King of Beasts Productions Presents:

Fate/Grand Blunder: A Fate Multicrossover

Chapter 14: A Ball of Sunshine

"Welcome to Chaldea!"

From what Sir Gareth understood, the summoning that followed hers was a momentous occasion. Apparently, this would be the first ever summoning ritual of the female Master before her. Rachelle Fleming, if she remembered correctly. Both her and Ritsuka welcomed her and the four others who answered the summons alongside her to Chaldea, an organization in which Servants from all over gathered to aid in restoration of human history. It sounded like a noble undertaking, for certain. One she was eager to partake in.

"It is good that you can make it, Sir Gareth." The Lancer's eyes widened when she saw a familiar blonde girl with green eyes clad in a blue battle dress and gleaming armor approached her, escorted by another blonde in similar garb, except it was red instead as well as a young lad from the Orient with red hair, his bare chest exposed while wearing a red obi on his left arm and a white haori draping his shoulders. The Iron Wolf Maiden could never forget countenance and regal bearing in a million years, as this was the very same king she had pledge her service to a lifetime ago.

"M-My king!" To the surprise of those around her, Gareth bowed her head and bent the knee. "I-It really is you, isn't it?!"

"Eh? What's all this?" The newly summoned Arcueid asked, prompting the one called Twilight Sparkle to explain.

"That girl is King Arthur. If I remember correctly, her legend is known all over as the one who founded Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table." The Caster quickly explained. "And it looks like this girl is one of the knights."

"Wait, King Arthur is a girl?" The Assassin known as Peter Parker raised a brow.

"Yup." Twilight nodded. "She's still an amazing king, you know! I speak from experience when I say that!"

"Thank you for that usual lengthy explanation, Twilight." Artoria chuckled, as sign that the two knew each other somehow. "Indeed. This is Sir Gareth, one of my loyal knights."

"D-Don't say that."

"Pardon?"

"Don't say that I'm loyal." The Lancer's initial joy was replaced by painful memories. "How could I...when I wasn't there for the final battle?"

Artoria and the other girl could only frown, realizing immediately that she was referring to the Battle of Camlann.

"I'm sorry..." Gareth was unable to contain the ache in her heart, her head bent low and tears streaking her cheeks while she sobbed. "I'm so sorry...If I had been there...I-If I hadn't been so foolish concerning Sir Lancelot and Lady Guinevere...I-I could have-!"

Hearing these words from the young knight prompted Artoria to act; she quickly knelt down to her level and gave Gareth a much needed hug.

"There is nothing to forgive." The King of Knights murmured. "If anything, I should be the one to beg you for forgiveness. It was cruel to force you to choose between your loyalties to me and Sir Lancelot."

"N-No..." Gareth responded weakly. "Sir Lancelot violated your trust...it was understandable that you-!"

"He broke the law, yes." Artoria countered. "But that does not mean that you had to suffer so because of our mistakes." She pulled back to let Gareth see her smile, wiping her tears with a finger as she did so. "Raise your head, Sir Gareth. You will always be one of my loyal knights. Nothing will change that."

This was the first time she saw the king smile so warmly, as she always had a level expression on her face that made her feel aloof and distant from the people around her. That, and the fact that she would be so willing to admit her mistakes when it is said the king can do no wrong, left an great impression on the Lancer. It made Gareth's heart feel lighter, as if a huge burden had been removed from her shoulders.

"Thank you, my king." Gareth sniffled, her lips curling into their own warm smile. "Words cannot express how much this means to me. I, Sir Gareth, pledge to be your spear once more!"

"It is an honor I do not take lightly." Artoria nodded back as she helped both of them to their feet. This prompted the other blonde to groan.

"Ugh...you always were a crybaby..."

"Uh..." She cocked her head to the side while blinking adorably in confusion. "Who are you, and why do you look like my king?"

"Oh for the love of-!" The girl literally face-palmed. "I'm Mordred!"

"S-S-Sir Mordred?!" Gareth's eyes now widened in shock for the second time that day, but for a more light-hearted reason. "I didn't recognize you without your helmet!"

"Wait, THAT'S Mordred?!" Twilight shared in the shock. "You never told me that your child looks like you, Artoria!"

"You never asked!" Laughter erupted around them as Artoria and Twilight spazzed out, prompting the lad to pat them both in the head. The way they blushed told Gareth that they knew him from before their summoning here and that perhaps there was more. She chose not to dwell on that, as she was on a high that she hadn't felt in a long time. To fight for a grand cause, and alongside her king no less, was enough for her.

5 AM. Three Days After.

Gareth was up and about, wearing a green and white tracksuit she borrowed from one of the Chaldeans while Nui was working on her clothes. She was about to enter the Training Room when she heard the clanging of staves and a loud thud.

"Again!"

Her curiousity piqued, she opened the door and took a peek. She was treated to the sight of Rachelle, who had been laid out on her back and clad in a white tank top and leggings, was using her training staff to help herself up while the Lancer known as Scathach, clad also in a tank top and leggings, was watching intently, her hand gripping her staff tight. Rachelle assumed a battle stance once more before charging.

"HA!" The Master, using Reinforcement to strengthen herself, swung her staff several times, only for the Witch of Dun Scaith to catch each strike effortlessly.

