The Blue Bomber fights for everlasting peace in a new world.
While stopping the evil Dr. Wily once again, Mega Man finds himself trapped in a peaceful world populated by equines. With a new threat and an alliance looming on the horizon, Mega Man must find the Robot Masters and stop them.
But a lingering doubt lies within the Super Fighting Robot, making him wonder if he truly is a good hero. Can Mega Man put these aside with the help of his new friends and end Wily's plan to terrorize two worlds?
Mega Man slid underneath the crevice on the wall. Using his momentum, he stood back up, in a nonstop sprint. Unfortunately, he had to pace himself once he saw a pit ahead. On the other edge was a green robot that blocked his way and upon seeing it Mega Man stopped in his tracks. Mega Man held out his Mega Buster in front of him, aiming it at the robot. He shot at the opposing robot in front of him, but the purple rabbit shaped robot shot tops at the Blue Bomber. Mega Man hopped around, getting a shot in as much as he could.
The robot exploded after a few more shots, allowing Mega Man to jump without any interruption. "Wow. Wily's really upped the ante." he noted, looking at the large pit of spikes below him. "Then again, a large pit of spikes is nothing new for him. I'm just glad I got myself out of the room with those teleporter blocks..." he shuddered, getting bad memories of close calls many times.
Mega Man whistled, calling in some back-up. A red teleporter beam appeared next to him. A red dog-like robot barked at Mega Man, earning a smile from him. "Hey, Rush. I could use your help. Are you up for this again, boy?"
He saw Rush nod, watching the dog transform into a jetboard that he could stand on. "Good boy." he said, standing on the board. Mega Man got into a surfing position. Rugh began to hover in the air, flying past the large chasm filled with spikes. Once they reached the other side, Mega Man stepped off and Rush transformed back to his dog form, following his partner the rest of the way. The two stopped once they saw a green robot holding up a shield and a gun in front of them. Mega Man held up his Mega Buster, glaring at the opposing robot.
"Sniper Joes..." Mega Man sighed.
The Sniper Joe began to shoot Mega Man, the blue hero sliding underneath the pellet sized shots. While the shield was down, Mega Man began to shoot at the exposed robot. The green robot repeated the process a few more times before Mega Man charged his buster and finished him in one blast.
"I hate to do that... I really do, but... Wily's almost finished with whatever it is he has planned, and I have to stop him no matter what." he mourned the fallen robot, still feeling guilty about having to fight his own kind. Nontheless, Mega Man continued through the lair with Rush by his side. A door stood in their path. Mega Man walked through the small hallway and into the other door, where a large empty room awaited them. Mega Man held up his Mega Buster in worry, waiting for something to happen.
Suddenly, something aimed itself at Mega Man. The robot hopped over the beam, watching it create ash on the floor beneath his spot, luckily Rush had run away to a good spot to hide while Mega Man settled the issue until needed once again. A large robot towered over the Blue Bomber, which Mega Man looked up to see the face and the person that was sitting on top of it. An elder man wearing a lab coat and a bushy gray mustache greeted him.
"Doctor Wily." Mega Man growled.
Wily grunted, "Oh, look. The annoying helper robot has come to stop my plans again..." the elder scientist sighed from his spot on top of the giant robot glaring at his nemesis, "This time, Mega Man. You cannot hope to stop me! Doctor Light would wish he has the technology I have right now!" he gloated.
"What are you talking about?" Mega Man asked.
"Remember Ra Moon, Rock? Well, I managed to grab some bits of its remains in the temple with some help from my upgraded Mets and created a portal to another dimension! A world where you shall never return from and one I intend to send my Robot Masters to once I clone them." Wily revealed.
"Ra Moon!?" Mega Man shouted, "You've gone too far with this Wily! I'll put you back in jail where you belong! Did you not learn what happened last time you met Ra Moon!?"
Wily chuckled, "Do not think that I am crazy enough to bring him back. Oh no, I'm merely using what's left of him to further my own goals." he responded. "But enough talk!" the robot slammed its fists on Mega Man, who slid away in time, only to feel the shockwave of the hands, stagger him slightly. Mega Man got to his feet, jumping onto the platforms that were above him. Before he could focus on robot, the Blue Bomber focused his attention to the antennea that lied at the other side of the room.
Running, Mega Man jumped over the missiles Wily launched, shooting them all in middair. He jumped to the next platform, in the blink of an eye, Mega Man changed weapons. He threw a Metal Blade at the missiles in a diagonal direction, hitting all of them in one throw. Changing his weapons once more, Mega Man's armor changed color upon activating his Leaf Shield ability, covering himself in aura of leaves circuling his body swiftly, he threw the shield, blowing up a couple more missiles in his path. Mega Man jumped, reactivating his Mega Buster's default options.
In a few charged shots, Mega Man destroyed the antannae for good. Focusing back to the giant Gamma robot, Mega Man landed on the bottom of the room, where Rush awaited an order. "Rush..." he began, the robot dog ran next to the Super Fighting Robot and transformed once again, this time into a spring. Mega Man jumped onto the top of Rush's now spring body and hopped off, giving himself a higher jump that allowed him to reach the top of the room faster.
Landing on the platform, Mega Man readied his charged shot, but before he could shoot, Gamma swiped Mega Man hard in the face, making him fall off the platform back to where he started. Mega Man's blue armor was covered in dirt and a little broken. He got up, ready to repeat his previous actions with success. Using Rush as a spring and following, he jumped back onto the platform with his dog by his side, this time changing his weapons. Missiles were aimed in his direction, but Mega Man spun around with his Top Spin ability, sending the missiles back to Wily's direction.
Slamming his fists on Mega Man, the Blue Bomber used another ability he gained from a friend. He held up the giant fist with the Guts Arm, throwing it up. Wily used this opening to hit Mega Man with the other hand, crushing him. The Super Fighting did his best to use the Guts Arm move to hold both arms up without getting crushed. The robot's strength proved overwhelming for Mega Man, feeling the force of the giant fists weaken his circuits.
Luckily for Mega Man, a familiar whistle tune was heard loudly within the room. Wily's eyes widened realizing what that meant. In the blink of an eye, something shot Wily's keyboard, moving the arms away from the now weakened Mega Man, who struggled to move himself from his spot. The Blue Bomber moved his aching joints and turned his head to see a familiar face he'd knew show up once needed.
"Of course I had to save you again. Roll and Light insisted that I come to help." the robot said, crossing his arms. The robot wore a red helmet with visors covering his eyes and wore gray armor with red trimmings and wielded a buster similar to Mega Man on his red hands. Placed and strapped on his back was a large red shield shaped similar to that of a Sniper Joe's.
"Thanks for that, Proto-Man..." Mega Man panted, "That's kind of why I destoyed the anti-teleporting signal from the room." Proto-Man tossed him an E-Tank, refilling his energy needed to fight Gamma. "Thanks. But this is serious. Wily has found the remains of Ra Moon..."
"He did what?" Proto-Man shouted. The duo avoided more lasers and missiles launched by Wily. Mega Man shot the cockpit once again, destroying the robot more as he continued. Proto-Man slid underneath a projectile, charging his buster and shooting the launchers that were aimed at them.
"And he plans to use those remains to recreate some Robot Masters and send them into another dimension to test the capabilites." the blue robot explained to his brother. Proto-Man looked at Wily and shot the openong once again, destroying any control he had left on Gamma. The doctor hovered out of the robot, clearly annoyed by Proto-Man entering the battle and aiding Mega Man.
"Grr... That was just a distraction. Copy Robot now!"
The brothers turned around and saw a robot that looked similar to Mega Man, but he had red eyes, a sinister smile and wore a scarf wrapped around his neck. Smirking, Copy Robot pulled a lever, activating something unknown to the heroic robots. The brothers and dog felt something pulled them upward. Mega Man's eyes widened once he detected a rift opening right above where they were standing. "Oh man... Hold on tight!" he shouted, looking for a good vantage point.
Unfortunately, Rush flew upward into the portal, vanishing within the blue vortex, "RUSH!" Mega Man shouted, flying up to follow and rescue his beloved pet. Proto-Man sighed, realizing and regretting what he was about to do.
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." he sighed, chasing after his brother and dog and flying into the portal as well. Copy Robot deactivated the portal, watching as Wily made his way back to the computer. The scientist chuckled at how everything went according to plan. Copy Robot walked out of the way of his creator.
"Excellent work! Once I recreate the army I wish to have, then we all shall head into the very same dimension they're in! I wish to destroy Mega Man and Blues myself and show Thomas what happens when he threatens to thwart my plans!"
Mega Man felt his joints stiffen. He activated his optics once his sensors finally reactivated. "Ow... Okay. That hurt. A lot." he felt his joints loosen, allowing him to remove his helmet. Removing his armor, Mega Man turned back to Rock, the ordinary helper robot. "Okay. My sensors seem to be working fine, and my joints are loose. Good, now I gotta find out where I'm at."
"Wily could be here any minute with his Robot Masters. And I need to be ready. And I should warn the inhabitants of this world as well and get them ready for him. Last thing I or anyone else needs is Wily taking over two worlds." he grunted, rubbing the parts of his body that responded to his pain receptors. Shaking his head and focusing, Rock looked around his current location.
He noticed a small quiet house not too far away from where he was standing. "Maybe whoever lives there could help me out. At least, it looks friendly anyway." he paused, 'Like I have any other choice. They have to know what's happening and I can't just run around this world in secret without starting some kind of panic about a strange takeover and have everyone here against me.'
With that thought in his mind, Mega Man started his short trek to the small house. Where hopefully, whoever lived there, if anybody actually did, it seemed to quiet to tell, Mega Man could get some answers as to where he was at and begin warning them of Doctor Wily's oncoming robot invasion.
Rock found himself standing near the small, isolated house. He noticed that he was near a pretty big forest, and that there seemed to be small areas dedicated to housing critters. He wondered who would be willing to care for so many animals. Continuing on, Rock decided to peek through the window, hoping to see whoever lived there. He slowly walked to the only window that was not covered in curtains. He ducked slightly, hoping that whoever was inside wasn't able to see him and the robot scouch walked to the window.
He peeked upward, getting a closer look. The inside was kept tidy, a small sofa sat near the opposite window and a stair case led to an upstairs room he could not see. 'Huh. Pretty small place.' he noticed, seeing that for the most part the house could only shelter one, maybe two people inside it. He turned his head, seeing a table standing nearby the couch and holding a lamp. Rock was hoping that he could see if the person that occupied the house was even inside at all.
When Rock heard the faint sound of footsteps from inside, he ducked out of sight from the window for a second, making sure that he wasn't seen. Rock knelt down, keeping himself quiet. A few seconds passed, and Rock took a risk, slowly rising up to see through the window, praying that the occupant didn't see him.
What he saw surprised him greatly.
A yellow horse with wings and a flowing pink mane hovered around the small house, humming as she was feeding creatures like mice, a rabbit, and a bear. 'Am I sure my sensors are working?' he wondered, 'That is a yellow horse. My data doesn't have any record of neon colored equines. Either they are with humans or they are the dominant species of this dimension.' Rock wondered, watching the horse continue her nurture the animals inside her tiny house.
Standing up, Rock realized that he needed to speak to her, even though she might not know what he was. 'Well, I look human... But there is a good chance that humans do not exist here. I should be wary until I learn more of this dimension.'
Rock stood up, staying out of sight of the horse for now. He paced to the door. The robot knocked. A creaking sound was heard and the door began to open slowly, "Um... Hello?" the horse asked, Rock noticing that it was female. She peeked through the hole, her pupils shrinking upon the sight of Rock.
"Hi there!" he greeted in a friendly manner.
The door slammed immediately, and Rock could hear a whimpering sound through the door, 'I don't blame her for being scared. Heck seeing something like me in what appears to be a peaceful world like this.' he thought, the boy knocked once more, "I'm not gonna hurt you, believe me, I'll never hurt anyone." Rock assured, 'My programming will make sure of that.' he mused.
He saw the door open once again, this time the winged horse was standing behind it, "O-okay... Are you sure?" she asked, quietly doubting the robot.
"I promise you, that I will not hurt you. I'm only here to ask a couple questions. Then after that I'll be on my way." Rock comforted, smiling all the while. The horse nodded upon hearing his words, opening the door enough to allow the robot inside. Rock had to duck a little in order to fit through the entrance, but the house was large enough to fit in.
The horse sat down on her couch. Animals of all kinds began to surround Rock in curiousity and awe. The robot moved his arms slowly as to get his bearings and avoid hurting the critters with his metal body. The winged horse smiled lightly, "It looks like they like you." she noticed, watching Rock pet a bear, which to the young helper robot, was very unusual for him. Then again, for him, meeting a talking winged horse was strange enough for him.
"Uh, good. Anyway, I don't think I got your name. My name is Rock." the robot introduced, pointing at himself while attending to the squirrels on his lap.
"M-My name is... Fluttershy," the pony, named Fluttershy, responded quietly. Luckily, Rock's hearing sensors heard her, so that way ahe wouldn't have to repeat herself. Fluttershy bent down slightly, rubbing the top of a mouse's head. The mouse squeaked in delight, as the pegasus grabbed a tiny piece of cheese in her hoof, to which the rodent grabbed in no time. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rock, but... I've never seen an animal like you before..." she said, turning her attention back to the robot sitting in her house.
