Fate/Twilight

by moguera

Resolve

Chapter 2: Resolve

Twilight Sparkle's legs folded beneath her, dropping her unceremoniously to the floor. Her heart felt like had been dipped in ice water. Was this what she had gotten herself into? Her breath came faster and faster as her fear spiraled out of control. Even facing up against Nightmare Moon and the living embodiment of chaos itself, Discord, was nothing compared to this. They had been frightening in their own ways. But even that paled in comparison to the casual ease with which this Servant snuffed out a life. This...thing, this golden idol of a human being exuded malice and murderous intent as naturally as breathing. Did Aaron truly expect her to fight against this?

Twilight's shaking was distracted by a low whistle as the image faded from the mirror. Looking over, she saw a strange expression on Aaron's face. He looked...enthralled. It was the exact kind of expression she had seen on Rainbow Dash whenever the sky-blue pegasus was plowing her way through a new Daring Do novel, the look Twilight suspected that she got whenever she discovered a new or interesting spell. Dear Celestia! This was Aaron's passion, the kind of thing he did, not as a hobby or out of a need to earn a living. This was his calling. If he had been a pony, Twilight openly expected that his cutie mark would be a pair of binoculars or some similar device.

"That was impressive though," Aaron admitted with an excited grin.

"Why?" asked Twilight. Once again, she had the nagging feeling that this was something she did know the answer to, but wasn't understanding it properly because of the unusual nature of her summoning.

"I believe that Tokiomi managed to pull...what's the term I'm looking for? Oh that's right, a ringer."

"What does that mean?" asked Twilight, wondering how horseshoes fit into all this.

"It means that he somehow found a way to summon a Servant that is stupidly powerful, even by the standards of Heroic Spirits."

Twilight blinked and looked back at the mirror. "How do you know that?" This wasn't good. Twilight wasn't Celestia's personal pupil just because she had enormous magical power (only mostly). Even in plain academics, Twilight's achievements had always been at the top of her class and had actually set multiple records at The School For Gifted Unicorns. And her experiences in friendship in Ponyville gave her new insight into how ponies thought and acted (several psychology texts as light reading probably helped). Humans didn't seem to be all that different in a lot of respects, which was probably the reason she was understanding any of the information she received from the Grail at all.

The crux of the matter was that it hadn't taken her long to realize that Aaron was manipulating her. Already, she could feel the shivering fear leaving her body as pure curiosity took its place. She could tell that Aaron was goading her with cryptic statements, prodding her to ask questions to clarify his meaning and appealing to her desire to have those questions answered. The magus had clearly clued into Twilight's passion for learning and was using it to keep her from running away from the situation altogether. And Twilight realized she was falling for his ploy. Even worse, Twilight felt she couldn't stop. Now that Aaron had given her a teaser, she had to read the whole story or she wouldn't be satisfied.

She turned her attention back to Aaron, who was answering her question with another question. "You understand about Noble Phantasms, right?"

Twilight nodded slowly. "Yes, they're important weapons and abilities for a Servant. They are really powerful things that are something like a trump card."

"It goes further than that," said Aaron, once again frustrating the unicorn with the gaps in her understanding, "Noble Phantasms are emblematic of their wielders. The knight does not become famous without his sword, the king does not rule without his regalia. A Noble Phantasm, aside from being a powerful asset in its own right, is tied directly to the identity of the Heroic Spirit that wields it. For nearly every Servant, to use your Noble Phantasm is akin to directly stating your name before your enemies."

"And Servants are supposed to keep their identities a secret," said Twilight, "Because if they don't, it gives a great deal away about what they can do."

Aaron nodded. "Because Noble Phantasms are so crucial to their identity, most Heroic Spirits rarely have more than one or two. Some have used three on occasion; more than that is practically unheard of."

"So?"

Aaron gestured to the mirror. "Take a look." The scene from earlier replayed and Twilight once again got to watch Assassin's death in all it's gruesome, bloody detail. While she felt sick seeing it happen, the image didn't carry anywhere near the amount of same amount of shock the second time around.

"What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Aside from the fact that they are clearly priceless treasures, what do all those weapons the golden Servant is throwing around have in common?"

"I don't see anything that..." Twilight's voice trailed off as the realization hit her, "Nothing! Those weapons have nothing in common with each other!"

Aaron dismissed the image. "Yes. Countless weapons of peerless quality, each a Noble Phantasm that would be coveted by any Heroic Spirit in its own right and no two alike. That Servant possesses an unheard of number of Noble Phantasms, none of which give us any clue as to his identity. Although, I have to say that this mode of attack clearly suggests that the golden Servant is of the Archer class."

Twilight mulled the issue over. As she worked through it, something occurred to her. "Maybe it's not the weapons themselves, but the fact that he has so many of them..."

Aaron's eyes widened as he stared at her. "You're suggesting..." his eyes napped back to the mirror, "That's brilliant. I couldn't see the forest for the trees! You're absolutely right. Archer's identity isn't embodied by the weapons themselves, but of the ownership of those weapons. And the casual manner in which he launches peerless blades as mere projectiles...impressive Tokiomi. If that's the case, he really did call in a ringer."

"What did you figure out?" asked Twilight, her tone getting irritated.

Aaron chuckled and smiled down at her. "I don't think I'll tell you yet, Caster. I want to confirm my theory first. For that to happen, I need to see Archer in action at least one more time."

Twilight huffed, glaring up at her Master. Fine! Be that way.

---

Aaron clenched his mouth shut to keep more laughter from escaping at the frustrated expression engraved on Caster's features. He had her hook, line and sinker. Disarming her initial horror at the violence she had witnessed had been childishly easy. Even more amusing was that Aaron could glean that part of Caster's frustration came from the fact that she knew she was being manipulated. This Servant wasn't some idiotic brute. She had a brain on her and she could use it. That knowledge almost made Aaron giddy at the thought of seeing what she was capable of when she really put that mind of hers to use. He was beginning to lose his reservations about being forced into the Grail War now that he was faced with the prospect of the interesting things Caster might show him as she was goaded into putting more of her abilities on display.

Any further attempt to continue the conversation was stymied by a low gurgle that came from the Unicorn's stomach. Apparently fear did a number on the unicorn's metabolism and she needed some food to assuage her anxiety. A quick call to room service and one invisibility spell later had Caster working her way through a rather substantial salad.

