Fate/Amicitia

by Sanguine

Sister's Watchful Eye

Interlude 9-1

Rarity came upon a little spot of meadow outside town. She’d been wandering for some time, since the directions she’d received from that mystery voice at her shop hadn’t been very specific. All the voice had said was to seek Twilight on the path between the Everfree Forest and the city, which was a lot of ground to cover. But Rarity soon realized this was the spot she’d been meant to find.

The signs of a struggle were everywhere. Other ponies might have missed the trampled grass and soil, but Rarity had sharp eyes and it was as clear to her as the hidden stitches of a ballroom gown. The smell of sulfur and a residue of magic hung in the air. Many of the impressions left in the earth were not hoofprints, but the oblong outline of the human foot. And there was one spot in particular where the ground was absolutely ruined, with deep cracks spreading in every direction. It had been the site of a spectacular collision.

Servants had been fighting in that meadow. Somepony had attacked Twilight… or Twilight had attacked somepony else. Considering her recent actions toward Fluttershy, Spike and even Rarity herself, it was hardly out of the realm of possibility that Twilight had gone after one of the other Masters in desperation. The thought of her friend hunting down and trying to hurt another pony made Rarity shiver.

On the bright side, it didn’t seem like much damage had been done. There was no blood or any other signs the combatants had been injured, so whoever had been the aggressor both sides had apparently withdrawn intact. That still left Rarity with a problem: judging by the prints, the two opponents had left in opposite directions.

In the direction toward town, there was a set of footprints with no accompanying hoof marks. Into the Everfree treeline there was a set of hoofprints and no signs of a Servant. Rarity had to find Twilight, to talk to her about this Grail War mess. But how was she to know which set of prints to follow?

The hoof marks leading into the forest were the same size as Twilight’s, but it was a common size for mares their age, hardly definitive proof. Alternately, it made sense that the Servant who left his footprints might lead to Twilight, because Twilight could teleport long distances, which meant no prints. But of course that was pure speculation and she had no proof at all.

Rarity tried to rationalize choosing between left and right, but in the end it came down to the simple fact: it would be much harder and much more dangerous to trace whoever had gone into the forest. And so she followed the human footprints.

As it turned out, the path she chose wasn’t all that easy either. The Servant had started by stepping into a small copse of trees alongside the road, and she almost lost the trail several times in the dense thicket. When she cleared the brush the tracks suddenly became few and far between, and covered hundreds of feet at a time. It seemed that her quarry had given up running and started jumping across huge distances to speed up his trip.

The tracks took her far from the road, and soon were frustrating to follow because the grass was becoming more untamed. They’d led Rarity to an area that was technically inside the city limits, but was largely abandoned. Fluttershy and the few other ponies around town that helped care for animals used the area as a sort of half-botanical garden, half-nature preserve. Whenever a denizen of Everfree was found in need of help, they could be brought here and rehabilitated in the familiarity of a habitat that grew wild rather than the tightly controlled foliage preferred by ponyfolk.

Rarity felt an eerie sensation along her spine as she stepped among the plants that she knew were growing without anypony to tend them. It was no Everfree Forest, but it was one little spot of chaos in the orderly land of Equestria, and it was enough to make her feel ill-at-ease. As she marched on, she saw that the human footprints were joined by hoofprints, indicating the Servant had met back up with its Master. But contrary to her hopes the hoofmark was not Twilight’s size.

“Wonderful. I came all this way after passing up Twilight’s own tracks! She could be halfway to Appeloosa by now if she took off into the forest. I’ll never find her! Fluttershy and Spike were counting on me to bring her back. What am I supposed to do now?” Rarity whined to the empty trees.

“Finding her opponent would be a start,” The trees answered back.

Rarity nearly jumped out of her skin, and the laughter told her who it was before she realized that she could sense the speaker’s presence. “Rider. I trust your little tea party went well and that’s why you’re trying to scare me out of my wits?”

“Madam, if I surprised you it’s your own fault. If you’d been paying attention you would have felt me moving toward you the moment I left your dress shop.”

Rarity knew she was right, but decided to pretend she hadn’t heard it and moved on. “Why should we find her opponent? Hunting down another Servant team besides Twilight can’t be very safe.”

