Fate Genesis

by Cybertoy00

While fighting against Dr. Eggman, Sonic and the gang are transported to Fuyuki at the beginning of the 5th Heaven's Feel. A Chaos factor like no other has been introduced to the Holy Grail War, and Masters and Servants alike find their plans blown away by a sonic boom!

2. Disillusion

Chapter 2: Disillusion

Far out in the ocean, the Egg Saucer floated. It was like an gaudy, overly technical piece of litter, or an exaggerated bath toy thrown in the river of life. It was far enough from Asia that no one in the continent noticed its abrupt appearance…for now.

In the battleship's central control station, Dr. Eggman worked tirelessly on a computer, trying to assess just what he had lost…and what he could salvage. In stations lower than his own, the doctor's robot assistants, Orbot and Cubot, also worked, examining other, less vital components of the Egg Saucer.

"Well, what's the damage?" Eggman demanded as he analyzed the Genesis Ray through his terminal. So far it seemed like it could be fixed…

"Judging from this preliminary scan, it appears as though we lost the Chaos Emeralds in the crash," Orbot reported. He rubbed his round head in thought. "With the absence of the emeralds, we have no way to maintain flight capabilities. Also, before the accident, Amy Rose and Knuckles the Echinda attacked our Egg Pod storage facility, so Badnik production is at a standstill."

"Figures," Eggman grumbled, "What's our position? How long before GUN sends an agent?"

"I'm…not sure if they'll be able to," Orbot responded slowly, as if confused. "I've been tapping into radio and satellite transmissions, and I don't recognize any of the data being streamed. Furthermore, I've examined the positions of the stars- none of the constellations matches our current star charts. I can only presume that we've been knocked a bit further off the map than we're used to."

"You mean we've been shot into another world?" Eggman groaned, and slapped his forehead. "Not again! I hate it when that happens! They never haveanything I like on TV…"

"I got some good news, boss," Cubot piped up, "I can't find a trace of Sonic or his friends aboard. They musta fallen off and drowned!"

"I'll believe that when I see it," Eggman grumbled, "No, not even then. I once shot that pest into space and he still came back! No, until we can examine the bodies for clarity, we're putting Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy under MIA."

A beeping began, catching the attention of the rogue scientist and his automated adjutants. Eggman pushed a button on his own terminal to investigate the matter. His screen switched from a read-out on the Genesis Ray's diagnostics to display a radar map, showing Eggman the shapes of unfamiliar landmasses. On a smaller island-nation, a bright yellow dot could be seen flashing very quickly.

"We're picking the energy of a Chaos Emerald!" The mad doctor chortled, and slapped his hands together. "Excellent!"

"Don't you mean, 'eggsellent'?" Cubot asked cheerily. He got looks of irritation (From Eggman) and bewilderment (From Orbot) in return. The yellow robot retracted into his cube-mode in shame.

"…No," Eggman replied, and turned back to his terminal. "Looks like it's coming from the largest island in our general vicinity."

"Should I prepare your Egg Mobile?" Orbot asked, floating up to Dr. Eggman.

"No, I need to oversee the repairs to the Egg Saucer. No way I'm leaving it to you two after the half-baked job you did for my Big Boy." Eggman growled, giving Orbot a mean glare. He was somewhat pleased to see the red robot retract into his own orb-mode in shame.

"But, if you are not going, what are we going to do?" Orbot asked, "We have no Badniks to spare."

Eggman smirked. "No, but I still have my sub-bosses."

He entered a command, and his screen went to a view of one of the Egg Saucer's hanger bays. The camera panned over several large and menacing-looking robots, until stopping on what looked like a big, red, flying saucer.

"I'll think I'll send Arms." The evil doctor decided, the light from the computer screen gleaming ominously off of his glasses.

---

It was early morning at the Emiya home, and Shirou woke up feeling surprisingly energetic. Taking a stretch, he took off his shirt to feel the places on his body where Berserker's sword, and later, the energy blades he created, had almost ripped it to shreds. He was surprised and a bit scared to find there was no trace of the injuries- not even the faintest scar.

Well, it's probably better that way, Shirou decided, putting his shirt back on as he got up. It would attract too much attention if people thought I was attacked. Fuji-Nee would flip if she thought I was getting into fights, and Sakura would worry about me too…

Thinking about his guardian and self-proclaimed "Big sister" Fujimura Taiga and and his underclassman from school Matou Sakura reminded Shirou that he had to make breakfast- the two ladies always showed up at his house in the morning for the meal, Sakura to prepare, and Taiga to mooch. While Shirou didn't so much mind the latter, he was always embarrassed at how much Sakura tried to do around the house.

On his way to the kitchen, Shirou stopped at another room to check up on Saber. The Emiya estate was large, and there were plenty of rooms for the Servant to stay in- or hide in, as the case was. In order to keep Shirou's position as a Master in the Grail War secret, it was decided that as few people should know about Saber. And since she couldn't for some reason, turn into astral form like other Servants could, this meant sequestering her in a spare room when company was coming over. Saber wasn't happy with the arrangement, as she felt she had to be as close to Shirou as possible for his protection. She even went as far as insisting to sleep in the same room as Shirou was, much to the Mage's embarrassment and Sonic's amusement. It took some convincing, and finally a threat to use a Command Seal to make Saber compromise to stay in the spare room closest to Shirou's.

Sonic, meanwhile had done the opposite and taken a room much further away for himself. When asked why, the Hedgehog had teased that he didn't want to hear anything if either Shirou or Saber "Got lonely for each other's company.", to Shirou's repeated embarrassment.

To his surprise, (Or maybe not) he found Saber was already awake, and sitting on her knees.

"Good morning, Shirou." Saber greeted cordially.

"Good morning, Saber," Shirou returned, "You're up early."

"Of course. If I am to protect you, that means I have to be ready at all times in case there is danger," Saber explained, "I cannot allow our enemies even the slightest chance to attack."

"That's, um, very professional of you," Shirou replied tactfully, "But please don't go out of your way to wear yourself out. I can take care of myself to a degree."

Saber hummed. Shirou wasn't sure if that meant she took his claim seriously.

"Anyway, I've got to prepare breakfast for Taiga and Sakura," Shirou went on. He had already told Saber and Sonic about his surrogate family. "Could you check on Sonic and make sure he stays out of sight?"

"Very well." Saber said, standing up.

As Shirou got to work in the kitchen, Saber went to Sonic's room. Looking inside, she found that instead of the futon, Sonic had used the sheet Shirou gave him to fashion a hammock that hung between the walls. A hammock he was still sleeping in.

Saber wondered what kept his large quills from tearing the fabric, then said, "Sonic?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I wanted to tell that it is morning, and Shirou's friends will be here for breakfast," Saber explained, "And to remind you that you need to stay hidden. If ordinary people were to see you-"

Saber's dialogue was cut off as the decidedly-not-a-morning Hedgehog threw a pillow at her.

"I get it, can't leave my room, lemme sleep!"

---

Taiga and Sakura arrived, and in short order it was just another morning at the Emiya house.

For Sakura, this was bliss. Ever since her father gave her away, her life had been a roller coaster of physical abuse and emotional destruction. The only candle in the darkness she called her existence had been the tender kindness she received at Shirou's. While she suffered no delusions that he would be able to save her entirely from the cruelty of the Matou's, she treasured her moments with him. But deep down, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before her grandfather's horribly invasive worms would kill her, just as they had Uncle Kariya. However, in that kitchen, at that table, she could always pretend that the horrors of Magecraft were far away, and that the Holy War waging outside was someone else's problem.

But as breakfast went on, she found it was much harder to pretend that day. She could sense, however faintly, extra presences in the house. She realized that somehow her senior had summoned a Servant of his own, or was allowing another Master to take refuge in his home. And then there was Avenger. The 'Servant' insisted on 'keeping an eye on her', and followed her to Shirou's. She managed to convince him (It?) to remain out of sight. Rather than dematerializing, the Servant just hid in her own shadow, a fitting place as he was so shadow like himself. Still, this didn't explain why Avenger had appeared…or how she could make him go away.

She did her best to ignore the tremblings as the Matou worms inside her reacted to the presences, so much that she almost didn't hear Taiga's words.

"-you hear? They actually know who's killing all of those people!" Taiga said between bites.

"Really?!" Shirou gasped, looking up from his rice.

"Mm-hmm, I overheard grandpa talking about it with some of his men," Taiga's grandfather, Fujimura Raiga, was the head of the city's yakuza. "In fact, it should be on now."

Taiga turned on the television, changing the channel to a news report.

"…And so police are now searching the city for anyone matching the description of a well-built adult man with blue hair and red eyes," The reporter said, "He is also said to be carrying a red spear of sorts, and wearing a dark blue jumpsuit…"

That's Lancer they're describing! Shirou thought, his mind whirling.

"And here's the weird part," Taiga added as the report went into sports, "From what I hear, the guy who saw the murderer also claims there was a tanuki there as well! Isn't that silly?"

"Yeah…silly." Shirou tried to keep his voice level, but on the inside he was nervous. Sonic had mentioned that the reason he fought Lancer was to save someone the Servant had tried to feed on. Obviously, that seemingly unimportant bystander had the good sense to alert the police after Sonic led Lancer away. Luckily, the man hadn't seen anything too outrageous so far…aside from the whole 'tanuki' thing. Shirou hoped that whoever was in charge of keeping magic secret would find a way to deal with that.

---

I can't deal with this, Kirie Kotomine thought as he watched the news report.

He had allowed Lancer to fight that strange animal mostly to get a good estimation of the Hedgehog's abilities, and to put an end to Lancer's endless whining about not being in combat. Well, they both got what they wanted, with interest. Luckily, Lancer hadn't been killed outright by the exploding sound barrier, and managed to limp back to the church, albeit with his hearing gone. And while it had been fun to watch Lancer shout "WHAT?!" every now and then, it overalled worried Kotomine about the direction of the War. More specifically, what directions should be taken to keep it secret. A random murder and people fainting left and right could be easily given mundane explanations. Sonic booms and tanukis, however…not even the 'reliable' gas leak excuse could brush those away. If the authorities got wind that something highly unusual was happening in Fuyuki, it would only mark the beginning of troubles that Kotomine, as officiator of the Holy War, would definitely become the center of. He prayed to God (He was a priest, after all) that Lancer's opponent would keep to himself and not draw anymore attention.

"You seem troubled."

Kotomine turned his head to regard the blond man walking up behind him. Handsome, dressed plain but stylishly, the only thing out of the ordinary about this man were his eyes, red as blood and sharp as a blade. He had been Kirie's tenet for ten years...a man who once held the title of Archer.

"I am simply trying to determine how this new development will affect the War." the priest said, gesturing to the news report playing on the television.

The once-Archer chuckled. "Ahh, you mean Lancer's opponent from last night. I was quite impressed to hear what had happened. To think a simple animal spirit could fight on equal grounds with a Servant. Still, it is of no threat to me."

Kotomine did not reply to that, and turned back to the TV. The reporter was now talking about the 'mysterious explosion' from last night. While his partner was perfectly justified in his sense of superiority, Kotomine knew that even an insect could bring down a mighty beast if it stung the right place and with strong enough venom.

This…Hedgehog (Was that term appropriate?), though possessing a devil may care attitude, was obviously no slouch in combat. It was easily Lancer's equal when it was playing around, and seemed to be immune to Noble Phantasms. Or maybe just blades in general. And the way it ended the fight…Kirie wasn't sure if his partner's golden armor could withstand a sonic boom.

