Fate/New Earth

by MoonGuard97

Rating: everyone
Tags: Ember, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Original Character, Adventure, Shining Armor
Length: 6679

The Earth is very old, boasting a very long and rich history. It's only understandable that somepony would unearth powers long forgotten.

The Earth is very, very old, boasting a long and rich history. However, this does not mean that history has always been kind. The history of the Earth is a long cycle of growth, disaster, and rebuilding. Many times did the race of man experience this ruthless cycle before the time of ponies, leaving lasting impressions on history, including, it seems, their own magics.

It was only a matter of time before somepony found it again.

Published 2018-03-20 07:00:05 UTC
Last updated 2018-05-14 08:49:02 UTC

Chapter 1

A harsh wind blew as a lone figure wound its way through the trees. Draped in a dark cloak and carying a large load on its back, it ignored the curious gazes of creatures in the shadows as it approached a large cleft in the rocks before descending into the dark. Relieved to be out of the wind, the figure reached up a hoof and threw its hood off, revealing a grey unicorn with a spiky mane dyed with blue and purple. Igniting his horn as he started down the narrow stone path, the small tunnel became awash in pale blue light.

Down and down he went, following the sloping path of the tunnel, with only his hoof steps and the occasional dripping of water from the rocky ceiling to disturb the silence. Every once in a while, a snake or large spider would cross his path before retreating back into the darkness beyond his light. Warmth emanated from the cavern walls and grew stronger as he continued his decent, though not uncomfortably so. It was just enough to allow him to shed his cloak, exposing a swirling book cutie mark and a tail to match his mane.

He continued his decent for some time before the tunnel opened into a large cavern. This cavern was warmer than then tunnel, though still not uncomfortably so, and a noticeable hum could be heard reverberating from the walls. Torches stood here and there throughout the room, providing ample light. A series of shelves and a large desk covered in various instruments dominated one side of the cavern, a little ways from a bed, trunk, and fire pit shoved into a corner.

The unicorn stood a moment and soaked in some of the cavern's warmth before trotting over to the desk and unloading his saddlebags, stacking a few books across its surface and sending the rest flying onto the shelves. Most of them were books on some of the most advanced theoretical magic from libraries across Equestria, but several tomes had an odd character to them and were written in languages unrecognizable by all but the greatest scholars and sorcerers. The last thing he brought out of his pack was a large, cloth-wrapped bundle, which he gingerly set in the center of the table, before turning to large tome laying already open off to the side.

A series of intricate tattoos caught his eye as he traced his hoof across the page, observing detailed illustrations and figures alongside ancient chants and rituals. This kind of magic was extremely old, older than even the royal sisters. These rituals were practiced in a time when the sun and moon moved themselves and the Earth was ruled by very different creatures.

And yet, he thought, the magic remains, just waiting for somepony to harness it once more.

His eyes once again flicked to the marks on his hoof. He couldn’t wait to begin. At last, the chance to have all his dreams fulfilled, he could almost taste the unlimited power that would soon be in his hooves. The possibilities were endless!

Ah, but he was getting ahead of himself. He himself was but one small piece in his plan. Before he could do anything, the others would have to play their part. It annoyed him that he would have to wait on them before he could really do anything, but he wasn’t too terribly concerned over it. He was confident that the magic rebound of this ritual would catch the attention of the sisters, and they would have no choice but to respond in kind.

Yes, all would go according to plan.

Tearing his eyes away from his hoof, he once again glanced over the ritual before levitating a piece of chalk from a drawer in his desk and drawing a highly complex figure on the cavern floor. It took him a few minutes, and he had to refer to the book a few times in order to make sure he was drawing it correctly, but it couldn’t be helped. One wrong mark could ruin everything.

Finally, after than more than one redo, he finished the final pattern and replaced the chalk and book on his desk, replacing them with the cloth bundle he had brought with him. This one thing had been the most difficult to obtain of all the necessary pieces, more so, even, than the books he had stolen from the Canterlot archives. He had endured many trials to obtain this, spending two years searching, but now, it would all be worth it.

