Champion of the Sun

by Onomonopia

What He Does Best

"So Rogue has got an even stronger form than the already powered up one he had. That's good to know," Ace said with a shake of his head, turning around to face Sonia and Geo, along with their respective alicorns and wizards. "Not only that, but the Maestro didn't even show up to defend his sphere. And after how Rogue managed to take on the both of you at once, I can't say I blame him. Ugh, it's like every step we take forward he forces us two steps back."

"Perhaps the power of the Lunar Diva took longer for him to recover from than even we thought," Princess Luna suggested. "After all, unlike the power of the Solar Knight which simply melted him, the Lunar Diva managed to completely erase his body. Even for him, that has to take some time to come back from."

"And we've destroyed one of his spheres, without it going off on us," Mega growled with a smirk filled with pride. "That's got to seriously cripple whatever plans he has in store for our world. And now that we've proven we can destroy them, all that's left is for us to destroy the other two."

"But will it be as easy as this once?" Celestia asked, turning all eyes towards her. "Remember, the Maestro was not here to fight us this time, but next time may be different. And if Rogue is strong enough to overpower one of our combined forms, could we even hope to destroy the sphere while having to deal with both Rogue and the Maestro? Without casualties? We almost lost Bud this time and that was only with Rogue."

"Leave it to all of you to focus on the negative when we have reason to celebrate," Lyra interjected with a sigh. "We destroyed the sphere before it could do whatever it does. We fended off Rogue without losing anyone on our team. And we've seen that the spheres cannot handle the power of our two champions. If we keep playing our cards right, we should be able to destroy the remaining two quickly."

"I have to agree with Lyra. We scored a huge hit today. We should be celebrating," Sonia said to the others, who all gave her an uncertain look in reply.

"I wish I could, Sonia. But as long as Maestro and his weapons are out there, I probably won't be getting a good nights sleep anytime soon. Much less relax and party," Geo replied with a shake of his head, before looking over to his commander. "What do you think, Ace?"

"I think that you should heed what I told you all earlier this week. We need to be on guard against the Maestro and his lackey, but we can't let the fear of them control our lives," Ace repeated once more with a smile. "But I do think Sonia and Lyra have a point. You all have been doing an incredible job. Why not take a few days off, go see the city and have fun? You've all earned it."

"Because if Maestro catches us with our guard down, then all of our lives may as well be forfeit," Celestia said in a bleak tone, but Luna let out a laugh before she elbowed her sister in the gut.

"That has always been a problem with you sister, you have never known when to take a break and have fun!" Luna exclaimed before looking over at the rest of the team. "Yes, the Maestro may attack us while we're taking a break, but as he proved when he teleported in here, he can attack us at any time. So instead of dreading his attack, why not have a little fun why we wait?"

"I can see why you and Sonia get along so well," Celestia stated, getting her sister to turn on her. "I do not mean it as an insult, but you need to take things a little more seriously, sister."

"Yes, but if we make it out of this alive, this world will be our home. And honestly, I'd like to see how the people of Earth have fun," Luna said before glancing at Geo and Sonia. "What about the both of you? Would you two like to come have some fun with me?"

Sonia and Geo glanced at each other before the both of them quickly turned the other way, Sonia hiding her face under her hood while Geo lowered his visualizer to cover his eyes. Lyra stifled a giggle at their reactions while Mega let out a sigh and slapped a hand to his face.

"Fine, we'll come with you if only to get these two to stop acting like this," Mega agreed, snapping both Geo and Sonia's heads towards the EM wizard. "Seriously, you two can hardly be in the same room anymore. I'm getting sick of it. Hopefully this will get the two of you to act normal again."

"Be nice Mega, they are young," Lyra said with a smile, before she nodded to the Princess of the Night. "But I think that it is a wonderful idea, Luna. With all of these constant battles, we could use a break. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, when the Luna and I were in the city a few weeks ago..."

"You took yourself to the city?"

"Stop it Sonia."

"Never!"