"My turn!" The Lancer parried the last strike before going on the offensive, forcing Rachelle to try and muster up a defense as fast as she could. Gareth was impressed that she was able to quickly block Scathach's first three blows. However, she knew it was over the moment Rachelle tried to raise her staff to block a side swing from her right, only for it to turn out to be feint that left her open as the Lancer spun around and took her off her feet with sweeping strike from the left.

"Gah!" Rachelle fell on her back again with a thud. "Ugh..."

"Be thankful that floor is padded, otherwise I would have to take you to the Infirmary." Scathach giggled as she walked over and offered Rachelle a hand. "That's enough for today."

"Damn..." Rachelle managed to chuckle as she took that hand. "When you said the training was going to be brutal, you weren't kidding."

"Of course." Scathach nodded with a smile of pride as she pulled the Master to her feet. "Sentata would not have become the hero he is today had it not been for my guidance. For what it's worth, you're showing improvement over the past few days. You are much quicker to react than when we started."

"Thanks..."

"That being said," The Lancer added, her tone one of a stern tutor pointing out the errors her student made. "You still have much to learn. Your initial stance had several openings an opponent can exploit."

"I'll take that to heart." The Master remarked, then added with a grin. "Man, I'm beat...and hungry!"

"I'm sure a hearty meal will have you up and about in no time." It was at that moment that the two finally noticed Gareth. "Why hello. You must the newest Lancer, am I correct?"

"Y-Yes! Sir Gareth of the Round Table, at your service!" She introduced herself with her usual gusto.

"I am Scathach, Witch of Dun Scaith and a Lancer as well." The taller woman replied in kind. "And I'm sure you've already met one of your new Masters, Rachelle."

"Still kinda strange, being referred to as such." Rachelle giggled as she sat up. "It's a good kind of strange, though!"

"An honor to meet you both!" Gareth then turned to Scathach with a smile. "Seeing you has inspired to make a request of you."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Scathach asked back.

"Would you like to joust with me?" This simple question illicited varying reactions; Rachelle was giving the Lancer a look that was screaming "You're serious?!", and Scathach had a mild smile of amusement on her face.

"A tempting offer, but I'm afraid I will have to decline for now." Scathach replied. "After all, Rachelle will be taking you on a supply run today."

"Supply run?" Gareth asked, obviously confused. This prompted Rachelle to explain for her benefit.

"You know how we're cut off from the rest of the world as a result of the Incineration of Human History?" She began. "Well, that also means that basic necessities like food, water, and materials are hard to come by. Thankfully, there are many minor Singularities that exist where we can Rayshift to and procure said necessities."

"I see, I see." Gareth nodded in understanding. "And you wish for me to be a part of the team that accompanies you?"

"Yup!" Rachelle giggled. "Artoria, Mordred, and Lancelot vouched for you, so you're coming along."

"S-S-Sir Lancelot?!" The Lancer's voice became louder as she heard the name of her idol being mentioned. "He's here too?! I didn't see him during my Summoning!"

"He is here, indeed." Scathach added. "He came as a Berserker, but thanks to potions crafted by our Casters, they were able to suppress his Madness Enhancement."

"Is that true?!" Gareth asked excitedly. She was about to meet her idol once more, the man who had been her inspiration to become a Knight of the Round, and the prospect of that happening was more than appealing.

"Yup!" Rachelle grinned. "He won't be with us in this supply run, but we can take you to him later, if you like."

"I-I will!" Gareth exclaimed while wrapping the Master in a crushing hug. "Thank you so much!"

"The pleasure's mine..." Rachelle grunted as she struggled in the Lancer's grasp. "Uhm...can you please...let me go...?"

"O-Oh! Sorry!" Gareth quickly released the Master while Scathach giggled in the background.

"Y-You're fine." Rachelle turned to the excited knight with a smile. "Alright, then. We move out in an hour. Be ready by then."

"Yes, Master!"

"HAAAA!"

Gareth was leading the charge against several armored soldiers, some armed with rifles that fired upon the advancing Lancer. However, they did little to stop her as the bullets bounced off her shield.

"Stop her!" The soldier who led the squad bellowed as he drew his sword. He and two closest to him attempted to meet Gareth's charge. The resulting collision, however, sent them all flying at different directions. Several more came from the streets of the town they were fighting in. Behind the riflemen, a man with an impressive nose, a bad combover, a moustache and goatee, and dressed in black and red armor was barking orders.

"Get them!"

"Yes, Captain Pommern!"

"Come then!" Gareth roared her challenge at the soliders while brandishing her lance. "Come and face me, if you dare!"

The three in front would reach her first, only for them to be bowled over by a fourth that was thrown from out of nowhere.

"Not bad!" Gareth turned to see Mordred, clad in her own knight's armor, casually walk in with her sword resting on her shoulder and a grin on her face. "Can't believe you started this party without me!"

"As glad as I am to see you, Sir Morded, we're not out of the woods yet!"

Mordred nodded grimly as more soldier led by that Pommern converged in their direction. Both knights stood back to back as more opposition arrived.

"Ohoho!" Pommern grinned as his new troops surrounded the two. "Such bluster, only for it to amount to nothing! Perhaps if I use you as a hostage, those damned sky-farers will be more inclined to give up the girl!"