Unwrapping the package and unceremoniously tossing the cloth aside, he moved to the center of the chalk figure and placed the item down on the floor. It looked like some kind of helmet, though a very odd one. It was bulky and made of hard plastic, which had broken away in places, exposing the highly corroded insides. The entire thing was filthy and decaying, showing its age, but Portal Page knew that it held all the power he needed.

“Well then,” he mumbled to himself, double checking his preparations to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. “No time like the present.”

He held his hoof forward, the now glowing tattoos casting an eerie light over his face as he began the ritual.

Princess Celestia groaned inwardly as she listened to Blueblood’s hour-long speech as to why a statue of himself should be commissioned for the palace courtyard. This is why she hated holding open court so much. In ages past, she had loved to listen to the struggles of her little ponies and offer any aid she could, but in the past ten years or so, Blueblood had been first in line to every single session. Honestly, it was not a good way to start her day, and it often spoiled her mood toward those who actually needed her attention.

Of course she didn’t let on to any of this. She kept her thoughts hidden behind a well-practiced smile.

“And so it is for this reason that I believe that my image would inspire the soldiers…”

Celestia felt a wave wash over her; a ripple of powerful magic. She gasped and held her head in a hoof for a moment. She needed to address this immediately.

“I’m sorry, Blueblood, but I don’t think that spending the funds necessary to build such a statue would be a...wise decision. Your request is therefore denied.”

“But Auntie—”

“My decision is final, Blueblood.” Her patience was wavering. She turned to one of her guards. “Inform those waiting outside that Day Court will be postponed until next week. Anypony with urgent needs may address Princess Luna about them at this evening’s Night Court.”

With that out of the way and the throne room now empty, Celestia made haste to the Royal Canterlot Archives, bypassing the main library completely and heading straight for an aisle seemingly the same as any other, casually pulling on two books to open the door to the restricted section of the Archives. Here was contained books on the most powerful and most ancient magics in the world. Taking one such book in her magic grasp, she flipped it open, hurriedly scanning its contents to confirm her fears. Keeping the book in her grip, she charged a teleportation spell, appearing in a flash and startling the poor chariot pony in front of her.

“Make haste to Ponyville. Bring Princess Twilight and her friends here immediately!”

Author's Note

Hey everypony,

Alright, the beginning of a new crossover, this time with the Fate anime series! I'm actually really excited for this one. I've been trying to get it into shape for about a year now before I settled on what we have here.

To anypony reading my other current story, Into the Wild, I will still be updating that as well. Personally, I find that having several stories going at once helps me deal with writers block. I still don't have a regular update schedule though, so new chapters will continue to be released whenever they're ready. The next installment in this one should be out soon, with another publication or two after that. Until then, enjoy!

~Moon Guard

Chapter 2

Twilight Sparkle rushed about her castle, grabbing various things and unceremoniously, yet somehow with uncanny organization, shoving them into her saddlebags until they no longer closed. Spike had received a letter from the princess less than an hour ago with an urgent message that said that a royal escort was on its way, and that she and her friends needed to come to the palace immediately, and Twilight had instantly gone into panic mode, running around her castle as she was now packing anything she thought they might need as her friends sat on their thrones and watched.

“Let’s see, I’ve got a copy of our friendship journal, my list of potential friendship problem scenarios, quills, parchment, five extra bottles of ink, just in case, Starswirl’s journal—”

“Twilight, dear.” Rarity interrupted, trotting over to the crazed mare. “You don’t even know what you’re packing for. It is quite possible that you won’t even need any of those things.”

“Besides,” Rainbow added, now hovering next to the window. “The royal chariot just landed outside.”

Twilight’s face instantly paled as she gasped and rushed outside, saddlebags in tow. Her friends groaned at her antics, except for Pinkie, who giggled, and followed close behind her.

