptly sat down and crossed her forelegs over herself, doing her best to hide behind them. “J… just what are you looking at?”

Hector seemed confused. “Your conformation, of course. I was renowned as a trainer and breeder of horse in Troy. It’s a bit difficult to fully evaluate your bone structure since your breed is so much smaller than those I’m familiar with. Still, what I can see makes it clear you’re not much for physical prowess. Some of it is certainly inherited, but you’ve exacerbated the issues with poor exercise. I doubt you’ll ever make much of a sport or warhorse.”

Twilight bristled. “I’ll have you know that I took fifth place in the Running of the Leaves one year! Just because I’m an ‘egghead,’ doesn’t mean I can’t run as well as... you know what, that doesn’t matter! How dare you… eyeball me like that!?”

“Oh ho, have I offended?” He seemed utterly amused as he plopped down on the wooden floor to meet Twilight as eye-level. “You’ve nothing to be bashful about. I’ve been caring for horses since I was a small boy. You don’t have any body part I haven’t seen before. Other than your horn.” He reached over and gave the tip of horn a playful tap, smirking all the while.

Saber’s assurance that Twilight’s body was nothing new to him, shockingly, did little to calm the frazzled mare. “Well, since you seem to be in the mood for an anatomy lesson, here Unicorn 101!” she growled, and she lashed out with a quick jolt of gravity magic, intending to pick him up and toss him against a bookshelf, teaching him a well-deserved lesson about respecting a lady’s boundaries.

But nothing happened, except Saber’s frown returned. “Master, what are you playing at? A spell of that caliber won’t affect me. Haven’t you seen my Magic Resistance rank is B?”

“Your what rank is what?”

There was a pause. Then Saber said, “You haven’t the slightest idea what you’re doing, do you?”

Twilight wasn’t sure how to answer. Her mind groped for a response, the words that would... she didn’t even know what. Should she confess her ignorance, that she had been thrust into this craziness only a few hours before? Or reassure him that she would learn whatever she needed to know? Twilight didn’t imagine either would make Saber happy.

Fortunately, by a certain definition of the word, the uncomfortable situation was interrupted as the library was rocked by what could only be a nearby explosion.

Twilight leapt suddenly to her feet, and Saber had his sword in hand in an instant. Her eyes darted around the room, but there were no signs of damage in the wake of the shaking and sound that had startled her. Without thinking, she dashed out the front door to investigate, not really registering the shouts of Saber telling her to wait.

***

The night air was pleasantly warm and a nearly full moon lit up the night sky, so it was easy for Twilight to gallop swiftly around the outside of the tree where her library was housed, looking for the origin of the disturbance. It didn’t take her long to locate. Not ten yards from the front door, in the middle of the road, was a scorched crater.

It wasn’t massive, only a few inches in diameter, but it was surprisingly deep, like somepony had taken a giant melon-baller to the ground. And all around the indent the earth had been scorched black. She could still feel heat radiating from the spot as she approached it. The smell of ashes from grass that had been disintegrated hung in the air. On a hunch Twilight glanced upward and saw a small hole had been torn through the canopy of her tree. Whatever had done this had missed striking her home by a matter of inches.

She was just mustering the courage to approach the small crater and investigate more thoroughly when her ear perked up. Another explosive noise, though this one was muffled by distance. Then another, and another. She concentrated and determined the direction of the sounds.

“Fluttershy’s house!”

She was at a full run before she’d even finished the words. It couldn’t be a coincidence. A near-miss disaster outside her home and dangerous sounds in the distance on the very night she’d learned of this “Grail War,” and summoned Saber? She wanted to believe that it was unrelated, but that was just wishful thinking. Without even giving her a moment to catch her breath after choosing to intervene in this madness, she was already being thrust into a battle. Today really had not been her day.

She didn’t know what was waiting for her. She didn’t really know what these Servants were capable of other than that they were incredibly strong. All she knew is that dangerous sounds were coming from a direction where one of her friends lived. But that was enough.

Suddenly a voice spoke up out of thin air. “Master, you must retreat to your home. This is foolhardy.”

Twilight almost tripped at the shock of Saber’s voice rising from nowhere, but managed to maintain her gait. “How are you talking to me?”

“I assumed my spiritual form so I could pursue you more easily. It’s an ability servants have. By shedding my physical body I can remain by your side without being visible. This is one of many things that you must know before we seek battle with the other Servants. For instance, if that noise had been an intentional attempt to draw you out of hiding, you would be dead at this moment.”

