Chapter 10: Magi

Tying my hair into a bun, I walk towards the Stone. There was a faint mist of the early morning drifting all about. Still, even in that haze, I could see the Sword, it's hilt almost beckoning any and all. I knew that what I had to do. My country has been in turmoil for years, ever since my father died. If there is to be peace, then my first move is obvious. But then I stop. While I had decided with my mind to take it, there is a lingering doubt in my heart. The people would never accept a woman king. To accept this mantel…

"Whoever should pull this Sword from the Stone is King of England."

On on the opposite side of the sword is my teacher. Although he has always been a prankster, I could tell that today he is not here for mischief. His tone is level, and his gaze is unflinching, even from beneath his hood.

"Artoria," He said, adjusting his staff. "You should carefully consider it once more before you take it. There's no going back once you touch that sword. You will no longer be human."

I am grateful to him. Though he often pretends to be a nuisance, his wisdom has always been useful. And his words today are both an apology for the fate he has prepared me for, and an assurance that he would not think poorly of me, should I choose to turn back.

But I do not. Instead, I place my hand on the hilt of the Sword and tighten my grip. To him, I say, "Yes, I have come to take this because I so desire."

And so I pull. Unflinching, I draw the Sword from the stone, and when it is completely removed, I hold the blade up in the air for all to see. I could feel its magic permeate through my body. A wind blows through the land, clearing out the mist. The sun shines off of my Sword. From that day forth, I knew that I was no longer the ward of a knight. I had become that which stands above knights.

Shirou woke up. After getting out of bed, he stopped to check on Saber. She was still asleep. An understandable state, given her previous actions. While the Power Rings had stabilized her condition, using her Noble Phantasm had clearly tired her.

Shirou went to the kitchen. There, he saw Sonic sitting up against the wall. The Sega Genesis sat unused by the television. The Hedgehog had a far off look in his eyes, and his mouth was turned down into a frown. Seeing the normally upbeat hero this way was a bit unsettling, to Shirou.

"Hey, Shirou," Sonic spoke up, "How did it end?"

"How did what end?" Shirou asked.

Sonic turned his eyes to look directly into the Master's. "The Legend of King Arthur…how did it end, in this world?"

Okay, put this on, Tails."
Rin handed Tails a small pendant. It was half the size of his palm, and it hung from a string that was tied in a loop. Inside the case, surrounded by numerous tiny runes carved into the walls, was another jewel stuck firmly in the center of a Power Ring.

After hanging it around his neck, Tails asked, "Now what?"

Rin didn't answer him. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, recited a spell, and pointed her index finger directly at the Fox parallel to her. Tails blinked.

"Anything?" Rin asked. Tails shook his head. Unconvinced, Rin sent out a mental command. This caused Tails to frown slight and rub his head. Rin smiled.

Archer, watching on the sidelines, telepathically asked, what did you do?

I ordered him to roll over and beg. Rin replied through their mindlink.

That's a bit mean.

But he was able to resist it, Rin pointed out, that means this test was a success! Now it's your turn.

Huh?

It was the day after the following the Harbor Battle. Team Archer was currently engaged in a little R&D. Even though they had won a battle, the war, especially the Holy War, was still going on. There were still the other Masters to deal with. The identities of Caster, Asassin, Lancer's Masters were still unknown, and Caster herself had still not shown herself. To keep them on the defensive, the alliance had chosen not to claim Eggman had been defeated to Kotomine.

Currently, Rin, with Tails' help, was developing a charm from the Power Rings. The idea was to adjusting the Rings' protective properties from shielding the body to the mind. Super speed or immense strength was nothing if you couldn't keep your head straight. Berserker was proof of that. It was a good thing the Einzberns had chosen to summon the mighty Herakles as a mindless brute. God knows just how one-sided a fight would be if they had chosen any other class.

With some reluctance, Archer took the charm from Tails. As he placed it around his neck, he pointed out, "You realize that even if these new trinkets do keep your Magecraft out, they might not be as effective against a more powerful Mage?"

"Of course I do," Rin replied, "But it's not like there are any other Mages I can trust to help me- Emiya-kun's hopeless when it comes to enchantments, remember- Uh oh."

Archer nodded. He realized it the minute he put the charm on. "Rin…"

Run rubbed her forehead. "I know, I can sense it too. Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Tails asked.

"The charm increases my spell resistance, but also disrupts my ability to use Magecraft," Archer explained, taking the pendent off. "For a Servant, whose very existence is a work of Magecraft, it's like putting on a suit of armor that's too heavy to walk around in."

"And I thought I got it right this time," Rin muttered, sorely disappointed. She had hoped to create a way to support Archer a bit more, only to hit a brick wall. "Did you feel anything, Tails?"

Tails shook his head. "No. I felt fine. When you cast a spell, I got a bit of a buzz, but aside from that, nothing," He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I understand your magic right, you control someone's senses by using your own Prana to influence the flow of my Mana, or something, right?"

"That's about right…" Rin replied.

"Well, this probably disrupts my own flow of Mana enough to render your spell useless." Tails finished.

Run sighed. "It's supposed to shield, not disrupt. I guess since you don't use Magecraft, it's okay for you to have it…"

Archer handed the charm back to Tails. Tails put the charm on and began to fly around the room.