"Ah... Well you don't have to worry about me. I just have a few questions to ask you. If you don't mind." Rock responded.
"Sure..." the yellow pegasus nodded.
"Alright. I guess the first question I should ask is, where am I?"
"Equestria. I live not too far away from Ponyville." Fluttershy answered.
'Equestria? Hm... Doctor Wily sent me to a strange world. Maybe I'll look into Ponyville later...' Rock mused.
Rock put a hand under his chin, "I see... Do you know anybody there? You seem really nice, so you must have some friends."
"Oh..." Fluttershy was caught off-guard by his comment, "Um... Yes. If you want... I-I can take you to meet them. It you don't that is..." she muttered in response.
"Of course. I have a feeling I'm gonna be here a while, anyhow. I might as well get to know somebody to help me find my way around here. At least, until I find my friends..." Rock muttered, recalling that Rush and Proto-Man were sent to Equestria with him.
"You lost your friends? How?"
Rock raised a hand, "I think it'll be best if I don't say for now... Do you mind if you can lead me to Ponyville?" he asked.
"Sure..."
A loud howling sound was heard as Rock and Fluttershy walked out of the house. The robot immediately stopped, "Wait... Do you hear that?" he asked. They were silent until the howl was heard once again. Fluttershy's eyes widened at the noise.
"Oh no... That poor dog... All alone in there..." she gasped, horrified by the dog's situation.
"C'mon. Let's go!"
Rock started to run, but noticed Fluttershy trembling in place. "Are you alright, Fluttershy?"
"Th-That's the Everfree Forest! It's full of monsters and chaotic creatures! Nopony w-wants to go in there!" thr shy pegasus revealed, still shaking in her spot.
Rock nodded in understanding, "Alright. I guess I'm going in alone." he deduced.
"What!? Y-You can't!"
Rock smirked, clearly Fluttershy doesn't know him well enough yet. He started to run once again and said, "I'm more than capable of handling myself! I'll be back soon!"
"W-Wait!" the pegasus pleaded.
Once out of Fluttershy's sight, Rock transformed into Mega Man, allowing him to combat whatever threats lie in this seemingly damgerous forest, 'She may have a point. All the forests I've been too have been dangerous... Then again that was probably because of Wily's Robot Masters making it a chore for me to reach their hideout for me to blow up the anti-teleportation signal.'
Mega Man hopped over a small pond, landing back on the ground right after doing so. The robot moved some branches out of his way. Another howl was heard, guiding Mega Man to the right location, 'Rush can't teleport because we're in a strange land... So that means no signal, and that will make searching for Proto-Man harder than I thought.' he processed.
He found himself in an open field, where a red dog lied on the grass in fear. "Rush!" he called. The dog perked up and immediately tackled his owner. "Ha ha! It's alright, boy!" he assured, petting Rush on the top of his head.
A rustling sound was heard, getting Mega Man's attention. A strange lion-like creature hopped out of a bush, nearly tackling the robot and dog, had Mega Man not slid out of the way. He held out his Mega Buster, ready to shoot, 'Wait... My scanners say this... Manticore is an organic creature... I can't hurt him...' the manticore swiped at the robot boy, nearly scratching his armor in the process.
Mega Man grabbed Rush and hopped off the base of a tree, leaping over the wild manticore that was attacking him. The robot hero landed on the ground, with his dog still in his grip. The monster turned around, finding Mega Man right where he wanted him. The Blue Bomber slid underneath the creature's legs, 'How am I going to get out of here?' he thought, 'Wait... Why didn't I think of it earlier?' he wondered.
Rush barked as Mega Man spoke, "Hey, Rush. Turn into jet mode. We gotta get outta here!" he said, avoiding a swipe from the manticore's claws. Rush turned into a jet, allowing Mega Man to step on. The robot ascended, leaving the manticore to roar at him from the ground, "Nice work, boy. Now there's someone you have to meet!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Oh, he's such a cute dog!" Fluttershy complimented, lowering herself to get a better look at Rush, who barked happily at the pegasus's excitement.
"Ha, thanks," Rock said while petting Rush. "Sorry about running off like that, but Rush is someone I was talking about earlier. Now, if only I could find Blues..."
"Oh, I know. It's just... Nopony goes running into the Everfree Forest like that... Except for when we had to face Nightmare Moon and stop the plundervines." Fluttershy mumbled.
"Huh? You went in there?" Rock questioned, the pegasus nodding in response.
"Um... Yes... It's kind of hard to explain..." she muttered. "It was to help my friends..."
"Ah, it's fine if you don't want to talk about it. Hearing that you went in there just to help your friends means that it was a good enough reason to go in." Rock complimented to Fluttershy.
"That's nice of you to say..."
"So, who are your friends?"
"Oh, I was just about to take you to meet them. If you don't mind, anyway." Fluttershy answered.
Rock shrugged, "Okay. I hope that they don't mind my... Appearance."
"It doesn't matter Rock," Fluttershy assured. "No matter what you look like, you are still you." the robot managed a smile upon hearing his new friend's words.
"Thanks, Fluttershy."
"Huh. Pretty big castle." Rock managed to say, looking at the large crystal castle in front of him. He moved his head upward to see that it towered greatly and was even able to get a good view of Ponyville from the top balcony if possible.
Fluttershy quietly knocked on the door. When nopony answered, Rock decided to knock for her, louder this time. For a while, no noise was heard coming from the other side, but eventually, the giant twin doors opened themselves, allowing access. Behind the doors was a different creature, not a pony.
Rock took a good look at its green and purple scales, 'It looks like a small dragon. Huh. An organic one at that according to my sensors.' he noted to himself.
"Uh..." the dragon started to say, "What are you, exactly?" he managed to question.
"Me? Well, it's kind of hard to explain," Rock answered to the best of his ability. "It's nice to meet you..." he trailed off, not getting the dragon's name.
"Spike."
"Right. Nice to meet you, Spike. I'm Rock," the robot extended his hand, to which the dragon grabbed and shook it. "And this is my dog, Rush. Say hi, boy!" the robot dog barked upon his order.
"Okay, Rock. You seem pretty cool." Spike admitted.
"Thanks, Spike. So, you're a dragon, huh? What's it like here anyhow?" Rock questioned. "Should I be worried about what the other ponies think of me?"
"It's nice. You shouldn't really think about that too much. Ponyville's a really nice place and everypony here is nice once you get to know them. Just don't do anything that'll get you on their bad side." the young dragon explained to the robot.
"Alright." Rock nodded.
Soon, a purple horse with wings and a horn walked into the room with Fluttershy where Rock and Spike were next to the now closed doors, "Woah. You have wings and a horn!" Rock shouted, 'My data's never had any mythological records of such a creature.'
Twilight chuckled at Rock's enthusiasm, "Twilight's an alicorn, Rock." Fluttershy told him.
"Alicorn? I've never heard of that." the robot boy told the purple pony, rubbing his hair.
"An alicorn is usually considered royalty. So they're pretty rare, Rock. By the way, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy told me about you. You're pretty brave if you're willing to go into the Everfree Forest just to rescue your pet dog."
"I'm always willing to help my friends no matter what, Princess Twilight. You said alicorns are royalty, right?" he questioned upon learning of what Twilight said.
"Please. Just call me Twilight. If Fluttershy can trust you, then I can too." she said with a wave of her hoof.
Rock nodded in understanding, "Okay, Twilight. Glad to meet you. If you couldn't tell by my appearance, then you can pretty much guess that I'm not from Equestria. In fact, I woke up next to Fluttershy's house and she welcomed me. I can't thank you enough for that." he added to the pegasus.
"Where are you from, Rock?" Twilight asked, "I think we could help you find a way home." she offered.
Putting a hand on his chin, Rock thought to himself. After a moment, the robot decided to speak, "Alright. I think I can explain in a way you understand."
"What do you mean?" Twilight wondered.
The robot paused, his optics and sensors at work once more, "What I mean is that I'm not like you."
"Of course you're not," Spike told Rock, "You don't look like a pony, dragon or griffon."
"That's... Not what I meant. No... Actually, I'm not an organic creature at all," he revealed to the three listening to him. Fluttershy and Twilight gasped upon hearing this. "And how I got here is a pretty crazy story in of itself."
"So, are you made of magic?" the alicorn questioned.
"No. By science. You see where I'm from, robots have been living in unity with humans. The species populating my world. I was built by Dr. Light as a helper robot with my sister Roll. My creator, Dr. Light once worked with a colleague, Dr. Albert Wily, to advance robotics. But Wily's credentials were lost after he was discovered to create weapons with nuclear chemicals, deeming such a thing too dangerous."
"But Wily at this point helped Dr. Light create a new line of robots after giving up building military weapons, the Robot Masters Line, which would help continue how the world perceives robots as helpers and not weapons. But Wily grew jealous and bitter over the fact he wouldn't be remembered as the man who advanced robotics. So, in his jealousy, he hijacked the Robot Masters and used them to conquer the world."
"Oh my... That's horrible..." Fluttershy gasped, placing her hooves over her mouth in shock.
"Wow... That's crazy." said Spike.
"Yeah, but anyway. Dr. Light learned of this the day after. Our military wasn't prepared to face such an attack. The Robot Masters were destroying everything and Wily was having his way. So after some thinking, I decided to step in and help. Since I am a helper robot. After some modifications I was no longer the lab assistant, Rock..." after saying that, Rock started to transform himself, showing them what he was talking about.
"...And I became the Super Fighting Robot, Mega Man." revealed Mega Man.
"That is so cool!" Spike cheered.
"So... You're a hero in your world?" Twilight asked, "A heroic robot fighting other robots... How did you do it?"
"Yeah, it wasn't easy. Since I'm a robot too, I had difficulty accepting that I had to fight other robots. It took a lot of convincing from Dr. Light and Roll for me to go on."
"That must be tough to do..." Fluttershy sighed.
"It is... But I managed to defeat the Robot Masters and stop Wily and get them reprogrammed back on our side. But Wily didn't stop there. He continued to threaten our world. And each time he did, I would go and stop his Robot Masters before foiling his plans."
Mega Man paused before continuing, "And that's why I'm here. Wily created a device from the remains of an alien called Ra Moon to send me here. And he's on his way with an army of old Robot Masters that I fought before. I need to find my brother, Proto-Man and stop Wily should he come here himself."
"You have a brother?" Spike asked.
"And you need all the help you can get in stopping Wily..." Twilight trailed off. "So, we'll help you. Fluttershy, the rest of my friends, and I were once the Elements of Harmony. We know this world better than anypony else and can help you with anything you need."
"Thank you, Twilight. In fact. How about I meet your friends so they can get to know me better? That way we can start off on the right foot-er-hoof in this case?" Mega Man suggested.
"That's a good idea, Rock!" Twilight perked up, "I'll go tell them immediately!" she dashed out the door, "Oh, and you can stay here if you wish." the princess added before running out of the castle once more to explain everything to her friends.
"So, I guess we're roommates." Spike joked.
"Heh. I guess we are," Mega Man agreed. 'I think I'm going to like it here. It's so peaceful here. It's like everything I've fought to have for Earth lives within this world. Such a shame Wily's taking that away, but I'll stop him again.'
Rock found himself at his first stop for the day, 'Sweet Apple Acres. At least I should be here according to the map I scanned thanks to Twilight.' he processed. The robot looked at the large red barn in front of him at the end of the dirt path and he could an orchard of apple trees that go on for miles.
"Huh. It does live up to its name." Rock joked finding himself in front of the small door of the house next to the barn. He knocked on it, hoping to get an answer. Tapping his foot, the robot patiently awaited for somepony to answer. Eventually, his prayers were answered as an orange pony with blonde hair and a stetson on her head opened up the door.
"Howdy there. Judgin' by your appearance, ya must be Rock. Twilight told me about you. Name's Applejack, by the way." the pony introduced quickly.
"Hi, Applejack." Rock greeted, "Did Twilight really tell you about me already?"
"Yep. She stopped by earlier today and told me ya wanted to meet me and our friends," the farmer revealed with a friendly smile. "Pleasure to meet ya, by the way."
"Oh. Okay. Well, did she tell you that I'm a robot?" he questioned.
"Well, she did tell me that you were an assistant from where you're from," Applejack told him, "Are ya willing to help around here for today? My sister's at school and Big Mac is already at work. We could use an extra hoof out there."
"Sure." nodded Rock, "What do you do here anyway? Farm apples?" he questioned.
"Yep! Mah family has been farmin' apples for generations. Now, how about ah take you to the orchard so you can learn the basics?" she offered. Rock nodded, allowing the earth pony to lead him to where he was needed.
Along the way to the spot, the two ran into a larger red stallion dragging along a wagon full of apples on his back, "Hey, Big Mac?" Applejack called the stallion over to ask a question, "Do ya need any help over there?"
Big Mac shook his head, "Nope." he continued to walk along the path back to the farm.
"Hi, Big Mac! Nice to meet you," Rock introduced. "Are you Applejack's brother?"
"Eeyup." Big Mac responded to the robot before getting back to work once more.
"Not a pony of many words are you?" asked the robot boy.
"Eenope!" Big Mac answered in a proud tone, never stopping what he was doing.
"Hey, Applejack. You mentioned you had a sister too?"
The mare nodded, "Yeah. Applebloom's at school, which is why ah was hopin' you could pick up her slack." she answered. The two stopped once Applejack found where she wanted Rock to start. The robot looked at the tree full of apples.