Bloodbeak strode briskly down the lane carpeted with straw. To any passerby, he was just another griffon in a town of griffons. Heck, even to his neighbors, he was nothing more than another face. That was the way things were in Griffonstone. Every griff looked out for only themselves, with the exception of those two females who had decided to try and make friends with anyone they came into contact with. No, griffons didn’t have friends. Bloodbeak knew this. He knew that nobody cared about him, just as he didn’t care about them. There was only one thing he cared about; one thing he craved.

Power.

Bloodbeak came from the line of the kings, the line of Boreas himself. All these pathetic excuses for griffons should be bowing to him, and yet they continued on their way as if he didn’t even exist. However, that was all about to change.

He came to the edge of town, continuing past the gates and a little ways down the mountain until he reached a small cabin built into the side of the mountain. Inside, all the furniture had been shoved aside and a large figure drawn on the floor. That power he had felt roll over him earlier was unmistakable, it had to be the ancient ritual spoken of in only the most ancient of histories. Knowledge of such things was extremely privileged, he himself only knowing of it because of his noble, if inactive, bloodline. Someone had set off the ancient magic, and now he was going to answer the call.

He wasted no time, striding to the center of the figure and removed a bracelet from around his claw, placing it in the center. The bracelet was a family heirloom, passed from parent to child, along with the story of an empire long past. On it was strung a single bead, made from some kind of metal that was once extremely valuable but no longer existed, but had survived thousands of years without rust. It would make the perfect center piece.

Stepping back, he held out his talons and began the incantation as the marks on his claw bathed his grinning face in red light.

Celestia watched as the chariot she had sent to Ponyville touched down in the Palace courtyard, only to stumble as another wave of magic crashed into her.

Another master has answered the call. We have to act quickly.

No sooner had she thought this than her faithful student crashed through the door with her friends, causing the large hall to echo with the sound of slamming doors.

“I’m here! I’m here!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing up to the Princess. She had a bit of a crazed look in her eyes, which Celestia recognized only too well, and was carrying a pair of bulging saddlebags. “You didn’t say what the emergency was, so I packed everything I thought we might need…”

“Twilight.”

Twilight instantly went silent, an effect only Celestia was able to have on her. She smiled at the young mare. By this point, the other six ponies, plus Spike, had all gathered around her. They all looked like they had questions they wanted to ask, but she held up a hoof to cut them off before they could voice them.

“Please, all of you follow me.” She stood and made her way out of the room. “All of your questions will be answered shortly.”

“I called you here,” she began as they travelled through the halls, “Because I believe that Equestria, and possibly the rest of the world, could be in danger.”

“Just tell us what’s going on and we’ll take care of it! I’m sure we can handle it!” Rainbow boasted.

Celestia laughed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash, this problem cannot be solved with the magic of friendship. The power that rises against us now is far older and more powerful than even the Elements of Harmony.” The suddenly grave tone in her voiced left the impression of ancient knowledge, showing the princess’s many years.

Twilight’s jaw hit the floor. “But the Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magic in existence!”

“According to common knowledge, yes. There are many things which you do not know, Twilight.

“To begin, it’s important that you understand that the Earth is far older than anypony knows, thousands of years older than even myself. In its long history, it has seen the rise and fall of many civilizations, some built around mythology, others around science. Some were just and fair, while some were nothing more than barbaric. The world continued in this fashion for millennia before ponykind even came to be.”

“There were other civilizations before ponies?” Starlight marveled.

Celestia nodded. “Ponykind is only about three thousand years old. This world belonged to humans before us, and more powerful beings before them, each of them leaving their marks, some very literally.” She waited until the mumbling died down before continuing. “Several of these ancient groups possessed magic of their own, though for many it was much more…primal…than our own. Most of the knowledge of these practices has unfortunately been lost to history, but some still exists, most of it guarded carefully by my sister and I, though some records likely remain undiscovered in the world.”

Applejack stepped up next to her. “This is all fascinatin’ Princess, but what it got to do with y’all bringin’ us here?”