Rider shrugged. “We find ourselves in need of information and the enemy is a likely source. Your friend’s Servant may have wounded this one, in which case we would have a tactical edge. They would be willing to treat with us to avoid a fight, and we might then to find out what they know about Twilight Sparkle and her Servant’s location. And even if they know nothing, we would learn the identity and location of this Master from the parley.”

Rarity thought that all made sense, but she was still hesitant. “We have no idea who this Servant might be. It could be Archer, and we know for a fact he’s dangerous. If we approach him without any kind of plan it could be a disaster.”

Rider planted her hands on her hips and shook her head in the most patronizing manner she could muster. “You really do need to work on your memory, madam. I wounded Archer at the battle the other night! If there was ever a time to risk running into him, it’s now.”

Though not thrilled with her tone, Rarity couldn’t fault Rider’s logic. “Alright, but stay alert. I’m sure they’re going to sense us coming.”

Rider smiled and gripped the air with her hand. There appeared an ornate weapon she’d seen Rider brandish before, a pistol. Its cherry wood handle and beautiful gold filigree made the deadly device look positively regal. “I hope so. An entrance without fanfare is no entrance at all.”

Interlude Out

***

Twilight Sparkle pushed through a sturdy bush with some difficulty… and walked right into her third spider web. She was thankful that this one didn’t include the spider, but she still started spitting and wiping at her face with her hoof, desperate to get the sticky sensation off. Fleeing into the Everfree Forest had seemed like such a good idea at the time. It would give them cover, make them difficult to follow. She’d completely forgotten how treacherous traveling through the area could be, especially off the few beaten paths.

She heard Saber’s laughter well up from the empty air. “It must be such a burden to live without fingers. My sympathies.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be writhing in agony from your many broken bones?”

“Fortunately, I don’t have any bones in my spirit form.”

Despite herself, Twilight found herself feeling worried. “You’re sure you’ll be alright? You were so injured by... whatever happened inside that cloud of smoke that you couldn’t even move.”

“Yes. Servants can regenerate non-fatal wounds very quickly, especially with a powerful Master like you fueling the recovery. It would be quicker if I could return to the summoning circle you drew at your home, but I’ll recover either way. Frankly, I’m much more concerned about what caused my injury than the injury itself.”

Twilight nodded as she squeezed around another tree. “It’s so frustrating that I couldn’t see. I was trying to analyze Berserker’s abilities the whole time, but when he finally did something major he gets hidden from sight. Trixie’s much smarter than I thought.”

Saber made a noise of acknowledgement. “Whatever he did to me, it must have involved a Noble Phantasm. Even though I couldn’t see I was fully braced and I blocked his strike perfectly. There’s no way it was a normal attack if it damaged me that badly without even touching me, no matter what kind of weapon he used.”

“I thought you said his Noble Phantasm was turning ordinary objects into weapons?” Twilight asked as she struggled her way up a hill.

“I said I suspected that. And even if that’s the case, there’s no rule that says a Servant may only have one Noble Phantasm. Whatever he swung at me must be one as well. And if he took the trouble to disguise it, it must be one so famous that anyone watching would know his identity once he showed it.”

Twilight continued to climb. The incline was getting steeper. “Well, speculating won’t get us anywhere. The bigger question is what we should do next. If you can’t fight right now we’re in danger. More importantly, so is everyone else. If Trixie knows you’re hurt she knows nobody is standing between her and Ponyville.”

Saber sighed. “For someone who thinks speculating won’t get us anywhere you’ve been doing a lot of it since we formed our contract.”

Twilight finally crested the hill and paused to rest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that in war, the biggest mistake you can make is to presume you know what will happen. From the moment you discovered your friend was a Master you’ve been pressing forward without thinking because you assume the worst case scenario rather than taking time to analyze the situation. So far, not thinking has earned you nothing. A scholar of your caliber ought to recognize that much.”

Twilight ground her teeth, trying to contain a rising wave of anger. She was tired of hearing Saber second guess her. How could she do anything but presume the worst? There were lives on the line! How could she leave anything to chance when one false step could mean the death of everyone she cared about?

She thought back to the dream she’d seen. The vision of Hector of Troy standing with his back to his home, facing a deadly foe because the lives of his entire city, his family, his wife and child, all hung in the balance. A situation he himself had caused through blind optimism and hope in a favorable turn of chance no less!

