Fate Genesis Chapter 4: To The Beginning, a Sonic the Hedgehog + Fate/stay night Crossover fanfic

Chapter 4: To The Beginning

Shirou woke up, feeling surprisingly energetic. He wasn't sure why. After the roller coaster of madness and excitement that was the entirety of last night, he figured he'd be too exhausted to get up, much less make breakfast.

If only Saber could bounce back as quickly, He thought, Then again, she did more legwork than me. It's unreasonable of me to assume she could recover like I can.

As he entered the kitchen, he found himself wondering just why he was recovering so quickly. The night before he had narrowly survived being cleaved in two and, a little later, almost being disemboweled. Both times he managed to regenerate his flesh, without even a scar to show for it. Being impaled by Lancer at the school was different; The pendent he found at the scene indicated that some Magecraft-using samaritan had healed him.

Did whoever cast the spell give him a new power? Or did being in so many life and death situations cause latent abilities to awaken? Both possibilities were unlikely, given what Shirou knew about magic; although his knowledge on that subject was less than basic, at best.

"Need help, master chef?" A voice from below his side asked.

Oh, it's Sonic, Shirou thought automatically. Aloud, he said, "I'm fine, I can do this by myself."

Then, Shirou's head caught up with the rest of him. He whirled about and looked down at Sonic. The hedgehog was now seated at the table, which Shirou was sure hadn't been set the last time he looked. Sonic gave Shirou a cheeky wave, grinning just as cheekily.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," Sonic greeted.

"Why- why are out in the open? When did you get back!?" Shirou stammered, his mind reeling with every possibly bad end Sonic's appearance would result in.

"Just after you guys went to bed. Speaking of which-" Sonic jerked a thumb towards the halls. "-How come Saber's having a slumber party? I thought she had to stay hidden, too."

Oh, that. Unlike Sonic, Shirou and Saber weren't lucky enough to sneak in unnoticed. Taiga had caught them the minute they appeared in the neighborhood, upset that Shirou had been out so long- because that meant dinner was late. At first, it seemed as if Shirou could abate his big sis figure's anger by cooking, but his hopes for an easy reconciliation were dashed when 'the Tiger' noticed Saber. Over Taiga's furious accusations that Shirou had been "Fooling around", the Emiya Mage had been forced to claim that Saber was a former friend of Kiritsugi's from abroad, and that she had come to town to offer Shirou aid. It wasn't a bad lie, given his long-dead step-father's habit of leaving Japan for weeks at a time, and Saber adjusted to the falsehood quite well.

That said, Taiga wasn't going to let Saber into the household that easily, and challenged the Servant to a duel. The idea was to test the foreigner's ability to protect Shirou from danger, but the Mage felt that his teacher just wanted to intimidate Saber into leaving- a ploy that was doomed to fail. Even winded, Saber was a Heroic Spirit with abilities beyond normal humans, and had lived and died by the sword. The match was over in seconds, which was when Sakura insisted on 'testing' this new girl. Luckily, Shirou managed to defuse the situation somewhat before Saber could cut his underclassman's bow in half. After dinner, Taiga refused to go home, asserting that it was wrong to leave an unmarried couple alone in a big house, and also refused to let Sakura leave as well, given the attacks. The result was all three girls sharing a bedroom, as Taiga didn't want to take the chance of one of them sneaking into Shirou's.

Once Shirou finished the story, Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean I can come out of hiding?"

"No!" Shirou turned back to his cooking, "Saber can pass for a normal human. You can't."

"What if I wear a disguise?"

"A disguise?" Shirou repeated. His mind was suddenly besieged by an image. it consisted of a tiny person, his entire body wrapped in an oversized trench coat, with a comically large fedora on top. A pair of red sneakers sticking out from the bottom completely the look. It was also completely ridiculous.

"Sure," Sonic said, and Shirou could practically hear the grin. "A cowboy hat, a fake mustache, and even my mom wouldn't recognize me!"

"No, no, and no," Shirou responded, "I know you're not being serious. I'm sorry, but-" Shirou then heard footsteps. "Someone's coming! Hide!"

The words were barely out of Shirou's mouth when he heard the tale-tell whoosh, a sign that Sonic was in motion& and hopefully out of sight.

Last night had been terrible for Sakura. Not just because Taiga caught Shirou with Saber- Saber, her senpai, the city's worst Mage, had summoned the best Servant- but also because of the sleep. It wasn't that she had slept in Shirou's house. If anything, being in his house for so long was a dream. Having to share a room with two others- Taiga's loud snoring in particularly- was only mild annoyance compared to the true terror now living in her shadow.

Avenger.

Unlike other Servants, Avenger did not seek battles, or even victims to feed off of. It was unlikely that Avenger needed to feed at all, given its connection to her. What Avenger did do was talk. A lot. Incessantly. Of death, and destruction. It spoke of the tortures it received in life, and what kind Sakura should inflict on the world. It was easier to ignore in the day, when the sounds of the outside world gave Sakura something else to focus on. But at night-

Hey, do you hear something? Avenger broke into her thoughts.

As Sakura entered the kitchen, she could have sworn that she heard a rush of movement. Looking around, she saw Shirou standing at the stove. He seemed tense. She noticed that one of the pillows around the table had an impression in them, indicating that someone was sitting there.

Crud, looks like we missed seeing his pet familiar. Avenger sighed mentally.

"Good morning, senpai." Sakura greeted softly, doing her best to ignore Avenger.

"Good morning, Sakura," Shirou returned, and his face showed concern. "Did you get enough sleep last night? You look, um..."

Sakura realized that she must have had bags under her eyes. Of course, she had spent the night more awake in order to better ignore Avenger. "I- I'm fine. Sensei snores, that's all."

Shirou chuckled, and Sakura felt her heart lighten. Moments like this, she would not give up for the world. It almost made her forget how horrible her life was.

I wonder how long he's going to pretend everything's all right, Avenger thought, I mean, it's kinda sad how hard he's trying to delude himself. Not like he's fooling anyone. How long do you think it'll be before he dies?

'Almost', being personified by Avenger. Sakura went to help Shirou with the cooking, and it wasn't long before Taiga and Saber joined them for breakfast. As they ate, Avenger continued to do a running commentary. Sakura tried to keep the weird Servant's thoughts out of her head, and found herself recalling what Avenger had said about Saber last night...

Well, well, well… Avenger had thought, Look who's back a for a second try… So that's two from the Fourth...

Did that mean that someone in the last Grail War had summoned this specific Saber? And who was the other one of the two? Was it another Servant? Or had a Master who survived the Fourth Heaven's Feel returned? No matter how many times she tried t glean more information, Avenger just remained vague.

"Oraa!" Taiga yelled suddenly, and threw her chopsticks at the window. Everyone jumped as wood broke glass.

Whoa, Zecchan's leveled up. Avenger remarked.

"What is it, Funji-nee?" Shirou asked worriedly.

"There was a weird face peeking in!" Taiga yelled, getting up.

As the Tiger of Fuyuki raced outside, the Tora Shina inexplicably in hand, both Shirou and Saber winced. It looked like Sonic couldn't keep himself hidden after all. They, along with Sakura, went outside and joined Taiga. Their excitable teacher was looking about anxiously, her trademark weapon ready to be unleashed.

"I'm telling you, there was someone here!" She yelled, "Some peeping tom spying on us!"

"Maybe… maybe it was an animal of some kind…" Shirou suggested weakly.

"No! This pervert had a human face!" Taiga insisted, "I know it!"

Saber glanced up and saw Sonic peeking down from the roof. She sent him a glare that, enhanced by his Rank B charisma, actually made the normally easy-going and very cocky Hedgehog cringe. She also noticed a pair of chopsticks sticking out of his mouth, and shook her head.

At the Tohsaka Mansion, Tails sat on the couch as he fiddled with the Miles Electric. He paused, yawned, and got back to work. He was so fixated on his computer that he didn't notice Archer materializing right next to him.

"Good morning." The Servant greeted.

Tails jumped slightly. "Whoa! Hey, Archer. Didn't hear you come in. But I guess that's to be expected from a magic ghost."

"Yeah, I'll try to be louder when I enter a room," Archer replied, "I see Sonic decided not to stay." He had been on watch when Tails and Sonic returned to the mansion. Before he could wake Rin up, he rushed off, disappearing into the night.

"Yeah, big mansions aren't really his thing," Tails said, "Plus, he said he wanted 'protect his new Genesis' whatever that means. He went back to Shirou's."

And avoiding getting put under hypnosis, too, Archer thought, Rin's not going to take that well. "You're not planning on going anywhere, are you?"

Tails shook his head. "Not unless I have to. I'm super-bushed. You're not going to believe what happened last night."

Before Archer could ask, the two of them were interrupted by an ominous sound. It was the sound of feet being dragged across the floor, and carried with it a dark aura. Tohsaka Rin, the Mage Association's representative in Fuyuki, descendent of Tohsaka Nagato, lurched into the room. Her face bore an expression of death. There was utterly no life in her arms, the useless limbs just swung in the air as she stepped. Tails and Archer watched as Rin forced herself towards the kitchen. Once she was out of sight, they heard refrigerator door being opened, followed by the sound of something going 'glug-glug-glug'.

"Is- is that normal?" Tails asked, watching. "Did something happen to you guys too?"

"Yes, and yes," Archer answered, "Looks like it's been a busy night for both of us."

The two of them swapped stories of what happened when they separated. Archer was stunned, and not about Illya. On the contrary, he had a feeling that the robot attack would draw out a Servant or two. No, what bothered him was what Tails claimed Shirou had done during their encounter with Berserker.

If what he's saying is true, then it sounds like Shirou's starting to get into Projection, the Bowman thought, Dammit... so much is happening so quickly I can barely keep up.

And to Archer's annoyance, Tails didn't seem very perturbed about Knuckles. In fact, the two-tailed fox was actually laughing!

"Yeah, sorry about Knuckles," Tails chuckled, "It's weird- the same happened when Sonic and I first met him, too."

"What do you mean?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Eggman met Knuckles first and told him that we were jewel thieves, or something," Tails explained, rubbing the back of his head. "He spent most of the time trying to trip us up as we explored his island."

"But you and he are friends now, aren't you?" Archer asked, "How'd you get him to calm down?"

"Well, he switched gears when he caught Eggman stealing the Master Emerald, the giant jewel that keeps Angel Island floating." Tails replied.

The more I learn, the more questions I have. Instead of asking the obvious, Archer pressed on. "I don't think we want to wait that long to prove our innocence. We need to get him on our side now."

"Well, me and Sonic will tell him you're okay if we see him," Tails said, "But if you guys run into him again... Hold that thought."

Tails got up and left the house. After watching him go, Archer decided that he had put off making breakfast long enough. After everything that had happened, he needed to do something relaxing. Archer had always enjoyed housework, even back when he was alive. As he cooked at the stove, the bowman glanced at Rin out of the corner of his eye. The young Mage was lying face down on her table, doing a very good impression of a freshly-murdered corpse.

"Are you okay?" Archer asked, partially concerned, but mostly out of obligation. He knew that Rin was just overreacting.

"I couldn't sleep last night," Rin said, looking up. "I kept having robot nightmares."

"Oh?"

"You know that American movie about the killer robot from the future? The one starring the German guy?" Rin asked, "It was like that. People's skins kept melting off, becoming robots."

"I'm pretty sure the robots we'll have to deal with are too big to be mistaken for people, Rin." Archer noted.