"Ah already brought the buckets needed to be filled." the farmpony said to him. She reared her backhooves before driving them into the bark of the tree, making it shake violently and have some apples fall onto the bucket perfectly.
"I think I can do this." Rock used his sensors to find the perfect spot to hit the tree. He turned into Mega Man to give him an upgraded advantage in hitting the tree. The Blue Bomber moved his hand back and punched the tree, this time it fell down and all of the apples somehow managed to land right on top of the ones Applejack got. The robot rubbed his head sheepishly at the sight, "Uh... Sorry? I wasn't expecting myself to hit it so hard."
Applejack sighed, "That's fine... Just don't overdo it again..." she warned him. "Or I'll have you empty every darn tree in this orchard." she threatened in a joking tone.
Mega Man raised his hands in defense for his overdone actions, "Okay, okay! I hear you!" with that, he removed his upgraded armor and became Rock again, deciding to take things slow for this chore. 'After all, I have to get on their good sides.'
Applejack huffed, "Alright. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." she ordered. Rock saluted in response to what she said and went right back to work.
Hours passed and Rock dusted off his hands, he had made his way back to the barn where he was introduced to the elder of the Apple family, Granny Smith. And after a nice plate of apple pie baked by her as a thanks for helping, Rock was on his way to wherever the next of Twilight's friends lived.
"I've already been getting along fine with Fluttershy, Spike, Twilight and Applejack. Maybe I should see Rarity.' he thought, looking over the map he downloaded into his data. 'She should be on the other side of town inside of her boutique.'
Along the way, Rock managed to see the confused looks of ponies that had never met him, each of them whispering something, "It's okay, guys. I'm not going to hurt any of you!" he eased their troubling thoughts, 'I can't. I'm a robot. I'm bound to protect all organic life unless they're harming another.'
Eventually, Rock made his way to the Carasoul Boutique. "Nice place. I can see where it got its name from. Now let's see if she's even home to begin with." he knocked on the door to the boutique. Rock got a closer look at the home. 'Wow. She really went all out on detail for this place. Then again, she has to make an impression for business. Kind of like Light Labs.
A door opened, "Welcome, come on in!" a female voice welcomed in a friendly tone. Rock decided to follow the voice into the house. He noticed that it was a lot bigger on the inside, clothes hung all over the place and knitting tools, needles and yarn were all over the place, "Oh, please excuse the mess, dearie." the white unicorn said.
"It's fine," the robot assured remembering how messy Dr. Light's lab can get after he experiments or upgrades his capabilities, "I assume you're Rarity? My name is Rock."
"Where are my manners?" she chided herself, "Yes, darling, I am Rarity. Twilight told me you would be coming sometime today or tomorrow, Rock. This... organized chaos you see here was a result from me trying to finish my recent order for a party in Canterlot."
"Oh, so you make clothes? That's pretty cool." Rock complimented, looking around at her inventory, impressed by the large amount of clothes and styles she made.
"Why thank you, Rock." Rarity leaned forward to get a closer look at what he was wearing, "I must say that is a simple, yet suitable shirt for you. Blue matches you for some reason." she observed. Rock smirked at that comment, her not knowing what he was thinking about.
"Yeah you're right... Blue does suit me..." he agreed.
"Anyhoo..." the unicorn trailed off, "What do you wish to talk about or do here, Rock?"
"Well, where I'm from, I'm a lab assistant. I met Fluttershy and Twilight earlier today and wanted to get to know each of you. Since I need your help."
"Oh, how thoughtful of you, Rock!" Rarity cheered, lifting up some designs with her horn and lying them onto a table, "I've never made clothes for a bidpedal creature such as yourself!"
Rock gulped, 'What have I gotten myself into? And for that matter, is that magic she's using? Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, alicorns. Everyone here is a pony of sorts. And they have special traits given by what species they are.'
Rarity lifted the first shirt on Rock, which she belived didn't fit him. The process of Rock trying on different clothes and being her manequin lasted for what felt like an eternity to the robot, with him remaining still for most of it while Rarity got his measurements and the necessary equipment to start making him a new shirt.
The unicorn removed the last shirt, feeling satisfied with a yawn, "Oh, dear... You must be tired, Rock..." she said. "I'll let you go for now. Thank you for your help..." she sighed, walking away to her bedroom to get her beauty sleep.
'Luckily for me, I'm a robot so I don't have to sleep. But I should probably head back to the castle anyway. I'll meet Pinkie and Rainbow Dash in the morning, then I can go find Proto-Man with them and find a way back home before Wily gets here.'
Unknown to Rock, a figure with glowing red eyes was watching him through the window. "Oh, Wily will be seeing you soon enough, Mega Man." he gloated, wrapping his scarf over his face and finding a spot to hide away from Rock.
Rock awoke in the bed Twilight offered him. Despite the robot not needing sleep, he felt energized. 'I have to admit. It was pretty cozy, even though I can't sleep.' instead the robot did a manual shut down protocol where he would wake up in eight hours. It was his father installed before becoming Mega Man.
The robot opened the door from his room. He turned into the hallway, wondering where it was where Twilight wanted to meet him the night before he depowered. 'I have to remind her to give me a map of this place so I can download it.'
He opened up a door to see if he was in the right direction. Instead of finding Twilight, Rock saw Spike wearing a towel over his waist and flexing in the mirror. "Uh... Does this happen often?" the robot asked aloud, startling the dragon. Spike shamefully covered himself, his face red from embarassment.
"What are you doing in here!?" Spike questioned loudly.
Rock raised his arms defensively, "It's alright, Spike! I won't tell anyone! It was an accident!" he turned around to let Spike get some dignity back, even though he never lost any. "Anyway, do you know where Twilight is at?"
Spike pointed outside, "A few more doors down to the left." he answered quickly.
"Thanks." replied Rock, closing the door behind him, allowing Spike to admire himself in peace.
Following the young dragon's instructions, Rock opened up another door, this time he walked into a room with a large circular table made of crystal lying in the center with seven tall chairs made of crystal also surrounding it.
The robot saw Twilight reading a book, he couldn't tell what it was about from this angle, "Hey, Twilight," he greeted, getting her attention. "Sorry it took me so long to find you. The castle's pretty big." he apologized.
"That's alright, Rock." she replied, "Now, I take it you want to know where you can find Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah... I've already met Applejack and Rarity yesterday. I just wanna know all of you before you help me get back home. Plus I love this world. It's so... calm." sighed Rock, seeing the very kind of peaceful world that he strived for.
"I'm glad you think so..." Twilight said, "Anyway, Pinkie should be at Sugarcube Corner, and Rainbow Dash should be with the Cutie Mark Crusaders... I heard Pinkie's got something for you once you get there..." she hinted, the alicorn getting Rock's curiousity.
Rock walked into the lifesize gingerbread house, figuring out that it was Sugarcube Corner, 'Weird. It's all dark in here. Why would the door be open?' his logic sensors were asking him why a supposedly busy place like this would be closed at a time like this.
"SURPRISE!"
Rock jumped in his spot, seeing a large group of ponies cheer. The room was all decorated, with treats everywhere, a large cake on the table and a banner that read, 'Welcome to Equestria, Rock!' the boy smiled at the sight. A pink pony bounced to his side.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Twilight told me about you yesterday and I thought 'Ooh! Somepony new? I wanna be his friend so bad!' and so I gave you a party to make you feel welcome! Do you like it?'
"Ha! Yeah I do!" Rock shouted, "Thank you so much, Pinkie!"
"Yay!" Pinkie popped from her spot and held a tray of cupcakes, "Do you want to try one?" she offered. Rock smiled, putting one into his hands and bit into it. His taste sensors savored the taste. "Well?" she questioned him.
"I love it!" responded Rock with a thumbs up. 'If only Roll and Dr. Light were here... Oh man... Those two must be worried sick about me and Blues suddenly vanishing like we did. The robot looked down to see Pinkie smiling at him. He cleared his throat as he walked to the middle of the room, where everypony simmered down.
"I can never thank you enough for this, Pinkie," he began. "All of you. I thought you all would never trust me once I got here, but... I'm glad to be proven wrong." he thanked everypony in the room. The ponies cheered at his short speech.
After spending some time talking to ponies in the town, the party ended, and Rock decided to help cleanup. Due to Pinkie's hyper attitude, they finished cleaning in a metter of minutes, giving Rock plenty of time to find Rainbow Dash.
He wandered around, finding himself at the edge of Ponyville. A woosh sound was heard in the sky, getting Rock's attention. He saw a rainbow blur and tried to scan it, but he wasn't able to get a good look at it since it vanished.
'What was that?' Rock decided to follow where the trail led. After a minute of running, he saw three fillies watching the sky in awe. 'Oh! That was Rainbow Dash! And they must be the Cutie Mark Crusaders!' the confused robot realized.
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash!" the orange pegasus cheered. The white unicorn and yellow earth pony watched in slience, letting the orange one do all the cheering for them.
Rock stood behind them, watching Rainbow Dash do tricks in middair, 'Gotta say, she's pretty fast.' he complimented, watching her corkscrew through some clouds. She slowly hovered back to the ground, satisfied with her showing for the day.
"That. Was. Awesome!"
Rainbow Dash chuckled, "Thanks, squirt," she ruffled the pegasus's mane playfully. "Oh, hey Rock." she greeted, figuring out who he was based on what Twilight told her.
The three fillies gave her a confused glance before turning around. They were surprised to see the robot helper standing behind them without them noticing.
"Eek!" the unicorn squeaked.
"Easy there, guys. I'm not gonna hurt any of you." Rock assured.
"Really?" the yellow pony with a huge bow asked.
Dash smiled, "Yeah, Twi told me about him yesterday. He's not gonna hurt ya! Even if he tried, he'd have to get past me!" she boasted to the girls.
"Oh... If Rainbow Dash can trust you then I can. My name's Scootaloo!" the orange pegasus introduced.
"I'm Sweetie Belle!" the white unicorn said.
"And I'm Applebloom! Together we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the earth pony greeted.
"Applebloom? You're Applejack's sister, right?" Rock asked.
"Yeah, wait... You know her?"
The boy nodded, "Yeah, I helped around your farm while you were at school."
"Do you know Rarity?" Sweetie Belle wondered.
"Saw her after I helped Applejack... She made me put on a bunch of shirts." he replied, crossing his arms.
Sweetie Belle chuckled, "That sounds like my sister..."
"Wait, she's your sister? Is everypony here connected?"
"Eh, kinda." Dash responded in a serious tone. "Anyway, do ya three want me to help you get your cutie marks?" the three fillies cheered as a response.
"Wait! I forgot my scooter at the clubhouse!" Scootaloo realized, looking around for her scooter.
Rock raised a hand, "Don't worry about it. I'll get it for you and be back soon."
"Oh thanks, Rock! The clubhouse isn't too far from here! It's nearby the farm actually!" Applebloom explained.
"Thanks for the directions!" with that said, Rock ran off to find the CMC's clubhouse.
"This looks like the place."
Rock slowly walked up the small staircase that led into the treehouse. He had to be careful as his height and weight would probably make him collapse easily. The robot saw the scooter and picked it up once he reached it.
A sound was heard from within the house. Confused, Rock slowly walked to it and placed his ear on the wall, hoping that his hearing sensors could pick it up. The second he realized that it got louder, Rock jumped from where he was at back to the ground.
A round beam shot through the clubhouse, creating a hole where the door should be. A blue robot with red eyes and a scarf smirked as he held pur his arm cannon.
"Copy Robot..." Rock grunted, turning into Mega Man.
"My copy. I finally found you. I bring you a message of Wily's reckoning." Copy Robot revealed, aiming his Copy Buster at the angered Blue Bomber.
Mega Man released his grip on the scooter, activating his Mega Buster for battle, "Well, tell Wily that this world's not his to take!"
Mega Man dived underneath Copy Robot's charged shot, watching it hit a tree in the process, "You missed!" he taunted the fake, taking a shot of his own.
Copy Robot slid out of the way, causing the beam to hit the clubhouse and damage it even more, "Pathetic shot, my inferior doppelganger." he mocked. The copy aimed his Copy Buster at Mega Man once more, charging a shot.
Mega Man saw this and changed his weapons, using his Metal Blades to catch his fake counterpart off guard. The Blue Bomber changed weapons once again, using the Super Arm to grab Copy Robot with a single hand and threw the robot away. Copy Robot got his bearings and landed on his feet and on one knee.
"Cheap shot..." Copy Robot groaned.
Jumping up, Mega Man went back to his default weapon, and shot out pellets from his Mega Buster aimed directly at the robot. The fake got hit by one, shown by the rip in his armor. The Blue Bomber shot at him once more, hoping to do a little more damage.
"Stop this now, Copybot. Wily's not going to do anything while I'm here." promised Mega Man in a stern tone. The Copy Robot merely laughed at what he said. He activated his own Metal Blade weapon and threw them at the Super Fighting Robot.
"So... You doubt that he is already here?"
Mega Man growled, changing his weapon to the Leaf Shield to block the blades. He flicked his hand, throwing the Leaf Shield at his doppelganger. The Copy Robot tried to counter, but the shield managed to hit him without stopping. The fake landed on his back, growing more annoyed by his doppelganger's determination. Copybot stood back up, lunging at Mega Man with his Super Arm, but the Blue Bomber blocked it with his own, the two of them stuck in their punching position.