Grimacing at the air, Twilight felt the urge to say something hurtful well up, and gave a reply that was much bitterer than she’d intended, “Why should you complain? Ruler told me every Servant has his own wish. If I’m not trusting the other Masters, all that should mean to you is there’s nothing stopping you from fighting them! Why don’t you let me protect my friends my way and save your worries for yourself?”

There was a pregnant pause, and Twilight regretted her words. Saber had tried to support and help her at every turn thus far, even if it had been primarily motivated by his desire to win the Grail War. But before she could say anything else, Saber changed the subject. “So, what is our next move?”

Twilight sighed. “I’m not sure. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Trixie and Berserker are still out there. Continuing with ‘presuming the worst,’ Fluttershy and Spike are in danger as long as Berserker is still in the Grail War. But now you’re injured, so you’re at a big disadvantage in a fight. We can’t go hunting them down.”

Saber joined her in pondering. “If we cannot seek out Berserker, but we must keep his attention from others, then the natural solution would be… ah, of course! Twilight, do you know of any structure in this forest where we could take refuge?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You mean like Zecora’s hut? I don’t want to put her in any more danger.”

“No, her home is within a living tree, just like your library. What I intend won’t work there. I need a place that was man-made. Preferably with stone walls.”

“Zecora’s the only pony I know who lives in the forest, so I don’t think…” She stopped with an audible gasp as the obvious occurred to her. “Yes, I do know of one! It’s not in great shape, but-”

“Lead me there.”

***

Twilight and Saber, once again in his physical body, stood on the far side of a familiar wreck of a plank bridge. Even from this distance, their destination had a foreboding aura. It was the site of the greatest battle in Equestria’s history, housing for the most powerful magical artifacts ever discovered. And for Twilight was a place of intense memories.

She took a bracing breath, and said to Saber “Here it is: The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.”

The fortress was a wreck. The walls and towers were crumbling, the roofs had visible holes, and there was ivy and moss and other foliage sprouting from every brick. It was nothing short of a death trap, not fit for any Pony to inhabit. And in the absence of ponyfolk, almost any of the Everfree Forests inhabitants might have taken up residence, making the place even more dangerous.

After she and her friends had fought Nightmare Moon and become the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, she’d never had cause to come back to this castle. It was an interesting slice of history and there were sure to be wonderful artifacts and books hidden within. But the visible structural decay said to Twilight that any given floor, roof or wall could be a disaster waiting to happen if she came alone, and local superstitions and fears were more than enough to keep others away.

Judging from Saber’s pleased expression, he saw something different. “Wonderful. It’s hard to imagine mere horses were able to build such a magnificent stronghold. I suppose levitation, flight and strength can make up for lacking fingers after all.”

Twilight elected to let the quip about being “mere horses,” slide and gingerly stepped onto the bridge. Every breeze made the bridge sway and her stomach sink, and the wood creaked enough to make her flinch with every step. She remembered how Rainbow Dash had tied the mess of hopefully-not-rotting wood up so their party could reach the castle. At the time she’d been very preoccupied by the threats she and her friends had been dealing with, so she hadn’t had time to think about how precarious the bridge really was. Walking across it now was enough to make her wish for a Manticore attack or a bawling Sea Serpent just to let her think about something else.

For his part, Saber took one look at the bridge, disappeared into his spirit form, and seconds later reappeared on the far side. Twilight was flabbergasted for a moment, and then switched back to being annoyed. She weighed her options looking at how much bridge remained in front of her, and decided to throw caution to the wind and charged across the remaining distance. Her eyes unconsciously shut themselves in terror, which just made her fear veering off the side.

When she finally felt dirt under her hooves again she realized she hadn’t been breathing since she took off and let out a loud puff of air. Saber gave her a gentle pat on the back as if to reassure her that she’d made it, and for a moment she forgot that she was irritated with him. Then he said, “You know if you were that afraid you could have simply teleported across.”

Her annoyance only grew stronger when she socked him right in the gut as hard as she could. She knew his rock hard abdominal muscles had probably kept him from feeling a thing, while her hoof was sore.

Saber’s sword arm was still useless and barely able to move, so he held his bronze blade in his off-hand while he eased open the front gate with his shoulder. The large circular entry hall was dominated by a familiar sculpture of a stone orb on top of a pillar with six arms, each ending in an empty platform. Moss had overgrown it since Twilight last saw it, but it was still unmistakably the altar where she had first found the Elements of Harmony. “Still right where we left it. Saber, I understand why you wanted a building to hide out in, but why was it important you also have a statue?”