That thought hadn’t even crossed Twilight’s mind. It made her stomach want to do somersaults. But she didn’t allow herself to think about that. She couldn’t afford to spare any attention. “That doesn’t matter right now. Those sounds are coming from near one of my friend’s homes! She could be in danger!”

“Normally I would applaud your dedication to your comrades, truly. It is a worthy trait. But if that disturbance is being caused by a battle between Servants, you are not prepared for what we might face. You are throwing your life away.

Twilight screeched to a halt, her aching lungs drawing deep breaths, thankful for the momentary pause. She wasn’t sure exactly where to glare, she shifted her gaze around. “Listen to me. I don’t know anything about you, and I don’t know anything about this Grail War business. But I do know the only reason I agreed to take part is because there’s a very real chance that it’s going to get ponies hurt, and I want to stop that from happening. If you have a problem with that, then stay out of my way.” She turned back to the road. “I’m not going to hide behind my home’s walls, no matter what’s waiting for me out here. Especially not while my loved ones are in danger.”

A pregnant silence followed as Twilight returned to her speedy pace, and she wondered if Saber had indeed left her to her fate. Then his voice rose again. “When we arrive, attempt to stay hidden. Do not try to use your magic to fight; most Servants are protected from spells. Escape and avoidance are your best allies. Find your friend and get her to safety while I join whatever battle is taking place, and when you are safe I’ll withdraw.”

Twilight nodded her understanding, but Saber wasn’t finished. “There are two things I need you to accept before we begin this little rescue mission. First, understand that it is entirely possible that this friend of yours we’re going to help is one of the Masters. If that is the case it may be a trap. Remain on your guard at every moment.”

Twilight wanted to explain that Fluttershy wasn’t even a Unicorn, and even if she was, she was certainly so gentle and kind that there was hardly any danger. However, at this point she’d been running for nearly eight strait minutes and didn’t dare waste the air. She barely noticed that the booming noises had stopped. But that hardly meant the danger had passed.

“Second; the first, fundamental and for most purposes only rule of the Grail War is absolute secrecy. I assume Ruler told you, but in the case she did not I will make it very plain: It is the duty of every Master and Servant to silence any witnesses to our battles.”

Suddenly Twilight’s lungs weren’t burning quite so much, but only because her whole body had gone cold. “S-silence? You don’t mean…?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Her immediate response seemed to catch the invisible hero off-guard. “This isn’t up for debate. It is the Grail War’s only iron-clad law, so much so that it even includes participants. Even a Master who intentionally or negligently endangers the secrecy of the War will be targeted and crushed without mercy by every other team.”

Twilight put as much venom into her voice as she could muster at a full sprint. “I thought I was clear before. Nopony is getting hurt if I can help it. I will not hurt any of the other Masters. I will not hurt any innocent bystander. And neither will you! I don’t care if I have to use every one of these Command thingies, you won’t lay one hoof… err, hand on any pony! Under any circumstances! Clear?”

To her shock, Saber actually laughed. “You are a surprising creature. Very well. I’m not inclined to butcher civilians in any case, so I will follow your order. But do not presume that the other Servants will do the same. Or for that matter, that the Ruler will let any observers go free. I imagine that maintaining the secrecy of these proceedings is one of her main functions, since there is no one else to enforce that rule on this world. Either way, the solution is simple. Ensure that there are no witnesses. Whether you have to lie, alter memories with your spells or knock someone unconscious, keep their eyes away from things they mustn’t see. That’s the only certain way.”

There was no more time to discuss the matter as Twilight charged around a turn and Fluttershy’s isolated cottage came into view.

***

Fluttershy's home was a stout, round building on top of a hill, overgrown with plants and bird houses. Even in the dead of night the place was picturesque and welcoming, the very image of a warm, loving home.

That image was unfortunately shattered as the eyes were drawn to the devastation that had once been its surroundings. Craters like the one that had been near Twilight’s home made the place look like a wasteland, and many of them here were much larger here. There wasn’t a blade of grass left standing anywhere around the hill the house was built on. Nearby trees had what looked like burning bites take out of them, and several had been outright toppled, snapped like twigs. The cages, chicken coop and other living spaces for the various creatures that Fluttershy cared for had been turned to ruins. It was nothing short of a miracle that the house had remained untouched.