"Just make breakfast." Rin grunted, looking annoyed.

Archer went back to cooking, a faint smile on his face. It seemed like Rin was regaining some of her spark. That was good. So many abnormalities(And yes, Mages had to use the term themselves) had happened, and Archer was worried that his Master would just give up.

Just as Archer was finishing up, Tails came into the kitchen. He had something in his hand, but Archer couldn't tell what it was. The little outsider took his seat at the table, his cheerful demeanor presenting a contrast to the gloomy but burning Mage sitting across from him.

"Good morning, Rin," Tails greeted, a bit hesitantly.

Rin sighed and straightened up. "Good morning, Tails."

Tails smiled, glad to see Rin was in a better mood. "Archer told me that you two ran into Knuckles last night?"

Rin nodded. "Yes. That jerk tried to kill us!"

Tails grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that. But I've got something that can help," He held out his hand. Resting in the palm was another wrist-communicator. "Here, put this on."

Confused, Rin picked up the communicator and held it up to her face for further scrutinization. She looked back to Tails for explanation.

"Me and Sonic are wearing the same type of communicator," Tails explained, "If you see Knuckles, you can just call us and we'll explain everything to him. Here, let me show you how it works... "

As Tails ran Rin through the tutorial, Archer felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He knew his Master was terrible with electronics. She couldn't handle anything more complicated than a basic calculator. She had been born of a clan of 'old school' Mages, and raised to embody their ideals; and one of those ideals was 'Mages didn't need technology.' After all, if you could cast illusions or throw fireballs, why in the world would you need something like a personal computer? It was stubbornness, plain and simple. The most powerful magics were the oldest and most mysterious. Ergo, some bright (For a very loose and generous meaning of the term) spark came to the conclusion that the more a Mage ignored the advancements of modern civilization, the more powerful a Mage they were. The end result was a Clock Tower full of people who not only underestimated the uses modern machines had, but some who had no idea what they were. He recalled hearing stories of how his father spent a successful career as a 'Mage Killer' using modern weaponry to take 'Proper' Mages by surprise.

"...Okay, let's test you out," Tails walked out of the room. "In five seconds, try to call me on line 2."

"All right& " Rin muttered, staring at the not-a-watch on her wrist in apprehension. After a few moments, she pushed a button. "Hello? Tails?"

"Haha, you got it!" Tails' voice came from the watch's speaker. "Good! So, whenever you need me or Sonic, just give us a call."

"Let's hope it never comes to that." Rin muttered.

"Hey, the way you talk, it seems like you don't like us!" Sonic's voice chirped up.

Rin's eyebrows shot up. So did Archer's, but only for his right eye.

"Rin, you must have hit the party line!" Tails cried, "Quick, hit the options switch to push Sonic out!"

"You mean I wasn't invited?" Sonic asked teasingly, "That's mean... "

As Rin fumbled with the communicator, Archer sighed. Hopeless. Nothing short of hopeless.

The walk to school was nothing short of awkward. Most guys would have jumped to take Shirou's place. The very stupid kind. Other, smarter men would have realized just what a tense situation the teenaged Mage had been placed in, and swore to avoid it at all costs.

At Shirou's left, his underclassman Sakura. She had her head down, which didn't hide the bleak expression on her face, or the bags under her eyes. Shirou had suggested that she call in sick, given how tired she seemed, but the girl had refused. He would have called Taiga's attention to Sakura's condition, but his excitable teacher had run off the minute breakfast had ended. As they strolled, Shirou couldn't help but feel a faint pit form somewhere in his soul. It was...familiar. Like something he had felt before, but could not consciously remember.

Of course, this did not distract him from the pretty girl walking alongside his right. Saber was as stone-faced as she had ever been as she walked. She had the gait that was somewhere between relaxed and serious, no doubt on guard for any potential attacks that might occur. Shirou had wanted her to stay back and keep Sonic out of trouble (His fooling around with his wrist-communicator had almost exposed himself), but Saber insisted on coming. The robot attack and the encounters with Rider and Berserker the previous night had convinced his Servant that letting Shirou out of her sight was a Very Stupid Thing To Do. And now that her existence had been revealed to Taiga and Sakura, Saber decided that hiding was now pointless as well. It was more than likely that Taiga had told the entire school about the 'strange girl Shirou brought him'. The man in question could only hope most would dismiss it as more of the Tiger's meaningless babble.

But as they approached Homurahara Academy, it became apparent that 'meaningless babble', would be the least on anyone's minds. Police cars, construction vehicles and even news vans filled the front courtyard. Investigators, workers, and reporters were everywhere. Onlookers, consisting of mostly of students, crowded around to see what the big deal was.

"What's going on...?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Emiya! Hey, Shirou!" a voice called out.

Both Shirou and Sakura froze, for one very good reason.

It was Shinji.

With his usual cocky smile on, Sakura's older brother strode up to the three of them. That smile twitched when he saw how close together his little sister and Shirou were standing. It was no secret between the three of them that Shinji's estrangement from Shirou began when the red-head started to have suspicions of just what happened at the Matou Manor, combined with Shinji's distaste for Sakura spending so much time at the Emiya estate. But when he got a look at Saber, Shinji's eyes brightened.

"Well, well? Who is this? A friend of yours, Shirou?" Shinji asked, looking Saber over. "I didn't know you liked blonds."

"It's not like that," Shirou said, "She's just a friend of my step-father who's visiting. Her name is Saber."

Shinji hummed thoughtfully. Before he could ask another (Undoubtably embarrassing) question, a loud metallic screech followed by a crash caught their attention. Shinji glanced at it, then turned his attention back to Saber. But within those scant seconds she, along with Shirou and Sakura, had stepped around him to get a better look at the ruckus. Shinji gritted his teeth and followed after.

As it turned out, the center of all the action was none other than Arms. Men and women in uniform were crawling all around it, either examining the robot's scrap, or taking pieces away. The noise had been caused by a large metal plate falling off. Police that weren't taking (Or answering) questions were busy trying to keep onlookers from getting too close. One very important-looking officer was talking to a reporter, declining to voice any theories until the investigation was complete, and yes, they will issue an official statement as soon as possible.

In hindsight, Shirou should not have been surprised that something like this was happening. After all, it was completely foolish to assume that the remains of a giant robot would be swept under the rug. No doubt some teacher, student, or even a passerby noticed the wreckage and called the authorities. He was just used to the after-effects of a battle being immediately covered up. Luckily, there was no way a giant robot could break the secrecy of Magecraft. It was unusual, but not beyond mundane explanation.

"Where- where did this come from...?" Sakura asked, staring at the machine.

Shinji chose that moment to step up, his arms crossed. "I know, it's crazy, right? On top of Ayako almost being raped-"

"What was that?" Shirou whirled at Shinji in shock. Besides him he could hear Sakura and Saber also turning.

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Apparently, some lowlife snuck into the school after classes and assaulted a few girls," He explained, "From what I hear, Mitsuzuri's the only one to get away unharmed."

Shirou instantly realized that Shinji was referring to the victims of Rider's feeding. In all of the excitement surrounding Eggman's robots, as well as Berserker's assault last night, he had completely forgotten that there were other threats in the city. He risked a glance at Saber, and saw from her stone faced expression that she didn't forget.

"Umm, Nii-san, do you know who the culprit is?" Sakura asked timidly.

Shinji gave his sister a glance before turning back to Shirou. "Not a clue. I think Ayako's under some non-disclosure thing from the police," He snickered. "I hear it's because she claims a tanuki saved her, or whatever."

Sonic!

Shirou resisted the urge to groan openly. Of course Ayako would have seen Sonic- the Hedgehog admitted to saving someone from Rider, didn't he? And naturally, Ayako would have to tell someone about her miraculous encounter. On one hand, he was happy that Sonic had managed to save another life. On the other, his actions were yet another tear in the veil of secrecy that Mages everywhere hid behind. At this rate, the existence of Magecraft would be common knowledge by the end of the school year.

I wonder if Tohsaka's heard of this, Shirou thought as Shinji blathered on, No, she probably hasn't yet. She'd be going after Sonic with murderous intent if she had.

I'm going to kill him, Rin thought as she listened to Ayako recounted her chance encounter with near-death for the umpteenth time, I swear, the next time I see that Hedgehog, I won't even bother with hypnosis. I'll just shoot a Gandr into that big mouth.

While Rin should have been happy that a classmate had been saved, part of her really wished that Sonic had done it in a way that kept Ayako from, oh, I don't know, seeing him.

"…He didn't really look like a tanuki, honestly," Ayako told another girl, one from the Archery club. "He was blue- and had big spikes sticking out of the back of his head... "

Faster than the speed of sound, yet slow enough to be seen. Rin thought bitterly. She would have altered Ayako's memories right then and there, but didn't see the point. Even if she had hypnotized the archery club president into recanting her claims, the story of the 'Blue Tanuki' were already circulating the city, thanks to the news report about Lancer.

"But, still, I wonder who that woman was," Saegusa Yukika commented, "Do you really think she's the one who attacked the other girls?"

"That's what the police think." Ayako replied.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find," Makidera Kaede decided, "I mean, someone with long, purple hair should stand out, right?"

"Unless it's a wig..." Ayako said thoughtfully.

As the girls chattered, Rin rested her head on her desk, and tried to stave off the headaches with happy visions of a certain blue hero's head exploding. They were hauntingly therapeutic. She tried to console herself with the knowledge that at the very least Sonic was confined to the Emiya property, with Saber to watch him.

Just as the pleasing image of Sonic chained to a wall, with Saber on guard appeared in her mind, another classmate rushed into the room with the newest piece of gossip.

"Hey! Emiya just brought a blonde, foreign girl to school!"

Tohsaka Rin, Master of Archer, shook as she resisted the urge to scream.

Shirou sneezed.

"Bless you, senpai."

Shirou rubbed his nose. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something. After surviving certain death so many times, it would have been really awkward if a common cold did him in. Unless it was those brushes with death that were weakening his immune system.

Saber must have thought the same. "Shirou, are you well?"

"I'm fine, you guys." Shirou lied.

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Physically, Shirou was fine. Emotionally, he was in a bad way. He could hear, no, feel, all of the speculation surrounding his new companion. The strange and stunned looks were only their faces. Although they were spoken very quietly, words like "Arm candy" and "New girlfriend" fluttered from the student body as the three of them stepped through the halls. Thanks to Shinji, the whole school probably thought Shirou had a secret lover he was only now showing off. Whenever Shirou tried to correct those gutsy enough to approach and ask for more juicy tidbits that Saber was only a recent friend he made, (A not untrue claim) the rumor mill would grind his words to dust, and got people thinking he was simply a 'fast operator.' It was too much attention, and for all of the wrong reasons. He wanted to leave Saber at the entrance, but she insisted on following. Shirou considered trying to pass her off as a new transfer student, but realized what a worthless excuse that was. Even if he could forge the right paperwork, few people wold actually believe it now.

Eventually, he and Sakura had to separate for their respective classes. As they bid farewell, Shirou saw out of the corner of his eye that Sakura was shaking a bit. His concern for her went up, but before he could act on these feelings, he bumped into someone.

"Oh, excuse me." Shirou said automatically, and looked at who he had collided with.

The man in front of him was an adult, perhaps a few years older than Taiga. He had blonde hair that, while combed neatly, hung down on his head. He wore a green coat over his clothes, a snappy turtleneck and vest combo. He also had glasses. Shirou recognized him as Stuart-san, an assistant teacher that just recently started working at the school.

