That had been Twilight's phone all day. For hours her stomach had been a knot of worry and anxiety as she read the group conversation on her phone again and again. Since the search had began, the girls had been regularly posting areas they had searched and the time stamps of their locations, scouring the whole city for their missing friends. The search had begun in the afternoon, and Twilight wasn't even sure if her friends had stopped to eat even once. Night had fallen by now and was blanketing the town, meaning the search was only going to be that much harder for them all.
“You're still worried about your friends, aren't you Twilight?” Spike asked, turning from looking over the edge of the building they stood on to look at his friend.
“I'm sorry.” Twilight shook her head as she watched another location update pop up on her phone's screen. “I was trying to focus on the war, really I was but...” Her hands tightened against her phone.
“Your friends are important to you Twilight, that's nothing to be ashamed of.” Saber spoke up, scanning her eyes against the horizon one more time before walking over to Twilight. She placed a hand against her Master's shoulder and giving Twilight a smile of comfort. “You want to focus on searching for them, don't you?”
Twilight quietly nodded her head. “We've done a pretty good sweep of the city as it is... But...”
“The only Master we know the location of for sure is Starlight.” Spike crossed his arms, looking out towards the forest on the outskirts of town. “Thanks to my Grandmother, we know the Glimmer family has a mansion on the outskirts of town with a powerful protective barrier around it, and that one of my familiars confirmed that she's still in the mansion as of this moment.”
“The search plan was positively thorough, but we didn't manage to find a single Master or Servant.” Rider furrowed her brow as she stared out at the city lights. “I really don't like what that might imply. The war HAS officially started, so we should have found at least a trace of a Master or a Servant looking to start a fight and win. So if they aren't looking to fight...”
“It's entirely possible that the other masters are just laying low for now.” Spike shook his head. “It's possible they were aware of our battle with Berserker and are either biding their time or waiting for the right opportunity to strike.”
“Which only means that the war is going to be dragged out if that's true.” Saber frowned at the implications, crossing her arms in thought. "The fact we couldn't even find Lancer is what's bothering me the most. She attacked Twilight at her Master's orders, but hasn't appeared since. I'm starting to suspect there's more going on here than we're aware of."
Twilight stared at her phone as another update popped up on her screen. Saber looked over at her fretting Master, before letting out a short sigh and smiling. “Alright, I think that's enough searching for Servants and Masters for tonight then.”
“Huh?” Twilight asked, looking up at Saber in surprise.
“We put in a good effort Twilight, so I don't think anyone here will complain about us going to help look for your friends now. Unless, of course, you don't want to go looking.” Saber chuckled softly at that, before watching Twilight's face slowly light up.
“I-Is that really okay!?” Twilight asked stunned, turning to Spike and Rider to make sure it's okay.
“It's been a quiet night, but I'm not ready to call it quits just yet.” Spike shrugged his shoulders before smiling. “I have one last idea to check on for the night, so I think me and Rider will head that way. Why don't you and Saber start searching for Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare and we'll catch up with you.”
“Oh, thank you Spike!” Twilight cried, quickly wrapping the green haired boy in a tight hug. “I promise I'll help look for Masters another night as well!”
“Sure thing Twilight.” Spike chuckled, patting Twilight's head. “And if for any reason you two find any trouble while you're looking, just release a surge of mana and Rider and I will come running.”
“Got it.” Twilight nodded as she broke the hug, giving the boy a big grin. She then turned back to her Servant, quickly walking over to her. “Saber, let's go to Sugarcoat's house first. Sour Sweet might not have been able to notice anything wrong, but she's not a Magus or a Servant. I'm sure the two of us together will be able to find some clue or trace of where she went.”
“A sensible plan.” Saber nodded smiling, before reaching over and grabbing hold of Twilight's hip, causing the girl to blush. “When you're ready, lead the way Master.”
“Right.” Twilight nodded, gulping down in realization that they were going to jump again. She quickly wrapper her own arm around Saber's shoulders. “Sugarcoat lives that way.” Twilight pointed towards the large cresting hills on the opposite side of town. With a nod, Saber tightened her grip and jumped from the rooftops with Twilight safely in tow.
Twilight was certain she would never get used to jumping off of buildings forty stories tall.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sugarcoat's house wasn't so much a house as it was a large building that contained rooms that had been converted into living areas. To many of the locals the building was simply called 'The Compound', and it was the space where a lot of the more fanatical believers in Faustism lived. Those that lived at the Compound often took part in rituals and living rights regularly throughout the year, as part of their beliefs. The authorities had been called on them several times throughout the Compound's history in Canterlot, but none of them ever found any criminal activities taking place.
The people living there paid their bills, they followed the laws, treated their kids with love, and every aspect required that the people in the religion consented to their practices. Eventually the locals left them alone, despite feeling uncomfortable with their practices. This was the environment that Sugarcoat had grown up in as a home.