"Heh, you honestly think these guys can do that?" Mordred grinned as several portions of her armor segmented to form her signature helmet. "You guys must be pretty brave, or pretty stupid. I respect that, either way."

"I would agree with Sir Mordred." Gareth smiled as well, unfuriating the man. "If anything, you might want to give up that Grail. You don't even know what you're doing with it, do you?"

"Nay, but it should be of great interest to the Empire." The moustached man leered as he held up the golden cup in question. "Now, come quiet or prepared to face the consequences!"

"I would have to say the same for you, Pommern! WEISSFLUGEL!"

Ice erupted from beneath the soldiers in a snowflake like formation, making them scream as they scattered to avoid the sudden erupting chunks of frost the size of a tank. Both Gareth and Mordred looked back to see a young man in blue plate armor, jet black hair, and a handsome face leap into the fray with a sword in each hand.

"Sir Lancelot!" Gareth exclaimed happily. Granted, it wasn't the Lancelot that she knew, but she was grateful for reinforcements nonetheless.

"Glad you can join the party." Mordred snorted with a grin.

"My apologies." The blue-clad knight smiled as he got into a battle stance, holding each deftly in a reverse grip. "We had to make sure that the civilians were evacuated properly."

"It's no problem." Gareth smiled back at him. "We were holding them off quite well before you arrived!"

"It's good to hear that." The Lancer found that the knight was smiling at her in an almost fondly manner. "By the way, your friends should be arriving very soon. Right about-"

"Strike Air!"

"Blades of Frost!"

A powerful blast of wind followed by a hail of large, icey swords slammed into the opposition, sending the Imperial soldier flying all over the place. They turned to see Artoria and Katalina leading the charge. Rachelle, accompanied by Gran, Lyria, and Twilight Sparkle. Right after them was an imposing gentleman in red plate armor and a segmented red sword, a spiky-haired blonde in orange and blue armor with a huge halberd, and one more knight in black with an imposing red greatsword.

"You guys alright?" Rachelle asked as they joined up with the trio.

"We're fine!" Gareth waved at her enthusiastically. "Sir Lancelot here was a huge help!"

"Good thing you came when you did, eh Lancey?" The blonde knight asked with a grin before stepping forward, sending several more Imperial soldiers flying with one swing of his halberd.

"Indeed." The red-clad knight added with a smile of his own before dispatching more with the swing of his segmented sword. "Though I doubt that our new friends would find it difficult to dispatch such meager foes."

"You need to loosen up, Percy!" Vane chuckled as he engaged several more of the enemy.

"I told not to call me that!" The red knight was about to retort, but was stopped by the one clad in black.

"Focus on the mission, you two." The knight, known as Siegfried, admonished them.

The remaining riflemen attempted to take aim, only to find that their weapons were floating out of their hands while surrounded in a strange purple glow.

"Sorry, but that's enough of that!" Twilight, who manifested a glowing, spiral horn made of mana on her forehead, conjured the spell to disarm the enemy with but a gesture of her hand.

"Curses..." The captain cursed as Artoria stepped forward with Gran.

"Surrender the Grail." The King of Knights implored the man one last time. "It need not end in bloodshed."

"Don't think you've won!" Pommern then gestured to several more Imperial soldiers dragging a caged cart made of steel. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess that there was something nasty inside. "Release the beast!"

A soldier approached the lock with a sledgehammer in hand and smashed it with a single swing. The aforementioned beast, a chimera, roared as a swing of it's enormous paw flung the cage door off it's hinges and onto the poor soldier with a sledgehammer.

"Hmm. How unforunate." Artoria chuckled as she walked ahead of Gran and past Gareth and Mordred. "Step down, you two. I will take it from here."

"But, my king-!" The Lancer was about to retort, only for the red-clad Saber to stop her.

"It'll be fine." Mordred grinned as she watched her father confront the beast on her lonesome. "Looks like Father wants to show off today."

"Are you certain?" Lancelot asked, he and his fellow Dragon Knights looking on in concern.

"Father will never lose to a such a creature." The confidence in which Mordred said this caused Rachelle to relent, much to Gareth's shock.

"If you trust her that much, then I'm not gonna argue." The Master answered back. "I just hope she knows what she's doing."

Gareth could only watch as Artoria stared down the snarling beast. Most men would quake in fear at the face of such a monster. Yet, she kept a level, steeled gaze at the chimera, her form perfectly still as she held her blade in front of her.

"Quite a large creature, aren't you?" The King of Knights remarked with a small smile as she summoned a white checkered scarf around her neck. "It is a shame that I will have to slay you. However, do not worry: I intend to make this quick."

The chimera took offense to her words and bellowed out a blanket of fire that enveloped the Saber wholly.

"Your Majesty!" Gareth was about to jump into the flames herself, but she was stopped when Mordred placed a hand on her shoulder with a knowing grin.

"Just watch."

Part of her wanted to ignore her fellow knight, especially after she heard Pommern laugh as he gloated at his seeming victory, but chose to trust her.

"HAHAHA!" The captain guffawed. "To think that this was all your bravado brought you!"

"I could say the same for you." Gareth stared in shock; Not only did Artoria's voice come from the flames, but said flames were being sucked in like a vacuum. The Saber stood in the middle of the infernal vortex with a smile.

"Th-This cannot be!"