"It's all right," Stuart said, brushing himself off. "No harm done. Just be more careful, next time, Emiya-kun."

"I will."

Stuart's eyes drifted, and to Shirou's suppressed exasperation they landed on Saber. "And who might this be? A new transfer student?"

"N-no," Shirou quickly began introductions. "This is Saber, a friend of my father's I've met recently. Saber, this is Mr. Stuart, a member of the faculty."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Saber said cordially.

"The pleasure is all mine," Stuart said, "Do you live around here, Saber? I've just moved in myself."

"No," Saber replied, "I'm only visiting, to help Shirou during these difficult times."

"Hmm. Do you mean these strange attacks...or that giant machine out front?" Stuart asked.

"...I don't understand what you mean." Saber said after a moment.

Stuart shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm a bit jealous, actually. Emiya-kun has a cute lady like you watching out for him."

"Well...I need to get to class," Shirou said, and took that moment to walk very quickly ahead and away. "Saber, I'll see you after school, all right?"

"Shirou-!" Saber began to walk after him. As she followed after her Master, she didn't notice how narrow Stuart's eyes had become, staring intently at her retreating back.

Tails sat down besides the Tornado and wiped his brow. He was taking a break from the repair work, a job made somewhat easier thanks to the salvaged parts Archer brought back. It wasn't a very good job, however. While the pieces of metal were great for repairing the wings and hull, Tails wasn't so eager to use any of the circuit boards for the bi-plane's computers. Without a proper computer of his own, there was no way to double-check the software for bugs or (Knowing Eggman) virus'. This meant that there was a fairly large pile of parts lying in the yard. That was no good. From what Archer had said in the morning, Rin had not been pleased that her Servant had brought it all to her mansion. She had only allowed it under the belief that since Tails probably needed all of it for the repairs, the big stuff would be gone. That was understandable. No one liked having a pile of junk in their back yard. But Tails couldn't use most of it for the Tornado- he wished he had Archer's help hiding it.

And then an idea came to mind. Tails reached into his gloves and pulled out the Power Ring Sonic lent him. While it would provide him with protection, if he lost it after being struck the gold loop would be gone forever. Tails pulled out the Miles Electric and began to search the files kept within its data banks. Eventually, he found the one he was looking for.

Ring Synthesis

By Sir Charles the Hedgehog

Tails examined the thesis, glancing back at the parts every now and then. Yeah, this could work. And if it did, none of them would have to worry about running out of Power Rings. Especially if they couldn't find a Special Zone...

I can't do this anymore... Sakura thought miserably.

What's wrong, Master? Avenger asked, his thoughts laced with malevolence. Have you found someone you would like me to kill?

Sakura sighed. Sitting in class, she attempted to focus on the lecture, but found that difficult. The word around the school was that a purple-haired woman was the one who attacked the girls last night. Even Sakura couldn't force herself to ignore the very real truth of the matter.

Rider. Rider was the culprit.

At a young age, Sakura's magical talents were very obvious. And so, it was equally obvious that she would be the focus of Zouken's twisted upbringing. Before she was even ten years old, she had been made to suffer. Violated in every form of the word, the young girl had been forced to absorb the Matou's Magecraft, regardless of the pain it caused her. And then there was her brother. When Shinji found out that Sakura, not he, was to become the Matou's heir, his familial love twisted into in a fierce envy and hatred. He abused her, and Sakura, already numb from Zouken's 'training', did nothing to fight back. And in a way, she pitied him, for she knew his attitude stemmed from the despair of being ignored by his family. Shinji's father, she knew, barely paid him much mind, and Zouken had written the boy off as useless years ago. In such a household, how else could he turn out? And so she took it, as she knew there was no escape.

And when the Holy War began, Zouken forced Sakura to summon a Servant of her own, Rider. Sakura knew little of the Holy Grail, save that it granted a wish to whichever Master and Servant remained. Sakura wanted no part in it, but could not resist Zouken's commands.

Which was when Shinji came in. He convinced Zouken to have Sakura turn control of Rider over to him, and that he would win the Holy Grail for the Matou's. Zouken agreed, as he cared little about how the prize was won. Sakura felt sorry a bit for Rider, but she didn't think she could handle the stress of being a Master. Learning that Rider had been feeding on her classmates was a little jarring- not it should have been. There was no way her brother could supply Rider with the necessary Mana. The real question was…who made the decision to do so? The concern burned away at Sakura, and it was one more pain she could barely handle.

Should I kill that guy in blue hair? Your brother, I mean?

Of course, it would be easier if Avenger wasn't around. The gossip going around the school had only made him more obnoxious, and more bloodthirsty, apparently. Sakura wanted to be rid of the shadowy creature, but...

If you wish for me to be off, then, of course, I shall obey... Avenger whispered.

Sakura jolted slightly. The most aggravating thing about Avenger was that he seemed to be in direct contact with her thoughts. The only place where she felt even the slightest bit of peace was within her head, where the tender memories of her early childhood were. When the pain of her present state grew too strong, she would think back to a time when her life had not been an endless parade of suffering. But with Avenger, even that sanctuary was lost.

But what else am I to do? Avenger asked, I must remain by my Master's side, and ensure her safety.

You...you do not need to be so close, Sakura thought back, I am in no danger...

Is that so? Then, do I have your permission to explore this world? To hunt?

Could it really be that simple? If- If I give you permission, would you stop following me around?

Thanks to their mental bond, Sakura could feel Avenger nod in confirmation. While it wouldn't solve the problem entirely, the idea of putting some distance between her and her new 'Servant' made Sakura- well, not entirely happy- she hadn't really felt that way in over ten years- but it lifted her spirits slightly.

You know, those kind of thoughts aren't going to help my self-confidence. Avenger grumbled.

"Sakura?"

Sakura was pulled from her mental conversation by a voice in the real world. Standing besides her was Ayako's younger brother, Minori. She soon realized that besides him, she was the only person left sitting in the classroom.

"Mm, class is over." He said a bit awkwardly.

"...Thank you." Sakura replied, just as awkwardly.

For a moment, it looked like Minori wanted to say something, but all he did was shuffle out of the room, tossing Sakura an anxious glance over his shoulder. Once he was gone, Avenger materialized from the shadows. It was the first time he did so since first appearing two nights ago. In the daylight, he seemed even more sinister. His black body had an unearthly purple glow to it, faint but noticeable.

"I think he likes you." Avenger said, nodding at the door where Minori had gone.

"What?" Sakura blinked. Where did that come from?

"Never mind. So, is this it? I can go?" Avenger asked, almost eagerly.

There was a hunger in his tone that Sakura didn't like. "Yes. But- would you try not to attack anybody?"

Avenger tilted his head down slightly, almost sulking. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Sakura affirmed, half-pleadingly. "I don't want you hurting any of the people." She knew asking Avenger not to fight at all was out of the question- all Servants brought into the world desired battle- but at the very least she could keep innocent bystanders from getting caught in the crossfire. That's something Shirou would do, after all.

For a moment, Avenger didn't answer. Then, lifting his spherical head, he said, "Just to be clear. Your orders are that I cannot harm any of the people- is that it?"

A bit confused by his inflictions, Sakura nodded. That blood-red smile appeared again, sending shivers up Sakura's spine.

"I understand completely, Master." Avenger said, and his form shrank into the ground, becoming a silhouette. The shadow slinked off, crawling up the wall and out the window, squeezing through the smallest space between the building and glass. Watching him go, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if she had done something terrible.

So far, the day had not been as bad as Shirou had thought it would be. Despite the occasional odd look, Saber's presence did not disrupt the day-to-day events of the school. The fact that she did not follow him into his classes probably helped. Good thing, too. Lessons would have been supremely awkward if she had.

"I am going to do a perimeter check, Shirou," Saber had told him, "I will meet up with you at your lunch break, so please exercise caution until then."

When lunchtime came around, Shirou realized that he didn't tell Saber that instead of the regular cafeteria, he typically had lunch in the student council room with his friend, Ryuudo Issei.

On his way there, however, he suddenly felt something. It wasn't a physical sensation, like stubbing a toe, or coming into contact with a patch of hot or cold air. This felt more like a magical presence. But it didn't feel like it belonged to a living creature, or even a Servant. There was something...off. An image flashed in his mind, that of an area covered in membranes, with people like decayed dolls.

Currently outside the school building, Shirou found himself drifting towards one of the tree's surrounding the campus. Once at the base, he found…something. It was a blood red pentagram of sorts, surrounded by a circle with obscure glyphs around the outside. On the center was a symbol that resembled an explosion- or writing tentacles.

Shirou's first thought was to reach out and touch it, which he instantly decided was idiotic. His next, much more rational idea was to find Rin and have her take a look. She would have a better idea of this...thing was than he would.

Just as Shirou turned to go back into the school, his Command Seals became warm. He heard a footsteps approaching from behind. He turned around instantly, his body tensing.

Rider walked towards him, her luscious body swaying with each step. There was a slight breeze which caused her hair to wave like a sexy flag. None of this detracted from the very noticeable sense of menace her presence created.

"Please come with me," She said, "My Master wishes to speak with you."

Shirou's blood went cold. He almost summoned Saber with a Command Seal on reflex, but just barely stopped himself. The fact of the matter was that there was no way a human, even a Mage, could stand up to the power of a Servant. If Rider had wanted to kill him, she would have done so already, and Shirou would be dead before he even knew it. Furthermore, if he summoned his own Servant, their inevitable battle would draw more unnecessary attention, something no one wanted to risk. No matter where the fight took place, it would start a ruckus that would expose the War.

And so, walking as slowly as he could manage, Shirou followed Rider. He hoped that if he drew this out long enough, either Saber or Rin would notice his absence and come looking. Or maybe, since Rider was blind, he could sneak off without her noticing...

"Move faster, or I'll knock you out and drag you." Rider said without turning around.

...Or maybe his sensuous captor could become less patient and more 'pro-active.' As he quickened his pace, a single thought ran Shirou's mind.

Did Sonic the Hedgehog ever have days like this?

"Achoo!"

Sonic couldn't have sneezed at a worse time. He was just inches away from defeating Warhead and completing Vectorman. But Sonic was one hit-point from death with only one life left when it happened, and in the split second his eyes were closed, the screen had changed from that of a final boss battle to that of Vectorman falling apart in a black background. Sonic shut the Genesis off with a disgusted snort. He didn't feel like running the gamut again, and it probably wasn't good for his eyes.

Looking around the empty house, Sonic considered just going out to get a better lay of the land. The only times he had been in the city was at night, and he wanted to see what it looked like in daylight. After all, Saber wasn't around to play watch dog.

Maybe I could go see how Tails is... Sonic thought, After all, he's living in a mansion now. Wonder how well it stacks up to this place.

His mind made up, Sonic went into instant-acceleration.

Whump!

And instantly slipped on a pillow. Sonic's body slid across the well-mopped floor. He hit a bookshelf, jostling its contents. With a groan, Sonic pulled himself up.

"Ugh... wipe out," He muttered. Then a book fell on him. "Ouch!"

Shaking his head, Sonic glared at the offending tome. It looked normal enough, if not a bit heavy. His first thought was that it was a spell book, but that concept was disregarded. The book looked too normal to be magical. The cover wasn't made from leather, and there was a distinct lack of mysterious symbols or ominous noises. The title wasn't even in Latin, a language Sonic had stereotypically associated with wizardry.

