//------------------------------// // Gone Rogue // Story: Champion of the Sun // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// "Solo? You mean the other member of the Commandoes that went missing?" Celestia asked as Taurus and Megaman placed themselves between the princess and Rogue, who was slowly marching towards the group. "He is your ally, correct? Then why does he have Maestros power and looks like he wants to kill us?" "Because I am not there ally. I only use them and their organization whenever I see fit," Rogue snarled before he locked eyes on Megaman, who lifted his blade in a defensive stance. "But they are not my biggest concern right now. Right now Megaman, you must finally pay." "Pay for what?" Celestia asked. "Rogue has promised that one day he would finally defeat me in battle. I assume that he thinks today will be that day," Megaman replied before he pointed his sword at Rogue. "Don't even try it, Solo. If you've heard anything that's been going on then you know of the power that we now wield. We have the power of the sun on our side. You cannot beat this new form." "Forms. That is the only way you have been able to beat me," Rogue replied in a cold tone as he stopped before Megaman, the two glaring at each other. "The Zerker form. The Black Ace. But never as Megaman. Never as just yourself. You are weak without others there to lend you their strength." "How many times must I tell you? My friends are what give me my strength," Megaman replied as he glared back at Rogue. Rogue smirked at Megaman before he turned his head towards Celestia, looking her over for a moment before he turned and walked back to the center of the area. "Well then, today we will see how much power your friends really give you!" Rogue roared as he turned and swung his blade, creating a wave of shattered magic that hurtled towards the group. Celestia created a barrier while Taurus Fire threw himself in front of his friends. The barrier was shattered by the sword wave, but Taurus was able to withstand the attack. "Hurry Megaman! Transform!" Taurus roared as he turned and charged towards Rogue, bellowing like a bull as he charged towards the dark warrior. Rogue brought his left fist back, before he drove his fist into the skull of the flaming bull. Taurus roared in agony as he staggered backwards, before Rogue slammed a boot into the chest of the bull. "You are not worth my time," Rogue said before he grabbed Taurus Fire by the horns and hurled him through the windows of a store. An explosion of solar energy erupted from his side and Rogue turned to see the Solar Knight standing beside him, his power radiating with such power that even Rogue narrowed his eyes. "As for you. You had better say your goodbyes, because I'm finally putting an end to your futile life." "Every other villain I fought said the same thing. The Maestro said the same thing. And here I am," Megaman replied before he lunged towards Rogue, firing blasts out of his solar buster at Rogue. Rogue sliced the blasts out of the air before twirling and throwing a kick at Megaman's head. Megaman blocked the blow with his shield, but the force of the blow still made Megaman take a few steps back. "You're far more stronger than before," Megaman noticed as he took up a defensive stance, beginning to circle Rogue as Rogue started to circle him. "What happened to you, Solo? Why do you look like the Maestro and suddenly have his powers? Don't told me he turned you to his side?! He wants to destroy the world! That includes any remnants of Mu!" "I know that. And I will not allow him to," Rogue replied before he lunged forward, faking a sword attack to get Megaman to raise his shield before he went low and swept the feet of the Solar Knight. Celestia caught the movement and shot a blast of magic into Rogue's leg, getting him to snarl as he leapt back to recover. "He offered me power in exchange that I kill you. How could I pass that up?" "Still a pawn even now, eh Rogue?" Megaman taunted with a smirk, getting Rogue's eyes to become slits. "You keep getting played by every villain that's threatened the world. When will you learn?" "I don't care. I just want you dead." Megaman and Rogue roared as the collided in the air, creating a shockwave of power that blasted back any that had stopped to watch the battle. Megaman pointed Celestia at Rogue's head, but before he could fire Rogue slammed his skull into the face of Celestia. She cried out in pain and moved herself back, leaving Geo's left side open. Rogue spun in the air and drove his foot into Megaman's ribs, sending him rocketing back to the floor below. Megaman