"Give up, Copy Robot!" pleaded Mega Man.
"Never! Wily will have his reckoning here!"
Copy Robot jumped into the air, throwing more Metal Blades at the Blue Bomber. Mega Man ran in any direction he could to avoid them. He activated his Super Arm and leaped as well, punching the fake robot in the face, slamming him into the ground. Mega Man watched as his copy got up.
The Copybot held a hand on a knee, "You..." he grunted, changing his weapons, this time to the Top Spin. He started running and twirled in place, aiming himself for Mega Man. The Blue Bomber released his Leaf Shield and blocked the spin wiih it, but the opening allowed Copy Robot to deliver an uppercut to the robot, sending him into the air.
Catching himself, Mega Man aimed his Mega Buster downward, shooting at his copy. The Copybot moved around, throwing more Metal Blades at his doppelganger. The Blue Bomber's eyes widened, not being able to dodge in time. In a split-second, he used his own Top Spin ability to block out the blades from reaching him and it worked, the blades dropping onto the floor.
Angered, Copy Robot shot a charged shot from his Copy Buster which Mega Man avoided. The fake growled, running after the Blue Bomber, he used the Top Spin again, hitting his eney repeatedly. Mega Man felt the force of each hit and tried to get himself out of the Copy Robot's combo attack.
"Take this!" Mega Man shouted, shooting his Thunder Beam at his fake. The electric beam hit Copy Robot, shocking him long enough for Mega Man to deliver a right hook followed by a pellet from his trusty Mega Buster.
Copy Robot grabbed his copy's arm and used his Super Arm to throw Mega Man over his shoulder. The Blue Bomber picked himself up, using his Slide Kick ability to damage Copybot's legs and made him trip on the spot. The Copy Robot stumbled and then landed on his back.
Mega Man shot the Thunder Beam, since the projectile aims in three directions, it managed to hit Copy Robot while he was still lying on the ground. Copybot used his Slide Kick to repeat what Mega Man did to him as payback. Mega Man fell down with an audible thud, then Copy Robot placed his foot on his chest.
Smirking, Copy Robot aimed his Copy Buster right at Mega Man's face, "Any last words, Mega Man?" he asked the dazed robot, his buster charging the fatal shot.
Mega Man realized that he wouldn't be able to use any of his weapons in his state. He closed his eyes, waiting for Copy Robot to shoot him. But before the shot was released, a rainbow blur caused the scarf wearing robot to vanish.
"Let go of him, ya look alike creep!" Rainbow Dash demanded, releasing her grasp on Copy Robot.
"Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing here?"
Dash answered, "You were taking too long and I came for ya. I left the girls with Fluttershy. Glad I did, actually. Because we get to smash this ripoff!"
Mega Man readied his arm cannon, "Well, thanks for showing up. This is Copy Robot. A lookalike created by my nemesis Dr. Wily. I'm not sure how he followed me here, but I don't intend to find out." he explained to the pegasus. "Be careful, he can copy any ability I have at anytime and use them against us."
"Ha! I can handle that just fine! You just tell me what to expect and I'll take it!" Dash boasted.
"Okay. My weapons vary and have different effects. Some are offensive and some defensive. My Leaf Shield, Top Spin, and Metal Blades are the most dangerous, you can tell those apart I bet." Mega Man replied.
"So... You made some friends, Mega Man?" Copy Robot questioned, "I'll make sure that Wily does something with them." he aimed at the pegasus, who dodged the blast in middair. Rainbow Dash flew back down, aiming her hooves directly at Copybot.
Her hooves drilled themselves right into Copy Robot's face, damaing him greatly. The fake held his dented features, "You are going to regret that, pony,,." he hissed, shooting at Rainbow Dash once again, the pony dodging each shot. While Copybot was shooting at Dash, the Blue Bomber took it upon himself to use his Super Arm to grab his doppelganger once again.
Stuck in Mega Man's grip, Copy Robot flailed about, unable to activate any weapons. The Super Fighting Robot tossed the copy into the air, allowing Rainbow Dash to hit him once again, sending him back to the ground.
"And stay down, will ya?!"
Copy Robot held his head and snarled upon hearing Rainbow Dash's comment, "I never back down from a fight! Especially against something like you!"
Meanwhile, standing in the trees was a strange figure wearing a scarf. "Let's see where this goes..." he whispered, not wanting to intervene in the fight to see if Mega Man can handle himself with the new pegasus, "I wanna know if they're worth saving..." he joked, readying himself to join in once he felt it was right.
Mega Man shot him with a charged shot, making him stumble back, "Just... Be quiet... Please..." he begged. "I don't want to destroy you again. Please..."
"Never..." Copybot smirked, throwing a Metal Blade at the Blue Bomber. Mega Man dived to the left, avoiding the sharp projectile. Mega zman knelt, activating his Leaf Shield once he saw his enemy toss another blade at him. The shield covered him from the attack, and he ran, using his Top Spin to stun Copy Robot.
While he was dazed, Rainbow Dash spun around him, trapping Copy Robot in a rainbow-colored tornado. The fake robot tried to shoot the pegasus, "Stay still! My sensors can't track you!" he shouted, flailing his Copy Buster around, shooting pellets into the air.
Rainbow Dash eventually stopped, turning to Mega Man, "He's all your's Rock!"
Mega Man prepped his Mega Buster for a Charged Shot, "Thanks, Rainbow Dash..." he sighed, 'I am sorry you have to see this. And I am sorry, but I have to do this... For my friends.' he thought, not wanting to destroy another robot.
Before Mega Man could release his shot, a familiar tune was whistled loudly, then something else managed to hit Copy Robot, causing him to explode on the spot. Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide upon the sight, "Was that you!?" she asked in disbelief at seeing how quick he was finished.
"No..." gasped Mega Man.
"I have to say... You're awfully slow, Rock. He could've gotten the upper hand on you again." a voice said. Mega Man lowered his arm cannon upon seeing him.
"You know him?" Dash wondered.
"Yeah, he's someone I was looking for earlier before I met you..." he looked at the scarf wearing robot with the red helmet, smirking as he held his arm cannon wih his free hand, it smoking from the attack. "That's my brother... Proto-Man."
"How did you find me, Proto-Man?" Mega Man questioned his brother. Proto-Man looked at Mega Man, tossing him another spare E-Tank he was carrying, the Blue Bomber caught it in his hand and drank some of it, saving some for later if needed.
"My system rebooted in a forest. Took me a whole day to get out of there. I saw you and that... pony over there fighting Copy Robot and decided to step in once I saw you hesitating." Proto-Man explained, crossing his arms with a scowl.
"Well, we didn't need your help!" Dash yelled at him.
Proto-Man turned to her, "Really? From the looks of it, he almost got the upper hand on you if Rock hadn't shot him in time." he said.
"I had it covered, Blues," Mega Man countered.
"Sure you did."
Sighing, Mega Man decided to change the topic, "Anyway. Since we're here. We should explain what happened to Twilight. If Copy Robot is here, then that means Wily's not far behind." he looked at his doppelganger's remains. 'If that happens... Using Ra Moon's technology he could send an infinite number of Robot Masters and robot soldiers our way soon.'
"I agree. With that technology, Wily could take over this world if he should come here." Proto-Man nodded.
"Hold on! What the hay are you two talking about? Wily? Robot Masters? What does it mean?" Dash blurted out in confusion, trying to comprehend what the robot heroes were saying.
Mega Man sighed, "I think it'd be best if we explain it to all of you at once. There's a lot going on here and more to come if Copy Robot came here first." ------------------------------------ Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike were called together by Rock and Blues the night before so that they can explain everything. The Blue Bomber sat with Rush, petting his dog in a calm manner. Twilight looked at the two robot heroes and asked, "Is this your brother?"
"Yeah... Sorry. Girls meet Blues. Or as he's better known, Proto-Man." he introduced, his brother remaining still and not acknowledging the ponies greeting him. "C'mon, Proto-Man. They're friends!" he reassured the stoc robot.
"Oh, I know. I'm just not here to make friends. I'm only here to save this world from Wily. That's it." Blues snarked.
"Back to that," Twilight began, "Rock mentioned to us that Dr. Wily has fought you two before countless times. Why would he come here?" the alicorn asked.
Mega Man shook his head, "We're not sure. Before I got here he showed me and Blues his new portal technology used with what he could find from an ancient alien called Ra Moon. Honestly, I'm surprised he was able to do so after that thing nearly destroyed me, Wily and almost the entire world of humans and robots."
"Aliens?" Fluttershy asked.
Proto-Man stepped up, "Yes. Back when I was... conflicted with who I was, I joined Wily's ranks as Break Man. Upon learning that he was not in his right mind with his schemes I stayed away from him... And learned that I still had a family."
"Why did you join Wily?" Rarity wondered, "Surely you could have figure out that he was evil."
"Because... Wily and Dr. Light created me... Wait, why am I telling you my story? We should be focused on the bigger picture here!" Proto-Man spat out. "Anyway, Ra Moon was an alien that hid on our planet. Wily found him within a hidden temple. Ra Moon had infinite power, he recreated Wily's Robot Masters and even fried our electronics. Luckily, Rock had destroyed him before we all died."
"Wow! You destroyed an alien!?" Pinkie cheered, "That's so cool!"
"Uh... Thanks, but I nearly got destroyed in the process so... It wasn't fun..." Mega Man said in an unsure tone, "Luckily, we don't have to worry about Wily resurrecting him considering that Ra Moon betrayed him in the first place, so we're clear on that front." he reassured to the ponies about the topic.
"That's good to hear, but why would somepony like Wily use him in the first place?" Applejack asked Mega Man.
"I had defeated him three times at that point and needed a new way to win. He just didn't expect things to the way they did." answered Mega Man.
Twilight put a hoof on her chin, "I see... How dangerous is Wily on his own? You mentioned Ra Moon and his Robot Masters earlier and Rainbow Dash told me about that Copy Robot that looked like you earlier."
"Well... Wily on his own is no threat. It's his robots and machines you have to look after. Besides his many Robot Masters, which are pretty much his main forces, he also has a supply of mook robots like the Sniper Joes, which look like Proto-Man if he was green, then there are Mets, which are small but dangerous, then you have his Mech robots and any other thing he retained from his days as a weapon manufacturer." he explained to the ponies to the best of his abilities.
"Another thing... Due to my nuclear unstable core. I cannot participate in every fight." Proto-Man revealed.
"Why is that? You look perfectly fine." Spike pondered.
Proto-Man sighed, "Back when I was created, Dr. Light and Wily discovered my core was unstable. If overheated to a serious extent, I could explode. They tried to talk me into getting repaired, but I ran away not wanting to be treated like I didn't have a choice in the matter. I showed up recently after rebelling from Wily's ranks." he revealed.
"Alright then, Blues. We won't get you unless we really need the back up," Mega Man responded, "Let's just hope we can stop Wily before things get too out of hand."
"Hmph. That I don't doubt. From what I saw... These ponies can handle themselves just fine," complimented Proto-Man. "Let's just see how they fare against the Robot Masters."
"Ha! we can take 'em all on!" Dash protested Proto-Man's doubts with a shout.
"We can only hope, Dash..." moaned Mega Man, "Because as much as I hate fighting other robots, this world needs our protection. And I'm not letting Wily have his way in another world," he held up his Mega Buster, "We just don't know if he's even here."
"Hm. It seems Copy Robot failed..." groaned Wily, "I didn't need him for this anyhow. My plan is going accordingly." he noted, stepping out the forest. "The portal was a resounding success anyhow... This technology shall allow me to bring my Robot Masters soon enough, but for now I must find a place of refuge."
The scientist has followed his robot into the portal after sending him to kill Mega Man. From his recent inactivity since the night before, it seems that Copy Robot has failed in capturing and detaining the Blue Bomber for good. "That never mattered, he was a distraction for the greater plan I had. Mega Man will fall to my Robot Masters once I unleash them upon this world!"
Wily wiped the sweat off his brow, "I should've brought me excivating gear with me... And my hiking uniform." he grunted, growing weary in the hot weather. "I will worry about that later... For now, I must find civilization in this dimension."
The doctor looked ahead through the trees and past the small canyon in front of him. He found himself out of the forest and stepped toward the edge of the canyon. Far ahead was a small town that lied in what looked like the middle of nowhere. The houses were placed in two rows, almost like an equal sign.
"That should be a good place to start." Wily noted. The doctor slowly stepped down from his spot and started his lengthy trek to the quiet looking town.
Wily ignored the outburst delivered by the strange pony in front of him, "Um... Let's just say that this is going well. My name is Albert Wily and I am a human." he gestured to himself, "I need your help. Where is your mayor?"
"Ugh... You're talking about Starlight Glimmer?" a mare asked him, handing him a tray of muffins, "We kicked her out of our town sometime ago... We're in the process of getting another mayor right now, so you're out of luck."
Wily grumbled and took a muffin, "Well thank you." he said, eating it in one bite, "Whatever happened to this Starlight Glimmer you just mentioned?" he asked the white coated stallion.
"She enslaved us... Forced us to be her minions in her equal world," the stallion responded in a disgusted tone, "Luckily, Princess Twilight and her friends saved us and drove her out of town. We haven't seen her since then."
