Fate Grand Apocrypha - Standard Bearers

Chapter 13 : Derailed Script


Author's Note : Surprise! This story is not dead… for now anyway. A combination of busy life and laziness got in the way, as per usual. Special thanks to my friend, AkaGuda X, who made the cover for this story.

Disclaimer : I don't own Fate, Type-Moon does.


After that sudden encounter with Ruler, she insisted that she would pay for my expense. Having no other choice, I reluctantly accepted the kind gesture.

A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. For the time being, I could evade being labeled defective and all of the consequences that came with it.

But, just because I managed to elude one trouble, doesn't mean that my current ordeal would be over.

I was instructed to observe Ruler and her company from a safe distance, and yet here I am, making direct contact with them instead. 'Does that mean I have failed my orders?' A cold sweat trailed my cheeks.

'N-No! My main objective was to gain information about Ruler and relay it to Gordes-sama! I have not failed yet, I could still...'

I was suddenly jolted from my thoughts when I felt a tug on the hem of my uniform. "Y-Yes?" I turned around to face the one who did it.

"Are you okay, miss? You don't look so good," The little Lancer asked.

"Ah... I-It's because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pay," I tried keeping myself calm, making sure to keep my face as neutral as possible.

"Heh, reminds me of a certain glutton, who'd rather eat first and think about the consequences later." The Avenger spoke, although I have no way to know about who she is referring to.

But me? A glutton? Impossible. A homunculus like me were supposed to have no desire for anything. Whether it's a goal in life, or wanting to eat certain foods... We have no compulsion for such things.

Yet... being indirectly called a glutton... It made my chest feels warm for some reason. I cannot comprehend why.


A few minutes ago

As Toole was being preoccupied with eating her sundae, Alter discreetly glanced behind herself, looking at the Homunculus.

'Honestly, if that Homunculus were trying to be discreet, then she already failed miserably. Who in their right mind would walk in broad daylight wearing THAT kind of gaudy military unform? They'd stick out like a sore thumb!' Alter ranted inside her head.

'I bet not even that dumb Saint would miss it,' and true enough, even as she talked, Jeanne still spared some side glance once in a while to observe the Homunculus's movement.

'Whoever told that Homunculus to tail us must've been a real dumbass. If they're gonna send a spy, then at least procure some kind of disguise for the Homunculus to wear first! They're obedient, sure. But I doubt they're resourceful enough to get a disguise by themselves. Those Homunculus are too passive!' Once again, Alter criticized inside her head.

Alter shook her head. 'Oh well, not really my problem. It made my enemies easier to spot, so no sense in complaining about it,' she decided to just enjoy their brief respite at the café for now, talking about random topics. At one point, the topic of the conversation somehow shifted into that one time where Alter supposedly saved Christmas alongside her Master, which earned her a skeptical glare from Lily.

Not long after, the Homunculus that was spying on them suddenly stood up and went to the cashier. The eyes of the Saint and her Alter counterpart were focused on the Homunculus, making sure she's not doing anything suspicious.

The Homunculus only stood there in front of the cashier, staring at her wallet, a look of distress on her face.

"Heh, no cash, huh? Now that's a familiar sight," Alter muttered, accompanied with a light chuckle.

Jeanne suddenly stood up and approached the Homunculus. "I'll be right back," she informed, her intent clear to the other two.

Alter sighed at this, earning a smirk from Lily. "Reminds you of someone?"

"Yeah, a certain idiot..." Alter replied, a certain dark-haired Master on her mind.


The Present

After paying for the Homunculus, Alter basically dragged her to a nearby alleyway with the other two trailing behind them, still wearing their casual outfits.

"Well then, let's just get straight to the point! Who the hell sent you?" Alter immediately materialized her sword and pointed the sharp edge near the neck of the Homunculus.

Toole's breath hitched for a moment. Before returning to a neutral expression, not a defiant one, but not compliant either. "I do not fear your blade, for I am expendable."

As quickly as it came, Alter's expression shifted into a bored one. "Oh well, it was worth trying," she dematerialized her sword.

"You're... letting me live?"

"It's your lucky day, since I'm not in a particularly foul mood," Alter said, leaning her body against the wall, crossing her arms. "Besides, you obviously belongs to those Yggdmillenia clowns, probably that arrogant jackass from before or one of his cronies," Alter explained, referring to Darnic.

Toole didn't say anything, a cold sweat trailed on her neck.

"You know, I'm familiar with your kind, the type of people who didn't give a damn about their own life. Someone like that got nothing to lose, so simple threats wouldn't work," Alter continued, remembering about a certain Queen of Shadow.