Celestia stopped them in front of a door at the end of one of the hallways. “Because, Applejack, I believe that somepony has gotten their hooves on an ancient and dangerous ritual.”

Another shock of magic washed over her, though she kept her footing. The third master had claimed their place. She was running out of time. Forcing herself to focus, she pushed into the room, the others following right on her tail. Inside, they were greeted by—

“Shining Armor?” Twilight ran into the room to hug her brother, who was setting a large crate down on the floor. “What are you doing here?” She laughed.

Shining laughed with her as he ruffled Twilight’s mane. “I was here on business when Princess Celestia asked for my help with some kind of national emergency, though I don’t know much more than you do. Actually, I’ve just spent the last hour bringing this stuff down here.”

Taking his words as a cue, they all looked around the room, slightly confused. Boxes and shelves had been filled with seemingly random stuff. Most of it looked like everyday objects: a purple suit jacket, a leaf shaped pin, a blue shield with an elaborate crest, even a rock with a slit in the top. Ordinary knick-knacks everywhere they looked. The only things that really stood out to them was that it all looked very old, and most of it was most certainly not made with ponies in mind.

“Ooooh!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “What is all this stuff?”

Celestia chuckled. “Luna and I have a hobby of collecting relics from before the pony era. These are but a small sample of our collection, but I believe that they may have some kind of power within them, perhaps enough to act as a catalyst.”

“A catalyst?” Twilight sounded confused. “Catalyst for what?”

The princess sighed. She couldn’t beat around the bush any longer. She calmed herself and looked to the ponies (and dragon) around her. “The ritual that has been initiated, from what I can tell from the histories, is called a Holy Grail War.”

“A w-war?” Fluttershy hid behind her mane.

Celestia nodded, moving to comfort the timid pony before continuing. “The Holy Grail War,” she began, “Is an ancient ritual in which seven participants battle against each other for possession of the Holy Grail, an artifact of immense magical power said to be able to grant any wish, but only to a single victor. To do this, each participant, known as masters, summons what’s known as a servant to battle with. A servant,” she cut off Twilight’s unspoken question, “Is the spirit of a hero from the past, present, or, in one case, even the future, given a physical body and anchored to this world by the magic of its master. Servants are extremely powerful, and act as the actual fighters in the war while the masters supply them with power and work with them to form strategies. The master who can triumph over the other servants and claim the grail shall have both their wish and that of their servant granted.”

Shining Armor, who had been listening silently, volunteered a question. “Your highness, you said the Holy Grail can grant any wish. Does that include evil wishes?” The princess only nodded. Shining took a moment to think of his wife and daughter, and that was all it took. He snapped to attention. “Princess Celestia, if you would allow it, I would like to volunteer my services for the good of Equestria as a master in this war.”

The princess smiled sadly. “Very well, Shining Armor, I accept your offer.” She turned to the girls. “Two of the seven servants had already been summoned before you arrived, and the third by the time we reached this room. With Captain Armor now claiming the position of the fourth master, that leaves three masters still to be chosen. I hate to ask this of you, but it is important to make sure that as many masters as possible are ponies I know I can trust, so would any of you be willing to participate as masters in this Holy Grail War on behalf of Equestria?”

In the blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash landed before the princess on bended knee, followed after only a moment by Applejack. Not really any surprise there. Twilight looked around to see if any of her other friends were thinking of volunteering. Fluttershy was hiding in a corner, Pinkie Pie’s mane had deflated somewhat, and Rarity and Starlight both had nervous expressions on their faces, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. Also as expected. She took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out before walking up next to the others.

“We’ll do it, Princess. We’ll fight for Equestria.”

The princess looked at them with tears in her eyes. In many ways, these mares had come to be like her own daughters. She hated to put them through this, but she also knew there was nopony she could trust more. She spread her wings and wrapped the three of them in a tight hug for a moment, before releasing them and looking over her four champions and the four remaining ponies. “There may only be a single victor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help each other. Watch each other’s backs for me, work together. And girls,” she turned to those who had chosen not to participate. “They are going to need your support in this as well.”