"Well, it's not a total loss," The fox commented, "You can give these out to common people, and they would be safe from other Mages!"

Rin laughed bitterly. Oh, she could do that. Now more than ever, she remembered how the Fourth War's Caster team had used their Magecraft to lure innocent kids off of the street, only to butcher them. Rin had tried to save them, only to fail. In fact, if it hadn't been for "Uncle" Kariya, she would have been killed just as easily. Now it was possible to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Except the Mage's Association wouldn't appreciate Rin wantonly spreading Magecraft around. Especially in the current circumstances. They hadn't made any moves yet, but if the situation in Fuuyuki deteriorated anymore, they would. Luckily, Eggman's repeated attacks had resulted in an increased military presence, which meant the Association wouldn't be able turn the city into glass without provoking a war between Japan and England. Rin had also sent a report to Clock Tower about the new creation of Prana detecting radar introduced by Eggman, which she figured would keep the Association at bay for a short period. She doubted that while many would believe her outright, the idea of such technology existing should make the Mages more cautious. (The lords of Clock Tower were driven more by self-interest than common morality, and hesitant to take any action that would put their own welfare at risk.) This gave them some time to prepare for the worst.

"Look, it's not as bad as that!" Bazett was yelling into the phone. "I'm fine! The media's just blowing this out of proportion! That's what the media does!" She paused to listen, then said. "Well, stop blaming everything on gas leaks!" She hung up and wiped her brow. "I swear, I should just quit and join the circus…"

"How'd it go?" Amy asked, shuffling a deck of cards.

"Well, I managed to convince them not to send in a full battalion," Bazett sighed, taking her chair. "That's progress, I guess."

"Is it really? I'm starting to think we could use the help." Amy pointed out.

Bazett briefly grimaced. She knew that among the assets the Mage's Association provided, help was not one of them. They're only real concern was research, and maintaining the secrecy that allowed them to perform less-than-moral experiments. The only times they ever moved in on the illicit activities of outside Mages was when they're own research threatened to expose that secrecy…or they managed to discover something really cool, which the Association would "Confiscate for the greater good". Bazett herself had executed many "Sealing Designations" before the Grail War, sometimes beating the target into a barely-functioning mess, all without flinching. However, her own brush with death and blossoming friendship with Amy had given Bazett a new perspective on her life. A perspective she was not comfortable sharing.

"The other enforcers aren't very careful when it comes to collateral damage," Was Bazett's excuse, "Normally, we can erase memories with spells if it comes to that, but the circumstances might arouse more suspicion…what are you doing?"

Bazett's dialogue had been derailed by Amy's current activity; Shuffling, drawing, and arranging her cards. Upon closer inspection, Bazett saw that they were tarot cards.

"What, this?" Amy gestured at the cards, "Just something I thought we could do while your wound heals," Seeing Bazett's skeptical look, Amy went on. "What, these things work! Really!"

"Really." Bazett repeated wryly. Even among Mages, the reliability of tarot cards was subject to much incredulity. Not that students at Clock Tower wouldn't indulge themselves in an attempt to figure what questions would be on their next exam. But after several vague, misleading, and sometimes nonsensical answers, the deck would either be tossed in the trash, set on fire, or tossed into the trash while on fire.

But Amy would not let Bazett's disbelief get her down. "Yes, really! In fact, these cards are how I met Sonic!"

Okay, this one I have to hear. Bazett thought, giving Amy her full attention. During their time together, the pink Hedgehog would drop hints and brief mentions of the various adventures she had gone on in her world. Because she needed to focus on defeating Kotomine, retrieving Lancer, and killing that shadow, Bazett had just let them breeze by without mention. But with her wound still healing from the blond man's attack, Bazett had nothing but time and now her curiosity was piqued.

Taking Bazett's silence as her cue, Amy began her story, "Well for a few years beforehand, I've always wanted to meet the famous Sonic The Hedgehog, hero of the world…but I could never catch up with him. 'Fastest thing alive' isn't just a theme song, y'know. So, I got desperate and took a course in tarot card reading. It took a few tries, but finally I got a message that Sonic would be at Little Planet."

Must be the name of a town. Bazett reasoned.

"It's this tiny planet that appears near mine every few years." Amy explained.

I wish Amy's world wasn't so outrageous.

Amy continued, "Anyway, he was there all right…and so was Eggman! Before I'd gotten a chance to really introduce myself, I was grabbed by Metal Sonic…"

"I'm sorry," Bazett interrupted, "Metal what?"

"Metal Sonic's a robot version of Sonic Eggman built," Amy explained, non-plussed by the interruption. "Almost as fast, and nowhere nearly as handsome!" She giggled.

Bazett rolled her eyes, smiling sardonically. "Naturally." It's moments like these that make me wonder if I'm still dying on the street, suffering a blood loss-induced hallucination.

"Well, to make a long story short, Sonic bashed up Eggman's plans and saved me," Amy finished, "And that's the story of how he became my boyfriend!"

"And it's all because of your tarot cards," Bazett remarked, and took a card for closer examination, "Do you always consult your cards, Amy?"

Amy shrugged. "Not really. Only when I'm really desperate. Kinda takes awhile to get a reading you can use."

"And what kind of fortunes have your cards given?" Bazett asked, putting the card back. It seemed that the cards from Amy's world were different than the decks in her own.