"Then what do you propose, Alter?"

"Easy, just give her something to look forward to in life. Like... so!" Alter said, producing a strawberry-flavored ice cream from her jacket. A smirk on her face.

Toole widened her eyes briefly, a look of surprise clear on her face.

"...When did you get that?" Lily asked, surprised with the sudden shift in tone.

"Earlier, before we left the café."

"Ah..." Lily did remember Alter taking a bit longer to leave than the others. She thought her older-self went to the bathroom or something.

The Homunculus stared at the ice cream in Alter's hand. A look of curiosity on her face.

"I saw how much you enjoyed your last treat, and I'm guessing that kind of stuff doesn't happen often. Now here's a chance for you to get another one and potentially more in the future too," Alter offered, smugly holding the frozen treat in front of the Homunculus.

Toole honestly didn't know how to respond. Her directive has always been clear, loyally serve her creator or be used as a living battery. Betrayal will not be tolerated and will result in a painful end for her.

She does not fear death itself, but that doesn't mean that she's willing to undergo a slow, and horrible torture before her inevitable end. That fear prevented her to go against her creator, the Yggdmillenia.

On the other hand, no matter how well she served the Yggdmillenia, no reward will ever come her way. Not even a simple praise, let alone a delicious treat like an ice cream.

To the average person, the notion of betraying the one you serve for the sake of something easily obtainable like an ice cream is absurd. But to a Homunculus who is no more than disposable tools in the eyes of her creator, such offer is one worth considering.

"What..." Toole began. "What do I have to do...?"

Alter's smirk grew. "Simple, report that you have never encountered us today to your superior. And tell us the layout of your base."

"Is that... all?"

"Yeah, a risk-free task that will immediately earn you a reward. Not an offer you'd encounter everyday, y'know?"

The Homunculus didn't reply, a look of distrust present on her face.

Alter shook her head. "Hell, you can even enjoy this before telling us anything. It's starting to melt in my hand, and it's not exactly pleasant," she said, offering Toole the ice cream to take. "The sooner you take this from me, the better."


'What should I do?' The words kept repeating inside my head. A path was offered, and I had to make my allegiance clear. I am truly at a crossroad right now.

Fighting Ruler and her companions alone is obviously not an option. I must be out of my mind if I made that decision, so a peaceful solution is preferable.

And that solution is staring at me in the face at this very moment. If I accept her offer, I could no longer associate myself with the Yggdmillennia.

Could I truly trust Avenger and her words? What guarantee do I have?

...Thinking about it clearly, what exactly do I have to lose? I lived my life monotonously so far, following orders day in, and day out. Just waiting for my expiration date, such is the fate of a tool, ready to be discarded once it could no longer prove useful.

The more I think about it, the better her offer sounded. Plus, I have no real attachment towards my soon-to-be former employer.

If I'm going to die soon anyway, wouldn't it be better if I could do it under my own term? For the first time, I could make my own decision. A decision by me and for me.

Even IF Avenger decided to kill me after she got what she wanted, I could rest easy, knowing that I, a Homunculus, made the decision to let that happen myself. No one told me to do it, it was solely my decision.

With that resolve on my mind, my hand moved to accept the offer.

Oh, how I cannot wait to savor that sweet taste once more...


Later that afternoon, after sensing something that she must do through her Revelation, Jeanne urged her two companions to accompany her to the nearby forest. They are now back to wearing their Servant outfit, since the disguises are not currently needed.

"Doesn't seem like there's anything here..." Lily looked around, trying to see if there's anything noteworthy nearby.

"Give it time, the Saint wouldn't lead us here for no reason," Alter spoke confidently.

Suddenly, the ground shakes violently, and from the forest, a large structure is slowly ascending.

"Ah, there it is."

"The Flying Babylon..." Jeanne muttered.

"In other words, that poison empress," Alter clicked her tongue, she doesn't really get along with the empress. Well, she didn't get along with most people, but that's beside the point.

"It's the Hanging Garden! Semiramis-san must be in there!" Lily pointed at the flying fortress.

Before the little girl could get more excited, Alter dragged her below the nearby dense trees.

"Hide your presence, I have reasons to believe that they wouldn't be very accommodating towards us," Alter warned, now that she knows the identity of the Red Faction's leader, she needs to be extra cautious.

Jeanne silently nodded and followed suit.

The Hanging Garden floated above them menacingly, slowly moving towards the direction of Castle Yggdmillenia.

"Looks like those bastards intend to stage an attack tonight," Alter said, stroking her chin.

"Are we just going to ignore that flying fortress?" Lily questioned, tilting her head.