“I do not need any old statue for what I have in mind Twilight Sparkle, I need a palladium. And unless I’m mistaken this altar will serve that function perfectly.”

“What’s a palladium? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that term in my spellbooks.”

“It would be odd if you had. The name honors a sea goddess from my world named Pallas. The legend says that one of the great Goddesses of Olympus, Athena, was raised in her youth alongside a lesser goddess, Pallas. They lived as sisters, and as such constantly competed in feats of skill. One day they had a sparring match, and Athena accidently struck too harshly. Pallas was killed by her own sibling.”

Twilight’s thoughts flickered to her own sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, and the innocent sibling rivalries enjoyed by Rarity and Applejack with their younger sisters. She felt a deep pang of sadness as the thought of an accident that separated them forever, especially one the surviving sister had caused. “How awful.”

“Yes, Athena’s heart was broken at the loss. In honor of her sister, she took Pallas’ name as her own epithet. Then she used her sword to carve a statue of Pallas from wood, which became known as the original Palladium. That icon became an heirloom of the Royal House of Troy. Some said it was given to the progenitor of our family line by his mother Elektra, daughter of the Titan Atlas. Others said that it fell from the heavens on the spot where the city was to be founded as an omen to the first King of Troy, Ilos. It seemed like my father flipped a coin on which story he preferred every time me or one of my brother’s asked. He nearly drove Deiphobus mad changing details and names. Eventually he started taking notes to try and puzzle out the truth. In less than a year he had a whole rack full of them, and when he STILL couldn’t make sense of our family origin he snapped and burned the lot in the town square!” He laughed, practically tearing up at the boyhood memory. Twilight found herself giggling as well.

“Either way, the Palladium became a symbol of Troy… and the secret of the city’s reputation as an unconquerable power. King Ilos was a magus, and he used the statue as the focus of an incredible enchantment. The spell tapped into the very source of all magical energy, the underground leylines, and channeled that energy into every building in Troy to form a protective barrier. So long as the Palladium remained inside the walls, not a single stone could even be scratched, and any enemy that scaled the wall or snuck past the gate would pass through the protection and be cursed with weakness until they left.”

It almost sounded too good to be true. “So, you’re going to use the same spell now? I thought you said you didn’t know anything about magic.”

“I don’t know anything about magic. That is to say, the theories, the craft, the things you students of magic thinks of as being important. What I do know is the practical method for this one spell, as did every one of my brothers. It was the birthright of all Trojan Royalty, and it was our duty to know the means by which our people were kept safe.”

Twilight nodded. “I guess that makes sense. So, what is the method?”

He answered by slamming his blade point-first into the stone.

Twilight’s eyes grew wide and she felt like she was choking as she watched Saber carving symbols into the central sphere. Somehow she hadn’t expected this would involve taking a sword to an important piece of Equestrian history. Granted, the thing was rotting in a ruined castle rather than sitting in a museum or something, but it still made her feel a little ill. After a few more seconds Saber’s work was done, and a line of strange script was cut into the orb. He moved some of the vines covering the object to disguise the carving, then nodded ay a job well done.

Twilight waited for a few moments, then asked, “Is that all? I was expecting something… flashier.”

Saber raised an eyebrow. “It would not have been much of a ‘secret key,’ to Troy’s welfare if it made the walls glow or some other nonsense. As for the spell, it is simple because King Ilos used Divine Language in its crafting. There is no need for an elaborate ritual, I do not even need a Magic Circuit. All the power is in the word itself. And in the palladium of course. That is why it can’t just be any object, it must have been touched by divine power to fuel the effect of the words. This statue is perfect, I can feel the essence that lingers on it.”

It made sense to Twilight that the statue had some lingering power, it had held the Elements of Harmony for a millennium. She wasn’t sure about classifying the Elements as “divine,” but if the spell worked it worked and that was all that mattered. The walls she’d feared might crumble at a stiff breeze were now impregnable… hopefully.

“So now what do we do?” Twilight asked.

“The others will sense what we’ve done. The alteration of a leyline is too large to miss. Until they arrive, we practice the most important skill one can have during a siege. We wait.”