“You can count on us, Princess.” Starlight smiled.

Celestia returned the smile before addressing the four new masters. “Everything in this room should be able to act as a catalyst, so you’re free to use whichever you like. Just be careful. We have no way of knowing which heroes will be summoned by which artifacts, so you’ll be making a blind guess as to what kind of servant you’ll end up with. When you’ve chosen, meet me in my study, and I will help you prepare for the summoning ritual.” With that, she bid them good luck and took her leave.

The eight of them wasted no time and set about looking through the various objects in the room, none of them really knowing what they were looking for. Rarity seemed more interested in looking through any of the clothes in the room, coming up with things like an old fedora hat or a pair of ladybug patterned earrings. Fluttershy cried over a large lion skin while Pinkie played with some kind of red and white ball. Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor were mainly looking through what few weapons there were while Twilight and Starlight were using their horns to look for anything that might have some kind of powerful magic. Applejack, in the meantime, appeared to have simply grabbed the closest object, an old and cracked horn, and was now standing off to the side, staring at her hoof, which made Twilight curious.

“Applejack? What are you doing?”

The farmer looked up at them before looking back to the horn and shrugging. “Well, the princess did say that we don’t know what any of these’ll do, so ah figured ah wouldn’t accomplish anythin’ by bein’ picky. Take a look at this though.” She held up her hoof again, showing off an intricate series of red marks. The other masters looked at their hooves to find similar patterns, while the others still had blank hooves.

“Maybe it’s a mark of participation?” Starlight theorized.

“Whatever it is,” Rainbow grunted, “I’m sure the princess will know. Right now, we need to focus on this. I’ve looked through all of these,” she threw a bundle of weapons onto the ground, “but none of them really scream ‘awesome.’”

Shining Armor moved toward the pile of weapons, picking up the first one he reached. It looked like the top portion of some kind of spear, though it looked like it had once had several points. He studied it for a second, then nodded in approval. “This works.”

Rainbow huffed. “Maybe there’s an awesome sword or someth—hey, what’s this?” She reached into a nearby chest before pulling out a string of clay beads with intricate paintings on them. “These look like something from Daring Do!”

Twilight tried to turn to get a better look, but ended up lifting her head into a shelf, sending it falling to the ground. Several objects scattered around her hooves. Rainbow’s beads already forgotten, she curiously ignited her horn and felt a slight feedback from a silver pocket watch. The magic was weak and it felt funny, but she decided it was good enough for her.

“Well then, I think that’s all of us.” She stated excitedly. “Let’s get back to the princess.”

“A broken horn, a watch, half a spear, and a string of beads.” Celestia observed her champions, each having presented their chosen relic. She smiled. “These should do splendidly. Well done, my little ponies.”

Twilight beamed at the praise while Rainbow Dash flipped into the air with a hoof pump. Applejack and Shining Armor simply smiled as the princess pulled a large, leather-bound tome from a shelf across the room. They were in the princess’s private study, though the room was easily large enough to accommodate all nine of them comfortably. The princess sat behind her desk, the four masters stood before her, and the remaining four ponies sat in lounge chairs placed around the room.

She set the book on the desk amongst the relics and opened it to a particular page. From what Applejack could see from where she was standing, it looked like the passage detailed some kind of magic ritual. A large space on one of the pages was taken up by a detailed diagram of a magic circle. From a nearby chair, Starlight could also see the circle drawn on the page and felt her heart start beating faster. She had seen similar diagrams before, in books early ancient pony magic, but nopony used magic circles anymore, relying in stead on incantations or pulling spells from memory. To get the chance to see circle magic firsthoof…this was so exciting!

Celestia turned the book around so that the ponies in front of her could see it. “This is the ritual for summoning a heroic spirit. The incantation itself is actually fairly simply, and luckily, you don’t even have to understand what it is you’re saying, so long as you recite it correctly. The magic circle, however, must be drawn exactly, or the spell could backfire and kill you.”