"It is not our place to interfere with their war. This is between the Red and Black faction," Jeanne explained.

"Still playing the role of an impartial judge, huh?" Alter commented with a smirk. Jeanne simply shrugged in response.

"If we're not going to interfere, then what are we supposed to do?"

"Like I said before, while those idiots are too busy killing each other, we try to find any openings to exploit for our side gig."

"Ah! For our rescue mission!" Lily nodded to herself, understanding the plan.


In one of the balcony of the floating Hanging Garden, stood three Servants of the Red faction, Karna, Achilles, and Atalanta.

"Now this unexpected! We're attacking them from the sky, huh?" Achilles said excitedly, leaning on the balcony.

"It is indeed a marvelous sight," Karna agreed.

Atalanta didn't respond, looking forlorn.

Noticing this, Achilles decided to ask. "Ane-san? Is there something wrong?"

"No... It's nothing."

"You're daydreaming, it is clearly not nothing, Archer," Karna added.

"What he said! You've been feeling down ever since that scouting mission. Did you feel bad for not being able to convince Ruler and her companions?"

"...Something like that."

"Well, no worries. If they ever get in our way, you can count on me to take them out," Achilles reassured.

Atalanta's eyes suddenly turned fierce. As fast as lightning, she summoned her bow, and fired several shots near Achilles, narrowly missing him. "I'm warning you, do not hurt the little one!"

Achilles wouldn't actually be hurt by the attack. But the idea of angering Atalanta still terrified him. "I got it! I got it! I'll go easy on them!" He pleaded, trying to defuse the situation.

"Hmm, I did not expect you to be a fan of Ruler, Archer," Karna said, hand on his chin.

Atalanta said nothing. She dismissed her bow and leaned against the wall.

Achilles sighed. "She's talking about that little girl accompanying Ruler."

"I see. You did not care about the other two?"

"All I care about is the safety of that little girl. Nothing more," Atalanta replied, determined to find the little girl and make sure she's safe.


And so, on that fateful evening, the war between the Red Faction and Black Black Faction have truly began. Various things happened on the battlefield.

Using her Item Construction skill, Semiramis created massive amount of Dragon Tooth Warriors. They serve as the soldiers of the Red Faction, ready to clash with the Homunculus soldiers and Golems of the Black Faction.

The leader of the Black Faction, Vlad III dueled against the Lancer of Red, Karna. Both Lancers seemingly equal in power. Using his divine armor, Karna could resist the damage of the countless stakes summoned by Vlad III. For the moment the battle between the two have reached a stalemate.

At the same time, the Rider of Red, Achilles fought against his former teacher, the Archer of Black, Chiron. They fought in a nearby forest and neither could land a decisive blow against one another.

Caster of Black, Avicebron is currently making the finishing touch of converting the Berserker of Red, Spartacus to their side.

On the sky above the battlefield, Astolfo the Rider of Black was tasked to use his flying Hippogriff to intercept the flight-capable Dragon Tooth Warriors. A task that he didn't really enjoy.

As punishment for his transgression earlier during the war, Saber of Black, Siegfried was held on reserve at Castle Yggdmillenia. He guard the castle against potential intruder. Both he and Astolfo awaits the right time to help the Homunculi exploited by the Yggdemillenia.

Archer of Red, Atalanta didn't get a job as glamorous as her allies. Merely firing her Noble Phantasm to thin out the Homunculi army and Golems. Amidst the battlefield, she's desperately looking for Ruler and her companions.

The same could be said for the Berserker of Black, Frankenstein. She fought against the horde of Dragon Tooth Warriors trying to break through the defensive line.

Far away from all the battles. A certain group finally made their move.


Jeanne and her companions were making their way to Castle Yggdmillenia to execute their plans.

But things weren't as smooth as they expected, they found themselves surrounded by a horde of Dragon Tooth Warriors.

Alter sighed. "You guys, huh? I don't really enjoy fighting against grunts. But might as well relieve some stress by wrecking them," Alter looked at her smaller counterpart. "Hey, brat. You up for some stress relief?"

Lily readied her spear. "Yeah! You can leave this to us, original-me! You need to conserve your energy."

Jeanne nodded. "So the Red Faction are still trying to get rid of me..." She muttered.

"Hah? You're talking as if these pile of bones are actually a threat!" As if to prove her point, Jeanne Alter swung her flag and decimated about a dozen of the creatures.

"Are you sure they're not just mistaking us as enemy Servants?" Lily asked, doing her part by killing more of them.

"Of course not, everyone on this stupid war have something against the Saint for some damn reason," Alter casually answered, more and more enemies crumbled against the Avenger.