"Her Majesty is fine!" Gareth breathed a sigh of relief that contrasted Pommern's terror. "But how did she-?"

"If you take a closer look, young lady." The Dragon Knight Percival explained while placing a hand on his chin. "The answer is quite clear."

"Hm?" The Lancer followed his advice and, upon closer inspection, saw that the flames were being drawn into the scarf the King of Knights wore around her neck. "Oh, so that's it! It's that Memorial Essence!"

"Convenient things, they are." Artoria smiled as she placed her hand upon the scarf. "I must thank Natsu for giving it to me in one of the 4th War timelines. Now," She then turned to the chimera, her Excalibur roaring a twister of flames swirled around the sacred blade. "Allow me to return the favor in kind! STRIKE FIRE!"

She thrust her sword forward to unleash a piercing inferno that made short work of her foe as it attempted to leap at her. It tore through the beast's vulnerable chest, searing through it to leave a convincing hole where it's heart used to be. Gareth could only stare in awe as the beast fell over, it's empty gaze a sign that it has left it's mortal coil.

"Amazing..." The knight uttered in awe of her king's might, which only seemed to have grown. In contrast, Pommern was unable to believe that such a mighty beast was laid low so quickly.

"Now..." Artoria stepped forward, hand extended with a smile. "The Grail, please?"

"Thank you very much for helping us out! Now, I imagine that you wish to discuss your reward?"

"Don't mind me if we do!"

Gareth sat in the side while Rachelle, Gran and Katalina were negotiating with a diminutive halfling like woman named Sierokarte. Apparently, this place they were in called "The Knickknack Shack", a store that provides all kinds of goods and services, among those being various odd jobs if one was willing. Their earlier encounter with Pommern was one such job they took upon arriving in the "Sky Realm," a world of floating islands where airships that soared the skies were common place. Those who take adventures across those vast skies were called "Skyfarers."

Of course, the job details entailed taking the Holy Grail before the Erste Empire, one of this world's sovereign powers, could use it for nefarious purpose. An example of which, according to Gran, would be the research of "Astrals."

All that was a story for another day, as Gareth waited while negotiations were being made. She looked around to see what her comrades were up to; Twilight was over in one corner of the store with Percival, the two conversing about the various books one can find in this land. At one of the tables sat Artoria, Mordred and Lyria, the three devouring the food Sierokarte had so graciously prepared for them. Two things from this sight stood out to Gareth; The first was that she had never seen the king eat so vigorously before. The other being that, despite everything that had happened, Her Majesty and Mordred were getting along really well.

"Morded, can you please pass me the ribs?"

"No chance! I had my eyes on those, and I ain't giving them to anyone. Not even you, Father!"

"You dare keep those succulent ribs from me?!"

"Yeah, I dare! What are you gonna do about it?!"

"Now, now." Lyria stepped in with a smile on her face. "There's plenty to go around for everyone~!"

Gareth couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the silliness her king and fellow knight were exhibiting. There was warmth there, one that the solemn king did not show to even her loyal knights.

"Your king is quite the character." Gareth turned to see that world's Lancelot walk up to her. "She carries herself with a noble air, but can show off her vulnerable side to the people she is close to."

"She wasn't like this before." The Lancer answered back with a smile. "It's refreshing to see her like this."

"She reminds me of the Knight Captain over at the Kingdom of Lumiel." Lancelot answered back with a fond one of his own. "She carries herself the same way, except that she is much shorter than your king. So much that it's become something of a complex for her."

"She sounds like quite the character." Gareth giggled in return. "I hope to meet her someday when you guys get to Chaldea!"

"Once, I would have doubted your words. However," The blue-clad knight took a glance at Gran, who was still helping Rachelle negotiate their fee. "After all I have seen today, it is definitely possible."

"You'll love it! Trust me!" Gareth answered him with a sunny gleam in her eyes. "I'm one of the newest Servants, but I can certainly say that it is an amazing experience!"

What followed was a small, amused chuckled from Lancelot, causing Gareth to blink in confusion.

"Forgive me, Sir Gareth." The Dragon Knight explained. "You see, there was one who shared your name here as well. He was even once a member of my order."

"Is that so?"

"Aye." He smiled sadly. "I thought of him as a trusted ally, but in the end, he turned against us."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Gareth responded with a frown, prompting the Captain of the Order of White Dragons to shake his head.

"It is fine. If anything, that betrayal is a reminder that I still have growing to do as a knight and leader." Lancelot answered.

"Hey, from what I've seen, I think you're doing great! You're a gallant knight who commands the respect of his men! If anything, you remind me of the Lancelot I know!" Gareth gave him a cheerful grin, which prompted him to return with a smile.

"Thank you, Sir Gareth." He nodded. "Considering how much you speak of him, that is high praise."

"Hehe~!" Gareth let out a giggle as Rachelle approached with Grana and Katalina.

"Alright, we got our supplies~!" The Master cheered while pumping her fist.

"Siero will have to prepare them, so it will take some time before we can Rayshift back." Katalina explained.

"In the mean time, we can enjoy the feast that she left for us." Gran added

"I see..." Lancelot nodded before turning to Gareth. "I propose we join the others at the dinner table. You should still have some time before you leave, after all."

"Sounds like a good idea." Gareth beamed as they stood up. "Lead the way, Sir Lancelot!"