Saber landed outside of a long driveway leading up to the large white compound building. It was separated quite a ways from the main road and was hidden by a strategic planting of trees so that those not interested in the compound wouldn't have to care about it on their day to day drive to work. From the road they could see the front gate leading into the building.
“Something's not right...” Saber muttered, looking around the area. “It's too quiet.”
“Too quiet?” Twilight asked, tilting her head trying to listen for anything. She could only heard the sound of rustling leaves in the wind.
“Yeah, with this many trees there should be plenty of insects or at least some small animals nearby. However, their usual ambiance is missing.” Saber glared at the compound, before her armor materialized on her body. “Let's approach with caution Twilight, this might very well be the work of a Servant.”
“Right.” Twilight nodded, staying close to Saber as they walked up the road to the building. Saber pressed her hand against the gate, pausing a moment, before pushing it open and stepping inside.
The compound was just as quiet inside as it was outside, not even the sound of the gate opening echoed through the empty courtyard. Saber took a few steps inside, stopping a moment to look around. The main building of worship was directly in front of them, a church not unlike the one Twilight's guardian lived at stood towering above everyone that entered the area. In front of the church was a white statue of a women dressed in regal robes and holding a globe of the earth. From the research Twilight had done about the religion, she recognized the woman as their Goddess, Faust.
Twilight turned to look around the empty courtyard, looking past the main worship building and towards the houses and shops deeper inside the compound. While nothing was particularly run down or uncared for, there was a lingering sensation in the air that was unnerving her.
“Sour Sweet was right, this place really IS a ghost town.” Twilight murmured, a shiver running down her back. She had been to the Faustist compound a few times in the past when visiting Sugarcoat, and each time she had visited there had always been someone doing something in the courtyard. Whether it was family's playing together, someone setting up for a project or religious ceremony, or just people hanging out, it felt wrong for the courtyard to be so empty now.
“Should we head straight for her house or investigate the area first?” Saber asked, looking back at her Master for a moment.
“I'm really getting an uneasy feeling from this place...” Twilight shook her head, looking around before settling on the main building. “If something has happened to everyone here, we should search for answers as to what's going on. If we find out what's going on with them, we'll find out what's going on with Sugarcoat.”
“Not just helping your friend, but helping everyone here. That's a good idea.” Saber nodded in agreement. “We should check where the most people would be at any given point in time. You know the area better than me, where would that be?”
“Every day the main church is packed to the brim with worshipers.” Twilight motioned towards the main building in front of them. “If we're gonna find anyone, or any clues, that'd be the best place to start.”
The front doors to the church opened with a noisy creak, revealing the main entrance hallway of the Faustist building. The large open hallway was lined with pictures and ornate decor, all symbolic imagery of their religion. There were several branching hallways that led deeper into parts of the church, with the main part of the hall leading to the large double-doors of the main worship hall.
Saber walked towards the large double-doors, keeping her senses on alert as she walked. The dark empty building was just as disquieting as the gloomy exterior, causing Twilight to keep an eye on the shadows as they walked. Saber pushed open the large double-doors, the loud echoing creak reverberating throughout the room.
The inside of the main hall of worship was covered end to end in plush mats meant for the worshipers to sit and pray, a large pedestal placed in front of all of them that contained several unlit candles, golden idols, and a holy book for their religion's gospel. Behind the pedestal was a large pipe organ, and above that was a large carved depiction of the Goddess Faust on the ceiling.
“It's rare for no one to be in this room at all,” Twilight spoke up as she examined the empty room. “At all hours of the day there's usually someone praying or attending to ceremony rights. Even if no one is currently praying, the Faustist priests are usually preparing something for their worshipers.”
“I see... Well, I'm not sensing anything yet... Wait.” Saber turned her attention to one side of the room, something catching her attention. She picked up the pace and made her way over to one mat in particular that had caught her attention. She knelt down to it and placed her hand against it, her face contorting as she touched it.
“What is it?” Twilight asked nervously, stepping closer to the investigate. Saber's hand gripped the top of the mat and lifted it up slowly, revealing a pool of coagulating blood Twilight gasped in shock, putting a hand to her mouth as the wretched stench of decay hit her nose.
Saber's eyes snapped open as she jumped to attention, magic sparking to life in her sword as she guarded Twilight. A sickly purple fog of mana was quickly filling the room, causing the air to grow thick and musty. Twilight whirled her head around in shock, realizing they were quickly being surrounded by the mana.
The sound of squelching flesh came from the ghastly mana, as a fleshy tendril sprung up from it. Saber focused her attention to it, as a shambling mess of decaying flesh followed the tendril. A humanoid figure emerged from the mana, a golem of rotted flesh over decrepit bones had been created, a slimy tendril of flesh reaching out from it's open wounds.
Several more of the creatures began to emerge from the fog of mana, one by one the creatures began to surround the two inside the worship chamber. Twilight stepped closer to Saber, the very sight of the creatures filling her with dread. Saber was unflinching as she stared at them, scanning the room as their numbers continued to increase.