"Hmm... Peculiar. Thank you for giving me this information. I think if I should find her, I can convince her to change her ways." he partly lied, 'Maybe should could prove useful in joining my cause,' Wily thought o himself, 'She could be a pony worth talking to. Now, all I need to do is find her.'
"Well, I'll be on my way, now. Thank you for the hospitality." Wily said, walking out of the town toward the mountains that stood in the distance beyond where he was at.
After what felt like hours to the doctor, Wily reached the mountains and into a small cavern. The scientist turned on a flashlight he brought with him just in case, 'This world is already full of ponies. What else lies within this strange dimension?' he wondered, turning the light left and right constantly.
Wily heard a sound, a faint whimper if he was correct, 'Strange... Who would be here right now?' he questioned in his head. The scientist continued to listen for the sound, and he noticed that it got louder the more further he moved, meaning that he was heading in the right direction.
The doctor hid behind a stone pillar within the deep areas of the cavern, and remained still. Wily turned his head a little to get a peek at the source of the noises he heard. It was a light violet mare unicorn with a mane a shade darker and a light blue stripe of hair in the middle, dividing by her horn. 'Is that Starlight Glimmer?' he thought.
"Twilight and her friends..." she growled, the memories of her utopia ruined still running through her, "It's been a week... I'm still..." she sniffled slightly.
Wily stepped out his hiding spot, "Um... Excuse me..." he said. Starlight turned around and immediately screamed upon seeing Doctor Wily. Ner scream shook the entire cavern and caused the doctor to cover his ears from the noise.
"Sorry to frighten you like that, but my name is Doctor Albert Wily, and I'm a human from a different world. I've heard mentions of you when I arrived here, Starlight Glimmer." he introduced and revealed to the somber unicorn, who groaned in response.
"Then you've heard about what I've done. So, why did you bother coming in here? To talk to me about how I can change my ways? Because as long as Princess Twilight Sparkle still has a chance to stop me, then I'll never stop!" Starlight hissed.
"Hm... Are you telling me that you have someone that stands in the way of what you desire?" he asked her, kneeling down to face Starlight face to face.
The mare nodded, "Yes. I had the perfect world. A world where all ponies are equal. No fighting, no arguements, and nopony was superior than the other. It was great, a utopia where nopony and everypony was special at the same time..." she began her story to Wily.
"...But then Princess Twilight and her annoying friends found my ruse. I had a staff capable of removing the cuite marks, a mark that defines us ponies' special talents, and used it on the small town you were at, Our Town was what we called it." Starlight Glimmer continued, the scientist still listening.
"They took away everything from me! Now, I have nothing because of them! No friends, no family, nothing!" she cried. The scientist closing his eyes in sympathy. "All I wanted to do was help everypony and make sure we were all one," she sniffled, "But... Nopony wants that. They think they're better off with being different, to be better than one another and those who are less to be treated as a weak individual."
Wily nodded, "You know. I've been in your situation before, Starlight Glimmer." he revealed, the unicorn suddenly perking up upon hearing his words.
"Y-You were...?"
"Yes. On my world I was once a famous robotics scientist. My colleague, Doctor Thomas Light and I built weapons for the military. Of course, the good doctor quit doing so after the creation of our last true collaboration, Proto-Man." he began.
"I continued to work for the military, but I knew that we could have an advantage if I were in charge. So I installed a nuclear core into my weapon, the Wily Walker... And after that my robotic certificate was revoked while Thomas continued to create his 'peaceful assembly' of robots." Wily grumbled.
"Though, we worked together to create this new line, the Robot Masters as we called them, I realized that I would never be remembered as the man who advanced robotics because of my tainted history. Before we worked together once more, I begun the plans to rule my robotic empire where we shall move forward and advance our technology even further than where we're at."
The scientist growled as Starlight listened to his story, "But of course squeaky clean Doctor Light pleaded that we were not ready for such advancements. So to spite him, I reprogrammed his Robot Masters to begin my reign. It was all going so perfectly, they had defeated the military and my demands were met."
"Then his annoying helper robot decided to fight my army, Mega Man..." he hissed at the name, "Every time I had an army, he would show up and ruin everything!" he shouted, "So, I tried to create a world for their own good, but their savior Mega Man always stops me before I get too far in my planning."
"I-I see..."
Starlight Glimmer looked at Wily, who spoke to her, "I'll be your friend. Together we can create the world we always wanted." he said to the unicorn with hope.
"Yes... I would like that very much."
Wily chuckled lightly at the prospect, "I'm glad you think so. I think you should know why I'm here to begin with if you're going to be joining my cause."
"I got a hold of ancient technology capable of infinite power. Using it, I can recreate my old Robot Masters and army and bring my- well ours now- utopia across many worlds. I am glad to have come to this dimension first, because it means that we can unite our causes and do more together than separate."
"If we're going through any world, wouldn't that mean that there would be others willing to join our cause?" Starlight guessed.
Putting a finger on his mustache, Wily answered, "Yes... I do believe that there would be. In that cause, we shall convince them to join our cause and do more. It would especially great if we run into another scientist that is a master at robotics." he cheered.
Starlight snickered, "So... How shall we begin our plan across Equestria and beyond?"
"Well, if what you're saying is true, then this world has heroes of their own. In that case, Mega Man and his annoying brother of a prototype, Proto-Man, will have most likely joined forces with them so that could be a complication." Wily answered.
"I've already sent a robot after him and he hasn't responded back, meaning that Mega Man has defeated him. So, I shall use the portal to send the Robot Masters after him."
"I like it. With my knowledge and power, and your robots, nopony in Equestria shall stand a chance. Bring your Robot Masters here, I will attempt a spell to give them the necessary knowledge of this world to help them in fighting Mega Man and the ponies." she declared, looking at Dr. Wily.
"Indeed. I will bring them through now." Wily explained, opening the portal back to Earth.
Rock stepped into the throne room and looked at the giant round table in the center, "Hey, Twilight? What is this table for? Do you use it for anything, because I see things like mountain formations and even small towns on it." he pointed to the table and got the alicorn's attention.
"Oh... That's a map. Whenever there's a friendship problem it calls us using our cutie marks and we go to where it wants us to and go solve whatever is wrong there." Twilight explained, pointing at her cutie mark then back at the crystal map.
"Oh, okay." responded Rock, his curiousity satisfied, "This could be useful then..."
"What do you mean?"
Rock walked toward the map and looked down at it, "We can hink about where Wily would end up and where he would start sending his Robot Masters. Wait... What's with that small town that's all the way over there in the middle of nowhere?" he asked, gesturing to a small town that lied beyond the mountains.
"That town? We're not sure what it's called, but this is the first place the map called us to. Turns out the ponies there were being enslaved by a pony called Starlight Glimmer. She forced everypony to lose what made them special and forced them into a creepy utopia. Luckily we stopped her before she could move on beyond there, but we haven't seen her since then." explained Twilight.
"Sounds like something Wily would do. Force others to live the way he wants to. All he cares about is the far advancement of robots faster than the world can handle," Rock grumbled, "Though, we should make sure that we're prepared in case they ever cross paths with one another." he said before walking away from the map.
"Are you sure you want me to send them there?" Wily questioned Starlight Glimmer.
"Yes. I have been keeping an eye on Twilight and her friends and know that they live in Ponyville. Using my magic and your technology, I can send any of your Robot Masters there to attack them directly." Starlight explained in a sure tone.
Wily nodded, "Very well. But first I must decide on who to bring to weaken Mega Man."
Proto-Man groaned, getting stuck with helping Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner, 'How did Rock convince me to even do this?' he wondered, holding up the tray of fresh pastries in his hands. He walked out of the kitchen and to the counter where Pinkie was waiting.
"Oh! Thank you, Blues!" she said in a grateful tone, taking the tray into her hooves before placing them on her bakc, bouncing to the table that ordered them.
"Fine." was all he responded with, grumbling at the idea of him being stuck working in a bakery, 'Let's just hope we go looking for Wily soon. I'm getting tired of this already. And I've only been in this dimenson for one day.' he grunted.
Blues wrapped his scarf around him and walked out, "I'm going... on break." he slowly said.
"Okie dokie!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing her way back to the counter to work again and finish what the robot started.
Proto-Man walked around the town, getting friendly waves from those he passed. Of course, he slowly waved back to them, not wanting them to get intimidated by his appearance. 'Let's just get this over with...' he held his chest, his core still stable, 'Good. I have to be careful...' he thought to himself, worried about overworking himself to the point where his energy core would overheat.
'So... A farm. Typical.' Proto-Man mused, looking at Sweet Apple Acres once he arrived. He saw Applejack already hard at work with Big Mac, the farmpony gestured for him to go there. Once next to Applejack, Proto-Man awaited to hear what she tasked him do.
"It's mighty simple, Proto-Man. Yer brother darn nearly destroyed my orchard in the process... So can ya please be careful?" Applejack suggested to the red robot.
"I don't think you have to worry about me overdoing it..." he reassured the mare with a wave of his hand. He looked at the seemingly endless orchard in front of him. 'I can't see how many trees there are. My sensors actually lost count... Odd.'
After explaining his job, Applejack allowed Proto-Man to step forward. The robot punched the tree lightly, causing the apples to fall down perfectly into the bucket, "Nice job there, Blues. Much better first attempt than Rock, I'd say." the farmpony complimented.
"Um... Thanks. I guess." Proto-Man responded awkwardly, not used to praise from a total stranger. He rubbed the back of his helmet before continuing his job.
"Oh, I must say, Blues! The scarf matches your outfit perfectly!" Rarity complimented, admiring the robot's long scarf. Proto-Man had earlier agreed to get to know the ponies on the behalf of Rock and ensure that they can trust him as they do Mega Man. Though he was starting to regret his decision at this point.
Rarity used her magic, his helmet being covered by a light blue aura, "May I see the person underneath this helmet?" she asked, the robot forcing it down as much as he can.
"No!" he protested, still keeping the red helmet over his head and the visors over his eyes. Rarity immediately stopped among hearing his protests.
"Why ever not? You mustn't look that bad..." she tried to comfort to no avail on Blues's behalf.
"It's not about how I look, it's about who I am and what I am... I'm a prototype robot. A puppet meant to be improved upon. I'm not showing my face again ever since I discovered my fatal flaw and left my family. I am the Proto-Man, not the child robot Blues, nor the Break Man. So, I ask kindly for you to not remove my helmet." he explained to the unicorn, who looked at Proto-Man with empathy.
"Darling, if I may speak... You aren't just a prototype. I am sure that Dr. Light treated you like a son, correct?" Rarity asked him. Memories of Blue's time with Dr. Light before running away flashed in his databanks, he sighed. "You always had a family, you just weren't able to see it. Even still, Rock has still given you the benefit of the doubt and entrusted you with us. He's still your brother, Blues and we're your friends. And deep down you wish to help him as much as he wants to help you." she comforted the robot.
"He... Wanted to repair me, but I chose otherwise. I ran off, not wanting to be an experiment..." Proto-Man sighed. "And yet he still treats me like a son... Why?"
"Because you are, just like Rock now. You are his first child in a way. He created you and only wished the best for you." Rarity reassured.
"Y-You're right..." Proto-Man replied, feeling touched by her words. "But until I can truly make amends. The helmet stays on... Promise?" he asked her. The unicorn nodded, understanding his pleas.
"So, how did it go, Proto-Man?" asked Rock.
The red robot shrugged, "It was... okay." he answered continuing his walk through the castle. He chose not to discuss what Rarity said to him until they got back to Earth.
"Well, I was about to go find Wily. You wanna come along?" Rock asked, changing into his Mega Man armor. His brother nodded, pulling out his Proto-Buster. The two stepped out of the castle and began their trek for the day,
"Oh, hey guys!"
Rainbow Dash hovered down next to the robots, "So, you're going to find Wily now, Rock? And you didn't invite me?" she asked, pretending to be offended.
"Hey, Proto-Man." Mega Man began to his brother, "You don't mind if Rainbow Dash comes along, do you?"
Proto-Man shook his head, "I guess so. As long as she can handle herself and not have us cover for her at all times. Remember, we're not even sure which Robot Masters Wily's sending out, if there are any within this area to begin with."
Mega Man nodded to his reminder, "You're right. So we should be cautious."
As they continued their trek, they heard a sound once they reached the outskirts of Ponyville. "Is it me... Or does that sound familiar?" Mega Man asked.
"You're right." replied Proto-Man.
The sound grew louder, until Mega Man eventually felt his body collide with something and spun around, making him land farther from his earlier spot. "What the heck was that?!" he asked. His sensors picked up something spinning upward, "Rainbow Dash! Watch out!" he warned the pegasus.
Rainbow Dash screamed as she felt herself get pulled into a tornado of sorts. She landed face first onto the dirt. Proto-Man attempted to shoot the source of the attack, but none of his attacks made contact. He looked down and saw a few mini tops spin around him, "Wait a minute..." he said before diving out of the way.
A miniature explosion went off thanks to the tops, and Mega Man, Proto-Man and Rainbow Dash readied themselves for the fight. "Tops? Wily's not really original with his big robot reveals, huh?"
A yellow robot with a head in the shape of a top stared down the trio, readying more tops to throw, "Well, hello Mega Man and Proto-Man. I see you brought one of the puny ponies with you." he mocked Rainbow Dash, causing her to grit her teeth in anger.
"You have some explaining to do, Top Man!" declared Mega Man.
