Starlight Glimmer was keenly aware that a familiar had been following her ever since she left the confines of her house to walk the streets of Canterlot city. It was the kind of awareness that made her revel in how powerful she truly was. She was such a huge threat to someone that they had to keep an eye on her, and for now she was going to let them be under the assumption that she wasn't aware of their peeping eyes. However, their familiar was decidedly amateur, enough to maybe fool a novice Magus, but anyone worth their salt in the field would've noticed it immediately.
She wasn't in a rush to get anything done nor was she hiding anything for the moment, so while she approached her destination she just walked casually and reveled in the attention. She knew that whoever owned the familiar was likely cowering in anticipation for whatever it was she was planning, and she liked knowing that.
Everyone deserved to revel in her power. After all, she did come from the renowned Glimmer family. If they weren't cowering in fear at her presence, then that was something she would just simply have to fix.
However, she was finally approaching her destination. At the top of the hill stood the Church, neutral ground of the Holy Grail War. She had business to take care of, a private matter that needed to be handled with care and she wasn't going to tolerate anyone spying on her during it.
She turned her head, looking straight up at the black crow familiar that sat atop the tree branch and smirked at it. Just long enough for whoever was watching her to see that she knew they were watching. And then with a surge of her mana, the small familiar burst, feathers scattering in every direction from the carnage.
With her stalker taken care of, she opened the front gate of the church and made her way across the courtyard. The front doors to the church gave a loud creak as they opened, followed by Starlight stepping inside like she owned the place. Her eyes swept around, realizing that no one was there to great her. She scowled at the disrespect, fully aware that the priest should have been able to detect her approach and should have been waiting there for her.
“Show yourself priest! I know you're here!” Starlight yelled into the church, crossing her arms as she scowled. She could tolerate having to wait for someone to arrive, but what she couldn't tolerate was being shown disrespect.
“It certainly is late for us to be getting visitors.” Sombra's calm voice echoed in the room as he stepped into the room from one of the side doors, arms behind his back with that ever calm smile on his face. “What brings you to the church my child?”
Starlight raised an eyebrow at the man, curiosity overriding her initial reasoning for showing up. “...Huh, you know when I registered for the war I only talked to you through a familiar, I wasn't aware we were being presided over by an Executor.”
“Those are some sharp senses you have there.” Sombra lightly chuckled as he came to a stop in front of his pedestal. “Tell me, what gave away my position within the Church?”
“You reek of blood, like, more than any human ever should. Even for a Magus.” Starlight glowered, staring down the man. “I've only ever met one other Executor before in my life, and he left me with a question that perhaps you can answer.” Starlight uncrossed her arms, placing a hand on her hip as she gave the man a questioning look, “Do you actually believe in the crap you spout? Everything I've ever learned about Executors says that they do the exact opposite of what they teach. How can you call yourselves holy men like that?”
Sombra chuckled at her reaction. “And what do you know of Executors? While we are known by Magi, what we do inside the church is considered sacred and is not public knowledge.”
“Oh please, do you even know who I am.” Starlight ran a hand against her ponytail, flicking the end as she looked dully at Sombra. “I am the head Magus of the Glimmer family. We have knowledge that puts the other families to shame. So if you're going to answer my question, just do it already.”
“Hm, very well.” Sombra smirked at the girl, “I will simply tell you this; to be a part of any branch of the church you must adamantly believe in it's teachings. An Executors job is an extension of that, acting as a force of God rather than as his word. We exist with a purpose, and we execute upon that purpose. Our beliefs never fall into question with our duty. And that is all you need to know about an Executor.”
Starlight glared at the priest, staring him down. She scoffed, turning head to look away from him. “You are a lousy liar priest.”
“I'm assuming you came here for a purpose other than questioning my role within the Church. Whatever is troubling you my child, you may tell me.” Sombra extended his hands in a welcoming fashion.
“You're right, I got off track.” Starlight shook her head before turning back to the older man with a grin. “I came here today seeking the Judge of the Holy Grail War, not an Executor. So allow me to skip the formalities and get to the point.” She reached for the sleeve of her jacket and rolled it up to her elbow, before presenting the back of her hand. Three red marks in the shape of a falling star were carved into her hand, the clear indications of command seals. Part of the falling star's trail had faded away from use. “My command seals have been damaged and I've come seeking their repair.”
“Damaged?” Sombra raised an eyebrow at the curious statement, looking at Starlight's seals. “I see no signs of damage, just the faded remains of a command seal that has been used.”
“Is there a difference?” Starlight glared, lowering her hand. “One of my command seals is no longer usable, and I've come to return it's power.”
“I am afraid I cannot abide by this request. Command seals are not something that can just be given or returned. They are an extremely powerful tool of every Master and they are to be used wisely and with care. If I was to return your spent command seal to you, I would have to do so for every Master in the war.” Sombra explained calmly, placing his arms behind his back once more.
“So, you're just going to refuse to grant me another command seal then, is that correct?” Starlight said in a flat tone.
“I have no other response for you. If you came here only seeking command seals, then I am afraid you will be leaving disappointed.” Sombra's word was final on the matter.
“I see.” Starlight shook her head at the response, a smile on her face. “Well, I can't say I wasn't expecting some resistance to the idea, and I did come prepared for that.” Starlight's magic circuits instantly flared up, her twin-pronged red spear appearing as she rushed the priest, aiming to gouge his eyes out with her first stab.
The stab was blocked by three long blades being held by Sombra, the two attacks holding the other back. “Attacking the judge of the Holy Grail War? I can't say this will go well for you.”
“I'm already a Master and you have no power to take that away from me.” Starlight mockingly smirked. “If anything, taking your extra command seals and preventing anyone else from having a chance to use you as protection is just strategy.”
“I see, your reasoning is sound.” Sombra admitted, as three more long blade appear in his other free hand, slashing them up at Starlight. The girl jumped back as the slash swung clean through the air, only missing her by inches. “However, you won't find me so easy to take down. An Executor's life is constantly filled with danger, and I have fought threats far worse than you, little lady.”
“You seemed to be forgetting one thing though.” Starlight's grin grew broad. The wall of the church exploded as Berserker came charging through it, rushing straight for Sombra. The priest jumped back, raising the six blade to protect himself as Berserker's fist came crashing down. The fist collided with the blades and the force of the punch sent Sombra flying through the opposite wall of the church, rubble and dust flying everywhere. “I have a Berserker.”
Sombra landed with a pained grunt, skidding to a stop on one knee. He quickly wiped away the blood that trickled from his lips as he looked up at his attackers. Berserker's eyes flashed through the helmet, it's intent clear.
Starlight walked up and stood next to Berserker, a hand on her hip and triumphant smirk on her face. “So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way Priest. Hand over the command seals, or I can rip them away from you by force.”
“Well, if I had to guess, you have no intentions of letting me live either way.” Sombra smirked back as he stood. “So, if it's the choice of lying down and dying or standing my ground. I think the choice is obvious.”
“You saw right through me, a pity.” Starlight chuckled as she pointed her spear at the priest. “He needs to be alive for the command seal transfer to work, but he doesn't need the arm they're on to be attached for it either. So if you want to, just rip his arm off Berserker.”
Berserker roared loudly as they lunged forward, a glowing fist of power coming crashing down at Sombra. Sombra raised all six blades up to form a shield, the fist crashing into the blades and instantly shattering all of them. The force of the blow sent him flying once more, though this time he was more prepared and came to a skidded stop in the courtyard of the church.
Berserker's charged hadn't stopped, the hulking mass of armor rushing down at the priest. Sombra summoned six more blades into his hands and quickly tossed them with force and precision, aiming for the holes in Berserker's armor to slow the beast down. Two blades managed to sink into the large gash of the beast's armor, though if it even felt them was up to debate as it didn't slow down for a second.
