Mega Man made his way readily into Wily's Fortress, using the three Items to make his way through various obstacles. He knew they were loans, and that he would have to return them to Vinyl or face Air Man's wrath, so he did his best not to damage them. Thankfully, none of the enemies shot anywhere near the Items, so it was relatively easy to keep them in good condition.
He had a bit of a problem when he reached the chamber of the first Guardian, which turned out to be a long hallway of precision jumping on single block platforms. The Guardian itself warped in behind him, a large green dragon. It stared at Mega Man for a time as he stood on the first single block platform staring at the second...and took pity on him, picking him up and flying him to the final three platforms, which were well within jumping range of each other. Shivering, Mega Man did his best to fight the dragon from there, and was eventually victorious...but was left feeling somewhat guilty.
Item 2 proved most useful to him for progressing through the next part of the Fortress, eventually reaching the chamber of the next Guardian, which turned out to be the blocks of the walls of the chamber itself, coming to life as mini-bots that flew towards him in pairs. After destroying 28 of them, the path to the next section opened up.
A long passage downward led Mega Man into another aquatic segment, which he faced as best as he was able. He faced the precision jumping portions the only way he could think of...by closing his eyes and taking leaps of faith, trusting in his proximity sensors, danger scanners, and internal gyroscope to guide him right. Oddly, it worked wonderfully - especially in the long downward tube filled with the Spike-balls of Instant Robotic Incineration - and he was out of the water without incident. The Guardian he came across next was a giant tank with Guts Man's face. On an impulse, Mega Man switched to Quick Boomerang, and discovered that it worked wonders.
In the next sector, Mega Man found new fear in the form of illusory platforms blended perfectly with the regular path. Thankfully for the sake of his psyche and life, none proved to be over bottomless pits. However, some were over spikes...although Bubble Lead - Bubble Man's weapon - proved ideal at finding the hidden gaps at range. A few more sections had moving platforms with precision jumping, but Mega Man was able to handle it. The Guardian of this sector proved to be several turrets walled off against his approach. With very careful maneuvering, Mega Man was able to take them down before he took too much damage.
In the last sector, Mega Man found Air Man, Crash Man, and Wood Man waiting for him. "So you have made it this far," Air Man stated flatly. "It seems we will face you now."
"We can't let you get to Dr. Wily, after all," Crash Man pointed out. "Our prime directive is his safety and goals."
"Even Quikie and Bubble Butt are coming back soon," Wood Man added. "They may not care about the conquest...but this is something else." He stepped forward. "And like I told ya, I'd fight you here. So come on, Mega Brah...let's get this started."
Mega Man nodded, raising his buster towards Wood Man...but then he lowered it. "No..."
"No?" Wood Man asked, confused.
"I...I won't fight you," he said finally. "You're...you're my friend. You helped me face my problems...and the nature of this conflict. I...I can't fight you."
Wood Man smiled softly. "Dude...you really know how to get mushy. I don't think I could fight you now either..."
"But...but I have to stop Wily," Mega Man continued.
"And we can't let you do that," Air Man replied.
"As we can't ensure his success this time around," Crash Man added, "we must either destroy you or die trying, thus ensuring his escape."
Mega Man scratched his head, struggling through this. "What if you didn't have to fight me to guarantee his escape?" he asked finally. "What if...I promised to let him go?"
All three robots blinked at him. "Explain," Air Man stated finally.
"I'm here to stop Wily from taking over the world," Mega Man explained. "I don't have to capture him to accomplish that. That's just the most efficient means to do so. But if I just get to him and he flees, activating this Fortress's self destruct mechanism, then he'll have to wait a year or two before he's able to conquer again. So I've still guaranteed a year or two of peace, which accomplishes my mission."
"It's only a delaying action," Crash Man pointed out.
Mega Man nodded. "True. But...if it means I don't have to fight my friends, it'll be enough."
The three Robot Masters considered this carefully. They were about to make their decisions in that regard when a nearby door opened.
"There won't be a need for that," Dr. Wily stated as he stepped out, a full suitcase by his side.
Vinyl walked right out the door and straight up to Mega Man. She then held out her hoof demandingly. Mega Man agreeably handed over the Items...only to get a punch on the kneecap. "Dr. Wily, I'm here to-"
"I'm throwing myself on Dr. Light's mercies," Wily interrupted Mega Man, who stared at him in shock. Picking up his suitcase and Vinyl's, he smiled softly. "I surrender."