"AHEM. When Luna and I were in the city with Sonia and my sister, I found these fliers for an...EM party, whatever that is," Princess Luna said as she used her magic to materialize a few EM fliers that she hoofed out to the rest of the group, even Ace. "It is to take place tomorrow night and it says it is for all ages upon it. Apparently they are doing it to help the community take their minds off of the tragedies as of late."

"Tragedies that I failed to stop," Geo muttered, but before he could continue down that road of thought Celestia bopped him in the back of the head with a wing.

"Geo, if anyone is to blame it is me. I should have stopped him back on Equestria before he even had the chance to come to your world. I am the one truly at fault for all of this," Celestia said in a tone that stung of regret, but before she could go down that road Luna clocked Celestia with her remaining wing.

"If you two are going to start the blame game, then I'm going to need another wing so I can smack the both of you," Luna said while giving the both of them a stern glare. "Arguing over whose fault it is isn't important. The Maestro is the one at fault and he will be the one that pays. After we go to this sweet rave."

"Then I suppose I will come as well," Celestia said after a moment of internal debate, getting her sister to raise an eyebrow filled with surprise. "Someone has to be there to stop you from partying too hard. I still remember the time you spent a night in a zebra jail because you accidentally set fire to the arena you were partying in."

"And it was still the greatest party that they had ever seen," Luna said with pride before she glanced over at Ace. "Will you be joining us as well, Ace?"

"I'd like to, but first I've got to clear it with Tia," Ace replied with a smirk that knew more than he said. "Someone has to be there to keep the press off of you. The public knows a little about you, mostly that you're both survivors from an alien world, but other than that we've kept them in the dark. It would be best to have an officer with you incase people are...uncomfortable."

"That is wise. I hope they can forgive me for nearly setting their city ablaze when we first arrived here," Celestia said with a hint of nerves.

"Seems to me sister that you wanted to start the party the moment you arrived in this land! I cannot wait to see you set the dance floor ablaze!"

"Sounds like a plan. So how about we all meet at Vista Point before heading into the city?" Sonia asked, getting the group to nod. "Ooh, should we ask Bud, Zack and Luna if they want to go as well?"

"But Sonia, I already said I was going."

"Oh God, they're both doing it now."

"I'll ask them," Ace said as he walked towards the exit of his office. "But somehow I doubt they'll say yes. All of them seem to be close to making some very difficult decisions in their lives."

{}

"You are an idiot, do you know that?" Luna asked Bud with a shake of her head, unable to believe that she was friends with such an idiot. She and Zack were sitting beside a bed, one that was occupied by one Bud Bison. Bud laughed in reply before he winced in pain and held a hand to his chest, gingerly touching the area where he had been impaled. "You knew Rogue was out of your league and yet you tried to fight him anyway. You should have known better."

"Aw come on, I had to attack him. If I didn't he might have hurt Sonia or Geo, and then where would we be?" Bud asked with another laugh, before the pain flared through his chest again.

"Statically speaking, there was only a ten percent chance that you would survive the encounter. You should consider yourself lucky," Zack said after crunching some numbers of his Hunter, before giving Bud a look. "And that was without counting the giant hole that he put in your chest. Either you are the bravest or dumbest person that I know. I'm leaning towards the latter."

"Come on guys, I was just doing what they would have done for me," Bud replied with a large grin, but the look was removed from his face when he found both of his friends giving him a look like the one his mother would give him whenever he messed up. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Bud, you recklessly endangered your life when you didn't need to," Luna scolded as she crossed her arms. "Geo and Sonia would have most likely been fine. They have powers that can best the Maestro whereas you do not. You nearly got yourself killed when you should have been standing back and staying safe."

"It was a risk I couldn't take," Bud replied good humoredly, but even his patience was reaching its limits.

"Bud, statically there was a greater risk of them getting hurt saving you than they would have had you stayed out of it," Zack replied, but he averted his gaze when Bud glared at him.

"I had to protect them. I had to make sure they survived," Bud stated in a stern voice, one that broke the moment Luna gave him a stronger look.

"Bud...is there something else to all of this?" Luna asked in a tone that told Bud she knew. Bud stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking over his options. A spiral of flames appeared next to him and a moment later the wizard Taurus was floating next to Bud.

