Chapter 2: Morning of the first day

Chapter 2

“Uh, uhm... Master, I- it's uhm, the sun's, that is, it's morning, I think”

Leth slowly opened his eyes. He was still in the chair from the night before, but now there was a yellow pony looking up at him expectantly. She looked down once she saw that he was awake.

“Oh, you're awake, I'm sorry, I hope you got enough sleep.” She continued to stutter her way through the morning's greetings, too shy to look Leth in the eye.

“Yeah, I got enough.” Leth stretched as he stood up, and looked out the window. The sun was just barely rising, drawing long shadows on the ground from the Vancouver buildings. “Lets take a walk.”

Saber flipped her pink mane to the other side of her head as she followed Leth out of the hotel. They made their way down the street in the cool Canadian air, appreciating the freedoms that simply didn't exist down south. In what other nation could a young man walk in the open, followed by a yellow pony with pink hair and-

“Ah, F- I mean, Saber?”

“Uhm, yes?”

“Are you wearing armor?”

The sound of clinking metal was unmistakeable as Saber clop clop'd down the boulevard. And yet, the native Vancouverians didn't give her a second glance. They must have assumed it was just another cosplayer heading to a brony meetup. Leth wasn't surprised nobody was making eye contact with them this morning. Saber was wearing a kind of metal breastplate with a metallish skirt thing to cover her haunches. And on her head was a spanish conquistador helmet made of the same material.

Saber stopped trotting behind Leth, who walked on for a few more steps before he realized. He turned to look at her.

“Master, I'm Saber, the Servant who fights with swords. Now that we're walking around, I'm wearing my armor in case we're attacked at a moment's notice. There is a war on you know.”

“Doesn't that helmet mess up your hair, though? I'm pretty sure nobody's going to attack us in the daylight.”

“Uhm, yes, it does mess up my hair a bit, but it's better to have maximum protection even so.”

Leth continued walking, and Saber followed. Leth now knew where he was headed, whereas before he was just walking for the sake of getting out of the hotel before the manager found his summoning circle.

“So, Saber, how do you even fight with a sword? You, uh, don't have hands.”

Saber lifted a hoof to her face in that way only cartoon ponies can. “Ah, yeah, it's a little hard. I actually don't like fighting, partly because of how hard it is to swing a sword held between my teeth. My friend Lyra used to talk about different ways of holding swords all the time-”

“Lyra? Who's that?”

“She, uh, huh? Who?”

“Lyra. You just mentioned someone by that name.”

Saber looked confused for a minute, then responded “Uh, I don't know anyone named Lyra. Anyway, the trick to using a sword is...”

Saber is surprisingly open about her role as a Servant. But, as the dream explained, that's to be expected. Saber is Saber. Currently, for as long as she can remember she's been a swordspony.

For a few minutes she explained the finer points of swordplay until Leth suddenly stopped in front of a Toys R Us. She bumped into his back, booping him with her nose. Leth looked over his shoulder at an angle that would make the animators at Shaft jealous.

“I'll be right back, you just wait here. And before you say anything, I'll just be a minute so you don't need to protect me in the store.”

Saber swallowed her planned protest and sat heavily in front of the store. “Then I shall wait here, my Master. Uhm, if that's okay with you.”

Leth turned to walk into the store before Saber could see his grin. She had been so close to sounding serious and noble before her innate shyness shone through again. It just made his heart flutter to see her so shy when she was likely the strongest fighter in a five block radius.

Saber waited outside, trying to stay out of shoppers' way as they headed in and out of the store. A few kids came up and tried to pet her before their parents shooed them away from “another one of those bronies”.

Tears started to well up in her eyes at this. Sure, she was wearing armor and mentally prepared to fight to the death at a moment's notice for her Master, but she didn't understand why parents would try to keep their children from her. She made up her mind to find out what a brony was from her Master once he got back.

Leth came out of the store carrying a bag to find Saber sniffing back tears in a corner near some shopping carts. He walked over a bit faster than he had been.

“Saber, are you okay?”

“sniff Yeah, sniff, I'm okay. I just, uh, nevermind...”

She shook her head and got up to follow Leth again. “Where are we headed now?”

Leth found it interesting that she didn't even ask what he was doing at a toy store of all places. She must really trust me, he thought.

“Let's head out of town for a bit”

About half an hour later Saber and Leth were heading into a Canadian forest, full of maple trees and Mounties. Soon they came to a meadow near a pond and settled down for a rest.

Leth sat crosslegged in the grass and motioned for Saber to sit next to him. She did so, putting her head at about his shoulder's height and just within reach. He pulled a giant pink brush from his bag, startling the yellow pony.

“Take off your hat”

“Uhm, like I said, the hat is protection in case-”

“Saber.”

“Uh, uhm, yes?”

“Take off your hat. And put your head here.” Leth patted his thigh.

Saber made a few unintelligible noises before doffing her helmet and resting her chin on Leth's knee. Leth could see that the helmet had caused her hair to form all kinds of knots. For the next hour or so Leth just brushed through Saber's pink mane, trying not to pull too hard and make her squeak.

