Episode 2: The Breaking Storm
Trixie threw herself to the smoke shrouded ground, the daggers flashing over her head like a flock of deadly birds, one of them actually cutting of strands of her silver mane from how close it came to hitting her. She immediately channeled an invisibility spell, rolling away from where she’d ducked.
The enemy Servant, Assassin apparently if Sungleam’s assessment was correct, had already sunk back down into the dense opaque blanket of smoke covering the ground, a light and throaty chuckle emanating from his non-existent throat as he did so.
Sungleam had already drawn her sword in an eyeblink and had stamped forward, swimming and narrowly missing the retreating form of Assassin. The white unicorn reared up, eyes shining with indignant rage, “Coward. I realize thy class refutes any semblance of honor, yet I cannot forgive such craven tactics! Show thyself!”
Once again the shadowy stallion’s voice echoed seemingly from everywhere and nowhere at once, and Trixie found herself getting just as irritated as Sungleam was at his mocking and snarky chuckle.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t know we’d agreed to play fair during this war. Wait, are wars supposed to be fair? Must’ve missed the point when murder somehow became something you can slap a tag like ‘honor’ on and make it better than what it is.”
As soon as he was done talking Trixie heard a strange wooden creaking sound, and when she glanced at the misty ground she saw what looked to be black tree branches snaking and winding their up from the mist. The branches were gnarled, dark things, marked by sharp almost spike-like sub-branches. They wrapped around Sungleam’s legs, the sharpened tips of the branches trying to dig in past her armor. Sungleam scowled.
“Is this the extent of what you can offer me, Assassin? Trickery and twigs!? You are not worthy to face a knight such as myself!”
She slashed at the branches with her blade, slicing through them with apparent ease, but more just came up, forcing her to leap away. Trixie was relatively safe, still invisible, but she was nervously shuffling around, trying to figure out just what kind of magic was being used here. This headless stallion, his unusual body aside, was just flowing in and out of this smoke like he was a ghost. She knew there were spells that could produce similar effects, but to do so while at the same time conjuring numerous daggers to throw telekinetically, while also summoning branches to try and immobilize his opponent…even the best of unicorn spellcasters would have trouble doing all of that at once!
As Sungleam had landed more branches had tried to grab at her and she slashed them with a single sweep of her blade, her ire rising, “How long will you play this game? Come out here and fight me!”
Trixie wanted to shout at her Servant. This was clearly a mind game that this stallion was using to rile his opponent up and get her to leave herself open. Trixie didn’t even have to be a master tactician to grasp that! Yet Sungleam was getting quite worked up, nostrils flaring as she slashed again and again at the seemingly endless supply of sharp black branches that rose up from the mist to try and grasp and stab at her.
Sungleam was so wrapped up with the branches she wasn’t seeing the daggers forming in the air behind her, and only Trixie, who’d been watching for danger or any sign of the stallion appearing, saw them in time to shout a warning.
Sungleam wheeled about as the daggers flew, but they didn’t’ fly at her, they came at Trixie, who’d given away her position when she’d shouted her warning. Trixie gasped and threw herself to the side, but one of the daggers managed to slice past her left foreleg and she cried out at the explosive pain, losing concentration on her invisibility spell. The instant she hit the ground black branches rose up around her, about to encase her.
Sungleam moved with incredible speed, there in a golden flash, sword cutting aside the branches and Trixie felt herself being lifted into the air in a gold wreath of levitation magic.
“H-hey!” she stammered, but before she could say more Sungleam gave her a sharp look.
“If you cannot fight, then flee the battlefield until I am done dealing with this petty thug, Master!”
Trixie felt herself being accelerated way at high speed, flying well beyond the shroud of mist covering the ground that Assassin was fighting from. She landed a little roughly when Sungleam’s telekinesis let go and she had to quickly brush herself off and retrieve her hat. Trixie felt a tad irked at being tossed aside like that, but the logical part of her mind was telling her Sungleam had the right idea. Trixie wouldn’t be much help in a direct fight. Indirectly, however? Trixie quickly wove her invisibility once more, wincing past the pain of the deep cut on her leg. Trixie and pain did not mix. Still she vanished once more and she hobbled a little away from where she’d been thrown. It’d been pretty clear the enemy Servant had been after her more than her own Servant, so she wanted to keep her presence hidden.
But if this Assassin Servant is here, then his Master has to be around somewhere…right?
She didn’t know for sure. She and Sungleam had only had enough time to have the basics of this Grail War explained to her. She had no idea of a Servant could fight and function without their Master around. Sungleam had said she could draw mana from Trixie if needed to fuel her abilities, though what those abilities were Sungleam hadn’t gotten into. Still, she could search. If the Servant was getting mana from the Master that might leave a trail…
Trixie concentrated on activating her magic sight while keeping her invisibility spell up while she continued to hear the clashing clamor of the two Servants fighting.
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Sungleam grimaced in annoyance as yet another set of daggers materialized and flew at her, black branches from the ground rising up to try to immobilize her at the same time. She spun on her hooves, dancing away from the branches as she wove her sword in a blazing fast pattern, deflecting the daggers. She couldn’t help but notice by now the blades in question were small, jagged affairs, with a pale blue cast to them. They didn’t look like they were made of steel. If her magic perception was high enough she might be able to discern what they were made from but she was only capable enough to sense the basic presence of mana within a close vicinity, usually enough to feel out where other Servants were…but that sense was useless against an Assassin class with their ability to conceal their presence completely.
The Assassin’s method of attack was unusual though. The knowledge engrained in her mind from the Grail told her that a Heroic Spirit summoned into the Assassin class usually didn’t possess numerous forms of attack; they relied on the ability to stay hidden to strike and defeat stronger Servants. This ability to summon this mist, with its grasping branches and flying daggers, this was a ability more like what she’d expect out of a Caster or Archer…
She was also confused as to why this farce was continuing. While annoying the branches and daggers were hardly proving her much difficulty.
“This is pointless Assassin!” she growled as she sliced away more branches, “Cease this embarrassment at once or I will cease it for you!”
Again that irritatingly mocking and joking voice sang from everywhere and nowhere, “Yeesh, you take yourself way to seriously Saber. You want to end our tete a tete? Go ahead and try. Might be hard if you can’t find me, though.”
Sungleam smirked, holding her head high. By now, between the time it’d taken her to speak with her Master and for this charlatan to show up the early morning dark had turned to a late dawn. The sun was in the sky now and she felt confident she could end this quickly with one swipe of her Noble Phantasm’s full strength. She didn’t need to see Assassin if she incinerated the entire area, after all.
“Very well then, you shall regret your blasé attitude shortly! You desire to feel the full force of my blade, Assassin!? So be it!”
She jumped upwards, landing and balancing lightly upon one of the upper branches of a nearby tree, well above the smoke shrouded ground. She floated her blade above her head and let its crystal clear edge catch the morning light. At once the sword began to gleam with the sunlight, as if the sword was drinking in the rays of that golden orb in the sky. Which it was. The light and heat of the sun was being absorbed into her sword, gradually converting into energy that she was mixing with her mana. She briefly considered pulling additional mana from her Master, just to ensure she’d unleash her sword at full power…but that probably wouldn’t be needed. She could scorch enough ground as it was to surely catch Assassin, wherever he was hiding himself.
“You’ll find that even you’re skill in obfuscation cannot hide you from the cleansing light of the sun! It matters not what hole you tuck your knavish tail in, once my sword absorbs enough of the sun’s rays, this battlefield will be wiped clean of your filth!”