Sombra jumped to the side as another fist came crashing down where he had been standing, avoiding the blow by inches. With more blades in hand he launched a counter assault, jamming the blades straight through the gouged out hole in Berserker's helmet. He felt the blades hit flesh as he released them, jumping back from the hulking behemoth.
Berserker stood up, reaching up with the hand free from it's gauntlet, and grabbed the blades stabbing it in the face. Without flinching, it pulled the three blades out of it's face and dropped them to the ground before stepping on them, crushing them to dust. Even a direct hit wasn't enough to stun the creature.
The giant monster roared loudly as it's remaining gauntlet glowed with raw power, before Berserker slammed it down into the ground in front of Sombra. The ground began to pulse and bulge with magic, before erupting into a localized earthquake that shattered the ground to pieces and exploded in a huge force of power.
Sombra had no choice but to jump away, being nicked by the debris of dirt and rocks as he escaped the direct impact of the explosion. Before he had even landed, he realized his mistake as he felt Starlight's presence appear behind him. In that next moment his chest was pierced, the twin ends of Starlight's red spear jutting out the front of his body. Starlight channeled a powerful surge of mana through the spear, causing all of Sombra's nerve endings to erupt in pain as the foreign mana washed through his body.
To Sombra's credit, he never once let out a cry of pain as his body collapsed to the floor, steam hissing from his exposed skin. His arms moved to pick himself up, but he was instantly smashed back down by Berserker's heavy foot landing on his back. Sombra grit his teeth as he bore the pain, pinned before the might that Starlight had brought down upon him.
“There, that wasn't so bad now.” Starlight smirked as she walked up to Sombra's right arm. “Now I'm just going to take what I came here for and we'll be on our way.”
Starlight reached down and pulled the sleeve of Sombra's shirt up, revealing the command seals that practically covered his entire arm. She gripped the arm tightly, and began casting the spell to relieve the priest of his seals. Powerful sparks of electricity flowed out from the area of contact as the spells resisted and refused to budge at first, but one by one they began to fade away from his arm and reappeared on Starlight's arm.
The process took some time, but when it was finally finished, Starlight had more command seals than she knew what to do with. Standing up, she rolled her own sleeve up to look at the tens of command seals she had just acquired, feeling drunk with the power they granted her.
“Now see, this is how it should have been all along.” Starlight smirked as she turned away, lowering her sleeve and starting to walk away. “Thanks for the fight old man, but you're not needed anymore.” Starlight stopped and turned her head to look over her shoulder at her Servant with a devilish smirk. “Berserker, go ahead and kill him.”
Berserker let out a loud roar as their foot came crashing down on top of Sombra, blood splattering across the Church's front lawn as his body collapsed under the pressure. Starlight couldn't help but chuckle as she turned away, walking towards the entrance of the church.
“No one stands in the way of what I want.” She was proud of herself, feeling the intense joy of a successful plan fill her. She had her eyes on her prize now, and there was nothing that was going to stop her. “And what I want right now, is the head of Twilight Sparkle.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The battle was over. The last battle she'd ever fight.
It had been taxing, she had put everything on the line for this one. She had fought with her convictions and honor on the line, but she'd never know if she had done the right thing.
Her body was damaged beyond repair, not even her flames would fix these wounds. She crossed a battlefield, scarred with the remains of might and magic that had laid waste to it. If she stopped now, she would never get up again, and there was only one place that she wished to die.
It wasn't until the sun had set and the moon was held in the sky that she reached her destination, managing to stay on her feet that long. The trail of blood she had left behind evaporated into flames as she walked, making it seem like she had never been there in the first place.
She came upon a small field of flowers, planted around a statue of a goddess that the world had once worshiped. As she approached, the fire in her body vanished and her blood remained, splashing against the grass and flowers. She came before the statue, sinking her crystalline sword into the ground for support as she knelt before it.
A breeze blew by, scattering petals to the wind as she paid her penance. She knew not if she had done enough, and if she hadn't she would accept that punishment. She deserved to burn in the fires of Tartarus for her actions, flames so hot that even she would feel their burn. She looked up at the face of the goddess, hoping for some small hint of forgiveness, or sign that her actions had been just.
“I have done everything to save your Kingdom from ruin and despair...” She uttered quietly as she lowered her head once more. “My body is weakened, damaged, and ruined. I can do no more to save it... I only hope it was enough to stop what I have started... So that you may finally rest easy...”
The stone statue gave no reply, and the wind slowly came to a stop around her. A small smile appeared on the warrior's face. She accepted whatever punishment came her way next as her life began to slowly fade away.
Anything to make up for having killed her goddess.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Twilight's eyes slowly opened, the familiar ceiling of her room coming into view. She blinked a few times before sitting up in her bed, looking around. At some point she had made it back home safely and had been put to bed.
“Those were Sabers last moments in life.” Twilight murmured quietly, closing her eyes as she remembered the vivid dream. She remembered that scene from the dream, it was the final moments of 'Knights of the Sun Queen', where the story ends with the last of the Queen's knights, Sunset Shimmer, paying penance for her actions before the Queen's grave.
The dream, however, was so much more vivid than the book had described it. She had felt every emotion Sunset had been feeling, felt the pain she had been going through to get to that moment. Sunset's story was a tragedy; a tale of sadness, seeking redemption, and trying to fix your mistakes. And in the end, Sunset never knows if the decisions she made saved her country or not. She dies before any of it comes to fruition, and the story ends with her death.
Did Sunset still carry the weight of her regrets on her shoulders? Twilight had no way of knowing for sure. So far her interactions with Sunset told her that the girl was fine, that she carried herself with a smile and dedication that put Twilight at ease. Sunset had vowed to be her sword, and that as long as Twilight was willing to fight seriously, she would always be by her side.
But Sunset had been good at hiding her emotions in the story as well. She showed up with a friendly smile, saved everyone she could, and moved on before she could linger in one place for too long. And while those around her saw the bright, smiling woman who was their savior, Sunset's emotions were always a wretched turmoil threatening to destroy her.
Scenes of her despairing alone at night, of her hiding her misery for the sake of others, going hungry so that other could eat, suicidally jumping into danger so that others didn't have to, and just letting her sorrow motivate her entire life. If anyone could put on a mask to hide how they felt, it was Sunset.
“Sunset...” Twilight murmured out loud, turning her head to look at the side of the bed where the redhead usually slept. Suddenly, the visions of last night came rushing back, all the vivid memories of their battle with Caster. Saber being tortured, Saber defending her from the aberrations, and Saber taking the blow from Caster's spell so that she could live. Her eyes widened in realization that Saber was very hurt and she had no idea where she was.
In her panic she threw the covers off and stumbled out of bed, her legs giving out from under her as she collapsed on the floor. Her head swam for a moment as she put a hand to her face, remembering how much mana she had expended the day before. She should've realized that her body was going to do this, racked with pain and...
Twilight's eyes opened in realization. She wasn't in pain anymore. She sat up and placed a hand against her shoulder, expecting to feel the numb pulse of pain emanating from her back, but it was completely absent. She stood up on her feet, realizing that the only difficulty she had in walking was a bit of disorientation from having just woken up, but her body felt normal. Too normal.
She shook her head, realizing that while this was significant, it wasn't important right now. Saber was hurt and she had to go see her, to make sure she was fine. She grabbed her glasses off of her bed side table so she could see, and threw her door open before rushing out of her room and towards the living room.
At the top of the stairs she looked down into her living room, spotting Rider standing near the window looking out towards her front yard. Twilight's movements didn't go unnoticed as Rider turned to look up at the worried Master, giving her a smile in return.
“It's good to see you awake Twilight, we were worried about when you would wake up.” Rider said calmly, walking over to the couch as Twilight made her way down the stairs.