Amy frowned. "That's the thing…it's weird, but no matter how many times I shuffle the deck, it's always the same one."

"Which is?"

Amy reexamined her current result. "They say, 'A great mistake is being made'."

Yesterday afternoon, Shinji told Eggman everything. Well, not everything. But enough about the Holy Grail War, and Mages in general to get Eggman very interested. And whatever guilt Shinji may have felt about betraying Mages everywhere was washed away the more he talked. If he played his cards right, he could get Eggman to destroy the other Masters and take the Holy Grail.

"This is utterly fascinating," Eggman commented, "So, the Holy Grail grants a wish, hmm?"

"That's right," Shinji replied, "And it all goes to whichever Master is left with the last Servant. Can I have seconds?"

They had moved out of the assembly line. Normally, Eggman would have taken Shinji to the a dark room that only had a chair, a desk, and a lamp to point directly at the questioned. However, because Shinji was being so helpful and informative, the Q/A was taking place on a deck at the Egg Saucer's edge. In front of them, Cubot did some deep sea fishing- a pointless activity, as the line wasn't long enough to even touch the water's surface. Off to the side, Orbot shook his head at his counterpart's foolishness before telling him to quit messing around help with the barbecue. They were having shrimp.

Shinji bit down on a shrimp, and after chewing and swallowing, said, "You know, I'm surprised at how accepting you are. I mean, I always thought scientists didn't believe in magic."

"Ohhh, ho ho ho," Eggman chuckled, "But I don't believe in magic!"

"Huh?" Said Shinji, Orbot, and Cubot. In Cubot's case, it was because he noticed something tugging at his line.

"In ancient times, the primitive people randomly declared anything they couldn't understand as a miracle or curse," Eggman explained, "They used the word 'magic' like it was going out of style, never bothering to comprehend the phenomenon or how it works. As a scientist, it's my duty to study a phenomenon. Otherwise, how could I hope to exploit it?"

Shinji nodded, impressed and accepting at Eggman's words. Meanwhile, Cubot had begun to reel his line in.

"This is rather interesting," Orbot noted, "In our world, people used to believe that the Chaos Emeralds, once you got all seven, granted wishes. And in this universe, we have seven…Servants, you call them?"

"Hmm, that's food for thought," Eggman rubbed his chin, "So, these Servants are…what, magic ghosts, or something?"

"Kinda," Shinji said, "They're heroic spirits- famous historical or mythical figures- brought into the War by the Holy Grail, and given powers based on their legends."

Humming, Eggman pressed down on Orbots head. The spherical robot's eyes began to project images. The first one was that of the Bug Queen.

"Which one is this?" Eggman asked.

"That's Saber." Shinji answered, "She's Emiya's Servant."

"What about this guy? Who's he?" Eggman asked, pressing down on Orbot and changing the image to the white-haired, tanned man.

"That's Archer. He's Tohsaka's." Shinji stated, having already been well-informed of the bowman's attempt to kill Eggman.

Cubot floated up with a Chopper Badnik at the end of his line, just as the image changed again. He took one look at the gargantuan behemoth with fiery eyes and flung his catch into the air in alarm.

"Aaah! It's the Stand!" Cubot shrieked.

"That's just a picture, you idiot," Eggman growled, catching the robot fish.

"And that's Berserker," Shinji explained, "To be honest, he's the only one who's identity I've figured out."

"Don't tell me, I think I can guess," Eggman interrupted, "He's the missing link, right? The evolutionary stage between ape and man?"

Shinji gave Eggman a weird look. "What? No, that's Hercules. You know, the Greek hero?"

It was Eggman's turn to cast weird look's. "Are you dense? Hercules never existed, he's just a fairy- Oh, wait. Magical parallel universe, I remember."

"Can we please stop?" Orbot asked, "Doing this always makes my eyes hurt?"

"Last one," Eggman changed the image to the red-eyed blond man.

"Aaah! It's the guy from Final Fantasy!" Cubot shriek. Eggman unceremoniously dropped the Chopper on top of him.

Shinji didn't answer. He studied the picture very carefully. "I have no idea who this is. I mean, he looks family- but I think that was before the War started, so he can't be a Servant."

"Well, whoever he is, he totaled one of my sub-bosses." Eggman said as Orbot shut off his projectors, "So, if you can figure out who he is and where he came from, that'd be a real help."

Once the shrimp supply had been exhausted, they moved to Eggman's office. There was a desk, which included a framed protrait of someone Shinji assumed was Eggman's mother (An assumption strengthened by the prominent facial hair), but more importantly there was a TV and game set. And bean bag chairs.

After a round of Sega Superstars Racing, Eggman got down to the brass tacks. "All right, Shinji, you've helped clear up some big problems, but now I've got to ask the big question; How does this 'wish' thing work? I mean, what's the process?"

Shinji already had an answer ready. "I'll have to check my family's library." Like I'm going to tell you everything before I can get home!

Clever. He's holding out so I'd have to give him a ride home, Eggman thought, Maybe if I pretend to show an interest, he'll be a bit more free with the intel. "Okay, here's a personal question, then. What would you wish for?"

Shinji leaned back in his bean bag and looked pensive. "I want power."

Orbot nodded. "Don't we all."