The blade pulsed with ever greater intensity, becoming like a small shard of the sun itself within a few seconds. This was nowhere near the full capacity of her Noble Phantasm, but Sungleam imagined it would be sufficient. She was about to swing her sword, about to bring forth righteous fury and the power of the sun itself to bear on this discourteous thug, when the smoke on the ground wafted away rapidly as if under a harsh wind. Sungleam’s eyes narrowed as in seconds the smoke was gone and the area was clear as if it had never been there. At first she didn’t believe Assassin had actually retreated from their fight, but after a minute of failing to sense even the remotest trace of the other Servants presence it seemed to her he had indeed run away. With a scoffing huff of air she lowered her blade, which ceased to glow.
“Coward…” she spat.
Then she looked around, raising an eyebrow.
Where had her Master gotten off to?
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Trixie was quite pleased with herself. She hadn’t been able to find any kind of magic strand that looked like it was connecting this Servant with his Master, but she had been able to stumble across a clearing where she found someone hiding who, Trixie was sure, had to be connected to this. Luck was a skill, too, right?
The zebra mare had been trying to hide in the bushes one end of the clearing, but black and white wasn’t much camouflage in bright green scenery. And Zecora wasn’t all that good at hiding, for a zebra who’d been spending so much time lately in hiding with her so-called sun goddess. Trixie had been debating just how to go about taking Zecora down, perhaps with a sleeping spell, or go even simpler and levitate a stick to clock her upside the head with, when the shadowy form of the headless stallion rose from the ground next to Zecora. Trixie hunkered down, still invisible. She doubted this Servant had beaten her own, and could still feel the connection to Sungleam. So why…?
“You return just as I have instructed,” said the zebra, “Now tell me what you’ve learned so our strategy may be constructed.”
“You’re really stretching it on the rhymes there, boss. Would’ve preferred it if you’d just given me the all clear to finish her off. We’re showing a lot of our own cards here too, you know. You’re lucky I can partially manifest my Noble Phantasm without having to bring out the whole thing. By the way, you holding up alright? You ain’t a unicorn, so you’re mana reserves gotta be feeling some strain.”
“You’re assessment is noted but unnecessarily sour. Our goal here was to learn of our enemy’s power. You could have been destroyed if I had allowed you to stay, we must now meditate on what we’ve seen so we may claim victory another day.”
“Yeah, yeah ,yeah, I hear you. We going to pull this intel gathering mission on the big guy in town too?” asked Assassin, sounding supremely bored with the proceedings.
Zecora waved a hoof, “The risk in facing that one is too great. To learn more of him I feel we should wait. The war we fight has only just begun, rest assured my Servant you will have your chance to have your fun. Likely if we stick to the shadows and observe, our enemies will fight amongst themselves and our strength we may conserve.”
“Okay I got to ask this boss, because I know it must’ve come up at some point in your never ending rhyming life. Have you ever found a word that rhymes with orange?”
“I avoid all talk of that wretched fruit, for its name for rhyming does not suit.”
“Right, new life goal before the Grail War ends; get you to say the word orange to see if you really can find a rhyme for it.”
Zecora didn’t respond to that beyond giving a slightly annoyed huff as she turned and began to stride deeper into the trees. Trixie briefly debated trying to follow them to find out where they might be going, but given she had no way of knowing the full extent of that Assassin Servant’s abilities she couldn’t guarantee her ability to remain undetected. So she waited until well after they were gone before silently creeping back towards where she’d left Sungleam.
The golden and blue clad unicorn mare was pacing impatiently at the site of her skirmish with Assassin, and when Trixie unveiled her invisibility spell Sungleam looked to her and looked to be about to sigh in relief, then instead held it back and gave Trixie a hard look.
“You were gone for far too long Master! What were you doing?”
“Getting some information,” said Trixie, eyes narrowing slightly, “Which is apparently what that other Servant was doing as well. He wanted to see what kind of abilities you have. What did you show him?”
“I…didn’t display too much,” said Sungleam, suddenly looking self conscious, “I perhaps may have boasted as to the power of my Noble Phantasm. But that is only to be considered natural and expected! I must take pride in the gifts I possess in battle and not hold them back!”
“Except that I’m starting to understand that in this ridiculous war information is going to be our key to winning. We don’t want to show our cards,” Trixie said with a flash of annoyance, “This isn’t some honor duel! I find this ‘Grail War’ utterly ridiculous but I don’t plan on dying for it! That means if you have to fight you don’t go exposing your abilities unless you’re certain you can finish off your opponent. At least we saw quite a bit of what Assassin can do as well, so guess it was an even trade. Slippery jerk, certainly earns that title, class, whatever it is he’s got.”
“Class. Our Heroic Spirits were summoned into…receptacles, is you will, that shape our abilities around our class,” Sungleam said, looking uncomfortable with discussing the matter.
Trixie really wished somepony would’ve been smart enough and considerate enough to write a manual for this cursed Grail War, because it seemed every minute she was hearing terms that made no sense.
“What exactly makes for a Heroic Spirit anyway? I’d hardly call that Assassin ‘heroic’ by any definition I know of,” Trixie said with a soft scowl. Not that she didn’t appreciate the practicality of the kind of skills Assassin possessed it was hard to feel much respect for somepony that’d nearly killed her. Really soured Trixie’s mood, near death experiences. Speaking of which, her leg still hurt rather sharply. She’d need to drop by Ponyville’s hospital to get it looked at, assuming they didn’t get attacked by that griffin.
Sungleam still had that look of discomfort as they began walking towards Ponyville and she began to explain, “It is…complicated. I shall summarize as best I can, for simplicity’s sake. A Heroic Spirit is one whose deeds in life echo through history with resonance and power. For every soul that remembers the name and deeds of that Heroic Spirit it creates a stronger chance for the soul of that Heroic Spirit to be…kept, within a special place in creation. It is from that place the Grail drew the souls to fill the receptacles for the classes that would in turn form us, the Servants. There is…far more to it than that simple explanation, but essentially we Heroic Spirits are such because of our role in history. Our Noble Phantasms, the items and powers we wield, are echoes of our myths, manifested physically.”
That was the simple explanation? Trixie frowned, ears flattening as she lowered her head, “Right, so you’re supposed to be some famous knight? I’ve never heard of you myself.”
“Hmph, probably due to some foolish spreading of misinformation by your Princess Luna. Why should she allow records of those who served her elder sister to remain, showing Celestia’s greater moments and glory?”
Trixie rolled her eyes, “Luna doesn’t, at least to my knowledge, hide or remove historical records from the time of her sister’s rule. It’s just few ponies want to know about that time. It’s an unpleasant reminder of Corona. Most ponies don’t want to be reminded of the crazy sun alicorn who was trapped in the sun, oh and is now loose and the biggest threat to Equestria’s safety!”
“She is not a threat!” shouted Sungleam, then seemed to realize her outburst and coughed politely, “What I mean to say is, it is entirely possible that Celestia is merely confused and can be guided back from the brink of her…condition. Certainly Princess Luna would not give up on her sister so readily?”
“I don’t think this conversation needs to continue,” muttered Trixie, “If you ever meet Corona, you’ll see for yourself just how idealistically naïve you’re being. Anyway, my original point in asking about you was I wanted to know just what you did in the past that made you famous? Not a history buff, but I need to know more about you if I’m going to work with you more effectively.”
Sungleam for a second seemed to preen under the attention before blinking and taking on a more dignified stance, head held high as she began to speak with a proud tone, “As well you should wish to know more about me, my Master! My exploits made me famous throughout the realm! Few were the foals who did not hear of the Shining Knight, the Blade of the Sun, the Righteous and Resplendent Sungleam!”
Trixie had to pause and give her Servant a slow sidelong look. Sungleam’s bearing was uncomfortably…familiar. Sungleam continued, completely unaware or uncaring of the look her Master was giving her.