"Nice work out there, guys!"

The team was greeted by Futaba, who was providing mission support and threw a few buffs their way, as well as Jack, Nursery Rhyme, Atalanta, and Shirou upon their return.

"Thanks!" Rachelle replied with a grin. "So, what brings you out here?"

"Building up my experience points in being a Cool Big Sis to Jackie and Nursery Rhyme!" The navigator explained in her usual quirky manner. "I gotta show Akira how much I've grown when he gets here!"

"Yay, Big Sis!" Jack and Nursery Rhyme exclaimed enthusiastically, much to Gareth's amusement. She then turned to her king, who had walked over to Shirou with that same warm smile she had a few days ago.

"I'm home, Shirou." Artoria smiled as she looked up at the taller red-head, who let out a small chuckle in response.

"Welcome back." He returned the gesture, going even further to draw the smaller king into a warm embrace. "You want a quick snack for a job well done?"

"I would, actually." Gareth then heard a girlish giggle escape her king's lips, a sound she had never heard from the impassive monarch until now.

"Geez, those two should get a room." Mordred remarked, rolling her eyes with a wry grin.

"Tell me about it." Futaba added. "Talk about a maxxed out Lily Rank."

Gareth blinked in confusion at the terms the young hacker used, prompting Mordred to sigh.

"I'll tell ya later."

"Right." Gareth nodded before turning to notice that Twilight had a strange expression on her face as she gazed at Artoria and Shirou, then Atalanta with Jack. "Uhm, are you alright, Lady Twilight?"

"H-Huh?" The girl snapped out of her trance when the Lancer addressed her. She responded by shaking her head vehemently.

"I-I'm fine! Just tired from my first mission, is all!" She quickly turned on her heel, her back facing them while she continued to speak. "I'm gonna head to my room to rest a little. S-See you guys later!" She took a brisk walk away from them they can respond.

"What's with her?" Mordred asked with a raised brow, prompting Futaba to shrug. Gareth then turned to see both Shirou and Artoria looking where Twilight stood with small frowns on their faces. Then she saw that same frown on Jack's face.

"Mommy..." She murmured, though it seemed that she wasn't referring to Atalanta.

"It'll be alright." Atalanta sighed as she patted her head.

"Is something the matter?" The lancer felt compelled to ask after seeing all their expressions. She was answered with Artoria shaking her head.

"It is fine, Sir Gareth." She replied. "It seems Twilight wishes to be alone right now, so we have to respect that."

"Yes." Gareth nodded. She could guess that there was more to it than what she was told, but she figured that it wasn't her place to interfere. Still, she felt like she had to do something. From her experience, there are times when she had to be decisive, lest something happens that she will regret later.

Seventh Heaven, Later that day...

"Helloooo? Earth to Gareeeeeth?"

"H-Huh?" She snapped out of her thoughts to see that Aerith, who was working a shift at Seventh Heaven today, was poking her cheek while she dazed off at the bar. "Oh, sorry. I was deep in thought."

"Well, that won't do." The Caster giggled. "Your sundae's going to melt at this rate!"

"S-Sorry." Gareth replied sheepishly as she got to work on the sundae she ordered.

"You know, you seem to be preoccupied today." Tifa noted as she leaned against the bar. "Wanna talk about it?"

"W-Well, I don't know..." The Lancer began, only for Aerith to interrupt her.

"It's never good to keep things bottled up inside! Sometimes a good vent can do you a little good!" The Caster said with a giggle, prompting Tifa to shake her head with a smile.

"She has a point though." The bartender nodded before turning back. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it with us. So long as you do have someone to talk to."

"Thank you." Gareth smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry to worry you. It's just that...Well, have you ever felt like you want to help someone, but you don't know whether or not you should because it might make it worse?"

"Actually, yes." Tifa answered while leaning on the bar. "For the longest time, there was someone I wanted to reach out to, but I didn't know whether or not he wanted the help or not."

"To be fair, both of you were pretty hopeless back then~!" Aerith chirped, causing Tifa to shake her head.

"Well, you're not wrong." She replied before turning to Gareth. "So, if you don't mind us asking: Does this involve Artoria?"

"...In a sense." Gareth sighed. "It's not her I wish to help, but someone else. From what I hear, she was a good friend to my king and Sir Emiya in one Grail War, and an ally they fought beside."

"Ah. Say no more." Aerith giggled when she saw Gareth's surprised expression.

"You know?"

"Well, it's not that hard to figure out." The Last Cetra explained. "She always casts that 'longing gaze' look whenever she sees those two together, after all."

"Let's not talk about other people's love lives, shall we?" Tifa interjected before turning her attention to Gareth. "Listen, I know you wanna help her, and I feel you on that. However, the best advice I can give you is just to be a friend to her. If she decides to talk to you about it, then you can lend her a willing ear. Trying to meddle will help no one."

"Yeah, I figured you would say that." The Lancer sighed once more, leaning against the counter while her eyes drooped. "It's just that...My own experiences have made me wary of indecisiveness. I couldn't choose whether to side with either my king or Sir Lancelot, and look where it got me."

"In that case, look at this way." Aerith once more threw in her two cents. "What Tifa suggested is one way of being decisive!" Seeing that Gareth wasn't following her from her puzzled expression, she continued. "You wanna help Twilight, don't you? Then being a good friend is one way to do it! It's something you choose to do, and once you do so, it all becomes clear!"

