Rock stirred slowly, his systems giving him the various status updates on his overall state. He was momentarily concerned that this showed his armor had been removed, but it also showed that he was otherwise stable so the thought was put on hold. Eventually, his optics came online, and he found himself staring through glasses at worried green eyes, framed by wavy blonde hair, a gaze he instantly recognized as his vocal circuits reinitialized. "K-Kalinka?" he stammered out as he got control of his voice, hearing in his own speech just how warm and loving that single word came out.
"Rock..." Kalinka gasped out in relief, tears at the corners of her eyes as she lifted him up, pulling him into a tight hug, one he quickly returned once the motors of his limbs reactivated. "I was so worried..."
"What happened?" Rock asked, confused. "The last thing I remember is Vinyl throwing a Death Note reference at me before everything went dark-"
Kalinka cut off his words as she lunged forward, locking lips with him as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. While he was confused, he quickly reciprocated, holding her close to him and reveling in the shared warmth. After a time, she pulled back. "Vinyl said you wouldn't lose any data or suffer any personality or memory damage from the forced shut down, but...your CPU and personality core aren't standard anymore, and..." She buried her face against his neck as she let the worried tears pour out, letting go of her fear.
Rock simply held Kalinka tightly, letting her calm herself down. Once she was a bit more relaxed, he voiced his inquiry. "How did she even do it?" he asked curiously. "Did she hit me with a weapon I didn't see? Was there some trap she didn't mention that I triggered by gathering that much energy? Did she put a virus in my systems?"
Kalinka chuckled softly. "Nothing like that, Rock," she offered warmly. "You...actually did it to yourself."
"...huh?"
Kalinka pulled back to smile at him. "The Bass Cannon weapon requires more energy than is usually allotted to the buster weapon systems. To charge to fire it, those safeties have to be disabled."
Rock nodded. "Yeah, the Skull Buster works the same way. It's why the discharge always sends me flying back with recoil."
"But your power core doesn't generate enough power to fire the Bass Cannon," Kalinka explained. "And with the safety on how much gets transferred disabled, it just kept drawing power from your systems and core..."
"Until it triggered the safety on my core that put me into protective shut down to keep from collapsing the power core," Rock deduced, shaking his head ruefully. "That's why she was out there like that, letting me know the Fortress was empty. She was goading me into using a weapon I couldn't use." He chuckled softly. "Well played, Vinyl. Well played." He pulled back to meet Kalinka's eyes. "So, what now? Are the world governments now at war with Sky Lagoon? Somehow I doubt they'd just bow down..." He trailed off as Kalinka started to giggle. "What?"
"Did you ever stop to wonder why Vinyl broadcast this last battle all over the world?" she asked teasingly. "You know how electronic signals can be used to...various effects."
Rock stared at her for a time. "...I don't want to know," he said finally. "I guess this means Vinyl has successfully taken over the world now. But how does that help find out who framed her for trying, or sabotaged the Mars project?"
"By reshaping the world to strip away any but the most fundamental objections to robot-human equality," Kalinka answered with a warm smile. "The entire world will be rebuilt and improved as robots and humans integrate, such that any economic or social objections are proven completely baseless, leaving only the hate-driven objections that drive those willing to sabotage and use terror tactics to fight back. After all, if anyone who can be reasoned with finds no reason to argue anymore, all that's left are those who would be behind these endeavors."
"So Vinyl's goal now is to starve ignorance into exposure?" Rock asked with a chuckle. "Don't know how well that will work."
"It might, or it might not," Kalinka allowed, shifting into a more comfortable position in the embrace. "But either way, framing Vinyl for any such events is impossible when she's already won. It should force the true villain to show their true colors. And in the meantime..." Her smile turned slightly wicked as she leaned in close, catching Rock in a much more serious kiss.
Rock, for his part, was happy to reciprocate, and held her even closer, his hands running up and down her back as hers were on his. He then decided to explore just how advanced he was, and take the lead for once.
Kalinka gasped in surprise, pulling back playfully from his wandering hands. "R-rock! Just because we're already making a baby doesn't mean we shouldn't wait until we're married!" She burst into giggles at the look on his face.
"Wow, I couldn't have picked a better moment to walk in if I'd tried," Vinyl said from the door as she walked in.
Kalinka blushed rosily, but didn't move from her position straddling Rock's lap on the bed he'd been laid out on. "Hello, Vinyl..."
"M-m-m-married?" Rock asked, his brain still processing.
As Kalinka started to look hurt, Vinyl lifted a hoof. "Let me guess, Rock. You never gave marriage a thought because you genuinely believed the world wouldn't reach the point that was acceptable within Kalinka's lifetime, and you just now put together that - as the ruler of the world - I can marry you to each other and ignore anyone's complaints because it's legal and acceptable if I say so, right?" Rock nodded slowly, giving Kalinka yet another embarrassed blush. "Well, I'll leave you two to explore your retirement, then."