“My story is one any commoner could look up to, for I came from common stock myself. As a foal my love of the sun was surpassed only by my desire to battle injustice and evil! My family was part of a frontier community constantly beset upon by monsters from the northern mountains, and even the occasional incursion by griffins! I witnessed the suffering of my fellow villagers and could not stop the fires burning within my heart! At the age of twelve I defended my village from a pack of viscous feral fruit bats with nothing more than my mother’s pitchfork. ‘Twas then I earned my cutie mark, “ Sungleam gazed fondly upon the spot on her flank where her cutie mark would be seen if not hidden by her armor, “A burning blade imposed over the very sun itself. Never was I happier to know my purpose in life was to be a sword to burn away evil.”
“Viscous…fruit bats…?” Trixie said, as if saying the words aloud would let them make more sense. It didn’t.
“Verily!” confirmed Sungleam, “But the first of my exploits! Soon my burning desire to defend the realm propelled me to journey across the land, seeking injustices to make right! I confronted everything from bandits to bog hydras in my never ending quest to protect Equestria from harm. It wasn’t long before my actions drew the attention of one whose desire to see Equestria prosper surpassed even my own; Princess Celestia herself!”
The armored white unicorn’s eyes flashed with nostalgic bliss and Trixie quirked an eyebrow, wondering if Sungleam was done talking or if she was just lost in memory. She’d been about to wave a hoof in front of her Servant’s face before Sungleam seemed to shake off her daze and continued, voice reverent, “Words utterly fail me to tell you what it was like to be approached by the Princess herself, to be praised for my efforts to protect her little ponies…and to be offered an opportunity to join her Royal Guard. That was the day my life truly began. As a Royal Guard I utterly threw myself into the task of safeguarding the realm, fully empowered by the blessings of my Princess to bring the light of her justice to any corner of Equestria that was threatened by darkness!”
“Alright, alirght, I get it,” said Trixie, “So is that where you got all those titles form, serving Corona-“
“Princess Celestia.”
“You know what I mean. So it was serving…her…that earned you fame?”
“It was how my name became widely known, yes. It was only a year before my service placed me above all others as Captain of her Royal Guard, and Princess Celestia bestowed on me a unique honor…” her gaze turned to her now sheathed blade, “Until then the Princess rewarded service with praise and promotion…but I was the first to receive such a blessed gift as this sword, forged by Celestia’s own unrivaled magic to be a weapon that in my possession would allow me to truly function as her Sword. I was never prouder than I was on the day she bestowed Radiance to my unworthy hooves.”
Trixie eyed the sword curiosity. Ponyville loomed ahead, the town quiet and Trixie didn’t see much activity. Ponies must be hiding indoors, for the most part, and Trixie could hardly blame them given the morning’s events.
“What exactly does this sword do, other than look like it’d break if you hit it with a rock?”
Sungleam snorted, “Do not jest, Master. Radiance may look like delicate crystal, but its blade is stronger than any mortal forged steel. While its keen edge is capable of rendering even dragonscale as little more than paper before its sharpness, its true power lies in the very light of the sun itself. As long as it is exposed to the sun’s rays it may take that light into itself and turn it into cleansing fire. If it absorbs enough light from the sun at its zenith then nothing can stand against its might; a true anit-fortress class Noble Phantasm worthy of its name!”
Trixie frowned, “So…at night, it’s pretty much useless?”
Sungleam nearly stumbled, gawking at Trixie, “W-what? No, I mean, yes, but…well, why would I do battle at night, where the warm light of Celestia’s sun cannot see me glorify her name through my actions?”
“Oh, I’m sure our opponents in this Grail War are going to be obliging and only attack us during the day,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes, “For such a supposedly powerful weapon it has a pretty glaring weakness if you can’t use it at full power unless it’s in the middle of the day. Still, at least I know this now instead of latter, so I can figure out some kind of plan to work around that issue.”
Sungleam snorted, “Hmph, well your role as my Master is to formulate strategy. As long as you do not slink to using cowardly tactics I shall not complain.”
Trixie blanched. ‘Cowardly’ tactics was a concept up to interpretation, and honestly Trixie was planning to avoid as much fair fighting as possible. She still didn’t quite grasp what the Grail War was truly about but she had no intention of dying, or allowing any harm to come to her friends or to Ponyville. If she had to use some underhoofed tactics to give herself an advantage then she wouldn’t hesitate on that front, and Sungleam was going to have to learn to deal with that. Thinking about the matter as a whole, though, made Trixie wonder about something…
“Sungleam, tell me, just how were the Masters for this war chosen?”
“Pardon? The Grail chooses the Masters, from what I understand.”
“Alright, but how does it choose? Why were I and my friend Ditzy chosen? And Rainbow Dash? Really? Then there’s the fact that that crazy zebra Zecora was also chosen-
“Zecora?”
Trixie sighed, “Right, forgot to tell you, I recognized Assassin’s Master. She’s a zebra named Zecora who has caused me and my friends no shortage of headaches. She’s a minion of Corona.”
“Celes-“ Sungleam began to correct and Trixie rounded on the unicorn knight.
“Look blast you her name is Corona, whether you like it or not! She’s not the Princess you served! She’s an insane, violent, and dangerous alicorn with not a shred of whatever nobility she supposedly had in your time! When she returned she foalnapped almost all of Ponyville’s foals and threatened them with death if her mad demands for obedience were not met! Her only desire is to control Equestria as her personal play thing and doesn’t care who she hurts to achieve that!”
Sungleam’s jaw was clenched tightly at Trixie’s outburst, blue eyes narrowed, “Master, out of respect for the pact between us and our mutual goal of winning the Grail War I will ignore the insults you sling against my Princess, and I will keep my peace for now so we may focus on the matter at hoof…but you cannot convince me that there is nothing of my Princess left in this ‘Corona’ you speak of. The Celestia I knew held a will inside her stronger than any I’ve ever known and her kindness was such that she even saw fit to forgive…” she trailed off, shaking her head, “It matters not. I will not abandon my faith in her. Whatever darkness has cloaked her mind, it is but a shadow to be cleared. Beneath those dark clouds, I swear to you, the sun shall shine again.”
Trixie sighed, figuring that was the best she was going to get out of Sungleam for now. They’d just reached the outskirts of Ponyville when a jasmine form slammed into the road before them, panting heavily.
“Raindrops?” Trixie asked.
“Where have you been!? I’ve been trying to find you all morning since you got nabbed by…” Raindrops paused, looking at Sungleam, eyes narrowing dangerously, “By this unicorn. Are you all right Trixie…Whatthe!? You’re bleeding!? What did she do to you!?”
Raindrops looked ready to pounce on Sungleam, but Trixie stepped between them. The pain in her leg had become a dull ache by now and she put on as reassuring a smile as she could manage, “Its okay Raindrops. I’ll…explain everything on the way to the hospital. First though, where is everypony else? Is Ditzy okay? And that griffin…is it still in town?”
Raindrops hardly seemed relaxed by Trixie’s assurance that Sungleam wasn’t a threat, giving the gold clad unicorn mare a suspicious stare before answering Trixie’s questions.
“Ditzy’s fine, far as I can tell. She’s at her home. Yuri, uh, that’s what they’re calling the griffin, is just sort of…hanging around her. Its creepy. As for everypony else; Carrot Top was cleaning up her stall last I saw, Lyra’s with Bon Bon helping me look for you, and Cheerilee was helping Ivory Scroll keep Ponyville calm until we could get some kind of official word on what’s happening…” Raindrops paused, then sighed, “So what’s happening?”
Trixie gave Sungleam a sidelong glance, which her Servant returned with a small elegant shrug.
“I doubt I could get through explaining this twice without suffering some kind of mental damage, so let’s get our friends together, preferably at the hospital, and after the exceedingly painful laceration on my leg and flank are treated, I’ll try to bring everypony up to speed. Assuming a giant flaming griffin doesn’t try to kill me first.”
“If that barbaric cur tries anything I swear on the sun itself he shall nary lay a claw upon you,” said Sungleam with confidence.
Raindrops raised an eyebrow, “Is she for real?”
Sungleam snorted as Trixie said, “She is. Obsession with Corona aside she’s saved my life once already, and seems to be my…proxy, I guess, for this fight that’s started.”