***

Interlude 9-2

Rarity and Rider snuck close to their target using the trees. They’d stumbled upon a stage-coach, a wagon large enough to live in that also featured a fold-out stage for public performances. They were popular among traveling performers. It only took Rarity one glance at the sign hanging from the front to recognize that she knew the owner, since the same one had hung over an identical stage-coach before it was smashed by an Ursa Minor.

“So, Twilight’s opponent was ‘The Great and Powerful,’ Trixie. That certainly explains why they had a fight. I can’t believe I suspected Twilight might have been the aggressor, if this thick-headed show-off is a Master I’m surprised she hasn’t accidentally burned the town down by now.” Rarity still hadn’t forgiven Trixie for desecrating her mane with a spell that mutated it into a green mess. A mare that would do something so unspeakable to another’s hair was capable of almost anything.

Rider’s pistol was poised as she stared intensely at the vehicle. “I sense the presence of her Servant as well. Which means he should sense me. They must be lying in wait for us.”

“What should we do?” Rarity asked.

“Do you think she’s laid any traps or other countermeasures?” Rider asked.

“I don’t think so,” Rarity replied.

Rider’s smirk may have been the most awful thing Rarity had ever seen. Before she could object the Servant had charged out of her cover and executed a beautiful flying kick right through the carriage door, weapons at the ready.

Rarity found herself charging in against her better judgment, lighting up her horn with magic on the run. She had no idea what to expect as a response to the brazen action of her Servant, but she feared it would be violent.

As it so happened, in a way she was right. As she entered the carriage she was greeted by the sight of Trixie pelting her armored servant with dishes as he sat hunched in a corner.

“…just pick me up and haul me away like a sack of potatoes? Do you take pleasure in humiliating me?!”

“My lady, I acquitted you with the full honor due to a lady of high stature… HAHA, YES, HIGH STATURE! You are the BARONESS OF MULES, OH GREAT MASTER! HAHAHA!”

“Don’t you laugh at me you maniac! Take this, and this! And of all people, Twilight Sparkle had to see my Servant retreat with his tail between his legs! I thought you were supposed to be some great hero! What a giant steaming LIE Ruler told me about the MIGHTY Berserker class! You’re a charlatan, and that’s coming from a professional stage magician!”

“Oh, what a treat! What a blessing! To run through time and space to a new world and still be gifted the song of STUPIDITY! God has smiled on this fallen knight! Say again, my beloved! Tell me that I am a failure! That my shortcomings are my own and have naught to do with you! You, who command my every move, regale me with the legend! Your words soothe my troubled head… my head, my head, MY HEAD… my heart… oh, my great King, has your champion come this far down from grace?”

Unbelievably, the knight began to sob, and Trixie’s angry gaze drooped. She set the plate she’d been ready to hurl down and eased to her Servant’s side, gently laying a hoof on his shoulder with concern.

Rarity was at a complete loss to understand any of what she was seeing or hearing, and by the look on Rider’s face she was as well. However, Rider quickly took it upon herself to end the bizarre scene, and before Rarity could again try to stop her she discharged one of her pistols directly into Trixie’s roof.

Trixie’s Servant was on his feet in less than the blink of an eye, a sub-human roar blaring from the depths of his armor as he grabbed a huge shard of broken dinner plate and reared back to throw it like a knife. Rarity was paralyzed with fear, but before he could let fly Trixie shouted, “Stop you fool! Her Master is with her!” Her words seemed to freeze him in place, and he stood completely still, his blank black helmet radiating aggression toward the two intruders.

Her Servant halted, the blue unicorn turned toward them as well. “How dare you damage the roof of the GREAT AND POWERFU- wait, don’t I know you? You’re… one of Twilight’s friends right? Rarity?”

Rarity put on her best war face. “I’m surprised you remember me! You were so busy traumatizing ponies the last time you were here, I wouldn’t have thought I’d stand out.”

Trixie tilted her head. “Well, I did think it was a bit odd that all it took to upset you was a tacky dress… but that doesn’t matter! I see that you are also a Master in this Holy Grail War! Why have you come before the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do you seek to do battle with my Berserker? Or are you here on Twilight Sparkle’s behalf to negotiate a rematch of our last fight?”

“So, you admit that you attacked Twilight! I swear if you hurt her…”

“Hurt her!?” Trixie seemed very upset at the comment, enough that Rarity shut her mouth in shock. “What is WRONG with you? Why would I do anything to hurt Twilight? Why would I do anything to hurt anypony? Do you all really think so little of me that you think I would do something so terrible over this GAME we’re playing? Even when I was corrupted by dark magic I never HURT anypony! You act like I’m some kind of moustache twirling villain! You all told me you wanted to be friends after the last time I was here! Some friends you are! Twilight was treating me just as terribly!”