Kiritsugu

Shirou couldn't believe what he was seeing. After their encounter on school grounds, Rider had 'escorted' Shirou to the back of the academy. They purposely took a route that avoided other students and staff. Every time it a stray person would wander by, Rider would always have Shirou pulled into the shadows with a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. Shirou briefly wondered if Rider could detect people as a power granted by the Grail, or if being blindfolded had heightened her senses. Either way, their little walk was unlikely to be interrupted.

They soon came upon a storage shed. Rider gestured towards the door.

"My Master is inside." She said.

Shirou swallowed, tensed, and went inside. There, most the sports gear usually kept inside had been removed. A card table had been set up, along with a lamp for light. All in all made the interior look like a low-budget office. But most shocking of all was who sat behind the table.

"Shinji?!" Shirou gasped. He thought he was seeing things, but there was no mistaking that obnoxious smirk.

"Yo, Emiya," Shinji greeted, "Rider didn't treat you too roughly, did you?"

Shirou heard footsteps, and knew that the Servant in question was entering the shed. Shirou gritted his teeth.

Shinji just laughed. "Relax, Emiya! You're not in any danger. Rider wouldn't hurt a fly while I'm around."

Shirou glanced behind him and frowned. "I wonder how Mitsuzuri-san and the other girls would react to that."

Shinji's smile fell a bit, and he nodded. "Looks like I'd better explain a few things.

"I didn't really intend to summon Rider. She just appeared one day. Being descended from a clan of Mages, it was only inevitable that I be dragged into this mess. I wasn't so sure about this 'Holy War' thing, but Rider assured me that I wouldn't have to do anything. She'd do all of the fighting."

Shirou looked at Rider, who was now standing impassively at the door. Maybe it was the blindfold, but she seemed even more emotionless than Saber.

"You've heard that some weak Masters have their Servants steal mana from people to power them up, right?" Shinji continued, "Well, Rider decided to do the same thing while I wasn't looking. She didn't kill anyone, but-"

But they were pretty close to death, Shirou knew. Was Shinji trying to pass everything Rider had done as an innocent mistake?

"That's why I called you out here," Shinji said, "I can't say anything to Ayako or anyone else, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for Rider's behaveour. I used a Command Seal to keep her from doing it again."

Shirou wasn't so sure if a simple apology would suffice, but decided not to press the issue. At the very least, he now knew who Rider's Master was. He would have to talk with Tohsaka about this.

But Shinji wasn't done, apparently. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk business," He said, "That cutie you brought to school. She's your Servant, isn't she?"

"...Yeah." No point in denying it.

"Hmph, you're pretty gloomy, even though you've got a beautiful woman by your side," Shinji remarked sardonically, "But I guess some people can't handle the pressure of a War, huh? Maybe I can help with that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we should form an alliance," Shinji explained, "After all, we're friends. Neither of us asked to take part in this War. Why shouldn't we work together?"

Shirou didn't answer that. He stared at Shinji, trying to figure if his alleged friend was being sincere in his offer. Though neither of them noticed, Rider suddenly tilted her head in confusion.

"I understand if you're a bit intimidated," Shinji went on, "But I really don't want to be your enemy. Why don't I give some intel?

"From what Rider tells me, there's now a powerful Boundary Field surrounding the Ryuudou Temple. Not only that, but there's now a weird samurai guarding the Temple's gate. I'll bet anything that there's a Master camping out there. The leylines there are perfect for some high-level Magecraft," He smile grew. "So, what do you say?"

Shirou was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "If you keep Rider from attacking any people, I'll tell Saber not to fight her. But I'm not sure if we should team up yet," He already had an alliance with Tohsaka, after all. She might not react kindly if Shirou joined Shinji, and her temper was already being pushed to the breaking point because of Sonic and company. "Let's just call a ceasefire for now."

Shinji gritted his teeth, but forced a smile. "If that's your ans-"

Boom

"-the Hell?" Shinji stood up, confused.

Shirou's nerves went into overdrive. There was something very familiar about that tremor...

A few minutes ago, Saber waited for Shirou in the school council room with Issei. The two had met outside in the hallways, and found themselves on good terms. Issei had never gotten along with girls, but something about Saber's stoicism appealed to the monk-in-training.

"Shirou is late," Saber said, sitting at the table. "What do you think has happened to him.

Issei sighed. "I'm sure it's nothing so serious. It's likely that he's been distracted by someone needing a bit of assistance. He's always been like that."

Saber looked at the student body president. "What do you mean?"

Issei glanced at the door, if expecting Shirou to come in at that moment. When nothing happened, he looked back at Saber and said, "For as long as I've known him, Shirou's never turned down a request from someone. If it was something he could do, he would do it. Whether it was repairing damaged equipment, or cleaning rooms, Shirou did it. I won't deny that he's been a big help to the school..." Issei paused, "Sometimes I worry this attitude might endanger him. Someday some unscrupulous person may take advantage of his better nature."

Saber was silent. She recalled how quickly Shirou jumped between her and Berserker on their first night together. At first she assumed it was just some misplaced chivalry, but now...

Before she could think anymore, she heard some screaming. So did Issei.

"What's that?" He asked, standing up. Opening the door, he saw several students running down the hall. He grabbed one freshman by the arm. "What's all the commotion?"

"O-outside!" The boy yelled, "There's something approaching the school!"

Saber stood up. Without giving Issei another glance, she ran out. Running down the hallway, she saw several students gathered outside a window facing the school courtyard. Annoyingly, they were all taller than her, so she had to force herself to the front in order to see what was the matter. Once she got a good look, her eyes widened. Standing in front of the school was a giant.

Causing a slight tremor with each step, the massive figure approached Homurahara Academy. Though humanoid in basic shape, it's body was blocky, looking like it had scales. A faint purple was its paint job, and a face that was blank, save for two yellow eyes and a metal grill that looked like a grimace. Jutting out of its head on both sides were massive, bent antenna, with yellow yellow spheres on each end. /\/\/\/\/\o

E-1056 "Frankly"

In his Egg-Mobile, Dr. Eggman floated in the air, just a little bit before the giant robot. Attached to the bottom was what looked like a boxing glove the size of a wrecking ball. It was both comical and foreboding to look at.

"Let's see, which one was the loudspeaker, again...?" Eggman muttered, and pushed a button. His voice was then amplified for all to hear. "There we go. Ahem! Attention, students and faculty of this clearly under-budgeted school! I am Dr. Eggman! And I'm afraid you're lessons are going to be cut short!

"Somewhere on this campus is a small gem, roughly the size of my fist. Hand it over, and I'll leave without another word. If not..." Eggman turned off his microphone. "Frankly?"

The spheres on Frankly's antenna crackled, and then two bolts of lightning shot out! People screamed as the energy struck the school. Eggman laughed nastily, twirling his mustache. He turned the speaker on again. "And that was just a warning shot!"

From her homeroom, Rin stared in horror at the madman threatening their school. As the rest of the room began to panic and rapidly speculate as to what this lunatic was talking about, Rin and Archer held their own private discussion on the matter.

Coming out in broad daylight? She thought, shaking. Is he INSANE?

That's why they're called 'mad scientists', Archer told her telepathically, A severe lack of sanity.

You know what I mean Archer! Rin retorted, Why is that idiot coming out in the open?!

While Rin had become more or less aware, if not accustomed to, the idea that the city was being threatened by dangerous machines, she had subconsciously assumed Eggman would be like the other Masters and act with caution. This flagrant assault had caught her completely by surprise. Not Archer. Unlike Rin, who kept to herself, the Servant had spent the previous day and current morning talking with Tails about life in the fox's own world. Apparently, this sort of thing was a common occurrence where Eggman was concerned.

Rather than saying that, Archer told Rin, We can discuss his tact is later. This may in fact work in our favor.

Rin, trying to keep her calm, quickly caught on to what her Servant was saying. You're right. As annoying as this is, it's easy to fix. Go find a good point and snipe that looney.

Give me a few minutes, Archer replied, and Rin felt his presence begin to drift away. I'll be on the roof and ready to act shortly.

No! Not from the school! Rin mentally shouted, There's too much attention on the campus to begin with! Do it from another building!

But that'll leave you in danger, Archer argued, Unless you've got a healing factor that'll put Shirou's to shame, I don't think you'll survive if one of those lightning bolts hits you.

"Students," A stern voice said. This was Kuziki Souchirou, another teacher. He was at the door. He seemed his normally stoic self, even in these outlandish circumstances. "Evacuate the school. Now."

I'll be FINE, Rin insisted as she went with others Just get over there and put an end to this!

Archer made an unhappy face, but left as directed. While the students hurried out of the room as quickly as they could without trampling each other (Not an easy feat, but doable when Kuzuki-sensei was watching), Souchirou's eyes remained glued on the window. He focused his glare on the floating vehicle in the distance, carrying an rotund madman with a comically bushy mustache. He had been forewarned about such a person, by the latest visitor to the Ryuudou Temple. And he had seen the remains of the giant machine earlier. As such, he wasn't too surprised to see another robot accompanied by the aforementioned maniac. A bit stunned by the doctor's abrupt and decidedly non-subtle actions, true, but not really surprised. Not really.

So, that's Dr. Eggman. The Master of Caster thought.

Shirou, Shinji, and Rider had not seen what caused the explosions. While they had heard Eggman's announcement, and saw pieces of the school explode, they were still unclear as to what was going on. But when they managed to get close enough around the main building to take a look- with Shinji creeping a reasonable distance behind Shirou- all questions were dispelled, replaced with others, such as...

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Shinji screamed, pointing at the giant robot.

Shirou gritted his teeth and reinforced his eyes. Ignoring the hot-rod feeling in his spine, he focused his attention on the figure hovering next to the robot. He then looked at the robot itself, and saw tell-tale trails of smoke coming from its antenna and got a pretty good idea what caused the destruction.

I can't believe he came in person, Was Shirou's first thought. He wasn't too surprised that Eggman had sent another robot- with three Servants at the school, his 'magic detectors' must have been going into overdrive.

"What is a Chaos Emerald?" Rider asked.

"How should I know!?" Shinji clutched his head with one hand, looking both terrified and confused. "Ugh! Tohsaka's family deals in Jewel Magecraft. Maybe this has something to do with her!"

Shirou was surprised to learn that Shinji already knew Rin was a Mage. However, he put his confusion on hold due to the circumstances. Taking Shinji by the shoulders, he faced his estranged friend.

"Listen, Shinji, you need to get Rider out of here." The red-haired Mage said, "Eggman has a machine that lets him detect and track sources of magical energy. That's why he's here! He thinks the presence of our Servants is that Emerald!"

"WHAT?" Shinji cried out. Next to him, Rider's normally impassive face betrayed a look of shock at this revelation. "But, that's impossible!"

Shirou looked back at Eggman. "Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if that word has any meaning anymore- Oh no."

"What now?" Shinij moaned, looking over Shirou's shoulders. While he couldn't reinforce his eyes, he could still see the small army that was now walking around the robot, having hidden in the large machine's shadow, somehow.

"And to help you with your search, I'll be sending my little helpers in!" Eggman chortled over his loudspeaker, "Take care!"

Shirou's blood went cold as the robots- a small portion of which only looked remotely human- rushed at the school. And that portion were the only ones that bothered to use the doors. The other robots, that looked like oversized crabs, bees, and beetles that had large wheels in place of legs, chose to get in blasting away and crashing through walls and windows.