hit with enough force to shatter the ground, but he kicked up a moment later and retaliated by unleashing a volley of solar blasts at Rogue. Rogue flickered his form to EM and watched the attacks pass through him, before he reformed and lifted his sword above his head. A second later he crashed down into Megaman, swinging the blade with all of his fury into the shield Megaman lifted to defend himself. The sword met the shield and an explosion of shattered magic went off, hurling Megaman through a set of escalators while Rogue was hurled down a hallway. "This isn't good," Megaman said to Celestia as he picked the two of them up, glancing down the hallway to see that Rogue was already back on his feet. "He's never been this strong before. He might be stronger than us." "Is that possible?" Celestia asked with disbelief. "We were strong enough to defeat Maestro in this form. How can he possibly be overpowering us?" "Rogue has always been stronger than me. I've managed to beat him over the years thanks to my friends and forms that I've received," Megaman explained as Rogue hurled another slash of shattered magic towards them, before teleporting behind the two of them and swinging with his shattered fist. Megaman spun around to intercept the fist with his shield, before spinning Celestia towards the slash. He fired a charge shot into the shattered slash, only for the attack to slice clean through the burst. Realizing what was about to happen, Megaman moved Celestia out of the way and took the attack himself, roaring in pain as he fell to one knee. The attack left him open and allowed Rogue to drive his fist into the skull of Megaman, sending him hurling across the mall ground. Megaman spat out a bit of blood in pain as he started to get up once more, flames wrapping around him as he did so. "Alright, I've had enough of this," Megaman said in a cold voice to Rogue as the fire was concentrated into a blade, which Celestia grabbed with her mouth and finalizing the fire into a blade. "The Maestro has left numerous weapons that have the potential to destroy the world and we have no idea how to deal with them. I do not have time to deal with you. So leave or I will put you down hard." "You will try. But this time, you will lose." Megaman appeared behind Rogue and slashed at him with the solar blade, with Rogue barely getting out of the way of the attack. Yet even though he avoided the physical sword, the heat from the attack still burned the front part of Rogue's body. Rogue slashed at Megaman with his blade, but this time Megaman intercepted with his sword and caused fire to erupt between the two swords. With Rogue's sword locked in with Megaman's, Megaman swung at his foe with his shield. Rogue realized a second too late what was happening and took a solar disc to the side of the head. He roared as he staggered back, EM waves falling from his face as his X visor was shattered from the blow. He clutched at the damage before glaring daggers at Megaman, who twirled his sword before pointing it at Rogue. "Yield." "Never." Rogue reached out with his shattered hand and reached into a hole of darkness, pulling out a silver sword with a red base. He swung the two swords around before lunging towards Megaman, who growled as he prepared for the onslaught. He deflected the first strike with his solar sword before blocking the new sword with his shield. Megaman then spun and slashed at Rogue, who made an X with his swords to deflect the blade. Rogue drove his foot into the gut of Megaman, staggering the EM warrior before Rogue twirled and slashed with both of his blades. "TAURUS CHARGE!" Rogue had enough time to look to the side before a colossal beast of red slammed into his side, driving Rogue through the wall of a store. Taurus let out a smirk at the hole he had flung the warrior into before he walked over to Megaman, holding out a hand to help him up. "Thanks. I wasn't sure if I could keep that up," Megaman said as he took Taurus hand, the two of them glaring at the hole. "How did he get so strong? Even he wasn't able to one shot me before," Taurus asked. "He has the Maestro's power. Add that with his winning personality and he's fare more dangerous than before. We need to be on-" The conversation was interrupted when Rogue appeared behind the both of them and slashed at them with his twin blades. Megaman was fast enough to spin around and block the sword aimed at him with his shield, but Taurus turned just in time to take a blade to the chest. He roared in pain as he staggered back, clutching at the large gash that was in his chest. "Seems your friends aren't as