//------------------------------// // ...Head to the graveyard // Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Unlimited // by Kujo Blaze //------------------------------// The battle continues. Saber is fighting to protect me. Then… I should go even if there’s nothing I can do. The two Command Spells engraved on my hoof… I am standing here after swearing to fight as a Master and shaking hoofs with Saber. “Geez… What am I doing!?” I run, ignoring all hesitation and fear. I’ll be killed if I go after them. I suppress my trembling body with force and obstinacy, and I run up the hill. “Get back, Storm. You’ll get in Saber’s way if you go any farther.” I stop as she grabs my hoof. “Did you hear me? I told you that you should keep quiet and watch since Saber’s going to win. …Well, I think you can tell that yourself though.” She must have been hiding behind a tree, as she calls out to me with a calm voice. “Huh? Saber will win…?” Against that monster? Saber will win against that giantess she couldn’t even match until now? “Heh. You look like you don’t believe me. Why don’t you take a look? I don’t want to admit this, but your Servant is great in all aspects. Saber should be able to beat Berserker.” Rarity snorts and hides behind the tree. Clashing swords, Berserker’s attacks smash through empty space and only destroy her surroundings. Between the attacks… Within the swinging whirlwind, flying clods, and the rain of broken gravestones, Saber rushes in without even dirtying her armor and attacks Berserker. “……” It is a divine work of utmost excellence. My fear has disappeared, seeing this battle that is totally impossible for mere ponies. Instead, I am fascinated. I could not believe I was in this Harmony Grail War thing, and I also had some uneasiness. But all that is blown away when I see her. Dancing swords, within the whirlwind of fatal destruction, the knight challenges the enemy without hesitation. Maybe this scene made me accept everything. No matter what may befall us in the future… I’m convinced that I will be able to match even a fierce god if I have Saber with me. “I thought so. It was strange, but she blocked Berserker’s sword on purpose.” Rarity murmurs without emotion. “Was that to lure Berserker here?” “Yup. It’s suicidal to fight Berserker in a place without cover. That’s why Saber chose this place as the battleground. She did it naturally, too. She got Berserker away from you; all the while she pretended to be cornered.” “……” Then… Saber must have determined that this place was a suitable battlefield when we were walking down the hill. “But you can’t expect backup in a battle like this. Our enemy is a monster that even nullifies Archer’s arrows. Backup was meaningless from the start.” Rarity murmurs as she watches the battle between Saber and Berserker. “Archer’s arrows…” But those words catch my attention. Archer isn’t here. If he really is an archer, he should not fight hoof-to-hoof, but… “She got him…!” Rarity stomps her hoof.. Just as she said… Saber’s sword must have hit Berserker or Berserker must have lost her stance. Berserker’s body, holding firm until now, loses its balance. The beast lashes out desperately. Saber dodges it by jumping back, and holds her sword with both wings. This is it. As her desperate attack was dodged, Berserker loses her balance even more, and Saber bends her knees to charge in with all her power. Right then… “Archer…? What do you mean, get away?” I notice Rarity’s confused voice and sense an intent to kill aimed from a faraway place. “……” Behind me. I see the knight in red standing on a rooftop hundreds of meters away, readying his bow. “……” It’s either nausea or a chill. He’s readying a bow. A bow that’s not any different from before. It cannot even scratch Berserker, even with a direct hit. So there is no need to feel any threat from it… “……” I feel a chill. What he is readying in his bow is not an “arrow”, but something completely different. And his intent to kill isn’t just directed at Berserker. “Sab…” I act instantly. Continue.