Top Man laughed, "Dr. Wily sends his regards, Mega Man." he said, throwing more exploding tops in their direction. The Blue Bomber shot them while they were in middair, making them explode before they could harm anyone.
Proto-Man saw an opening and shot Top Man while he still could, stunning the Robot Master in his spot, "You have no business being here, Top Man... Stay out while you can still function." the red robot hero threatened. He aimed his buster at Top Man once again, who never budged.
"I'm not alone, Proto-Man... In fact... My ally should be right behind you..." Top Man mocked.
"Too slow!" mocked Quick Man. He was a red robot with a v shaped visor over his eyes. The robot hit Proto-Man with a quick boomerang, stunning him. Rainbow Dash tried to comprehend what she just saw. Quick Man looked at the pegasus, a cocky smirk formed on his face, "Oh look. A pony hasn't seen anything like me, huh? How surprising. I am pretty quick after all."
"You? Quick?" Rainbow Dash scoffed.
"Rainbow Dash!" Mega Man shouted, shooting at Top Man as much as he could, the opposing robot was using tops to block the pellets aimed at him. "You can match Quick Man's speed! You handle him while Blues and I can face Top Man!"
The pegasus nodded and flew toward Quick Man, the speedy robot vanishing in a second. Dash wondered where he went, then suddenly she felt something hit her back hooves, causing her to lose track of herself in middair, "What the hay was that!?" she asked, rubbing the sore spot with her forehooves.
Quick Man caught the Quick Boomerang that he threw, satisfied with what he did, "Dr. Wily programmed me and the other Robot Masters to eliminate you ponies as well..." he revealed. "This is going to be easier than I thought."
"How did he know about us!?" Dash questioned, flying fast enough to drive her hooves onto the 'V' on Quick Man's helmet, pushing his head down slightly.
"Wily's not working alone, you annoying pegasus," the Robot Master grunted, rubbing his helmet. "Who it is, though? You'll have to figure it out for yourself!" he threw his boomerang once again, but this time Raimbow Dash swerved avoiding the projectile as it came to her and when it flew back to Quick Man.
"You may be too slow, Quick Man!" Dash boasted. She dove and hit Quick Man with her forehooves, bringing him to a a halt. Before she could continue the assault, the robot vanished once again, making the pegasus wonder where he was at. "Really? This the best you can do? You gotta be faster than that!"
Quick Man readied an attack, but Rainbow moved upward, dodging the attack ease, angering the Robot Master. Quick Man attempted to throw another boomerang, but Rainbow Dash kicked it once it reached her, throwing off its aim. Wondering where it was at, Quick Man didn't expect it to hit him in the back instead. Seeing the weapon on the ground, the robot growled.
"You little-" he hissed.
Rainbow Dash smirked. She then flew behind the angered robot, kicking him the back. Quick Man attempted to run, but Dash anticipated this. The pegasus flew straight ahead and dug her hooves into his chest, breaking him apart more with each time she passed him. Eventually, Quick Man attempted to move, but his joints weren't able to move.
The Robot Master held up his Quick Boomerang, but he wasn't able to move. Flying back once more, Rainbow Dash pushed herself onto his chest, destroying his core for good. The rainbow-maned pegasus panted, happy to see that her battle was over. "Now... To get back to Rock and Blues before they finish!"
Mega Man rolled out of the way of more exploding tops before they could damage him. The Blue Bomber panted, tired of Top Man's repetiive pattern in fighting. "This is the legendary Blue Bomber? A pity that I once lost to you!" boasted Top Man, seeing Mega Man in his tired state.
Proto-Man lunged at the Robot Master, punching him in the face. The red robot looked at Top Man, who growled in anger, "You got anything better, Top Man? Wily should've sent better Robot Masters than you." he taunted.
Top Man spun around while moving, hitting Proto-Man and sending him flying into a tree, "Proto-Man!" Mega Man shouted, readying his Mega Buster once more. He shot at the small tornado that Top Man was making with his ability. He shot at it, hoping to find an opening, but the pellets bounced off of him, doing no damage to him.
Top Man finished spinning, and decided to throw more tops in the Blue Bomber's direction. Three of them hovered over Mega Man, and before they could hit him, he slid underneath them, each of them drilling into the ground before the Robot Master called them back to him.
Mega Man activated his Leaf Shield and threw it at Top Man, stunning him before hitting him with his own Top Spin ability he downloaded earlier before fighting Dr. Wily back at his lair, 'I can only use eight at a time... Good. The less weapons I have the better.' he thought as he continued to damage Top Man. The Blue Bomber stopped in his place, seeing the dizzy Robot Master.
Proto-Man jumped in using his shield to slam himself down upon Top Man's body. He flipped on his shield, landing on his feet and placing it on his back. "So... You managed to pick yourself back up. Quite expected from the Break-Man."
The red robot grunted, shooting the top shaped robot with his Proto-Buster, "I am not the Break-Man!" he declared, shooting his own ammo at Top Man, the robot getting more damaged. Eventually, Proto-Man stopped once he felt an aching sensation in his core, 'No... I can't overheat. Not now.'
"Don't worry, I got this Proto-Man!" Mega Man jumped in to cover for the overheated robot. Top Man tossed more tops at him, but the hero threw his Metal Blades at them, making them explode before Top Man had the chance to move them.
Spinning around again, Top Man tried to hit Mega Man, but the super fighting robot jumped to the left, waiting for him to stop. Once Top Man was still, Mega Man hit him with a charged shot, damaging him greatly around his body.
"I'm sorry, Top Man..." he said, before grabbing Top Man with his Super Arm ability and throwing him to the now recovered Proto-Man, who blew up Top Man with a full powered charged shot. The remains of the Robot Master fell onto the ground next to the prototype robot as he held up his smoking Proto Buster.
Mega Man placed his hand on Top Man's exposed core, "Let's see if you have any useful data in here." he said, hoping that his Variable Weapon Cross system would at least find anything on Wily's wherabouts, since he already has Top Man's weapon data in his system. 'Fingers crossed, Rock.'
He downloaded the data within Top Man's systems, "I... Got nothing in here... It's like Wily made sure of it before he sent Top Man after us." he noted to Proto-Man who nodded.
Rainbow Dash flew back to where the brothers were at, "Hey, guys. Quick Man was too slow and I totally wrecked him!" she bragged, pointing to where they fought. Mega Man and Proto-Man followed her to where they ended up.
Mega Man stared at Quick Man's broken body, 'It's a neverending cycle for me...' he sighed. He touched Quick Man's core, downloading any data he had. But just like Top Man, nothing of value came up in Mega Man's databanks.
"Same thing here..." revealed Mega Man. "Wily prepared ahead this time... Smart move on his part." he said.
"Great. Now we don't know where Wily's at or where he's sending more Robot Masters our way." Proto-Man grunted. His attention was turned to Rainbow Dash, who's cutie mark began to glow, "Uh, Dash? Your thing... Is glowing..." he slowly said.
Rainbow Dash raised a brow, confused by what he meant. "He's right." noted Mega Man, "It's your cutie mark, Rainbow. It's glowing for some reason."
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash sat down to get a better look, "Oh shoot!" she yelled.
"What's wrong?" asked Mega Man.
"We gotta get back to the castle!" shouted Rainbow Dash, flying and already gone. Mega Man shrugged to Proto-Man and the duo chased after her.
Rainbow Dash, Mega Man and Proto-Man all made an effort to reach Twilight's castle as soon as they could. Eventually, they reached it and the pegasus forced the doors open, hoping the reach the desired room as quick as she could. Granted, what with being the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, she managed to do just that, and the robot suo were trailing behind her, still trying to catch up.
Rainbow Dash sat in her crystal chair, "Oh man..."
"You too, Rainbow Dash?" asked Twilight.
"It looks like we're all called by the map once again." Rarity noticed, putting a hoof on her chin, thinking about where they're being sent too next.
Mega Man ran in, "Hey! What's going on?"
Twilight looked at the robots, "The Crystal Map is calling us to a certain location to solve a problem. What that is, we're not sure..." she trailed off, also wondering what it is they're being call for. The six were ever called together once before.
"Sorry to intrude, but we just faced two of Wily's Robot Masters. Maybe it's calling you to wherever he's at." suggested Proto-Man, who was looking at the six confused mares. Each of them except Rainbow Dash raised a brow at what he had said.
"You fought a Robot Master already? How did they get here and know you two were here to begin with?" Applejack questioned. At this point, Mega Man was petting his dog Rush, who had just ran into the room to see what had everypony worried.
"Yeah... Two of them. Top Man and Quick Man. We tried to find the location of Wily, but there was no useful data for us to find other than the weapon data I downloaded. I can only hold eight, but my databanks allow me to download any extra should I need it. But I already had the Top Sin and the Quick Boomerang were useless to me since I already had the Metal Blades."
Nodding, Proto-Man spoke to the ponies, "But it seems that this map of yours can give us a lead."
"Oh yeah! That Quick Man robot mentioned that Wily was working with somepony that we faced before!" Rainbow Dash revealed, "So that's how they knew to come here!"
"Interesting." mused Twilight, "Well, hopefully the place we're sent to give us a clue."
A light overtook the Crystal Map standing in the center of the room. It faded near the edge beyond the mountains, onto the small town that Mega Man pointed to earlier. The mares' eyes widened once they realized the location that was glowing on the map.
"There...?" gasped Fluttershy.
"I-It would appear so, Fluttershy." Rarity responded with a concerned look on her face and worry in her voice.
"Why on Equestria would we need to go back there?" wondered Applejack, curious like everypony else.
"You don't think..." Rainbow Dash began to say before she was cut off by Twilight.
"Why would Starlight Glimmer go back there? Nopony would welcome her back and the staff she used to control everypony was destroyed when we stopped her!" said Twilight, trying to figure out what could truly be going on there.
"I have an idea... Wily knew to send the Robot Masters here to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash said that Quick Man told her that he had some help. This Starlight Glimmer pony you mentioned might be that 'help' that he got. Now, she might be taking her revenge on you by attacking that town again to get your attention." Mega Man deduced.
"Aw. I was going to say that." moaned Pinkie Pie.
"Enough of that! We have to get there as soon as possible!" hurried Twilight and her friends. All of them rushed out of the door as quickly as they could.
Rush looked at his owner, "Alright, boy. We'll be right back." Mega Man said happily, the robot dog barking once he heard his owner, "Hey, Proto-Man, you want to join us, or does your core still need time to recover?"
Shaking his head, Proto-Man answered, "Sorry, Rock. I'm not able to this time. I need to keep myself in check and overdoing my battles may be too much for my core." he said to his brother. Mega Man knew that this would happen and gave his brother a thumbs up, okay with him staying for his own good. "But I'll keep an eye on Rush in the meantime."
"Got it. I'll let you know if we need the backup should we really come to it." gestured Mega Man.
Proto-Man chuckled, "Heh. Knowing you, I'd have to save your core again." he joked. Mega Man got a laugh out of that and ran out to follow the girls before they got too far ahead.
"What's so important about this town, anyhow?" asked Rock, sitting in the chair. The Friendship Express continued its journey to the desired destination of the ponies. Rock was actually surprised to see that hey had working trains to begin with, but chose not to say anything on the matter for now.
"That was the town where we found Starlight Glimmer. She used a staff to remove their cutie marks, taking away what made them individuals and forced to live in a regime under her control. We arrived there and destroyed the staff before she could reach anywhere else in Equestra. But she got away and we haven't seen her since." Twilight explained to the robot.
"Alright. Since I can't harm another organic being, if needed you'll have to step in should she be there." said Mega Man, 'The time has come where there is another human-er pony- as evil and malevolent as Wily. Is this world as peaceful as I thought it was?' thought the Blue Bomber, beginning to doubt his earlier claims.
The heroes left the train and began the brief trek to the town. They crossed bridges, and walked through a forest before reaching a small canyon on the other side, "There it is..." gestured Twilight to her friends, all of them walking next to her.
"That's the place?" Spike asked.
Mega Man looked at it, "It doesn't look that bad... Hopefully that means we got there before Wily and Starlight..." he hoped, stepping down from the canyon.
They all made it to the town, but all wasn't as it seemed. Sniper Joes patrolled the town, keeping the ponies who resided here in their houses while Mets remained outside houses, ensuring that they remained where they were at. The mares and Spike's eyes went wide at the sight while Mega Man readied his Mega Buster to battle should Wily reveal himself once more.
"Hello, Twilight."
The heroes turned to face the source of the sinister voice. A purple unicorn glared at the ponies and Mega Man, "I see you finally arrived to My Town. Isn't it grand? How we can all be united whenver we so choose to be?"
"United? Starlight, you're enslaving these ponies!" Twilight responded with concern in her voice.
"Slaves? They're living under what they were meant to be! I will let them out when I say, and when they do the robots here will make sure they don't do anything that will prove themselves different! See, its so simple!" cheered Starlight,
"Wily put you up to this!" yelled Mega Man. "You have no idea what you're doing!"
"You must be Mega Man. The doctor told me about you. He also told me that you couldn't harm another living being due to your so called programming. So you can do nothing about me!" bragged the unicorn with a smirk.
"He may not able to do anything, but you're wrong if you think we're going to just stand by while you force these ponies to live your lifestyle!" Rainbow Dash growled.