As if sensing Kotomine's concerns, the Archer said, "If this troubles you so much, then why not have the Hound sniff it out? It will give him something to do while we wait for the War to close."

Kirie nodded slowly. "Yes…but it will have to be at night…" He smirked devilishly. "When his ears are done healing."

"WHAT?"

Kotomine grinned grew. It was still funny.

---

The peace of the Emiya estate was broken by a rush of wind and a blur racing from it an incredible velocity.

"I'M LATE!" Fujimura Taiga screamed as she barreled down the road. A large cloud of dust was kicked up as she went.

Shirou shook his head. Some things would never change, but he was grateful for the familiar sight in the face of all the events he had recently experienced. He and Sakura made quick work washing the dishes. Once they were done, it was time to get to school. Normally, Shirou would accompany Sakura, but today he needed to make breakfast for Saber and Sonic. Since he couldn't tell that to his kohai, Shirou just told Sakura that he wanted to clean up from a repair he was working on earlier, and that she should just go ahead without him. Though she was a bit sad to hear it, Sakura didn't argue and went on. As Shirou watched her departing back, he felt this odd twinge in his soul. Was it his imagination, or was Sakura's shadow…

"She's nice."

Shirou jumped. When did Sonic come from!?

Sonic looked up to give Shirou a smirk. "So, you two just seeing each other, or are you engaged?"

Shirou felt his cheeks warm slightly. "It's not like that. She's just a friend."

"Who comes by every day to make you food?" Sonic asked wily.

"Yes," Shirou didn't like what Sonic's smile was implying. "I think she's having problems with her own family, so I let her come here. And for your information, I don't always let her make dinner and breakfast. I prefer to do those myself."

Sensing the rising aggression on Shirou's voice, Sonic held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Whoa, chill, man. I was only teasing." As they went back towards the kitchen, Sonic said one last thing. "Though if you ask me, I think she wants to be more than friends."

Shirou paused briefly, then kept going. While it was tempting, there was no way Sakura would be interested in him like that…and besides, going after your underclassman was wrong.

It didn't take long for a second breakfast to be made. Shirou didn't bother making anything fancy, and Sonic helped with the dishes. Once the table was set, Shirou turned and was about to leave when Saber spoke up.

"Shirou, I'll finish this in short time," She said, "I wouldn't want to make you late."

Confused, Shirou turned back to his Servant. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that to protect you I'll be accompanying you to your school."

"What?!"

Sonic burst out laughing. When he saw the look Shirou gave him, he quickly buttoned up, but still had that cheeky grin. Saber, meanwhile, kept her expression stoic as she ate.

"Saber, I can't show up to school with a strange girl following me!" Shirou insisted, "It would attract too much attention!" Especially since he had just told Sakura to go without him. If he arrived at Homurahara Academy with a beautiful lady in tow, there would be no end to the rumors.

But Saber refused to back down. "That is a poor reason, Shirou," She said, "An enemy could attack you at any time there. It's important that I remain by your side to ensure your protection."

"No, it'll be fine," Shirou said, "The War is supposed to be secret, remember? No one will start a fight in broad daylight at a public place. Only Tohsakah-san, Lancer's Master, and Illya know I'm a Master, so it'll be easy for me to blend with a if I show up with a new friend- a foreigner, at that- another Master might decide to investigate and figure it out."

Judging from the obstinate frown forming on her otherwise flawless features, Shirou suspected that she wasn't going to accept his (In his eyes) perfect argument. He decided to pull out his trump card.

"There's another reason why I need you to stay here," Shirou took Saber aside so Sonic couldn't hear. "We told Sonic that he couldn't go out in public, but I think he's the kind of person who'd rather do what he wanted, regardless of the rules. You have to make sure he stays indoors. Can you do that for me?"

Saber glanced back at Sonic. The Hedgehog in question was casually flipping through the TV guide with a bored expression on his face. His eyes drifted towards hers, and he smirked. She couldn't deny what Shirou was saying, as in heart she held the same suspicions about Sonic's character herself. But she was still apprehensive of leaving Shirou. The encounter with Berserker had made her suspect her Master had a deep-rooted suicidal complex.

"Listen, I promise that I'll be home before dark," Shirou went on, "Just try to keep Sonic hidden until then."

Saber sighed. "Very well. However, you must promise me that if you do run into trouble, to summon me at once with a Command Seal."

Shirou glanced at the marks on his hand. "I thought these were only used to give you orders."

"They are 'Absolute Orders', Shirou," Saber explained, "If you ordered me to appear at your side, their power would summon me in an instant."

Shirou nodded. "I see. But don't I only have three of these Absolute Orders?"

"Exactly," Saber affirmed, "That is why I will allow this just once. But you must still be careful. Do not allow yourself to stand out from a crowd. As you said, it is unlikely that another Master or Servant will attack in view of others, but there are many unpredictable fools in the world."

Shirou gave his Servant a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Saber. What's the worst that could happen?"

Saber wasn't as confident as Shirou was, and her expression showed it. Nonetheless, she only watched as her Master left the house. There was a rush of wind and Sonic was at her side, also watching Shirou's departing back.

"Dude's in a magic gang war and said something like that," the Hedgehog commented, "You worried?"

"More than you could possibly imagine."

---

At Homurahara Academy, crowds of students ran, trying to get to whatever class they had been assigned to on time. Tohsaka Rin was not one of these students. The Head of the (Incredibly singular) Tohsaka Clan would never debase herself by being late to class. She had gotten up early, not that she had been able to sleep much to begin with. The sheer shock of what had happened last night kept her up. Not just that creature that had fought Lancer, but also the kitsune that had crashed an airplane into her backyard.

Kitsune. She thought that animal spirits had vanished from the world long ago(Archer claimed that somewhere in the city there was a restaurant run by cat spirits, but couldn't give the exact address- he was probably joking), and that the only way anyone would meet a kitsune would be to summon Tamamo-no-Mae as a Servant. After taking the furry test pilot into her mansion and treating his wounds, she had interrogated the kitsune fiercely. What she learned about him was a nonsensical story about fighting killer robots from another dimension. Obviously, it was a lie, she had decided, a cover story to hide his true origins. Kitsune were infamous for being tricksters, after all. Still, it was a bit demeaning that he didn't come up with something a bit more plausible. Travel between worlds was one of the True Magics. There was no way a machine could pull it off, even with some…enchanted gemstones (What did he call it? 'Chaos Jewels', or something?) jammed into it. Technology couldn't handle the power of jewel Magecraft, that was a fact.

Rin was pulled out of her reverie when she saw a familiar face. Matou Sakura was walking towards the school building, and when the eyes of the two girls met, a subtle tension took hold. Sakura looked a bit more downcast, while Rin's face became like stone.

"Good morning, Matou-san," Rin greeted, unflinching.

"Um…Good morning, Tohsaka-sempai," Sakura returned, averting her eyes.

And with that, Sakura moved on. Rin watched her go, and felt a twinge in her soul.

Exchanges like that were all that was to tell about the relationship between the two students. Once they had been close, many years ago, but now, an emotional wall existed between them. Deep down, it hurt Rin that such a wall existed. But she had long ago decided that the only way to deal with the pain was by putting another wall around her own heart. For years, it worked quite well, allowing Rin to focus on her own Magecraft training. But as she would learn in time, such a tactic caused certain important factors to slip past her.

But Emiya Shirou did not. She saw him running up towards the school from one of the windows. She also saw that Saber was not with him.

Did that idiot really come alone? She thought, stunned. Doesn't he realize that a Master out in the open without a Servant is basically a target waiting for a bulls-eye?

Rin then realized that Archer had said the same thing when she instructed him to stay at the mansion and keep an eye on their fluffy houseguest. This made her even more upset, as she realized that she was acting as stupid as Shirou was. She was then tempted- sorely tempted- to go confront Shirou and give him a dressing-down, mostly to vent her own feelings of confusion, anger and a slew of other emotions building up behind her inner wall. But she also knew that acting differently around Shirou would arouse suspicion. She would have to be subtle.

Later that day, Shirou passed her on the way to class.

"Tohsaka, I've got something to tell you," He began, "It's about what we saw last night-"

He stopped. Tohsaka Rin had just given him a glare so hot it seemed like his head would explode. He realized later that there was a very good chance Rin could actually do that and became quite scared.

"We'll talk later." She said quietly.

Shirou watched her go. He wondered if he had done something wrong.

---

"Is something wrong?" Archer asked.

After Rin left, the little kitsune, who called himself Tails, had resumed repairs on his plane. Archer was sorely tempted to help- how often did you get to fix a advanced bi-plane?- he knew he had to keep a look out and not get distracted. While the Tohsaka mansion and grounds were protected by a boundary field, a strong enough enemy could penetrate it.

Tails sighed. "The damage to the Tornado is a lot worse than I thought. Several pieces of the outer hull broke off. Plus, the engine is pretty messed up, too. I could patch it up, but there's no telling how long it'll last when the plane takes off. To fix everything, I need parts."

"You're not going to find them here, I can tell you that much," Archer said, "The Tohsaka family has always been…old-fashioned. And Rin is determined to hold up their traditions, no matter how backwards they are. The exclusion of technology is one of them."

"Yeah, I guessed that much," Tails nodded, "I didn't see any electronics in the house…not even a phone or TV."

Tails put away the wrench he had been holding and sat on the grass. Archer could see that he was despondent. And it was clear to see why. Tails was worried about his friends, but couldn't go out to look for them until night. Most likely he hoped to distract himself by working on his plane. Now that plan was gone.

"Let's go inside," Archer said, "If you can't fix your plane, then there's no reason to stay out. Nobody comes here, but we can't take that chance of anyone seeing you. And don't worry about your friends. If they're smart, they'll stay hidden as well."

"Knuckles and Amy, maybe," Tails admitted, and fished something from the cockpit of his ruined plane. "But Sonic's never been the subtle type. I bet he's already made the news."

I hope not, Archer thought, Rin's already stressed from disbelieving Tails' story. If an animal-person starts appearing in public, she might have a breakdown. And as amusing as that would have been for Archer, the long-term consequences would be catastrophic. If the Mages Association got wind of events that could expose the existence of Magecraft were happening in Fuyuki, they would start taking action. Genocidal action. His foster-father had once told him of the time when enforcers from the Association wiped out an entire village in response to an outbreak of vampirism. Rather than trying to help the people, they chose to just kill everyone, as easily as you would exterminate a bugs hive to stop an infestation.

I can only pray the situation doesn't degrade to that point…

---

When Bazett woke up, she was confused. And sleepy. But mostly confused. Her last coherent memory was getting her arm cut off and being left for dead in a dark alley. She had tried to heal the wound as best she could, but her best only delayed the inevitable- she was a combatant, not a medic, and had lost too much blood. She had only enough strength to wait for death. Her thoughts became a blur after that, unable to keep track of how time was passing…until she felt a hot jolt through her body, after which darkness claimed her.

But now she had returned to the light. At first, she thought she was in heaven, but the IVs connect to one of her arms disabused her of that notion.

Arms!

Bazett then realized that she had two arms again; the one that had been cut off grew back. But how? Regenerating flesh was a skill that went beyond what a enforcer would know. It would take an enormous amount of Mana to tap into.

Thinking back, Bazett realized that the 'hot jolt' she felt earlier must have been an influx of Mana. But where did it come from? The leylines of Fuyuki didn't have that much power, and they were being used for the Holy Grail War. Was this the work of another Servant or Master…and if so, why?