Their eyes widened at the prospect, except for Twilight, who was used to such risks from experimenting with similarly dangerous spells, but their resolve remained, and they began to read over the spell, muttering as they read.

“It’s a good thing we don’t have to understand any of this.” Rainbow stated flatly. “Because I don’t.”

Applejacked looked up at the princess. “Princess, are ya sure me an’ Dash’ll be able to do this? We don’t got no magic like Twi or Shining.”

Celestia chuckled in response. “Oh, but you do, Applejack. Every creature in Equestria has their own kind of magic, and this spell doesn’t distinguish one kind from another. Your earth pony magic will be enough to sustain your servant.”

Applejack didn’t look convinced, but the princess had never given them reason not to trust her, so she decided to believe what she said.

Twilight pointed to a spot on the page. “It says here that we aren’t even the ones who actually summon the spirit. According to this, the caster just provides an anchor for the servant to latch on to once they manifest. The circle provides a conduit for the magic and the incantation maintains the spell, but the actual summoning is performed by the grail itself.”

Applejack blinked. “Say what now?”

“Don’t worry about it AJ.” Rainbow interrupted. “As long as we do this right, it won’t matter.”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight called. The pony in question instantly showed up next to her. “You might want to get a party ready. We’re about to make some new friends.”

“YAY!!”

Author's Note

Hey everypony,

Alright guys, chapter two. We've got five new masters introduced here, bringing us up to six known master and one still a mystery. We've also seen six out of the seven catalysts as well, so I'm curious to see what guesses you guys might have as to who our servants are going to be. I'll give you a hint: they're all fictional characters, so none of them are actual historical figures.

That's all for now, guys. Let me know what y'all think so far.

~Moon Guard

Chapter 3

Night had almost fallen by the time everything was ready. The amber glow of sunset created a beautiful scene as ponies everywhere sat down to dinner with their families and long shadows overtook Canterlot city. In the shadow of the royal palace, standing in one of the gardens situated on the very edge of the cliff the city stood upon, were thirteen figures gathered around four magic circles drawn in the center of the garden. Princesses Celestia and Luna stood near the edge, their horns aglow as the elder sister lowered the sun so the younger’s moon could grace the sky in its stead. Off to the side, Captain Shining Armor stood with his wife and daughter, their looks of determination on their faces as they discussed what was about to happen. Pinkie Pie had enlisted the help of Rarity and Starlight in helping her set up party tables for their soon-to-be new friends, while Spike sat off to the side admiring the relics and Fluttershy playfully chased various critters around the garden. Twilight Sparkle sat near the four circles with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, a book held open in her telekinetic grip as she explained the magic of the servants to them.

“Like I said earlier, our magic circuits aren’t what’s used to actually summon the servants; that’s the Grail’s job. Instead, our manna is used to give the servant a physical body, and then used to anchor them to this world and supply the servant’s own magic.”

“What’s a magic circuit?” Rainbow asked.

“Magic circuits are something that every creature has, in some form or another. They run through the muscles and bones, and they’re what stores and conducts magic, though how that magic manifests depends on the kind of creature. Modern scientists and magicians refer to them as manna veins, but this book calls them magic circuits.”

Rainbow nodded, though she only really understood a little of what Twilight had just said.

Applejack cleared her throat. “So what yer sayin’ is that, while the servant goes out and does the actual fightin’, they’re usin’ our magic ta do it?”

“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “Our magic allows them to keep their body ad stay strong. That really is the simplest way of putting it.”

AJ shrugged. “Good ‘nuf fer me.”

Rainbow jumped into the air, hovering above them on her back. “I wonder what servants are like?”

Twilight flipped a few pages over. “Well, each servant is unique, but it does say here that there are seven different types of servants, classified by their weapon, skills, or combat style. There’s the Saber, the Lancer, and the Archer, who are grouped together as being the three most powerful classes. The other four are the Rider, Assassin, Caster, and Berserker.”

