//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 – As Far From Normal // Story: Fate/Equestria Girls // by SamRose //------------------------------// Blood. There was so much blood everywhere. It was sprayed all over the walls and floor, as if forming millions of eyes that were boring into her. She could even feel it on her body, burning her skin where it touched. A young girl, no older than twelve was shaking. Her body was on fire, pain ripping apart her back and arms. She lifted her hands just enough to look at them, seeing the spattered blood that covered them. Her legs gave out, her body collapsing to the floor. She couldn't breathe, the pain and the fear were too much, it caught the air in her throat and refused to let it enter or leave. An object in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She slowly turned her head, unsure of what it was. Eyes stared back at her, boring into her. A familiar face, contorted, twisted, and discolored was on the floor looking at her. It was missing its body. It was her father. Her vision shattered, her mind broke. The air in her throat finally escaped and a scream pierced the air. The world around her tumbled and the pain tore through her anew. Her body revolted and tossed, before finally giving a solid impact as her eyes shot open. The view of a pristine white ceiling was the first thing she saw as her blurry vision came to her. She panted heavily, her chest rising and falling against the weight of the heavy blanket that covered her. She pulled her right arm out from under the covers and put it against her face, letting the cool morning air slowly calm her nerves. It was just a nightmare. A nightmare she’d been having ever since she was a child. She had broken free of it for at least two months now, but it finally showed up again to torment her. A nightmare of a past memory that would forever haunt her no matter how many years passed. With a groan of grogginess she began to sit up, placing weight on her left arm before hot knives rammed themselves up the length of her arm, burying themselves deep into her shoulder and causing her to collapse on the bed. She squeezed her left arm and sucked on her teeth as she suppressed a scream, her eyes tearing up. She begged for the pain to go away, the biting throb refusing to stop. She took deep, ragged breaths as she tried to calm her mind, to push away the pain assaulting her. After several agonizing minutes the pain began to calm, but not refusing to go away. It reduced itself to a manageable constant burn, but not a mind-numbing agony. It'd have to do until she got to her medicine. “God, when did I even last have a flare-up this bad...” Twilight hissed, rolling onto her right side before pushing herself up and into a sitting position. She rolled up her left sleeve to check her arm, to make sure there was no actual damage to her arm. Near her shoulder she spotted a reddish scrape that looked like she had grazed her skin, but there was no blackened or otherwise discolored skin, only the usual scarring around her shoulder. Despite the pain of the flare-up, no necrosis had started to set in, which meant that she was likely fine for another day. With a sigh of relief she reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her glasses, carefully placing them onto her face. The once blurry world quickly took shape and her vision was clear once more. The various colors of purple and pink decorated the room’s walls, with basic furniture milled about. An elaborate dresser for her clothes, several bookshelves containing her personal favorite literature, a stand for her TV, several smaller boxes containing various school and study supplies, and a messy desk that was covered in various gems and artifacts that she had been studying the night before. Keeping her left arm as motionless as possible, Twilight got up from her bed and headed over to her bathroom. Flicking the switch, light came to her rather spacious bathroom and with practiced hands she reached for her medicine cabinet. Several bottles lined the cabinet, so many different medications for the various health problems she'd had for so long. She grabbed several with familiar labels, before reaching out for the pain killers. She had a few kinds, at least two types of over the counter for various aches, and two very strong pain killers for when it got debilitating. She opted to grab the stronger one that wouldn't cause a drugged induced state, she still had school to go to after all. One by one Twilight put the various bottles in her mouth and gripped the cap with her teeth before twisting them open. Not the most sanitary way to do it, but it beat asking for help. She tapped out the prescribed amount from each and added the pain pills for her arm. She'd long since stopped paying attention to what the doctors were prescribing her, sometimes they helped and sometimes they made things worse. She just told them her side effects as things went and she focused on moving on with her life. Grabbing the small pile of pills she popped them into her mouth and gave a hard swallow. With practice most went down without a fight now. However, just to be certain she filled a small glass she'd left by the sink with water and followed the pills down with a drink of water. Satisfied that the pills had gone done safely, she reached for her her hairbrush and began her morning routine waiting for the pills to kick in. It was always harder to freshen up with only one good arm, but Twilight had dealt with it for so long that she was a pro at it by now, not to mention she'd become ambidextrous through it all. Though she wished she didn't have the pain flares at all, she had to admit that there was at least that one benefit to them. Or at least her psychiatrist would be happy that she was thinking that way. Despite her arm being out of commission she made decent progress. She brushed her unruly hair, cleaned her teeth, washed her face, properly deodorized, and was ready to get dressed. She had gotten into the habit of wearing button up shirts due to her arms and today was a day where she benefited from that. Undressing was a breeze and she already had her school outfit waiting for her. The only part that gave her trouble was her bra, it requiring her to move her left arm some and causing shooting pain to fill her side. She clenched her teeth and did her best to deal with it, before finally managing to get it on right. The shirt and skirt were easy enough, and the vest followed quickly. Tying her hair up or tying a bow-tie were tasks that required a second good arm, so they could wait till her pain killers had properly kicked in. With a quick look into her rooms body-length mirror, everything that she could handle appeared to be in order. She looked like just another school girl on her way to Crystal Prep Academy, if a little awkward and having a stiff arm. No one could see the scars that littered her back and shoulders, the result of a magic catastrophe in her youth. A result of her parents passing their magic down to her before she was ready for it. She was the last remaining member of the Sparkle family now. Despite what had happened it was her duty to continue studying her family's magic. If she didn’t, their magic would simply fade from existence, only to be remembered in the pages of history. With a reminiscent sigh, she turned from the mirror and headed for her door. Opening it revealed a lengthy hallway filled with many doors that led to empty rooms. Walking down the hallway her footsteps echoed on the wooden flooring, a constant reminder that she lived alone in a large mansion. Any room that was not in use had its furniture covered in tarps and was just waiting around for a day when they