"Miss McRemitz?"

Bazett was pulled from her musings by a male voice. She saw an adult man in a white coat- a doctor, no doubt- walking into her room. He carried a clipboard in his hands.

"I'm glad to see you've woken up," He said, "We were worried you would't make it."

"Thank you for your concern." Bazett replied, and a thought occurred to her. "Could you please tell me where I am?"

"You're in the Fuyuki General Hospital, Ms. McRemitz. My name is Doctor Twice Pierceman" the doctor said, "You were brought in by…" He trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "Well, we'll go into that a bit later. I have a few concerns about your condition that need to be addressed."

He didn't want to talk about who brought her here? That was troubling. Bazett assumed that a bystander had found her and brought her. Another thought occurred to her. Did this happen before or after she regrew her arm?

"When you were brought in, you had lost over a liter of blood," Dr. Pierceman said, checking his clipboard. "2.1 liters, to be precise. Quite frankly, it's a miracle you lived long enough for us to do the transfusion. Oddly enough, we couldn't figure out how you suffered that much blood loss. You did't have any wounds large enough to cause that- just superficial cuts and…" It was at this point that Pierceman's eyes glazed over.

"There is nothing abnormal about my condition," Bazett told him, trying to ignore the slight headache that was forming. Doing hypnosis right after dying was pushing things, but she still had duty as a Mage Association Enforcer to ensure the secrecy of Magecraft.

"…Yes, of course," Pierceman replied, writing something on his clipboard. "Now, about your friend…"

Friend? I don't have any friends in this city. Bazett thought. The only people she knew in Fuyuki who would have any care for her condition were Kirie Kotomine, and her Servant, Lancer. Just thinking about those two filled Bazett with equal parts anger and sorrow. But mostly anger. It was Kotomine who had attacked her, stealing the Command Seals that bound Lancer to her. Of that, she was sure. And she was equally sure that getting them back would be a sadistic pleasure.

And while Bazett stewed in her rage, Dr. Pierceman continued. "…We've kept her in a private room to avoid scaring the other patients, and I've asked the staff members that have seen her not to say anything, but I…I just don't know what to think."

"What are you talking about?" Bazett asked, confused by the doctor's awkward tone of voice. Was it a Dead Apostle that brought her in?

Pierceman sighed, and gestured towards the door. A small figure soon appeared at the door way. It was probably less than half of Bazett's total height. It wore a red short dress, boots, white gloves, and a hairband, and therefore was female, probably. Bazett wasn't sure what to think of her apparent benefactor, only that it's appearance was comparable to those cat spirits that ran a cafe she once stopped at before summoning Lancer.

When Amy Rose saw Bazett sitting upright in her bed, she smiled, sighing with relief. "Oh, good, you're all right."

"Are you the one who brought me here?" Bazett asked, trying to absorb what was happening. This was a bit much to take in. Was this…cartoon character the reason she escaped death's clutches?

"Yes," Amy replied, walking over to the Irishwoman's bed. "I found you in some alley last night. My name is Amy Rose, and yours is…Bazzy?"

"Bazett," The Enforcer corrected. And, because it was pressing on her mind, she asked, "Did anyone else see you last night?"

"I don't think so…" Amy muttered, looking confused. "Why? Is that a problem? Dr. Pierceman said the same thing…"

That reminded Bazett. She looked over and sent the good doctor another hypnotic suggestion. "Please send everyone who saw her…no, send in the hospital's staff, one at a time." She'd have to hypnotize the entire hospital to ignore Amy's appearance. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Dr. Pierceman nodded, his eyes once again glazed over, and left. Once the door shut behind him, Amy gave Bazett a strange look.

"What was that about?" the pink hedgehog asked.

Bazett sighed. "Miss Rose…Amy, I think we need to have a talk."

---

Saber sat at the table in the Emiya house living room. In another life, she would have taken this 'leisure time' to sleep in her room to better recharge her Mana. However the need to chaperone Sonic required her to be awake. She had no doubt that Sonic would 'fly the coop' if his watcher was napping. Off to the side, Sonic was watching the television, lying on his side with his head propped up by an arm as he lazily changed channels with the remote.

"Boring…boring…boring…" Sonic muttered, before laying his head on the floor. After a moment, he got up and zipped out of the room.

Luckily, Saber's senses were so honed that she did not need to follow after him. She could still sense his presence within the grounds. Judging by the sound of his footprints, it seemed like he was going towards the storage house.

That made Saber remember Irisviel, her friend during the Fourth Holy War. She had always been full of cheer. When they first arrived in Japan, she had been so excited to arrive in the country…and had been just as glad to arrive at this very house. It was always something of a puzzle to Saber; how could someone so warm and uplifting fall in love with a Mage as cold and broken as Kiritsugi?

And for that matter, what would Iri have thought of Shirou? Would the two idealists bond?

Saber was pulled out of these thoughts by the sound of footsteps; Sonic had returned, and held something in his arms. In a heartbeat he was by the TV set, now connecting wires. He turned around and held up some sort of black device for Saber to see.

"I found this in that shed outside," He explained, "I can't believe Shirou has a Sega Genesis! Haven't seen one of these things in years…"

Oh, a video game console. Saber knew of these things, thanks to the knowledge the Holy Grail gave its Servants on the era they were summoned in.

"There were even some games, too!" Sonic went on, zipping out and back with a box. He pulled out several cartridges. "Lessee…Clayfighters, Vectorman, Acro…ooh, Altered Beasts!"

Sonic put the cartridge in the console and turned everything on. In a second, the TV blared "SAY-GAH!" as a familiar (To Sonic) blue logo appeared, followed by the game's title screen. It wasn't long before the Hedgehog was immersed in the game, and the room was filled with digital sound bytes.

Aside from the noise, Saber found this most satisfying. If Sonic was focused on the game, he wouldn't be so eager to break curfew. She could focus more on regenerating her Mana and healing from the skirmish with Lancer and Berserker. But even with that in mind, the knight's eyes began to drift towards the screen…

Hours later, Saber died. Again.

Sonic shook his head sadly as the game's countdown appeared not he screen. "You're just not getting the hang of this. That's what, the fifth time the boss beat you?"

Saber grimaced as she hit the start button on her controller. "I am starting to figure out its tactics, however. I am confident that this next battle shall end in my favor."

"Yeah, that's good to know," Sonic replied, and reached over for the controller. "But it's my turn, and…Wait, what time is it?"

Saber's attention was pulled away from the screen. Looking out the window, she saw that the sun was setting. She couldn't believe it. Where had the time gone? Had she become so immersed in the video game that her very senses took leave?

"Almost night," Sonic grinned, and stood up. Stretching his arms, he said, "Time to hit the town!"

Oh, that's right. They agreed to let Sonic out once it became dark. Then Saber's eyes began to water, and she realized that she hadn't blinked in over two hours. Thinking that maybe she had spent too much time on the game, she turned the power button on the Genesis console.

"A flying saucer was sighted entering the city from the docks as of…" A newswoman was saying.

Sonic and Saber looked at the TV quickly. A blurred image of something red and spinning appeared on the screen.

"…All attempts to communicate with the vessel have yielded no results. Authorities advise that all citizens remain indoors and off the streets. If anyone has any information, please call…"

Sonic glanced at Saber. "Do you guys have flying saucers in this world?"

Saber shook her head, not losing sight of the screen.

Sonic snapped his fingers. "Then it didn't take Eggman long to get settled. That's probably one of his robots."

Saber suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Standing up, she said, "I have to get to Shirou. He might not know about this." And knowing him, he would gladly run towards the danger this possible robot created.

"Well, it's kinda late," Sonic noted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "He must still be at the school."

"Then that is where I must go." Saber declared, standing up. There was a flash, and her armor-dress combo appeared around her body. There was no telling when a battle would begin, and the second required to transform could be costly.

"Nice effect," Sonic grinned, and held out his hand. "Need a lift, little lady?"

Saber looked at Sonic. "What?"

"I'll take you to Shirou before taking down that robot," Sonic explained, "With my speed, we should be there in a few minutes."

"That will not be necessary," Saber rebuffed proudly, and marched towards the door. "My own speed is not to be underestimated. By taking the rooftops, I can arrive at Shirou's school in short order."

"But do you know where it is?" Sonic asked, following her.

Saber stopped. Come to think of it, Shirou never mentioned what route he took to his school.

"When I was leading Lancer out of the city, we passed someplace called Homurahara Academy," Sonic went on, "I could be wrong, but one of those two ladies from breakfast mentioned it…the loud one, I think."

By this time the two heroes were outside. An outside observer would have found the pair quite comical to look at; One was a young girl clad in a blue dress with armor. The other was a spiky-headed animal person who came up to her chest- in sneakers. The girl had a look of freshly-forged steel in her eyes; hard but blazing. The hedgehog's eyes were more bouncy and light, like rubber with glitter glued on. To an outsider, they did not look like the heroes of legend they claimed to be. These would probably be more at home in an anime, or fan fiction.

(The author would like to apologize for getting kinda meta on you.)

Saber considered her options. One was to go off on her own, and hope that whatever random direction she chose was one that had Shirou at the end of. The other was to rely on directions provided by a fellow freeloader who claimed to be a castaway from another realm. While neither were better than the other, the latter option had the advantage of letting her keep watch over Sonic for just a little bit longer.

"Very well," Saber nodded, closing her eyes. "I'll follow from the rooftops. Stick to the shadows to avoid being seen, I'll track you by your-"

The Heroic Spirit didn't get a chance to finish as Sonic, within a second, scooped her up and took off down the streets. The Hedgehog later commented that, even with armor, Saber wasn't very hard to lift. Fortunately, no one saw the two of them making their way towards Homurahara Academy. What few eyewitnesses saw was some sort of blue blur passing by, followed by the shrieks of an invisible young girl. Fortunately for Kotomine, sights like that were easier to blame on gas leaks.

---

Because the Tohsaka Mansion didn't have a television, Archer and Tails didn't hear know about a possible robot attack. Nonetheless, Archer was still worried about his Master, who was still alone and unprotected at school. Technically, Shirou was with her, but it was more likely that he would need her protection.

The problem was that he was under orders to stay and keep watch over Tails. And while Archers possessed an 'Independent Action' skill that allowed them to move outside of their Master's wishes, the Heroic Spirit wasn't sure he wanted to antagonize Rin so early in the war.

"Um, Archer?"

Archer was pulled out of his thoughts and looked down. Tails was walking up to, clutching some sort of small computer under his arm.

"It's getting dark out," The fox said, "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to look for my friends."

Uh-oh. This was a problem. While he and Rin had said that Tails could go out at night, the actual plan had been to hypnotize the fox with Rin's magecraft once she got home. Unfortunately, she had decided to stay after school because "Shirou had something to tell her". He wondered what could be so important that she would jeopardize her own plans.

Then again…maybe they weren't jeopardized. Putting on a friendly smile, Archer said, "All right. I'm planning to go out myself."

"Why?"

"I'm worried about Rin. She hasn't come back from school yet," Archer explained, "There have been reports of a serial killer on the loose- and I hear he likes young girls."

(In the Fuyuki Church, Lancer sneezed)

"Oh my gosh!" Tails cried, his namesake sticking out in shock. "And Rin's out there on her own?! We have to find her!"

"Your friends are probably in just as much danger as Rin is," Archer pointed out.