"No, I mean…" Shinji sighed unhappily, "Your stupid gadget said I was powerless. The Matous come from a long line of Mages- Heck, we created the Grail Wars! -but I was born without any potential for Magecraft," His face darkened and he tightened his fists. "If I had the Holy Grail, I would fix that."

Great, now I've got to deal with teen angst. As if I hadn't gotten enough of that from Shadow… Eggman thought irritably, but kept his face neutral. Then, his features brightened as the 'Lightbulb of Inspiration' turned on. "So, what I'm hearing is, you want to be special."

"That's right." Shinji nodded.

"Unique."

"Yes."

"You want abilities beyond that of normal humans." Eggman was privately pleased to see Shinji twitch.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Shinji yelled, briefly forgetting that he was technically Eggman's captive. And Eggman not only had big hands, but also had giant robots at his beck and call.

But rather than being upset, Eggman just grinned. "Why don't we make a deal…"

And so, Shinji, outfitted with a shiny, hi-tech watch that was also a radar and communications device, was returned to Fuyuki. After spending the rest of the night eating out and picking up girls (And only getting slapped once, a definite improvement over usual outings), he prepared himself for the first phase of his Genius Master Plan To Steal The Holy Grail And Defeat Everyone.

Bringing us to the present, as Shinji walked towards the entrance of the Matou Manor. When he left, it had been a matter of strategy, and not totally trying to save his own butt. Now that he had Dr. Eggman on his side, he had nothing to worry about.

"So, you've returned." The old as dirt voice greeted.

Well, there was Matou Zouken. Shinji's grandfather was standing right there, a wrinkled and shriveled wall between the young man and his ancestral home. For his entire life, the ancient patriarch of the Matou Clan was a figure of both admiration and terror to Shinji. A man who held all of the power, which he only dispensed to the worthy. All though he would never admit it to anyone, Shinji had hoped to someday earn the malevolent miser's respect.

Clearly, that wasn't going to happen today, as the second thing Zouken said was, "I see you have lost command of Rider."

Shinji sucked in his breath. He knew this was coming. Zouken had never been loose with compliments, and the inverse was true when it came to insults and put downs. But Shinji was ready this time. Putting on a devil may care smirk, he said, "Yeah, bit of a shocker, right?"

"Fool, I never expected victory from a failure like you," Zouken replied coldly, "When I allowed you to become Rider's Master, I had assumed that you would have enough pride to challenge others in spite of your powerlessness. But it seems I was wrong. You couldn't even do that. You have proven to be a complete disgrace to the name Makiri…just like your father, Byakuya."

At the sound of his father's name, Shinji went cold. Shinji used to love Matou Byakuya when he was very young, but that all changed when he learned about the Matou's heritage as Mages. Byakuya had purposely kept his own son in the dark about the Matou's roots as the Makiri clan of Russia, while at the same time preparing Sakura to take the mantle of clan head. That was deepest cut of all, that his own father would see nothing but hopelessness in his son.

Zouken had chosen his words very carefully. He had prepared this speech as part of his plan for Sakura. He knew his grandson would be driven by his condemnation to take drastic liberties with his sister as retaliation.

But Shinji knew something Zouken didn't. After seeing Eggman's weapons and base, he no longer feared Zouken. He had an ally that no Mage could possibly equal. And knowing that gave him a sense of power.

Smiling nastily, Shinji said, "Failure, huh? I guess you would know quite a bit about that, old man."

Zouken frowned. "What?" That wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"You're so quick to put down pretty much everyone…but really, what makes you so much better?" Shinji asked, "I mean, you're old enough to have gone through two Wars, aren't you? And yet, the Matou clan has never claimed the Holy Grail once, have they?"

Zouken squeezed his cane so hard that only the frail nature of his hands kept the wood intact. Shinji was quite glad to see that his words were having an effect.

"Hell, this time you didn't even the chops to summon a Servant of your own! You had Sakura do it!" Shinji continued his taunt, "All your so-called power, and you're too scared to make yourself a target. Face it, gramps, in the big scheme of things, you're not that much different than me.

"Actually…you're probably worse than me."

Shinji reached out, put his hand on Zouken's head, and gently but firmly pushed the decrepit Mage out his way. He continued into the mansion, shivering with glee. Shinji resisted the urge to kick his heels and laugh. That felt so good!

Ironically, Shinji's powerlessness kept him from buckling with fear. Zouken's rage at Shinji's words caused every crest worm in the mansion to squirm, and any Mage would have sensed the Prana flaring up. But what kept the Matou Patriarch from lashing out was his shock. Shock that Shinji, cowardly, gutless, Shinji, would have the nerve to stand up to him.

Looking over his shoulder, Zouken cast his descendant a glare that held nothing but vile thoughts. Worse than you? We'll see about that! When I attain immortality, I'll spend the first century making you pay for those words!

wrrr

Zouken forgot about Shinji in an instant. "Who's there!?" He cast out his senses, and sent out familiars. But they could find nothing. As far as he knew, the only two people on the entire grounds were his grandson and himself.

He didn't notice the red ball and yellow cube hiding in the bushes.

"You'll need a way to keep in touch with me, Shinji," Eggman said, and put something on the teen's wrist. "Take this. It's a multi-purpose computational device. Call me as soon as you get new information."