Seeing no sign of her friend or whatever had caused this, Twilight immediately began pounding on the door. She called out “Fluttershy! Fluttershy, its Twilight! Are you there? Are you safe?”

After a solid minute of calling, a meek voice finally squeaked a response from behind the door. “I’m here Twilight. Something… it was… I didn’t…” Twilight could actually hear a dull clatter that could only be Fluttershy’s trembling hoof resting against the wooden door.

“It’s alright Fluttershy. Whatever it was, it’s gone now. You’re safe. Can you open the door please?”In reply, Twilight caught the sound of a deadbolt sliding out of place.

She gently opened the door, and discovered that the yellow Pegasus on the other side seemed completely unharmed at first glance, other than her coat being incredibly dirty. She was also completely covered by terrified animals. Chickens, mice, otters, birds, snakes, insects and even her pet bunny Angel had latched on to any spare bit of hair, back, shoulder or leg they could cling too, seeking solace from their surrogate mother. In the back of the room, which Fluttershy was rapidly retreating toward, larger animals like bears, beavers, flamingos and goats were cowering in fear and snuggled up to her the moment she got close. Fluttershy’s house wasn’t very spacious at the best of times, even though her furniture was petite and ornate. With every animal on the property crammed into that one corner it was downright claustrophobic. But Twilight suspected that swaddled feeling was just was Fluttershy needed at the moment.

Fluttershy herself seemed to be in shock, her eyes having a certain glassy quality as she stared at nothing in particular. Twilight approached her carefully. “Fluttershy, tell me what happened? Are you or any of your animals hurt? Did you… did you see what went on out there?”

She was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke up, still not looking at anything in particular. “There was a loud noise. Like a kaboom. It woke me up. And then more kabooms. They were so close. It was terrible. But then I realized… the critters. I couldn’t leave them Twilight. They needed me. So I flew right out my window. It was… there were kabooms all around me. Dirt was flying. Fire. I could barely see. The animals were so scared…”

Suddenly she stood up and grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. Tears filled her eyes. “Oh Twilight, it was just awful! I’ve never been so scared! But they needed me! They were crying for help! I rescued every single one, but… every time I thought it was over I heard another one calling out, and I knew I had to… OH TWILIGHT!” She started sobbing uncontrollably, mashing her face against Twilight’s mane and hugging her tightly. Twilight could only rub her friend’s head and offer her comfort in silence. Fluttershy could be tough when she had to be, but she was fundamentally fragile.

Whatever had caused that no-pony’s land outside her home, she had been in the thick of it making sure the creatures she cared for were safe. And with the danger to her charges over, and her adrenaline long gone, the poor Pegasus was letting all that fear she’d bottled up out.

But Twilight couldn’t afford to be sympathetic. She was encouraged by the fact that whatever had done this had seemingly gone out of its way not to damage Fluttershy’s home. Considering the odds involved, it had apparently also gone out of its way to avoid hurting any of the animals, or Fluttershy herself even while they were in the thick of the fighting. But the most important thing was confirming that Fluttershy was safe from any further threat. Twilight moved her friend so she could look her in the eye and chose her words carefully.

“Fluttershy, do you have any idea what caused all this? Did you see anything?”

To her relief, Fluttershy shook her head. “It was all so scary, and there was so much dirt and noise. All I saw was… rocks flying out of the sky. Like a meteor shower maybe.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of that, but what mattered was that her friend hadn’t caught sight of anything that would endanger her. Still, she decided it was best to play things safe.

“Listen Fluttershy, you’re not going to feel safe here. Why don’t you go back to my place for tonight? Spike’s already asleep and I left the door open, so just go on in and use my bed. You’ll feel better, I promise. You can even take all your animals with you.”

Fluttershy seemed hesitant, eying her door with trepidation, but nodded after a moment of thought. Her animals were even more reluctant to leave, which proved to be a good thing as convincing them to leave their corner gave her something to focus on other than how terrifying the ordeal had been. It took only another minute or two for the whole train of creatures to be out the door and making its way down the road. Twilight promised that she would be right behind them, and fortunately Fluttershy didn’t question why she wanted to remain behind.

Once they were out of sight, Twilight whispered into the night, “Saber! Are you still here?” There was no answer. But in the back of her mind, Twilight felt she had an intuition as to where her Servant was, no doubt a side-effect of the contract. He was still very close. She remembered he told her to leave with Fluttershy and he would join them afterward.