Tails shrugged the bowman off. "Aw, don't worry about them. Between Sonic's speed, Knuckles' fists, and Amy's hammer, I feel sorry for any weirdo who tries to get the drop on 'em."

Too bad you don't know about Servants or Magecraft, kid. Archer thought as he and Tails left the mansion grounds. Ordinarily, he would have gone into his astral form to avoid being seen. But, now with Tails in tow he had to keep solid so he can help hide him from any civilians they could passed.

As they went on, Archer couldn't help but be drawn to the device Tails carried with him. Every now and then Tails would turn it on and fiddle with its buttons.

"What's that for?" the bowman asked, genuinely interested.

"Oh, this is my Miles Electric," Tails explained, and held up the screen to Archer's face. It showed some sort of green grid against a black background, with blinking yellow dots here and there. "It's basically a multi-purpose computer I made. I've been trying to convert it into an Chaos Emerald locator."

"Those gems that sent you here?" Archer recalled how eager Rin had looked when Tails mentioned them. Regardless of her skepticism in the rest of the fox boy's story, she apparently was quite hopeful that part was true. No doubt a method of gaining ultimate power a bit more easily than taking part in the Holy War appealed to the Mage within her.

"Yeah, we're going to need them if we want to get home," Tails explained, "I altered the GPS on the ME so it can pick up unknown energy signatures by receiving their electromagnetic-pyschokenetic pulse."

While Archer knew what all those words meant, when put together in that specific order they only made him confused. The part about unknown energy signatures also made him nervous, though he didn't show it.

"Huh, that's weird…" Tails eyes narrowed as he studied the screen. He tapped the controls.

"What's wrong?" Archer asked, bending down.

"According to this, there's a high energy signature right on top of us- and following us." Tails murmured, and looked around. "Do you see anything like that?"

Archer looked around. While his own senses weren't quite as keen as a Caster's, he felt they were good enough to pick up the presence of a jewel capable of the Second True Magic. But there was nothing like that around.

"Maybe your machine is malfunctioning." Archer suggested, and moved on.

"Maybe…" Tails considered, still fiddling with his computer as he walked. "Come to think of it, it was picking up this weird energy field around your house- nothing major, just…odd, that it was there. Maybe it did something to the sensors…"

A field? The only kind of power surrounding Rin's place is the boundary field she keeps up to protect it, Archer thought as Tails mused over his machine. But no computer could detect that- otherwise mages everywhere would be overwhelmed by government agents with geiger counters, He recalled Tails' earlier claims, and how advanced the Tornado seemed. No computer…on Earth…

---

School was out at Homurahara Academy. The place was almost empty now, save for a few individuals, staying late to finish up some work. These people were far and few between now, as the recent wave of mysterious gave them the impetus to be home before dark.

One of the few to lack this impetus was Shirou, helping clean up the school archery club as a favor to the club president, Mitsuzuri Ayako. He hadn't really intended to do it (In fact, he had forgotten completely), but found himself being pressed during a discussion with her and his friend and student president, Issei Ryuudou. He learned that Shinji, following a rejection from Tohsaka, had skipped school. Speaking of relationships, it turned out that another teacher, Kuzuki Souchiro, was getting married, and his bride-to-be was staying at the temple.

But the most pressing concern was Sakura. According to Ayako, his underclassman had been acting unnaturally anxious all day, jumping at shadows and such. While it was possible the mysterious attacks had set her on the edge, this new attitude, coupled with Shinji's absence, made Shirou wonder if something was happening at the Matou Manor.

As he was exiting the archery club's door, he found himself confronted by none other than Rin. She had a mean look in her eye, though it was much cooler than the red-hot glare of sudden death she wore at the beginning of the day.

"Tohsaka, you're still here?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.

"Obviously," Rin replied, annoyed. "Emiya-kun, do you realize how stupid you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, coming out alone in the open during the Holy War!" Rin was almost yelling, but managed to keep her voice down. "Don't you realize that a Master without his Servant might as well be called a target?"

"But, Tohsaka, the War's supposed to be secret, remember?" Shirou answered, "No Master is going to start anything while there are other people around."

Rin gave him a flat look. "And tell me, do you see any other people around?"

It then dawned on Shirou that, aside from the two of them and some few scattered around the school, Homurahara Academy was empty. He suddenly felt very stupid. And fearful. But mostly stupid.

Rin sighed. "You are so lucky we've already made an alliance. If not, I'd be filling you with Gandr shots right now."

"Um…thank you for not doing that." Shirou replied awkwardly, and looked around. "Does that mean Archer is here too, in astral form?"

"Erm, actually, I had to leave him home," Rin looked away, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red.

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Is that right? You must be awfully confident in yourself to go out alone."

Shirou's words must have struck a nerve, as Rin shot him a very mean glare. "That's besides the point! Anyway, what did you want to talk about? At the beginning of the day, you said something about what happened last night."

Shirou nodded, and quickly filled her in everything he knew about Sonic. However, he purposely left out telling the Hedgehog about the Holy Grail. Rin was annoyed at him enough as it was, he'd have to wait until she cooled off before dropping that bombshell. Of course, part of him was pleased to see how stunned Rin looked as she absorbed his words.

Rin's probably amazed to learn about creatures from another world, the Master of Saber assumed mentally, Maybe she's jealous that I found one first.

Rin, meanwhile, was thinking, I can't believe Shirou found another one! Oh, well, that makes it a bit easier. With two of them captured, we might be able to keep this '"Tanuki" thing from getting out of hand. "Is that why you left Saber at your house?"

"Yeah, you heard the rumors people are saying about a tanuki," Shirou explained, "If Sonic went out into public, we'd never hear the end of it."

"Well, that was surprisingly good thinking on your part," Rin stated, "I guess even idiots can do well if they try."

"…For a complement, that hurt, Tohsaka." Shirou deadpanned.

Brushing him off, Rin said, "Listen, Shirou. Last night, Archer and I captured a kitsune in sneakers outside my house."

"How many tails did he have?" Shirou asked thoughtfully.

"Just two."

"That sounds like Tails," Shirou remarked, more to himself. "Well, Sonic will be happy to find one of his friends so quickly."

"We're not going to let them meet."

"What are you saying?"

Rin looked stern. "The kitsune had the same ridiculous 'From another world' story your new friend gave. I don't buy it. We have no proof that anything we've been told is true. Transported by an exploding machine powered by gemstones? More likely they're familiars summoned by another Master, or, more likely, this War's Caster."

Shirou was silent. He hadn't considered that possibility. But he had never heard of a familiar that could exhibit the amount of personality Sonic had. From what Kiritsugi had told him, most familiars were just extensions of their mages will, and generally acted as their eyes and ears.

"I've got Archer watching the ktisune, and Saber's got the hedgehog corralled," Rin continued, "But we can't have them playing babysitter forever, not if we want to win this War."

"It sounds like you've already got a plan." Shirou noted.

"It's a long shot, but I'm hoping we can put them under my control," Rin explained, "I didn't have time to really do anything to Tails this morning, but if nothing else happens, I can do it tonight. But right now, I think we should take care of Sonic first. If this works, we'll have a new weapon to use against the other Masters."

"I think we'd already had a new ally," Shirou said uneasily. He didn't like how quickly Rin had brought up the usage of mind control. "Sonic said he was fighting Lancer last night to save someone from being killed. Didn't you hear the news report?"

"Yes, I heard the story in between classes" Rin admitted, "But anyway, that's another reason we need to keep these guys on a short leash. We can't have them running wild and exposing magecraft."

Shirou sighed. He had a feeling that Rin wasn't going to let up on this idea easily. "…All right. I'll take you to see Sonic. Just let me find a phone, first."

"A phone? What for?"

"I need to call my house," Shirou explained as he and Rin started to walk down the hall. "I told Sonic he could go out and look for his friends at night, but now I have to tell Saber to keep him at home a little longer."

As they went, Shirou mulled over why Tohsaka was so adamant about not accepting Sonic's story. Was it that hard to believe? Granted, the phenomenon Sonic described sounded impossible, but just last night several 'impossible' things happened. He recalled his father's words on other mages. According to Kiritsugi, mages from old families tended to be rigid, and opposed to new ideas and concepts. Was that the reason?

Shirou was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Rin gasp. Coming back into reality, he saw a girl lying on the floor. Forgetting about Sonic for the moment, the two Masters rushed to the girl's aid.

"Is she all right?" Shirou asked, worried. He recognized the girl as a new member of the archery club.

"No! She's had her mana drained!" Rin replied. She sounded angry, but Shirou "She's not dead yet, but that'll change if I don't help her!"

As Rin got to work, Shirou looked around, trying to find a trace of the girl's attacker. A leg disappearing around a corner, the sound of a door closing, even a window that was conspicuously open. None of these things were in sight, however, making Shirou even more anxious.

"Okay, I've got her stabilized," Rin announced, and looked around. "There must be another Servant here," She felt her Command Seals go warm. "And they're close!"

Shirou's eyes widened and did another look around. He was worried, but also confused. His own Command Seals weren't glowing...

"SHIROU!" Saber yelled, appearing out from nowhere.

Both Masters jumped in alarm. To her credit, Rin already had another jewel loaded with gandr poised on the tip of her finger, her entire arm tense, but steady. When she saw who it was, the Tohsaka Mage lowered her hand.

"Saber?" Shirou asked, trying to calm his beating heart. "W-what are you doing here?"

"We need to get you home." Saber said. Was it Shirou's imagination, or did she seem frazzled about something. Did she know what was going on?

"Sonic and I saw a news report about a flying saucer of some kind entering the city. He identified it as one of the robots he typically fights," Saber explained, "We came here to ascertain your well-being."

"A robot? In Fuyuki?" Shirou tried to keep up, but everything was happening too quickly for him to process. "And- Sonic's here?"

"Yes, he went off to search another part of the school," Saber answered, "He ran off before I could stop him and said to meet back at the entrance."

"Wait a minute!" Rin shouted, trying make heads or tails of the situation. "You let him out in public!?"

Saber looked to Rin. "I did. The situation demanded a bit of recklessness. Don't worry, I do not believe anyone could see us at the speeds we were moving."

Yeah, because a blue blur moving at the speed of sound is totally inconspicuous. Shirou thought, trying to stave off the throbbing in his head. "Well, at least he has the right idea…just as long as he doesn't make any noise." He could only hope.

But the world could care less about the hopes of an amateur mage, as a distant crashing told him. With Saber in the lead, the three took off down the hall, hoping to find the source of cacophony. As they ran, Rin sent a telepathic message to Archer to get over here right now before something else happened.

---

(Several minutes ago…)

Ayako squirmed, trying to get away, but it was useless. She wanted to call for help, but the grip she was in was so tight that she could barely breath.

Her attacker was a beautiful young woman wore a black, almost sensual outfit that clung to her curves. She had light purple hair so long that it hung down at her knees, and her eyes were hidden by a black eye cover. Were it not for the pain she was in, and the knowledge that her life was in danger, Ayako would have been turned on.

"Sshhh…" The lady in black whispered, and Ayako was horrified to learn that from this woman even a simple shushing sounded like an invitation to bed. "Don't struggle. It will all be over soon…"

Ayako's blood went cold. This was the end, she was sure. She tensed, the antipation paralyzing her. But before anything could happen, the situation changed so quickly that Ayako became dizzy. In the distance she fairly heard a whirring noise. Then, a gust of wind blew as something zipped past her. The woman's hold was gone, and Ayako fell into someone else's arms.