"You have ponies in this world, right?" Caster confirmed between bites.

"That's correct, although they are just small horses."

"You didn't need to ask any questions about pegasi or unicorns, I noticed," commented Caster, referencing what she had told Aaron about Equestria

"Yes, although those are a different sort of animal altogether.". Aaron had no desire to get into a full discourse about monstrous and phantasmal beasts at that time.

"Do ponies...or horses I guess...talk at all?" Aaron realized that Caster held out hope that she might find something akin to what she had in her own world. She was desperate for some sort of familiarity that she could latch onto.

"Unfortunately no," replied Aaron, "There are no such things as horses or ponies that can speak." Underneath his breath, he added "Except for Houyhnhnms."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing!"

"I have another question," said Caster as she lifted her head away from the food.

Aaron raised his eyebrows, silently promoting her to continue.

"What made you so certain that Assassin was going after Archer's Master?"

That took him back. He would have figured that given what she knew about the Grail War and the Master-Servant relationship that she would have figured that out already. Once again, he found himself marveling at how incredibly naive the lavender unicorn was.

"That is Assassin's specialty," explained Aaron, "Because he is weak in a direct confrontation, placing him against any of the other Heroic Spirits in open battle would be sending him to his death. Assassin's speciality lies in evading detection completely. While he could kill a Servant if he successfully used his talents at stealth to create the appropriate opportunity, that is difficult against enemies of the caliber he is likely to fight against. Instead, you could say that, because of this, Assassin is a dedicated Master-killer class."

"But that doesn't make sense," Caster protested, "That doesn't do anything about the enemy Servants at all."

"Remember what I told you about the relationship between a typical Servant and his Master?"

"Yes, the Master supplies the Servant with prana so the Servant doesn't fade away from the world. That prana also grants the Servant the ability to move and use their abilities, including their Noble Phantasms."

"And what will happen if that source of prana is cut off?"

"Then the Servant will eventually lose the ability to fight or even move until they fade away..." Caster's voice finally trailed off as she put together the knowledge in her head.

"Yes, in this war, the Master's are viable targets as well. Killing a Master cuts off the Servant's capacity to remain in this world and they...forfeit. That is why the Assassin class is so potentially dangerous."

Caster's face screwed up as she wrestled with this knowledge. She looked very uncertain. Before she could respond, the wind chime sounded off again, this time with a different sequence of tones. Aaron looked up in surprise, not believing what he was hearing.

"The Church?"

---

Before the chime had gone off, Twilight had been quietly wrestling with her thoughts on the matter. Something was off about this whole Holy Grail War. She understood the idea of the Master's summoning Servants and sending them into battle. The mechanics of what Aaron had just explained were perfectly simple as well. It made perfect sense that eliminating the Master meant that the Servant was unlikely to remain in the world for very long. But then why have the battle at all? Why summon Servants and send them into battle if all that was needed was to eliminate the Master? It seemed...superfluous somehow. Aaron said the souls of the Heroic Spirits were necessary to power the Grail's activation, but surely there was something that could serve just as appropriately. Then the Master's could just fight it out amongst themselves. There was just something missing, some piece to the puzzle that Twilight could barely grasp.

All of these thoughts retreated to the back of her mind at the sound of the wind chime. As Aaron got up, Twilight found herself taken aback by the confusion in his voice. At first, she thought to ask what was the matter, but she decided to reserve judgment until she saw what was happening.

Again, Aaron flicked the crystal, sending ripples through the mirror's reflection. This time, the ripples resolved into the shape of a stately stone building, a church, just as Aaron said. The realization occurred to Twilight that the surveillance spells that Aaron had laid down were all tied to that wind chime, with the particular sound the chime made indicating which of the sites required his attention.

Twilight recognized the church immediately. The priest presiding over this church was the secret overseer of the Grail War; something like a referee, she guessed. Then this was neutral ground. A shiver went down her spine when she realized the violation Aaron was committing just putting this surveillance spell up. The Masters were not to interfere with the church. Steeling herself, Twilight stared at the image with grimacing resolve, expecting some new scene of carnage to greet her vision. Instead, she was treated to the picture of two men standing before the church doors.

"My Servant has been slain, leaving me defeated," said one, clearly the younger of the pair. From the angle they were viewing, Twilight got a good look at him...and felt a shiver travel down her spine. For some reason, this man frightened her.

There wasn't anything that remarkable about him. His close-cropped hair and handsome face were hardly threatening. There was no trace of malice in that dull expression. All the same, there was something wrong about him that put her on edge.

"As per the rules; I, Kotomine Kirei, hereby request the protection of the Church," the man continued. Then this must have been Assassin's Master, coming to the church to seek sanctuary after losing his Servant. Initially, Twilight would have thought this a pointless exercise. But now that she knew that the Masters were also viable targets, she understood why it was necessary.

"Understood," said the older of the two men, "Without violating my role as the mediator, I promise you sanctuary. Come inside."

As the two of them began to head into the building, Twilight took one last look at Kotomine Kirei's face and finally realized what it was that so disturbed her. There was no trace of life in the man's eyes. The realization colored everything she had seen about him, from his too straight posture, to his empty expression, to his complete lack of motion aside from what was absolutely necessary to do whatever it was he required. Kotomine Kirei didn't seem at all like a living being. He seemed...dead, like a lifeless puppet. His movements were smooth, fluid and automatic, as though he gave no thought to anything. Never in her life had she seen someone, human, pony, or otherwise, look so empty and devoid of feeling.

The image faded out. Twilight sat back, thinking that in spite of the uneasy feeling she got from Assassin's former Master, nothing of note had really happened. Then why did Aaron continue to look at the mirror so intently?

"That was too soon?" muttered Aaron.

Twilight tilted her head to look up at her Master. "What do you mean?"

"Even if his Servant was defeated, it's strange that Assassin's Master would come to the Church so quickly," explained Aaron, not taking his eyes off the mirror, which was now returning to normal, "Normally, I'd expect it to take longer before he came in. The way he showed up so soon after his Servant's death indicates he wasn't very far away from the church when it happened. And he reported in almost immediately. It's as though he expected Assassin to fail."

Twilight looked away, back at the mirror where the image had been. She shivered. "There was something wrong about him," she said softly.

"Pardon?" asked Aaron, looking down at his Servant. Now it was his turn to be confused.