“What happened last night? A lot of it's a blur. I remember you coming to save us but...” Twilight shook her head as she reached the bottom of the stairs, walking over to Rider. “Is Saber okay?”
“Saber is alive, you don't need to worry about that.” Rider said with a smile, causing Twilight to give a relieved sigh, “However, she's in no condition to fight right now. If you want to see her, Spike is in the basement tending to her now.”
“Thank you Rider.” Twilight nodded her head before quickly heading for her workshop. The stairwell was still fairly damaged from the previous fight it had withstood, but it was clear enough to be easily navigable now. When she reached the bottom, a faint glow was cast through the whole room as Spike channeled his mana into a spell. A new runic circle had been placed on the ground with a bubble of green magic enveloped over it, concentrating the spell into the center location.
In the center of the circle was Saber, lying on her back with her eyes closed.
“Saber!” Twilight cried out in shock, rushing to Spike's side but being sure not to disturb the magic circle. Saber's eyes slowly opened as she turned her head to look at her master, a smile appearing on her face.
“Hey Twilight, good to see you up and about.” Saber's voice was noticeably weaker than usual, though it didn't seem to deter her mood.
“She was badly injured in the last fight and nearly consumed all of her mana.” Spike explained, not taking his eyes off the spell. “I had Rider put you to bed when we got back and I immediately set up this spell to start the healing process. Caster's magic is no joke, his mana has been interfering with the healing so that progress has been slow, but thanks to your workshop she's out of the dangerous part now.”
“I'm sorry we couldn't save your friends Twilight...” Saber's face fell as she apologized. “Caster's plan caught us unaware and he was more powerful than I was expecting...”
“No, no Saber you don't need to apologize.” Twilight shook her head as she felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She sat down next to Spike as she spoke, “I was the one who let myself get caught in such an obvious trap... If it hadn't been for me you might've been able to beat him, and Sunny Flare and Sugarcoat would be fine...”
“I'm the Servant Twilight, I'm the one whose supposed to have the strength to overcome this.” Saber turned to stare up at the ceiling, guilt clearly eating away at her consciousness.
“A servant is only as powerful as their Master.” Spike spoke up, “If something went wrong then you need to accept that it's something that went wrong together,” Twilight shrunk back at Spike's harsh words. “However, the important thing is that you're both alive. That means there's still a chance for us to stop Caster and save your friends Twilight, we just need to recover and and decide on our next strategy.”
“...You're right Spike.” Twilight nodded her head in agreement. “Once Saber has recovered, we can decide on our next move.”
“If the enemy doesn't come to us, that is.” Saber spoke seriously, glaring up at the ceiling. “Caster knows we're injured and I don't think he intends to just let us recover in peace. Then there's also the news that Spike told me...”
“News?” Twilight blinked, looking at her best friend.
“...Starlight's on the move.” Spike growled under his breath, despising the woman as he mentioned her. “My familiar saw her leaving the forest and making her way into Canterlot. It followed her all the way to the church before Starlight noticed it and destroyed it. I have no idea where she is or what she's doing now, but she may also attack us at any moment. I have Rider keeping a look out for now, but we need to be on guard in case either of them launch a full on assault on us.”
Twilight held the cuff of her shirt in her hand, biting her lip as she felt the nervous tension building in the room. The two biggest threats to them were both likely to take action soon and they had no idea when that could happen. Saber was in no condition to take them on either, so that meant they were down a servant so they wouldn't be fighting at full strength. And then they still didn't know the location of Lancer, who was a wild card in the fighting so far.
Three servants, all of who wanted Twilight dead, could take this opportunity to strike while they were at their weakest.
“Twilight, did you just come straight down here when you woke up?” Spike asked, turning to look at his friend.
“Huh?” Twilight blinked in confusion looking at Spike. “Uh... Yes?”
“It's already past noon, you've been asleep for a while. While we have this moment you should go upstairs, take your medicine, maybe shower, and just get ready for the rest of the day. We're hunkering down here for today until Saber's recovered enough to fight.” Spike turned back to focusing on Saber once he'd finished explaining.
“I'll be alright down here Twilight, Spike's taking good care of me. We've got some down time, so you take care of your body while we have the chance.” Saber's smile was so genuine, so sincere. Twilight stared at Saber. In her mind she could still seeing the blood dripping from her servant's face from the night before. Twilight squeezed her hands in uncertainty, realizing that Spike and Saber were right but wanting to just stay by Saber's side for now.
“...Alright.” Twilight finally relented, slowly standing up. “If... If you need me, don't hesitate to come get me, alright?”
“I will.” Saber nodded her head gently, before closing her eyes to rest on her back. Twilight felt a knot of worry in her stomach, but realized that things were being handled there without her. She felt so powerless to help her Servant or best friend, but she knew to some degree they were right as well.
With a heavy heart she made her way back up the stairs and to her bedroom. She stopped in front of her body-length mirror and looked herself over. Her outfit from last night was almost shredded, lacerations were cut into it from where the vines had held her, dirt and dried blood were scattered on the rest of it. They had been in such a rush last night that they had just put her to bed in the outfit.
Realizing she really did need a shower she started slipping the clothing off as she made her way to the bathroom. She tossed her shirt and skirt to the floor before stopping to look at her row of medications that sat near her sink. She reached out to grab them, but stopped in hesitation. Her body felt fine, in fact it had been so long since she didn't feel at least some small bit of pain on a daily basis that her mind was still processing feeling... Normal.
Twilight turned around and looked over her shoulder, looking at her back in the mirror. Her scars were still there, prominent as ever, forever indicating what had happened all those years ago. She reached a hand up to her shoulder and gently ran her finger along the lines she could reach, feeling the bit of bumpy texture they gave her back. She felt no pain, but the web-like network of scars on her back were the same as ever.
With another reluctant sigh she turned around and opened her medications one by one, before swallowing the handful of pills prescribed to her. She didn't know why she felt so normal today, but she could already hear one of her doctors yelling at her for not taking her medication just because she felt normal for a day.
With her medication taken care of she finished stripping and stepped into her shower, turning on the hot water and letting the warmth soak her down. She had to admit, the warm water was soothing her frayed nerves. She leaned against the shower wall and rested her head against the cool tile wall while steamed floated up around her. Her mind began thinking back to everything that had happened last night.
“I'm such a worthless Master...” Twilight muttered quietly, squeezing her eyes shut as the memory of Saber's bloody face looking down at her came to mind. She had been in such a rush to save Sunny Flare that she let herself get caught in an obvious trap, and Saber had been so gravely injured because of her. Not only that, she was helpless to stop Sugarcoat, who wasn't even a Magus. Whether or not she was actually being controlled by Caster, she should've been able to do something for her friend, but she had just been beaten so easily.
How did Sugarcoat and Sunny even get wrapped up in all of this? Was it because she was a Magus? Had she inadvertently dragged her friends into a war she originally had no intention of participating in? She had never met Starlight before and yet she was out for her blood. Caster knew he had an advantage holding two of her friends hostage and was likely to target her. And Lancer had even less of a reason to attack her than both of them.
Twilight slammed a fist against the shower wall as she struggled to hold back tears, gritting her teeth as her emotions ran rampant inside her mind. In just a few short days her entire world had turned upside down and she no longer knew what the right thing to do was. She had no choice but to fight, even if she rolled over and died there was no guarantee that the people she cared about would be safe. At the same time, she was a worthless, broken Magus who could do nothing but get injured and hold everyone back.
So what was she supposed to do?
Twilight took a deep breath and let it out as a slow, shuddered breath as she wiped her face. She cupped her hands and gathered some water before splashing it against her face. Feeling worthless wasn't going to change anything and she knew that. She'd just have to bottle those feelings and press forward.