"You okay?" Her saviour asked, helping Ayako up.

"Y-yeah," Ayako said uneasily as she stood. "Thank-"

Ayako stopped. No one was there. Looking down, she saw a spiny blue animal-person in red sneakers. He grinned, and then looked past her. Ayako turned and saw the mystery woman getting up. Even with her eyes covered, Ayako could tell she was not pleased.

"You better get outta here," The animal-guy said, "Ms. No-Personal-Space over there still looks clingy."

"R-right," Ayako murmured, and, taking a moment to look back at the strange scene she was leaving, began to run. I was just saved by a mascot character!

Sonic watched Ayako go before turning back his new opponent. He pointed at her. "I don't suppose anyone's told you that it's no good to touch someone like that?"

As a reply, the strange woman threw something at Sonic. The Hedgehog ducked, and saw that it was a metal spike attached to some kind of chain, accompanied by a strange sound like snakes slithering. Rather than dwelling on it, Sonic curled up and began to spin in place- his Spin Dash- and built up speed for about a second. The blinded woman wasn't sure what to make of it- to her ears, it sounded like Sonic had transformed himself into an engine. Sonic shot forward, moving like a cannon ball across the floor. The lady in black leaping up towards the ceiling, just narrowly avoiding the Hedgehog's attack. She threw another spike, but Sonic was also on the move, hopping to the side and bouncing off the wall towards the woman. She held up a chain just in time to block the assault, and was internally stunned to hear a grinding noise and sparks giving off as Sonic's spinning body hit the links. Were she aware of Sonic's reputation, she would have been pleased with herself; this was the same attack Sonic used to bring down many of Eggman's robots.

Sonic separated from the chain and the two landed on the floor. He rubbed the space under his nose thoughtfully as he regarded his foe in a new light. She, meanwhile, was wondering how many of the few people left in the school had heard the sparks fly.

"That's one tough chain," Sonic commented, "I'm guessing you're no ordinary girl. Don't tell me…you're Assassin, right?"

"Rider." The Servant answered.

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, close enough. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," he quickly entered a semi-crouched pose, ready for anything. "So, mind telling me who you used to be? Or are you gonna make me guess?"

"Why spoil the surprise?" Rider asked, materializing another set of chains with a spike at the end. "And just what are you supposed to be? Another Servant?"

"I'm nobody's servant," Sonic replied, "And my legend is bit more recent!"

Sonic dashed forward. Rather than throwing her spike at Sonic, Rider kept it at her side, ready and waiting. The Hedgehog was about an inch from Rider's stomach when he suddenly shot into the air, just narrowly avoiding Rider's attempt to impale him. He ricocheted off of the ceiling and came down at the purple-haired Servant, who once more brought up her chain to block his attack. He legs buckled, but not from the force of Sonic's blow. Rather, she bent down in hopes of using her momentum to steer Sonic towards the wall, once she pushed him off, she swung her leg at the Hedgehog, only to miss as Sonic slid under her and made a go at her back. She whirled around just in time to block him again, and this time wrapped her chains around his legs, keeping Sonic from bouncing away. She then prepared to stab Sonic, only for the Blue Blur to retaliate by delivering several super-fast punches to her face. Rider was knocked back, letting go of Sonic. The two were instantly on their feet and sizing each other up.

I'm at a disadvantage, Rider realized, this creature is too small and quick fight effectively. And in this small hallway I cannot maneuver well. If only I could take this fight outside…

Sonic, meanwhile, thought. She's one tough bird. Those chains are stronger than whatever Eggman builds his robots with. I need to take this fight outside so I can really cut loose and do some damage.

There was a tense pause as both combatants considered their next move. Although the lull lasted seconds, to their minds it went on for an hour. Time in the mindscape slowed the rate of time to a crawl as options were weighed.

No…even if I get more room to move, this Hedgehog's speed surpasses mine, Rider decided, I need to slow him down.

As Rider prepared another chain, an idea came to Sonic. That's it! She's good enough to dodge, so I won't even aim! Next time, I'll just grab that chain and drag her out!

Sonic began to Spin Dash. As he built up speed, Rider prepared her counterattack- Sonic's attacks were basic enough, but that wasn't the problem. She knew that it wouldn't be long until their conflict attracted other people- or worse, other Masters. The Tohsaka girl her current Master tried to hit on was definitely a Master, and still in the school. If she witnessed the fight, she might glean information from the struggle to come up with a counter for Rider's abilities.

That's when an idea came to Rider. Smirking, she raised her hand towards her blindfold. The reason she kept her eyes hidden wasn't because of any disability. Rather, her eyes worked too well. Anyone within her vision would become stone, unless they possessed a strong enough mystical defense. But even then, the power may stun them long enough for a killing blow.

Rider's blind fell at the same time Sonic moved. While the Power Rings were an excellent defense against physical attacks, status effects were a different matter. Rider's gamble worked, and Sonic became stone. But the laws of inertia are not so easily dismissed, even with magic. The Hedgehog's body had indeed transformed, but he was still in motion when that transformation occurred. Rider had assumed petrification would act as an emergency brake, and thus was unprepared for the rolling ball of spiny rock coming at her.

CRASH!

Sonic's petrified body struck Rider's stomach with enough force to send them both through the wall. Tumbling in the air, Rider forced Sonic's stone form off of her to avoid being squished under it, and the two landed in two inelegant heaps in the school's yard. With her sight broken, Sonic's body went back to normal.

"Uhghghh…What happened?" Sonic muttered, getting up. "How'd I freeze up like that…?"

Rider leapt to her feet, angry but confused. Putting her blindfold back on, she considered making a grand escape; They were outside now, and Sonic seemed to be immune to Noble Phantasms. Though night hadn't fallen just yet, it was still dark enough to use Bellerophon Bridle to summon a flying beast to take her away. No matter how fast Sonic was, it didn't seem like he was capable of flight.

The sound of a blade rushing through the air caught Rider's thoughts, and she leapt away, just narrowly being bisected by Saber's invisible sword. Flipping onto her feet, Rider positioned herself equal distance between the other Servant and Sonic.

"Are you all right, Sonic?!" Saber asked, keeping her vision locked onto the woman in black.

"Saber… Yeah, I'm fine!" Sonic called back, "How's your man doing?"

"My Master is well, thank you!" Saber replied, "Now, please excuse me while I tend to business!"

Saber rushed at Rider, and two engaged in combat, sword meeting chain. Rider's lithe, nubile body looked almost heavenly as she did her best to dodge and parry Saber's powerful blows. As they dueled, Sonic took a moment to catch his breath. He looked around and saw two figures watching the scene from another window in the school. By the taller one's red hair he assumed it was Shirou, accompanied by a different student. He gave the two a mock salute and his attention returned to the fighting Servants. Sonic prepared himself to jump in at the next possible opportunity. However, as the skies darkened, a faint humming reached his ears…

---

"So, there was another Servant here." Shirou murmured, watching his own Servant fight the new one. His eyes drifted towards to the blue figure on the grass. "And there's Sonic." I wish he wouldn't stand out in public like that. What if someone sees him?

Next to Shirou, Rin had her eyes closed, and was muttering something under her breath. The red-haired mage felt a ripple of power as his classmate finished her words.

"There, the Boundary Field is complete," Rin said, opening her eyes. "It's not much, but it should compel anyone else still in the school to leave, as well as keeping other people from entering," She looked at the hole undoubtable caused by either Rider or Sonic. "That shouldn't raise too much suspicion. People will probably think it's the work of a random vandal. Now, let's get down there."

Shirou nodded. "Right, we need to offer Saber support."

"Not what I meant," Rin replied, "Saber seems to have everything under control as far as the Servant is concerned. But we can't let Sonic slip away. Not until I use some hypnosis to make him more manageable."

"You were serious about controlling him?" Shirou asked as they moved.

"Of course I was," Rin admonished her fellow Master, "Listen, Shirou, in this War, we can't afford to be careless. If an opportunity comes, we need to take it!"

"But what about that robot Saber mentioned?" Shirou stopped to look back at the battle taking place below. "Sonic might be the only one who can stop it." Judging from what Sonic had told him last night, Eggman's war machines were incredible powerful.

Rin sighed. "Look, Emiya-kun, you need to take the long view. Even if this 'killer robot' exists, we shouldn't get involved anyway."

"What?" Shirou couldn't believe his ears. "But what if it hurts someone?"

"People have already gotten hurt because of the War," Rin explained tiredly, "We can't spend our time snuffing out every brushfire. You have to take the longview; letting Sonic run around could expose Magecraft, remember? And if the Mage Association got wind of something like that happening in Fuyuki, they'll destroy the entire town. A flying saucer, or whatever…that's just a machine. An animal-person who can run at the speed of sound…" She shook her head. "No amount of 'gas leaks' can hide that. Being a mage requires more than just Magecraft. You need to be able to make the right decisions, not just for the present, but for the future as well."

Shirou was about to respond, to tell her that being cold-hearted and untrusting wouldn't be favorable for the future, when his words died in his mouth. In turning to Rin, his vision was now directed out a window. And past Rin, through the glass, he could see something in the darkened sky.

A big something. Flying.

Towards them.

---

Rider was in a pinch, that was certain. In terms of close-combat, Saber clearly had her outmatched. Running away wasn't an option either. Anytime she managed to break off from the lady knight, Sonic would knock Rider back into the fray. She was effectively being double-teamed.

"You seem quite eager to escape!" Saber shouted as she swung her sword at Rider. She missed, and brought it up to block a chain. "Did you not get enough mana from those innocents?"

"Is fighting two-against-one the way of a knight?" Rider challenged back, "This uneven battle hardly seems chivalrous."

"Creepy stalkers don't get to talk!" Sonic yelled from the sidelines. He wanted to help, but Saber had made it clear she would prefer to fight Rider on her own. The most he did was keep Rider from escaping. If she got away, she would devour the souls of other people. If all went well, tonight would be the end of…

"LOOK OUT!"

Shirou's yell cut through all three of their thoughts. Pausing in their battle, the two Servants looked up towards the window where Shirou was. The red-haired Master seemed to be pointing at-

The giant saucer landed in the school yard with the force of an elephant dropping. It's abrupt entrance shook the ground, causing everyone present to lose their footing.

It was easily the size of small house, with a red paint job. On its side was the emblem of the Eggman Empire. A pair of massive legs, like giant pillars of steel and gears, poked out of the bottom of the saucer, lifting it up. The center of the top opened, and out from that hole came a dome-like head, with a pair of giant glowing eyes positioned on one side.

E-1076: Arms

Arms' head swiveled around before stopping, staring at the school.

Where the Masters were.

A port opened up on Arms' saucer-body, and out from it came a long and large metal tube. It swiveled and wobbled about in the like a tentacle, and at the end of it was a giant clamp, opening and closing like a child pretending to be a crab.

Rin had been trained as a Mage since early childhood, and even learned some basic martial arts. She had spent ten years mentally preparing herself for the Holy War, and had long since conditioned herself to be ready for anything. But this display of machinery was so shocking, so unlike whatever she assumed would appear in the Heaven's Feel, that her otherwise impressive reflexes were dulled by sheer shock. Shirou, meanwhile, had nowhere near the training or any expectations about the War, or that a War was even brewing. He did, however, have some foreshadowing about the metal monstrosity. This was why he had to push Rin down when Arms launched its claw at their location.