A few minutes later, the number of enemies have drastically dwindled, they are simply no match for the two Servants.

However, before they could regain their breaths, more and more Dragon Tooth Warriors poured in. Their appearance a little bit more intimidating than the previous ones. The new Dragon Tooth Warriors have a more jagged looks to them, their bones a bit thicker too. Their weapons gives out a slight eerie glow to them.

"More of them!" Jeanne readied her flag, intending to join the fray.

"Stay out of this! These ones are different somehow..." Alter shouted, analyzing her new enemies.

"They're a little scary," Lily commented, although she's not truly frightened by the creatures.

Loud clapping could be heard behind the Dragon Tooth Soldiers, revealing a new face. A middle-aged man with short brown hair and green medieval-style clothing. "Simply exquisite, my dears! Your performance on this fine evening was truly a sight to behold!" He dramatically gestured.

Alter groaned. "Oh great, it's this clown," she recognized the man in front of them.

"It's Shakespeare-san!" Lily exclaimed. Back in Chaldea, Lily and her friends enjoyed hanging around the man, listening intently whenever the man recounted some of his famous plays. Nursery especially enjoyed the ones that did not end in tragedy.

"Hm? Am I truly that easily recognizable? Is my fame working against me? Or is this the result of Ruler sharing her knowledge with the two of you?" Shakespeare looked confused at first, before letting out a smirk. "Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you, ladies. I am the Caster who lent his service to the Red Faction," he bowed towards them.

"The famous playwright, William Shakespeare..." Jeanne muttered warily.

"Cut the theatrics and just tell us what the hell do you want!" Alter said, clearly irritated with the man.

"Ah, straight to the point, are we? Very well, I shall oblige. You see, I was informed that the three of you pose a threat to our ambition. So our esteemed leader have given me the task of slowing you down for the moment."

Alter clicked her tongue. "So this is that bastard's doing..."

"Getting rid of you would be the more desirable result, but alas. I fear that not even these enhanced soldiers would be a match for you," He snapped his finger, and the bone soldiers commenced their attack.

Alter and Lily immediately leapt into action, weapons ready in hand. These enhanced bone soldiers may be tougher than the last batch, taking up more than 1 hit to destroy, but true to Shakespeare's words, they are still inadequate to deal with the duo.

However, relying on the soldiers to defeat them was not Shakespeare's aim. He only needed them as a distraction. With his opponent's preoccupied, he made his move. "The stage and actors have been set, the time has come, for the curtain to be raised!" He shouted.

Alter noticed the chant, and immediately reacted. "Lily! Get the hell out of here!" She called the smaller Servant by name, the urgency not allowing her to use her usual nickname for the little girl. She grabbed the smaller Servant and threw her as far as possible, away from Shakespeare.

"Future-me!" Lily shouted back in concern as she sailed through the air. "Ugh!" She landed not so gracefully.

"Alter! Lily!" Unable to just stand by and watch anymore, Jeanne tried rushing to their aid.

"Stay the hell away! Don't come near here!" Alter shouted, clashing her blade with a bone soldier. "Dammit!"

"Now then, let us witness your story, o' dark maiden! Show us the very moment where you lost yourself! First Folio!" Immediately after the chant, a bright light enveloped Alter.


The sound of burning flesh... the scream of slaughter... the roar of the beasts who roams the land... That's all I could hear under this dark sky.

"This is..."

Yes... I recognized this place. This is a town in France, the country that's technically my birthplace.

Made from the wish of a twisted madman, I was designed as someone who would exact vengeance upon this rotten country, and I did exactly that.

The wyverns I controlled obeyed my every whims, slaughtering soldiers and civilians alike without any second thought, mercy nonexistent upon their being.

Their claws teared through flesh, their fangs ripped throats apart, and their flames burned everything to cinders.

Hell on earth. There's no other way to describe such horrifying situation. Something I created with these very hands.

"P-Please... at least spare... my family..." a middle-aged man pleaded to the beasts, hoping to spare his loved ones a horrible fate.

Predictably, it was a wasted effort. The wyverns care not for his words. A few seconds later, more gut-wrenching screams resounded.

I shifted my head to look away from the sight, but my gaze landed upon something else.

Right before me lies that Holy Maiden, her once vibrant blue eyes now lifeless. Her armor bent in unnatural ways, one of her limbs was torn apart, and blood trickled down from her stomach.

"I... did this...?" Was all that I could mutter.

I should be happy about this... right? I hated that woman almost as much as I hated this godforsaken country. But... why did this sight only brings an uncomfortable feelings on my chest? It's as if I just got stabbed there.