Rarity paused. There was a lot to think about in that little rant, but one thing in particular stuck out: Trixie had called the Grail War a game. When Ruler had spoken with Rarity, she had put the conflict in very similar terms; that it was a contest, that the only fighting would be between Servants, that one could win the entire thing without anypony who wasn’t already a ghost coming to harm.

Rarity and Twilight had seen first-hand that there was at least one Master who didn’t see it that way. But Twilight had been the victim of the attack while Rarity was only a spectator. She had assumed that was why Twilight had acted the way she did when she discovered Rarity was a master… but the way Trixie spoke it sounded like things were even worse than she thought.

“Trixie, dear, I think maybe we ought to call a truce and compare our notes. Start from the beginning. Just what happened with Twilight?”

***

Rarity felt about the way Trixie’s face looked after they finished their talk. Her mind was buzzing with the details Trixie had shared about Twilight, the things she’d said when she saw who Trixie was, the aggressive way she’d been acting over the course of the fight. Rarity had certainly been suspicious of Trixie, but there was a large difference between treating someone with firm caution and laying out an accusation of attempted murder.

Trixie, for her part, had practically been sick when Rarity had explained what happened at the clearing, how Archer had nearly killed Twilight. She couldn’t believe she had executed an ambush against someone who’d nearly been eviscerated by long-distance arrow shots; the mere association was making her look green underneath her blue coat. She’d berated Berserker for not telling her before she remembered that he’d left the scene before the first shot, but the mad warrior was sane enough to contain the urge to snap at his Master.

“This is just dreadful,” Rarity finally said after an extended silence. “I mean, I knew there was something terribly wrong with Twilight after she kicked me out of the Library. She threw herself between Spike and I like I was a rabid Chimera! But this… she’s much worse than I could have imagined. I thought if I found her and talked to her things would be alright, but you tried to explain yourself and she didn’t even listen. She just assumed you were lying and then sicked her Servant on yours.”

“I think… er, The Great and Powerful Trixie agrees with your view of the situation. However, it’s obvious that we can’t simply leave Twilight Sparkle to her own devices in this Grail War. She is in need of help, and The Great and Powerful Trixie will not stand aside while a pony of lesser magical prowess could benefit from her aid.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, thank Celestia for that. So we’re in agreement that we need to do something. The question is what.”

Rider had remained quiet for most of their conversation, staring out a nearby window and enjoying the clear summer sky. Now she said, “It’s quite obvious. You need to join forces to destroy her Servant.”

Both ponies blanched at the ridiculous suggestion. “Oh yes Rider,” said Rarity, “Nothing will solve the problem of Twilight’s paranoia and fear of being killed faster than her friends teaming up and openly attacking her.”

“Be as snarky as you wish, madam, it doesn’t change the facts. Your friend Twilight is not in the proper humor for listening to reason. She is trapped in a corner like a rat, lashing out at everything passing near. If you leave her in the corner, her fear will grow with every passing second until it overwhelms her. And then she’ll do what every cornered rat does in its attempts to escape: try to tear something’s throat out.”

Rarity unconsciously lifted a hoof to her own throat at the analogy, then glared at it as if it had betrayed her. “However,” Rider went on, “If you remove the source of her fear… well, she may not recover overnight, but she can begin healing at least. The source of her fear is the Grail War, so you can either defeat every OTHER Servant, or you can defeat HER Servant and ensure she is no longer part of the contest. The faster and more certain option is clear.”

Rarity was ill-at-ease with this entire line of discussion, and Trixie was clearly no more comfortable. But then Rider slammed in the final nail. “You need to ask yourselves, dear Masters, what is more important to you. That your friend has love for you, or that your friend is safe from harm?”

The room was silent again until Berserker spoke up. “Rider, do you sense that disturbance?”

“Of course. I’m glad your head was clear enough for it Berserker.” She smirked at him.

“That is Saber’s doing. I recognize the spellcraft of the heathen gods of Greece even from here, so it must be him.”

“Oh? Interesting. Does that mean…”

“Yes, I know Saber’s true name. After our final clash I knew he could only be one Heroic Spirit. He is Hector, Prince of Troy.”