would be needed again. As she reached the stairs down to the second floor, the scent of cooked food wafted up to her nose. She could make out the scent of sugary pancakes and her stomach growled with need. Licking her lips she made her way downstairs, knowing that a familiar face was already getting breakfast ready in her kitchen. “Ah, good morning Twilight!” An older woman with dark magenta hair and pink skin said, happily turning from the pan of pancakes she was cooking. “Hope you slept well.” “Hey Cheerilee, my night was... Alright, I've had better.” Twilight shook her head, stepping over to the table and taking a seat. “Really, it was waking up that was awful. I'm having one of those mornings.” “I can tell.” Cheerilee flipped her pancake onto a plate, picking it up and walking over to put it in front of Twilight. The heavenly scent of fresh pancakes filled her nostrils and her stomach growled with a reminder of how hungry she was. “Once you've finished breakfast I'll fix your hair and bow-tie. Though I can’t stay too long, I’ve still got to prepare for class.” “Thank you.” Twilight sheepishly smiled before picking up her fork with her good hand and digging into the meal. The heavenly fluff of sugar hotcakes coated in syrup and butter was almost enough to make her forget about the searing pain in her arm. Almost. Twilight considered herself lucky to have Cheerilee in her life. While the older woman wasn't her guardian, she might as well have been considering how much she saw her actual guardian, though that was all for the better. She often came over to help Twilight in the mornings and evenings to make sure she was alright, that she had taken her medications on time, cooking meals for her, and making sure that on days like today she had extra hands around the house. Cheerilee doted on her like a mother, but she never felt imposing or judgmental. She seemed to instinctively know when Twilight needed space and when she needed someone there for her, even when Twilight didn't know which was the case. Cheerilee had been the daughter of a family friend growing up, though Twilight had never associated with her very much when they were growing up. However, once her parents had died Cheerilee had taken up part of that vacant void in Twilight's life and helped her grow up into the person she was today. The main problem though was that Cheerilee was not a Magus. Cheerilee's family was only friends with her parents out of convenience, not out of genuine friendship. That meant Cheerilee didn't know anything about magic, and one of the first things Twilight was taught when she began her magical training was that those without magic were not allowed to know unless they were being directly added to the family, and even then some Magi would never tell their significant others about magic if the other didn't possess any. The world of Magi was about ensuring that your magic would be passed on to your progeny, even if it meant staining your hands red. Preserving your magic was the only thing a Magi cared about, even if it meant risking the lives of your family. Twilight had seen this all first hand. It was why she kept quiet about her magical abilities to Cheerilee, she didn't want the wonderful woman who helped her every morning to ever step foot into that world. “Alright, let's go ahead and fix this up for you.” Cheerilee almost sang as Twilight felt her older woman's hands on her hair. Twilight couldn't help but quietly smile as she closed her eyes and let her hair be wrapped up into the usual bun she had it in. A few years ago when she was younger and still dealing with constant doctor visits and constant flare-ups, she felt humiliated and mortified to get this kind of help. But she knew Cheerilee meant no harm with it, wanting to help her out because she genuinely cared then because she felt pity or remorse for Twilight. There were still days that Twilight felt like a burden, but the more she did for herself the less she felt bad about leaning on Cheerilee on her off days. “Aaand perfect.” Cheerilee pronounced, a bun of purple hair now perfectly adorning Twilight's head. “Thanks...” Twilight gave an awkward grin before taking the last bite of her pancakes before pushing the plate away. “No need, I'm happy to help.” Cheerilee said walking to Twilight's side and knelt down, reaching out for the hanging bow strings. Twilight turned her body to give the older woman free access and the strings quickly began to be tied into a bow. “I need to start heading out to prep for class though, you going to be alright getting to school on your own?” “Mhm.” Twilight nodded with a smile, “I can feel the pills starting to kick in so my arm should be fine by the time I get to school.” “Glad to hear it.” Cheerilee smiled back before getting up, “And of course I'm always a phone call away if you need me. I'll see you at school Twilight.” She waved to the girl as she quickly made her way out of the kitchen. Twilight waved her out before she heard the front door open and close, signaling she was once more alone in the large empty house. Twilight let out a short sigh as she looked down at her left arm. She could feel the pills starting to kick in, but the flare-up that morning had been so bad there were still lingering claws digging into her arm and shoulder, making any slight movement to the side of her body made her want to collapse on the ground and stop moving for the rest of the day. There was no reason for her to just take the day off though. While it hadn't been this bad in a while, it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, and in a few hours the pain would subside anyway. If it didn't, then no amount of rest would help her and she'd likely have to be rushed to the hospital. Pushing that unpleasant thought of her head, she got up from her chair and quickly made her way back up to her room. She looked over her school supplies, making sure she had everything she needed, packing up any finished homework before zipping her bag up and slinging it over her good shoulder. With everything in order, she made her way back out, only to stop in front of a small picture that was framed on the edge of her desk. Pictured inside was a family of four, an older woman with white and violet hair in gray skin, an older male with dark blue hair and light blue skin, a younger boy with white skin and blue hair, and a much younger little girl with lavender skin and purple hair with pink streaks. “...I'm off to school mom and dad. I'll try and make you proud.” Twilight gave a sad smile at the picture, before making her way out of the house. The Sparkle family manor stood out in the neighborhood, the largest house around atop a hill giving it a scenic view over the city of Canterlot. The house was conveniently placed so that in a short walk one could make their way downtown or into the heart of the city. Even Crystal Prep Academy was within walking distance. It made life simple for her since learning to drive was likely out of the question for her, not when half of her body could potentially stop working mid-travel. A crisp autumn breeze blew by, reminding Twilight that the temperature was starting to drop and that she'd need to start dressing in warmer clothes soon. Adjusting the bag on her one shoulder, she began to make her way towards school. The road to school was a peacefully quiet one, one that rarely had pedestrians or cars going by. The few that did either were lost or on their way to some of the other opulent houses on the street, though none were quite as well off as the Sparkle family manor. She had never taken the time to get to know the neighbors, preferring to just stick to herself when possible. That morning was one of the rare oddities for