“Well,” Saber grit her teeth in anger, “I think we found out where everyone went.”
“What!?” Twilight cried in shock, turning to look at the aberrations popping up around her. Each one looked slightly different from the other, some were men while others were women, some were taller and shorter, each one was clearly created from a different person. “N-No!”
“Sick bastard.” Saber snarled, gripping her sword tighter. “This is the work of a Servant, I'm sure of it.”
“Saber! What if one of them is Sugarcoat! We have to save her!” Twilight turned to her Servant, beginning her to help save the life of her friend.
“Twilight...” Saber spoke in a low voice, “If your friend became one of these... There's no way to save her...”
Twilight's eyes widened in shock. “N-No!” She took a step back from Saber, clutching her chest. “N-No that's not true! There has to be a way to save them! There has to! We just have to kill the Servant and they'll turn back to normal! R-Right?!”
Saber stayed silent, not even turning to look at Twilight. Twilight felt her heart shattering at the realization that Saber wasn't lying. The people of the compound were dead, turning into the shambling abominations surrounding them. There really was no way to save them.
“You shouldn't lose hope just yet though.” Saber spoke up, pulling Twilight out of her oncoming misery. “We can't save any of them here, but if you don't see your friend amongst them, then there's always the chance that she managed to escape.”
Twilight's hope soared at Saber's words. She quickly whipped her head around looking at each of the monsters in turn. While there were a few teens, none of those matched Sugarcoat's specific looks. Twilight clutched at her chest against, grateful that none of them were her friend.
A shriek cried out as one of the aberrations lunged forward, intent on killing the two just standing there. Saber's sword sliced through the air, eviscerating the creature before it even gotten within a foot of either of them.
“Twilight, I'm going to make an opening so I need you to keep up alright? The Servant doing this has to be nearby, we're going to flush them out.” Saber explained the plan to Twilight quickly. Twilight nodded her head in understanding, alright activating her circuits and pushing mana to her legs.
Saber let out a battle cry as she rushed forward, slashing away at the foes before her. Flesh and gore was sent flying with each swing, Saber slashing a path straight through the church they had just entered. Twilight to her credit was able to keep up, following closely behind Saber as the path was made clear. In mere moments, the two of them were back out in the main entrance of the compound.
Outside, the shambling aberrations were slowly crawling out of the ground around them. “They're likely deeper inside, let's find them before anyone else gets hurt.” Saber looked back to Twilight as she explained her plan. Twilight nodded in agreement, Saber turning and dashing through the shambling creatures with Twilight close behind.
The compound was made up of a series of buildings circled around a central courtyard, with each set of buildings serving different purposes. The church was at the head of the compound so that anyone walking into it for the first time would see it. Next to the church was the housing districts, where the inhabitants of the compound would live, and would have quick access to the church at any time. Next to the houses were the recreation areas of the compound, where the adults and children alike could relax and play after a long day. And then in the back was the personal business distract of the compound, where the Faustists had built their own restaurants, clothing stores, and souvenirs that would be sold outside of the compound. It was everything the community needed to live a happy life.
And in the middle of courtyard was another statue of Faust, this one with her arms spread open as if welcoming all of her children into her blessing. And with each arm tied to one of the statues outstretched arms, was Sunny Flare.
“SUNNY!” Twilight cried out in shock at the sight of her friend. Without thinking, she darted out from behind Saber and ran straight for the statue to help her friend.
“TWILIGHT, WAIT!” Saber shouted, extending her hands to try and stop her Master. Twilight only made it half way to Sunny when the floor beneath her suddenly lit up. Chains of thorny beams of light shot out from the ground, wrapping themselves around Twilight's body. The lavender girl screamed as she was dragged down to her hands and knees, one light shooting out and wrapping around her neck. She was held down tight by her bonds, each struggle against the bindings burning her flesh.
“Wow. You actually fell for that. I didn't think that would work.” A female voice spoke up, stepping out from behind the statue. Twilight stared up in disbelief, Sugarcoat adjusting her glasses. “Honestly, who falls for such an obvious trap like that?”
“S-Sugarcoat?” Twilight's eyes widened at the sight of her friend. “W-What's going on!?”
“It's not like you to be slow on the uptake Twilight.” Sugarcoat snarked, putting her hands on her hips. “I'm looking to win the grail war, same as you. So, if you feel like living, go ahead and surrender or els-” Saber didn't give Sugarcoat a chance to finish, closing the gap between them with a single step. The crystalline blade sparked with magic as it swung up, aiming to decapitate Sugarcoat with a single strike.
The sound of metal hitting metal rang out, the sword never reaching it's intended destination. Sugarcoat's arm had raised just in time, a red gloved hand with a metal arm guard taking the blow. Shock overwhelmed Saber for a moment, not expecting her attack to have been blocked so easily. It was for this reason that when Sugarcoat's leg swept forward, it hit it's target with intense force. Saber's breath escaped her lungs before her body was launched, her back hitting the ground hard. The Servant bounced hard against the cement before she tumbled in the air, landed on her feet, and skidded to a halt.