Twilight bit her lip. She knew it would be best to stick to their plan. But she also knew that if he was fighting right now, he was outnumbered. If anything happened to him there would be no way for her to keep this Grail War in check. And after this? After seeing the aftermath just one battle between Servants could cause? After seeing what happened to one of her friends just from being caught in the crossfire, even without a single injury? She couldn’t afford to take that chance, no matter what the risks were.

Gritting her teeth, she marched toward the location where she’d sensed his presence: the nearby border of the Everfree Forest.

***

There were four of them in that meadow. One was Saber, his sword in hand and his blue robes gently fluttering in the wind. Twilight noticed for the first time that while the scabbard was studded with silver, the blade itself was made of bronze. It had a simple ripple pattern near the base of the blade, and its edge glinted even in the dull light of the moon. For some reason, he seemed to be very pleased, as if he were having the time of his life.

With a sound like a chiming bell, his glittering golden blade met with another that was almost pure white. The other weapon was a good bit longer than his own, but the extra reach did not seem to offer his opponent much advantage, as Saber parried slash after slash with seemingly little effort. But then the speed of the attacks increased. And increased. And increased again until they were almost a blur that Twilight couldn’t hope to follow. Saber seemed pressed to hold off the blows, his brow furrowed in concentration. And then a second pure white blade joined the first.

His opponent was another clad in armor, and judging by her face and slight frame she was a female. To Twilight’s eyes she was as ephemeral and beautiful as new-fallen snow. Instead of huge interlocking steel plates like Ruler had worn over her dress, her protection was made from a seemingly infinite number of tiny, laced-together metal rectangles, in a pattern that brought to mind dragon scales. They were worn over stylish black silk robes, and painted with beautiful, glossy red and gold lacquer, including some lovely flower patterns that made her light up the night. In her right hand she held a long, curved, single-edged sword made from steel. Twilight again noted the white color of the metal, nearly as pure as the pristine white makeup the warrior woman wore, which made her face look like it was made of flawless porcelain. The equally gorgeous dagger gripped in her off-hand, which had appeared from seemingly nowhere, had a menacing hook near the hilt.

Saber was forced to give ground as she pressed the attack. “Not one, but two blades? You have some nerve raising a sword against Saber, young lady. Into what class have you been summoned, that your skills with my weapon have not been degraded?”

The woman did not pause in the slightest, practically dancing through a fluid series of attacks designed to force open Saber’s guard. “This one humbly suggests that you hone your observational skills, Saber. Given time, perhaps enlightenment may yet reach you.”

Twilight’s breath came in gasps with every clash of the two servant’s swords, the chime of metal on metal that had almost seemed charming at first now making her skin crawl, as every moment seemed like it might be Saber’s last. Finally he received a reprieve, but only because both had no choice but to jump away before the ground beneath them exploded.

At the top of a tall oak on the edge of the meadow, another servant tracked both of them at once, flinging palm-sized stones down onto the battleground like a destructive rain, both Saber and the armored woman barely avoiding his shots. He was clad from head to toe in armor, making the female servant’s protection look meager in comparison. It was black as ink and made of thick metal plates much like Ruler’s, but showed not a single inch of the person hiding inside. The design of his shell was elaborate, with many decorative bits and symbols covering the metal, including a cross-shaped mark around the eye-slit of the helmet. He was tall, as tall as Saber, built like a tank, and surrounded by an aura of oppressive dread. He carried no visible weapon other than the explosive stones he was blasting down on the battlefield, which he seemed to be drawing from a simple burlap sack tied to his waist.

There was little doubt that this was the Servant who’d caused all the destruction around Fluttershy’s home and the near-miss at her own. Having watched him fight for a few minutes, Twilight was certain that he hadn’t been aiming for her incredibly distant home. It had simply been a stone that missed its target. She’d seen a few similar misses shoot out into the Everfree Forest and seem to sail for miles, not hitting the ground until they were beyond her vision. She could only hope that no creatures out there were less lucky than she had been.

As Saber and the female Servant dodged shot after shot, and a hideous gurgle of laughter echoed from inside the black knight’s shell, Twilight wondered where the enemy that she had seen occupying him during that sword duel had gone. She was soon answered by an almost deafening snapping sound as the tree the knight was perched on soared skyward like a missile. At the base of where that tree had been stood a pony.