"Yeah, what she said." Tifa added.

"I see." Gareth nodded in understanding. "I'll try that, then! Thank you, both of you!"

"Just doing my duty as the barkeep!" Tifa chuckled. "Now eat your ice cream before it melts!"

"Right!"

The Next Day...

"What are you doing out and about?" Gareth ran into Mordred in the corridors. What's strange was that Gareth was in full armor while Mordred was in her favorite casual outfit.

"I'm on my way to get some training done." The Lancer explained. "I need to keep myself sharp for our next outing, after all."

"Well, that ain't a bad idea." the Knight of Treachery grinned as she was quickly clad in her armor in a flash of red light. "How about I join ya? I'll make for a better opponent than the simulations."

"Mind if I join you as well?" They turned to see Altair walking towards them, she herself in her battle outfit.

"You just got out of the infirmary! You sure you should be doing stuff like this?"

"I'll have to agree with Morded." Gareth nodded. "I don't know the details, but you suffered heavy injuries during that battle against Scathach and Cu."

"I assure you both, I'm quite fine." Altair waved them both off. "If anything, this spar is a good chance to shake off any rust from being in bedrest for a good period of time."

"I dunno." The Saber had a smug grin on her face. "I feel bad fighting you if you're still feeling a little tender."

"Oh?" The Archer returned it with a smirk on her own. "I'm quite sure that I can defeat you despite being less than one hundred percent."

"And here we go..." Gareth sighed; she had been in a witness to these jabs the surrogate sisters took at each other a few days back when she joined Mordred in visiting the infirmary. Even now, she was surprised to hear that the king had taken a shine to this other female and adopted her as a daughter of sorts.

"Is that a fact?" Mordred shot back, her grin still on her face as a vein bulged.

"Of course." Altair replied back. "If anything, I bet I can take on you AND Gareth at the same time!"

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?!"

"As a matter of fact, I will!"

"Can you please not drag me into this?" Gareth pleaded meekly as the two were prepared to escalate this sibling squabble.

"They totally dragged me into this."

Gareth sighed heavily as she stood beside Mordred and opposite of Altair. The VR Training Room's surroundings where changed, this time it was to a suburban district that one would expect out of metropolitan Tokyo.

"Nice place you chose." Mordred grinned as she held her sword over her shoulders.

"Why thank you." Altair smirked devilishly as she floated mid-air, swords spinning around her in a circle while she acted as their axis. "This is was where I practically defeated many great heroes. Think you can succeed where they failed?"

"Oh, I KNOW we can!" Mordred grinned before turning to Gareth. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Gareth nodded as she readied her lance and shield.

"Let us begin!" Altair raised her arms, and a volley of swords was sent towards their direction. Gareth raised her shield to protect herself from the flying projectiles while Mordred began zipping around the area to avoid getting hit.

"Draw her fire!" Mordred barked as she zipped around the battlefield.

"Okay!" Gareth nodded as she made a straight line for Altair. The Archer pelted her with swords, but the stalwart Lancer roared as she powered through, her shield providing ample protection as she advanced. "HA!" He pulled the trigger to activate the rocket engines in her lance to propel her forward faster and charged right into Altair's sword orbit. It was a fierce attack, to be certain, but it wasn't enough to crack that defense.

"Not bad, Sir Gareth!" With a gesture of her hand, Altair extended the ring with enough force to push the Lancer back. However, this gave Mordred the opening she needed to charge in with sword raised. Altair responded by conjuring two sabers in each hand and crossed them to catch the red Saber's power strike, albeit while her knees buckled ever so slightly.

"Hey, not bad for the walking injured!" Mordred's grin was wide as she was pressing her advantage, pushing down Clarent against the clearly struggling Archer's guard.

"Why thank you." Altair had her own grin as she felt her competitive drive rise against Mordred. "Thankfully, I'm not one to overly rely on brute strength!"

"Shit!" Acting on her instincts, Mordred jumped back before several swords struck her from above. Altair brought out her submachine gun in her other hand and played like a violin using her sword, activating her Holopsicon ability. She fired off several swords at once, too many for Mordred to fend off herself.

"YAH!" Thankfully, she wasn't. Gareth leaped and swung her lance in a wide arc, deflecting the blades and sending them flying away into other directions.

"Thanks!" Mordred grinned and gave the lancer a thumbs up.

"No problem!" Gareth nodded, but didn't miss a beat as she joined Mordred in charging back in. Altair summoned another sword in her hand and engaged both of them at once, putting up a considerable effort in fending them both off before forcing them back onto the road before taking to the skies once more.

"Oh no, you're not gettin' away that easy!" Mordred spied one of the cars lying about. With a grin, she walked over and lifted one over her head. "EAT THIS!" She threw said car at Altair, who only had a smirk on her face as she played her Holopsicon once again.

"Third Movement of the Cosmos: Representation Exposition!"

The car faded into rose petals inches before it could reach her. Gareth had a stupefied expression on her face, then she turned to see that Mordred had one of disbelief.

"Okay, I call bullshit!"

"Too bad!" Altair grinned as she rained blades from above, forcing the two to find cover.