"Look out, Tohsaka!" Shirou yelled as he tackled his classmate. Barely a second passed when the glass and part of the wall exploded open. The claw struck Shirou, knocking him off of Rin and sending him flying down the hall. His body bounced twice before coming to a stop as something small and shiny fell from his pocket.

"SHIROU!" Saber shrieked, and forgot all about Rider instantly. Running at Arms, she swung her sword down at the robot's appendage. Though the metal was made from an impressive alloy, a quality surpassing even the finest steel, Saber's blade had been forged in an ethereal plain, commissioned by the Lady of Lake herself. The sword of Saber cleaved through Arms' tentacle, creating sparks as both ends separated. As the claw fell from the school, Arms retracted the rest of its damaged limb. The minute it did, something fast and blue bounced off of its head, rocketing through the second hole in the school. Sonic gave Rin a quick once-over.

"You okay?" He asked, and when Rin nodded her head, shaken, he raced over to where Shirou was. "How about you?"

"I'll…live…" Shirou replied, and found that this was accurate. Though his entire body was one entire painful sensation, there were no wounds, bruises, or anything that suggested he had been attacked.

"Cool." Sonic was gone in a flash, running back towards the battle. Spinning out of the hole again, he bounced off of Arms' head and landed next to Saber. By that point Arms had two of its limbs out, and seemed intent on crushing Saber. But when it saw Sonic

"Shirou's fine, Saber," Sonic reported, and looked up at the robot. "Now, let's scrap this heap!"

Saber nodded curtly. Gripping her sword, she prepared for the robot's next strike. In the short time during Sonic's brief check-up on Shirou and Rin, Arms had tried to either crush her or take her sword away. It's claws were durable enough to withstand her sword's blade, and so she had to parry its assaults on her. This was very confusing for Arms, as according to its robotic eyes Saber didn't seem to be holding a sword.

But Arms was no longer interested in Saber. The minute it saw Sonic, Arms had a new mission. Here's how the robot's artificial thought process went;

Objective; Retrieve Chaos Emerald: Interrupted_

Does new subject have a sword? Maybe_

!

Sonic the Hedgehog has been located_

New objective: GET THE HEDGEHOG! And his little friend_

Arms stabbed his claws at Sonic, which the Hedgehog and Saber dodged, leaping to opposite sides. As the clamps were buried in the ground, Sonic took the opportunity to race up the tendrils and give Arms' head another Spinball tackle. As Arms' dome noggin shook from the impact, Saber made another attempt to slice the two claws off. Before she could get close enough, Arms began to spin its body about flailing its limbs about. Saber and Sonic hit the dirt and felt the wind as the robot's tentacles flew over them.

Up in the school building, Rin ran over to where Shirou was. By that point the Master of Saber was standing up, though still breathing heavily. He leaned against the wall, a bead of sweating dripping down his brow.

"Are…are you all right, Tohsaka?" Shirou asked, wiping his forehead. Things were happening so fast that he was exhausted just trying to keep up.

"I'm fine!" Rin shouted, a little hysterical. "But what about you!? You took a hit- and you're not even injured!"

"Rin, calm down," Shirou said, forgetting to use her family name. Right then, the girl's state of mind scared him more than the robot's attack.

"No! How the Hell do you keep doing it?!" Rin demanded, "First it was Berserker, and now this! You don't even have a scratch!"

"Rin, I don't know what happened with Berserker, but after he landed in my backyard, Sonic gave me some kind of charm," Shirou explained, "It was how he survived Lancer's Gae Bolge- A magic ring."

"A ring…?" Shirou's answer didn't provide much information for Rin, but before she could demand more exposition, the building shook again. The two Masters rushed to an unbroken window to watch the fight.

Arms now had more tentacles out, about five from Shirou's guess. It was hard to count because the robot was flailing its limbs about so quickly while spinning its body around. Sonic and Saber jumped and ran to avoiding being struck, with Saber parrying any claw that got too close. Sonic was like a spiny blue pinball, bouncing around and between the swirling metal. At one point Saber seemed to slip, and a claw grabbed her. Rather than seeming alarm, Saber smirked. She still had her arms out, and swung her sword down, chopping the tentacle off and quickly pulled herself of the claw's grip before it even hit the ground. From that claw she leapt at Arms, extending to strike its main body, only to be rebuffed by another tentacle-claw. Luckily, the loss of the other claw gave Sonic and opening to land a hit on the robot's head, before jumping away to avoid being hit by another claw.

Rin was stunned. "Wh-what is that thing? I know Saber's abilities are weakened with you as her Master, but it's still a machine against a Heroic Spirit…and the machine is winning!"

Shirou was also impressed, but he had the context Rin lacked. The previous night, following the 'Projection Incident', the three of them- Sonic, Saber, and himself- had talked about the Hedgehog's life in his world. And from what Sonic mentioned, a recurring theme in his escapades were his encounters with the mad scientist, Dr. Eggman. If what Sonic suggested had even a kernel of truth to it, then he and the doctor had been fighting for years. In during those years, Eggman would surely have adapted his technology to keep up the Hedgehog's speed…speed that was superior to Lancer's, the fastest Servant. Of course, Shirou didn't think Saber was outmatched…but if the battle continued Homurahara Academy might suffer more damage.

But still, it rankled him. Sonic and Saber were fighting for their lives, while he was stuck on the sidelines. A vision of the fire flashed by his eyes…all those people, begging, screaming for help, and he, the only one who could move, did nothing. Shirou had swore to never be that useless again…and yet, here he was, once again unable to do anything. But just jumping in wouldn't save anyone- and Rin would probably try to stop him.

Rin!

"Rin, can you cast another spell, like the one you tried against Berserker?" Shirou asked, turning to the Mage.

Rin nodded. "Yes, but I don't know what good it will do," She replied, "That thing is able to resist Saber's sword, I doubt a Gandr would do much good."

"What if you knew where to aim?"

Rin turned to Shirou. "What do you mean?"

"I've fixed more than enough machines to get the gist of basic mechanics," Shirou explained, "If you damage the right part, jam a certain gear, the thing stops working. I doubt the robot will go down as simple as that, but maybe we could slow it down enough for Saber and Sonic to finish the job."

"I can't make a shot like that!" Rin hissed, "I'm not an Archer!"

"No, but I am," Shirou replied, growing more confident. He allowed himself a smile. "I was in the archery club for a reason, after all. I may not be good at magic, but I doubt there's a target I can't hit- I actually have to work to miss."

Rin didn't reply. She was staring at Shirou in shock- no, it was more like she was seeing someone else. After a moment, she nodded, her expression serious. Extending her arm, she closed her hand into a fist, save one protruding finger. A tiny ball of light began to glow at the end of the index finger. Shirou took Rin's arm, and slowly guided the pointed finger down at the robot. In order to better adjust his aim, he stepped closer to Rin, his face practically touching hers. If he hadn't been so focused on the robot, he would have been incredibly embarrassed, just as his fellow Master was.

"N-not so close, you dummy!" Rin hissed, so very glad there was no one who could see this.

Shirou wasn't paying attention to her. His entire being was on the robot. The rest of the world metaphorically melted away, save him, the robot, and the path of the projectile between the two. And even his own being ceased to be as he prepared to make the shot. To be a great archer, one had to suppress their sense of self to block out all distractions…and there was no denying that Shirou, due to the trauma he experienced during the fire, had very little self. He directed Rin's finger at the one of the sections where the legs connected with the main body. If he could damage that, the robot would be unbalanced, making it easier for Saber and Sonic to defeat.

"Now!" Shirou ordered.

Rin released her spell, her finger giving off a spark as the gem flew towards the robot. It struck the joint that connected Arms' leg and its foot, causing the machinery to emit sparks. the robot shifted and wobbled, but it didn't fall over. However, the brief moment it spent unbalanced was more than enough time for Saber to jump in and slice off two claws at once. With less claws to worry about, Sonic leapt in and struck Arms' head not once, but twice. As he rebounded, Sonic flashed the two humans a grin and a thumbs up. Bolstered by Sonic's actions, Shirou allowed himself a smile as well.

"Okay, Tohsaka, another one!" he ordered, feeling more confident.

"Got it!" Rin, no longer thinking about her compromising position, prepared another Gandr. She no longer saw Arms as a freakish abnormality in her preconception of the world. It was now an enemy that could be destroyed. As her fingertip glowed, Shirou pointed it at the weakened component on the robot.

But before they could fire again, something shot down from the sky and blasted Arms, hitting a port where one of the remaining tentacles was. The robot staggered about, now seriously damaged. It's body began to emit electrical sparks.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried, landing away from Arms. "Where'd that come from?"

Up in the building, Shirou and Rin had frozen solid, but for different reasons. Shirou was just as stunned as Sonic and Saber were. Rin, on the other hand, was distracted by a voice in her head.

How are you holding up, Rin? Archer asked telepathically.

Archer! Where the heck are you!? Rin demanded through their mind-link.

I'm on a building between your house and the Academy. Give me a minute, I'll have another shot ready-

But before Archer could finish that sentence, Saber rushed in. Seizing the moment, she sliced both of Arms' legs off, causing the robot's main body to hit the ground. Rather than being defeated, Arms' saucer torso began to spin, floating up into the air. In response to this, Sonic ran up the wall of the school building, leaping off to deliver one more blow to the head. This was the last straw. Arms began to self-destruct, all of the stress and damaged it accumulated finally taking hold. The robot fell to the ground and exploded, sending burnt metal everywhere. Sonic landed next to Saber, who had remained unmoved. They stared at the pile of burning scrap.

"So, we just took down our first evil robot," The Hedgehog noted, and looked up to Saber. "Feel good?"

Saber exhaled. "I would be, if this were the final battle," She remarked, and glanced up at the sky. "But this is only the beginning, isn't it?"

Sonic shrugged. "Yup. What are ya gonna do?"

Saber just shook her head, and turned her gaze towards Shirou. So far, it looked like her Master and Rin were unharmed from the blast. Still, she would rest easier once she had returned to him.

Meanwhile, Rin and Archer were in a telepathic conference.

I saw the robot explode. Are you unharmed? The bowman asked.

I'm fine, Archer. But get over here, this whole…thing has got me on pins and needles.

I'll be there shortly. Although…

What?

Are you sure you need me? You seem to be quite comfortable where you are now.

That's when Rin realized. She and Shirou were still huddled together! Hell, Shirou still had her arm in his hand! Her cheeks ceased to remain a mild shade of red. Now, her entire face became reminiscent of a tomato. Now officially mortified, she mentally screamed at Archer to mind his own business, who broke the connection with a telepathic snicker. Without Archer to take her embarrassment out on, she turned her rage on Shirou.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, EMIYA-KUN!?" She yelled furiously, and pushed Shirou away. Or tried to. Because Shirou was better built of the two, even caught off-guard, he was mostly unmoved by Rin's shove. And so, the force of the movement ended up pushing Rin away- and out the hole.

Into the air.

High above the ground.

"Tohsaka!" Shirou cried, reaching out to her. But he was too late. Rin shrieked and plummeted. Down below Sonic and Saber saw what was happening.

"Rin!" Saber gasped, and moved to catch Archer's Master. But before she could make progress, she felt Sonic tug on her dress.

"It's cool." He assured her.

Saber didn't understand how what was happening be 'cool'- until she saw what he saw.

Rin's downward trip to terra firma came to an abrupt halt when she felt something grab onto her from under her arms. She heard what sounded like very fluffy helicopter blades spinning. She looked up at whatever was holding her and gasped.