“Awesome! I hope I get the assassin! That would be so cool!”

Twilight chuckled. “Personally, I’m hoping that I can summon the Caster servant. I think I would be able to work best if my servant was an expert in magic.”

“Of course you would, Twily.” Shining was laughing as he and Cadence trotted over, Flurry Heart giggling happily on her daddy’s back. “Though as long as we’re playing that game, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to say that I’m going for the Saber.”

“Um, hate ta burst yer bubble, Shinin’,” Applejack smirked, “But yer cata-thingy is a spear, not a sword.”

They all laughed as Shining harumphed and walked away, before Twilight turned to Applejack. “What about you, AJ? Are you hoping for any particular servant?”

“Naw,” the farmer waved. “Ah can probably work with whatever ah get, so long as they ain’t a hothead.”

Another round of laughs was shared among the group as the royal sisters approached. By this time, the sun and moon had been settled into their new positions, and everything was finally ready.

“Well then, my little ponies, I think it’s time.”

“Ooooh!” Starlight squealed. “I’m so excited! I’ve always wanted to see real circle magic!”

Everypony laughed as Spike brought over the relics. Shining handing little Flurry Heart to her mother and took his broken spear before taking his place in front of one of the circles. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash quickly did the same, placing the catalysts at the center of the intricate eight-point star. Each of them stood in front of their own summoning circle, facing the center, Twilight facing her brother, and Rainbow facing Applejack.

“Remember,” Luna warned, “If anything goes wrong during the ritual, it could result in anything from damaging your servant to killing you, so be sure to give this all of your focus.”

If that was supposed to be inspirational, it failed. Twilight could feel her nerves riling up as she eyed the pocket watch, which now seemed to have an air of foreboding about it. Spike, sensing her distress, reached up and put a claw on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her, “You’ve got this.” He then retreated, standing next to the others, who were gathered under a “Welcome Back From the Dead!” banner. Twilight took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it, determination flashing in her eyes.

“Let’s do this.”

“Good lu~ck!” Pinkie sang.

The four masters looked each other in the eyes, one last time, before closing them and extending their hooves toward the artifacts. It felt weird to Twilight to not charge her horn while performing magic, instead relying on the circle to do the work for her. The marks of their hooves began to glow brightly, as did the circles themselves, as they began to recite the ritual together.

“For the elements, silver and iron;
The foundation of stone and the archduke of pacts.
And, for our great master Faust.
Close the four gates, come forth from the crown,
And follow the forked road leading to the kingdom.
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill.
Repeat five times, but when each is filled,
Destroy it! Set.”

The circles changed when they said this, the glow changing from a gentle green to a noble red as a gentle breeze began to pick up and sparks began to fly up from the ground around the circles. Still, the masters continued, their voices rising and the magic intensifying with each phrase.

“Heed my words:
My will creates your body,
And your sword creates my destiny.
If you heed the Grail’s call, and obey my will and reason,
Then answer me!”

The wind began to circle the gardens with more strength, blowing everypony’s manes this way and that. They could practically taste the magic charge in the air. Starlight stood in awe of the raw power being displayed. Still, the chant continued.

“I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world;
That I shall defeat all evil in the world!
Seventh heaven clad in the great words of power,
From the binding circle, thou, guardian of the scales!”

Lightning crashed overhead as an explosion of wind and raw magic erupted from the center of the group with a blinding flash, sending everypony stumbling backward. The masters themselves, having been unprepared and standing closest to the blast, were thrown backward, landing at the hooves of the others. Everypony’s manes were a mess, they couldn’t see past the spots in their eyes, and their mouths tasted like metal. However, when the spots faded from their vision and the smoke cleared away, they each looked up and gasped at what they saw.