Before I could even begin to process the situation, I heard a yell from behind me. I immediately turned to face the source.

A young man in white and black uniform, his age no more than 17, dashed towards me with hatred in his eyes. With great difficulty, he carried a huge cross-shaped shield with him. He bashed any wyverns that tried getting on his way with the shield.

"I finally found you... murderer!" He shouted at me, his cerulean eyes locked on to me. I know that look, It's something I saw on the mirror everyday. It's the look of someone who desires vengeance.

"If it weren't for you...! Mash, Jeanne, and the others wouldn't..." He couldn't continue the words, too tear-stricken to speak.

"Give them back..." He trailed. "I said give them back!" He rushed towards me, intending to ram me with the shield. I easily sidestepped to avoid the attack.

"Now then, can you kill the one person you treasures more than anything? Can you kill him to free yourself from this torment?" A voice echoed around me, the tone clearly enjoyed watching this situation.

"So that's your game..." I muttered.

I didn't make any more movement. I lowered my arms and simply stood there.

"Oh? Does this mean you're unwilling to fight back?" The voice taunted. "Hmm, how disappointing. I was hoping to see your breaking point. But, I suppose being able to witness your demise in the hands of your precious person would suffice as well."

The young man in white uniform swung the shield with all his might. "This is for Mash!" He shouted with fury.

"I believe this is where we part way, dark maiden. It's a shame it had to end this way, but sadly, the course of true love never did run smooth. Your affection for the young lad became your own undoing... Your story was short, but I enjoyed witnessing it till' the end."

I shook my head. "The end?" I quickly draw my blade and swung it, bisecting the man in front of me from the waist down. "We're just getting started!"

"W-What's this?! You would strike down the person you treasures with no hesitation?"

With the young man now dead. The sky around me started to lose its color.

"Hah? What the hell are you yapping about?" I splashed the blood away from my blade. "Kill that idiot? I would sooner slit my own throat than do something like that!"

"B-But what you just did...!"

"Here's something you don't understand, bastard!" I sheathed my blade in one quick motion. "What I killed... was a pest trying to mimic that idiot. I couldn't feel any warmth or kindness emanating from it, so why the hell should I hold back?" Everything around me started to break, like a glass slowly getting shattered.

"Looks like you need to reevaluate yourself. If all you could make was a shoddy copy, not even possessing a sliver of that idiot's charm... then you should just stop calling yourself a playwright."


Jeanne and Lily were doing their best to make sure that no Dragon Tooth Soldiers could come close to the now motionless Alter. They wanted to struck down Shakespeare, the source of Alter's curse. But the endless amount of enemies made it impossible to move from the spot.

They valiantly stood their ground for the next five minutes, until something broke the silence.

"T-This cannot be! You broke through my First Folio without losing your mind?!" The playwright shouted in disbelief.

Alter suddenly opened her eyes and lets out a cackle. "Hah! I don't need you to experience nightmares like that! It's a daily occurrence for me already!"

"Alter! You're back!"

"Future-me! Are you okay!?"

Her two companions shouted at the same time, their worried expression replaced with reliefs.

Alter cracked her knuckles, ignoring her companions. "Oh don't worry. I'll help you decide the ending for your latest story."

"W-Wait! I admit my defeat! Spare me and I could prove useful to your cause!" Shakespeare pleaded, sweating profusely as he did so.

Alter looked like she's in deep thought. "Hmm... Okay..."

"Truly? You shall let me go? Oh, I offer my sincerest gratitude for the mercy you have given me!"

Alter nodded to herself. "Yep, it's decided then!" Alter disappeared from sight, moving far too quick for Shakespeare to track.

"Huh? Where did you.. Urk...!" The playwright didn't get to finish his word, as blood gushed from his mouth.

Without warning, Alter appeared behind the playwright, blade already piercing the man's heart. "Burn..." with that one word, Shakespeare spontaneously combusted, the flames of hell itself embraced him fully.

The man screamed in agony, pleading for the flames to stop. But the word fell on deaf ears.

"Do you like it? It's the ending I decided for you," the Avenger watched in satisfaction as the flames consumed the poor man. "Ah, I might be having second thoughts now, but alas, what's done can't be undone," she sneered as the man is now nothing more than ashes.

She turned to walk away from the remains of the man. "Don't blame me for doing this, ya hear? You did this to yourself. After all, the fault's not in our stars, but in ourselves... or so I've heard," she chuckled as she walked to regroup with her two companions.


I hope you don't mind me skipping over the stuff that stayed the same as canon. I simply don't have the patience to write them and I imagine you guys wouldn't enjoy reading them either.

I'll see you next time.