She was used to that though. She'd been doing it for so many years now that she could suppress them for a little while longer.
Twilight finished cleaning herself in the shower, going through her usual routine to take care of her hair, before turning off the hot water. She wrapped herself in the dry towels and walked out into her room, where she heard the buzzing of her phone vibrating against her nightstand.
Picking up the phone she saw quite a few messages that had been left throughout the day. The first had been from Cheerilee. “Spike told me how you were out late looking for your friends. If they don't turn up today I'll contact the police. Take today to rest up and try to go back to a normal schedule tomorrow, you won't be able to help anyone if you're stressing yourself out too much. I know how you get, just keep your head held high and you'll be alright.”
That was Cheerilee for you, she knew Twilight like the back of her hand. Twilight couldn't help but give a small smile at the words, knowing Cheerilee was looking out for her. The next few messages were from the girls, a mixture of worry and tension was evident in their texts, but they hadn't given up hope yet. They were apparently still on the search, having skipped school as well. Twilight quickly gave them an update on her status so they wouldn't worry before moving on to the last message.
This one was from Flash, telling her that he had talked with the girls via text about what was going on. He was checking in on her to make sure everything was alright. Twilight couldn't help but smile and gave him a status update too, apologizing for missing school again and that things would be alright.
Her friends were a comfort on her mind, even on her darkest days they always managed to put at least a smile on her face. It wasn't much, but she was at least able to calm their worries about her and that brought some small peace of mind to her.
With her friends messaged she put on a fresh outfit and tied her hair up into a ponytail, forgoing her usual bun for now. She didn't particularly care if she looked good or not right now, she just wanted to be ready for anything that might happen.
Twilight made her way back downstairs to the living room, spotting rider sitting on the couch sipping at a cup of tea. She looked up at Twilight and gave a smile, nodding her head as an invite to join her. Twilight accepted the invitation and sat down at her couch, pouring out a cup of tea for herself.
“I can see how worried you are.” Rider said calmly, sipping at her cup.
“That obvious?” Twilight grimaced at Rider being able to see through her so easily. She looked down at the cup of brown liquid, seeing her reflection staring back up at her.
“You're not very good at hiding your feelings darling,” Rider chuckled softly as she gently swirled the liquid around in her glass. “However I don't blame you either. Things are tense right now, taking what small leisure we can will help ease our minds.”
“I just...” Twilight quietly shook her head, placing her cup down. “I never realized before how much weight my name had in being a Magus, of being the head of the Sparkle family. Starlight heard of me long before I even knew she existed, and Lancer most likely attacked me for a similar reason. And... I get the feeling Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare are mixed up in all of this just because I'm a Magus too.” Twilight lowered her head, running her fingers through her bangs.
“All of this because of who I am, and I had no idea about any of it. I took being a Magus seriously but... I never expected it to amount to anything. I always assumed I would be the last of the Sparkle bloodline and our name would die out, joining so many other Magi family in the history books.” She shook her head, placing her hands down on her lap as she stared at the floor. “But now the quiet life I tried to live has been thrown back in my face... And I feel so helpless, so powerless...”
Rider contemplated Twilight's words carefully as she sipped her beverage. Emptying her glass and gently placing it on the table. She folded her hands over her lap as she gave a warm smile.
“Well, I can't say what kind of life you must have led, I've only known you for a short time after all. What I can say, is that from what I've seen so far, you've been willing to do everything currently in your power to accommodate everyone around you.” Twilight looked up at Rider as the elegant Servant spoke. “Even if you don't have the strength necessary to accomplish everything on your own, you want what is best for everyone. You spent a wonderful day showing me and Saber around to accommodate us to our new surroundings and our new masters, you agreed to fight in the war for Saber and Spike's sake despite your own hesitations, and you still found time to spend with your friends at a party. I'd honestly be more surprised if you abandoned them rather than try to help them at this point.
“In the end it doesn't matter what reason Starlight, or Lancer, or even Caster have for attacking you personally. What matters is that it's because they're afraid of who you are rather than any personal transgressions you've slighted them with. They know you're a Magus to be feared, even if you yourself do not think so.” Rider gave Twilight an encouraging smile. “So what you should do is take that to heart. If they fear you, use that to your advantage. Make them realize you truly are something to be feared.”
“...But how do I do that when all of them out-class me?” Twilight shook her head. “They've seen me try and use magic before, they know that I don't stand a chance against any of them.”
“You have your allies darling,” Rider grinned. “You've forged a powerful alliance with one of the strongest Magi families in the town, not to mention you have two Servants fighting by your side. Do not look down on the bonds you've formed, they are your strongest weapon.”
“...So what you're saying is, we're going to save the day with the power of friendship.” Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. “Sounds like a lesson I would've learned from the cartoons I watched as a kid.”
“Well, it's a simple way of putting it, but I do not thing it's wrong to say it like that.” Rider couldn't help but give a gentle chuckle herself. “I admit, Saber was not the only one who had hesitations about forming an alliance with another Master, but I can see now that my worries were misplaced. I've never felt stronger in my life than I did before I knew that you and Saber would have my back in a fight.”
“...Thank you Rider, that means a lot to me,” Twilight gave her a genuine smile. “I'll try to live up to those expectations.”
“Think nothing of it darling, I was simply speaking the truth.” Rider smiled brightly, reaching over to a warm kettle and pouring herself another cup of tea. “We may only get to know each other for a short period of time, but if we had lived in the same time period, you are someone I could easily have seen myself being friends with.”
“I feel the same Rider, I'm glad I could confide in you.” Twilight had to admit that Rider made her feel safe in a similar way that Saber did. She knew that if their plan was successful that she would have to have Saber fight Rider in the end, but she felt no animosity towards the beautiful woman. She really couldn't have asked for better allies in this war.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next few hours dragged on and on for Twilight. Between the tension of not knowing if an enemy was going to attack and hoping for Saber's quick recovery, she found herself wandering the house looking for something to occupy her mind. She had spent quite a long time down in the basement with Saber, just sitting quietly as Spike healed her slowly. She'd also spent quite a bit just hanging out with Rider, and while there wasn't a lot of conversation to be had, the few shorts ones they had were friendly and comfortable.
The sun was beginning to set just as Twilight finished the book she had been reading. She let out a soft sigh as she pushed it aside, checking the time on her phone once more. The messages from her friends had slowed down now, a somber mood tinting the messages as the girls were exhausted from searching and upset that they hadn't found any clues as to the whereabouts of their missing friends. It ate Twilight up inside that she couldn't tell them where they were, but she did do her best to stay optimistic for them.
She lifted her head up from her spot on the couch and looked out the window, seeing the orange hues of the setting sun washing over her yard. Feeling cooped up in her large house, she got to her feet and walked over to the glass door leading to her back patio. When she pushed the door open, the still warm but gentle air of the setting sun wafted over her skin. It felt wonderful after a day being stuck inside. She stepped out and closed the door behind her, walking towards the waist-high fence overlooking her back garden.
Leaning against it, she admired how beautiful her garden looked in the wash of orange and reds. Between studying for school or studying magic, she liked to do a little gardening here and there. It was a hobby her Mother had enjoyed as well, and tending to a few of the flowers or bushes made her remember those simpler days. The garden she kept wasn't anything compared to how it used to look when her Mother was around, but the flower beds had vibrant blooming plants in them, the bushes were neatly squared off, the grass was kept short and leveled, and she even dusted the rocky path from the patio to the backyards small gazebo.
She took a deep breath of fresh air, smelling the calming scent of her garden, and letting her mind relax for just a moment. There was always something calming about her backyard, and at times like this, she just needed a moment to reflect on the simpler thing.
The washing light of orange and reds faded quickly, being replaced with the tranquility of the approaching twilight. Her garden was slowly being swallowed by the dark blues and purples of the night. She didn't plan to stay outside for much longer, just needing that quick breath of air before night fell and she'd head back inside.