"Bud...I think you should tell them," Taurus said.

"Tell us what, Bud?"

"Sigh, the reason that I've been so gung ho. Been fighting so hard and trying to make myself stronger? It's because of the Maestro. And what he said to me when I fought him back in the city," Bud admitted. Luna's gaze softened upon hearing Bud's words and Zack patted Bud on the shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

"Bud, I know how you feel. He told me similar things," Luna admitted as she gripped at her outfit. "Let me guess, he told you that you were a failure? That your life along with the lives off all the other you's amounted to nothing? That you're just a waste of space?"

"No, actually. He told me that in all the other realities like ours that he visited, all of the Bud Bison's that he's met...we nearly all sacrificed ourselves to save our friends. To keep those that we cared about safe. That we were all heroes," Bud admitted with a huge grin on his face, tears welling in his eyes and causing him to wipe them with the back of his hand. "Think about it. Me, the fat, smelly, stupid kid that nobody wanted to be around for so long is a hero in every reality. We're all heroes that are willing to give our lives for others."

"And after hearing that...I want to be like the other me's," Bud admitted with some pride in his voice, holding his head high with a look that neither Luna nor Zack had ever seen cross his face. "I want to be a hero like them. One that is willing to fight for his friends, no matter how hopeless it seems or how outclassed I am. Because if all the other me's were willing to do it...what right do I have to give any less than they did?"

Luna and Zack sat next to each other in silence for the longest time, neither of them able to think of a response to what Bud had told them. Eventually Luna took in a deep breath and gave Bud a sympathetic look, one that masked hints of sadness in her eyes.

"Bud...I am glad that you wish to see yourself as a hero, even though you were inspired by the words of a madman," she began before her face fell. "But just because you want to be like the others doesn't mean that you have to fling your life away at the first sign of danger. You're just as important as the rest of us."

"I know that you're trying to make me feel better, but I honestly don't mind giving my life for you guys," Bud admitted with a smile that was sad. "I mean, I'm not smart, I'm not as strong as the others...but if I can give my life to keep you safe, then it's a death I can be happy with. It's what I'm best at, apparently."

"I'm glad to see that you value your teammates lives so highly, but you're of more use alive than you would believe." All four sets of eyes turned towards the entrance to the recovery room, spying once A. C. Eos standing there with a smile on his face. "I'm starting to think I let you off the hook too easily the last time we trained, Bud. I know you feel like a heroic death is all you can do because your weak, but instead of throwing yourself in front of every bullet, I think I have another plan that will work better and with less death."

"What's that, Ace?" Bud asked, regretting his question immediately when Ace gave him a smile that would put a villains to shame.

"How I trained you last time, Bud? That was baby steps. This time I'm going to give you the full super hero training regime," Ace said with a laugh before he called Geo on his Hunter. "Guys? Sorry, but there's been a change of plans. I won't be able to make it with you tomorrow. Contact Geo's parents and see if they'll go with you, but something came up for me."

"I'm going to make a warrior out of a bull."

Comments

[PrismStrike]

"And after hearing that...I want to be like the other me's," Bud admitted with some pride in his voice, holding his head high with a look that neither Luna nor Zack had ever seen cross his face. "I want to be a hero like them. One that is willing to fight for his friends, no matter how hopeless it seems or how outclassed I am. Because if all the other me's were willing to do it...what right do I have to give any less than they did?"

thats just beautiful

"How I trained you last time, Bud? That was baby steps. This time I'm going to give you the full super hero training regime," Ace said with a laugh before he called Geo on his Hunter. "Guys? Sorry, but there's been a change of plans. I won't be able to make it with you tomorrow. Contact Geo's parents and see if they'll go with you, but something came up for me."
"I'm going to make a warrior out of a bull."

but be careful what ya wish for right

[Fluffy-Boi]

Yes!!! Bud is getting a power up!!!

[KiaraGate]

A warrior out of a bull? He is going to be using Fell Cleaves all day! (FFXIV joke)