"Uh, on second thought, leaving might be the best course of action," Shinji decided, and began to back away. "Rider, we're leaving! Watch my back!"

Without giving Shirou another look, Shinji turned and bolted. The purple haired Servant just rolled her eyes, an act hidden from the world, and leapt after him, vanishing as she entered her astral form. Shirou, for his part, was no longer thinking about the Matou teen. Instead, as he rushed for the nearest entrance to the school building, he realized that there was no easy solution. This was going to be a madhouse.

The school was in pandemonium. The invasion of the robots turned what should have been a hurried evacuation into a full-fledged riot. The Badniks(Copyright of Robotnik Industries, Patent Pending) seemed to be everywhere, knocking over furniture and blasting anything that moved in their search. Students and teachers alike tripped over each other trying to get away. For Saber, this made her search for Shirou incredibly difficult.

"Shi-!" Her cry for help was cut off as a hefty third-year student shoved her aside. Growling, she got up, only for the tide of bodies to suddenly go in the other direction. She quickly realized why; A robot built like a crab (Sonic had called this model Crabmeat) had appeared behind a corner! The Badnik pointed one claw at Saber, and from a gun port in the direct center, a fireball flew out. Saber ducked- The fire struck a wall, blasting it a hole in it- and shot towards the robot. She gave Crabmeat a solid kick, sending it out a window. Thankfully, no one had been around to see it. But that was only a small comfort. Even without the highly-tuned senses of a Heroic Spirit, she could hear and feel the havoc the rest of the Badniks were wreaking. The building shook again, and Saber looked out the window in alarm. Aparently, Eggman had the giant robot launch another salvo at the school. The lady knight watched as the mad doctor's evil laugh reached her ears. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to go out and personally take Eggman down- the fastest way to end a battle was to eliminate the enemy's head, after all. But to go out in public and fight would expose the War. Not that every act of these off-worlders weren't doing that already…Eggman's assault was already attracting attention. Even from this distance, she could see a news crew getting everything on film. It wouldn't be long until the entire city, perhaps all of Japan, would see what was going on. And they would know that something called a "Chaos Emerald" was worth leveling an entire school for.

That's right…Eggman thinks the energy from Servants are those Emeralds, Saber thought, That's why he came here. Maybe I can use that…

As she pondered on a plan, Saber's eyes drifted towards a door. It had a sign.

Drama Club

"Hyyaaah!" Shirou yelled swinging a piece of metal that used to be a chair leg. It struck a Motobug dead on, knocking it off its wheel. With its balance disrupted, Shirou allowed himself to relax, and the feeling like a hot metal rod up his spine left. He had been reinforcing not only the metal, but also his upper body to increase the force of his swing. He let out a heavy sigh. The way Sonic described it, trashing Badniks sounded easy. But he barely put a dent in the thing. Luckily, because of its design, the Motobug would be incapacitated for several minutes- which was more than enough time to put some distance in. He glanced at the pair of staff members who had been huddle against a corner for safety.

"What are you doing? Run!" Shriou shouted, and the two adults fled. He heard a metal whining, and turned back to see that an Egg Pawn was helping up the Motobug. Once it was back on its wheel, the robotic beetle pointed a claw at Shirou. The Egg Pawn glanced at Shirou, before waving hurriedly at a nearby door. Another Egg Pawn came out.

Shirou gulped. Somehow, he didn't like the way they were looking at him.

Rin wasn't faring much better. She, along with a group of girls that included Ayako, were at the time running for their lives from a trio of Crabmeats whose awkward design was the only thing keeping them at bay. While Rin wanted to use her own Magecraft and destroy the things, she knew she couldn't. For one thing, someone might see her; Even if she could alter their memories, it was too great a chance to take. Furthermore, the magic she stored in her gems was meant to fight in the Holy War. She couldn't waste them on…machines. As long as she could keep her distance, it would be fine. They would wreck the school, but that wasn't her business.

But it is your business, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. It was the same voice that told her to use her special pendant to heal Shirou. You know why Eggman thinks there is a Chaos Emerald here. If you had left school earlier, find an excuse to take Shirou with you, Eggman's detectors would not have brought him here. He would not think there is power here.

And now that he has come, you are running away. Ignoring those you could help.

It was a voice that used to speak quite loudly when she was younger, but went silent in recent years. And it was because of that voice that she healed Shirou, using the pendant she stored ten years of magic in. And with every word that voice spoke, Rin's pace slowed just a little bit, until she was at the back of the pack. Everyone else was too busy fleeing for their own lives to notice. When they passed around a corner, Rin stopped running. And amazingly, so did the robots. They weren't smart machines, (though Rin was of the opinion that machines didn't think period) truth be told. As good as he was at designing hardware, artificial intelligence was a facet of the trade that Eggman lacked. The Crabmeats knew that Rin had some strange energy inside of her, power similar to that of the Chaos Emeralds, but could not comprehend or conceive of why that was. As they regarded her, Rin made her move. Reinforcing her body, calling upon private lessons in martial arts, Rin swept her leg in a devastating kick that not only caught one Crabmeat, but caused it to collide with the other two. They crashed into a wall, suffering much damage. Rin was a better Mage than Shirou, who could better control her Prana. As such, she had done a better job of attacking her pursuers than he had. That said, using her bare leg and not a weapon was probably a bad idea.

Shaking off the pain, Rin resumed her run. As she went, she hoped that things would improve soon- though how they could get any worse required more thought than she could spare at the moment.

Eggman's trip to Homurahara Academy did not go unnoticed. From the moment he and his forces entered Japan, police switchboards all around the country had been swamped with calls about the evil robot armies. As such, it did not take long for both the police and a small military force to arrive at the school. A news crew also came, and was covering the story from a safe distance.

As two tanks rolled up, a police captain began to speak through a megaphone, "Attention! You are causing a disturbance!"

Eggman glanced at the assembled forces and raised an eyebrow. Only two tanks? How insulting.

"You are ordered to stand down, or we will use force!" The captain finished, and his words would have been somewhat intimidating if it wasn't for the slight tremble at the very end.

Eggman had turned his Eggmobile around to fully address the captain. He bunched up his fists and held them to his face in mock fright. "Oh, no! Not force! How could I have forgotten about force! Whatever shall I do?" He wailed, the sarcasm so thick it was a wonder they could leave his mouth. Dropping both his hands and the sarcasm, he growled, "Here's an idea!"

The giant boxing glove jittered, then rocketed off, connected to the Eggmobile's underside by a chain. It crashed into captain's police car, sending it flipping over. As the glove retracted, the tanks began to turn their cannons towards Eggman and Frankly. Rather than waiting for them to finish aiming, the giant robot fired two more bolts of lightning from its antenna, wrecking them instantly.

"Ahh! Nothing like a little pointless destruction to take the edge off!" Eggman chuckled, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "But, I'll have plenty of time for that when I rule the world. Frankly!" The Eggmobile spun around to face the school. "The Badniks are taking too long! Smash that building to pieces and we'll search through the rubble!"

Frankly nodded, and began to march towards the school. Each step made a loud noise, and those who hadn't run away or were still conscious began to liken them to a death knell. As it moved, the spheres its antenna began to glow as they built up energy.

CRUNCH

Those in the school that were near the front windows saw Frankly coming, and caused a greater panic when they spread word that the bigger robot was coming on top of the small army that were already in the building. Some had just lied down and decided to accept the end peacefully. This was a world without heroes, and one where its people died very easily.

"Stop right there!"

And lo, did a hero appear.

Eggman cocked his head. That wasn't the voice he had been expecting. And when he looked down, he saw that standing in front of Frankly wasn't the hero he had been expecting.

It was Saber. She had materialized her armor, but not her invisible sword. Her head was obscured entirely by a helmet. It was not the headgear worn by the knights of old, but a replica of the kind the Kamen Rider had. And in spite of the conflicting styles creating an appearance that was patently ridiculous, her presence did stop Frankly in its tracks…from confusion.

"You will not find what you seek here!" Saber declared. This was not the best plan, she knew. she was taking a huge risk, coming out into the open. "Leave this place, at once!"

Eggman raised an eyebrow. "And who are you supposed to be, the Mighty Bug Queen?" He was about to complain about the quality of superheroes in the dimension when his computer beeped. When he saw the readouts, his eyes widened underneath the glasses; this strange girl was brimming with energy, like she was made of the stuff! "Oho! So, you've got the Chaos Emerald!"

Saber smiled bitterly. So, the loon was taking the bait. So far, so good. Now was the tricky part. When Frankly lunged at her, Saber had to be very careful on how she dodged. There were people watching, after all. If she moved too quickly, displayed ability far beyond what a mortal being could do, it would break the facade of normality the Mages Association worked to create- and would kill to maintain. Waiting until the absolutely last minute, she jumped aside, just narrowly avoiding Frankly's mechanized fists. She even threw herself into a roll, to better create the illusion that she was inches away from dying. She couldn't let it look too easy.

"Catch me if you can!" She shouted, moving away. Hopefully, Eggman, and his robots, would be lured away from the school in the doctor's mad hunger for power.

"Not so fast!" Eggman shouted, pointing dramatically. "Unless you hand over that Chaos Emerald over to me, my Badniks will destroy the school! So don't think about leaving yet- unless you don't care what happens to those poor, innocent students!"

Saber felt herself freeze. Suddenly, she found that she was between a rock and a hard place; In her zeal to try and solve the situation quickly, she may have made things worse. She couldn't fight effectively in public. But if she tried to move the battle to a less open location, Eggman's robots would go on a rampage!

Archer, stationed on a nearby building, raised an eyebrow at what happened in the school's courtyard. He had long since been dulled to surprises, but seeing Saber in that Kamen Rider helmet came very close to breaking his calm. He actually lowered his bow for a brief second before bringing it back up.

Damn, she actually looks kinda cute in that, he thought, I wonder if I can get her to wear the helmet again later on.

"I am the bone of my sword." He intoned, and a sword appeared in his hand. It was Hrunting, a weapon that would always seek its target. A bit overkill, but for all he knew Eggman had his hover car surrounded by an invisible forcefield. Recent events had taught him to expect anything.

Archer! Why haven't you shot Eggman yet!? Rin's voice echoed in his head.

I assume you've seen what Saber's gotten into?

Yes! What is she think- Owww!

What happened?

I hit my wrist. Things are going crazy now- the robots are out of control! Emiya must have infected Saber with his stupidity!

It'll over in a minute, hopefully, Archer said mentally as he pulled his bow back. Try not to watch. This could get messy.

"Hey, that's no fun. They've just gotten started."

Archer felt an incredibly dark presence behind him and whirled about, inadvertently releasing the bowstring. A portion of the building's roof exploded, and when the dust settled, Archer's eyes beheld something very much unsettling. It was some kind of…living shadow, black, and glowing with a purple aura. It's red, dot eyes were staring holes into the bowman…hopefully, not literally.

"So, you're this war's Archer, huh?" It asked in a voice that resonated from its entire body. "Gotta say, I'm not impressed. You're nowhere near as cool as the last guy."

"And just what are you supposed to be?" Archer hissed, Projecting his swords. He had no idea what was standing before him. It looked too monstrous to be a Servant, even by the standard set by Berserker. On the other hand, it's Mana was higher than any familiar he had encountered in life. Regardless, every fiber of Archer's being, every sense, every instinct was screaming at him to destroy the abomination before him.