“Why are you suddenly involved in this though? And Ditzy too?”
“Like I said, I’ll explain everything I know at the hospital. Now let’s get going before-“
A predator shriek cut through the air, making Trixie wince and Raindrops to flutter her wings as she took to the air. Sungleam drew her blade in her field of magic and took on a hard look.
“I told you Master that coming near to the town would only aggravate Berserker. A battle is all but unavoidable where his class is concerned; nothing but bestial instinct and rage drives him. You should find somewhere to hide until I’ve dealt with the brute!”
Trixie groaned, “You two are not fighting in Ponyville! Ugh…if we can’t get to the hospital we need to at least get to my house before getting out of here.”
“You’re home? Why? Is there something of key strategic or tactical importance there, Master?” asked Sungleam.
Trixie nodded, “Yes, there is something there that’s absolutely critical to my ability to deal with this situation!”
Raindrops had a deadpan expression on her face as she said, “You’re going after your alcohol aren’t you?”
“…How did you guess?”
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Ditzy Doo didn’t know why she felt so tired, given she’d gotten plenty of sleep the previous night. Maybe the excitement of events plus the mental stress of worrying about what might be happening to Trixie right now was draining her of her usual energy. While baking muffins with Dinky had been a calming and joyful way to spend the morning Ditzy couldn’t help but keep casting glances at the odd blood red markings covering her wing. They certainly looked off putting, like twisting vines, wrapped in three distinct clusters extending from the base of her wing all the way to the tip. She could almost feel a…pulse, faint but resonant, stemming from the markings. To worry about things that couldn’t be changed wasn’t Ditzy Doo’s style, but these markings, and what they might mean, worried her.
It was hard to stay worried though, when she was spending time with her daughter. Dinky Doo was practicing her levitation magic with one of the banana nut muffins sitting on their small dining table, still fresh baked. Ditzy watched while happily munching a muffin of her own as Dinky’s eyes squinted in concentration on the muffin floating before her as it inched towards her eagerly awaiting mouth. The little unicorn filly almost had her delicious prize in range for optimal eating operations when a loud screech from outside the door broke her concentration, causing the muffin to drop to the ground and Ditzy to fly up in a start, nearly bumping her head on the ceiling.
“Aawwww,” Dinky cried in disappointment, then quickly snatched up the muffin anyway declaring “Ten second rule!”
Ditzy was too startled by the eagle-like shriek to even admonish Dinky for eating something off the ground (though Ditzy couldn’t deny she’d occasionally used the ‘ten second’ rule herself, especially when it came to muffins). She flew over to the window and looked out, pressing one eye practically against the glass.
Yuri had been, last she seen, simply laying curled beside her front door like some massive feathered guard dog. Now the goliath of a griffin was up on his clawed feet, wings flared, those massive and ornate gauntlets on his fore arms already emanating a intense orange glow. His eyes were glowing orbs of angry fire orange and were glaring off at something in the distance that Ditzy couldn’t see from her angle. Yuri was already flapping his massive wings and taking to the air and Ditzy found herself quickly flying herself towards the door, quickly saying to Dinky, “Stay inside muffin! Mommy has to take care of something!”
“Mommy? Is our big bird friend angry at something?”
“I don’t know sweetie, just stay in the house. I’ll be right back!”
Flying out her door Ditzy was just in time to see Yuri accelerating up into the air and start hurtling towards the edge of town at an alarmingly fast speed for his size. Ditzy was hardly the fastest pegasus in Ponyville, though she had a good amount of endurance due to the long hours she worked as a mailmare. As such she had to flap her wings doubly fast just to keep Yuri in view, let alone catch up to him. She gulped in panting breaths of air as her heart did its best impression of a hyperactive tap-dancer in her chest. She couldn’t let him hurt anypony!
They were just at the edge of Ponyville when she saw Yuri suddenly go into a steep dive, wings snapping against his side, gauntleted claws outstretched as he let out another terrifyingly sharp cry that hurt Ditzy’s ears. To her horror she saw that what Yuri was diving towards were her own friends, Trixie and Raindrops, who were talking into town alongside that strange golden clad unicorn who’d appeared alongside Yuri before. The unicorn already had her crystalline blade drawn and was poised in a fighting stance, ready to receive Yuri’s dive, while Trixie was diving for a nearby bush, Raindrops looking ready to jump between Trixie and the griffin if need be.
“Stop it!” Ditzy yelled, also diving, however impossible it would seem that she’d intercept in time.
The mare in gold armor waited until the last moment, until it seemed she was sure Yuri’s target was indeed her, before deftly leaping to the side as the huge griffin slammed down with both gauntlets on the ground she’d just occupied. A shower of dirt exploded into the air from the impact, leaving a small crater in the ground. Raindrops was thrown back by the force, though she was on her hooves again in an instant.
“Great, here we go again,” she muttered, looking at the bush next to her, “Trixie, you okay?”
Trixie’s head and hat poked out of the top of the bush, “Well I’m injured and still sober, so we’re going to go with ‘not really’.”
Yuri shook himself, dirt that had cascade down on him from the impact crater he’d made coming off him like a shower as he fixed his glare upon the waiting Sungleam, issuing forth a low rumbling growl that carried the promise of excessive violence. Sungleam faced the griffin which outsized her two times over with head held high and her own eyes flashing in challenge.
Just as the two burst forward to meet each other a gray form landed between them, hoof outstretched and crying at the top of her lungs, “Waaaaait!”
Firey gauntlet halted in mid-air just inches from Ditzy Doo, and similarly Sungleam’s clear blade paused in mid-swing less than a hoof’s length away from the mailmare. Yuri was paused like a puppet whose puppeteer had forgotten what the next part of the performance was, the griffin looking down at the little gray pegasus with heavy, growling breaths.
Sungleam had her eyes boring into the griffin still, her entire body still tensed to strike.
“Ummm…Y-Yuri, no fighting, understand?” said Ditzy, nervously at first, her legs feeling weak, but she managed to put more strength into her voice as she noticed that the griffin was giving her his undivided attention, “Going around attacking poor ponies for no reason is not how a guest in Ponyville acts mister! So…so, uh, you’d just better calm down, or I’ll give you the sternest talking-to you’ve ever had!”
The griffin blinked, blazing eyes staring straight into Ditzy’s and she gulped, but matched Yuri’s smoldering fury with her own determined gaze. Yuri shrieked in her face, blowing her mane back and causing her lips to flap about under the volume, but the griffin lowered his gauntlet and sat back on his haunches. Ditzy had to take a moment, heart still hammering in fear, to realize the monstrously huge griffin had backed down.
The unicorn mare didn’t become any less tense, however, keeping her sword drawn and floating by her side.
Trixie was the first to speak in the following silence, “Okay, so, Ditzy, good job there. Sungleam, I think you can put away your sword for now. Don’t want to make the very large and aggressive predatory half bird half lion any more agitated, yes?”
Sungleam hesitated only a moment before sheathing her sword with a huff, “This is most…unpleasant a situation. By rights I should not have a reason to hold back in dealing with this barbarian.”
“Hold back?” Ditzy said confused, and feeling an odd anger sparking in her that she didn’t like the feel of, “Hold back!? You shouldn’t even consider fighting at all! This is a peaceful town of good ponies, not some battleground for…for…whatever dumb reason your fighting over is! My friend Carrot Top had her food stall ruined by you two, and the town hall is a mess! What possible reason do you have to try and fight each other anyway?”
“Ditzy, I can explain, but…um, could really use alcohol, medical attention, and everypony else present for the exposition dump,” said Trixie, clambering out of the bush, limping slightly as her leaping in there in the first place had aggravated the wound on her leg.