"He seemed dead," continued the unicorn, "Like he had no reason for living."

The magus's eyes narrowed and he turned back to the mirror, stroking his chin as he did so. "Despair, perhaps. He did just lose his Servant in the very first engagement of the war...except..." Aaron's hands fell limply to his sides. "It was Kotomine Kirei...that can't be a coincidence!"

"What do you mean?"

Aaron rushed to the chest and opened one of the drawers. Pulling out a small briefcase, he reached in and removed a thick folder. He took a moment to seat himself on e bed before opening the folder and pulling out a packet of papers. Taking the packet, he dropped it onto the bed where Twilight could see it.

Using her magic, Twilight lifted up the packet and began to turn the pages, carefully reading its contents. It was a dossier on Kirei's life. Then the rest of the file must contain information on the other Masters, she realized. It wasn't until near the end that she found the information that Was clearly in the forefront of her Master's mind.

"He left the Church to study magecraft under Tohsaka Tokiomi. Then one year ago, they parted ways because his Command Seals appeared." Twilight looked up at Aaron. "Is that so important? It's obvious he wouldn't be able to stay with his teacher once they became rivals in the Grail War."

"There's another factor that you need to consider," said Aaron.

Twilight frowned as she looked through the report again. Then she understood. "Kirei's father, Kotomine Risei is the supervisor appointed by the Church!"

That must have meant that the old priest she had seen in Aaron's scrying spell was Kotomine Risei, the father of the man that he had just given sanctuary.

"But what's so wrong?" asked Twilight.

"Think about it in sequence. Kotomine Kirei was no ordinary priest. He was a member of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament, a special branch of the Church and was even an Executor, a heretic hunter, for a time. And yet, he abandons the Church three years ago to join up with a magus from the Association, the Church's bitterest rivals. Said magus is a member of one of the founding families of the Grail War. Then, Kotomine Kirei's Command Seals just happen to appear and he severs ties with his teacher, just like that."

"And then the first thing Kirei does is send his Servant to kill his former teacher," Twilight finished, the pieces assembling in her head, "His Servant is killed instead and he shows up at the church immediately afterwards and is taken into sanctuary under his father."

"All so perfectly timed," Aaron mused, "Like clockwork. Not only that, but this brings to mind several inconsistencies with Assassin's death. Archer's response was too prompt and the entire event was too obvious. Tokiomi had to be aware that the other Masters are keeping his home under surveillance, just like I am. And yet, he puts his Servant and his Noble Phantasm on display for all the world to see."

"You're saying that he wanted us to see that," exclaimed Twilight, "But why? If Tohsaka and Kotomine are working together, why would they kill off a useful Servant like that?"

---

"That's the missing piece," agreed Aaron, "All of this would be the perfect ploy for tricking the other Master's into thinking that Kirei has been taken out of the war while he isn't, except for that one major fact."

With his Servant gone, Kotomine Kirei really would be out of the Holy Grail War. Perhaps Tokiomi planned to make use of Kirei's skills as a former Executor to kill one of the other Masters and usurp their pact with their Servant. But that seemed...wasteful, especially given the potential uses a Servant like Assassin had.

"No, there's still a piece missing," muttered Aaron, "And until we know what that is, we can't tell what Tokiomi and Kirei are planning." In any case, it was clear that that the piece known as Kotomine Kirei had not yet been truly removed from the field.

Aaron took a moment to look down at Caster. Now that the opening shot had been fired, it wouldn't be much longer until the other Servants and their Master's began to move. With this, the Holy Grail War had begun in earnest. Am I ready for this? He thought, looking at his Command Seals once again. The temptation was still there, of course. Just use the Seals and get rid of Caster. It's that simple. I have no place fighting in this war. I'd be no match for the other magi in a confrontation. And it's not like Caster will be able to handle herself in a battle. No matter how impressive some of her stats might have been, the fact remained that Caster clearly regarded violence of the caliber that was soon to become commonplace in the coming conflict as something completely abhorrent. In all likelihood, any magecraft she possessed would be more or less useless on the battlefield, no matter how impressive it was. All the same, Aaron resolved to wait. Perhaps a solution would present itself eventually. And even if it didn't, he could sever his ties with Caster at any time.

Opening another drawer on the chest, Aaron withdrew a small, metal case. Its construction was thoroughly modern and rugged, perfect for a magus who lived on the move. Its lock was uniquely designed not to open unless Aaron ran his prana through it, a security measure that would have been child's play for any magus. Thus, Aaron knew that the lock was unlikely to keep even a lowly apprentice at bay. However, the case's modern construction would throw most magi off of trying. As a general rule, magi showed little but disdain for modern technology. They kept their important items in cases and boxes carved from rare or expensive woods with ornate decorations. Yes, this case was design to be overlooked by magi with the hope that they wouldn't bother trying to open it.

Disengaging the lock, Aaron lifted the top of the case, exposing the object within. Lying inside, cushioned by foam, was a long knife in a sheath. Taking the object out, Aaron drew the knife and examined its length. The entire thing, from the blade to the handle, looked as though it had been carved from a single piece of transparent glass, its finish so clear that, in holding it up to the light, it became nearly invisible in its owner's hand. This was Aaron's Mystic Code, a magi's weapon. It was something he had created a while ago for those times where he knew he had no recourse but to fight. It had seen him through a few difficult situations, but the clean lines and lack of wear showed that the weapon had hardly been used at all. It was nothing impressive and wouldn't stand up to the mysteries that could be invoked by any of the other magi he would be up against, but Aaron felt just a tiny bit safer knowing he had an extra option for future difficulties.

"You know, there's something I've been wondering," said Caster softly as she looked up from Kotomine Kirei's dossier.

"And that is...?" Aaron replaced the knife in its sheath and deposited the whole thing back in its box. Another bit of prana re-locked the case.

"Why is the Church overseeing the Holy Grail War if they're enemies with your people?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "My people?"

Caster shrugged, "You know, the Association."