“Saber”

“Yes, Master?”

“Saber, you can call me Leth.”

“Oh, uhm, are you sure? I'm sure you only let your friends call you by your first name like that.”

Leth let that odd statement pass uncommented. The Holy Grail must still have a bit of Japanese influence left.

“Uh, yeah, well, we're friends, right? So just call me Leth, Saber.”

“Okay, Mas- uh, Leth.”

“Anyway, do you mind if I braid your main? That way your hat won't mess up your hair anymore.”

Saber looked up at Leth, their faces about a foot apart. Her eyes sparkled and she broke into a smile. “Oh, thank you Leth! That would be much better! It's been so hard to take care of my mane since...”

At this Saber trailed off, a blank look on her face.

“Since what,” Leth prompted

“Since what what?” Saber looked at him quizzically.

“You just, uh, nevermind,” Leth started to weave Saber's mane into braids and let the conversation peter out into the silence of the meadow. Eventually Saber dozed off in Leth's lap and he sat there, looking down at his little pony.

“She really can't remember, huh.” Leth muttered.

Suddenly, Saber's head shot up and she had her helmet on faster than the eye could see.

“Master, get down!” She cried as she turned her head away from Leth, and sprung into the air as she drew a sword that hadn't been there a few moments ago.

CLANG

Her sword knocked aside an awkwardly thrust lance, burying it in the ground to Leth's side. Leth immediately dodgerolled away and headed into the forest, where the trees would limit the effectiveness of the lance. He barely missed a sweeping blow from the lance before he made it to the tree line.

“Aw darn it! I almost had you, get back here!” A blue pony with a rainbow mane and tail was tilting her head, trying to counterbalance the weight of the lance she held in her mouth. The newcomer spread her blue pegasus wings, about to lunge forward again, when Saber appeared in front of her, swinging down her sword at the blue pony's exposed neck.

WHOOSH

Saber's sword buried itself in the soft earth.

BOOM

The force of the strike sent earth flying everywhere and left a crater 5 feet deep. But the blue pony was unharmed and currently flying above the scene.

How did she get up there so fast thought Saber, whipping around to block the lance thrust. She hadn't seen the strike coming, it was so fast. Only her swordspony training had given her the wherewithal to expect the strike at her exposed back.

“Oh, you're good.” taunted the Rainbow pony as she dashed through the air to reach a comfortable altitude out of reach of Saber's... saber. “You must be Saber, then.”

“Yes...” Saber hesitated. “And, uhm, you must be Lancer, right?”

“THAT'S RIGHT!” bellowed Lancer, swinging the lance in a complicated motion around her still flying body. “I'm Lancer and I'm going to win the Grail for my Master!” She did a quick loop in the air, leaving a rainbow after image.

Leth watched this from behind a tree. The sheer speed and power of these ponies would have led many to collapse on the spot, but Leth was made of tougher stuff. He knew that as long as Saber was standing and he stayed in the dense trees, Lancer wouldn't be able to skewer him.

Well, at least it'd be harder for her. Leth moved back a few meters just in case.

“Uhm, no, you can't do that, you see, I'm going to win the Grail for Leth” mumbled Saber awkwardly.

“What? I can't hear you muttering way down there.” shouted Lancer, cocking an ear towards the armored battle pegasus still on the ground.

“I said, I'm going to win the Grail” Saber spoke a little louder this time, but still below normal speaking volume.

“Eh? What?” Lancer was looking annoyed now.

“I SAID I'M GOING TO WIN THE GRAIL FOR LETH” Saber shouted. Suddenly the forest, which had been peaceful before, fell dead silent. The only sounds were Lancer's wings flapping as Saber glared defiantly up at the blue pegasus.

“Oh, you think so huh? Have at you!”

A rainbow streaked towards the ground, seemingly appearing all at once completely formed. Almost before the Leth could process the image a shockwave blew through the meadow and into the forest.

CLANG

CRASH

SHING

The two pegasuses swung their weapons at each other dozens of times per second. Lancer thrust, searching for a weak spot in Saber's armor, while Saber swung at the, by comparison, lightly dressed Lancer. Lancer wore only a leather breastplate around her forelegs, to leave maximum maneuverability for her wings. Saber's armor left room for her wings as well, but would probably hinder her flying capabilities.

“Are you even trying?” taunted Lancer. “You'll never hit me if you keep swinging so slow.”

And it was true, all the sounds of their fight were made by Lancer striking Saber's armor or by Saber blocking the lance with her sword. She hadn't landed a singe blow in 4 seconds and 50 attempted strikes.

They continued this fighting for another 7 seconds before Lancer took a powerswing at Saber's face and Saber swung her sword as hard as she could at the oncoming lance. The force of their impact once again flattened the meadow with their shockwave and they both took advantage of the strike to spring back. Suddenly 15 meters separated the brightly colored Servants.

“Aw, you guys started the party without me!”

Leth froze. Not 3 meters away a bright pink pony was walking past him into the meadow. She winked at him as she started hopping once she left the trees.

“Come on everypony, I'm gonna make you SMILE!”