“Did you think I'd forgotten about you?” Sugarcoat asked, turning to face the Servant. Saber growled, standing up and gripping her blade firmly again, ready for battle.
“SABER! WAIT!” Twilight cried out, struggling against her bindings. “Sugarcoat's not a Magus! If she was, Spike and I would know! You can't go all out on her! She'll die!”
“How very touching.” A deep older male voice spoke up. The air between Sugarcoat and Saber began to warp as magic twisted reality to it's whim. From the swirling vortex a figure began to emerge, starting with it's golden curled shoes, followed by the ends of a blue star and moon patterned robe, a tattered and charred purple animal hide strapped to their chest by a belt, a waist length curly white beard, and a big blue hat that sat atop a blue turban. It was an elderly man who looked very much like a traditional Wizard had emerged from the vortex, his entire outfit adorned at the ends with yellow bells.
“Caster!” Saber growled, recognizing the Servant's mana immediately.
“Twilight Sparkle's camaraderie with her friends is exactly why this trap was such an overwhelming success.” The old man chuckled as he lifted his hands up in the air dramatically. “Stand down Saber, you have already lost.”
“I haven't even begun to fight!” Saber growled, gripping her sword tight as she readied to strike.
“But you've already lost!” Caster chuckled, “Or do you not care about what happens to your Master?” Caster snapped his fingers, the thorny bindings around Twilight's body suddenly constricting. Pain shot through the girl's body, the thorns digging into her flesh and the bindings themselves burning her skin. Twilight screamed in pain, causing Saber to stare in shock. Saber snapped her vision back to Caster, glaring death at him. “I think you get the idea. Now, stand down.”
Saber's arms trembled, her teeth gritting tight as she heard the old man's command. Every fiber in her being was telling her to launch an attack anyway, to rush in and try to kill Caster and his Master before they could do anything to Twilight. But any attack that would kill them both in one hit would take too long to get ready, they would know what she was up to right away. Even if she unleashed the full power of her Noble Phantasm, it wouldn't be enough to prevent them from killing her Master.
Twilight panted heavily, feeling blood starting to trickle down her body. The bindings hurt, but she'd felt worse pain on her own, this wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She just couldn't believe the situation that had unfolded in front of her. She had been so worried about Sugarcoat that she hadn't even considered the possibility that she would turn out to be Caster's master.
Of course she wouldn't have guessed that, Sugarcoat wasn't a Magus. If there had been anyone at school able to use magic other than her or Spike, they would have been found out a long time ago. Even now, Sugarcoat didn't have magic circuits or any mana coursing through her body.
Twilight grit her teeth trying to think of what to do. She didn't know why Sugarcoat had decided to do this, but she had to think of something. She couldn't just sit there wrapped in the trap doing nothing. If only there was something she could do for Saber...
Then it hit Twilight, her command seals! She remembered that she was able to give Saber absolute commands through them. If there was any moment she needed to use them, it was now-
Pain soared through Twilight's mind as her thoughts were tossed out, her head smacking against the hard cement floor as a foot stood on top of her, pressing her down into the cement.
“If you even think about using a command seal, I'll crush your head in.” Sugarcoat spoke up, keeping her foot pressed down against Twilight's skull. Twilight let out a weakened whimper, her head swimming from the pain and confusion of suddenly being struck.
“It's not a boast either.” Caster chuckled deeply. “I have enhanced my Master with my magic. Her combat skills far surpass any human on this planet now.”
“Bastard! You're controlling Twilight's friend to fight against her, aren't you!” Saber hissed, loathing how powerless she felt right now.
“Controlling?” Caster tilted his head at Saber's words, before a large grin formed through his beard and he gave a deep chuckle. “Master, did you hear that? She thinks I'm controlling you.”
“Funny.” Sugarcoat said, not even cracking a smile.
“Sugarcoat... Why?” Twilight managed to gasp out, trying to understand. She wanted to ask so many questions. Why was she a master? Why was she letting Caster do as he pleased? Why had she let him call everyone at the compound and turn them into those monsters? But the only words that had escaped her lips were the two.
“If you live long enough, I'll tell you. Right now, it doesn't matter.” Sugarcoat continued to speak in her usual deadpan tone, speaking about Twilight living or dying the same way she would about an upcoming test. Her words weren't any comfort to Twilight.
“Well, I think that settles that then.” Caster nodded his head at his Master before turning to Saber with a smile. “Now, I do believe I ordered you to stand down. I won't ask again.”
Saber growled one last time, but realized she couldn't stall for any more time. Slowly she loosened the grip on her sword and left her battle stance. She finally stood upright normally, glaring at Caster with enough intensity to set him on fire where he stood.