Ruler had told her that the Grail could not call forth Equestrian Heroic Spirits, but she was either lying or mistaken because there was no pony in the entire world with the strength to uproot a tree and send it rocketing into the air with a single kick. And no pony she’d ever seen, even the Royal Guards, wore such elaborate armor. Like the black knight, this pony was in a full set of interlocking plates, armor unlike any she’d ever seen in her Equestrian History books. The pony’s armor was a mid-range shade of green. It covered the head, neck, shoulders and flanks entirely in metal, not letting a single bit of torso show. The legs and belly of the pony were also covered, though by much more flexible armor, seemingly built from tightly woven chain links. It ensured that not a single hair of the pony’s coat was visible. An unnatural yellow glow obscured the eye-holes of the helmet, and perhaps most bizarrely of all, the tail had apparently been replaced by a dense growth of spiny leaves and red berries. There was a small hole in the muzzle of the helmet right around where the pony’s mouth should be, and jammed through that hole like the bit of a bridle was a menacing looking axe.

That axe was put to good use as the armored pony charged at Saber, leaping into the air and spinning in an elaborate corkscrew maneuver, a virtual bladed whirlwind which Saber was only barely able to deflect.

While Saber engaged the new thread, a deranged battle cry washed over the forest as, still in midair, the black knight grasped hold of the very tree he was being propelled by. The entire thing began to glow the same evil red the rocks had previously, and with unfathomable strength he propelled the entire thing back toward the earth with even more force than the Pony servant had with its kick.

Twilight began to panic. If the explosion was in proportion to the size of the tree compared to the stones, it could wipe out everything for miles around, including her! But this fear never came to fruition thanks to the female warrior. She stood her ground, and her two swords began to melt into a sort of liquid metal, somehow reshaping themselves. A second later, they had taken the shape of a truly massive longbow, made of the same pristine almost-white steel as the swords had been, as well as a single arrow. Taking a statuesque stance, she performed a series of graceful, formulaic motions, each step clearly representing years of disciplined practice, as she loaded, aimed and fired her arrow.

The white-metal shaft collided with the pulsating tree some three stories above the meadow, and the explosion was like the sudden appearance of the midday sun. Twilight had to avert her eyes, and even when she opened them she was completely blind for a full thirty seconds as she tried to readjust to the dark and banish the spots from her vision. All the time she couldn’t see, the sounds of struggle never abated.

Finally, her vision cleared just as an eerie silence fell over the battlefield. The black knight had returned to the ground, but he was pinned on his back by the warrior woman. Her bow was gone, replaced by a long staff tipped with a sort of square-shaped restraining device, which was currently holding the knight’s neck to the dirt. She had a foot squarely on his armored chest.

Things were far from rosy for her though, because Saber had taken the opportunity to approach her from behind, and had the tip of his blade stuck squarely against her back, ready to strike. Twilight wondered why he hadn’t already attacked… until she saw what the knight had in his two hands. One was gripped squarely around the throat of the armored pony. The other held a new weapon: a rough handful of leaves he had clearly stripped out of its tail before he’d been taken down. Each one was pulsing red, as the other objects he’d touched had before. Given the close range and the positions they all found themselves in, none of them would survive if he threw them.

Saber finally spoke. “I’m sure none of us wants the disgrace of perishing on the first night, let alone giving the other servants such a painful advantage by so drastically thinning our ranks right out of the gate. Shall we call it a draw?”

For a moment nopony moved a muscle. Finally, with a shimmer of black and violet sparks, the knight vanished, no doubt entering the spiritual form Saber had mentioned, leaving the handful of leaves, instantly dispelled of whatever he’d done to them, drifting lazily to the ground. The sack of rocks lay abandoned as the only mark of his passing.

Now free, the armored pony rolled onto her feet, and without a sound bounded into the tree line and disappeared. Stepping carefully away from Saber’s sword, the warrior woman turned and bowed. “This one offers you thanks for an honorable contest, Lord Saber. Let us await our next contest, and the revelation of the superior warrior, with eagerness. This one earnestly hopes you do not fall in battle before that time.” She shared a deep bow, and likewise dissolved into a shower of red stars.