Twilight as she noticed a girl about her age was walking in the opposite direction of her on the sidewalk. Blinking in surprise, Twilight had never seen the girl before as she drew closer. The girl had light purple hair with pale blue streaks going through it tied back in a ponytail and pale pink skin. She was wearing an open dark purple vest with a black shirt underneath, a matching purple skirt with a black edge that went halfway down her thighs, and black shoes with knee-high purple socks. She seemed to be walking with a confident smirk about her, a look that made Twilight feel a little unsettled. Making sure not to stare at the person walking by her, Twilight adjusted her movement to give the stranger some space as they drew closer to each other. Twilight wasn't sure why she felt so uneasy around this person, but she couldn't wait to get by them and continue on her way to school. The two passed each other, Twilight letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, before a voice spoke up. “You'd better summon one soon, or else you're going to die.” Chills of fear ran down Twilight's back as she quickly turned around to look at the girl that had spoken, only to see she was now gone. Twilight looked back and forth frantically, unsure now if what she had seen was some just some kind of hallucination, or if someone had actually been there. In the world of magi, either was a dangerous possibility. Gulping down some of her nerves, she channeled some magic into her magic circuits, wincing in pain as they coursed right through her flaring arm. She raised up her good hand, and quickly chanted quietly. “In this barrier you will not hide, by my rules you will abide.” A bubble of mana exploded outwards from her body, creating a radius around her. It crossed the length of the street and stretched into the houses along the side of the road. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell. It was a simple detection spell, alerting her to anyone that was nearby and if they had magic circuits coursing through their body. Twilight could sense a few people still lingering in their homes nearby, a few getting ready to leave but nothing out of the ordinary or containing magical circuits. She pushed out the sphere a little further, checking the area around her specifically. However, the spell returned no results, only the normal families that should be there. Twilight frowned at that, calming her circuits and letting the bubble linger for a moment longer. Perhaps it had been an illusion, but there was no denying that the girl's presence had felt alarmingly real. The voice still lingered in her mind too, a cryptic threat looming over her head. Twilight decided to leave the sensory magic up while she walked the rest of the way to school, not wanting to run into anymore unwanted guests. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* There were no more incidents on her way to school, so once the preparatory academy came into view Twilight let the detection barrier down and let out a relieved sigh. She was still nervous about the encounter from earlier, but at least no self-respecting Magus would do anything to her while she was in public view of everyone. Twilight pulled out her cellphone and quickly checked her time. Class would start in ten minutes, so she had time to get there and it was likely Cheerilee had already gotten everything prepared by now. “Morning Twilight!” A familiar voice called out, catching Twilight's attention. Putting her phone away, she turned to see the familiar face heading towards her. A head of messy green hair that seemed to bounce impossibly against the wind, light purple skin and emerald green eyes. “Boy, you look like something the cat dragged in, you having a rough morning?” “What makes you say that Spike?” Twilight blinked, “I washed up and made sure I was looking fine when I left. Do I look like something's wrong?” She had to pout. Twilight liked to consider herself good at hiding her feelings when she needed to, but Spike had always somehow had a keen eye for noticing little things wrong with her. “Well, the biggest clue is that your left arm is stiff and barely moving, which means you probably had another one of your flare-ups. While you did a good job hiding the bags under your eyes, they're still somewhat noticeable, not to mention you've got a bit of redness to your eyes that most wouldn't notice.” Spke put a hand up to his chin and smiled, “That, and I saw that anxious look you had on your face as you were approaching the school. You always get that look when you feel like you're being watched or followed.” Twilight let out an exasperated sigh, but she certainly couldn't refute the boy's claims. “Right again Spike.” She said, looking at her left arm. Either the pain had finally started to subside or the pain pills were kicking in, either way she was able to move the arm a little more freely now. Though she could still feel that it was very stiff. “I had a pretty bad flare-up this morning, but it should be getting better now. As for the anxious look...” Twilight thought to tell Spike for a moment, but shook her head and decided against it, it wasn't something he needed to worry about. “I was just being paranoid because I had a bad dream last night. What's new with you though?” “Something pretty significant.” Spike gave a toothy grin, “Though I can't tell you it here though. Meet me on the roof for lunch and I'll give you all the details.” He winked. Twilight knew what that meant. After all, Spike was the only other Magus in the school, as the head son of the Draken family. Twilight had grown up with Spike as a friend, though she didn't know he was a Magus at first. If there was something he couldn't talk about in front of the school, it meant something had happened with his magic training. “Ah, well I look forward to hearing about it.” Twilight gave a meek smile. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in what news Spike had, Twilight just always felt pangs of jealousy whenever he had exciting news about magic to share. Magic always seemed to come so naturally to him, and being part of the prestigious Draken family helped that immensely. She struggled with it though, and she would never be able to attain anywhere near the skill he'd be able to achieve. No matter how hard Twilight tried, her magic circuits were permanently damaged, she'd never be able to wield magic like him again. “I'll get heading to class for now then, see you at lunch.” Spike nodded happily, before swerving around Twilight and heading into school. “Oh, and don't you buy lunch for yourself today, I'm buying for us both!” Spike grinned before disappearing behind the school's gate. Twilight let out another sigh, adjusting her backpack and heading for class herself. Twilight had the strange feeling that it was going to be a long day. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Despite the unusual morning Twilight had been having, classes had proceeded as normal. It was the middle of English now and Cheerilee had passed out a reading comprehension worksheet based on the current book the class was reading. It was a fairly casual assignment for the class, so Cheerilee was allowing the students to mingle amongst themselves for now. And as usual, Twilight found herself coaching someone who had asked for her advice. “So like, I get that the author was trying to show the social differences between upper and lower class. What I don't get is what that has to do with the Nobleman selling his daughter to another Nobleman.” The blue haired athlete known as Indigo Zap complained, pressing a finger down at the paper in front of Twilight. “That doesn't have anything to do with upper and lower class social differences!” “Well, on the surface that's true.” Twilight spoke up, adjusting her glasses. “However you have to think about it in the time period that it was written. Even amongst the nobles, there was a hierarchy system in which upper class nobles got more advantages. The daughter being sold off to a more influential man is supposed to tie into that.” “UGH! That's too abstract! Why can't old books just be more straightforward about these things?!” Indigo growled in frustration, looking over the assignment sheet. “It's not too surprising that the concept is lost on you.” A girl with striped violet hair and light blue skin known as Sunny Flare sitting next to Twilight chuckled. “You always have your head on the field rather than in your textbooks.” “Oh shut up Sunny! I'm still in the top twelve students in the school and you know it!” Indigo growled at the indignation. “Just barely.” Sunny scoffed with a grin, “We all know the only reason you keep your grades high is so you can get that sports scholarship. You couldn't care less for the actual academics.” “Hey, results are results right? Motivation doesn't matter so long as you've got the numbers to back them up.” Indigo proclaimed boldly. “You can brag like that once you get out of twelfth place then.” Sunny mockingly grinned. “Guh.” Indigo rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the assignment at hand, reading it over one more time before scribbling some words down on the sheet. Twilight simply sat there while the girls squabbled, she'd found it best long ago to just let them sling their banter back and forth than to try to intervene. They would still be good friends afterwards, so the awkwardness had long since stopped bothering her. Twilight looked down at her own assignment, tapping her pencil against the page. She had already answered everything, but she wasn't sure if they were up to her usual quality standards. Her mind kept going back to the girl that she'd ran into on the road and Spike's surprise announcement at lunch. If his family would just let him have a phone it'd be easier to just chat about things like this, but no, Spike's immediate family were a lot more traditional as far as magi went. That meant not trusting technology as far as they could throw it. Her eyes wandered to the window and looked out at the playing field, looking around for signs of anyone possibly keeping an eye of her. Of course, only the usual PE class was out in the field right now, and none of them were looking up at the windows. Maybe she should set up a detection system around her house, if anyone approached she'd know the moment they trespassed. However, it'd be going off at literally everything, from the passing cars to any birds that might fly in the area. It was already hard enough to maintain the wards on her manor that kept small animals away, let alone extending that protection out into the street. She could try and make a barrier that only activated with malicious intent, but that was far too inefficient, and any magi worth their salt would be able to pass through it until they got close to their target. There was just too much to keep track of and she didn't have any concrete answers on what to do, and that was frustrating her more than anything. “Twilight! Earth to Twilight!” A hand on Twilight's shoulder snapped her from her thoughts, and she turned around to see a girl with almost neon-green hair and pink skin that went by Lemon Zest smiling at her, “You alright girl? You were like, really zoned out there.” “Sorry, I was just deep in thought.” Twilight nodded, adjusting her glasses. “How can I help you?” “I just wanted you to double check my work, make sure everything sounds correct and all.” Lemon held out her assignment page. Twilight blinked in surprise at that, taking the page. “I don't mind taking a look, but don't you usually get Sugarcoat to look at your stuff?” “Well yeah, normally. But she's kind of out of it today for some reason.” Lemon nodded her head towards the girl in question, Twilight's eyes following. Sugarcoat's signature twin pigtails with her white hair against her light purple skin instantly caught Twilight's attention. The girl in question had a book open and was reading it. Twilight assumed she had already finished with the assignment. A girl with pink hair and yellow skin named Sour Sweet sat next to her, frowning at Sugarcoat as she huffed in frustration. Sugarcoat wasn't the most social of people, but she usually wasn't one to ignore her friends like that. “That is kind of weird for her.” Twilight turned back to Lemon, “Do you know what might be causing it?” “Beats me. I asked but she refused to talk about it. She's just doing all of her assignments and not saying a word to anyone.” Lemon shook her head. “Well, I guess even I have days like that. I'd just give her some space.” Twilight nodded her head before looking down at Lemon's paper. Quickly reading it over, she smiled and handed the paper back. “Everything sounds fine to me Lemon. Unless there's a curve ball even I don't know about, you should ace it for certain.” “Sweet!” Lemon pumped her arm before taking her paper back. “That means more time to listen to my tunes!” She lifted a pair of headphones that had been wrapped around her neck and placed them on her head. Twilight could hear the faint echo of music from them as Lemon bobbed her head all the way back to her seat. “Does it ever get tiring being such an egghead?” Indigo couldn't help but tease. “We each have our own talents that we need to nurture.” Twilight tried to lightly chuckle, giving a half grin back to Indigo, “You're great with sports and I love reading. There's no reason we need to compete over that.” “Says the number one best student in the school.” Indigo snarked with a grin. “Though if you don't watch your back Sugarcoat will pass you, your grades are pretty much neck and neck.” “I wouldn't mind if that happened at all.” Twilight let out a genuine chuckle, a rarity for her. “Sugarcoat is a brilliant student, I'm surprised she's only number two, she easily deserves the number one spot. I would be proud of her if she took the spot from me.” “Ugh, it's hard to enjoy teasing you when you're such a goodie two-shoes all the time.” Indigo rolled her eyes at Twilight's response. “You should try and take a bit more pride in what you do, have some ego sometime. It might make you a bit less of a stick in the mud.” Twilight frowned at that. “I'm not a stick in the mud...” “Sure you're not.” Indigo shook her head, but gave Twilight a smile. “Does that mean you're gonna show up to Lemon's birthday party this weekend?” “I uh...” Twilight fidgeted, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She'd actually forgotten about her invitation. “I was considering on going, honest.” “Considering ain't going though.” Indigo pointed the eraser end of her pencil at Twilight. “You should come. All of Lemon's friends are coming and she considers you one of them, just like the rest of us. Though it's hard to really think of you as a friend when you're always avoiding going out on the town with us.” Twilight looked away feeling a bit embarrassed at Indigo's words. It was true that if she had an excuse to get out of going out in public she would take it. There was just something uncomfortable about being in public view that she couldn't stand. Sometimes the feeling would get so bad her old scars would flare-up and she'd need to rush home to get them to calm down. The girls knew she had pain flare-ups, but they never truly knew just how bad they could get. Mostly because Twilight never told them how bad they got. “I'm sorry.” She felt the need to apologize, even if Indigo didn't know for what. “It's not that I don't