"Rin, how come you didn't tell me you and Archer were magic?" Tails asked, smiling brightly as his two tails spun.

Down on the ground, and in the school, Shirou and Saber gaped at this flagrant disrespect for the laws of physics.

"Told ya it was cool." Sonic commented, and waved. "Nice catch, little bro!"

Laughing, Tails returned the wave- before remembering that he almost dropped Rin. The Tohsaka Mage gave a rather undignified yelp as she almost fell from Tails' grip.

---

Once Archer had arrived, all parties convened in front of the remains of Arms. Shirou wiped some dirt off of the robot's body to reveal a symbol that looked like a round face with glasses, a mustache, and a wide crazed grin. Behind him, Sonic and Tails were having a pretty casual reunion.

"Glad to see you're doing okay, Tails," Sonic said, giving the fox a friendly rub on the head. "I don't suppose you know where Knux and Amy are, do you?"

Tails shook his head as Sonic removed his hand. "No…I guess they're not with you, huh?"

"Haven't seen 'em," Sonic sighed, and waved at Shirou and Saber. "That's Shirou and Saber. I've been hanging out at their pad. Where've you been?

Tails grinned. "How does a night in a giant mansion sound to you? It belongs to that girl over there, Rin," He gestured towards Archer. "This is Archer, he's pretty cool."

"But not cooler than me, right?" Sonic asked.

"Almost…but not quite." Tails admitted. Behind him, Archer raised an eyebrow. The blue hedgehog was cooler than him?

"Heh. So, what brings you around here, stranger?" Sonic asked his little buddy.

"Archer and I saw the robot while we were out in the city," Tails explained, "I followed after it while he decided to find a building to aim from- He's the one who made the shot. Oh yeah, I forgot! Sonic, Archer's-"

"A magic ghost, right?" Sonic interrupted, watching the muscular man walk up.

Tails' ears twitched. "Wow, how'd you know?"

Sonic jerked a thumb at Saber. "Saber over there is one, too."

"The term is Servant," Archer corrected, crossing his arms. "And how did you come to that conclusion, might I ask?"

Sonic smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I'd like to know as well," Rin said, and cast Shirou a dark look. "Emiya, how come this newcomer knows about Saber and Archer?"

Shirou sighed. There was no avoiding it. "Last night, when Sonic first arrived at my house, I told him about the Holy Grail War."

"You what?!" Rin's voice echoed into the night air.

Shirou held up a hand. He had anticipated this. "Listen, whether you like it or not, Sonic and Tails are different from other people. They have no choice but to hide from the rest of the world. But Sonic has a sense of justice that won't let him sit idly by when Servants like Lancer are stealing Mana from innocent people. If they know about the War, it'll be easier for them to act in secret."

Tails blinked. "War? What war?"

Shirou bent down to Tails' level and said, "It's a bit complicated, but for now you just need to know that there are other people like Saber and Archer…and that we're going to have to fight them to protect the city."

"Emiya-kun…" Rin grimaced. While Shirou have something resembling a point, she felt that his logic was a bit too simplistic.

"And in any case, it's not them we should be worried about. It's this machine, " Shirou pointed out, "Why did it come here, to this place?"

Rin's anger at Shirou's carelessness faded slightly as she thought about it too. "Hmm, don't think I'm going to let you off easy, but that's something to consider. It's not like this school has anything going for it. It's not in a strategic location magically or even militaristically speaking."

"Magically?" Tails asked, confused.

Rin sighed. "If you're going to know about magic, then you might as well learn more than Shirou's half-assed knowledge. Listen, there certain points in Fuyuki where leylines intersect. These areas are…"

As Rin lectured, Sonic got bored and walked over to Saber. The blond Heroic Spirit was looking up at the sky.

"What's up?" He asked her.

"She got away," Saber looked back at Sonic intently, "The other Servant."

Sonic snapped his fingers. "Oh right, her," Looking frustrated, he yelled over to the others, "Yo! We got another problem here!"

Rin, Shirou, and Tails looked at Sonic. Rin had just finished explaining to Tails about the leylines of Fuyuki, and how they enabled the Heaven's Feel. She had said more than she intended to, but deep down she needed to think about something familiar in the face of the robot's attack. She had been too stunned to even think by the machine's assault, and much to her embarrassment, it had been the normally dull-witted Emiya who came up with an plan.

"What's up, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Don't panic, but there's another Servant on the loose," the Hedgehog explained, "And she's nowhere as cool as Saber."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He already had his suspicions on what Servant had been prowling around Homurahara Academy in the dead of night. At least, if the timeline hadn't been as badly effected by the inclusion of Sonic and his friends as he hoped.

Sonic began trace an hourglass in the air. "Total babe. Wears a blindfold. Lots of purple hair, but no personality."

"I think Archer meant what kind of Servant she was." Rin said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"She said she was Rider." Sonic replied.

"When we fought, she used chains with spikes at the end." Saber put in.

"Okay, that is what we need to focus on," Rin nodded, "I only wish we could have gotten her to reveal her Noble Phantasm before the robot landed. We'd be one step closer to figuring out her identity…"

"Sonic, you were fighting Rider before Saber caught up with you," Shirou said, "Did she do anything…?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "Well, she didn't use her chains for anything special, but…"

"But?" Tails asked.

"Just before we ended up outside, she took off her blindfold and I froze up," Sonic explained, "I mean…my entire body went stiff, or something."

Shirou glanced up at the hole Sonic and Rider created in the school building. "But if she paralyzed you, how…?"

Sonic grinned. "I was already doing a Spin Dash when it happened. I guess being stiff and stopping are two different things."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Spin Dash? What's that?"

"It's this cool move Sonic does that lets him charge up his speed," Tails piped up, "That way, he can go from zero to over a hundred in a second. I can do it, too!"

Tails crouched down (Which Rin, in spite of herself, thought was adorable). Then, he became an orange ball, spinning in place to the amazement of the Masters and Servants. As he spun, a whirring noise was heard, stopping when Tails shot off, speeding across the grass. It seemed like he would hit a wall, but before that happened, the fox jumped, jumped against and off the wall with his feet and did a magnificent flip before hovering with his spinning tails.

Sonic shot his little buddy a thumbs up. "Nice one, bro!"

Shirou found himself unable to stare. He had seen it before, but even then couldn't believe it. Even though he was a Mage, fighting alongside Heroic Spirits, and having just survived a robot attack, the sight of a fox-person flying like that was just too implausible.

Rin, meanwhile, was thinking about what Sonic had said. His body was paralyzed the minute she revealed her eyes…What hero has magic eyes…

Archer, on the other hand, thought, Judging from what Saber and Sonic are saying, the Rider in this timeline is the same as the one in mine. If I recall, she brought out a pegasus to fight Saber with… Magic eyes, pegasus…

Shirou's voice broke Archer's contemplation. "Archer, did you see anyone like that while sniping the robot?"

Archer gave Shirou a look. "If I had, I would have said so. Rider must have run off to avoid trouble."

"Let me take a quick look around." Sonic offered, and he was gone in a flash.

As the cloud of dust kicked up by Sonic's departure settled,, Shirou found himself looking back at the scrap heap. Even though it had attacked the school and nearly killed him, he couldn't help but be in awe at it. Unlike most mages, who were disdainfully of machines, Shirou could appreciate the technology that made this marvel possible.

Too bad it was probably built by a madman, he thought gloomily. Why were newest wonders in his life controlled by either villains or jerks?

"I doubt he'll find her," Rin commented, rubbing her eyes. "Even if Rider's still here, she's probably went into her astral form. We should leave, too. Even if the Boundary Field I set up will keep ordinary people away, it's only a matter of time if another Master or Servant shows up."

Shirou sighed and pulled himself away from Arms. "It's too bad this thing doesn't have a Servant radar we could use."

Rin rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Emiya-kun, Servants are formed from Magecraft, they can't appear on radar."

But Shirou's words had a much more pronounced effect on Archer. They caused a connection to form in his mind. And that connection led to answers that would probably set his Master off again.

"Actually, I think they do," The bowman said, and looked at Tails. "Tails, this Doctor Eggman would be looking for Chaos Emeralds too, right?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah, he'll need them to power his weapons."

"And that Chaos Emerald detector you showed me…how commonplace is the technology?"

Tails shrugged. "It's not that widespread, but Eggman knows how to build one too- Uh-oh!"

The little fox turned on his Miles Electric and began to fiddle with the settings. At this point Sonic returned. It was clear from the disgruntled expression on his face that the search was unsuccessful. When he saw Tails and the Miles Electric, he tugged at Saber's dress.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Sonic asked.

the lady knight glanced down at Sonic before looking back at Tails. "Archer was talking about radar, which spurred your companion to action. I confess, I do not understand what they are getting at."

It was then that Tails spoke up. "Yeah, the Miles Electric is picking up several energy signatures," He reported, "Besides a field around us, it seems like there are several sources right on top of us."

Archer grimaced. "I thought so." Perfect. Just what we needed, another complication!

"What?" Rin asked, confused. "What is it? What's that thing for?"

"Rin, this device is capable of detecting the energy contained within Chaos Emeralds," Archer explained, "But it can't differentiate between them and the power of Servants," He glanced at the robot, and everyone followed suite. "That's how Tails was able to figure out I was a 'magic ghost'. And why the robot came here, I think. It thought the combined energy of your boundary field, Saber, and Rider, was a Chaos Emerald waiting to be picked up."

"Archer, that's impossible," Rin replied, though she didn't sound so convinced. "I mean, if a machine can find Servants, or even Boundary Fields…"

This was certainly news, especially for Shirou, Rin, and Saber. The idea that a mechanical device could find Servants or even Magecraft itself was a jarring one. Unlike spells, which required a certain spiritual aptitude to use, a machine could be used by the technology became widespread, the secrecyof Magecraft could be jeopardized. As they took Archer's theory in, another piece of metal from Arms fell.

"Ugh…let's just go home," Rin decided. So far the entire night had been a roller coaster of surprises and revelations, and now she wanted off. "I need to restock my jewels, and…" She pointed at Shirou, "You need to stop doing suicidal things and surviving, all right?"

Shirou blinked. "Um…"

"Well, you guys be careful," Sonic cut in, "Me and Tails have some friends to find. We'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Before any of the humans could say another word, Sonic took off, becoming a blue dot in the distance. Tails flew after him.

"Bye, Rin, Archer!" He called back, "You don't need to leave a light on for me, I can get back inside, no problem!"

"H-Hey! Get back here!" Rin yelled, but it was too late. They were both gone. The Masters and Servants stared in silence, almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. When nothing happened, Shirou turned to Rin, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"So, I…guess I'll see you tomorrow, Tohsaka-san?" He asked.

Rin's response was the meanest glare ever. And was that a tear on the edge of her eye?

---

Rider leapt through the air, invisible to all except her Master. Tonight had been very…eventful, to say the least. While it had only been a matter of time before her prowling had attracted the attention of another Servant, the creature that attacked her was another matter. Judging from how they interacted, the it and Saber were no doubt on friendly terms. Perhaps it had been summoned by Saber's Master. It hadn't been another Servant, that was for sure. But it's strength was on par with one, however, and it seemed to be immune to her Mystic Eyes. If Saber had an ally like that, it did not bode well for Rider. If that large machine had not appeared, her role in the War would have ended far sooner than she wanted. At the very least, she would have been forced to use Bellaphoron

She sighed, knowing that she would receive a bawling out from her current Master for apparently failing. She only hoped that he wouldn't take it out on her true Master…

Rider felt her chest ache in pain, right where Sonic had hit her. She needed to replenish her mana. Hopefully, she would find someone out and about. The night was still young.