Though what stopped her from heading back in was the sound of someone's voice that she didn't recognize. She lifted her head, trying to gauge where it was coming from. It was distant, but it was clearly the voice of a woman singing. It wasn't a complex tune, a simple rising crescendo that then lowered before rising again. There were no lyrics, just her sultry voice swimming through the air.
Twilight wasn't sure if she'd ever heard anything like it before. She'd heard singing before of course, Crystal Prep had a music department that trained singers, but this felt so different. She stepped down from her patio into her lawn, trying to get a better vantage point to listen to the beautiful song.
It was simply enchanting, she had to hear more of it, she had to know where it was coming from and who was singing. Her body felt so light as she walked, as if she was floating along the ground with each step. That voice made her feel so wonderful, it was unlike anything she'd heard before. She glided through the gate of her backyard and began walking down her street.
The singing grew louder as she walked and she grew more entranced. Her head was a haze of lights and sound as she strolled, unable to discern anything around her. Everything was a cloud of lights and colors, all swirling in a haze to the beautiful music playing in her ears. She had no idea how much time had passed or even where she was going, none of it mattered so long as she had that song to listen to.
So when the song ended, all of her senses abruptly returned to her. She opened her eyes wide, and standing before her was a young girl about her age. She had purple hair with aquamarine streaks running through it that framed her face and was tied up into twin pigtails with seashells. Her skin was light pink set against eyes that matched her hair. Around her neck was a black color with a strikingly beautiful red gem lightly glowing with the pulse of magic on it, and her body was wrapped in an ancient Romaneian toga. The ends of the girls hands and legs were wrapped in white bandages that were stained with blood and a pair of sandals adorned her feet.
“You're a Magus alright, the moment my song ended your senses came back to you.” The girl let out an annoyed sigh as she put a hand on her hip, “But you weren't strong enough to avoid the effect of my song entirely, so kidnapping you was fairly easy.”
Twilight was suddenly very aware of the fact that her arms were tied together above her head as she struggled to move them. The ropes tying her hands together were suspended from a hook off of a wall, and it felt like her energy had been drained. She gripped her fists tight and began to pour mana into her circuits, intending to break her bonds. A spell around her activated, sending sharp, painful shocks of electricity into her body caused her to scream in pain and cut the feed to her magic circuits. The moment her circuits died down the painful shocks stopped as well, causing Twilight to lower her head and pant heavily from the pain.
“Yeah, I wouldn't try escaping right now either.” The female spoke up, turning her head and flicking one of her pig tails back over her shoulder. “My Master set up this cell specifically to hold a Magus, so if you use your Mana it'll kill you before you get the chance.”
Twilight lifted her head up, wincing in pain from the burns the electricity had given her. It didn't take her long to connect the dots in her head. The strange clothes, the inhuman level of mana, the frank nature in which she spoke about life and death. This girl was a servant.
“Well...” Twilight managed to speak up, lifting her head as she glared at the girl, “You don't look like an Archer... So let me guess, you're Assassin.”
“I'm as close to an Assassin as you're going to get.” Assassin shook her head, before giving a dull look up at Twilight, “But yeah, as much as it matters to you, I'm Assassin.”
Twilight grit her teeth in pain, anger, and frustration. This was exactly what they had been trying to avoid all day, and in just one moment she had let herself fall prey to a trap. She wasn't upset at anyone but herself for being so stupid, for being so easily captured. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was.
Almost immediately she recognized the large open room she found herself in. It was the church of worship at the Faustist compound. Her eyes opened wide at the realization, her head snapping back and forth at the familiar room, before spotting someone hanging from the wall next to her. Sunny Flare was hanging just like she was, unconscious and unmoving. Twilight snapped her head back to Assassin, glaring death at the girl.
“Scary.” Assassin snarked at the glare, not even batting an eyelash at Twilight's aggression.
“Where's Caster!?” Twilight yelled, violently struggling against her bindings. “Is your Master working with him!? What do you want with me!?”
“God you're noisy.” Assassin growled, lifting her right arm up in front of her. The bandages on her arm started unraveling on their own, a fleshy fin emerging from her wrist. Three ribbed scales held the transparent film, the film gleaming as the sharp edge revealed itself. “I was ordered not to kill you, but if you don't shut your trap I'm going to make this a very painful experience for you.”
Twilight grit her teeth, just glaring at the Servant before her. She had every reason to believe Assassin's word, after all, they had gone through the trouble of tying her up and keeping her hostage alongside Sunny Flare when they could have just as easily killed her while she was hypnotized. Assassin held out her blade for a few seconds, waiting for Twilight to retort before the fin retracted back into her arm. Twilight couldn't help but notice that the portion of Assassin's arm that had been bandaged looked like it was severally scarred or burnt.
Assassin began to slowly rewrap her arm as Twilight hung there waiting. Her arms were already starting to go numb from the blood rushing out of them, and without her magic she knew there was no escaping her bonds. For the time being, she'd just simply have to wait for Caster or Assassin's Master to arrive to find out what it was they wanted with her.
She didn't have to wait long to find out though.
“Well this is a surprise, I wasn't expecting her to be captured so easily.” Caster's familiar deep voice echoed in the large room. Assassin turned around, Twilight's eyes following, noticing a spot of space distorting in the middle of the room. From the distorted space, Caster casually walked out, that ever present smug grin on his face.
Sugarcoat also walked out from behind Caster, with the same constant bored look still on her face. Twilight's heart tightened in her chest as she saw her friend again. She still couldn't believe Sugarcoat was part of all of this, or that she had gotten Sunny Flare involved.
“Caster!” Twilight growled, yanking on her bindings again, “What the hell do you want with me!?”
“Well, there are two answers to that question, though neither require your cooperation.” Caster chuckled as he walked closer. He turned to look at Assassin, the girl looking up at him with a glare while he looked down on her amused. “Good work Assassin, you've served me well.”
“Not like I had much choice in the matter.” Assassin rolled her eyes and turned away with a slight snarl to her voice.
“Regardless, you've done good work here. Now I want you to go guard the front gate of the compound. Twilight's friends have likely noticed she's gone missing by now and this will likely be one of the places they go looking for her. So, I need you to keep watch for them and if they show up, delay them long enough for me to arrive and help you take care of them.” Caster explained.
“Fine. As you command, Master.” Assassin gives the old man a short bow while her voice dripped with venom. Either he didn't notice or he paid it no mind though, and she quickly vanished from the room in a pool of dark shadows.
“Master?” Twilight's brow furrowed in confusion. “You're not a Master, you're a Servant!”
“But I am also a Magus, am I not?” Caster chuckled as he drew closer to Twilight. “I see no contradiction in the rules here. A Magus can be chosen as a Master, and so I summoned Assassin as my Servant. Does that not make sense?”
Twilight opened her mouth to counter, but closed her mouth and grit her teeth. She didn't know nearly enough about the grail war to be able to counter Caster's claims. Even if she did though, it wouldn't change the fact of the matter that he actually had summoned a Servant of his very own. A Servant that had succeeded in kidnapping from her own home under the nose of two other Servants and a Magus.
“That is a trivial matter though, what's more important is why you're here.” Caster lifted a hand and brought it up touch Twilight's cheek. She winced and tilted her head away from the older man's touch. “You're probably wondering why we haven't just killed you yet, am I right?” Twilight glared at him, but remained silent. “Let's start with the first and most important reason, as it's the one that if you cooperate, will go by with the least amount of issues for you.”
Caster's hand slowly slid down Twilight's cheek, sliding down her neck and towards her left shoulder. Twilight shuddered in disgust at the touch of Caster, uncertain what his goal was, but not liking the way he was touching her. Caster's hand then glowed with magic, before a painful blast of mana tore apart Twilight's shoulder.