Ditzy found herself rounding on Trixie, almost ready to yell at her too, before she stopped herself, blinking her walled eyes in confusion. Why was so suddenly so angry? Admittedly it’d been a very odd and stressful morning, but…this kind of snappish anger wasn’t her. Embarrassed she softened her expression and her tone.
“O…okay, I can go get the others and meet you at the hospital,” she looked up at Yuri, “Are you going to behave mister?”
The griffin growled what might’ve been an accent, but it was hard to tell. He wasn’t making any further aggressive moves but his black feathers were practically brislting with barely restrained violence. Ditzy could almost imagine being able to taste the rage boiling inside him, felt its rumble in her own heart like it was her own. She shook her head. She must be more tired than she thought.
----------
Later at the Ponyville General Hospital Trixie was resting in a medical bed, the cut on her flank from Commander Hurricane’s spear and the stab wound from that dagger of Assassin’s both bandaged up. She wanted to have a bottle of brandy or bourbon on hoof, but the doctor had steadfastly refused to allow it, to which Trixie sulked, hooves crossed over her chest.
Around her were her dear friends, her fellow bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Raindrops was near the bed, not at all being subtle about the fact that she was placing herself between Trixie and the door, as outside Yuri was curled up in the hallway, having followed Ditzy like a dutiful trained guard. Cheerilee was giving Sungleam curious looks from across the room where she stood by the widow, while Sungleam herself was flanking Trixie’s bed with Raindrops. Carrot Top sat in a guest chair by the door, fidgeting nervously as she looked between Trixie and Ditzy. Ditzy was also close to the door, just so she could keep an eye on Yuri. Finally Lyra was leaning against the foot of Trixie’s bed, by far the most energetic and optimistic looking of the bunch in the room.
Trixie had just finished her explanation of the Grail War, at least in as much as Sungleam had explained it to her. Most of her friends were stunned into silence, or in Ditzy’s case filled with no small amount of nervousness. Trixie sympathized, as she was less than thrilled with the circumstances as well.
Lyra was the only one who seemed upbeat about the whole thing.
“So we literally have figures from history made flesh walking around, poised to get locked in epic battle with each other for control of some stupid-powerful wish granting artifact? Seriously if ponies lives weren’t in danger my little inner bard would be doing cartwheels right now.”
“This is serious Lyra,” Raindrops said, “Trixie and Ditzy shouldn’t have to be forced into this!”
“I know that. I’m not any happier than you are about my friends getting mixed up in this, but I can’t help it if I’m a smidge excited at the notion that mythic figures I’ve learned so many stories about are actually going to be fighting each other in the flesh. Seriously I had debates in college about who would win a fight, Starswirl the Bearded or Red Magician. I wonder who else is going to show up! There’s seven Servants total, right?”
“That’s what Sungleam said,” Trixie nodded.
“It’s true,” Sungleam confirmed, “Besides myself and Berserker there should be five other Servants.”
“But why Trixie and Ditzy?” asked Carrot Top, “Raindrops has a point, why are they being forced to fight as these…Masters?”
“Yes,” said Trixie, “I tried to ask that before, but you never did give me an answer.”
Sungleam looked at the other ponies in the room with an air of calm as she said, “I was given knowledge of the Grail War’s structure and rules, of the history of this time and its culture, but the reasons behind the choosing of the Masters is not among that collection of knowledge. All I know is that it was the Grail itself that chose you, Trixie Lulamoon, and you Ditzy Doo. Specifically. No Master is chosen at random. But the reasons, I must confess, I simply don’t know.”
“Well that’s an ominous thought isn’t it?” commented Cheerilee, “Makes one think this Grail may well have a nefarious purpose behind the ponies it chose. It can’t be coincidence that three of these seven Masters just happened to be living here in Ponyville, after all.”
“So is there any way for them to back out of this?” asked Raindrops, concern mixed with hope in her voice, “Can Trixie and Ditzy just throw in the towel if they don’t want to fight?”
There was a hesitant pause from Sungleam before she said, “If they truly desired to…surrender, then truthfully all they would need to do is use one of their Command Seals to order their Servants to take their own lives.”
That left a heavy, cold silence in the room for a few seconds before Ditzy said, “I…couldn’t do that. I’d never do that.”
Trixie could only nod in agreement, “That’d leave a poor taste in my mouth as well. Besides all doing that would accomplish is make it easier for any of the other Masters to win the Grail. Not sure I’m at all comfortable with the notion of some pony I don’t know getting their hooves on a limitless wish.”
“Lyra, you’re the mythical lore expert around here,” said Carrot Top, “Has there ever been any hint or mention of this Grail in history?”
The mint unicorn shook her head briskly, “None. Not like what’s been described anyway. Sure there are a few tales and stories that involve magical chalices’ or goblets, but nothing even remotely close to an artifact that can bring back ancient heroes and grants wishes.”
Trixie wasn’t surprised by that. From what Sungleam had explained this Grail was so old that it likely predated written records, and she didn’t imagine either Princess Luna, or Celestia back when she was even remotely sane, would want to encourage any tales told of what essentially constituted a failed experiment.
“All of this conversation aside,” said Sungleam, “We should be preparing for our next move, Master. We know Assassin is in the area, but I can’t pinpoint his location due to his ability to conceal his mana. However, there are still two other Servants in the vicinity that we can deal with in the meantime!”
Trixie frowned, “We’re not fighting…uh…Yuri, was it?”
Ditzy nodded solemly, giving Sungleam a wary look, “That’s what Lyra called him.”
“Well, he’s wearing armor that matches descriptions for the last Emperor of all the Griffs, so I just called it as I saw it.”
Sungleam looked towards the wall of the room, as if she could see through it to the huge griffin laying in the hallway beyond, “So that is who he is? I confess I know little of the details of his reign, other than it was not a pleasant regime. Tell me, noble bard, what do the legends say of him?”
Lyra blinked at the mare, “Uh, well, he-“
She was suddenly cut off by Trixie, “Lyra, you don’t have to answer that. Sungleam, we’re not fighting the griffin. Period.”
“Master I must protest. He is an enemy. The fact that his Master is a friend of yours does not change that. In fact, if you are so concerned with your friend not participating further in the Grail War does it not make sense to eliminate her Servant first and take her out of the running, as it were?”
“Hate to say it,” Raindrops spoke up, “But she’s got a point. Ditzy doesn’t belong mixed up in something like this, and it doesn’t sound like the Masters have to…to die in this war, just the Servants. So maybe-“
“Who says I don’t want to fight?” said Ditzy suddenly, an odd sharp heat entering her tone as she looked at Raindrops.
The other pegasus looked at Ditzy in surprise, a small flash of shock in her eyes, “I-, well, I mean Ditzy…you don’t want to do this do you!? What if something happened to you? What about your daughter?”
“You think I don’t know what I’d be risking? I know. Nothing is more important to me than Dinky. Nothing…” Ditzy said, not entirely sure why she was so heated up but it was there, a burning little fire in her gut at the mention of just…quitting the Grail War. Ditzy tried to lock down that feeling, figure out why it was there. Why was she suddenly so hot to participate in this war?
…Dinky. Ditzy blinked, realizing that the moment she’d heard just what the Grail could give to the winner of the war, Ditzy had found she had a strong desire to see this through to the end. Because with any wish at her disposal she could give Dinky so much more than she currently had. It wasn’t that Ditzy was dissatisfied with her life…but she knew her daughter deserved so much more than what the hard working mailmare could currently give. To have a chance at acquiring any wish, was Ditzy now willing to risk her life in this bizarre war?
There was more to it than that though. No amount of possible future financial security for her and Dinky would warrant possibly leaving Dinky an orphan if the worst came to pass. Something else drove Ditzy’s desire to fight, and she thought it had to do with Yuri. For all his seemingly mindless fury Ditzy sensed a…a near overwhelming sadness emanating from the black feathered griffin.