Shinji stared at the device. He had to admit, he was impressed by all of the shiny buttons and chrome finishing. However, there was one part he had to criticize.

"Couldn't you give me something with a different cover?" Shinji asked.

"What are you talking about?" Eggman replied, "That's a very handsome and trendy design."

"It's your face!"

Eggman crossed his arms firmly. "And what's wrong with my face?"

Shinji gulped, but salvation came.

Orbot held up a finger. "I think Shinji is asking for something that won't…advertise his connection to you."

Eggman looked at Orbot, then back at Shinji. He threw up his hands in disgust. "Oh, fine! I'll get you one of the unfinished ones. But you people are making it really hard to develop a brand here!"

Once Shinji was properly outfitted, Eggman and his robots walked the Fuyuki native to the transport.

Orbot carefully nudge Eggman's legs, and whispered, "Are you sure this is a good idea? How do you know we can trust him?"

"I've got a good feeling about this," Eggman whispered back, "After all, I'm an excellent judge of character!"

"But isn't that what you said about Shadow? And that Eggman Nega guy?" Cubot asked innocently.

Eggman turned his head back and forth so he could glare at both of them. "Fine. Since you're such experts on the subject, you can go back to the city and keep an eye on Shinji!"

Orbot and Cubot exchanged looks.

Orbot and Cubot exchanged looks.

"I wonder if they can afford an exterminator." Cubot whispered. Orbot rolled his eyes.

Shirou walked. He didn't think about the where, because he knew his destination.

The Special Zone.

Saber was still tired from using Excaliber, and Sonic was willing to watch over her for him, so Shirou was alone. Alone in the crowd, and alone with his thoughts.

Sonic had regaled him with his own journey into Arthurian legend. At the end, he chose to end the story, rather than allowing Camelot to exist forever in a corrupted time loop. In doing so, he had consigned the kingdom's destruction by civil war.

Saber had heard the story too. He had a feeling that the paleness in her skin wasn't from exhaustion.

Shriou still had trouble wrapping his mind around it. Not just about Sonic, but also Saber. Against all odds, he had two King Arthurs living in his house! And neither were anything like the stories told over the world.

And stuck in the middle is me, Shirou thought, The talentless Mage fighting a war that would've killed him if it weren't for some mysterious savior.

Shirou pushed those thoughts out of his head as he arrived at his destination. As he stepped into the alley, he saw the giant gold ring materialize into the air. Taking a deep breath, Shirou took a running start and leapt.

And vanished.

&break&

Shirou fell through the tunnel of colors. This time, he didn't run. The tunnel seemed to move under his feet, carrying Shirou towards the end.

After Eggman had kidnapped Rin at the Harbor, Shirou had raged. He had vented. He had cursed his apparent powerlessness.

And then Archer said this, "You're problem is that you think you can save anyone with your own strength. That's incorrect. Instead, you should create something that can fulfill your needs."

Shirou didn't understand Archer's words at the time, mostly because he was too upset over Rin being taken away. But after having time to cool down and brood over what happened, he began to wonder...

The words appeared in his mind. Get 20 Rings!

Shirou began to shift his body, Projecting his swords (His swords. They looked like Archer's, but they felt like his) to grind against the floor as a means of steering. Before long, he had gathered up at least 27 Rings. That was the easy part. Getting the 20+ was always the easy part.

Get 40 Rings!

Shirou could see them coming a mile away- a distance that was closing fast.

The bombs.

No matter what Shirou did, he couldn't collect Rings and still move fast enough to avoid the bombs. He would only have to brush them and they would explode, causing him to drop precious cargo.

But what if they exploded before he reached them? Would they reappear?

Shirou let his swords vanish. In their place, he Projected a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. He pulled back, took away, and let one arrow fly.

The arrow struck, and the bomb exploded. Shirou was pleased to see that a mild chain reaction had occured, taking out the cluster. Invigorated by his success, Shirou began to fire more Projected arrows. Before long, the Special Zone was filled with the sound of multiple explosions. Shirou was enjoying himself so much that he almost forgot to gather the Rings.

The third challenge was to Get 70 Rings

Shirou focused himself. According to Sonic, Special Zones always had three challenges to complete. But if he prevailed, there would be a Chaos Emerald waiting at the end of this technicolor road...

I couldn't stop Eggman from kidnapping Rin, and I wasn't able to help Sonic and Saber save her, Shirou thought, But, this road...reaching the end of this tunnel is something I can do for them!

It was even harder this time. There were clusters of Rings mixed with bombs, and they came at a much faster rate than they did before. Shirou had to fire his Projections even faster, while at the same time position himself to grab Rings as they passed by. It was fast-paced and frantic work, but Shirou kept himself calm. He couldn't let himself be caught up in the moment. He had to maintain his focus.

Shirou kept grabbing Rings, and soon the tunnel became bare. The young Master felt a slight chill. Had he failed? He was so busy shooting and grabbing that he had lost count of how many Rings he had collected...did he fail?

No message appeared in his mind. But soon Shirou saw something in the distance. A tiny, shining red dot. As he got closer, he saw that it was a jewel, as red as his hair. Instinctively, unthinkingly, he reached out...and it fell into his hand.

When the light faded, Shirou was back in the real world- no, the normal world. Whatever meaning that held anymore.