want to hang out with you girls, honest. It's my own anxieties, they make it hard to do that sometimes.” She took a deep breath and turned to Indigo to give the girl a smile, “But I'll do everything in my power to make it on Saturday. I promise.” Indigo gave Twilight a look that said she wasn't entirely convinced, but she shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her assignment. “If you say so Twilight. I won't hold my breath, but if you do make it I'm gonna make sure you socialize while there.” Twilight fidgeted in her seat, not sure if she was comfortable with that thought. However, she was saved from her own thoughts by the sound of the bell ringing, class having ended. “Alright, lunch time!” Indigo stood up quickly, stretching her back out. “I am starving.” She grabbed her backpack and stuffed her assignment inside before quickly heading out. The students were quick about making their way out, Twilight's eye catching Sugarcoat as she put her book away and got up. She couldn't help but get the feeling that Sugarcoat was just waiting for the day to end already, that she wanted nothing more than to go straight home. It was a feeling Twilight felt all too often. She was suddenly reminded of the promise she made to Spike and she quickly packed up her own bag and made her way to the door. Before she made it through, she ended up bumping hard into a fellow classmate, stumbling back a bit as her glasses shifted. “Oh, sorry, didn't mean to bump into you Twi.” A familiar male voice spoke up. Twilight found her footing before pushing her glasses up her face. She looked up and saw the face of a spiky blue haired boy with orange skin smiling at her. “Oh, hey Flash, were you looking for me?” Twilight asked curiously. “Yeah, I just wanted to know if you were interested in having lunch with me today?” Flash offered, rubbing the back of his neck as he asked. Twilight grimaced at that. She always hated letting people down, even if she had no control over it. “I'm sorry Flash, I already promised to meet someone else for lunch today.” She answered honestly. “Oh, well, that's okay I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders before placing his hands in his blazer pockets. “Well hey, what about a dinner date? I've got a gig tonight, but I'm free Friday night. Wanna meet up then?” He smiled awkwardly, a small blush forming on his face. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her spot. It wasn't that she was uninterested in his offer, she just didn't really think of herself as the dating type. She wasn't even sure what Flash saw in her, there wasn't anything really interesting about her, and if he got a look at the mass of scars on her back he'd likely just run away. “I mean... I guess it couldn't hurt?” Twilight said hesitantly, she wasn't ready to commit to the plan, but she didn't want to upset him either. “Great! I can swing by your place and we can go to dinner together, say around seven? How's that sound?” Flash asked all too eager all of a sudden. Her saying yes seemed to have made him light up. “Uh, sure. You have my number right?” “Yup, and you have mine.” He nodded eagerly. “Don't worry, I'll pay for everything so you just enjoy the dinner. You can text me the address later.” He was practically jumping up and down on the spot, though Twilight couldn't say she shared his enthusiasm. “I should go meet my friend for now though. I'll take to you later Flash, okay?” Twilight asked hurriedly, not wanting to waste too much time and leave Spike waiting. “Oh! Yeah sure no problem, talk to you later Twilight.” Flash smiled as he stepped out of the way. Twilight gave a small wave of acknowledgment and quickly rushed her way towards the stairs. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Twilight was out of breath by the time she reached the top of the staircase to the school's roof. Thanks to Flash, she had sped there much faster than she had intended to and was now panting heavily. She was not a very athletic person, she left that sort of thing to Indigo. She could have used her magic to enhance her physical endurance, but in the middle of school there would've been too many people that would've noticed. Taking a deep, calming breath, she opened the door to the school roof and took a look around. Plenty of open air and space encased within a chain-link fence several feet high, but an otherwise empty area. It made sense though, since students weren't allowed up on the roof, however that made it a perfect sanctuary for Twilight and Spike when they needed time away from the rest of the student body. A quick aversion spell and anyone who came looking suddenly realized there was something else they needed to do and wandered away. “Guess Spike's still buying lunch.” Twilight shrugged, walking over to their usual spot. A small corner with a perfect view of the door so they’d see it opening before the person opening it would see them, so if anyone did get past their aversion spell they would know right away. She slung her backpack to one side and sat on the cool cement, leaning her head against the fence and taking in the crisp autumn air. A breeze went by the school roof, rustling her hair and caressing her skin. In the very distance she could hear the bustle of students milling about the courtyard. The roof was a very serene spot for her, the open air, the calming breeze, and being far away from all of her peers. She would eat lunch up there everyday if she had the chance, but she knew better than to push her luck disappearing for lunch every day. The roof's door let out a loud clank as it was pressed open, Twilight opening up one eye to see Spike entering the area, carrying two boxes. “Hey Twilight!” Spike grinned holding up the boxes, “Lunch is served.” Twilight giggled a little at that, “Well thank you kindly sir. I appreciate the swift service.” “M'lady's lunch.” Spike gave an exaggerated deep bow as he handed the box meant for Twilight out to her. With a smirk she grabbed the box and pulled it to her lap before Spike took his seat next to her. “ I got your favorite. It was a little extra, but today's a pretty big day for me.” Spike gloated. “Aw Spike, you didn't have to do that.” Twilight smiled at her friend, before opening up the box and looking inside. A well packed array of fried rice, season chicken, and mixed vegetables. Spike knew her tastes pretty well. “This news is all you've talked to me about since you saw me this morning, must be pretty exciting.” Twilight mused, grabbing her fork and scooping up a sizable portion of rice and stuffing it into her mouth. The melting flavors were perfectly blended, a rarity for a box lunch like this. “It's probably the most exciting thing to happen to me since I started training as a Magus.” Spike said opening his own box and taking a big bite of his own pile of rice. “There's a lot of preparations going on back at my house for later tonight, I can't wait to get started.” “So what exactly is this about?” Twilight could tell Spike was dragging out the announcement as she stabbed a piece of chicken and stuffed it into her mouth. “Perhaps it'll be better to show you than to just tell you.” Spike said swallowing another large bite of food before putting his box down and standing up. Twilight blinked as she watched the boy step in front of her, turning to face her with a grin. Spike reached up to the top of his uniform's blazer and began unbuttoning it one by one. Twilight blinked again in confusion this time, stopping mid chew as she watched her childhood friend sliding it off his shoulders. He then reached down and grabbed the bottom of his blue undershirt, before slowly pulling it up his body. “S-SPIKE!” Twilight cried, blushing deeply as she looked