Ditzy looked at Sungleam, avoiding Raindrop’s worried gaze, “You said the Grail can grant any wish, right? So that means you Servants also have a wish that you want the Grail to fulfill, right?”
“…That’s correct. No Heroic Spirit would be summoned who didn’t have a strong desire for a wish to be granted.”
“So Yuri has something he desperately wants the Grail to give him then. And unlike any other Servant he’s…he’s not even able to tell us what it is he wants. He’s just lost in his anger, and I’m the only one who can help him.”
“Ditzy…” Trixie began but Ditzy raised a hoof.
“I’m sorry Trixie. I don’t want to hurt anypony. Never that. But there’s no rule that says I have to hurt anypony in this Grail War besides the other Servants, who are all fighting by choice. So I…I want to help Yuri win. I’m not backing out of this.”
Trixie considered this, looking at her hooves crossed in front of her as she was lost in thought. Before she could really get her thoughts organized Cheerilee spoke up.
“Think we’re getting too gloomy in here,” said the magenta earth pony with a firm stomp of a hoof, “I think this calls for some lunch! Not hospital food either, I’ll go get something and bring it back here. Any requests? I’m buying.”
“Could go for some sweet tarts from Sugar Cube Corner,” said Carrot Top, then hastily added at a look from Lyra, “Or something from Bon Bon’s place.”
“More in the mood for some hay fries,” Trixie said, realizing that breakfast had been skipped over.
“My knowledge of this era states that there is something called a ‘hay milkshake’ that I am curious to try,” said Sungleam, earning a few looks towards the mare, whose white coat tinged a tad red as she added, “We did not have such things in my time…”
Cheerilee smiled, “Oh, you’ll love them. Alright, let me get something to write on and I’ll just take down everypony’s orders-“
She was interrupted by a cracking peal of thunder from outside, loud enough to rattle the windows. Trixie stared in muted surprise at the sight of sudden heavy falling rain from outside the window, and Raindrops went over and looked out. Trixie saw her pegasus friend mouthing an expletive query under her breath.
Sungleam’s expression had instantly turned steely and a low growl from the hallway indicated Yuri was agitated as well.
“Raindrops, what is it?” asked Trixie.
“A storm,” Raindrops replied with a heavy frown, “But its concentrated in one area, like somepony’s got a full weather team creating the thing. Pretty sure we don’t got this scheduled for today though…so I’m guessing that means…”
“A Servant,” Trixie said dryly, “And with a flashy storm like that I give you three guesses as to whose making it. Commander Hurricane is either calling us out, or Rainbow Dash has convinced him to take over her job as weather manager.”
“Wouldn’t put it past her if she had,” said Raindrops sardonically, though her tone softened as she wondered, “But I don’t think she’s keen on this fight either. She was trying to protect Ponyville before…and that storm, its localized real close to Fluttershy’s house. I can’t see Rainbow Dash being hot for a fight if her friend is close by.”
“Well whatever the case, it’s clear Hurricane’s doing something,” said Trixie, trying to decide what an ancient pegasus military leader would be trying to do by forming a big storm on the edge of Ponyville.
“Calling us to battle,” Sungleam said, and was already heading for the door out as she said it.
Trixie grunting a little as she hopped out of bed to follow, “Wait, you’re not going to just charge in there are you?”
“This is clearly a challenge!” said Sungleam, “As a knight how could I refuse such an obvious and direct declaration of intent? Are we to while away our time snacking and chatting while a battle awaits us?”
“You were all hot to have a milkshake two seconds ago,” said Raindrops, “Besides isn’t Trixie your Master? Don’t you have to do what she says?”
The golden clad mare tossed her head, a few of strands of her blonde mane coming loose of her otherwise neat bun, “Her role as my Master isn’t to simply give me orders! She is a…a…partner, of sorts. A comrade. And comrades should support each other in battle, not hold one another back! I cannot win this Grail War if my Master doesn’t seek battle!”
“If we have to fight, that’s one thing, but walking into an possible trap with no idea of a plan is a level of stupidity I’m not keen on ‘supporting’,” said Trixie as she took off the hospital gown and started to float on her cape and hat, which had been sitting on a table by the bed.
A screech from the hallway followed by the sound of a door being torn off its hinges caused Ditzy to shudder and look out into the hallway, the gray pegasus shouting, “Yuri! Wait!”
Sungleam glanced at Ditzy, then turned to Trixie, “What will it be, my Master? If you insist on waiting, I shall wait, much as I detest the notion of not answering a challenge. However Berserker will not allow any such challenge to pass, and I doubt even your kind friend will be able to stop him this time. You may let her and her Servant battle alone…or you can send me to aid them.”
“Weren’t you just talking about fighting Yuri a second ago?” asked Lyra.
“Eventually I will have to cross blades with all of the enemy Servants, to guarantee victory for me and my Master,” said Sungleam with steel in her voice, “But I can accept a temporary alliance if it puts my Master’s mind at ease somewhat.”
There was a moment of tension as all the ponies looked to Trixie, save for Ditzy who was standing out in the hallway, hesitating between wanting to stay with her friends, or chase after the large enraged griffin she was starting to feel truly needed the help and kindness of somepony like her to guide him. Trixie felt all those eyes on her, looking between her friends. She saw no lack of nervousness and fear mixed in among them, and shared those same feelings. They’d faced the wrath of Corona together, however. How much worse could this Grail War be?
“Cheerilee, Carrot Top, I want you two to gather up the Elements of Harmony. I have no idea what they may or may not do if we have to try using them, but they’re the only ace up our sleeves we have right now.”
“Elements of Harmony…” Sungleam frowned, “What purpose could those serve?”
“Well, last time they did mare-smack a crazy sun goddess so hard that it turned her mane pink,” mentioned Cheerilee.
“I would feel better if we had them,” said Carrot Top, “It’s not like I can do much else to help.”
Raindrops bumped the earth pony mare with a hoof, “Hey, don’t shortchange yourself, we can all help Trixie and Ditzy win this thing, somehow.”
Carrot Top smiled wanly, but nodded, “I know. Just not sure how I’m going to help yet.”
“For now just help Cheerliee get the Elements,” said Trixie, “Raindrops, Lyra, you’ll come with me and Ditzy.”
Lyra nodded, and Raindrops rubbed her hooves together.
“Oh yes, I’m looking forward to getting back at that jerk Hurricane for trying to hurt you and Ditzy!”
“Not that I’m complaining Trixie, but what do you need me there for?” asked Lyra, “I’ll go of course, but I’m worried about Bon Bon.”
“You’re the only one here besides Cheerilee who has a background in history,” said Trixie, “And you’re more knowledgeable about the kind of ponies we’re dealing with. Myths and legends and all that. If Commander Hurricane has a weakness to exploit, you’re likely to know what it is. At the very least you might know what his strengths are, what tactics he was known to use, or what powers he might have. Like this storm, any idea what’s up with that?”
“He’s a pegasus, so it might just be he’s skilled in weather control,” said Lyra with a pondering expression, “Just, you know, amped up by being a Servant. Um, that is how Servants work, right?”
Sungleam, clearly impatient from the way she was stamping at the ground with her hooves, nodded curtly at the bard, “Yes, more or less. Our powers are…exaggerated and enhanced from what they were in mortal life. Hurricane may well be making this storm under his own power without having to use his Noble Phantasm.”
“Do we have to keep talking about all this!?” Ditzy said, wings flapping, eyes a tad bloodshot even as one of them was sliding up to look at the ceiling, “Can we go now?”
Trixie looked at her friend, surprised at the anger in the gray pegasus mare’s voice. She almost sounded like Raindrops when she got in a bad mood. Ditzy’s whole frame was shaking, and it didn’t seem to be from fear or nervousness, and Trixie could see Ditzy was barely controlling herself. What was going on? Ditzy almost seemed to be in pain.
“Ditzy, are you alright?”