"Oh, just another Servant," Avenger said, "I was looking for someone to play with. But Master asked me not to harm any people, which led me to you. After all…Servants aren't people…"

Avenger reached out, and its arm suddenly stretched out and lunged at Archer, with movements almost like snake at its prey. Archer parried the assault, and turned his white blade into a Broken Phantasm, a sword overloaded with Prana to the point of bursting. Any Servant could do so, but that would mean losing their weapon for the rest of the War. Archer, however, could replicate any number of his arsenal a number of times. But as ghastly thing before him regrew his arm, the bowman knew it was only a slight advantage.

Rin, it's going to take me a bit longer to get Eggman…

Shirou had no idea what was happening outside. He spent most of his time running all over the school, avoiding robots whenever the odds were too great, and helping those who hadn't been able to escape. And now, for reasons that were unknown to him, the Badniks weren't just knocking things over in their search for an Emerald. They were purposely breaking down walls, smashing through chalkboards, and tipping over chairs. At one point, he almost saw an Egg Pawn drawing obnoxious doodles on one blackboard punching a hole in it with its metal fist.

And amongst that madness was Emiya Shirou, Master of Saber. Even though the robots were not actively pursuing him, he still had to be careful. Their weird designs notwithstanding, these were dangerous machines. There was no way he could destroy all of them. With that in mind, Shirou only fought the ones that were attacking people. The robots did chase him, but apparently lost interest the minute he left their sight.

A shriek caught Shirou's attention, and it was a very familiar one. Sakura!

Racing into one room, Shirou found to his horror that his underclassman was trapped with two robots. In the center of the classroom, a Crabmeat and a Motobug were standing over a pile of wood that used to be someone's desk. The Crabmeat was fiddling with the matches, apparently unable to strike one properly. Sakura was huddled in one corner, rocking back and forth in fear. Walking carefully around the Badniks (Who were now fighting over the matches- Motobug was losing), Shirou crept up to his underclassman. He saw that, despite the tears running down her face, the girl was catatonic, almost in a world of his own.

"Sakura…?" He whispered, keeping one eye on the robots.

"I'm going to die…" She moaned, almost unaware.

"Sakura, it's going to be all right," Shirou said.

"I can't do this anymore…" She sobbed, "I can't keep pretending…"

There were everywhere. The flames. the screams. People crying out for help, begging to be saved. A small boy stood out from the crowd, the only one not crushed under burning rubble. He walked alone, heedless to their wails…

Shirou forced that scene out. Taking Sakura's hand, he tried to stand her up.

"I'm going to get you out of here," He told her, "It's going to be okay."

There came a sound of wood burning, and gears shifting. Looking, Shirou saw both robots looking at them. And the desk was on fire. Without another word, he grabbed Sakura by the arm and dragged her out as quickly as possible.

Fujimura Taiga was in her element, so to speak. When Eggman first appeared, her first reaction was to gawk at the spectacle. Immediately afterwards, she began to act. While most of the city and basically the entire school thought of her as an overgrown child, a hyperactive girl in a woman's skin, she had earned her teacher's credentials for a reason, and spearheaded the evacuation effort. Which to her, was personally leading a large crowd of students out of the school while using her formidable kendo skills to remove any robots in their way. The Badniks weren't destroyed, but they became a lot less eager to go near the clearly unstable woman with a wooden stick.

But as caught in the action as Taiga was, she hadn't forgotten that two of her favorite students were MIA. She wanted to keep looking around the school for them, but Taiga knew she had to make sure the students she had already found were out of danger.

Shirou, Sakura, please be safe! She silently pleaded.

Archer didn't know what he was going to do. Which showed just how bad the situation was. He prided himself on his control and discipline, the mental ability to discern which strategy was the best one to implement. Even against an opponent that far exceeded his abilities, the bowman knew how to act (IE, run away). But against the creature before him, he was at a loss. It wasn't that the 'Servant' was a particularly skilled fighter. Far from it. As creepy as its extending body parts were, the shadowy being lacked the strength to actually close the gap between him and Archer. Thanks to his ability to Project and explode a holy sword as many times as he wanted, Archer could easily fend off the creature's assaults. But the inverse was true as well. No matter how many times the shadow got blasted, its body would just regenerate as if nothing happened. It was like fighting the tide at a beach.

And what was it? It claimed to be a Servant, but Archer knew that was impossible. All of the Servant roles had already been filled. Lancer, Saber, and Berserker he had seen personally, and Saber confirmed that the Rider he knew had appeared. And judging from the crowds of people that had fainted, the Caster from his War had appeared as well. That meant the Assassin was the same, too. Hopefully. Then again…

"So, if you're a Servant, which one are you?" Archer asked his attacker, "Assassin, I suppose?"

Avenger hummed. "Oh, I've got a bit of Assassin in me…lots of Assassin, actually. And Rider. And Berserker. In fact…" Avenger's spherical head cocked, and its red crescent smile grew wider. "The only pieces I'm missing are Archer and Saber…"

And now Archer was worried for additional reasons.

Shirou was worried. The Badniks chasing after him and Sakura had increased in number. And he knew why. The machines were confusing the Prana inside of him for the energy of the Chaos Emerald. Therefore, the obvious solution was to separate from Sakura and lure the Badniks away from her. But that plan was out. In her current state, Sakura was unlikely to make it out from the school before the robots destroyed it.

A Motobug appeared around a corner. Without even thinking about it, Shirou Reinforced his leg and kicked it, sending the machine off its stride. He pulled Sakura around it, not even bothering to give the Motobug a second glance. Shirou knew it would get back up. If only he could use magic to destroy the robots more completely…

Saber kept jumping around, dodging Frankly's attempts to grab her. It was embarrassing, to spend the battle dodging, but there was little else she could do. With the whole of the city watching, (Thank you, Journalism and information streaming technology!) she couldn't unleash her full fighting potential without exposing Magecraft. Even without using her sword, moving too quickly would tell too much. And if she tried to run away, Eggman would take out his frustration on the rest of the school and its occupants. While Saber hoped that she bought enough time for the students and faculty to run away, she couldn't take the chance. What she really wanted to do was punch the doctor in the face. But Eggman kept his Egg Mobile floated just out of range- for a human. If it wasn't for the public eye, nothing short of dramatic emphasis would keep her from leaping up and breaking Eggman's jaw.

But Eggman wasn't content to just watch. With his thumb on the trigger, every ounce of Eggman's concentration was set on waiting until the ideal moment to strike. He had done this many times in his skirmishes with Sonic; Keep the enemy hopping with little attacks, then, when they slowed down for just a second, WHAMMO!

Engman was so busy waiting to hit Saber that he didn't notice the blue ball rocketing towards him. No one did, until it rammed into the Egg Mobile. The hover vehicle rocked, and Engman's fingers accidentally, brushed the trigger. The boxing glove blasted off, missing Saber by a full meter and struck Frankly in the chest. Saber looked to see what had happened- and who had saved her.

"Sonic!" She cried, for it was he. Standing on top of a ruined tank, rubbing his nose for all the world to see. He did not seem the least bit perturbed to be caught out in the open. If anything, the Hedgehog seemed to revel in the attention.

"Nice mask, sister," Sonic greeted, snapping his finger. He pointed at Eggman. "Yo, Eggman! Just because you never graduated from high school, doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else!"

Recovering, Eggman's mustache bristled as he glared at his hated nemesis. "You! You are here!"

"Live, and in color, Egg-baby!" Sonic declared, spreading out his arms

"I should have know," Eggman growled, "Well, you're not stopping me this time! Frankly! Forget the Bug Queen! Get that Hedgehog!"

Frankly fired another salvo of lighting at Sonic, which he effortlessly dodged. Evidently, he had fewer problems with using his abilities in public. Once he landed, Saber appeared by his side.

"Why are you here?" She asked in a low voice.

"Tails saw a news stream and gave me a buzz," Sonic replied, "Thought you needed a hand."

Their brief discussion was interrupted by Eggman trying to pound them with his boxing glove again. Jumping in opposite directIons, they regrouped in front of the school fountain.

""Tails is inside, cleaning out the other robots!" Sonic explained, "But if you wanna go back and check on your man, I won't blame you."

Saber thought about it. Sonic's offer was a bit generous. She wanted nothing more than to retreat and ensure the welfare of her Master. There was no telling what kind of danger he had gotten into while she had been preoccupied. And she knew that coming out at all had been pushing it. But she couldn't abandon the battle now. Not only would that mean leaving Sonic to fight two enemies on his own, but someone had to keep him from acting too outrageously. Just because they were breaking the rules of secrecy, it did not mean they should go out of their way to expose everyone else.

"No, I will stay," Saber said, "After all, Shirou would never forgive me if I let someone face danger without offering my aid. Besides," She looked up at Eggman's frowning face as he and Frankly charged at them. "I have a pressing need to teach that lunatic a lesson!"

"Aww, but I wanted to take down Eggman," Sonic mock-whined.

"My world, my dibs." Saber replied.

"Fair enough."

A glass dome closed over Eggman in his cockpit, and the doctor shook his fist at the heroes. "You're history!"

Inside the school, the small group of escapees had passed by a window when Sonic appeared. And his appearance did not go unnoticed. While all of the students had wide-eyes of shock, the biggest pair belonged to Rin and Ayako.

"SEE?! IT'S HIM!" Ayako yelled, pointing. "I TOLD YOU!"

Rin couldn't say anything. Her tongue had frozen and her mouth was stuck open. What is that idiot doing?!

Before Rin could fully process what was happening, one of the boys yelled. A pair of Buzz Bombers had appeared around a corner. The robot bees aimed their stinger-cannons at the students, and the barrels glowed. As the other students backed away in fright, only Rin remained still. She knew that there were robots behind them. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. As much as Rin didn't like doing it, she would have to use her Gems to shoot down the Buzz Bombers. Luckily, all of the eventual witnesses were gathered in the same place, so erasing their memories would be a simple chore.

Before Rin could enact her daring plan, fate intervened in the form of a fluffy, orange ball. The ball struck each Buzz Bomber, destroying them completely. As bits of metal rained down on the floor, a pair of birds- with large heads and large eyes- appeared from the wreckage and flew off, looking only slightly disoriented. Then, the orange ball uncurled to reveal itself to be none other than Tails.

"Are you guys all right?" The fox asked, "Nobody hurt?"

The students stared at him. The boy who had cried out simply pointed. "Ki-kitsune…"

"Another one…" Ayako murmured, equally stunned. "What are guys?"

"Umm…" Tails scratched the back of his head. When he saw the Badniks threatening the students, he forgot about Rin's none-too-gentle request to stay hidden as old instincts kicked in. Speaking of Rin, her surprise had given way to a look of fury, complete with throbbing veins on her forehead. While Tails believed his actions were justified by dint of defending the weak and helpless, he decided that he might try to meet her halfway on the subject.

"Not magic, that's for sure!" Was his answer to Ayako's question. Judging from the way Rin clutched her forehead, that answer wasn't as snappy as he would have liked. He decided to change the subject. "Uh, oh no! More Badniks!" He began to helicopter. "I'll take care of them, take the exit on the other side of the building, away from where Sonic and Eggman are fighting."

As the students ran past Tails, Rin slowed down just enough to make a very threatening gesture. It consisted of carefully making a tracing a line at neck-level with her finger. Tails got her message. Gulping, he flew forward at the approaching Badniks. Maybe if he crushed enough robots the adrenalin would override the fear.