"Retirement?" Rock gasped out, stunned.
"Yeah...about that..." Vinyl shifted nervously. "Politically speaking, I have to now handle any robot related incidents myself. So, short of a blatantly extra-terrestrial threat...Mega Man can't fight anymore. Anything purely Earth based in origin will have to be handled by my bots now. The Guardians, Bass, and Prometheus."
Kalinka looked towards Rock in worry, but found a wide smile on his face. "I'm...surprisingly okay with that," he admitted finally. "It may be a little silly...but I was, as those silly PSA's said, fighting for everlasting peace. The world is at peace now, and anything else would basically be you 'policing' the world. And that...was never my responsibility. I...can accept hanging up my helmet." He smirked teasingly. "Besides, it looks better on you."
"Damn straight!" Vinyl offered playfully, tapping the helmet she still wore, causing laughter in the whole group.
I read this chapter and had to actually go and check that it wasnt actually over. somehow with it not being completed yet i feel mega man will be called back quickly
So how does this all relate back to Mega Man X I wonder? The plan has to fail to make the world the mess it gets into for Octavia to be able to save it.
Anything except blatantly extraterrestrial threats, huh?
Hoo, boy... Would I be right in guessing that THIS is our finale?
7665811 I can see only one outcome from this: every single hate-filled person bands together and declares war on Vinyl's government.
We now need a pic of vinyl wearing mega man's helmet
7665911
Agreed.
Vinyl said that Mega Man can't fight any Earth threats legally. Why do I get the feeling someone will find out about this...? Whether it's Stardroids invading or terrorists finding it somehow.
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/1/14/RaMoon1.png/revision/latest?cb=20140117034026
7665876
You do realize that they would half to win to get the world the way it was at the start of Mega Man X correct? Octavia, X, and Zero all woke up in a wasteland with robot oppression. What makes this sad is we already know that Vinyl is going to fail, unless... naw Tatsurou would never pull that.
I was thinking that Octavia and Vinyl's stories are a form of the bootstrap paradox, but both are contacting the others past to fix things. So Vinyl is reaching forward to help Octavia while Octavia is trying to change the past in Vinyl's time.
7665866 Frick yeah Sunstar. I remember have such a blast fighting him when I was younger.
Although I am a bit worried, as we know that (as far as the Light AI knows) that Rock suffers an unfortunate fate.
My biggest problem is we all know that Rock is going to die. Prometheus said as much in Octavia's story, unless Rock is in hiding, a kind of Speed Racer: The Next Generation deal.
Everything is going well. So when is the other shoe going to drop, as we all know it has to? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the great work. Deus tecum.
meh, we all know how it ends, some cataclysm wrecked the planet so bad that it took humanity centuries to get back to anywhere close to be able to use the old tech, you know the story everyone lived happily until a giant meteor crashed the earth or something, otherwise there wouldn't be the X series
I think a mini crossover between all of your stories would be nifty to be honest.
7666360 Someone give this guy the tropes page for PWNY.
Um I think you missed the part to mention Vinyl was wearing his helmet.
7666521
Very last sentence, she taps the helmet she's still wearing (as in she never took it off after taking it from Mega Man).
7666543 would help to mention she was still wearing it.
Well, now I wonder how the world get so screwed in the future...
We so need a picture of this!
7666810 I agree!
7665876
Actually, hatred is far from the only way to spur people into terrible action. Fear and a misguided sense of justice can also work horrors.
Here's what I think will go down:
Vinyl's broadcasts used subliminal frequencies to make everyone who listened to it believe that it was 100% serious business. Unfortunately, the idea of Mega Man as a hero has been more-or-less deliberately ingrained into the public psyche (outside of Sky Lagoon, that is). Because of that perception, when they saw their Hero, Mega Man, fighting Vinyl's forces in a 100% serious Battle for the Fate of the World, that automatically labeled her as the Evil Villain.
An Evil Villain who now rules the Earth.
Because of that, and all of the assumptions those oh-so-gullible human brains are going to be making once they finish processing what just happened, every sleezy politician and two-bit despot will start trying to solidify their power "in her name" (if no necessarily using methods she would approve of), just as all of the would-be heroes and rebels-without-a-cause come crawling out of the woodworks to "free the people from her tyranny," likely spurred on by those very same despots in many cases.
Cue a devastating global civil war far beyond what Vinyl could have possibly imagine would spawn from her and Rock's friendly rivalry, that spirals out of control well before she can get a handle on things.
That's probably why she poured so much resources into making Zero as overpowered as he ends up being, as Dr. Light likewise does with X; to fix what she broke.