"We can't get at her like this!" Mordred growled. "We need a plan!"

Gareth looked around to scan her surroundings. There were cars, streetlamps, a fire hydrant, and-!

"Oh." The Lancer's eyes lit up as an idea formed in her head. "I got it!"

"You thought of something?" Mordred asked, prompting Gareth to nod.

"Yup!" She nodded enthusiastically. "This is what we'll do..."

She told Morded what she had come up with, causing the Saber's lips to curl into a grin.

"Oh, I love this plan." She nodded vigorously. "It sounds so cool!"

"Yeah, but the last part will rely on a bit of a luck." Gareth said sheepishly.

"Eh, luck's part of the battle if you think about it." Mordred grinned. "So we doin' this?!"

"Lets!" Gareth nodded enhtusiastically. Working with Mordred like this felt like old times. Back when she was serving dutifully as a Knight of the Round along with her comrades. Before things went horribly wrong...

She shook those thoughts out. Winning this sparring session came first, after all.

"What are they planning...?" Altair wondered aloud as she ceased her volley. They haven't moved from their spot for the past few minutes, so it didn't take long to guess that they had something up their sleeves.

Sure enough, both Mordred and Gareth were sprinting out of their hiding spots heading towards one direction.

"It would have been more prudent to split up and flank me from two separate directions." Altair smirked as she sent several blades at their direction. "I thought you two smarter than that!"

"Oh, trust me! We're just getting started!" Mordred's sword flashed like lightning once they reached the fire hydrant, creating a gush of water in front of them that obstructed Altair's view.

"Futile!" She sent another hail of swords at that direction in an attempt to nail them. She was surprised, however, to see Gareth rushing towards her really fast. "What-?!"

"I hope you don't mind if I copy you, Sir Lanceleot!" Gareth roared as her lance was extended, the weapon glowing as mana was concentrated at the tip. "ARONDIGHT OVERLOAD!"

She collided with Altair's sword barrier, sparks flying as their two wills clashed.

"HAAAA!" Gareth roared as she kept Altair's defenses locked. This was she was actually hoping for, as she pulled the trigger to discharge the mana that had been building up in an explosion that engulfed the Archer. The recoil sent her flying back to the ground.

"A valiant effort, but I'm not so easily bested!" Altair cleared the smoke with a swing of her sword, looking slightly singed from Gareth's actions. She looked at where she was falling to see that the Lancer had a smile on her face.

"What is she-?"

"Now, Sir Mordred!"

Altair looked up to see that Mordred had leaped from the nearest rooftop heading straight for her. Altair grunted as she raised her swords to block her attack, then pushed her back towards the direction where Gareth was falling, who shifted herself midair and extended her lance so that Mordred could land on it.

"FLY!" Gareth swung upward to launch Mordred back into Altair, activating the rocket on her lance as she did to add power to her swing.

"THANKS!" Mordred grinned as she wreathed herself in red lightning and came at Altair hot. Seeing this, the Archer knew that nothing less than the best she can muster in that moment can repel the Knight of Treachery's charge. As such, she brought out Holopsicon once more and, upon playing it, unleashed a sphere of blue energy around her that clashed with Mordred. Once she had landed, Gareth looked up at the spectacle the two were creating.

"Amazing..."

The result clash created a shockwave that shook the entire facility. It came so fast that Gareth wasn't able to brace herself in time, knocking her off her feet.

"Ugh..." The Lancer groaned as she got knocked on her butt. "That was something..."

"GARETH!"

"Huh?" Gareth looked up to see that both Mordred and Altair had terrified expressions. She then turned to see that a large chunk of debris from one of the buildings was head straight for her. She was still dazed from the shockwave earlier, so she didn't have enough time to react. The other two were already scrambling towards her direction, but a black blur moved ran past them and, with the sound of a blade cutting through stone ringing in the air, the debris was sliced in half and landed in two separate pieces around Gareth, leaving her unharmed.

"Th-Thank you..." Gareth said as her attacker, a man with long dark hair and ebony black knight's armor had his back to her with sword extended.

"It is no problem at all." The man, whose voice was familiar to the Lancer, turned to face her. This prompted both their eyes to widen as they immediately recognized each other.

"...Sir Lancelot?" Gareth murmured out as Mordred and Altair arrived by her side, a joy bubbling up inside her as she finally reunited with the knight she had looked up to. "Is it really you?"

"Sir Gareth-NGH!" The joyful expression on her face disappeared his grunted in pain, taking step back as he clutched his head.

"Sir Lancelot! Are you in pain?! We can go to the infirmary and-"

"STAY BACK!" She stopped in her tracks as he held his other hand out, the expression on his face a grimace of agony.

"W-Why?" Her tone of voice showed worry for her idol, a look on concern on the other two's faces as well. "I-I can help you! I can't stand by as you are in pain like this!"

"Because what I've done to you..." He growled as the pain seemed to only get worse. "It can never be forgiven...It shouldn't be forgiven!"

"Sir Lancelot..." Gareth's voice was cracking, tears were building up in her eyes. "You don't mean..."

"I'm sorry, Sir Gareth. I really am." Lancelot went into spirit form at that, leaving them without a trace.

"That ass..." Mordred grunted in annoyance as Altair went to check on Gareth.

"Are you alright?" The Archer asked the clearly shaken Lancer.