Back outside, the battle was starting to turn in Saber's favor. With Frankly's attention being commanded by Sonic, she was able to better focus on Eggman. It was surprisingly easy. For as shockingly powerful as his metallic boxing glove was when it actually hit something, (As an unfortunate army tank found out when it got caught in the crossfire) it was simple for someone with the heightened reflexes of a Heroic Spirit to dodge. And then, the time in which Eggman needed to retract the glove for another shot gave Saber time to run up the cybernetic tether to attack his pod directly. Every time she got up onto his Egg Mobile, she would rain her fists down in an attempt to break through the protective dome over the doctor. Eggman would shake her off each time, but not by his own skill- Her Riding skill was high enough to maintain her balance even on the most wobbling vehicle, but she had to keep in mind that people were still watching. More so, now that a large crowd seemed to be forming. The police and military had long since given up trying to take part in the battle, and were now on crowd control. The news crew had dared to come in closer to better cover the incident, with the reporter trying to remain relevant by narrating what was happening.

And Sonic loved every minute of it. Unlike Saber, he didn't bother to hold back what he could do. He zipped around Frankly with reckless abandon, occasionally holding still long enough for the robot to take aim, then miss by dodging at just the right moment. Even the sub-boss' lightning failed to strike its target; Sonic could tell just when the balls on its antenna would fire off sparks. Sometimes Frankly wouldn't' bother with the lighting, and try to either stomp on or punch Sonic directly. Naturally, he missed, and whenever Frankly bent down to punch Sonic, the Hedgehog would Homing Shot his head.

At one point, Frankly picked up one of the destroyed tanks and threw it at Sonic. He missed, but the military weapon crashed into the school building, destroying a lamp post in the process.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried, turning to look at the damage for moment. He activated his watch. "Tails! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tails reported. He had been at another building when the tank collided. "But what was that noise?"

"Eggman's robot just heaved a tank at the main part of the school," Sonic explained, "Anyone hurt?"

"I don't think so," Tails replied, "I found a few people trapped in wrecked classrooms, but I don't think anyone's in the front. Rin's taking some students out, but I haven't found Shirou, yet."

"That dude can take care of himself. He's got this weird healing magic that lets him regrow his body, or something. Just focus on helping the ones that aren't wizards."

"Got it." Tails hung up and saw another Motobug coming around the corner. It was destroyed in seconds, allowing a cute bunny to hop free of its metal prison. And as soon as the dust settled, another Egg Pawn appeared as well. That too was destroyed, freeing a little piggie. Tails began to notice that most of the Badniks he encountered were all going in the same direction, more or less. Curious, he began to wonder what exactly they were going towards.

The sound of a young girl shrieking broke into his thoughts. Tails quickly began to fly towards the source.

Shirou and Sakura were trapped. A wrong turn down a hall had led them to an unused room. And before they could backtrack, a group of Badniks had appeared; two Egg Pawns, a Crabmeat, and a Motobug. The robots marched towards the two teens, goofy but menacing.

Shirou gently pushed Sakura behind him. His mind whirled as he considered and dismissed options. He didn't any magic strong enough to destroy the robots, he knew that. Reinforcing his body or any tools he had wouldn't be sufficient, and while he had better luck Projecting weapons, he doubted a bow and arrow would have any effect on the Badniks; they were too close to aim properly. And while he would have liked to materialize swords (For some reason, the two wielded by Archer came to mind), he didn't think they would have much effect on robots. Shirou found himself thinking, What would Sonic do? and his mind went back to that first night, when he, Sonic, and Saber were talking. That night, in trying to impress the Hedgehog, he almost killed himself demonstrating his Magecraft. All of those swords bursting out of his body had made a poor first impression...

As the Badniks loomed, Shirou remembered what he said to Rin when the first robot attacked; If a machine's inner workings are disrupted, that device would malfunction.

An idea came to mind. It was risky, but he had to give Sakura a chance to escape.

"Sakura," Shirou said, bracing himself. "When I say so, run, all right?"

"What?" Sakura whispered, confused.

Without another word, Shirou threw himself at one of the Egg Pawns. He didn't bother Reinforcing his body, he would need all of his Prana and concentration to pull this off. The Egg Pawn flailed its arms awkwardly, having been caught off guard by this straightforward tactic. In that moment, Shirou put his plan into action. With his hand over the robot's chest, he created an image of a sword in his mind. He ignored the heat, the pain. With his will, he began to give it physical mass. It didn't matter what kind of sword it was. The history, the strength…none of that was required. What was needed at that moment was its placement. Shirou had to bring this sword into the world…inside the Egg Pawn!

The Egg Pawn began to shake as its structure was disrupted. Mass that was never there appeared, pushing gears and circuits out of alignment.

There was not supposed to be anything like that inside. That was the reality.

But the fundamental aspect of Magecraft was defying that reality. The stronger a Mage, the longer the world's order could be ignored. Shirou was not a particularly strong Mage, but he refused to accept that fact. Shirou wanted it to happen. He hoped it would be. He clung to the desired outcome. He would not let go!

BOOM! (Out came a birdie)

Inside the Badnik, reality and fantasy fought for dominance. The sword formed, breaking the machinery, just as Shirou assumed. He didn't expect the explosion, though. Burnt and cut by shrapnel, Shirou fell back. Sakura gasped. That was more than she believed her upperclassman was capable of. The remaining Badniks paused, trying to figure out what had happened.

Shirou gasped, trying to ignore the pain. He wondered how Sonic and Tails managed to avoid getting hurt from doing it. But now there was a gap in the enemy's lineup.

"Sakura, run!" He yelled, and jumped at the next Egg Pawn- and that's where everything went wrong.

While Dr. Eggman's robots were not bright, they didn't have short memories. The Egg Pawn didn't know how Shirou destroyed its fellow unit, but it wasn't going to give him a chance to do it again. It grabbed Shirou with one hand and held him away. It had a pretty strong grip for such a goofy design.

"Shirou!" Sakura shrieked. She was terrified. She was backed into a corner, literally. As the other two robots approached, a strange feeling began to build within her. It was almost like a hot vacuum being formed…

With Sakura fearing for their lives, Shirou wincing in pain, and the Badniks focused on their targets, no one saw Tails come around a corner. When the fox saw what was happening. Getting on the floor, he prepared a Spin Dash and shot forward, destroying first the Egg Pawn. Shirou fell to the floor, and in that time Tails spun out and smashed the Crabmeat and Motobug. From the debris came bunny, and two more piggies. As they scampered away, Tails went over and helped Shirou up.

"Are you okay?" Tails asked.

"I'm fine…" Shirou began, and they both heard a clunk. Turning, they saw that Sakura was now lying on the floor. Shirou inhaled quickly, and Tails hovered over the girl's body.

"She's still alive," The fox reported, "I think she just fainted."

Shirou bent down and carefully held Sakura up in his arms. It was probably a good thing she passed out. Doing Magecraft in front of her had been risky, and Tails appearing would undoubtably yield too many questions- questions that Shirou wasn't ready to answer. With luck, Sakura would probably write everything off as a dream, with the exception of the robots. No one would forget them anytime soon.

"We need to get out of here." The Master of Saber said, and saw Tails hovering up to his level. "Is Sonic here, too?"

Tails nodded. "Yup. Him and Saber are fighting Eggman right outside."

"What?!"

Eggman fired his giant boxing glove, and Saber jumped over it. Furious, Eggman hit the retract button, pulling the glove back towards the Egg Mobile before it could hit anything. He fired a second time, but Saber not dodged it, but did so without breaking her offensive against the Egg Mobile. Leaping up onto the craft, she slammed her fists against the dome a few times before being shaken off.

"Grr… Hold still!" He shouted, and aimed again.

Sonic meanwhile, continued his own fight against Frankly. After a few close calls dodging the robot's lighting blasts, the Hedgehog decided that a new tactic was in order. When Frankly threw a punch, Sonic ran up the robot's fist. Once on Frankly's shoulders, Sonic began to bounce between the antenna-spheres at high-speed. Within minutes the spheres exploded, causing Frankly to stumble.

Saber saw this out of the corner of her eye. A plan formed in her mind. While she felt she was getting closer to breaking through Eggman's defenses, she also knew that of the two Frankly was more dangerous. With that in mind, she knew what had to be done. Saber moved, and positioned herself so that she was between the Egg Mobile and the sub-boss. But that was not enough. Eggman's craft was above her, so his boxing glove was angled downward. Saber knew she had to fix that.

"Mana Burst!"

Saber's abilities went up in a flash, like a jet taking off. And her movements became like a jet as well, shooting towards the Egg Mobile. She rammed Eggman's craft, causing it fall back in the air. The boxing glove shot at the same time, but due to the change in the Egg Mobile's position was no longer aimed at the pavement.

BOOM! Headshot.

Frankly's head, now sporting a very large dent in its face, landed several feet behind the body. Said body began to shake, before exploding spectacularly. Sonic, having narrowly dodged the glove by leaping in the air, came down and Homing Shot the Egg Mobile. Eggman's craft had already been damaged somewhat by Saber's own assault (While she couldn't use her sword in public, Mana Bursting her arms had helped), and Sonic's attack was enough to finish the job. The parts of the Egg Mobile began to explode, causing the extra components to fall off.

Landing on the ground, Sonic gave Eggman a cheeky grin. "I believe this is the part where you say, 'Curses! Foiled again!' Or how about, 'I hate you Hedgehog'? I miss that."

Eggman shook his fist at the Blue Blur. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Sonic. This is only the beginning! I will get the other Emeralds, mark my words!"

The Egg Mobile turned around and flew off. Without the boxing glove to weigh it down, it was able to fly higher and more quickly. Police and military personal tried to shoot at him with their personal arms, but missed. As this happened, Sonic turned on wrist-comm.

"Tails, we just sent Eggman packing. How're things on your end?" He asked.

"Great, Sonic! I think the school's been cleared out, and I found Shirou. We'll meet you guys at Rin's place! Tails out!"

Sonic hung up and looked up at Saber. She had been looking out in the direction the Egg Mobile went. Judging from the way her fists were clenched, there was a nasty glare underneath that helmet.

"You okay?" He asked.

"…I hate fighting in such a roundabout manner." She said finally, "I would have preferred to use my sword."

"Then why didn't you?" He asked, and realized the answer. "Right, no one's supposed to know you're a magic ghost. We're gonna meet the others at Rin's house."

Sonic raced off. And after a moment, Saber fled as well. And although she kept her pace far beneath the level of velocity Sonic went at, it was still fast enough to put her out of sight from the approaching reporters and cops.

Although he had to keep his eyes on Avenger, Archer's senses were so honed that he was almost aware of everything around him. After hearing the explosions and the sound of jets roaring, he realized that the battle at the school had ended in Saber and Sonic's favor. All that was left was to finish his own duel with Avenger...

But the weird Servant no longer seemed interested in fighting. He continued to stare at the Counter Guardian, but no longer had an offensive stance. Instead, his head was cocked, as if contemplating something.

"…I get it." Avenger said.

"Get what?"

"Why my Master is so scare of me."

Archer was a bit confused by this odd topic, but didn't let his guard down. It might have been a ploy. "What do you mean?"

"Aside from when I was first summoned, my Master has never looked me in the eye," Avenger continued, "But you're Master does, doesn't she, 5th Archer?"