"I wish I could attend to you all, but the Robot Masters Wily left here on the mountains are getting rather impatient. Till we meet again, my foes." after saying that, Starlight Glimmer vanished with her magic, sending her to an area the ponies have no clue to look. Mega Man prepared himself to face the army waiting around the town.
"Okay, girls. This should be easy for you. Sniper Joes and Mets aren't too difficult to take down." assured Mega Man. The Blue Bomber shot at the first Sniper Joe he spotted, making him drop his shield, Rainbow Dash and Applejack kicked down the robot, blowing him up. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to grab the hidden Met robots through their hats and shoot them with their magic.
Fluttershy accidentally stepped on a Met's helmet, causing her to squal in fright upon seeing that it was a robot. She kicked it upon seeing it, allowing Applejack to throw it away from the easily scared pegasus, making her exhale in relief. Pinkie Pie also smashed one to pieces by bouncing on it by accident as well, without her even being aware of doing so.
Mega Man attented to the Sniper Joe robots, destroying each of them with ease. Eventually the number of robots dwindled and there were none left. "You can all come out now!" comforted Mega Man. The ponies each stepped out of their houses one by one, glad to see that everything was better.
"Thank you." a mare said to the Blue Bomber and the ponies. "And especially you all. You saved us from her wrath again."
"You're welcome." said Mega Man, "We're just glad to see that you're all okay. Wily's someone you have to be careful with."
"Is... Wily willing to kill?" asked Fluttershy.
"No. He will hurt others through his robots though," replied the blue super fighting robot, "Now. Have you all seen Wily? He kinda looks like me, but with hair on his face?"
"Yes. He went up to the mountains. We didn't think he'd actually find Starlight Glimmer and that he was evil." a stallion answered Mega Man's question.
Rarity looked at Mega Man, "She did mention that there wore Robot Masters waiting at the mountains."
"Right. Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. Can you stay behind and make sure there is nothing else that Wily left here as a surprise? Applejack, Rarity and Spike can join metl find the Robot Masters. Is that fine?"
"Yes. It'd be best if we split our efforts." said Twilight. "Are you three going to be fine?" she asked her friends.
"I'll always be fine, Twilight! Plus, I can finally see Mega Man in action!" cheered Spike.
"It'd be nice to see what Rainbow Dash was talkin' about with these Robot Masters." Applejack adjusted her stetson.
"And I wish to pay these robots a visit for harming an innocent town like this one." Rarity said.
"Ugh... Why must it be so cold up here?" questioned Rarity, who was shivering in her place. Applejack rolled her eyes at the question, feeling that the answer was obvious. The two mares and Spike had followed Mega Man up the mountain in search for the supposed Robot Masters that Starlight Glimmer mentioned to them. They hoped that there was nothing else left in the small town.
"It's not too bad actually." said Spike.
"That's because you have scales, Spike," reminded Mega Man with a chuckle, "Your scales and my armor make it a lot easier to climb, but I can't say the same for you two unfortunately. Had I known, I'd have asked to borrow Proto-Man's scarf."
Rarity lightly laughed, "Oh, what I would give to have a scarf like his."
"Ah'll be fine, Rock. I'm always out in the cold during the Apple Harvest anyhow," assured Applejack, "This... Is just slightly more cold for mah liking. Let's just hurry and find Robot Masters that Starlight mentioned before they could even dare to head to the town down below." she sighed.
"Even so. I think the others can handle it." Spike said, not doubting his friends.
"Yeah. Rainbow Dash was able to destroy Quick Man. When we first fought back when Wily first built him. He beat me at every turn and I didn't get the upper hand on him until I got the necessary weapon that he was weak to." explained Mega Man.
"Even so... We should be careful." added Rarity.
"Yeah..." nodded Mega Man, holding up his Mega Buster. He aimed it in front of him, ready to fight anything that wanted to attack him and his friends when they least expected is. The four walked into a dark cavern, slowly pacing their way in with concern. Their footsteps echoed in the caves, and observed the snow filled dark filled area, hoping that whatever is in here doesn't blindside them and head into the town.
While they were standing still, each of them standing back to back, a noise was heard. Mega Man thought it sounded like footsteps, "Uh. Was that any of you?" he asked the ponies and dragon. The three of them shook their heads, just as confused as the Blue Bomber as to finding the source of the noise. It was heard again, "Okay... That wasn't me either. Just checking." he added, holding his arm cannon in the direction where he heard the sound from.
"Surprise!"
The four jumped out of the way from a snowflake shaped like projectile which melted upon contact with the rocky floor. Mega Man looked upward, "Frost Man!" he shouted. Frost Man was a Robot Master that had similar proportions to the Blue Bomber, but his body contained sections that were made of ice crystal such as the top of his head, shoulder pads and knees. The icy Robot Master hopped down from his spot to reveal himself to his arch-nemesis and the ponies that had follwed.
"Mega Man!"
"I must say, the crystals on your body suit you!" complimented Rarity, who was busy admiring the articulate design or Frost Man, ignoring the battle. Applejack groaned in frustration.
"Why thank you. I am glad to see someone appreciates the ice." Frost Man responded. He threw more snowballs at them, this time aimed at the unicorn. Spike noticed this and made a b-line toward Rarity, pushing her and himself out of the way in time before they reached their flesh.
"Oh, thank you, Spikey!" said Rarity soothly, nuzzling the dragon and making him blush. "And as for you! How dare you harm somepony that just complimented you!" the unicorn scolded Frost Man, who never responded to her whining. Mega Man raised a brow at the fashionista's comments.
"Uh, Rarity... He's trying to kill us. This is no time for a lesson in manners. Especially to a Robot Master!" Mega Man lectured while shooting at Frost Man, who blocked the pellets with an ice barrier he managed to make.
"It is no use, Mega Man. The cold temperature here gives me a better advantage than last time. I am able to use the environment create any weapon I so choose." boasted the cold Robot Master.
Mega Man tried to shoot through the ice barrier, managing to make a hole through it. Frost Man staggered back, trying to form more ice weapons, "Heh. You got stronger. I guess it is time I revealed the other Robot Master here."
"Other Robot Master?" questioned Applejack.
The ground started to shake underneath Applejack's feet. The farmpony hopped out of her spot as huge drills protruded from the ground, nearly hitting the mare in the process lf being revealed. The robot was a red robot, but instead of having hands like Mega Man, he had drills for appendages and one on the head. Mega Man instantly recognized who it was, even though it wasn't technically a robot Wily created.
"You brought Drill Man too? Who else did Wily bring back with Ra Moon?" asked Mega Man in surprise.
"How does he scratch himself?" Spike wondered, looking at Drill Man's hands, or lack of them for that matter.
Mega Man atarted to run, using his Top Spin to attack Frost Man. He stopped spinning, hitting the cold Robot Master with a charged shot hard enough to stun him, "Girls! Spike! I'll handle Frost Man! Can you hold off Drill Man until I shut this one down?" he asked the others, who nodded. The three ran toward Drill Man.
"Ah!" shouted Applejack, ducking underneath the Robot Master's heavy drill hands. She turned around and bucked him in the head. Drill Man was ready to slam his drills into the farmpony, but a blue aura held back his limbs. The orange mare turned to see that Rarity was holding him back.
Spike used his firebreath to burn through the armor. This left the Robot Master exposed and in a fit of rage, he threw a small drill on the ground. "Uh... Why is it beeping?" asked the unicorn. She looked at the red blinking light at the base of the weapon and used her magic to immediately push herself and her friends out of the way of a contained explosion. The weapon vanished and the ground below their hooves and feet started to shake.
The three hopped out of the way of the drill from earlier popping up from the ground. Spike used his breath to burn it to ash. The young drake panted, enever having pushed himself like that in a while, "See? This is why I should join you more often!" he demanded, getting back to his feet.
"Worry about that later, Spike! We got Drill Man to worry about!" said Applejack. Drill Man pushed his hands on the ground, making the floor tremble. Stalagtites on the ceiling began to fall onto the ground. Rarity once more used her magic to hold them back up and threw them in the direction of Drill Man's exposed circuits, damaging them even more. The Robot Master hissed, feeling his circuits being fried and broken apart. He held the open areas, trying to keep himself active.
Applejack bucked him in the chest while he wasn't looking and Spike tore off the processor with his claws, shutting down Drill Man for good. Rarity looked at the damaged and beaten robot, "How barbaric... Does Rock have to do this all the time? To fight his own kind like he is now? The poor boy..." Rarity realized, figuring out just how tought it is for a hero like Rock to continue fighting.
Meanwhile Mega Man used his Leaf Shield to cover himself from one of Frost Man's Freeze Cracker projectiles, "It is no use, Mega Man! Wily and Starlight will succeed and Ra Moon's raw power shall be exposed to all worlds!" declared Frost Man.
Mega Man punched Frost Man, using his Super Arm ability to strengthen the attack, "Just stop!" he said, the Blue Bomber's eyes glowing red for a brief second. He punched Frost Man again, breaking his chest. Sighing, Mega Man finished Frost Man off by throwing a Metal Blade at his core, shutting him down. "I'm sorry..." he said, his eyes turning back to normal. He pressed his hand on the body slowly, dowloading the necessary data on it.
"Rock? Are you okay?" asked Spike.
"Yeah... I'm fine." replied Mega Man, pressing his hand on Drill Man. He downloaded his Drill Bomb weapon into his databanks for inventory. "No useful data in here. Wily and Starlight really did plan ahead." he said in a dull tone.
"Are ya sure yer feelin' okay, Rock?" questioned Applejack.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get the others and head back to Ponyville."
The train ride back to Ponyville was a lot quieter than usual, mainly because of Rock's sudden silence. The mares and dragon all looked at him with worry, wondering what happened to him. Applejack, Spike and Rarity were especially confused since he was up there with them and looked fine until after destroying the Robot Masters. Luckily, they were able to catch the next train and could go back home, and maybe find a way to find out what is wrong with the blue hero.
Slowing down, the Friendship Express stooped at Ponyville, meaning that the gang all left. Rock slowly followed, 'What happened to me... I-I lost control of myself... I almost became as bad as the Robot Masters.' he remembered tearing apart Frost Man inhumanely, ripping apart his entire body mercilessly.
The robot held his head, 'I-I have to make sure that never happens again. I'll be sure of it this time.' he clenched his fist in determination, 'But Applejack and Rarity saw it as well, my sudden loss of control. They never saw like that before. Hey, I've never done anything like that before... I should just rest and grab the rest of that E-Tank while I still have chance.'
Spike and Twilight arrived back at the castle, Rock still too deep in his thoughts to go back in just yet. Proto-Man saw them, "About time. I had to babysit while you were gone. And it wasn't fun let me tell you. Luckily those three kids are out crusading or whatever it was they called it without me. They almost overheated my core just by all the things they did." he revealed to Twilight.
"Thank you for that, Blues. I'm sure the girls will appreciate that." said Twilight.
The alicorn left to go read a book, leaving Spike and Proto-Man alone. "Hey, Proto-Man? Can I ask you a question?" the drake asked, with the robot turning to him. "It's about Rock... When we were fighting some Robot Masters, he looked disappointed in himself, like what he's doing is wrong... He was quiet all the way back. Do you have any idea what that's about?"
"Rock's always been like that honestly from what Roll told me. He hates the idea of fighting other robots like himself, but he chose to so he could help others. That's what makes us alike, despite being robots we're able to make our own choices that go within our programming. Rock made the choice to become Mega Man, but obviously he's going to have problems when it comes to doing what he does since he's a young robot." answered Proto-Man to the best of his ability.
"Really? How does he do it then? To just keep fighting?"
Shaking his head, Proto-Man replied, "He's a robot helper. He wants to help others. It's in his programming. Being Mega Man is just another way to do that for him. How about this? I'll speak to him about it later." he offered.
"If you don't mind... Because he's out of it right now."
Rock finally stepped into the crystal castle and saw the E-Tank sitting on the table. The robot grabbed it and chugged down some of it, unsure of how much more he has left. He left the almost empty reserve oil tank on the table and wiped off the remaining oil on his face with his hand, feeling recharged after facing four Robot Masters in a single day, 'At least I have help this time. Takes the stress out of it sometimes.' he mused, happy to find others besides Proto-Man who are capable of fighting the Robot Masters by his side.
"We have to talk."
Rock turned around to see Proto-Man leaning on the wall, a frown on his face, "Sure. Uh... What is it, Blues?"
"Spike came to me about something. He wanted to know if you're okay. He mentioned that you've been acting strange ever since you fought off the Robot Masters you found at wherever it is you were sent to." Proto-Man said.
"Didn't know you cared." teased Rock.
Proto-Man groaned, "I said I'd protect you. But this is serious. What happened while you over there?"
Rock sighed, "It was strange. We were fighting Frost Man and Drill Man in the mountain caverns. Applejack, Spike and Rarity had already taken care of Drill Man for me. But then, something within my programming triggered. It was... bizarre. I felt like I needed to show Frost Man a lesson. For no reason! I tore him apart, I think I lost control of my programming for a moment there. The ponies looked at me, they never said anything, but they were scared. Of me. I almost became as terrible as Wily's Robot Masters... I knew that something was off, but they have every reason to be afraid... I'm a weapon..."
"You're not a weapon," Proto-Man assured. "We were both created by Dr. Light for a reason. To help others. You chose the path you took as did I. We chose to fight Wily... Even though you wield the Mega Buster, and I wield my own, we fight for the good of others. You are a better hero than I could ever be, Rock. I'm only here to watch your back."