“I will be as soon as we leave to go help Yuri. He’s all alone right now. I’m going now, even if none of you are following,” with that Ditzy was off, passing by a very confused looking doctor and a few scared nurses that had come to see what the commotion was about.
The doctor entered the room, nervously looking around, eyes lingering on Sungleam’s armored form for a moment before he looked to Trixie.
“M-Miss Lulamoon? I was just coming to see that your injuries were taking to the treatment well…um…and to inform you that mayor Ivory Scroll wishes to speak with you concerning…events…”
“Tell her she’ll have to wait for a full explanation. I have pressing matters to tend to,” Trixie said as she trotted by, “Also, tell her to keep all of Ponyville’s citizens indoors, unless they’re one of the Element bearers, in which case they’re acting on my instructions as the Night Court’s Representative.”
“Miss Lulamoon I can’t recommend your release from the hospital until I can be sure your injuries are-“
Sungleam cut him off, “Your concern is unneeded, good healer. The battlefield calls to us and we cannot ignore its clarion ring to glory!”
The doctor just starred at her in dumbfounded shock as Trixie gave him an apologetic nod and strode out, Sungleam following. Trixie’s friends weren’t far behind, Cheerilee smiling to the doctor, “Just shaping into one of those days, isn’t it?”
----------
Rainbow Dash was not a happy mare, and wasn’t making any secret of it, shouting even over the sound of the rain and thunder.
“I told you that if we had to do this, to do it somewhere else! Fluttershy hate’s thunder! Quite frankly I’m not fond of it either!”
She was managing to keep pace with Commander Hurricane amid the fierce weather, still having a hard believing one pegasus had managed to create such a storm so quickly. It wasn’t simply weather control, though, near as Rainbow could tell. This had something to do with that flag, the one Hurricane had called the Banner of Pegasopolis. Hurricane had planted the banner in the ground just outside Fluttershy’s house, having said something about it being able to ‘recreate past battlefield conditions’, whatever that was supposed to mean. Half of what this crazy stallion jabbered about made no sense to the cyan weather manager of Ponyville.
Rainbow kicked herself mentally for the dozenth time for even bringing Commander Hurricane to Fluttershy’s place. Rainbow had just been worried about her friend, and had wanted somepony to talk to about all this crazy stuff that was happening. She’d tried to insist Hurricane stay outside, but the brash pegasus had marched right into Fluttershy’s house when the reclusive mare had barely opened the door.
Rainbow Dash had had to forcibly drag him out while Fluttershy had had a panic attack thinking somepony was trying to rob her.
“Stop complaining Private Dash, this is fundamental psychological reinforcement! A solider always fights better when defending home ground! Your friend will be fine, as long as we win, see? Doesn’t having the very sanctity of hearth and home on the line ignite a fire in your heart to drive the enemy from your land!? Of course it does! Every red blooded pegasus is born with the instincts of a warrior! Even that little pink manned waif of a mare has the heritage of Pegasopolis buried somewhere inside her.”
“Buddy, I’m am this close to knocking your block off myself! I will if you dis my girl Fluttershy again! Besides why are we trying to draw those other Servants here anyway!? I thought you were all about ‘tactics and ‘strategy’ and ‘blah blah blah’?”
“This is my strategy Private!” Hurricane said, doing one more loop through the gathered storm clouds, forming them into a thick sheet of black lightning heavy clouds. He ran a hoof over his mohawk and gave a satisfied nod, “You see Private Dash, drawing the enemy to fight on ground you’ve prepared yourself to grant you maximum advantage is a fundamental of tactics! As for the grander strategy…well I won’t try to overload your young mind with the nuisances just yet. Suffice to say I know what I’m doing. This shall be just like the routing of the earth pony barbarians at the Battle of Black Fords!”
With that Hurricane flew down and landed in front of Fluttershy’s house, the heavy rain already overflowing the small stream that passed by the animal caretaker’s abode. Rainbow Dash landed right next to him, her face still a mirrored visage of the storm breaking above them. Hurricane all but ignored her glaring as he retrieved his spear with the banner flapping attached to it. Rainbow Dash noticed the banner had a faint white glow about it.
“What is that thing doing anyway?” she asked, still glaring.
“All of my past glories, all of my victories, and even some of my more noble defeats, were witnessed by this one banner, Private Dash,” Commander Hurricane said with fondness as he held the banner and spear aloft, “Those battlefields are forever etched into the banner’s memory. It holds the power to draw out the conditions of those battlefields and force them into this world, like a spear piercing into a body! This storm is the same storm that aided my army in routing Chief Quakehoof and his barbarian horde hundreds of years ago! It will help us now in battling the Servants that are no doubt on their way as we speak.”
Rainbow Dash snorted, “I don’t get it, and I still don’t get why we have to fight here, right in Fluttershy’s front yard!”
Rainbow cast a worried look at the house, its lights out, its front door locked tight. She knew Fluttershy was still in there, no doubt huddled under the biggest table she could find. It enraged Rainbow, thinking her friend had to go through this because of this hard headed stallion. Thing was though, she sort of understood that this was the point. Hurricane wanted her pissed, so she’d fight all the harder against the enemy.
It’d help, though, if Rainbow understood what this Grail War was really about. She didn’t understand anything Commander Hurricane had tried to explain about the artifact and its ability to grant wishes. Rainbow Dash didn’t want any wish granted. Why wasn’t the Princess doing anything about this anyway? Shouldn’t this be the kind of thing Princess Luna should step in and stop? It was a lot for her to take in and she just wanted to go back to taking a nap and worrying about next week’s weather schedule.
“Aside from the benefit of providing a incentive for your increased performance the topography is also to our advantage,” explained Hurricane, “This marshy area is easily flooded, and any land bound enemy will have their mobility reduced. There’s an easy route of retreat to the nearby Everfree Forest if things go poorly, and since you raised such a stink over fighting in town it has the benefit of being far enough away that worrying about civilian casualties is limited.”
“Except for Fluttershy!”
“I said limited, not gone. Remember Private Dash, incentive to fight hard. Ah, and here comes the enemy vanguard now!”
Rainbow Dash turned and looked, squinting through the thick rain. In the air, approaching fast, was a black and red figure, sporting a large wingspan. She recognized it quickly as the same huge dark griffin that she’d seen in Ponyville. She grit her teeth. That monster…she couldn’t let it anywhere near Fluttershy. She found herself growling under her breath, tensing her legs and flexing her wings.
Next to her Commander Hurricane grinned widely and brandished his spear, “That’s the spirit Private Dash! Now then, let’s go meet the charge! To battle, to the glory of Pegasopolis!”
“Stuff it, old man! I’m not doing this for glory…”
Though she couldn’t deny, even in her anger, something inside her felt…thrilled. This was going to be more intense than any race she’d ever participated in.
And unbeknownst to either pegasus or the approaching griffin, there was a shadowy, headless form in the shadows of the nearby tree line, watching the proceedings with keen interest alongside a equally well hidden zebra.
----------
Canterlot was a city in a state of partially subdued panic. Many of its citizens were eager to know what mystical event had occurred in their fair city that morning and were nervous beyond measure at the very limited information released from the palace. The Princess of the Night, Luna Equestris, had stated that the phenomenon seen that morning was the result of a magical ritual she had participated in and that its enacting was in no way a threat to the safety of Equestria. She failed to specific what the ritual was, or what it had been for, however, so speculations ran rampant.
Most of Canterlot was trying to go about its daily business, though the air was thick with tension.
So there were a few citizens out in their posh high society clothes to witness the sudden violet flash of light as two unicorns appeared on one of Canterlot’s many streets. One was a purple unicorn mare whose form was partially covered by a dirty brown cloak that obscured her cutie mark and most of her her mane, save a few dark violet and pink streaked tresses. The other was an elderly bearded gray unicorn stallion who would have looked sage and wise if not for his outfit, the magician’s hat and cloak bedeck in bells.