“It's a start,” Caster chuckled. “Remove your armor and disarm yourself as well.” Saber clenched her fist at the request. Her eyes looked over at Twilight, watching her Master trembling underneath the foot of someone she had called a friend just yesterday. Saber squeezed her eyes shut, but obeyed Caster's orders. Her armor and sword vanished, leaving her in her jeans, blue shirt, and the black leather jacket Twilight had bought for her.
“Good.” Caster said with a smile. From behind Saber, magic circles materialized in the air and instantly fired two thin beams of magic that pierced straight through both of her legs. The fiery red head cried out in pain as her body fell forward, landing on her hands and knees. Her body trembled and blood began to pour from the open wounds, before two flames ignited in the wounds.
“Now, Master,” Caster turned his head to look at Sugarcoat. “Which would you prefer? Owning a mindless puppet, or would you like her to keep some faculty awareness but be absolutely loyal?”
“I already have you, why do I need her to think for herself?” Sugarcoat shrugged her shoulders.
“Mindless puppet it is.” Caster smirked, holding out his hand as a brown book materialized in it. The book looked ancient, the pages made of yellowed parchment, the cover a disfigured mess of crumbled leather that had been warped as if by an intense heat. The book gave off a sickly aura of ghastly mana as Caster opened it's pages. With the spell ready, he lifted his hand over Saber, and began to cast it.
Saber let out a shrilling scream as pain erupted from every nerve ending in her body. The very air around her was twisting as the spell distorted it, sparks of red electricity spreading across her entire body. Saber writhed on the spot, pressing her hands against her head as she curled up, screaming in pain as Caster's spell invaded her body and mind.
Twilight's eyes burned with tears as she heard Saber's horrifying screams, the absolute pain and terror being broadcast in her voice. Caster was intending to eradicate her mind and free will, and to do that he'd first have to break Saber. And all Twilight could do was lay there and watch, trapped in thorns and being stepped on by someone she called a friend.
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of Saber's screaming filled her ears, tears streaming down her face as she was forced to listen to her friend being tortured. It may have only been a few days, but Twilight felt closer to Saber than she'd ever felt with anyone else. Even if Saber hadn't known her for long, Twilight had known Saber all of her life.
“Hey, what'cha reading there kiddo?” Her father's voice spoke up, peaking from around the hallway. The young girl looked up from her book, smiling at the older man's voice.
“Knights of the Sun Queen.” Twilight replied happily, holding the book up for her father to see. “I found it in the library earlier and I haven't been able to put it down!”
“Ah, that old tale.” Her father chuckled as he walked over to his daughter and sat down. Twilight opened the book back up and continued reading from where she had left off. “I'm surprised you're so into it, it's not exactly a happy story.”
“I know,” Twilight nodded her head as she turned the page. “But no matter how bad things get, Sunset never stops trying to make things right.”
“Most people tend to see it as a story warning about the dangers of desiring too much. Sunset's entire redemption stems from the mistakes she makes. Her homeland falls into anarchy and chaos because of her actions.” Her father explained, reading up on where his daughter was in the story.
“She has made mistakes... But she only ever did what she believed in.” Twilight said, looking up at her father. “She's not a bad person, she just never got the guidance she needed. She only ever wanted to make her Mother proud, but she didn't know how to do that. And that failure follows her her entire life.”
“That's certainly an advanced interpretation of the story Twilight.” Her father said rather impressed.
“Advanced?” Twilight blinked, looking back at the book, “That's just what makes sense to me. Sunset tries, and tries, but it's just never enough. Life keeps knocking her down, and she keeps getting back up.” The little girl couldn't help but smile at that. “I want to be someone who can do that.”
“With the right people in your life, I'm sure you'll be able to.” Her father smiled, raising a hand and ruffling his daughters hair, getting a small giggle from her. “I'll leave you to your reading then. Just try not to be disappointed with the ending.”
“I won't.” Twilight smiled brightly, “Sunset deserves a happy ending, so I'm sure that's what she'll get.”
Another high pitched scream echoed through the night air, the pained screaming of Saber growing more frantic and desperate as Caster's magic clawed away at her mind.
'I can't let him do this!' Twilight cried in her mind, gritting her teeth. 'Am I really going to let Saber suffer anymore because of me? I refuse to let things end this way!' She desperately searched for something she could do. She could try a command seal anyway, but Sugarcoat would put an end to that before she finished using it.
But what if she drew up Mana? Twilight opened her eyes and looked down at the thorn-covered light tendrils wrapped tightly around her body. There wasn't anything incredibly complex about the trap, it hurt like hell, but there was no underlying mechanics beyond holding her down. If she was able to summon forth enough mana, she could break the trap's hold on her with sheer force.
She squeezed her eyes shut at the idea, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. She didn't have that kind of mana, and her body would give out well before she reached it. Her eyes shot open as Saber let out another pained scream, making her realize what was on the line. If she didn't do something, she was just going to sit here and save her own life while Saber suffered in her place.
She couldn't stand for that. Saber meant too much to her, she wasn't about to let Caster have his way with her.