Twilight’s friends were amazing in her eyes, the peak of the measuring stick one uses to judge the world around them. Rarity was graceful. Applejack was strong. Rainbow Dash was fast. And as she stared in awe at the nearby meadow, clinging onto the tree she was hiding behind for dear life, she realized just what Ruler had meant when she said that all of them were nothing compared to Servants. She had only seen a bare few minutes of their battle as she’d approached, but that was enough to make her shake. She had finally seen what the Holy Grail War was. And it was as awe-inspiring as it was horrifying.

Saber stood in the center of what had been their arena as his opponent’s quickly retreated. His excitement was palpable. “You are worthy foes indeed, Heroic Spirits. But upon our next encounter, be ready to fight to the bitter end. We shall see whom the Fates favor!”

Twilight allowed herself a moment to relax as Saber saw his enemies off with his small speech. She and her Servant had survived their first battle unscathed. She sighed in utter relief. Until a sickening, fleshy thud met her ears.

Saber looked down at the arrow embedded squarely in his gut.

***

Author's Note:

Action and suffering. It's just not Fate without that stuff. So here that stuff is. Enjoy!

Comments

[Arad]

YE GODS, a Fate crossover. I'll be reading this on principle.

[Sanguine]

2948926

Ruler is a class that was introduced in the new Light Novel/canceled videogame project called Fate/Apocrypha. It is, as this story has tried to explain, a servant that serves the interest of the Grail War itself by acting as a sort of referee and doing the jobs the Overseer is supposed to do.

Stuff about how the Ruler works hasn't been fully translated, so I've had to take a couple of small liberties/make some assumptions, but the basic concept is sound.

In Apocrypha the Ruler is Joan of Arc. Here, not so much of course.

[suijin228]

2948926
Yeah, fate/Zero did so well that they're remaking it. Now rumors right now are saying that it might be a combination of all three Fate routs, which means that we'll have Archer/Shirou, Dark Sakura, and still have a shirou focused story.

[suijin228]

Alright then, great chapter, loved the action and the fact that you've decided to throw in some new heroic spirits. I intentionally thought the black knight as Fate/Zero's berserker, but this new knight is interesting. Keep goin and stay golden^^

[HeirApparent]

...she’d been running for nearly eight strait minutes...

While Saber engaged the new thread...

Huh... Hector as Saber? Had always pictured him as a Rider myself, but he certainly fits the requirements for Saber as well. Looking forward to a more detailed rundown on his parameters and skills.

A bit of the exposition in this chapter felt more than a little forced, like Saber's explanation of the Grail giving him knowledge or the Servant's ability to go into spirit mode. Then again, addressing the oddities and specifics of the Grail War are never easy to handle, especially if Ruler and the other Servants are going to be the only sources of information Twilight has access to. I just hope that she figures out how to use her skills as a Master soon; I want to see some stat sheets!

And speaking of the other Servants... As much as I'd like to take a guess at their classes and identities, I have to admit that I'm a little bit clueless at the moment. The Black Knight could be Zero-Berserker (at the very least, they have similar Phantasms), but the others are a bit more confusing. The warrior woman could potentially be Lancer, Caster, Assassin, or Rider. Shapeshifting weapons and combat skills that stand up to Saber's make her a bit hard to judge. As for the armored horse... He was smart enough to retreat when he had the chance, so he's probably not Berserker. Could be Rider, possibly Lancer if his axe is large enough to meet the class requirements.

So yeah. I'm certainly starting to get invested in the story.

[HeirApparent]

2904505

Ooooh, yeah, looking forward to that. From what I've heard, the new series will pretty much be a straight adaption of Heaven's Feel. It's going to be painful watching Sakura get all that screentime, but some of the route's more memorable moments (Kotomine, Nine Lives Blade Works, Kotomine, Ilya being adorable, Kotomine, and the final battle) should more than make up for it.

2910583

Alright, let's see if I managed to pick up the juicy details.

Arturia mentioned that the other competitors would have to fight against her and Excalibur. Which implies that, even without a Master, she still has a chance of winning the Grail for herself. Pchoooo... Well, at least this version of her won't have Avalon; Excalibur and an unlimited supply of Command Spells make her more than enough of a threat for the other participants.

I think that Hector mentioned in the most recent chapter that the Grail wasn't meant to be summoned in Equestria. That, and Twilight's summoning chant still having a reference to Zelretch, makes it seem like this is in fact the Fuyuki Grail we're dealing with.

Which means that... Avenger...

Well. Shoot. Better get those Element of Harmony ready.