Twilight Sparkle looked about quickly, gasping that she’d missed her target.
“Oh no, this isn’t the Royal Library! It’s been so long I must have missed too much detail for the spell to take us there directly. How could I screw up a teleportation spell so badly?”
“Its nothing to beat yourself up over my dear Twilight,” said Starswirl kindly, “It is truly amazing you managed such a long distance teleport with even this degree of accuracy. I’ll admit I was almost worried we might end up spliced into a tree.”
“Yes, being a tree would be bad,” said Twilight, examining their surroundings, checking the street signs, and ignoring the Canterlot citizens giving them weird looks, “I think we’re not too far off though. Hm, I was hoping just to make this quick. Walking around Canterlot is not the best idea for me at the moment.”
“Truly? I was rather hoping we could take some time to see the sights. It’s been a long time since I was last able to enjoy the feeling of a bustling city.”
“But don’t you already have knowledge of this era ingrained in your mind from the Grail?” asked Twilight as they began to trot quickly down the road.
“My dear Twilight, second-hoof knowledge is no substitute for the actual experience,” said Starswirl with a small, gentle smile, “Merely reading about a city tells you nothing more than dry facts. You have to walk its streets, smell its smells, taste its foods, speak with its ponies, to truly know it. This is applicable to all magic as well.”
Twilight quirked an eyebrow, cocking her head as her mind processed this. She didn’t want to call out her Servant on being vague, but to her the advice did sound…impractical.
“But you learn magic by reading books, I’m not sure how that can be considered ‘second-hoof’ knowledge.”
“It is true that the theories of magic, its forms and methods, can be very thoroughly described and taught through the medium of the written word. In fact I’d say that is the best way to ensure the knowledge of magic is retained and taught through the ages. But reading of a spell is just the first step, my dear Twilight. Even performing the spell is but another step on a longer road to understanding it. Creating magic is…hm, how shall I put this? It is a living process.”
“Living process?”
“Quite so. Each creature grows as it lives and experiences new things, adding that experience to the whole of the world as it goes through all stages of life, and eventually has the final experience; that of death. Magic is very much the same. A spell is conceived inside you, given birth through your expression, grows through its application, and eventually dies as its purpose is fulfilled. Every time you cast a spell, even the same one, is a new life, a new form brought into the world. Knowing that spell, it is the process of feeing its life every time you cast your magic into the world. A living, breathing process that helps you grow as well as you go through your own cycle of life.”
It sounded all rather philosophical to Twilight, who while having a certain amount of respect for those intellectual pursuits, preferred the notion of solid, hard facts over such musings. She couldn’t entirely dismiss what Starswirl the Bearded was saying, however it might not quite make sense to her. After all, this was Starswirl the Bearded! He invented over three hundred spells over the course of his career and was the most prominent conjurer of his age. It was hard just to dismiss what he was saying as the ramblings of an old unicorn.
“I’ll…think about what you’ve said, but for now let’s just focus on getting to the Royal Library. Its dangerous for me to be here, but I think the risk will be worth it if we can find the spells I’m looking for.”
“You mentioned danger before, may I ask why coming here would be troublesome for you? I do not wish to pry, but I can’t help but notice,” Starswirl paused, and then nodded at her cloak, “Most unusual choice in garb, given the splendors of the city we’ve come to.”
“I…” Twilight, glanced around, making sure nopony was in earshot, “I’m…wanted.”
“Hm?”
“By the authorities.”
“…I see.”
“…”
“…”
“…You’re not going to ask why?”
“Do you wish to tell me?”
“Not…really…”
“Then I shall not ask.”
Twilight found herself saying softly, “Thank you.”
Starswirl smiled at her, “Think nothing of it my dear. I know well what it is like to have secrets. You need never fear my judgment, dear Twilight. Whatever you have done to warrant this trouble, I see in you a good and bright soul.”
Twilight chuckled slightly, shaking her head, “Its not like it was even my fault…well…mostly.”
Suddenly Starswirl halted, putting his hoof out, barring Twilight. She gave him an odd look. They’d reached a park that Twilight knew if they cut across they’d reach the gates of the Royal Library right next to the palace. The area was mostly empty, no parents out playing with their foals today, perhaps due to the mystical events of that morning causing most parents to want to keep their foals indoors. Twilight didn’t see anypony around, but Starswirl’s kindly demeanor had hardened to a stoic mask as he looked at the park with squinted eyes.
“Starswirl?”
“Stand back my dear…we are not alone here.”
Twilight was about to ask what when suddenly there was a twang in the air like a snapping string. Starswirl moved with speed his old frail form didn’t seem to allow, yet he was in front of her in an instant, his horn aglow with yellow light. In a split second a golden bowl-shaped shield sprang to being before them and Twilight saw a pink, glowing arrow snap off the shield. She hadn’t even seen where the arrow had come from!
“What’s happening Starswirl!?”
“It seems our arrival has not gone unnoticed,” Starswirl said as he extended his shield to cover them, his eyes casting about the park, “That attack was from a Servant, and I do not doubt from the form it has taken that we are dealing with a member of the Archer class. Prepare yourself young Twilight Sparkle, it seems our first battle is upon us far sooner than I would have preferred.”
Twilight merely nodded, gulping, but steeling herself, “I…I’m ready. What do I do?”
“Just keep your mind clear, so I may draw upon your mana if needed. Do not try anything without my say so. Please. Archer’s specialize in long range attacks. One mistake and you will be lost to me.”
As if to punctuate and emphasize his statement another pink arrow slammed into his shield, causing it to ripple for a second like water with a stone cast into it. Twilight blinked as she noticed an odd pink gas seeming to fill the air as the pink arrow shattered like glass upon impact. What was that? More importantly, where had it come from!? She couldn't see anypony around!
Starswirl sighed as the glow around his horn intensified, "We may be in for a rather difficult fight, my dear Twilight. But have faith. I shall not allow such a brilliant light such as yours fade away this day, or any other!"
Twilight could only nod her head, somehow...warmed by the fire appearing in Starswirl's eyes, the eyes of a much younger stallion than what she'd seen before.
----------
Greengrass was nestled in a comfortable perch on a balcony some distance from the park, but with an excellent view of not only the park but much of Canterlot’s main thoroughfares. He had a pair of small binoculars from which he could view events as they unfolded. Next to him Notary was holding her ear to a small glowing gem.
“She’s made contact with the Servant Master pair, sir,” Notary reported, and frowned “She’s engaged…without permission.”
“Yes, well, she’s an overeager sort, isn’t she?” said Greengrass, looking through the binoculars, wondering who the young mare in the brown cloak was, clearly the Master, and not the Servant, if judging by the way the old bearded unicorn was the one creating the shield, “Tell Viola that she is to test them, but keep things…clean for now. I want that Master positively identified, and quickly.”
“Yes sir,” Notary said and relayed the instructions through the gem to Viola. Greengrass didn’t hear the reply but judging from Notary’s grimace he imagined Viola was being as volatile towards his assistant as ever. He sighed, wondering why, if he was fated to be dragged into this most bizarre of battles, that he had to be saddled with such a difficult Servant. She’d made three more attempts to become…ugh..intimate with him before the morning alone was done. He’d only managed to get her out of his hair by convincing her to perform this preliminary search of Canterlot for other potential Masters and Servants. Seemed to make sense to make sure his own back yard was clear of weeds first, before moving on to anything else.
He was genuinely surprised when Viola had reported sensing a Servant’s presence. Apparently the Archer class was exceptionally good at such perceptive powers, and it was turning out to his advange. Perhaps he would be the one to draw first blood in this Grail War. While he had no interest in the nitty gritty violence that would ensue…he couldn’t deny that he liked the notion of winning. Indeed, having any wish he desired granted, that would certainly accelerate his timetable in regards to the Night Court.
“Let the game begin,” he said to himself as he continued to observe the park, licking his lips.