'Mana. I need all of my mana.' Twilight closed her eyes, concentrating on her magic circuits. Her circuits flared up, mana coursing through her body. It was a desperation tactic, but she only had one chance to try and save Saber.
Of course, her circuits activating didn't go unnoticed by Sugarcoat.
“Hey, what do you think you're doing?” The bespectacled girl glared down at Twilight, grinding her shoe into Twilight's skull. Twilight ignored the pain, and continued to channel as much as she could. “Didn't you hear me? If you try anything, I'll crush your head in.”
'But you haven't done it yet.' Twilight grimaced, withstanding the pain. It felt like electricity was surging through her body as she forced more mana to the surface than she'd ever forced before. Her back hurt far worse than any pain the thorns could provide and it felt like her body wanted to consume itself. A fire was ripping through her body from the intense pain of summoning all that magic, but she didn't stop for a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on one thing.
Saving Sunset Shimmer.
“Fine, if you're going to be that way Sparkle, I warned you.” Sugarcoat glared down at her friend before lifting her foot up into the air. A green glow of magic energy surrounded her foot, enhancing the power of her damage, and stomping her foot down at Twilight's head.
Twilight cried out as she unleashed all of the mana she had been gathering in her body in every direction at once. A burst of solid light erupted from Twilight, the thorny tendrils quickly dissolving from the onslaught of direct mana. Sugarcoat cursed under her breath and jumped back, unable to withstand the direct assault of mana herself.
Twilight got to her feet, the explosion of mana numbing all of her wounds and pain. Her eyes opened, blaring the same light as the mana escaping her body. Sugarcoat stared in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing. Twilight raised her right hand and placing it against her shoulder.
“By the power of my command seal, I order you Saber! Kill Caster!” Twilight's voice seemed to boom, being carried by the mana bursting from her body.
For a moment, the awful pain that filled ever fiber of Saber's being faded as her mana surged. She got to one knee, her armor and weapon materializing instantly. Caster realized what was going on just as Saber's sword flared up, shining with a bright white light that filled the entire blade and vaporized the air around it. Saber's voice roared in the air as she lunged forward, slicing her blade where Caster stood.
She felt her blade connect with something, but almost immediately knew that she hadn't struck Caster with her blade. The floating blue cloth in front of her vanished into the aether alongside him. Even with a command seal, her injuries had slowed her down too much to land a decisive blow.
The mana erupting from Twilight finally calmed, the bright glowing light fading as her body returned to normal. She stood there for a second, before a haze began to fall over her mind. Her body stumbled back a step, before she collapsed into a sitting position, unable to realize what was going on in the world around her.
“Well this is a surprise.” Caster spoke up as he materialized behind Sugarcoat. The twin-pigtailed girl merely glared at Twilight, still struggling with the realization she had let her escape the trap. Saber grunted in pain, but stood up and closed the distance between her and Twilight, standing at the ready in front of her Master.
“I will give credit where credit is due, that was an impressive gambit to gain some ground.” Caster jeered, “but it looks like it was all for nothing. Your Master expended all of her mana, and you're very injured,” Caster's eyes wandered to Saber's struggling legs. They were trembling while holding her weight, as if begging for Saber to take her weight off of them. The flames dancing in her wounds were the only thing stopping the Servant from collapsing completely from the injury.
“As long as I can fight, I will not surrender to you.” Saber growled, gritting her teeth. “You will not lay another finger on my Master so long as I breathe.”
“Well, that can certainly be arranged.” Caster said, opening his book once more. “Turning you into a mindless puppet was just convenient for us because you were in a position where you couldn't refuse. We have no actual use for you though.”
A strange, low pitched demon growl came from the book as it began to ooze the ghastly mana from it's pages, pouring down to the ground and spreading out from where he stood. The cloudy mist of wretched mana flowed freely, slowly forming a wall between Saber and Caster. The sickly squelch came from the fog once more as the aberrations climbed out of haze. One by one, the deformed aberrations rose forming a wall around them. Saber grit her teeth with a growl, realizing how much the odds were stacked against them now.
“Saber...” Twilight whispered, her head still spinning, “I... I can't... Stand up...” The girl's arms shook, barely supporting her ability to sit up. Her body was refusing to move, to act to her commands. She was barely even cognizant of what was going on around her, only aware that Saber was protecting her.
“Don't move Twilight.” Saber ordered, gripping her blade tighter, “I'll get us out of this, so just hold on for me.” The intensity of Saber's blade flared up once more, surging with more of her mana. The power and heat of her blade kept the wretched fog of mana away from them, but they were already surrounded. More and more of the wretched creatures emerged from the haze, Saber having lost count of how many minions Caster was calling forth.
One of the creatures lunged straight for Saber, it's jaws opening wide to bite down onto the Servant. With a single swing of her blade, the creature was split in half, its eviscerated body vanishing into the aether.