Archer didn't reply. Yes, Rin never failed to make eye-contact, but it was mostly to glare at him in a half-hearted attempt to appear superior. What was Avenger going on about? He was tempted to prepare an attack, but knew it would have been a waste of energy. Lackluster fighting style aside, Avenger was durable. None of Archer's more subtle attacks, did any lasting harm. He wanted to bring out a more powerful sword, but that would attract too much attention, especially now that Eggman and his robot were beaten.

"The reason Master doesn't want to look at me…" Avenger went on, "…Is because I'm not as handsome as you, or Saber's Master."

"…What?"

Avenger's body began to vibrate. The creature's skin was like the surface of a pond after a rock had been dropped into it. It rippled. Parts of his body began to shrink, while others grew. His head became less like a blob and more human.

Archer's eyes widened at the result. Standing right in front of him was a doppleganger of Shirou. His skin was a immensely dark color, and tribal tattoos were all over him. The red hair was now a coal black. It was as if Shirou had inexplicably gained a twin brother. An evil twin…

"Ahh!" Avenger sighed, flexing his new muscular arm. "This feels nice! No wonder guys like you are so cocky. With these muscles, I bet I could take on the world and win!" He looked away and chuckled. "Looks like things at the school are finally cooling down. Why don't we pick this up some other time?"

Avenger's body began to sink into its own shadow. Archer realized what was happening and sent his white sword into Overload. Another piece of the rooftop was destroyed, but to no avail. Archer could see a silouhette slinking away in the distance, moving almost tauntingly. Archer gritted his teeth. As if the mad scientist and his killer robots wasn't bad enough, but now this thing had appeared. The Holy War had barely started and it was already going to Hell in a handbasket.

Archer looked down at the school from his perch. Just as he thought, Eggman's robot was junk, and both the doctor, along with Saber and Sonic, were gone. While police kept the crowds from moving in, military personal did just did, acting as if their tanks weren't just destroyed. Archer realized that he'd better vanish too. No doubt some bright spark would notice the rooftop battle now that the distracting robots were gone. He went astral, hoping Rin was all right…

High in the sky, the Egg Mobile limped along. The damaged parts left small trails of smoke in its wake. In the cockpit, Eggman gritted his teeth in fury. How he hated that Hedgehog. No matter what it was, where it happened, the minute Sonic entered the game everything would go south.

"Sir, you'll be happy to learn that you've made the top news story." Orbot reported over the communicator. The screen showed footage of Frankly attacking the school, followed by a less-than-becoming shot of Eggman laughing like a loon. This image was accompanied by the headline, 'Madman attacks school!'.

"I got my butt kicked on television!" Eggman snarled, "How would that make me happy?"

"Err…" Orbot looked away for a moment before changing the subject. "Shifting gears, our radar has begun picking up numerous energy signals all over the city and surrounding landscape. I'm feeding the information into your personal computer."

A map appeared, and on it several dots appeared. In fact, a few were moving around.

"Wait a minute…" Eggman muttered, "That's too many! There should only be seven signals to track!"

"Quite the conundrum, sir."

"Hmm…" Eggman rubbed his chin in thought. He recalled the empowered helmeted girl who helped Sonic at the school. Could there be other people empowered by the Emeralds? "Send a few Egg Pods to the city. I'm having my remaining Badniks resume critter-capture and scouting missions. Also, set up another pad. We'll figure this out one way or another, and get the Chaos Emeralds.

"And this time- Yes, I know I've said it before- This time, Sonic, or any weird sidekick he meets, is not going to stop me!"

Tohsaka Mansion. It was dusk by the time Shirou, Rin, and their Servants got away from Homurahara Academy. They would have left sooner, but the military insisted on "interviewing" everyone who hadn't already fled the madness.

Rin had thrown herself into the arm chair that had once been used by her father, although Tokiomi usually looked far more composed whenever he sat in it. On the adjacent couch were team Saber. The red-haired Mage looked worriedly at his fellow Master, while the lady knight sitting at his side showed no emotions. Standing by was Archer, arms folded in a manner that was both relaxed and pure badass. Ordinarily, he would have remained in his astral mode, but felt that his physical presence was needed for two important reasons.

1) If he was astral, only Rin would hear his informative snarking.

2) being solid might keep their guests out of trouble.

Seated lazily on the floor was Sonic the Hedgehog, munching from a bag of chips. A blue pillow was all that came between spiny butt and expensive carpeting. In the air hovered Tails, kept aloft by his twin namesake appendages. Occasionally, Sonic would toss his little buddy a chip, which Tails caught in his mouth.

"That was the worse day ever." Rin moaned.

"Aw, it wasn't that bad." Sonic remarked casually.

Rin shot Sonic a dark look. "Oh? And how do you believe that?"

"Well," Sonic put his hands behind his head. "We trashed one of Eggman's robots, saved your school, and no one died," He popped a chip into his mouth. "Pretty good day, all told."

"Really."

Archer instantly realized Rin's subdued behavior was nothing more than the calm before the storm. Trying to appear calm, Archer casually shuffled behind the couched. along the way, he gently pulled Tails with him.

Sonic seemed to pick up on Rin's bad mood. "Something wrong, Rin?"

The flippant usage of her first name was the final straw. Rin shot to her feet, eyes blazing, and screamed, "OF COURSE SOMETHING'S WRONG!"

In a flash Sonic was on the couch's back, roughly between Saber and Shirou. He then zipped back to his pillow to retrieve his chips and returned to the couch. Similarly, Tails had gone from hovering to clinging to Archer's shoulder, looking like an fur wrap with sneakers.

"You went out in public!" Rin ranted, "Hundreds of people saw you! Including the news! What were you thinking!?"

Sonic ate a chip. "I was thinking, 'Oh no, the evil Dr. Eggman is going to destroy the school,' and 'Here I come to save the day'."

And you thought that justifies being so reckless!?"

As Mage and Hedgehog bantered, Shirou began to feel a little annoyed at Rin. Sure, Sonic's actions may not have been well thought-out, but he only did them because people's lives were in danger. As a would-be hero himself, he wanted to rise to Sonic's aid.

Saber must have thought similarly, for she said, "Given the circumstances, Rin, there was little else he could do. The situation was out of our hands."

"And you!" RIn pointed at Saber, "Why did you appear like that? Do you have any idea how risky that was?"

"I was hoping to lure Eggman away from the school with my aura," SAber explained, "But I did not expect him to call my bluff like that."

Judging from the face underneath her pigtails, Saber's reasoning did not please Rin. Shirou decided to intervene.

"Look, I know that today's been…exciting, Tohsaka-san, but I don't see what else could be done," The red-haired Master said, "Eggman forced our hand."

"Unless you think saving innocent lives is a bad thing." Sonic put in suddenly.

Rin's mouth opened, but no words came out. Shutting it, she paused for a moment, then tried to make her retort. Instead of the snappy disregard she wanted to make, silence followed. Eventually, she pressed the palm of her 'pointing dramatically' hand against her forehead.

"I…get what you guys are saying," She sighed, "But…gah! this is so frustrating. There hasn't been anything like this since the 4th War."

"What do you mean?" Asked Tails.

"The Caster team were a pair of psychopaths," Rin said bluntly, "They ignored the rules of the Holy War entirely and went on a killing spree." She stopped, her lips beginning to tremble.

Did she lose someone to those people? Shirou thought.

Regaining her composure, Rin continued. "Eventually, it got so bad that the Church overseer at the time declared a temporary ceasefire so the other Masters could work together to defeat Caster."

"Then, why don't we do the same?" Shirou asked, "Have Kotomine call a truce and join forces with the other Masters to fight Eggman?"

Although Shirou said it as if it was simple, Saber knew it would be anything but. She recalled that insane Caster, the bug-eyed madman Gilles de Rais. In his twisted obsession, he believed Saber to be Jeanne d'Arc. When Saber refused to enable the delusion, he summoned horrors to set upon the world. Terrible masses of tentacles and fangs, the stuff of ones deepest, most primal nightmares. And despite what Rin said, the Masters of that War did not come together so seamlessly.; Like proud Mages are wont to do, they continued to fight amongst themselves. It was only after Caster conjured his most fearsome beast, a gargantuan abomination that no gas leak could cover up, did a few Servants, including herself, band together to destroy the monster. From what she had seen of the current Masters through their Servants' actions, it would be the same.

And although they knew less of the Fourth Grail War than Saber did, both Rin and Archer seemed to share the lady knight's opinion on allying with the other Masters, if their expressions were any indication.

"I'll talk to Kotomine tomorrow morning," Rin said tiredly, "School's closed, so that'll give us some time to prepare for…everything.

"Let's just hope that the situation doesn't get worse…"

At Homurahara Academy, a clean-up operation of epic proportions was being implemented. As Construction workers stripped down what was left Frankly's body, others were scattered all over the courtyard, collecting debris that had been blown off when the robot exploded. Inside the school proper, soldiers patrolled the hallways, retrieving pieces of destroyed Badniks and making sure that there no more working models lurking in the shadows. Even in the dark of the night government trucks were being loaded, their cargo shipped to undisclosed locations for further study.

The only person not involved in the sweep was Stuart. Standing on the roof, he spoke into his phone.

"Yes, I understand. Try and keep today s events restricted to the country. To the region, if possible. Whatever's happening here must be bigger than any of us could have realized," Stuart said, "…No, I don t think the two are connected, He paused to listen. "Look, the creatures being sighted ten years ago looked more like starfish. Not spikey, furry people," He sighed, "Listen, Twice gave me footage of a foreign woman interacting with another of these things. Have Bazett McRemitz put under surveillance if possible. And Emiya Shirou, too. I don t know if it s a coincidence, but he might be involved in this as well.

"Kiritsugi's accomplice from ten years ago, the blond girl partnered with his wife, has returned to Japan."

TO BE CONTINUED

Tiger Dojo

Taiga: You wanted it! You asked for it! You're getting it! It's the Tiger Dojo! With your sensei, Fujimura Taiga!

Illya: And the Number 1 student!

Taiga: This was such an eventful chapter! The Eggman has appeared! I was completely shocked! What a big mustache!

Illya: And what a big pain! But now Onii-chan can focus on the Holy War, and stuff! But Eggman might interfere with that, too. I hope he doesn't learn about the Grail, that's supposed to go to Einzbern family.

Taiga: And now, for our Q/A! Our first question comes from Thunder-dragon. Actually, he had a lot of them, but they all amount to this; "Which version of Sonic is this?"

Illya: Version? I don't get it.

Taiga: Sonic has been adapted many times, into comics, shows, and even other types of video games. In this story, the Sonic appearing in Fuyuki is the one from the games, where continuity does not matter as much as it does in Fate. Although, I would not be surprised if elements from the other adaptions might show up.

Illya: Like that guy, Stuart? He's from the Sonic X anime, right?

Taiga: Not quite. The Stuart that appears in this story is based on the one from the anime. More like, he's the Stuart as if he was born in the Fate universe. Mmm, a Stuart-san of my very own…

Illya: Ugh, the Tiger's on the prowl…

Taiga: Don't call me Tiger! (Hits Illya)

Illya: Ouch!

Taiga: Also, we at Tiger Dojo have been receiving many requests for different Sonic characters to appear in the story, as well for different plot elements to be included. To that, the author has announced that all the Sonic characters that will appear in the story were already aboard the Egg Saucer when it transported to Fuyuki. Furthermore, he has already prepared an overview of how the story shall play out. If anyone has successfully guessed what will happen, congratulations! And that is all the time we have left!

Illya: Thank you for reading! Write reviews and keep favoriting us! Good bye!