Twilight let out a scream as the pain tore through her shoulder, the cloth of her shirt and bra tearing away as a hole appeared. Caster grinned as what he desired came into view; Twilight's two remaining command seals. One half of the six-pointed star had faded, the other half and the center circle was still a vibrant red. Twilight sucked on her teeth as the pain started to fade, but was instead replaced with his the cold sensation of his fingers touching her seals.
“Well, it's not three seals, but it's still better than none.” Caster chuckled as he pulled his hand away, Twilight glaring at him with all of her hate. “I recognize that you are a novice Magus, so I will explain how this works. I want your command seals, and I will have them. However, there are two methods for me to obtain them. The easiest way is for you to give them to me with your consent. There won't be any pain, and I'll obtain your seals with little fuss.” Caster's grin grew large and sinister.
“The other is for me to rip them off of you. It'll be very painful. Your command seals are tied directly to your magic circuits, and forcibly ripping them off is akin to ripping your nerve endings out. In the best case scenario you'll lose the ability to use the limb they were attached to. In much worse scenarios, you'll be severely crippled in a myriad of ways, possibly even becoming a vegetable. Or, in the worst scenario of them all, you could just die from the sheer trauma of having them removed.” The old man couldn't help but chuckle at the options. “I'll give you ten seconds to decide to consent. If not, I'll just start preparing to remove them forcefully.”
Twilight clenched her fists and grit her teeth. The bastard was asking her to consent to no longer being a Master, to forsake and betray the bond she had forged with Saber to save herself from trauma. It was a stupid question to begin with. If Caster had known anything about her, he would've known the answer before he even asked the question.
“Well?” Caster asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at Twilight after the ten seconds had passed. Twilight merely responded in a way she never thought she would do, and spit on Caster's outfit. “Hm. Well that's a shame.” Caster chuckled as he didn't even acknowledge the spit. He lifted his hand as the brown leather-covered book appeared once more. “Master, it'll take me just a moment to finish all the necessary preparations for the spell. Since the operation may kill her, would you like to take this opportunity to share a few words with your friend?”
“That depends on if she even wants to talk to me.” Sugarcoat said stepping closer and looking up at Twilight. “I'd be a little surprised if she even considers me a friend at this point.”
“Sugarcoat!” Twilight cried, yanking on her bindings as her friend approached. “Why are you doing this!? Are you really not under Caster's spell!?” She begged, staring at her friend and looking for answers.
“I'll give you two a moment.” Caster chuckled darkly as he stepped a few feet away, scanning his fingers over his book as he began the process.
“Why am I doing this huh? I suppose that's a fair question.” Sugarcoat said calmly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Tell me Twilight, have you ever gone your entire life believing something is irreversibly true? So much so that it shapes the entire way you look at and appreciate life?” Sugarcoat paused as she scowled. “Probably not, since you've been a Magus most of your life.” She shook her head before letting out a short annoyed sigh. “Can you even imagine living that way for a moment, believing it with all of your heart, only to one day discover that your entire way of thinking, your entire reasoning to live, that everything you'd thought was real was just a lie? Well, maybe not a lie, but that it wasn't the only truth?”
“What?” Twilight asked baffled, “I don't get it, what does that have to do with this?”
“My parents have been Faustist all of my life Twilight, they raised me expecting me to follow in their footsteps. And I was okay with that, until I started school.” Sugarcoat looked away from Twilight. “Almost immediately I began to realize... Magic, mysticism, faith, religion, none of it was real. They were all fairy tales adults made up to make themselves feel better. And so, I lived my life believing that, for 12 years.
“And then I met Caster.” Sugarcoat turned back to Twilight. “I met him standing over the corpse of his former Master in this very compound. In that moment I found out that everything I had thought was the truth, wasn't the whole truth. Magic exists, there are Gods out there, and rituals will grant you immense power.” Sugarcoat closed her eyes. “Caster taught me so much in such a short period of time, I couldn't just simply let him die. So, I willingly agreed to be his Master.”
Twilgiht stared in disbelief at Sugarcoat. She had willingly become Caster's Master? No tricks, no spells, just acceptance? Twilight couldn't believe that, she didn't want to believe it.
“Sugarcoat... What about all the people he killed?” Twilight begged, trying to reason with her friend. “All the people here, he killed all of them! Weren't your parents among them?! Why would you become the Master of a monster like that!?”
“I can't undo their deaths by hating him Twilight.” Sugarcoat shook her head without showing a hint of remorse or care. “Nothing in this world, not even magic, can bring them back. I've known everyone in this compound since I was a child, and now all of them are gone forever." Sugarcoat crossed her arms, "Should I just wallow in despair and sadness for the rest of my life knowing I can't change that? Or should I at least make sure that something became of their deaths?" Sugarcoat shook her head once more. "What I can do is learn as much about this world as I possibly can. There's still so much out there for me to learn, and I can't learn any of it without Caster. So if this is the way Caster wants to do things, I'm not going to stop him. There's no point in me trying to turn back now.”
Twilight felt her nails digging into the palm of her hand as she clenched her eyes shut, feeling anger welling up inside of her. Everything Sugarcoat was saying sounded like the friend she'd known for years. The way she came to conclusions, and the way she analyzed the situation. But it was one thing when it was math problems or a science project, these were people's lives she was playing with! Did she really feel nothing for the deaths of so many people? That letting Caster do what he wanted was the right thing to do?
“Fine...” Twilight relented, unable to think of an argument that would make Sugarcoat come to her senses, “Fine, you're right. As a Magus I get it. People die and we have to accept that and move on. We can only use their deaths to further our own knowledge and ambitions.” She glared at her friend, feeling tears burning at the edges of her eyes.
“But why do you have to involve Sunny in all of this then!? As Magi we're supposed to keep innocent people out of our affairs as much as possible! You can't just go around kidnapping or killing people!” Twilight yanked against the ropes binding her as her head looked down, clenching her eyes shut. “I understand kidnapping and hurting me, I'm a Magus who kept all of this from you and I'm an enemy Master in the war. But Sunny hasn't done anything! She's not a Magus or a Master! So why?! Why are you hurting your friend like this?!”
“She's our back-up vessel in case anything happens to you.” Sugarcoat said without a hint of remorse or guilt from Twilight's words. “Once Caster has finished removing your command seals, it's possible you might die, and we can't use a corpse as a proper vessel for the Holy Grail.”
“...What?” Twilight weakly muttered, not comprehending what Sugarcoat was saying. “Vessel for the grail? What are you talking about?”
Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow at Twilight, surprised to hear Twilight not knowing about this. “You're a Master in this war and you don't know about needing a vessel?” Sugarcoat put a hand to her chin, turning to look away from Twilight in thought. “That's very interesting...”
“Sugarcoat! Why do you need a vessel for the Holy Grail!?” Twilight demanded an answer, glaring at her friend.
“I'll explain it to you the way Caster explained it to me, Twilight.” Sugarcoat faced Twilight, adjusting her glasses as she began to explain. “The Holy Grail is not just some tangible object you 'win' upon defeating the other Masters. It's something that has amassed so much mana into a single spot that it allows for the creation of miracles. Any wish can be granted because with that much mana, nothing is truly out of your reach.
“However, in order to get all that mana in one place, it needs to collect within a vessel. The vessel needs to be something that can move and protect itself if necessary, thus something living and preferably with magic circuits. That is why we choose Sunny Flare to be our vessel at first.” Sugarcoat turned to look at the unconscious girl hanging next to Twilight. “Caster was able to research Magi families in Canterlot, and as it turns out, Sunny's family is a now defunct Magi family. They lost their power two generations ago, but their bloodline did pass on Magic Circuits just fine to her. As a result, she was a prime candidate to be the vessel.