It's death seemed to be the signal for the rest of the hoard to roar and attack. Each creature that lunged forward was met with a slash of Saber's burning blade. Each slash sent a wave of heat back at the oncoming crowd as fire began to erupt at her feet. Saber swung her blade wide, a wave of fire launching out in a circle around her against the foes. Though several were now ablaze, the relentless assault refused to lessen. Saber sucked on her teeth, but refused to back down, carving through each one despite their numbers.
“It is rather unfortunate.” Caster mused to his Master. “Even as a mindless puppet, Saber would have a made a formidable ally. Not to mention that an actual Magus like Twilight would have been a perfect vessel for the grail.”
“Plans change, you just have to learn to adapt.” Sugarcoat spoke without a hint of care to her voice. She turned and looked up at her Servant. “You should hurry up and finish them off. The longer we delay, the more likely it is that help will arrive for them.”
“Correct you are Master. We had time before, but they've made quite the ruckus now.” Caster looked down at his book, reaching a hand up and flipping through a few pages. The sickly mana stopped oozing from the book as he stopped on a new page. Her ran his elderly fingers across the written words, the text on the page lighting up a deep red as his fingers passed them. This time, a sickly wail cried out from the book as the mana was summoned from it's depths.
Saber's blade seared through another minion as her breathing began to grow ragged, exhaustion building up. She had to hold her ground, she had to make sure that her Master was alright. Each slash of her blade made her muscles burn and her breath grow more ragged. Magic sparked in her blade frantically with each strike, drawing more of her mana from her body. From a distance it may have looked like she was dancing as she fought, circling her Master with grace as she slaughtered each aberration that came their way, but in reality it was a struggle of will to stay on her feet.
Power radiated from above her, dread coursing through her system as she whipped her head up to the sky, seeing a large magic circle having been formed. Her eyes widened with sock at the realization, the circle pulsing with power. Several smaller circles appeared below it, indicating the spell was focusing it's power into a single location.
Saber stared as the large spell circle shined brightly, it's spell about to be cast. Without any time to think of what else to do, she turned and threw herself over Twilight, concentrating her mana into her body to form a protective shield around her Master. The aberrations quickly swarmed them, claws and teeth digging into Saber's back. The Servant grit her teeth and bore the pain, surging her mana into the best barrier she could muster.
The spell above them fired down, a concentration of pure mana streamed down, intent on vaporizing everything in that spot. The creatures Caster had summon never stood a chance, evaporating in the light of the spell the moment it touched them. Saber cried out in pain, the intensity of the spell bearing down on her with all of it's might, her mana trying to counter the spell as best it could. Constant pain assaulted her, the spell tearing away at her defenses. The spell was one of pure destruction, meant to eradicate everything it touched.
The spell's energy dissipated, the beam of concentrated mana fading from existence. The spell circles in the sky vanished, the hissing of steam coming from below where the beam had struck.
Twilight's head began to clear, realizing that she was laying on the ground. She blinked, trying to focus her vision on the figure hovering over her. Saber's face came into view, smiling down at Twilight.
“S-Saber?” Twilight murmured, her body and mind still feeling numb.
“Good... You're safe.” Saber managed to smile. Twilight felt something wet drip onto her cheek, her vision was still too blurred to see what it was though. Saber shifted from her position, managing to stand up on shaky legs. Her body was torn to shreds, her armor falling apart, and blood dripped from every wound. She turned to face Caster and Sugarcoat, and raised her sword, gripping it with both hands once more.
“She's still alive.” Sugarcoat spoke up, sounding annoyed at this point.
“That's a Saber class for you, more resilient than you expect.” Caster chuckled as he raised his hand once more. “One more should do the-” Caster stopped speaking mid-sentence, quickly grabbing his Master's shoulder instead. A blue jousting lance soared through the air, striking the ground where the two had been standing seconds before, the cement erupting in an explosion of power.
A black string tied to the end of the handle went taught, pulling the lance out of the embedded stone and rushing back to it's owner. A white horse let out a loud whinny as it landed in the courtyard, rushing forward and coming to a stop in front of Saber. Rider swung the lance, prepared to attack anything that came near as Spike jumped off the back and to his injured comrades.
“Saber! Twilight!” He cried out, running up to the two. Saber gave a relieved smile as she lowered her sword.
“Spike, Twilight's unable to move and I'm in no state to pick her up.” Saber tilted her head towards her Master. Twilight was still struggling to get her body to move and obey her commands, but she was stuck laying where she was.
“Right.” Spike nodded, rushing over to Twilight and quickly slipping his arms under her body. “We're getting out of her Twilight, just hold on.”
“Spike...” Twilight managed to whisper, her voice struggling to escape.
“Just hold on Twilight, you'll be safe soon.” Spike reassured his best friend, quickly lifting her up onto the back of the horse and leaning her against Rider.