...
Though in all seriousness, she probably sets up some sort of global super-utopia that lasts for decades, only collapsing when a freak planetary disaster strikes just as she's heading back to Equestria, and just as Tavi arrives here.
Extraterrestrial huh? It's pretty fair to think 'WHEN STARDROIDS?!' (lord knows I've been waiting for them and King from MM&B/RM&F) But also getting the feeling neither will happen.
7665949 Is it just me, or does he come off as looking really smug in that picture?
Adorable chapter. And yet, this is only the start of the epilogue arc, no?
I find this stupid. Rock should always be able to help people. What if he was somewhere in civilian mode and robbers took hostages? It would take time for Vinyl's forces to get there, but Rock could subdue the robbers easily with surprise on his side if they try to shoot him and he just tanks the blow. Also, what if someone manages to disable most of Vinyl's bots??? Forcing Rock into retirement seems very short sighted of Vinyl and could bite her in the flank.
7668988
Nothing says Rock can't help.
Just not Mega Man.
7669003 Ok, that makes more sense. Though Vinyl should write in a loophole that she can use to send in Mega Man if she needs a bot and all of hers are compromised, it would be the last thing the baddies would expect.
7669050
Again, it's specifically Mega Man, the Blue Bomber, who can't fight anymore.
Some other robot with different colored armor with similar abilities, fighting style, and voice showing up on the scene of battle if there's a need is pure coincidence, of course.
7669057 OOOOOHHHHH. Sneaky, I like it. As long as he doesn't just put on Groucho glasses
Mother lovin'-! This better not be the end you S.O.A.B.!
7669057 OOOOOHHHHH. Sneaky, I dig it. As long as he doesn't just put on a trench coat, fedora, or climb out of the sewers to take pizza left for Kalinka. Buster Power!
7665803 If I had to guess, MM9 has the aliens like Shadow Man popping up?
You know, with Vinyl Scratch quite literally ruling the world, I'd imagine the worst thing that could happen right now would be for the little white unicorn to be called back to Equestria. That is, unless she has plans to turn over her rule over to Dr. Wily.
7671761 i have no idea
You want to use "equality" there. Right now, this sentence says that Vinyl is trying to make the world more unequal, not less.
A reference to what, exactly? The phrase "I win" is so generic, it could fit any scene in Death Note. I'm guessing here it's the bit where L dies, but as we all know, it all went to shit after that happened. So I guess she's gonna get hers in some way or an-
I can't say it with a straight face.
Yes, laugh. Vinyl has won. She has proved that Robots can be more than just cold, soulless products, by turning the world into a cold, soulless product just to accept her. Instead of actually coming up with an argument, you have flipped the chessboard, burned the puzzle pieces, and replaced the Schrodinger's Cat's poison with methamphetamine.
Thus, making this entire dynamic pointless.
That would be nice if the audience had some stake into what socioeconomic problems people have with Robots. It would be neat to create scenarios where we search through and discover concerning disparities that robots and humans go through on a day-to-day basis. But you aren't interested in telling that story, because the fact of the matter is that you're so shaken by what you experience first-hand, it would break you if you ever had to think about what happens outside of your little comfort zone, where people have disagreements WITHOUT a magic mindfuck device that ends all manner of conversation.
There is no one "real" in this story, Tatsurou. You have personally seen to it that they are custom-tailored to what fits your narrative, within the very narrative of your story itself.
Why bother about earning things when our Mary Sue Goddess can just make things happen?
Did you miss the paragraph beforehand where Vinyl said that would be exactly what she would be doing? I dunno about you, but "Anything purely Earth based in origin will have to be handled by my bots now" sounds a lot like "[having] the duty of maintaining law and order in or for (an area or event)."...
...
....
..... This is the current state of the story:
There is no return.
9020396
Don't you think you're being a bit harsh?
The OP character thing is common in Tats' stories. It's a side effect of putting that character in that situation, and they do well by keeping it somewhat balanced until the point where being OP wouldn't matter either way.
And besides, Mary Sue is different from OP. The PWNYverse characters are OP. They can shred almost any enemy easily, as detailed when a full-power Tirek was a gift to Pinkie to let her go all out.
A Mary Sue, on the other hand, is your stereotypical red&black alicorn OC. They could literally recreate the universe if they wanted, nothing can touch them, and literally everyone wants to f*ck them silly.
Her wearing the helmet is sadly ironic
She's wearing the Blue Bomber helmet right now, but I'm just envisioning Vinyl in white robes and a ridiculous hat saying, "Mawwaige... Mawwaige is what bwings us togezzah today..."
knowing what will come next will hurt, but i'm glad to see their bond is still strong even after that trick... to a brighter future...if only that where true...