away covering her eyes, “What are you doing!?” “I'm showing you what happened... Why are you looking away like that?” Spike asked confused. “BECAUSE YOU'RE STRIPPING!” Twilight yelled out in embarrassment. “It's just my chest Twilight, you've seen it plenty of times.” Spike was growing more confused as it went on. “When we were kids, yeah! We're young adults now!” This was a situation she had never thought she'd find herself in. She had never really seen her closest friend in a sexual manner and there he was just stripping naked right in front of her! She could feel her face heating up, she had to be red as a tomato. “Twilight...” Spike sighed, shaking his head. “Just look at me, I promise you I'm not doing anything weird.” Twilight gulped at his request. She couldn't think of any time that Spike had really lied to her before, but she couldn't deny that this situation was pretty weird. She'd trust Spike for a moment and give a look, but if he was going to stay shirtless she might just end up running away. Moving her hands away from her face, she cracked an eye open and looked in Spike's direction. The boy was indeed shirtless, his hands pressed against his hips. It really had been a long time since she'd last seen Spike shirtless, and she was immediately astounded by just how buff his body actually was. His clothes did not do his figure justice. While his muscles weren't expanded, they were shapely and toned. She could easily count his abs if she wanted to, and even his torso was well defined. The only blemish to his figure was the red markings that scarred the area just above his heart, but beyond that... “Wait...” Twilight's eyes popped open as they zeroed in on the three distinctly shaped red markings on his chest. They were carved into the pattern of an eastern dragon, as if curling around to protect his heart. She had seen marks like those a few times before, when reading up on the books of Canterlot's magical history in her parent's library. “Spike... Are those...” “Yup!” Spike proudly pushed his chest out, raising a hand and pointing a thumb towards the mark. “I've officially been chosen as a master in the Holy Grail War! My family's making preparations to summon our servant tonight as we speak!” The Holy Grail War, a tradition started centuries ago by the most prominent magical families in Canterlot. Seven masters are chosen by the grail, which grants them the privilege of summoning Heroic Spirits as servants to fight for ownership of the grail. The one who wins the grail can make any wish their heart desires and have it granted. The very first war was started with the intention of creating a device that contained so much pure magical energy, that it would allow a Magi to achieve the greatest desire of all Magi for centuries. To reach Akasha, the root of all magic, to understand the very fabric of reality and all of creation. However, if the goal of the Holy Grail War was to reach the root, then in the centuries long conflict, no one had achieved that goal. While the books in the Sparkle family library contained an extensive history of the war's conflicts, what families participated and the resulting cataclysms that came from the fighting, it never described who had won each war or what their wishes had been. “Spike...” Twilight spoke hesitantly, her hands squeezing down on the edges of her boxed lunch, “Are you sure about this? The Holy Grail War is a violent and bloody battle... You'll be fighting other masters and servants, who will have every intention to kill you.” Twilight felt a lump form in her throat. “Well, yeah. It comes with the territory Twilight.” Spike explained, picking up his blue shirt and putting it back on. “A Magus prepares for death his whole life, it's not something we should be afraid of.” Spike shook his head as he slipped his arms back into his blazer and buttoned it back on. “Besides, I doubt I could back out even if I wanted. I'm pretty sure Grandma would actually skin me alive if I did. She is not a woman you want to piss off.” He laughed nonchalantly at that. “I just... I just don't want to see you get hurt Spike...” Twilight murmured, looking down at her box. If Spike died, then she would have no one left to talk with about magic, to indulge in magical theories or to show the newest thing she'd manage to learn to. Even if she was jealous of Spike's ability to far surpass her, it didn't mean she didn't enjoy his company. “Hm...” Was all Spike said, walking back and sitting down next to her, looking up at the sky. “You are right about this being a fight. Chances are I'll find myself in kill or be killed situations, and I might not have as much strength as my opponent.” Spike let out a bit of a sigh, before turning to Twilight with a smile. “But I won't let them take me down easily Twilight. I'll give them hell before they take me to the grave.” “I'd rather just have you here than know you died doing your best...” Twilight closed her eyes, curling up into a ball, wrapping her arms around her knees, and burying her head. “Hey, come on now, it'll be alright.” Spike said comfortingly, wrapping an arm around Twilight. “You'll see, I've got a powerful Magi family backing me up, and they've been spending all day getting the perfect Servant for me. I'll be the winner for sure, you can count on that.” Twilight lifted her head up to look at the smiling boy's face. His words didn't really make her feel any better, but at least his heart was in the right place. She let out a collective sigh and forced herself to give him a smile. “There we go, feeling better?” Spike grinned at the sight. “No, but you're sort of right. There really isn't a point to me worrying if there's nothing I can do about it.” Twilight shook her head, before giving him a more genuine smile. “I'll be rooting for you Spike, I'm sure you can do it. And I guess if there's ever anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to contact me.” “Absolutely Twilight, you have my word.” With that, Spike grabbed his box and began scarfing his face full of food. It really had done little to calm her nerves, but Twilight grabbed her own box lunch and began to eat as well. Her favorite food felt a bit numb on her tongue now, her mind was too focused on trying to not picture Spike in the middle of a deadly conflict. Her mind flashed an image of her father's head, and then flashed to replace it with Spike's and she felt a cold dread sink to the bottom of her stomach. Her eating slowed down, but she managed to keep taking tentative bites to try and not worry Spike. She had planned on going straight home after school that day, but now she needed to make a small detour. There was somewhere she needed to go, and she wouldn't feel comfortable until she had. