//------------------------------// // Not My Forte // Story: Let's Rock! // by MetalJrock //------------------------------// "There it is." Mega Man, Rush, Proto-Man, Spike and the ponies stood atop a cliff, spotting Dr. Wily and Starlight Glimmer's Skull Fortress. There seemed to be nothing on the outside, but the robots knew that the real traps lied on the inside and that there was bound to be security guarding the entrance, enough to be a nuisance and only slow them down. The ponies looked at the castle in awe, marvelling at the detail the masterminds put in. "Huh. Gotta admit that actually looks pretty cool." Spike admitted. Rainbow Dash nodded, "Yeah! That Wily guy knows how to make a threatening fortress!" "Ah thought we were here to stop 'em, not compliment them." Applejack rolled her eyes at the praise of the bad guys. Looking at it, Rarity spoke, "I must say, it does look barbaric, yet speaks volumes of those two." Mega Man pointed at the fortress, "Wily's always made Skull Fortresses like this one. Knowing him, he's probably got something waiting for us outside." he said, hopping down from his spot, the others following him as well. The team landed, spotting the villain's lair from a distance. "Let's go." ordered Proto-Man. The team started to run, spotting robots of all kinds jumping from the shadows. Mega Man and Proto-Man took no time at all to defend the group. They aimed their busters in all directions and shot as many Sniper Joes and Shield Joes as well as any animal themed bots as they possibly could. A lion robot almost caught the ponies off guard, but Rarity and Fluttershy managed to hold it down enough for Blues to shoot it down with a charged shot. A Met was on the ground, and Twilight lifted it up with ease with her horn. Mega Man was glad to see that the ponies can handle themselves against Wily's army. The Blue Bomber hopped over another Met, allowing Rarity to hold it up and let Rainbow Dash and Pinkie to kick it while it was still afloat, destroying it. Once it was clear, the three ponies continued. Fluttershy then fell on another hard helmet, prompting Twiligjht to reveal it and throw it away from their path. Mega Man noticed that the forces were starting to dwindle, "Hey, Blues... Is it me or are there less robots guarding this place than before?" "Yeah. You're right. Wily's probably got something for us near the entrance." Proto-Man agreed, "Either that, or Wily's given up on his Ra Moon plan." "Nah! Knowing crazy dudes like Wily and Starlight, they probably aren't giving up." Dash replied. Before any of them continued, something hit the ground in front of them. Mega Man looked up at the top of the cliff to see a black and yellow robot and a purple robot dog standing atop of it, the robot's buster aimed directly at them. Mega Man scowled at the sight of the robot, "Bass!" Bass smirked, hopping down from his spot, "Hey, Mega Man. Been a while huh? Wily told me that you'd be coming and almost got bored. Heh, at least it got me out of that stupid fortress and away from that Starlight Glimmer." he pointed his arm cannon at his blue rival, "And I see you brought your brother." "Of all the robots..." sighed Proto-Man. Being the first to shoot, Bass nearly hit the brothers, but they managed to swerve away, making sure that the shot didn't harm the ponies in the process, "This one of Wily's top robots?" asked Dash. "I guess you can say that... Heh, finally some recognition from you ponies." taunted Bass, shooting at the ponies. Twilight warped the seven of them to safety right as the pellet collided with the ground, "So, you can teleport as well. Such a shame we don't have any teleportation signals in this dimension. You two are at quite the disadvantage." "What makes you say that, Bass? I usually stop you by myself, but now Proto-Man's here and we have the ponies by our side. Face it, this time you won't be claiming victory." Mega Man boasted. Bass smirked, "I hope I don't have to show you. But for now, I'll stick to what I do best." he dived, shooting his rivals and his new enemies with a charged shot. Mega Man and Proto-Man merged their own to counter Bass's vaporizing it as they collided. The Blue Bomber moved ahead, jumping over and sliding any shots the black robot directed at him. Bass felt something hit his face, his sensors tracking a rainbow blur speeding past him. Rainbow Dash revealed herself to the rival, taunting