strong as you believe them to be," Rogue said with a smirk as Taurus crashed into the ground, weakly looking up at Rogue who was glaring down at him. "You never stood a chance to begin with. The fact that you managed to catch me off guard shows just how much stronger he is than you. If he wasn't, I would have cut you out of the air before he had the chance to touch me." "Don't take your eyes off the prize!" Megaman bellowed as he plunged his sword at Rogue, getting Rogue to snap his head back towards his main foe. Yet right as the blade was about to strike Rogue, a being made of black energy and hands like blades appeared before Rogue, slashing across Megaman's chest with his hands. Megaman let out a cry of pain as he missed his strike, before Rogue took the opening and slashed clean through Megaman. Megaman crashed into the ground and slid over to where Zack and Luna were, weakly pushing himself back up as the numerous gashes in his chest took their toll. "So this is as far as your friends power takes you?" Rogue asked as he stalked towards Megaman, dragging both of his blades upon the ground. "You have to get up, Geo! We cannot lose here!" Celestia instructed Megaman, who was trying with every last ounce of strength he had to push himself to his feet. But before Rogue could get close to Megaman, Luna ran in front of Rogue and threw her arms to the side. "What do you think you're doing?" Rogue asked Luna, stopping in front of her while narrowing his eyes. "I won't let you-" "Just stop. You are the least threatening being in this entire mall to me," Rogue replied in a cold tone that bit at Luna. "You are weak. You have always been weak and annoying and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Rogue continued as he walked up to Luna, who backed away slightly with trembling eyes. "You have never been anything and you will never be anything. You are weak. And I hate the weak." Luna's eyes went wide as Rogue lifted a blade and slashed at Luna, who closed her eyes as she waited for the blade to cleave her in two. But before the blade could strike she felt an intense wave of heat wash over her and a roar of pain erupted a second later. Luna cracked open her eyes to see that Megaman was before her, with Rogue's blade embedded in his shoulder. But the solar sword had also gone through the stomach of Rogue, who had staggered back while seething in pain. "Don't...you...touch her," Megaman spat out as he ripped the blade out of his shoulder, tossing it to the ground before clutching at the wound. Rogue snarled in reply before his form began to flicker, with his metal parts and shattered magic starting to fade. "You must retreat," the EM being that had protected Rogue whispered as he appeared behind Rogue. "You cannot hold that form much longer." "No! I am so close to finishing him!" Rogue roared before he growled in pain and fell to a knee, the solar blade burning his body. "I will not retreat, Laplace!" "That is no longer your choice." Laplace lifted his hands and slashed them towards the group, forcing Celestia to create a sphere of magic to protect them. The impact kicked up a swarm of dust that blinded the group, but when it cleared Celestia found that both Rogue and Laplace were gone. Megaman narrowed his eyes before he let out a tired sigh and fell over, transforming back into Celestia and Megaman before Megaman turned back into Geo and Mega. "Are you three okay?!" Luna asked with concern as she kneeled next to Geo, helping him to sit up as Zack and Bud both staggered over to them. Celestia rose to her hooves and used her magic to help Mega up, while Geo stared at the spot where Rogue had vanished. "I'll live," Geo replied in-between breathes, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. "That's just one more thing to add to the crap pile," Mega said with a shake of his head as he placed a hand on Geo's shoulder. "First the Maestro, then his giants spheres and now this asshole shows up and is going to be a problem for us. This week just gets better and better." "Yeah...you okay Bud?" Geo asked Bud, who was clutching at his chest with a look of pain on his face. "Yeah...he only hurt my pride...and the rest of me," Bud grunted. "At least you were of use," Luna whispered quietly enough so that none of them could hear. "Well, at least we're all alive," Geo said as he stood up, trying to think positive. "Come on guys, let's go home for now. And Celestia, when we've both recovered we're going to have to start training as the Solar Knight. It's clear now that just having that power isn't enough. We're going to have to learn to work together."