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* With the school day ended Spike had said a quick goodbye and made his way home quickly, excited to see what servant his family had picked out for him. The other students were quick to make their way home as well, no one wanting to stay at school longer than necessary. Once Twilight made sure she had everything she needed, she began the lonely walk home as well. With the fall sun descending quickly in the sky, it'd only be another hour or two before night would fall, and Twilight wanted to get back home before then. On her usual route home, there was a split in the road, leading around the hill that her house resided on. Deviating from her usual path, she turned down the split path and walked along it for several moments. The chilled breeze was the only company to her thoughts, but she stayed focused and her destination came into view. Fair View Cemetery. The place the Sparkle family had been buried for generations. Walking through the gate, Twilight kept silent as she walked towards her destination. Common graves were placed all over, neatly lined up in columns and rows, making it easy for people to walk through for visiting. Twilight remembered trying to count them all once as a child, back when her family was still happy and together, but she'd easily lost count. It wasn't an exclusive cemetery for her family, a lot of locals from Canterlot were buried here. Towards the back of the cemetery, she spotted two familiar headstones that stood out amongst the common ones she had passed by. Two regal headstones in front of a memorial slab in memory of all the members of the Sparkle family that had passed on. The two newest headstones that had been placed in the cemetery, and Twilight came to a stop in front of them. “Hey mom... Hey dad...” She spoke up at barely above a whisper, a sound that likely only the dead would've heard. The names of Twilight Velvet and Night Light were clearly visible on the stones, and Twilight adjusted her glasses as she stared down at them. “Well... I found out today the Grail War is starting again.” She mumbled the words, lifting her right arm and clutching her left with it as she spoke. “I'm sure if you were still around you would've wanted me or Shining to participate, though considering how things went, maybe you'd want to do it yourself... I never could figure out what was going on in your heads...” The consistent breeze blew once more, Twilight wondering if it really was a sign of her parents understanding or just the usual weather phenomenon. She'd been feeling it since she walked there, so it was doubtful it was a sign from the beyond. She just continued despite that. “Spike's joined as a master, can you believe that? I know you didn't see much potential in him when we were growing up, but he's a pretty amazing Magus all things considered. I wish I was half as good as he was.” She lightly squeezed her left arm at those words. “Canterlot will be embroiled in the war soon, though most people won't even know it. They'll be quietly asleep in their homes, while mages battle to kill themselves over that wishing cup...” Twilight let out a sigh, closing her eyes and feeling the cool air on her skin. “Though the only thing I'd wish for right now is for Spike to stay safe...” “Touching.” A female voice suddenly spoke up, Twilight's eyes shot wide open. Thick mana suddenly filled the air, stifling her breath as she felt the most intense killing intent she had ever felt in her life. Her magic circuits instantly flared up on instinct, her body moving on its own. A beam of light was shot at her, nicking her right arm as it went by before slamming into the ground. Twilight stumbled away from where she’d been standing, reaching up with her left arm and grabbing at the cut. She could feel fresh blood beginning to ooze out of the wound. “You actually managed to dodge it. I gotta admit, I didn't think mages of this era could dodge even a low level attack like that.” The female voice spoke up, as a body appeared from thin air, emerging from the ether. Her attacker was clad in a thick white armor, elongated pauldrons on her shoulder, a fairly form fitting plated chest piece that went down to her hips, form fitting metal leggings and boots, and a white pointed mask that completely covered her eyes. The white armor gave stark contrast to the thick prismatic hair that flowed down her back. The woman in white armor reached her hand out and grabbed a long white spear that was jutting into the ground where Twilight had just been standing. The ornately decorated spear was pulled out of the ground, the silver head shining in the light of the setting sun. “You... You're a...” Twilight stammered, her heart slamming against the ribs in her chest as her magic circuits were flowing at maximum capacity, a painful twinge gripping her shoulders and back from the exertion. She put a hand into her uniform's vest, grabbing hold of something inside. “Still, are you good enough to dodge it again?” The servant smirked broadly, pointing the spear at Twilight. “What do you even want with me!? I'm not a master!” Twilight shouted, glaring daggers at her attacker as she tried to focus mana down into her legs, preparing herself to run. “You sure about that?” The spear wielding woman asked mockingly, a grin on her face. “Either way, it's nothing personal, I'm just following my master's orders. Doesn't mean I can't have some fun though, it's more fun to play around with the weak prey.” Twilight grit her teeth, realizing there was no reasoning with the servant. Servant's lived to obey their masters, if someone had ordered it to kill her then she had to escape. “Fine, but you'll have to catch me first.” Twilight declared, before pulling her hand out and tossing three gems into the air. “LIGHT!” She yelled out, the three colored stones suddenly bursting with a bright radiant light. The servant let out a grunt of annoyance, as Twilight turned, surged her mana through her circuits, and ran. A small crater was left behind as she bounded away, moving as fast as she was physically capable of. She was no match for a servant, not out in the open like this. If she could get to her house, there were artifacts and weapons she could use to defend herself. If she could make it to her workshop there was at least a small chance she could make it out of this. She could already see the cemetery's entrance, it was just a short run over the hill and into her backyard- “Hey, nice move back there.” The female voice spoke up, now running side by side to Twilight. Twilight turned, her heart sinking as she looked into the white mask that was staring back at her. “You're pretty fast too, though I don't think you'll be escaping anywhere anytime soon.” “FORCE!” Twilight shouted, extending her hand out at her opponent and firing out a concentrated blast of magical energy. The armored woman simply raised her hand and caught the blast in her hand like a ball, simply letting it explode. “Whoa, that one had some kick to it.” She laughed, as if this whole situation was funny to her. Twilight grit her teeth and aimed her arm at the ground. “FORCE!” She yelled out once more, this time pouring even more mana into the shot. The ground right in front of her attacker exploded, the gate into the cemetery shredding into pieces as chunks of dirt, rock, and asphalt went flying into the air. The distraction ended up working for a few seconds, the spear wielding warrior raising her weapon to slash at several of the heavier debris, getting them out of her way. Twilight managed to break away, pouring extra mana into her legs and launching herself up the hill just outside the cemetery. Her magic circuits were beginning to burn, the painful throb of overexertion making itself known. Twilight pushed it out of her thoughts as best she could, her very life was at stake here, she couldn't falter. Twilight's foot hit the side of the hill, pushing down to jump forward again only to have her foot sink a bit deeper than she expected. Her body lurched forward at the unexpected awkward landing, before feeling a powerful gust of wind fly past and the sound of something exploding above her. Twilight's hair unraveled down her back as she looked up in shock, now seeing a good chunk of her house's roof missing from the corner. She had just been inches from losing her head and was only saved by unfortunate footing. “Huh, thought I had you for sure that time.” The woman's voice spoke up from below her, the surprise making her stop in place for a moment. Unable to falter again, Twilight pushed her mana to its limits and rushed forward again. The tall back wall of her yard appeared and with a quick spring she was over it