In his hand was the Emerald. The beautiful gem was about the size of his fist, and fit firmly in his hand. The polish was so smooth and clean it was if it had been cut by a God of jewelry.

And it was alive.

Even without Mage craft, Shirou could see a faint pulsing light in the very center of the gem. The Emerald felt warm in his palm. And if Shirou dared to extend his senses, he could taste something far more potent. The energy stored within the Chaos Emerald was greater and more raw than any Mage craft he had felt in his entire life. Shirou dimly recalled Tails mentioning that the power of several Servants could be mistaken for the presence of an Emerald.

Servants!

Shirou suddenly realized what a precarious position he had placed himself into. He had gone into the Special Zone by himself. And now he had a Chaos Emerald , one of seven stones that could perform the Second True Magic. How long did he have until another Servant would risk exposure to attack him? Although it was broad daylight and the street was filled with people, Shirou didn't think that would stop a Master with sufficient motivation. Or worse, what if one of Eggman robots launched another assault?

Shirou, his hands shaking, fumbled to turn on his communicator. It was hard because he was trying to keep the Emerald tucked in his arms, and his excitement and fear kept him shivering.

Sonic's voice came out of the speaker. "Yo."

"Sonic, I have it." Shirou whispered. He wasn't sure why he was whispering.

"Dude, why are whispering?" Sonic asked, "What's going on?"

"I've got the Chaos Emerald." Shirou said a bit louder.

"What?!" Sonic shouted, "You got one? Shirou, that's awesome!"

&break&

Saber had been playing Echo the Dolphin when she heard Sonic shout. Putting her game on pause, Saber went outside to the backyard to see what the matter was.

"Sonic, what is going on?" Saber asked.

Sonic's looked at Saber. "Shirou got the Chaos Emerald- y'know, the from that Special Zone you found?" he pretended to wipe away a tear. "Our little Shirou is all grown up!"

"I heard that." Shirou annoyed voice spoke from Sonic's communicator.

Saber was stunned to hear it. Was that why Shirou had left earlier? While she had slept, her Master had gone and achieved a decisive victory!

But Saber began to worry. Shirou was on his own with a powerful artifact that any Mage, to say nothing of the other Masters, would give blood to have. Specifically, someone else's blood.

"Shirou, where are you now?" Saber asked.

"At the alley," Shirou replied, "I'll meet you back at the…" There came a pause. "School."

"The school?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! The high school is still abandoned, and it's closer than my house. I'll go there and wait for you, Saber."

"Shirou, that's very reckless," Saber said, "With no people, there will be even less to stop a Servant or Master from attacking you."

"I know," Shirou replied, "Which means that there'll be less chance of innocents being caught in the crossfire. See you there."

The connection broke. Saber and Sonic looked at each other.

"I've gotta radio Tails," Sonic said at once, "He's got something that'll help us hide the Emerald."

"I must meet with Shirou," Saber declared, standing up. She didn't realize that she had knelt to talk into Sonic's wrist. She looked down at Sonic. "This thing…is it portable?"

"It's basically a lunchbox." Sonic answered, almost deadpan.

Saber decided not to argue. "Then go and fetch it," She looked in the direction of Homurahara Academy. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Caster had seen everything. She had watched Saber's Master throw himself into the Special Zone. She had seen him come out of it with the Chaos Emerald. (Okay, she didn't see what happened in the Zone, which meant that she didn't see everything, but that's just semantics.)

She resisted the urge to squeal girlishly for two reasons. The first was that as Souichirou-sama's future wife, she had a duty to uphold a certain level of dignity. The second was that Issei was at the temple, he might hear her, and she was really tired of having to alter his memory after the time Knuckles asked him what his thoughts on magic were(Some tanukis had trouble with the concept of 'stay hidden'.).

Regardless, Caster couldn't stop herself from shivering with delight as she walked out towards the Temple's gate. Ever since Shirou had left the Special Zone with the Chaos Emerald, she could taste the power even without scrying. It was delicious. And she knew that others with even a smidgeon of Magecraft potential would be drawn towards it. She would have to act fast if she wanted to benefit from this opportunity. Luckily, she had already made preparations.

At the top of the steps, Assassin turned his head to look at Caster. His expression was unreadable.

"It's time," the witch said, "You don't have to kill them...but if you could, that would be most appreciated.

Assassin raised an eyebrow. If Caster had been paying attention, she would have noticed that he was actually looking past her.

In his investigations on the Fuyuki case, Agent Stuart had learned one very important thing; He hated the phrase, "file not found_"

But that's what he kept seeing every time he tried to figure out anything on the abnormal people who had entered Fuyuki. Kazuki's bride, a mysterious woman only known as Caster, did not show up in any database Stuart accessed. The same went for her strange manservant, the samurai cosplayer Kojirou Sasaki. Even making a search based on their pictures had yielded nothing. It was if the two had not existed until a few weeks ago.

Even Saber, whom Stuart had highly suspected to have a connection to the strange events, was also a virtual nonentity. The check on her background showed that the credential she used to enter Japan with Irisviel von Einzbern were patently fake, purchase through illicite channels by the Einzbern family.

Currently, the most mysterious person most of all was the strange man acting as Tohsaka's bodyguard. A drone, recently built from the remains of Eggman's technology, had been dispensed to the Tohsaka Mansion for recon. However, just as it was getting close, the unit was inexplicably destroyed. The last thing the long-range camera transmitted was the face of the one Rin called "Archer."