him. Bass growled, but before he could blast the cyan pegasus, something held his buster back. He noticed that his arm was covered in a magenta aura while the rest of him was covered in a blue one. "Grr... Stupid ponies. Treble! Get them!" The sinister dog growled, lunging after the ponies. But before the robot could reach the magic using alicorn and unicorn, a red blur tackled Treble, "Good boy, Rush!" complimented Mega Man. He reached his frozen rival and activated his Super Arm, having recharged his Weapon Variable System. He punched Bass hard in the torso and threw him down to the ground. Bass snarled, holding himself up with both hands. "Heh heh... Guess I got no other choice. Treble! Merge!" the robot dog did as it told and jumped into the air, Bass doing the same. Treble changed shape, merging his body on top of Bass's armor and making him grow wings with the upgrade. The black and purple robot laughed, a purple aura surrounding his entire body, "How's this? Wily upgraded me with Ra Moon's enhancements to defeat you should I merge!" "What the hay? He flippin' merged with that stupid dog of his!" Applejack explained. "Yeah. He can do that..." Mega Man replied with a sigh. Chuckling, Bass threw a dark ball lf energy at the group, forcing them to scatter. Twilight to repeat her earlier actions, but the powered robot continued to move, "It's no use, purple pony! My armor is similar to that of Evil Energy! It cannot be stopped!" he threw another ball of dark energy at them, Mega Man and Proto-Man pushing the seven out of the way. "What kind of an upgrade is that?" exclaimed Spike, he tried to breathe fire at Bass, but the flames bounced off his armor, making the robot chuckle. Bass hovered in his spot, the aura surrounding him like fire. Mega Man scowled, "You've gone too far, Bass." "Have I, Mega Man? You're one to talk." Bass threw more energy their way, Rainbow Dash attempted to hit him once more, but the flying robot grabbed her, tossing her into the rocky ground with a loud thud, "RAINBOW DASH!" the others shouted in unison, worried for their friend. Rainbow Dash picked her head up and grumbled. "That's it!" Proto-Man growled, aiming a charged shot at him. Bass swiped it away from him, a smile on his face, "H-How did you-?!" the flying robot laughed. "I'm more powerful than you can possibly imagine!" "Twilight," Mega Man began to the alicorn, "When I say so, I want you to hit me with a burst of magic to boost my power. I may have a way to stop Bass." Mega Man looked at his dog. "Rush! Armor form!" he ordered. The dog nodded and jumped into the air, changing his shape so that his body covered the Blue Bomber's, the dog covering the torso with small wings sticking from the back next to a small jet, "Twilight! Do it now!" Aiming her horn, the alicorn blasted the hero with a burst of magic, enhancing his abilities temporarily. Armored Mega Man flew up to Bass, "So, Bass. I Say we're evenly matched." he bragged. Bass gritted his teeth, aiming to punch the Blue Bomber, but Mega Man caught his fist and reversed the attack to hurt himself instead. Shaking his head, the black robot aimed his buster at Mega Man, but the armored hero activated another weapon and shot it, the Thunder Beam stunned Bass. "Annoying robot!" "I'm sorry, Bass. But I know that Wily will repair you." he used his Super Arm right as Bass was ready to throw a larger dark energy orb at his rival. He jabbed his hands into his torso, denting him. Bass released the orb, damaging Mega Man, but the armor and magic protected his body from further harm. Bass struggled to stay afloat, and the Blue Bomber looked at Proto-Man, who figured out what he had planned. The red robot shot a beam through his Proto-Buster. When Bass tried to counter by aiming at the ponies, Blues ran, using his shield to cover his friends. While he was distracted, Mega Man took the opportunity to punch Bass once again, damaging the wings before finishing with a middair Top Spin. Mega Man descended to the ground, watching as Bass panted, "I-I can't stop you like this, Blue Bomber. But mark my words... I will come for you again." he then slowly flew away, leaving the heroes to revel in a short victory. Rush hopped off of Mega Man, orphing back to his primary form, "Good job, Rush. And all of you, but we have to hurry into the fortress." the blue robot said, the ponies agreeing and following his head inside the door.