Aaron had to stifle a sigh. He could hardly call the Mage's Association his people. Given his natural tendencies as an obsessive observer, he was generally poorly regarded. It wasn't so much for his lack of achievement in magecraft. In fact, Aaron could easily claim to be unmatched in the field of divination, having developed spells unrivaled in their capacity to view what should have been otherwise impossible to see. But that was also the problem. Magi were, by their very nature, a secretive lot, practicing their work in secret, desperately trying to keep their secrets and mysteries locked away within their family lines and Thaumaturgical Crests. The Mage's Association, while supposedly an organization dedicated to the development and progression of thaumaturgy through cooperation, was actually a nest of vipers where individual magi competed for resources and influence solely for developing their own magecraft. To them, someone like Aaron, whose specialty and passion was seeing that which others desperately sought to keep hidden, was regarded as a severe threat. Aaron had made his fair share of enemies at the Association and the few times he had been forced to use his Mystic Code had been to deal with situations where he was labeled as "someone who has seen too much."

Aaron chose to hold off on clearing up Caster's misconception and instead focused on her actual question. "The Holy Church and the Mage's Association haven't openly been enemies for some time. Officially they have a nonaggression pact with us, although confrontations do sometimes happen.

"As for why they oversee the Grail War, it is simply because no one from the Association could be trusted to maintain their neutrality in this conflict. So the Association appeals to the Church to provide an impartial overseer for each Grail War to ensure that the rules of the conflict are observed."

"I don't mean to be a bother," said Caster, "But an you explain why the Church and the Association would be enemies?"

Aaron actually laughed at that. "It mostly comes from the belief that the study of magecraft infringes upon God's domain. Even in this day and age, with the pact between the two organizations, magi are still largely looked upon as heretics by the Church."

"God?" Caster's expression was completely befuddled.

Again the difficulties caused by her unique nature were clearly asserting themselves. Remembering Caster's explanation of her home, Aaron realized that God would be a foreign concept to a creature such as her. In Caster's world, a pair of immortal princesses had not only created the Sun, the Moon and their associated systems, but were also responsible for their lowering and raising. He remembered Caster's description of some kind of forest that apparently operated according to natural laws and conditions that were considered universal in the human world. But in Caster's world, such a place was considered an aberration where, everywhere else, ponies oversaw everything from the animals, to the weather and even the changing of the seasons. To such a creature, it would be difficult to articulate the concept of the incomprehensible being humans created to serve as a combination of governor, ultimate parent, and ideal scapegoat.

He made a good try at the subject. As a magus, Aaron had little but disdain for the Church. Nonetheless, he did his best to explain its underlying ideas to Caster, who only looked more confused with every sentence.

"I don't get it," she said with a deadpan tone, "Some invisible person up in the sky controls everything and is all-powerful. But when he wants to save everyone, he goes through the trouble of sending his son, who's himself...somehow, who's supposed to save everyone by dying. That makes no sense."

Aaron could only shrug. "If it's any consolation, it makes little sense to me either. I always thought that the Church's beliefs sounded like ridiculous, but..."

"But what?"

"But I just summoned a talking purple pony from another dimension. So when it comes to ridiculous concepts, I'm not one to talk anymore. It's hard to throw stones when someone drops a glass house on your head."

Seeing that Caster had no idea what he was talking about, Aaron sighed. "Anyway, we should get some rest. Now that hostilities have been officially opened, I suspect that we will have busy times ahead of us."

---

It was late in the afternoon the next day before something else happened. Laying across the bed, Twilight was busying herself by pushing through yet another book about the human world. Aaron appeared to be sleeping in the chair. The battles of the Holy Grail War were carried out during the night out of prudence as that was the best time to avoid the eyes of ordinary people. This kind of nocturnal schedule was difficult for Twilight to adjust to, but at least she had. The experience of pulling successive all-nighters to draw upon.

It came as a surprise when Twilight felt a surge of prana shivering down her horn. It had not gone unnoticed by Aaron either, who opened his eyes and sat up as though he had been completely alert the entire time. It didn't take them long to realize the source of the sensation.

"A Servant," Twilight observed.

Aaron nodded.

"But why would they release their prana like that?" she found herself wondering.

"It's a provocation," answered Aaron, "They are moving through the city while revealing their presence to draw out challengers."

"What do we do?"

An eager grin spread across the magus's face. "What else? We watch and see who takes them up on it."

Aaron got to his feet and began rummaging through the drawers once again, pulling out several small cases. From one he withdrew the sheathed knife he had been examining the previous night and hooked it onto his belt. Another, smaller case he simply slipped into one of his pockets. Several other items were stowed in a similar manner. Slipping on his coat, Aaron strode towards the door. "Prepare your invisibility spell, Caster."

Twilight found traveling along the streets much more difficult in the early evening. She supposed that it was only natural. After all, the crowds were greater. More than once, she had to move creatively to avoiding getting stepped on accidentally. Following Aaron, they carefully tracked the prana of the unknown Servant. For the time being, Aaron led them on a path that ran parallel to the enemy's movement, slowly pulling ahead so that they could get a look at the Servant as he or she approached.

As they stopped at an intersection and waited for a light, Twilight took a moment to concentrate, grateful that the invisibility spell hid the telltale flickers of light given off by her horn. Completing the spell, she allowed herself a smile as she communicated with her master without words.

"I'm having trouble understanding why this Servant would be trying to provoke the others," she thought at her Master.

Aaron jumped as though he had been shocked. "This is a new trick," he thought back, "I hope you didn't just give us away by doing that."

"Relax. A prana expenditure that small couldn't be picked up unless they were within ten feet of us."

"Did you feel that talking like this is really necessary?" While Masters could direct their Servants remotely, they could do little but convey their intention through thought. Engaging in a silent conversation with one's Servant like this required specialized magecraft.

"Would you rather be talking out loud to an invisible pony that no one else can see?"

That brought a wry smile to Aaron's face. "I suppose I would be considered a little old to be having conversations with an imaginary friend."

"Good. Now can you answer my question?"

"Well, the battles have to start sometime. If we are constantly circling one another, then the Grail War can have no proper resolution. It also gives the Master of that Servant the opportunity to evaluate the other Masters by watching how they respond to this provocation. It's likely that this Servant is from one of the three Knight Classes, which specialize in combat. That means that they have faith in their ability to win in a direct confrontation."

As they "spoke," Aaron and Twilight finally cut across the unknown Servant's line of movement and came to the same street said Servant was currently moving down. Coming around the corner, Aaron stopped and pressed himself up agains the wall of the building they currently stood in front of. Twilight joined him and pressed herself up against the wall as tightly as possible to avoid being tripped over.