“However, we now have you Twilight.” Sugarcoat turned back to Twilight. “If you survive having your command seals removed, you'll make a far better vessel for the grail, being an actual Magus and all.” Sugarcoat couldn't help but let out an amused snort, “The fact that Spike didn't tell you any of this means that he probably intended to use you as his vessel.”
“Spike would never use me like that!” Twilight yelled, glaring death at her friend. “Spike has been my friend since I was a child! He's never once done anything to hurt me! If he wanted me to be his vessel he'd ask me or find someone else!”
“You have so much faith in a fellow Magus.” Sugarcoat scoffed, “Hasn't he ever told you that a Magus's life is stained with blood?”
Twilight's eyes widened at those words, her body going limp against the wall. She had heard him say those exact words before. If Spike had no choice, he wouldn't hesitate to kill another living human being just to keep Magic a secret from the populace. But that didn't mean he'd betray his best friend, would it? To just toss everything they've shared over the years away like it was nothing, all so that he could get his hands on the grail? That didn't make sense to her, that wasn't the Spike she knew or cared about.
But at the same time, the Spike she knew was also a proud and devoted Magus. He would do whatever was required of him as one.
“Seems you two have said your peace to one another.” Caster chuckled as he approached, closing his book and tucking it away into his robes. “I am ready to proceed with the ritual, if you have no objections Master.”
“No, I've said everything I needed to.” Sugarcoat shrugged her shoulders, “Besides, Twilight's pretty resilient. I'm sure she'll survive.”
“Your faith is admirable.” Caster grinned before approaching Twilight. She glared at the old man, making sure he could feel her contempt. “Now hold still, the process may be a little less painful if you're not moving.”
Twilight glared at his hand as it approached her shoulder, the mana flowing through his hand caused the skin on her exposed shoulder to tingle. She grit her teeth as his hand inched closer and closer. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch his fingers touch her and start the process of stealing her command seals.
Caster's hand stopped just before he touched her shoulder, turning to look behind him as the sound of a metal object rolled into the room. In that next moment, a loud bang and a massively intense light erupted from the object. Twilight cried out in pain as the intense light even pierced her closed eyes, and the sound wave of the explosion hitting her chest like a truck. Her ears were ringing like crazy, making her unable to hear anything.
Something struck at the ropes holding her up, releasing her and sending her crashing to the floor. She crumpled against the ground, shaking her head as she began to sit up. She rubbed her hands against her eyes, trying to rid them of the intense burning light that had filled them. She immediately jumped as she felt an unfamiliar hand touching her right shoulder, turning her head to try and look at who was there.
“-wil-!” The voice was muffled from the ringing and the figure was just a blur in her vision. She shook her head one more time, opening her eyes wider as her vision finally began to clear. “Twily! Are you okay?”
Twilight's jaw dropped open as she finally recognized the older man's voice, looking into the blue eyes of someone she hadn't seen in a long time. A head of messy blue hair that was much longer than she had last seen it, stubble around his mouth and chin, and alabaster skin. The black trench coat he was wearing was new, but it couldn't have been anyone other than her older brother Shining Armor.
“S-Shining?” Twilight managed to gasp, her body trembling from the sudden reunion.
“Just hold on, I'm getting you out of here.” Shining quickly spoke up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and getting her on to her feet.
“We don't have time for chit-chat, we need to move, now!” A new female voice spoke up in front of them, causing Twilight to look at the other figure standing in front of her. It was a tall, exceedingly beautiful woman, wielding a crystalline blue bow with an arrow notched in it at the ready. She had long hair that flowed down to her waist that was colored in three pastel colors; pink, purple, and yellow. Her skin was a perfect light pink and she had beautiful sparkling lavender eyes. Her body was wrapped in a beautiful white dress that seemed to hug her generous curves, but not revealing all that much skin at the same time. She looked more like an angel than a fighter.
“Well, I was not expecting Archer and her Master to appear at my doorsteps.” Caster's voice chuckled as his form materialized in the middle of the room, Archer quickly raising her bow ready to attack. Shining Armor turned and glared at the older magician, his grip on his younger sister tightening. “However, your attempts will end up futile in the end. I was prepared for two Servants to attack us, one will hardly prove to be a challenge.”
With those words, Caster raised his hands before him, several magic circles appearing behind him, mana sparking through the air as he prepared his onslaught.
“Archer's going to distract Caster for us and we're going to make a break for it,” Shining whispered his plan to his little sister. “There's no point in fighting Caster in his workshop without a solid plan first.”
“Wait!” Twilight realized something as she turned to her brother, “We have to get Sunny out of here too! We can't just leave her!”
“Who?” Shining quickly countered, looking dumbfounded at his sister. “We need to go now Twilight, forget about her and let's go!”
“She's my friend! She's right behind you right now! I'm not leaving without her!” Twilight cried, wrenching herself out of Shining's grip as she turned around to look at Sunny Flare who was still hanging from the wall. Her magic circuits flared up as she aimed her hand up at the ropes holding her friend to the wall.
“No one's going anywhere.” Caster declared as a barrage of magic erupted from the spells behind him, several beams of light bearing down on the intruders.
Archer turned her bow on it's side, the notched arrow suddenly splitting into a multitude of arrows, before firing them all at once. Streams of light filled the air as the arrows flew with great precision. Each one struck a beam of light that had been fired, the collision of mana causing the air to erupt in a stream of explosions and light.
Archer didn't delay for a second and another arrow materialized into her bow as she fired another round straight at the magician. A spell circle appeared before him, the arrow exploding on impact with the circle as if a wall had been placed in front of him. Caster reached into his robe and pulled out the leather bound book, the book opening and the pages beginning to flip rapidly as a loud piercing wail erupted from it.
Twilight fired a concentrated blast of mana at the ropes binding Sunny's arms together, the ropes being ripped to pieces by the onslaught of magic. Her body fell to the ground, slumping over in her unconscious state. Twilight quickly ran over to her friend and wrapped an arm under her body and legs, lifting her up. She poured mana into her circuits, giving her the strength she needed to carry the body of her friend, before turning to Shining with a determined look in her eyes.
“Fine, let's just get out of here.” Shining said, turning towards the fight as he pulled out a fully-automatic SMG from his coat, aiming it in Casters direction. “Start running and don't stop! I'll be right behind you!” With that order, a hail of gunfire began to rain down in Caster's direction. Several more magic circles appeared in front of him, blocking each of the bullets the same way that they had Archer's arrow.
Twilight didn't need to be told twice and began running for the exit of the place of worship. The magic flowing through her circuits allowed her to run faster than she ever could on her own, the wind rushing past her face from the sheer speed of her sprint. The familiar sickly mana was already starting to rise up from the ground around her, the squelching of flesh and tentacles rising out of the mist.
She paid it all no mind and rushed forward, exiting the room of worship and down the hallway to the front doors. The doors were sealed shut, but she wasn't about to stop running. She grit her teeth and pumped mana directly into her shoulder, she turned her body and rammed the doors with her full strength.
The twin doors to the church broke apart, breaking away from their hinges and scattering away around her. Her body flew threw the air from the sheer force of the impact, gliding over the length of the stairs leading up to the front doors, before managing to stick her landing. She let out a sigh of relief at seeing the outside once more, knowing that freedom was just a short sprint away.
A heavy impact slammed against her chest, all the wind escaping Twilight's body as she was knocked off of her feet. She couldn't maintain her grip on Sunny, and the unconscious girl flew out of her hands as her body tumbled through the air before bouncing against the ground with a hard thud.