Stuart had already submitted the image to a facial recognition program, but so far had yielded no results. He wasn't sure what to think of it.

Archer wasn't sure what to make of it. The Robot had clearly intruded onto the Tohsakah Mansion grounds, bypassing the Boundary Field as if it wasn't there. Since the little invader hadn't been a living creature, it's presence didn't send any signals to Rin. If Archer hadn't been on the look out and heard the sound of its movements, almost no one would have known the machine was mulling about. It was just another reminder just how careless hereditary Mages could be, mindlessly assuming that their own power was enough protection. But the real problem lay in the Robot itself.

At a first glimpse, it looked like one of Dr. Eggman's Motobug Badniks. However, a more dedicated study of the unit would find key, crucial details. The most striking was the paint job. All of Eggman's machines were designed to stand out- either through their gaudy designs, excessive weaponry, or just being programmed to shout obnoxious noises. The doctor clearly wanted attention to be drawn towards his work.

The machine Archer found was colored to blend in with the grass and bushes. And it's claws and other offensive components had been removed. This unit wasn't one of Eggman's work.

Rin, who had come to what Archer had found, kneeled down to better look at the damaged robot. "How did this sneak in without being affected by the Boundary Field?"

"Because most Magecraft doesn't affect machines," Archer said pointedly. He held no doubts that if if they had met as enemies, Emiya Kiritsugu would have had Tokiomi Tohsakah beat.

Rin tried to keep herself from grimacing, but Archer could feel her discomfort. So far, the entire War had been a never ending display of the effectiveness and ingenuity of technology overcoming the limitations of Magecraft. Or, more specifically, the narrow-mindedness of Mages.

If Rin hadn't been looking over his shoulder, Archer would have used his Structural Analysis spell to determine the robots origin. He had a feeling that it wasn't Eggman who sent the robot. But doing so would have given Rin a big clue to his identity, and he was sure that she was already suspicious…

"Well, just take it apart," Rin ordered, "Tails can use it for parts, or whatever."

Archer nodded reluctantly. He heard the tell-tale sound of a fluffy chopper and knew that the Fox was coming. Turning around, he saw that Tails had leapt from one of the mansion's upper level windows and was using his trick to slow his descent.

"Archer!" Tails yelled, "Quick! Help me take the tarp off!"

After their little run-ins with the Japanese Air Force, Rin insisted that the Tornado be better hidden. After the destruction of the Flying Torpedo, Shirou, Tails, and Archer fashioned a large canvas to cover the plane, which was then tied down by ropes and stakes.

Sensing the urgency in Tails' voice, Archer did not argue as he went over to undo the bindings on the cover. Besides, he knew that it would be Rin to ask questions.

And she did. "Tails, What's going on?" Rin watched as Tails landed by Archers side. "You're not planning to go anywhere, are you?"

"I'm not," Tails replied. He tapped a spot on the bi-plane body and a compartment opened up. "But Shirou found a Chaos Emerald!"

"What?!" Exclaimed both Rin and Archer.

"Yeah, Sonic just called me about it," Tails said, digging through the compartment. "But we've gotta work fast. No telling how long it'll be before some creep like Lancer or another Master might go after him!"

Rin may not have been quick on the uptake when it came to advanced machinery, but she caught on to the tactical implications of this development instantly. "We need to store the Emerald someplace so that no one can trace it," She said, more to herself. "One of my family's possessions is a chest that contains an infinite space. We can hide the Emeralds in there."

"Really? You've got one of those?" Tails asked, pulling something out of the plane. "Cool! And I was gonna put it in this!"

Tails held up his find. It was a briefcase-like object. On its side was an emblem that looked depressingly (To Rin) like Sonic's head. It even had Sonic's eye shape.

"You're going to pack the Chaos Emerald in your luggage?" Archer asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry, it's lined with a lead-alloy polymer," Tails explained, "The polymer will block the basic energy the Emerald emits, keeping it off of the enemy's radar."

"And you had one just conveniently stored in your plane." Archer noted, with a small trace of irony.

"After a while, you learn to be prepared." Tails replied.

"Well, I suppose that's easier to transport for now…" Rin conceded. Inwardly, she was glad not to use the chest her family received from Zelrech. It was already locked inside of the box, and she didn't want to take the chance of it escaping. She went over to take the case. "I'll take it over to Emiya so when can check if it blocks Magecraft as well."

Tails said, "Actually, Sonic said he'll be over to pick it up himself," Seeing Rin grit her teeth, he added, "Don't worry, he promised he wouldn't let himself get caught. After all, even if he has to dart between shadows, he'll still be able to get this to Shirou faster than we would. After all, it's not like a Servant is going to pick a fight with him in the middle of daylight."

Lancer didn't like this. Not one bit.

Shortly, Kotomine had received an interesting tidbit; That Sonic the Hedgehog would be traveling around the shopping district towards the high school. The Church Official had relayed this to Lancer, with orders to capture or, better yet, kill Sonic. Normally, fighting in broad daylight- in a public place, even! -was forbidden. While Saber had managed to get away with it by not using her full abilities, Lancer knew that there'd no way to fight Sonic while holding back. Luckily, the spearman had a trick up his sleeve. And it was so easy to bend the rules when the man enforcing them happened to be backing you. Still, the whole thing out Lancer on the edge. The message Kotomine recieved had come from one of Caster's familiars...and nothing good had come from the dealing with witches.