Reaching into a pocket, Aaron pulled out the small case from earlier and opened it. From inside, he drew out a pair of ordinary looking glasses and put them on. Twilight realized that these must be a Mystic Code of some sort, although she had no idea what they did. However, knowing what she did about her Master, Twilight suspected that they enhanced his vision in some manner.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated. Through the connection between Master and Servant, a Master could enable himself to look through his Servant's eyes as though they were his own, using an ability called Shared Perception. The skill had obvious advantages for some Masters, who preferred to direct their Servants from a distance. It required complete concentration to execute properly and was difficult to pull off in a situation where the Master might be in danger. Because of its nature, the ability would normally have been of little use for Caster's Master as the Caster class was not meant to go into direct confrontations while the Master observed remotely.

However, Twilight, thanks to the information provided to her by the Grail itself, knew of this ability. Applying her own intelligence, she was able to reverse it so that she was now observing the world through the senses of her Master. It was the kind of trick that only a member of the Caster class would be able to pull off.

She found that the glasses were indeed enhancing Aaron's sight, allowing him to easily view objects several hundred meters distant. The current object of interest was a pair of people. One was a beautiful woman with silvery hair and crimson eyes. These, combined with her pale skin, gave her a resemblance similar to that of a finely crafted doll. The metaphor was different from the one Twilight had come to with regard to Kotomine Kirie, as it was a reflection of the woman's flawless beauty, rather than any indicator that she might have been a lifeless shell. In fact, as Twilight watched, she saw the woman looking around with wide eyes that practically overflowed with life and emotion, taking in everything around her with the same childlike wonder Twilight herself experienced her first night in the human world. Perhaps because of this, Twilight felt a certain degree of kinship with this woman.

She was linked arm in arm with a handsome young man with blonde hair and a slim figure, dressed in a black suit. Even as the woman looked around with awe and wonder, the man's emerald-green eyes were also moving, but differently. His expression, while pleasant, was watchful, the expression of someone on the lookout for danger. He was also the source of the prana Twilight and Aaron had sensed. This man then, must be the other Servant. Twilight narrowed her focus, trying to discern anything she could. As she did, she saw the man visibly tense. Before anything else happened, she was locked out of Aaron's mind entirely.

Moving casually, but quickly, Aaron ushered the invisible unicorn back around the corner before slumping against the wall. "That was nerve wracking," he muttered.

"What happened?" asked Twilight through their mental communication spell.

"That Servant proved pretty formidable," explained Aaron, "I got a good look at his parameters just now and they were impressive. Even more impressive is that this Servant has top notch instincts. I normally pride myself on being difficult to detect when scrying, but he noticed."

"Actually, that might be my fault," suggested Twilight, glad that Aaron couldn't see the blush and sheepish grin on her face, "I was watching him through your spell and I may have been a little...intense in my focus."

"We'll fall back for now," said Aaron, replacing his glasses into their case, "We should just tail them from a distance and see if anyone answers their challenge."

---

They allowed the enemy Servant and Master to travel past them and followed their progress from a parallel street. As they did, Aaron went over what he had seen. From what he had seen of the enemy Servant's parameters, he was fairly certain that this Servant had to be Saber. What luck, meeting the strongest one right off the bat, he thought wryly, although he immediately reconsidered his assessment when he remembered the Servant that had slain Assassin. Then again, there was no definitive way to tell which was stronger until he got a better look at both of them. This would be difficult, given that the presumed Saber had an incredibly heightened awareness of his surroundings.

And then there was the Master to consider. Aaron had honestly been shocked by the sight of that Master. He had done a substantial degree of research into the Holy Grail War and the contributions of the Three Families of the Beginning to its creation. Even without this extra research, the Einzbern family was famous for their skill in producing homunculi, artificial magical constructs with human features. And there was no mistake. With that silvery hair and red eyes, that too perfect appearance, that woman was clearly an Einzbern homunculus.

A frown spread across his face. Aaron hadn't expected the Einzbern Master to be a homunculus, especially not after he had heard what the family had done in their desperation to finally obtain the Holy Grail after losing every war since its creation. Where was Emiya Kiritsugu? Where was the trump card the Einzberns had taken such great pains to acquire to ensure their victory?

Aaron took a moment to think over all the information he had gathered on the man known as the Mage Slayer. Emiya Kiritsugu was not a magus, at least not in the traditional sense. Rather than spending his time refining the magecraft he had inherited from his ancestors in the Emiya family, Kiritsugu's actions made it clear that he viewed magecraft as just another tool in his arsenal. Aaron's assembled dossier had compiled a very long, very extensive list of Kiritsugu's victims. The higher-ups of the Association had not considered themselves beneath using the man's skills a number of times to dispose of troublesome individuals.

Emiya Kiritsugu's effectiveness came not from some great secret of magecraft, but because he was a true pragmatist. As a man who clearly did not care about magus tradition, he was free to use methods clearly unsuited for magi to dispose of magi: poison, bombs, bullets, and countless other methods utilizing modern weapons, even once bringing down an entire plane because his target was a passenger on it. As magi typically held little but disdain for the modern world, they rarely considered that their death could be delivered by anything other than that akin to the mysteries that they wielded. Emiya Kiritsugu was a man who exploited this psychological blind spot to its fullest

In a way, this made sense to Aaron in light of the situation. A man like Emiya Kiritsugu would not stroll down the street with his Servant in plain view. Aaron took a moment to consider the actions a pure pragmatist like Kiritsugu would take. If Kiritsugu wasn't the Einzbern Master, then he was most likely working in concert with that Master. In that case, then this pair's true purpose wasn't merely to provoke the other Masters and their Servants into action. Aaron stopped and closed his eyes in concentration.

Emiya Kiritsugu's methodology revolved around effectiveness and efficiency. His actions showed that he would do whatever he felt was necessary to dispose of the target, clearly choosing methods for their likelihood of success and what offered the lowest risk of failure. If that was the kind of man Emiya Kiritsugu was, then Aaron felt he could predict the Mage Slayer's actions the way one could predict the course running water would take by mapping out the path of least resistance. In all likelihood the, Kiritsugu would prioritize the elimination of the Masters, which would be more likely to take Servants out of the conflict with less risk to himself or his allies while at the same time reducing the pool of candidates that could make new contracts with Masterless Servants.