"He remembers." Gareth spoke softly, her tone subdued after what she had just gone through. "He remembers how he took my life with own bare hands, and he blames himself for it."

"Yeesh, I had a feeling it was about that." Mordred sighed as she went over to the other two.

"I want to help him." Gareth was close to breaking to tears. "I want him to see that I bare no ill will, but I don't know how..."

Mordred and Altair exchanged looks before sighing, the latter patting the Lancer's shoulder.

"Honestly, the best advice I can give you is to give each other time." Altair said.

"H-Huh?" Gareth looked up to see the two smiling at her.

"She's right, you know." Mordred chuckled. "I know from experience that I need time to get my thoughts straight before I say the stuff I wanna say. It'll help you both out if at least you know what you wanna say to him."

"How do I know I don't make things worse?" Gareth asked. "It was my indecisiveness that cause what happened in the first place."

"As the saying goes, 'you'll never know until you try.'" Altair answered as she pat her back.

"What she said." Mordred grinned. "Now chin up. It's really weird seein' you like this, since you were always all smiles back at Camelot."

"You really think that?" Gareth asked, prompting Mordred to nod.

"I think, outta all the knights in Father's Round Table, you always looked like you were the happiest to be there." The Knight of Treachery recalled fondly. "Some of us started calling you 'a little ball of sunshine.' Fitting, considering you're that gorilla's little sister."

"That's news to me." Altair remarked. "And who is this 'gorilla'?"

"Gawain, Knight of the Sun." Mordred nodded. "Anyways, you should've seen her back then. Always ready to explode with excitement, this one."

"I get it already..." Gareth whined more out of embarassment, prompting another chuckle from Mordred.

"Alright, I'll stop. But yeah." Mordred nodded. "Just work on the things you wanna say to that blockhead, then tell him when the time is right, so that neither of you have regrets later on."

"For once, we agree on something." Altair chuckled.

"Don't get used to it." The Saber growled.

"Thank you. Both of you." They turn to see that Gareth wiped the tears off her eyes. The spark she usually had in them was back and a hopeful smile was on her face. "I don't know why he doesn't want to talk to me, but I'll give him his space. In the mean time, I need to make sure that Sir Lancelot knows that I forgive him. That I'll always be grateful to him for taking me under his wing, and making me the knight I am today!"

"That's the spirit!" Mordred nodded in approval as she pulled out a box of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one up, much to Altair's apparent chagrin.

"First Waver, now you." Altair sighed. "You both need to stop that bad habit."

"You ain't the boss of me!" Mordred shot back. "And for the record, I'M the older sibling here! I'm Father's heir, after all!"

"Oh, are you now?" Altair had a sneer on her face. "Then tell me, how are you to produce an heir of your own, since that is one of the duties of a king?"

"You wanna go again, you bitch?!"

"Bring it, you savage brute!"

Gareth couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at the sight before her. She was thankful to them both for encouraging her not to give up on Sir Lancelot, the knight she modeled herself after.

One day, she hoped that she could reach him. That she could help him past his guilt and move on.

For now, she was content on being that 'little ball of sunshine' she is to others.

End Chapter 14

A/N: Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter of Fate/Grand Blunder!

To those who were waiting, thank you very much for doing so! Sorry I took a while. A mix of lack of motivation, real life obligations, and laziness were the reasons I couldn't get this up sooner. But hey, at least y'all didn't have to wait for an entire year for the next one, right?

Anyways, some notes on this chapter:

- If you're all wondering why Artoria suddenly has Natsu's Scarf around her neck and has fire powers now, those abilities are drawn from X the Reaper's Fate Zero Sanity series. Thanks to the wonders that are Memorial Essences, she now has access to those skills and that particular NP. You've already seen this with Herc suddenly getting sane and having the Stats, Skills, and NPs of his Archer self from Strange/Fake and the one from God of War, and this will be a trend for Servants in Chaldea. Also, there may be a chance Servant like Artoria will be getting more than one Memorial Essence containing memories and powers from another Grail War.

- There are two versions of Lancelot in this chapter: the first one we see is the one from Granblue Fantasy, while the other is the one we know from Fate. And yes, the two competing mobages in Japan have finally crossed over in this fic. It was particularly fun to write!:D

- Twilight's strange behavior towards both Jack and Shirou can be traced back to EvoWizard25's fic "The Fifth Grail War: A Pony's Perspective." It's worth a read, trust me. And it also explains why she already knows them well!

- Yes, Mordred totally picked up a smoking habit thanks to Kairi Shishigou's influence. xD

That's all I really wanted to say. Well, one more thing: I know the world's been a difficult place to live in recently. Between the pandemic, the divisive politics and current riots, it's gotten a little scary. I hope that you all found some measure of enjoyment reading this story. The world could use some of that right now. All I can really say right now is look for out for each other out there. Also, show love to other people as you love yourself. You'd be surprised how far that Golden Rule can go.

Okay, I'm done with that little bit. I usually try to keep real world issues away from my fics, but I felt I needed to say something. That being said, please do leave a review when you're done. Not just a Servant Request mind you, since I get plenty of those, but a good-to-honest review telling me what you liked about this, and how I can improve. Until the next chapter, this is the King of Beasts, signing off!

P.S No Servant Sheet today because it's Gareth.