Twilight groaned in pain as she forced herself to a knee, looking up at what had hit her. Sugarcoat stood there, her fist extended, having punched Twilight in the chest and having sent her flying. She lowered her fist, glaring at Twilight, determined to stop her escape. Twilight grit her teeth and looked to her side, seeing Sunny Flare crumpled on the ground not far from her. She rushed to her feet and stood in front of Sunny, lifting her hands up defensively to protect her friend.
“I don't think you're going to beat me in a fight Twilight.” Sugarcoat said, approaching with a walk, “You're a novice as a Magus and you're weak as a human. The only thing you ever had going for your was your intellect. Do you really plan to stand in my way?”
“I'm not just going to let you have your way with our friend Sugarcoat!” Twilight retorted, glaring back at the approaching girl. “I don't know what's happened to you, but you used to care about your friends! You don't have to do any of this! Things can go back to the way they were!”
“I'm not getting my old life back Twilight, it's too late for that.” Sugarcoat stopped, adjusting the glasses on her face. “Nothing is going to bring back my parents, nothing is going to make this whole war okay, and nothing will stop this world from being twisted. I'd rather die than go back to being ignorant. There's only two ways this war ends for me. With me as the victor,” Sugarcoat swept a food behind her, bending her body as she prepared to rush at Twilight, “Or with me as a corpse.”
“Dammit Sugarcoat! Those aren't your only options!” Twilight screamed, feeling her body shake with rage. “There's so much more to being a Magus than killing or bloodshed! We don't have to have this be a war that ends in only death and destruction! We can still be friends!”
“Then you're going to have to prove that Twilight.” Was Sugarcoat's response, before she rushed at Twilight. Twilight grit her teeth in frustration and rage as her own mana surged, ready to take on her friend who refused to back down. Sugarcoat's gauntlet clad fist came down, aimed straight for Twilight's chest once more. Twilight raised her arms up as a guard, mana surging to them as Sugarcoat's fist collided with her makeshift shield. She winced in pain but the shield held, absorbing Sugarcoat's blow. A leg swept past the side of the shield, colliding with Twilight's shoulder and striking her hard, causing her to loose her balance and be sent flying once more. Twilight hit the ground hard, but managed to spring back to her feet.
She didn't have time to wince at the pain as Sugarcoat was rushing her once more, refusing to let up her assault. Twilight realized she couldn't stay on the defensive and needed to fight back. A rush of mana poured through her body as Sugarcoat neared, a fist pulling back to strike at Twilight's head. Twilight grit her teeth and jumped forward, weaving her head to the side as Sugarcoat's fist went sailing past it. Twilight squeezed a fist of her own and used her momentum to swing it up and into Sugarcoat's gut as an uppercut.
The blow landed hard, the air escaping Sugarcoat's body as she gasped in shock at the sudden pain. Twilight pushed more mana into the arm that had collided against Sugarcoat and concentrated a spell into the fist. Once the full force of the uppercut had transferred into Sugarcoat's body, she launched the spell, a force of pure mana acting as if a second punch from the single hit.
It was Sugarcoat's turn to go flying, launching away from Twilight before hitting the ground with a hard thud. Twilight panted heavily from the exertion of her strength and mana, already starting to feel her limits being reached as a familiar pain was starting to encroach upon her back.
Sugarcoat put a hand to the ground and lifted herself up to a kneeling position, panting heavily as a stream of blood was now trickling down her face from the impact to the ground. She put a hand to her knee and pushed herself up to a standing position, before crouching into a battle stance once more. Twilight grit her teeth in frustration, realizing that Sugarcoat fully intended to continue the battle.
Sugarcoat's eyes suddenly went wide as she turned her head to look towards the church, before sprinting away at full speed. Twilight was about to question why, before a hail of bullets began to spray in the direction Sugarcoat had run off in.
“Twily!” Shining yelled as he ran over, ejecting the spent clip of his SMG, “Are you okay!?”
“Shining! What do you think you're doing!? You could've killed her with that!” Twilight yelled, pointing at the gun.
“That's the idea Twilight.” Shining glared in the direction Sugarcoat had run as he quickly reloaded his gun. “Seems she got away though, let's get out of here while we have the chance.”
Twilight wanted to yell and tear into her brother at that moment, but it would have to wait for when they were somewhere safe. She sucked at her teeth and swallowed her frustration, quickly running back to where Sunny Flare was laying. As she picked Sunny up, Twilight inspected the girl for any serious injuries, but only saw minor cuts and bruising from the tumble.
A large explosion blew the roof of the church away, Twilight turning towards it in shock. Archer gracefully flipped through the air above the opening of the hole, a pair of ethereal wings shining from her back as she hovered in the air. She aimed her bow down into the hole in the roof, the notched arrow glowing with the bright light of mana as she did. A large yellow circle suddenly appeared before her, snapping into place at the spot she was aiming. With the preparation set up, she let the air loose as it flew through the ring.
The moment the arrow hit the center of the ring, it multiplied infinitely and became a hailstorm of arrows raining down into the church. Several explosions began to rock the church, the walls beginning to collapse in on themselves. Within seconds, the regal building that had once been the main house of worship for the Faustists had become nothing but a giant pile of rubble, smoke and dust spreading out like a blanket across the compound.
“Move now! While we've got the chance!” Shining yelled, grabbing Twilight's shoulder and jogging her out of her stupor. Twilight realized she had been staring and turned around, running towards the front gate of the compound. Shining Armor was by her side running, with Archer quickly joining them as they did.
The three of them jumped over the front gate, escaping down the road back to Canterlot. As they did, Twilight couldn't help but look to the side as she saw Assassin, leaning against a tree with a smug look on her face as she watched them escape. Twilight was confused, but she had no time to question it as she ran.
Assassin didn't give chase, letting them get away with ease once they had finally left the compound. Twilight wanted to escape back to her house, to quickly find her friends, but Shining Armor had different plans. He quickly directed them towards an abandoned warehouse just far enough away from the compound to be out of Caster's reach, and would give them a moment to collect themselves.
The abandoned factory was caked in dust and cobwebs, and was nearly pitch black on the inside when they entered. Shining quickly directed them to a side room of the factory, what used to be a break room for the workers. Shining stepped into the room and lifted his hand, an orb of light materializing and lighting the room up for them.
“Alright, we should be able to rest here for the moment.” Shining spoke up, finally putting his SMG away once he was certain they weren't in any danger.
“I would've prefered someplace a little less dusty, but I suppose not every hiding spot can be a winner.” Archer lightly chuckled, her bow fading from existence as well.
Twilight walked over to a nearby wall and gently placed Sunny flare down next it, resting her in a sitting position with her back to the wall. She looked Sunny over more carefully this time, making sure she really wasn't seriously injured. She was showing signs of some bruising, and the few cuts she had were already closing up, so she was going to be fine. Twilight let out a relieved sigh, grateful that she had managed to save her friend's life.
All that left now, was dealing with the realization that her brother had shown back up in her life out of nowhere.
She stood up and turned to look at her brother, staring at him as he looked at her with a smile. There were so many emotions running through her head at the moment, she couldn't even process them all. Her first thought was to tear into him, yell at him for having tried to kill Sugarcoat or even suggesting that she should've abandoned Sunny Flare to her fate. To scream at him for having left so long ago and left her alone with her parents, thus letting the accident that crippled her to happen.
“Well, now that we're somewhere more calm... Hey Twily, long time no see.” Shining Armor spoke with a nonchalant smile, as if seeing her was the most normal thing in the world.
Twilight grit her teeth and her eyes burned as tears formed at their edges. Her body began to tremble as her emotions began to overwhelm her and anything she wanted to say flew out of her mind.
She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her older brother, burying her head into his chest and began to sob. Hot tears flowing down her face as she squeezed on tight, not wanting to ever let him go.
Shining smiled down at his sis and gently put a hand to her head, the two of them sharing a moment that they hadn't been able to have in so very, very long.
Her brother was finally home.