Then, the actions that the Einzbern Servant and Master were taking we're not solely for the purpose of provoking a challenge. A man like Emiya Kiritsugu would instead be using them as decoys, maybe even without their knowledge, and in doing so would draw enemy Masters out of hiding and into a position where he could...

Aaron froze, a chill running down his spine as his mind collapsed into a gibbering panic for a moment. What if, in his curiosity, Aaron had inadvertently given himself away to the Mage Slayer? If the Einzbern Master and her Servant were only a few blocks away, then there was a very real chance that the Mage Slayer was close at hand as well. Aaron knew little about the potential of modern weapons due to his disinterest in such things. His understanding of the situation threw a glaring light, illuminating this very threatening gap in his knowledge. For all he knew, he was the one being watched right now. For all he knew, Emiya Kiritsugu could be prepared to snuff out his life this very instant.

"Aaron?" Caster's voice, laden with concern, filled his head. "Aaron, what's wrong?"

"We need to get off the street...now!"

Not bothering to tell Caster anything else at this juncture, Aaron instead resumed walking at a casual pace as he tried to discern a location where he and his Servant could leave the street. If Emiya Kiritsugu was near and hadn't spotted him yet, Aaron didn't want to engage in anymore suspicious behavior until he was out of sight.

Fortunately, Aaron had one advantage that he was fairly certain of. As one who made watching and observing others his passion and study in life, Aaron was well aware of the mechanics of not only how one watches, but how one is watched. Countless times in the past, this knowledge had saved him from having to deal with magi and other people who would have liked to have dealt with him for "knowing too much," allowing him to slip through the openings in their methods of searching and escape without being seen.

In this respect, Aaron's knowledge of modern technology was much more substantial, as his views were not guided by tradition, but, as always, by his interest. He had always been happy to consider modern methods of surveillance as options. In a sense, he supposed, he was like Emiya Kiritsugu, not caring so much about the magecraft itself as he did about using it to fulfill his interests. Aaron could only be considered a magus because he continued to develop and polish his magecraft for that purpose.

Carefully, Aaron slid into the interior of a nearby office building, Caster following along beside him. Taking a moment to look around them, Aaron let out the breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding and slid down into a bench in the entryway. He could sense Caster's curiosity, but shook his head to forestall any questions for the time being. With a groan, he got to his feet and led the way to the elevators, plotting a path to the building's roof.

---

Twilight sighed in relief as they stepped onto the roof of the office building. Aaron had told her that she could release her invisibility spell and relax a little. With no people around, the two were free to continue tracking the other Servant and his Master as they moved through the city. They now appeared to be making their way to the seaside, not far away from a set of shipping warehouses and a harbor facility. From where they were, Twilight could see the scaffolding of a derrick crane and the layout of the rows of shipping containers.

"What was that all about?" asked Twilight as she looked around.

"I wasn't expecting the Master we were following to be from the Einzberns," said Aaron, "Once I realized that, I remembered that they had acquired the services of a particularly dangerous individual." He then took the time to give Twilight an explanation of the man known as Emiya Kiritsugu.

As she listened, Twilight again felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. The thought that a person such as this Kiritsugu could exist was horrifying to her. She hated to think that anyone would think of employing murder as a career. She shivered at the thought that they might run up against this person.

"Why would he do that?" Twilight asked, "Spend his life ending the lives of others?"

Aaron shrugged. "It isn't as uncommon as you would like. The human world is a volatile place and there is a thriving market for people who specialize in killing. That said, I believe Emiya Kiritsugu is unique. When he wasn't hunting down troublesome individuals at the Association's behest, he was moving around between trouble spots, civil wars, revolutions and the like, always popping up when the fighting was at its fiercest. From what I've read, his actions seem much too driven to be those of a person killing solely for profit. Given how hard he apparently pushed himself at times, I have to wonder if the man has some sort of death wish."

Now that was a term completely alien to Twilight Sparkle. She couldn't even begin to comprehend why someone would want their own life to end. She resolved to review the information Aaron had gathered on this Emiya Kiritsugu when they returned to the hotel. She pondered over the day's events as the sun slowly slipped below the horizon.

Abruptly she found herself jumping from the sense of another presence. This one was completely different from that of the Servant they had been following all day. She saw Aaron grin as he oriented on the new arrival. "It looks like someone has finally decided to answer our friends' challenge."

The new Servant had appeared within a hundred meters of the pair Twilight and Aaron had been tailing that evening and was slowly moving away from them. At first, she found herself wondering why this Servant was moving away from the other one after appearing. But then she realized that he or she must have been leading the Einzbern Master and her Servant to a suitable place to fight.

"There!" said Aaron, pointing in the direction of the harbor facility, "I can sense the beginnings of the barrier. The new Servant's Master must be isolating the place in preparation for the coming battle." As the secrecy of the Grail War was paramount, it was considered standard procedure for a Master to isolate the area of conflict to keep bystanders from wandering in. By setting up this barrier, the new Servant's Master was marking the dockyard as a battlefield for the Holy Grail War.

"Should we get closer?" asked Twilight.

Aaron shook his head. "Not with the Mage Slayer on the loose out there somewhere. Lets watch from here." Once again he pulled out his glasses. "If we use these, the distance will not be a factor."

Twilight frowned with uncertainty. She decided to just follow along for now. She plunged her mind into the connection between them and once again shared his perception. She was shocked to find that Aaron's boast had been more true than she had expected. It wasn't as though they were watching from a distance, but instead were within a few meters of the target area itself. It was a completely different experience from looking through the lenses of binoculars or a telescope. It was as though she and her Master were there on the battlefield themselves.

There, standing in the open lane between stacks of shipping containers, was a single man. His tall, slender figure was adorned with dark green armor that still revealed his finely muscled figure. For a moment, Twilight panicked as her and Aaron's perspective began to shift, until she realized that her Master was the one responsible. He was moving the vision around to view the Servant from other angles, which should have been impossible from their current position. She found herself in awe of Aaron's skill with this particular kind of magecraft.

The Servant's face was clearly handsome by human standards. His black hair was mostly slicked back, save for one strand that dangled in front of his face, enhancing his appearance rather than making him seem disheveled. Beneath his right eye was a simple beauty mark. Twilight felt there was something distinctly odd about they way that simple blemish seemed to draw everything about his face together. She felt a shiver as a foreign sensation ran through her and realized that whatever the effect had been, it had been thrown off by the simple fact that she wasn't human. As she went over the sensation in her head, she realized that there appeared to be something similar in the strange magecraft that had almost affected her and the Want-It-Need-It spell she had once used in one of the more embarrassing episodes of her life.