Rider looked thoughtful. “If he is the Prince of Troy, perhaps he has set himself up to face a siege. The Trojan army under his command held out against hundreds of Greek heroes for ten years. It stands to reason he has a plan for holding off a mere six heroes alone.”

Berserker rolled his neck in a menacing fashion. “Then he has made a grave error. Siege warfare is my specialty. All he has done is box himself into a coffin.”

Rarity and Trixie looked at each other. They still weren’t sure it was the right choice. But it was a perfect opportunity. They knew exactly where Saber and Twilight were, and if Berserker was right they had the perfect way to counter the obvious trap. Rarity’s throat felt dry as a desert when she finally said “If you can absolutely guarantee that Twilight won’t be harmed… then you’re right. I care about her too much to put our friendship over her safety. Trixie, we’ll work together… and take Twilight out of this Grail War for good.”

Trixie reached over to her nearby coat rack and attached her cape with a dramatic flourish before daintily levitating her hat into place. “The Great and Powerful Trixie agrees. We will work together and defeat Trixie’s beloved hated friend/rival Twilight Sparkle once and for all… for her own good.”

Rider laughed heartily. “What a treat! Who would have guessed I'd have the opportunity to star in a reenactment of The Illiad? Our Masters are Agamemnon and Odysseus, striking their bargain over the fair Twilight Helen, whom Hector has hidden away in his castle. And Berserker, you shall be Achilles and face Hector in the final battle. If only Shakespeare were here, he would weep with joy to see art come to life on the battlefield.”

Berserker laughed his psychotic laugh, clearly enjoying Rider’s joke even as it went right over the heads of the confused ponies. “And what shall your roll be in our little farce, Rider?”

The sky had been quickly fading toward night outside the carriage window, but as Rider smiled again it bloomed back into an eerie, unnatural gold. “The most important role of all, of course. How are the Greeks to reach Troy and rescue Helen… without their Thousand Ships?”

Interlude Out

Author's Note:

Authors Notes: To those of you who held out hope that I would come back, I thank you! I'm sorry I disappeared for so long, especially after I had already disappeared for so long. I want to give a special shout-out to linkthetoaoftime aka KamenRiderHyrule, who took the time to send me PMs to let me know he still cared about the story.

I could go on about exactly why I took so long to make this update, but the short version is: I had most of this chapter done two months ago, and then it was eaten by my computer. I was depressed about it and it took me a long time to get the motivation going to rewrite. It might not have happened except I came back and say that in my absence my views and reviews had indeed increased a bit. And that made me want to give it another go. So thanks.

The next chapter is the BIG one. Berserker's true identity will be revealed, Rider's powers will become apparent, Saber and Twilight face their greatest tests yet, and some surprises are in store... keep your eyes open, because this one won't take another 4 months. For reals this time. :)

Comments

[ChromeRegios]

I like it... full stars!

[Kamen Rider Hyrule]

YES! This story is back! And, no problem for the support, Fate and My little Pony fics are tragically rare, GOOD ones are even more so.
I really like that you chose Francis Drake (or her true identity) as the Rider servant, Hector has also been a interesting pair with Twilight. Any Fate Zero fan knows who berserker is, but I like how he is less insane this time so he can have some actual character. I hope the next chapter isn't TOO far away this time, I was doubting that you would continue since your page showed you gone for weeks at a time, but I am very happy you aren't giving it up. Continue doing your best!

[suijin228]

YES! The story's back and the next big battle is about to take place! I loved the analogy between the the Iliad and the present situation and I'm looking forward to seeing if history will repeat itself. Keep goin and stay golden^^

[Maxout020]

You know, a thougt just came to me.

How are Twilight and the others gonna handle the... ahem, prana recharge prossese?

[themultiversewatcher]

WOW, this story is impressive! I don't want to miss a thing! My hat's off to you, please, take all the time in the world. I'll be here, watching this play out, no matter how long it takes, especially if the fight scenes make my heart thump as much as that last one.

[Sanguine]

Happy Birthday to this story. Can't believe it's been a year since I started.

Just wanted to let folks know that Chapter 10 is close to finished. I've been prevented from working on it by having to study for an important licensing exam I need to pass for my job, but it's my #1 priority to get it up after the test is done. Here's to not taking an other year to write the rest of the story!