in a single leap. She rushed forward and rammed her shoulder into her back door, breaking it open and entering the house. There was no time to deal with locks, she needed to get to her basement. With a quick glance she reorientated herself with her position in the house and ran straight for her basement door. She could hear the clanking of armor as the servant stepped foot into her house, she had seconds at best to formulate a defense. “Nice place you got here.” The woman's voice antagonized, clearly mocking Twilight. “It's a shame it's gonna burn down once I kill you. Can't leave any evidence behind and all, you know how it is with you Magi.” The basement's door flew open and Twilight jumped down the stairs, not wanting to waste even a second. Landing on the bottom she could instantly feel the familiar flow of magical energies that were woven through the entire room. Gems and weapons were scattered all over the place, the most powerful weapons the Sparkle family had ever created were at her fingertips and even some of her practical prototypes were within reach. She could manage here. “I see you down there.” The woman laughed as she began to make her way down the steps, one loud clanking step at a time. Twilight didn't have time to think. She quickly ran over to her desk and grabbed several gems before tossing them straight at the stairwell. “MARK! SIGN!” She bellowed the commands as the gems lit up, trailing their magical energies as they flew in the open air and aimed straight for the descending foe. They lit up brightly and exploded in the hallway, powerful tremors rocking the house as the pathway to the basement began to collapse. Knowing full well her foe wouldn't be taken down that easily, she grabbed hold of two daggers laying on the desk nearby and flung one at the quickly forming pile of rubble. “SEAL!” The dagger lit up with a large magic seal, flowing with magical energy as the area before it became embroiled in turbulent mana. The rocks began to disintegrate in place, looking as if a hole to hell itself had opened up and was obliterating everything its light touched. A swift glow of prismatic colors cut through the air and the magic seal that had opened was dashed away in an instant, the violent mana dissipating into the air. The armored woman stepped through the large debris and leftover mana as if they had simply never been there in the first. “Good light show, if that was your intention anyway.” The woman laughed, flicking her spear to her side and letting the rest of the turbulent air around her clear. “That all you have?” “...Fine.” Twilight grit her teeth and dropped the dagger in her hand, moving to the wall opposite the stairwell to the basement and grabbing hold of a handle of a large broadsword mounted to the wall that had several gems encrusted into the base. The weapon seemed to glow with a magnificence beyond her years, even while it lay dormant. “This is the most powerful weapon my family ever created.” She grit her teeth, pulling the sword down and wielding it in front of her. “You're the first one worthy of it being used on, I hope that means something to you.” “Not really, but I can humor you.” The woman chuckled with a grin. “Oh no! A big sword! I'm so scared!” “This sword took fifty years to forge, and it contains some of the most powerful magic our family has been able to conjure!” Twilight yelled, clenching her hands and forcing mana into the item itself, the gems activating from a long kept slumber. The blade began to glow, shining with the power of the raw mana that was infused into it. “Don't look down on it lightly, with this, even I can defeat you!” Twilight roared as she felt a surge of power coursing through her body and into the blade itself. Wind began to rush around her, filling the room at the very activation of the weapon Twilight was wielding. She felt powerful with it, that even if it was her that she was capable of standing toe to toe with a servant. She grit her teeth and squeezed her hands down hard. The sword sparked with a large flare of magic and Twilight stepped forward. With a loud cry she raised the sword up over her head, the sword shining bright with the immense power flowing through it from the decades of crafting. Her foe stood unflinching, merely smirking at her efforts. With a stomp of her foot forward, Twilight brought the sword crashing down at her opponent. The blade hit something, Twilight wasn't entirely certain what, but she felt the blade be struck and shattered. Glinting pieces of metal flew across the room as Twilight stared in horror, the culmination of her family's hard work reduced to nothing more than a gem encrusted handle within seconds. The mana that had been churning inside scattered just as easily as the sword had, some of it burning parts of the basement, others making short bursts of wind and ice, but all of them dissipated within seconds and nothing about the sword's majestic powers remained. “I have to admit, if you were looking to swat a fly, that sure was a flashy way to do it. And I like flashy.” The woman laughed. “But if you thought that was going to do anything to me, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there was never anything you could have done to me.” Twilight staggered back a few steps, still recoiling from the realization of what was happening. Her legs finally gave out and she found herself sitting in the middle of her basement, a horrific realization filling her mind. She was going to die. This was where she was going to meet her end and there was nothing she could do about it. All because some master somewhere had decided that they didn't want her around, for whatever selfish reason they had. Twilight couldn't decide what was more cruel. The fact that her entire life had simply led up to this moment, or that it had made her suffer so much for so long only to end it like this. “That all the fight you got left in you kid? Damn, I was kind of hoping to have more fun with you. Ah well, if that really was your ace up the sleeve I can't blame you for being heartbroken.” The woman shrugged her shoulders before raising up her spear and aiming it at Twilight's heart. “At least we had some fun.” “I don't want to die...” Twilight's voice choked out as tears streamed down her face. “And people in hell want ice water kid. We don't all get what we want.” The woman pulled her spear back, before thrusting it forward. A suddenly bright light filled the room, the woman's spear stopping just short of Twilight's skin as she looked down in surprise. A large red seal that had been hidden and laying dormant had suddenly come to life, a powerful wind blowing through the area. The woman jumped back in surprise, before a large wave of fire suddenly surged from the ground, forming a tornado in the center of the room. Twilight stared in shock as the tower of flames suddenly vanished, before the blinding fire rushed forward and struck hard at the woman in white armor. She raised her spear up in defense, only just barely able to block the attack that had been swung against her. With the force behind the assault, she was blown away, smashing into the pile of rocks at the bottom of the former stairs. Standing before Twilight was a woman clad in golden armor, though thinner and less form fitting than the woman in white had been wearing. This woman's hair was a mixture of red and yellow, giving it the look of a warm burning fire. She turned to face Twilight, holding in her hands a clear blade that looked as if it was made from crystal. Twilight could look into her eyes now, seeing the passionate solid green eyes against amber skin looking back at her. “I ask of you...” The woman spoke up, a regal tone to her voice. “Are you my master?”