"Charm magecraft?" Twilight found herself asking.

"It looks that way," agreed Aaron, "It seems to be centered on that birthmark on his face. I suspect that it affects human women. It doesn't seem especially powerful, so it likely won't affect Saber's Master when she arrives."

The only other things remarkable about this Servant were the two objects he carried. Twilight recognized them as spears. The longer of the two was over two meters and was resting casually on the man's shoulder. In his other hand, he clutched another spear that was only a third of the length of the long one.

"Two spears?" she heard her Master murmur, "Well, he's clearly of the Lancer class. But I never expected to see any such Servant wielding two spears."

Indeed, from what she could see, Twilight figured that the two weapons, especially the long one, would be exceptionally difficult to wield with anything less than two hands. To wield both at the same time seemed like a ridiculous idea.

"Can you figure out his identity?" asked Twilight.

Through her link, she felt her master stroking his chin. "It's hard to say. The concept behind that face of his rings a bell. And there are plenty of heroes who have wielded more than one kind of weapon. Right now though, I just can't think of one who would wield two spears simultaneously. If we watch the fight, we might get some clues, especially if he reveals his Noble Phantasm."

"Then one of those spears is his Noble Phantasm?"

"At least." The two spears were wrapped in some kind of talisman cloth, probably to keep their identities secret.

Two shadows stretched across the ground, reaching towards Lancer. Here came the other Servant and his Master, the silver-haired woman. The two of them strode forward with all the conviction of duelists arriving at the appointed hour. The handsome man took the lead.

For a moment, Twilight's hearing went dead. Then, the sounds of the wind blown rooftop were replaced by the soft sound of the waves intermingling with the creaks of settling steel containers and sleeping machinery. She realized that Aaron's glasses allowed them to do more than just see the battle. Little by little, their senses were being transplanted from the rooftop to the site of the battle itself. Twilight felt a twinge of trepidation. Earlier, Aaron had been almost overwhelmed with paranoia at the prospect that the Mage Slayer might be lingering somewhere nearby. And yet, here he was, distancing his senses from his present location to perceive something elsewhere. Both he and Twilight could no longer see or hear what was happening on their rooftop. If an enemy found them in that state, they would be in grave danger and have no warning until far too late. It seemed that Aaron's eagerness to watch the unfolding battle was overriding his usual pragmatism. She resolved to abandon the link every few minutes to keep an eye on their more immediate surroundings. As it was, she did break the link long enough to lay down some alarm spells across the rooftop so that they would know if anyone intruded.

Twilight returned to the Shared Perception just in time to hear Lancer give out his greeting. "How nice of you to come. The two of you were parading around the city today and were the only ones to answer my invitation." His voice was cheerful and his tone welcoming. It seemed as though he was speaking to a pair of newly arrived friends, rather than enemies with whom he would soon be fighting to the death. It gave Twilight an uncomfortable feeling. Was this man enjoying the prospect of the coming fight?

Lancer continued. "And that valorous spirit...am I correct in assuming that you are Saber?"

The young man nodded and then answered in a youthful voice. "And with those spears, you must be Lancer."

"Correct." Lancer paused for a moment before looking away with a sigh. "Even though we are about to battle to the death, we cannot even give out our names as is proper. That dampens my enthusiasm somewhat."

"Even so," replied Saber, "You raise your spears for the sake of your Master so that you might win the Holy Grail."

Lancer nodded solemnly, turning to once again look at Saber and his Master. Seeing them stiffen, Twilight realized that they also must have noticed the charm emanating from Lancer's face.

"Charm magecraft," said Saber's Master with reproach, "That is improper to use on a married woman."

Lancer blinked, then let out a bitter sounding chuckle. "Sorry. There's nothing I can do about that. This is a curse that I have been afflicted with from birth. Moreover, you should be blaming yourselves for being born women."

"Women?" Aaron's voice mirrored Twilight's confusion at the use of the plural.

Saber stepped forward, the Servant's face bearing a tight smile. "Surely you don't expect that handsome face to dull my sword Lancer."

Twilight felt Aaron smack his forehead...hard. "Saber is a woman! How could I have missed that?"

Twilight had to stifle a laugh. At least she had the excuse of not being familiar enough with humans to notice the difference on sight.

"You aren't affected? The Saber class's Magic Resistance is impressive. Excellent. There is no way I could have enjoyed this battle if your skills were weakened because of my face." Lancer did indeed seem genuinely pleased by the fact that his charm had failed.

"Oh, you are a Servant who seeks an honorable battle?" observed Saber, her smile now eager, "Then I should count myself lucky to engage in battle with such a proud opponent."

Lancer lifted the long spear off his shoulder. Hefting both weapons, he spread them like wings. Saber took one step forward and seemed to disappear into a whirling cloud of prana. When it disappeared, the suit was gone, replaced with a dress of royal blue, clad in silver armor. There was no longer any question of Saber's gender as she strode onto the field of battle. But the revelation did not make her seem weaker. Rather, she had cast off her trappings as her Master's escort and strode forward clothed in the essence of a true Heroic Spirit.

Saber raised one hand. In it, Twilight could see something twisting and shifting in the air. That must have been Saber's weapon. But Twilight could not see any of it's features, or anything about it at all. Its shape and features were completely indecipherable. It was, for all intents and purposes, invisible. Twilight realized that the concealment made it impossible to tell the weapon's length, which would make it hard to counter in battle. It also probably meant that the sword was critical to learning Saber's identity as she went to such lengths of hide it.

"Saber." The focus shifted to Saber's Master, who stood with a look of hardened resolve behind her Servant. "Take care. I can support you with healing magecraft, but that's it."

"What?" Aaron's whisper cut through the tableau like a knife, forcibly reminding Twilight that they weren't actually on the battlefield. She wondered what it was about the statement made by Saber's Master that had caught him off guard.

"Understood," replied Saber, as though she already knew this, "I am worried. Lancer's Master has yet to show himself. I fear he may be working on some plan. Please be careful, Irisviel. I am entrusting you to watch my back."