He spotted something blue streaking across the city. Sonic was being more careful than he usually was. Rather than just blasting through the city had top speed like he normally did, Sonic was darting between alleys and hiding spaces, moving only when he could do so without being spotted. This made it easier for Lancer to prepare for battle.

Jabbing his spear into the ground, Lancer carved a rune. Then, resuming his astal form, he went off to do again. And again. In his life, Chu Chulain had studied Magecraft under Scáthach in the Land of Shadows. Under this training, he had obtained 18 Norse Runes. With just the Ansuz Rune, he could set a blaze that could reduce an entire room to ashes and leak out to the rest of the building. However, Lancer's current goal wasn't destruction...

...but repulsion.

Sonic stopped running. The street he was running in had become mysteriously bare. And he had just felt a strange tingle in his body. He had felt it before, at Homurahara Academy, and at the Harbor.

I suppose this is the part where the monster pops out... Sonic mentally assumed, and was not surprised when Lancer landed in front of him. Sometimes I hate being right.

"I think it's time we finished this." Lancer said. For some reason, his voice lacked the usual arrogance.

"I'd love to, but right now I'm in a hurry to get somewhere," Sonic said, bouncing on his toes. "Why don't we try this later?"

Sonic became a blur as he tried to circle around Lancer. But the Servant had anticipated this, and was moving to intercept. Sonic had to stop and jump back to avoid being skewered on his spear.

"I thought you magic ghosts weren't allowed to come out in the day," Sonic noted, "Isn't that the golden rule of this, quote-unquote-" He made some finger quotations. "'Holy War'? 'Thou Shalt Not Get Caught'?"

"I know," Lancer said, pointing his spear at Sonic's heart. "That's why I cast a Boundary Field to keep away any witnesses."

Sonic's quills went rigid. "You can do that!?"

Lancer allowed himself a smirk. He couldn't stave off the feeling that they were being set up, but it was worth it to see Sonic get surprised for once. "'Magic' ghost, remember?"

To be continued

Tiger Dojo

Taiga: Meri Kurisumasu! Hapi Nu Ye-aru! And Feliz Navidad! It's the Tiger Dojo, Christmas Edition! Bringing you the gift of knowledge is I, Fujimura Taiga!

Illya: And the Number One Student bringing the gift of marketable cuteness is I, Illya!

Taiga: It didn't take long for things to heat up again! Eggman knows about the Grail, and Caster is making her move.

Illya: And I did't make another appearance! What the Hell, author!?

Taiga: Calm yourself, my protege! I haven't made an appearance either, and you don't hear me complaining, do you?

Illya: But, you're just a minor character! You're not a heroine, like me! You could drop out of the story entirely, and no one would care!

Taiga: Silence! (Whacks Illya)

Illya: Gah!

Taiga: Our first question comes from Kaiser Dragon, "Will Sonic use HIS Caliburn?!" Probably not!

Illya: That sword only existed in an illusionary world that was born in an alternate universe. The Wizard Marshal Zelrech could bring it to ours, but it's unlikely he'd interfere in what's happening in Fuyuki.

Taiga: Our next question was sent in by Taromaro. "Is there any possibility in Nazo being an antagonist?" Huh? Who's Nazo?

Illya: According to the Sonic Wiki, Nazo is a term regarding an unused Super-Sonic form for the Sonic X anime. The name came from an image file for this Super form, called " ".

Taiga: I see, so "Nazo" doesn't exist…

Illya: And if he doesn't exist, he can't appear! We barely have enough room in this story for canon characters!

Big: That's for sure.

Froggy: (Ribbit)

Taiga: Our last question is from Ortizale317. They write, "Which Route are they following? Is it mixed?"

Illya: Obviously the story won't be predictable and play out like one of the original three Routes. But, mixed? Hmmm…It works like this. Every universe has a definite "Path" that they must follow. This path goes from the Beginning to the End. The future has already happened, and we just haven't reached it yet. The people of Fate will subconsciously try to stay on the path that has been laid out for them, but the interference from the Sonic characters has disrupted that path and their method of going down it.

Taiga: For example! Matou Zouken tried to belittle Shinji for losing Rider's Command Seals with the speech he used in the Heaven's Feel Route. However, thanks to his encounter with Dr. Eggman, Shinji was not offended, and even gained the strength to stand up to his abusive grandfather!

Illya: And Zouken had never expected Shinji to grow a spine like that, so he didn't know how to respond! Otherwise, he would have just killed Shinji right there.

Taiga: The future has become unknown! We must either tread cautiously, or charge in at full speed!

Illya: Huh? That doesn't make sense!

Taiga: What doesn't make sense that this story doesn't have a TV Tropes page, yet!

Big: There's a page.

Taiga: What?

Froggy: (Ribbit)

Big: The Literary Lord made it a little bit ago.

Taiga: Ooh, I have to see this! That concludes the Q/A! (Runs off)

Illya: Great, it'll be forever before she gets done editing…

Froggy: (Ribbit)

Subtitle: Thanks, Literary Lord!

Illya: See you at the next practice!