Four new figures knelt on the ground where the circles used to be. They were obviously human, but that wasn’t really a surprise considering the relics they used were from a time before ponies. They knelt with their heads bowed, giving the appearance of loyal servants, before standing and facing them. The first, standing closest to them was a young man wearing bronze and leather armor. His shaggy black hair hung in his face, almost attractively so, but did nothing to hide his eyes, sparkling green as the sea.

Behind him stood a woman in a flowing dress. The only armor she wore was a steel cuirass fastened over a mail shirt, the sleeves of which hung loosely around her elbows. The inside of her left forearm was covered with some kind of leather cuff. Her hair flowed over her shoulders, framing a fair face with gorgeous blue eyes and full red lips.

To the sides, where Shining and Twilight had been standing, were two more men, though one looked more like a boy. In Shining’s place stood a tall and muscular man with tousled but handsome blonde hair. His outfit itself was fairly unremarkable, just a black wetsuit with silver shoulders and a padded grey chest, but the way it hugged his form, accenting every bulging muscle, combined with a ruggedly beautiful face and mischievous eyes, was enough to make women swoon, which Rarity actually did. On the other side of the group, in Twilight’s place, stood a rather short boy who looked to still be in his teen years. His hair, which was braided down his back, was a darker blonde than the man on the left. He wore a black silk suit with a red coat and white gloves, covering every inch of his body from the neck down, and a silver chain glinted at his hip.

The man in the bronze armor came up to them, the other three following behind him.

“We are the servants summoned by your call.” He looked around for a second, taking in both the group of servants and the rather large group of ponies in front of him, a rather confused look on his previously serious face. “Judging by the fact that we were all summoned together, I’m guessing we’re supposed to be allies?”

“Gee, wonder what gave it away?” The boy in the suit apparently had a fairly sarcastic personality.

The man in the armor ignored him, looking down at the four ponies still lying at the hooves of the others. “Um, which one of you is my master? I wasn’t able to get a good look at you before you went flying off.”

“None of us were.” The woman stated plainly.

Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash quickly got up. “I’m your master.” She puffed up her chest and stood as tall and proud as she could, though she still only came up to his chest.

The man smirked. “A pegasus, huh? I think I can live with that.”

Twilight got back to her hooves, approaching the boy in the suit. That chain on his hip looked a lot like the pocket watch catalyst she had chosen. “You must be my servant.”

“Only if you’re my master.” He laughed.

Shining was the next to approach his servant, the gorgeous man. He held out his hoof, which the man bent down to shake. “I’m Captain Shining Armor, your master.”

Mr. Handsome also smirked. Jeez, were all of these servants snarky? “I’d tell you my name, but revealing that around other servants wouldn’t be very smart, now would it? For now, I’ll go by Lancer.”

“Y’all go by yer class instead of yer name?” Applejack asked. “Why’s that?”

“I’ll explain it to you later, Master.” The woman walked up to her, holding out a hand. “Archer.”

“Applejack.”

Rainbow eyed her servant. “Are you the assassin?”

His eyebrows shot up? “You were hoping for the assassin? Sorry to disappoint, but I’m the Saber.”

“The Saber? I got the strongest servant! That’s so cool! I’m Rainbow Dash!”

He let loose a laugh and reached out to ruffle her mane. “Of course you are!”

“Ahem.” The sound of Princess Celestia clearing her throat drew everyone’s attention. “Greetings, servants. My name is Celestia, Princess of Equestria. The four of you have been summoned by very close friends of mine to work together to ensure Equestria’s safety in this Holy Grail War.” She smiled gently. “With so many strong servants on our side, our victory is all but assured.”

Princess Luna stepped up next to her sister. “We understand that masters and servants have much to discuss with each other, so private rooms have been arranged for each of you, to ensure that any secrets you might have are kept safe.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Archer bowed, “We appreciate your hospitality.” There was a slight accent to her voice, but Applejack couldn’t place it.

“But first,” everyone suddenly found themselves chewing on a cupcake and steamers exploded into the air. “Welcome back from the dead!”