So that's her name, thought Twilight, pleased to have something to call the silver-haired woman aside from Saber's Master.

"I will Saber. Go forth and bring me victory."

Saber nodded firmly. For a moment, it seemed as though the world itself had frozen into place. The two Servants faced one another at the ready. Neither of them moved a muscle. Then, all at once, Saber exploded forward into motion, rushing headlong at Lancer, who prepared himself for her onslaught. Steel crashed against steel, their sounds ringing out across the abandoned harbor. With that, the next battle of the Holy Grail War had well and truly begun.

---

So, for those chafing a little that all Twilight and her Master seem to be doing is watching from the sidelines, I have to apologize. There's going to be at least one more chapter's worth of developments before Twilight Sparkle enters the fray. Hopefully, it will be worth your while. On a separate note, for those of you who were confused by my use of capitlalization when referring to the church/Church, that was mostly for the purpose of differentiation. The church (lowercase) refers to the church, the building, whereas the Church (uppercase) refers to the Church, the institution. Just clearing that up for anyone who was confused. Once again, feel free to leave your comments and I look forward to hearing from you.

On a separate, more humorous note, has anyone else noticed that one of fimfiction's advertisers is apparently the Tea Party, which is hilariously ironic when you think about it.

---

Special Ability: Shared Perception
This is a Master's skill that allows them to perceive the world through the senses of their Servant. It is especially useful for Masters of the Assassin Class as it allows them to observe with their Servant without compromising their Servant's ability to remain hidden. It is also useful for Masters of combat oriented Servants who wish to send their Servants into battle while observing from a safe location. This ability does not actually belong to Twilight Sparkle, but rather, her Master. However, due to her intelligence and skill, Caster is able to reverse the application of the skill and observe with Aaron's senses.

Comments

[Jlargent]

One question: After the story ends are you going to make a sequel following the Fate/Stay Night storyline?

[moguera]

339249
I don't have any plans for one, so all I can say is probably not.

[Jlargent]

339256
Too bad. It would've been interesting to have Twilight participate again only to serve the protagonist.

[sarokcat]

This is getting increasingly interesting, and I am definitely looking forward to twilights Entry into the battlefield... Whether she really wants too or not!

[Jigoku Luna]

I look forward to the others reactions to Twilight. This is getting interesting

[Nia Moone 0]

interesting. so unless the MLP franchise exists in the Fate/Zero universe, Twilight has an added advantage of no one totally knowing anything about her and what she can do. can't wait for the next chapter...

[Xoroth]

Impressive work once more. I always felt that the Fate/Zero anime did a great job with this set of episodes and I look forward to seeing how you can add to it.

[Gwenio]

339648

This is the Heaven's Feel after the one taking place around the time of World War something, with an interval of sixty years between events. So MLP may exist, but not MLP: FiM.

[Nia Moone 0]

341415

doesn't Fate/Zero happen ten years before Fate/Stay Night? anyway, you're right though, i guess even if the MLP franchise does exist, it wouldn't be FiM unless the author has planned it otherwise...

[Gwenio]

341428

Yes, there seems to be an inconsisancy there. It may be the translation of Fate/Zero I read was wrong (not the official one), However somethings metioned about plans for the next Heaven's Feel by various parties in Fate/Zero do seem to indicate a larger time frame than ten years. And the tech levels indicates more than a decade since the round preceeding Fate/Zero.

[moguera]

341428
341643
According to the timeline I dug up, which can be found here: http://tatari.byethost33.com/fuyuki/timeline.htm, Heaven's Feel 4 takes place in 1994, with HF 5 taking place in 2004. So yes, the timeframe is just about exactly ten years. Most (if not all) of the parties who participated (and survived) the fourth one weren't expecting the fifth war to come along so soon, which it did because of the unique circumstances that the forth one ended under. Unfortunately, that means that there is no FiM in the Nasuverse right now. And even if there was, no one would know because magi generally avoid technological mediums like television on principle. That said, just ask yourself one question...

"What if Emiya Kiritsugu...was a brony?".

[Nia Moone 0]

344763
i would say he would empathize with Princess Luna... (we need Luna emoticons )

[Gwenio]

344763

Yes, but if FiM existed it would make Twilight being summoned make more sense (though it is not needed).

And it seems that there was mention of Magic Resistance being a stat in the unofficial translation (Alexander's being about D level), but you have not listed it for Twilight. But then I suppose it does not matter as much for her.

Fun thought: Ionian Hetairoi VS Want-It-Need-It Spell (possibly used upon multiple objects).

EDIT:

Ah, after looking somethings up I see that magic resistance is an ability (though most servants in this grail war had it to some extent) rather than a stat.

[moguera]

350715

Thanks for pointing those out. You're right on the money with the second one. As for the first...typing this out on an iPad has its drawbacks.

[Gwenio]

Reviewing discriptions, it seems like Aaron maybe in the same hotel as Saber's (real) Master. On the same floor for that matter. Twilight may want to Teleport them back after they finish observing so they can move out if that is the case.

Also:

As they stopped at an intersection and waited for a light, Twilit took a moment to concentrate, grateful that the invisibility spell hid the telltale flickers. Of light given off by her horn.

[moguera]

384101
Damn it! I love my iPad, but it's moments like this that make me hate it sometimes. And I swear I checked that chapter over half a dozen times.

As for your other comment...no. Aaron and Twilight aren't that unlucky. Although Aaron is already well aware of the risks of remaining in the hotel, so he's been making plans to bail.

[Gwenio]

384502

It is only unlucky if they get found. (The closer to danger, the farther from harm and all that; even the mage slayer believes in that and used it to select the new base after they moved out of the castle) Otherwise it might actually help keep them from being found in the short term as it might not be watched as closely.

[Saki]

Wanna know what would be interesting? Put in another "anomaly", one unused to battle, so Twilight can have some sort of internal conflict beyond her normal ethical problems. Can you do that, or is the storyline fixed?

[moguera]

429898
Well, not an anomaly, but I do have something like that in mind.

[Saki]

430597 Cool...

[Thespurgin]

I'm waiting for the reactions of all involved when they find out that a diminutive pastel equine is the caster servant.

[Cog Archival]

As she went over the sensation in her head, she realized that there appeared to be something similar in the strange magecraft that had almost affected her and the Want-It-Need-It spell she had once used in one of the more embarrassing episodes of her life.

I see what you did there.