The sounds of decaying, rotting flesh squelching began to fill the air once more aberrations began to appear, a circle of minions surrounding the Servants. Spike quickly got on the back of the horse, holding Twilight in place as Rider reached into her dress and pulled out a handful of gems. With careful aim she tossed them them in a semi circle around them, the gems lighting up brightly and blinding everything in the immediate area.
The horse let out a whinny as it kicked it's hind legs and quickly turned around, rushing for the exit. A swarm of creatures blocked the path, intent on stopping their escape.
The bright flash of Saber's blade carved through them instantly as she dashed ahead, eviscerating anything that would dare stop their escape. In a short burst of speed, Rider's horse made it to the front gate of the compound and leapt over it, Saber following quickly behind.
The four of them managed to put a considerable distance between them and compound, Rider no longer able to sense Caster's presence for the moment. Rider had fully intended to keep going, except something was wrong. Rider slowed the horse down and looked back at Saber, who had slowed down to a walk, before stopping in place.
“Saber?” Rider asked, looking uncertain at the other Servant. Saber stood silent for a moment, before she fell forward, her armor and sword vanishing as her body hit the ground with a hard thud.
“SABER!” Spike yelled, jumping off the horse and rushing over to the fallen Servant. Twilight could barely move her head, only managing to spot Spike at Saber's side from the corner of her eyes. Spike grit his teeth, before reaching down and picking up Saber in his arms. “We have to keep moving!” Spike ordered. Rider nodded her head in understanding, turning her horse to keep moving forward.
Twilight wanted to speak up, to be able to do something more for everyone, but her mind was too numb. She couldn't even feel the pain in her body anymore. Though she was worried for Saber, her body couldn't continue to function this way. Unwillingly, she closed her eyes, and fell asleep against Rider's back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Twilight, your Mother and I have something very important to tell you.” Her father spoke, leaning on one knee with a hand on her shoulder. Young Twilight blinked in confusion, but listened intently. “Tell me, do you believe in Magic?”
“Magic?” Twilight tilted her head. “It's just something make-believe in stories, isn't it?”
“That's what we tell those who cannot use magic, yes.” Her father nodded. “However, magic is very real, and you were born into a family of Magi.” He smiled, lifting a hand before her. She watched his hand as a light began to glow from it, before a gem appeared where the light had been. The gem floated quietly above his hand, lightly spinning.
“Wha-” Twilight said in disbelief, her eyes growing as wide as saucer plates. “T-That's not an illusion? You actually used magic!?”
“It's very real Twilight. No slight of hand, just magic.” His father smirked as he grabbed the jewel with his fingers, before placing it in Twilight's hand. The little girl looked at it with amazement, unable to believe that she was holding an actual magical artifact. “And, not only do you come from a family of Magi, we intend to teach you everything we know about magic.”
“Really!?” Twilight said, her excitement rising as she held the precious gem close to her chest.
“It's a great honor to be taught how to use magic in a Magi-family Twilight, I want you to understand that.” Her father said seriously, though never breaking his smile. “It's a secret from the world for a reason. Not everyone is able to use magic, so all of us mages have agreed to keep it a secret. Your Mother and I will teach you magic, but only if you agree to not tell anyone but other Magi about it, do you understand?”
Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion. “But... How will I know if other people are Magi or not?”
“Part of your magic training will be learning how to detect mana, the energy that magic runs on. You'll easily be able to detect if someone is a Magus by if they have mana or not.” Her father explained.
Twilight stared in wonderment at her father, before something crossed her mind. “But... If we're a family of mages... How come I'm only hearing about this now? Did my brother know we were mages?”
“He did know, and in fact we were training him to be a Magus.” Her father's smile finally broke, sadness washing over him as he spoke about his son. “However, he is no longer with us and we can no longer train him to be a Magus. We didn't tell you because...” Her father hesitated for a moment with his explanation, “...Because it's tradition to not start training to be a Magus until you're old enough. And we felt that you were finally old enough to start training.”
At her young age, Twilight was willing to believe her father's answer. She was upset that they had kept the secret from her, and even more so that her brother hadn't told her about it before he left. However, she also understood her father's reasoning and gave him a nod in understanding. “I see. Then I promise, I won't tell anyone but other Magi that I'm training to become a Magus!”
“That's my little girl.” Her father smiled, raising a hand up and ruffling her hair. Twilight let out a happy giggle at the display of affection. “There's a lot to go over, so the sooner we start, the sooner you can become a proper Magus. How would you like your first magic lesson to be today?”
“I'd love to!” Twilight bounced in her spot eagerly, unable to believe how fortunate she was.
“Very well then, let's head to my study then.” Her father stood up, extending his hand for his little girl. Twilight happily took his hand in hers, and walked with her father towards his study.
“Can I be the best Magus daddy?” Twilight looked up at her father with a bright smile.
“If you study hard enough, then one day I'm sure you will be.” Her father looked back down at her with a smile.
“Then that's what I want to be!” Twilight gave a broad, happy grin. “One day I want to be the bestest Magus that there ever was!”