---

Knuckles walked the lone streets of Fuyuki, his senses alert for even the tiniest twinge of power. It had been a very boring day, for him at least. The transport must have been more tiring than he thought, as he spent the morning and afternoon napping. At least his new friend Caster had been nice enough to let him sleep in. But he had dozed long enough. It was time to find the Chaos Emeralds, before Doctor Eggman did. He wasn't too concerned about his friends. He knew they were tough, and could take care of themselves. He had no doubt that they would find each other again. But if Knuckles didn't find the Chaos Emeralds, none of them would be able to get home. And if Eggman got them again…

Knuckles was pulled out of his revere by the sound of people talking. Remembering what Caster had told him last night, he ducked into a nearby ally, taking refuge behind some garbage cans. Coming up were a pair of humans, a teenaged girl in a school uniform, accompanied by a tan man wearing a red long coat. Slung over his back was a bag of what seemed like…metal parts?

"…so far the night has been one disaster after another," A teenaged human girl was saying, "Between that robot and Sonic running around, we'll be lucky if the whole War doesn't end up on television."

"Just be glad it happened at night, Rin," The man said, "If you want, we can go looking for them."

Rin sighed, "The way that egotistical hedgehog moves, we couldn't catch him anyway. Let's just hope he doesn't let anyone see him again."

In his hiding place, Knuckles arched an eyebrow. So, these guys have seen Sonic, huh? Good to know he's doing all right. What's this war they're trying to keep secret?

"So, what are you going to do, then?" The man said, "We can't let Sonic run rampant, can we?"

"We'll take care of him tomorrow," Rin decided, "I've put too much preparation into this war to let some…mascot character ruin everything I've worked for."

As the two walked off, Knuckles glared at them from the darkness. Looks like Caster was right. This city is full of dangerous characters. I'd better find those Emeralds before one of them falls into the wrong hands!

---

Sonic and Tails raced around the city, leaping over hydrants and darting between shadows. Despite Rin's fears, they were careful not to be seen- not that it mattered. Due to the constant attacks caused by Servants like Lancer and Rider, nobody was out on the streets to begin with. After a while they stopping running and just walked.

"Man, I don't know why Shirou was so worried about us being spotted," Sonic commented, "This city couldn't be any deader than if it was a ghost town."

"If attacks like what happened at the school are commonplace, then I guess a curfew must be in effect," Tails replied, fiddling with the Miles Electric. He looked up at Sonic. "Still, I can't believe that on top of finding our friends, the Emeralds, and stopping Dr. Eggman, we also have to deal with a, a, magical gang war run by a secret society, I guess?"

"Yeah, it is a lot to take in all at once," Sonic affirmed casually, "Just do what I do, focus on the bad guys we're gonna beat."

Tails chuckled. "Yeah, 'cause backstory happens to other people, right?"

Sonic gave Tails a thumbs up. "You know it."

"So…speaking of bad guys, have you seen any other Servant?" Tails asked.

"Just one more," Sonic said, raising a finger of declaration. "Lancer. He's got a magic spear that let's him warp, so that he's already stabbing you, or whatever. So if you fight him, make sure to get it away from him."

"Whoa, that's kind of intense," Tails said, looking a little perturbed. "Uh, do Power Rings help?"

"Oh, sure," Sonic replied. He self-consciously rubbed his stomach as he remembered. "Doesn't stop the pain, but it beats having a pointy stick in your heart."

Tails gulped. "I, uh…lost all of my rings when the Tornado crashed."

"Oh, jeez! You should have said something," Sonic fished into one of his gloves and pulled out three rings. "Here, have some of mine."

Tails gladly took the rings and put them into his own. As he did, the Miles Electric began to beep, almost causing him to drop them. Making sure the Power Rings were snug in his gloves, Tails examined the screen of the PDA.

"What's up?" Sonic asked.

"According to this, there's a high energy signature nearby," Tails reported.

"There is? Where?" Sonic began looking around eagerly.

"Just about a dozen meters ahead," Tails replied, and looked to Sonic. "And it's getting closer."

"Sounds another Servant wants to party," Sonic assumed, and did a few stretches. "Wonder which one it is?"

"I…don't know," Tails sounded worried, "But whatever it is, it's a lot stronger than the reading I got from Archer and Saber combined."

"Hmm…maybe it's a Chaos Emerald instead," Sonic considered. He took Tails by the arm. "C'mon."

The pair zipped over and hid behind a street corner mailbox. Silence ensued as they waited. The night air, combined with the tension as they waited for whatever was coming to reach them created a chill. Unfortunately, it wasn't a full moon that night- it wasn't even a crescent, and besides which, the sky was cloudy. But maybe that was perfect for the situation; an obscured moon for an unknown enemy. Of the two, Tails' heartbeat was slightly faster. This could be his first time fighting a Heroic Spirit. Sonic's pulse was a bit calmer, but he too was tense. Just waiting for things to happen wasn't his style. Just as night wind pushed a cloud away from the moon, they saw what was coming.

It was a little girl dressed in a winter coat, with a little furry hat on her head. Her long white hair was like snow, and her big, red eyes looked too much like pools of blood for either Sonic or Tails' comfort.

"It's just a kid," Tails whispered, bewildered.

"Yeah, a little kid out on her own at night in a city where mysterious murders happen," Sonic muttered, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "That's not suspicious at all."

The girl continued her stroll, walking at slow pace. She hummed a happy song, swinging her legs out as she took each step. She almost appeared to be daydreaming. She then stopped, and looked around.

"I know you're there!" She called out cheerfully, "You can come out now!"

Behind the mailbox, Sonic and Tails exchanged worried looks.

"You don't think she's talking to us, do you?" Tails asked, whispering nervously.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Nah, I'm sure she's calling out to the other Hedgehog and Fox hiding behind a mailbox."

Tails sighed. "Thought so," He glanced at the Miles Electric. "Weird…it seems like the signal's coming directly from her!"

Sonic kept his eyes on the girl. "Y'know, I had a feeling it was like that."

It was at this point the lone child said, "You don't have to hide from me~! I won't bite~!"

Somehow, Sonic had trouble believing that. Still, keeping still wasn't his strong point. To Tails he said, "Well, we shouldn't keep a lady waiting. Let's go."

"Aren't we supposed to stay away from people?" Tails asked.

"We're supposed to keep clear of normal folks," Sonic countered, "And I'm pretty sure that bundle energy is anything but."

Sonic walked out from his hiding spot and stood in the center of the street, directly facing the little girl. After a moment, Tails followed him, taking his place by Sonic's left side. He tucked the Miles Electric on his back via a strap. The little girl's red eyes lit up when she saw Sonic, and she clapped her hands together eagerly.

"I knew it, it's you!" She gasped happily.

Sonic rubbed his finger under his nose, smirking. On the outside. "It's me."

"You're the guy who was fighting Lancer last night, aren't' you?" The girl asked, "I remember seeing something zipping around the city…and then there was that explosion! That was you guys, right?"

"Kinda," Sonic admitted, his smirk fading. There was something about this child that was creeping him out. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here this late?"

"Me?" The girl put on an expression of innocence. "I'm just looking around. I've never been to Japan before, so I wanted to get the feel of the city."

"But, all by yourself?" Tails asked, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah, I don't suppose you've heard, but there are some pretty nasty characters out and about." Sonic put in, narrowing his eyes, "Be a shame if one of them got ahold of you."

The girl giggled, and it didn't sound at all innocent. "Oh, you two are real sweet to worry about little ol' me! But it's all right," She smiled like a cat about to eat the canary. "I'm never alone."

As she said these words, the air around her began to ripple, and a large form appeared behind her. It's body faded into existence bit by bit, like a Cheshire Cat. But what materialized was as far from a feline as can be. It was man-shaped, with skin colored a dark grey, like cooked steel. It's entire body was covered in muscles, so tense that they might as well been carved from stone. It came with a massive stone sword that had a jagged edge, and fit rather snugly in the behemoth's hand. On it's face was a scowl that seemed to be stuck, and it's eyes…were not eyes at all, but twin balls of fire that burned. If the eyes represented the soul, then this soul was full of rage, an anger that wanted to lash out and crush anything close enough. Its very presence seemed to press into the pavement.

The girl curtsied. "I am Illyaseviel Von Einzbern, Master of Berserker," She introduced, "And I wonder how well you'd fair against my Servant?"

Tails felt his jaw drop, and his tails go limp. "Dah…big…"

Sonic swallowed. Pointing a shaky finger at Berserker, he asked, "Um…I don't suppose your name is Achilles, is it?"

TO BE CONTINUED

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Tiger Dojo:

Taiga: Without further delay, it's the Tiger Dojo! Fujimura Taiga, your sensei, has arrived!

Illya: And the number one student is here as well!

Taiga: Indeed, you are here, in both senses of the word!

Illya: Hmph, it took long enough for me to appear in the main story. Maybe now Onii-chan will get a proper heroine this time!

Taiga: Funny you should mention that. Our first question is from a Ms. Topaz, who asks who the heroine of Genesis will be.

Illya: It'll obviously be me. Those other stupid girls have had too much attention already. They're even making a movie based on the Heaven's Feel route where I died!

Taiga: Aren't you the main character of a spin-off manga?

Illya: That doesn't count, it takes place in an alternate universe. It's completely different from the main continuity.

Taiga: That is a good point. But, getting back to the topic at hand, the position of Heroine in the original visual novel was determined by the structure of the storyline; Fate focused on the Holy Grail War, making Saber the heroine. Rin became the heroine because of Archer's plan in Unlimited Blade Works, and due to Zouken's evil in Heaven's Feel, Sakura got her Happy Ending.

Illya: So, the title of Heroine goes to whoever Onii-chan thinks about the most? Then all I need is more screen time, and I'm sure to become the Heroine!

Taiga: Hold your horses! That's how it is in Fate/Stay Night, but things are different now! This is a crossover with the Sonic series! And in Sonic, romance is never important!

Illya: You mean there won't be a Heroine? That's not fair!

Taiga: Life is never fair, my student. If it was, this unsung heroine would be getting her a spin-off of her own! Hmph!

Illya: I'm starting to get depressed. Let's move on to our next question. Element-OverLord writes, "Will Shirou be able to Chaos Techniques like Shadow?" Hmm, that's an interesting thought, but I doubt it.

Taiga: Oh? How can you be so sure?

Illya: The Chaos Emeralds are similar to the Holy Grail, aren't they? Get all seven, and the ultimate power is released. But they're not omniscient. You need to present them with a method before you're able to do anything. And Onii-chan's affinity is Sword, and papa never taught him any of the Emiya clan's time-manipulation Magecraft. Even if the Emeralds do enhance his power, it's unlikely that Shirou will gain any new skills.

Taiga: Ah, just as putting chocolate syrup on vanilla will make the ice cream tastier, it won't change that it's vanilla.

Illya: That's a dumb metaphor, but yeah.

Taiga: Hmm…so many different things are happening now. Dr. Eggman has begun his assault on Fuyuki, Sonic and Tails have reunited, but Amy and and Knuckles are still lost in the city. What's more, the strongest Servant has appeared! What will happen? Tune in next time, to find out!

Illya: Good bye!