Rock perked up, "Don't put yourself down like that, Blues! You're my brother. And we're in this battle together. So, I'll watch your back as you've watched mine." he comforted his brother. Proto-Man smiled slightly, glad to hear what he had said.
"Good to know, Rock." Proto-Man patted his brother's shoulder and exited the room, with Rock following behind him. The boy saw Spike walking by.
"Are you better, Rock?" the dragon asked.
"Yes. Thanks for looking out for me as well, Spike." replied Rock, giving him a thumbs up, "I just needed a reminded. But be honest with me, what did it look like. When I stopped Frost Man?"
"I've never seen you look that angry before. Granted, we've only known each other for a few days, but... We broke apart Drill Man like you did, but I guess we don't have the same type of conscious like you do. You're a robot, how does it feel to be one anyhow?" Spike wondered.
"Dr. Light built me, Roll and Proto-Man like his children. Roll and I were created after Proto-Man though, and were raised by him without ever knowing of him. He also created the first Robot Masters that Wily took over. That was why I became Mega Man. To save them... Now they live with us as well. Even after learning of Proto-Man's origins and his whereabouts, Dr. Light welcomed him back home with open arms. We're kinda like a family with Dr. Light, our father." Rock explained.
At that instant, Rush came and tackled his owner, happy to see that he alright, "Ha ha! Hey, boy! Glad to see you too!" he petted his robot dog.
"I see now... In a way you're like us, Rock. We were just worried about you that's all." Spike said.
"Thanks for that, Spike."
As they walked, Spike burped something out. It was a letter, "Um... Is that normal? Because I have never seen anything like that before." the robot wondered in confusion. The dragon held the scroll in his claws.
"It usually happens when I get a letter from Princess Celestia or Princess Luna... That can't be good." he finally realized. He and Rock made their way to Twilight's room, where said alicorn was sitting down reading a book.
"Twilight! I got a letter!"
The lavender princess turned her head, using her magic to light the scroll out of the dragon's hooves, "Dear, Twilight..." she said before mumbling the rest of the letter to herself. Once she was finished, she rolled the scroll up and laied it on the table, "That was Princess Celestia. She wants us to head to Canterlot immediately tomorrow." she revealed.
"You have other princesses here?"
"Yes. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are the rulers of Equestria. They called us over to their castle. They mentioned that a strange figure has been spotted running around Canterlot committing crimes." she revealed. "And mentioned that she'll explain the rest of the details to us tomorrow."
"Strange figure... That has to be a Robot Master!" Mega Man shouted.
"Maybe. She didn't have a whole lot to go off of. She wants us to investigate. On the bright side, we can introduce you and Proto-Man to her. You've dealt with Robot Masters plenty of times. So you should be able to do this no problem." Twilight said to the robot.
"Right..." sighed Rock.
'More Robot Masters? Hopefully Wily or Starlight is there this time...'
Rock and Rush walked out of the room, seeing that the moon was up and the sky was dark at this point... A frown formed on his face as he stared out of the balcony, 'I'm sorry, Dr. Light and Roll. I'll be home soon, I promise. I just hope you know that Wily will be stopped here. I almost lost myself today, but that will never happen again... For your sakes.'
"Are you sure that this will work?" asked Starlight Glimmer to Wily. The two masterminds were currently hiding out in another cavern where Starlight used to place the cutie marks she stole with the staff. Wily had decided to use Ra Moon's being to have robots build him a new fortress in an empty field beyond the cavern, "Becuase we can't draw attention to ourselves while we still have the element of surprise on our side."
"Don't worry. Mega Man and the ponies you hate so much will be too distracted with what I have in store for them one they reach Canterlot by your suggestion. The Robot Master I sent there shall throw them in for a real loop." Wily cackled, "By then, in addition to them fighting the other three Robot Masters I had left to find them, the Fortress shall be built with the aid of my endless supply of robots!" he laughed.
"But what if they get here?" wondered the unicorn.
"You're magic prowess should prove to be a problem for the ponies. With Ra Moon I shall create a mech capable of standing against Mega Man and Proto-Man! So even if they survive all of that, they have to worry about our alliance!" revealed Wily, looking at the mech already at work in addition to the fortress through a handheld monitor.
"So ya think Celestia found a Robot Master?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Let's hope so. Wily should've found one to screw up on and leak all the data on it. Once we do that, we'll find out where he's at, what he and Starlight and stop thrm before they do anymore damage to Equestria than what's already happened." Rock said in a confident tone, leaning back on his chair.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Rock, Blues and Rush were on their way to Canterlot by orders of Princess Celestia. Proto-Man decided to join in this time in hopes of finding Wily himself instead of yet another robot used to distract them.
"At the very least, it's a start for us." Rock said. "The more Robot Maaters we find, the closer we are to Wily. That's how it always works with him."
Twilight nodded, "If you're sure, Rock. Let's just see what she has to say before we reach any conclusions."
"I just hope it's nothing too bad." Fluttershy whispered.
"It probably won't be." assured Proto-Man, "The Robot Masters aren't a bright series of robots. They probably slipped up and got themselves discovered."
Meanwhile in Canterlot, a figure hopped across buildings, his scarf flowing in the wind. The red robot smirked, seeing the bag of golden bits in his hand, "This oughta draw them here..." he muttered, jumping away. He held a hand to his ear, "Doctor Wily... I did as you told. I got the ponies' attention."
'Excellent. Now Mega Man and his new friends should be on their way to your location. You must evade them in the meantime." said Wily from the other end of their communication. The robot nodded, making sure that Wily's plan goes perfectly with his aid.
The team finally arrived in Canterlot. Rock was surprised to see such a large town in this dimension, "This is Canterlot? Huh, gotta say I'm amazed. It feels like one of those old timey towns back on Earth." complimented the robot. The mares and dragon smiled at his returning enthusiasm.
Proto-Man looked up through his visor, "Everything looks fine here. Not sure why were called here." he said, 'Then again. That could be the point.'
"I assume that the princess wanted us here to make sure that Canterlot stays that way," Rarity replied, facing the prototype robot. "It would be better that we're here to make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Rarity's right. Better to be safe than sorry." Applejack added. After she said that, a thiught popped up in Rarity's head, a small reminder about something.
Rarity started to trot off, "Excuse me dearies, but I must attend to my shop here. I hope Sassy Saddles doesn't mind me paying a brief visit." as she was trotting, Spike decided to follow, getting Twilight's permission to do so, "I will be back shortly at the castle." she waved off her friends in the distance.
"In that case. How about we all hang around for a bit, and see if we can find this figure. If not, we'll all meet at the castle in half-and-hour." Twilight planned, making a decision to pass the time until Rarity and Spike got back from the Canterlot Boutique, "Does that sound okay to you guys?"
"Sure. I think we could all use a little break from all the adventures we've been having." responded Rock with a smile. "At least, until we meet up again."
The each split off into small groups. Rock, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie decided to look on their own. While Proto-Man, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash went their own path. Twilight and Blues believed that splitting off into groups would make it easier to face the supposed Robot Master should they run into it.
"Ooh! You're going to love it here, Rock! It's so fancy here!" Pinkie cheered.
"I don't think the ponies here have ever seen you here." Fluttershy recalled. She looked at the ponies around look at the trio with confused eyes, wondering what it is that is walking with the mares, "Um... Should we say something to... stop them from looking at us. I-I hate having all this attention..." she hid behind Pinkie, not looking all the ponies staring at her and Rock.
"Don't worry." he told the meek pegasus, "I think they can figure out that I'm not a threat." he said.
Pinkie saw Fluttershy behind her and smiled, "It's okay, Fluttershy! They're only looking at Rock! You have nothing to worry about!" she inhaled, "HEY EVERYPONY! SAY HI TO ROCK! HE IS THE NICEST ROBOT YOU WILL EVER MEET IN THE HISTORY OF ALL OF EQUESTRIA!" she shouted so that everypony around them heard.
"What's a robot?" they heard someone asked.
"It's, uh, kinda hard to explain. Let's just say that I cannot harm another living being like any of you ponies. So, you have my word that I am safe to be around. Also, my brother should be around here. So you don't have to worry about him also." Rock assured to the growing crowd surrounding him. A nervous smile formed on his face, "We should probably get out of here. Things are getting too crazy out here..." he said to the two mares standing behind him. The robot could hear a lot of questions be asked about him, but he scurried out of the crowd slowly.
"Sorry, but I'm kind of in a hurry!" he started to run with Pinkie and Fluttershy gaolloping after him.
"Did anypony else hear that?" asked Rainbow Dash, referring to the loud scream by Pinkie Pie. She put a hoof to her ear, trying to get rid of the ringing sound.
"It was probably just Pinkie being.... Pinkie." Twilight answered to the best of her ability.
Proto-Man crossed his arms, "That's the best you got to describe her?"
"What else do ya want us to say?" Rainbow Dash wondered.
"That mare is crazier than Guts Man and Cut Man put together..." mumbled Proto-Man.
"Who the hay are Guts Man and Cut Man?" asked the pegasus.
"Two robots that will drive you up the wall. Luckily, I don't live with Doctor Light. So, I don't have to put up with everyone there." said the red robot.
"You don't live with your creator? Why?" Twilight questioned, wondering why he would abandon his own father, as Rock put it earlier when exolaining who he was.
Proto-Man aighed, "Let's just we had a disagreement. The only reason why I'm there is help in stopping Wily. That's it. I have no purpose being there. I have long accepted that by this point."
"No purpose? He's your father! I'm sure he'd be glad to have you back!"
Shaking his head, the red robot answered, "No. It's better off this way, i go on my own path, I am a prototype after sll. My purpose? Well, there is none. I just do as I please and as my programming permits." he held up his Proto-Buster and shield as he said this, "My core is unstable and my end could be anytime... So I wanna die the way I want to."
"That's grim..." said Rainbow Dash, astonished by his method of living, "You say you have no purpose? But you're here with us stopping Wily!"
"I have no purpose beyond that. He is a threat to the world and one intend to help stop."
The three were stopped by a stallion wearing a suit, "Excuse me, dear sir. But I must commend that scarf." he complimented, getting a shrug from the two mares. Proto-Man gave him a confused glance.
"Thank you I guess..." said Proto-Man awkwardly.
"Before you go, can I just say? You look awfully familiar. I feel like I've seen you recently."
"Nah! You never seen him before!" Rainbow Dash boasted, "One of the coolest robots ever is here! So of course you'd at least heard of him!"
"Dash, sorry to interrupt, but we should head to the castle." Twilight reminded her, "I think we've done enough sight seeing."
"Oh, alright."
"Hope to meet you again, sir!" said the fancy pony,
"That was a fun trip." said Rarity, Spike walking behind her.
Rock, Fluttershy and Fluttershy were the first to arrive, "Oh, hey, Rarity! How was your little trip? Honestly, I think it's cool you got your own business here."
"Oh thank you Rock. It was nice. I am happy that Sassy Saddles made the business well in Canterlot. Nopony could've done a better job here I say. Though, we should visit Manehattan sometime, cause I'm sure Coco wouldn't mind my company." the unicorn replied to his compliment.
"Hey, girls." said Twilight. Rainbow Dash and Proto-Man made it as well.
"Nothing from your end either?"
"Nope!" replied Rainbow Dash with a shake of her head, "But I gotta say, it's weird seeing everypony just get used to you two being here!" she added.
"Yeah! It's kimda like my world in a way. But after the first Robot Masters incident, people have been a little less trustful... So this must be new for them, they'll get used to it should your technology advance to that point." Rock replied.
The doors of the castle opened, revealing two alicorns. The taller one was white with a flowing mane that had the colors of the rainbow. The shorter one was a dark blue and had a mane that looked like the night sky,
"Hey, you're the Princesses right? Celestia and Luna?" asked Rock.
Celestia nodded with a smile, "Indeed we are. You must be the new being in Ponyville. Welcome to Equestria."
"Thank you! My name is Rock, this dog right here is Rush, and that's my brother Proto-Man." he gestured to all three of them. Luna raised a brow at Proto-Man for some strange reason. The night princess leaned toward Celestia to whisper something about that matter at hoof.
"Sister? Do you think-"
"He does look like him..."
The two princess looked at the red robot, "Proto-Man... You are under arrest."
Rock and the gang looked at the princesses in confusion, "But, Princess! That's impossible! Proto-Man has been with us this entire time! There's no way he was able to be the thief that you mentioned!" Twilight defended Proto-Man, but the princesses refused to listen to her pleas.
"We are sorry, Twilight. But the evidence matches up. The reports mentioned that the thief looked exactly like how Proto-Man does." Celestia explained her motives, "So unless you can prove him innocent he'll be put under custody and put on trial here." she said with Luna nodding.
"What? But that's unfair! He never got the chance to explain himself!" Dash reprimanded.
"Let them."
Rock's eyes widened at the words his brother said, "Wha-? But Blues! You're innocent! You don't have to do this!" he begged Proto-Man, biut he was ignored as he stepped forward.
"I know. But in order to preserve the peace of this world, I'm better off turning myself in. I know I'm innocent and so do you. Just got find the real culprit until then." Proto-Man comforted the concerned ponies. Luna wrapped the robot's hands in handcuffs and escorted him into the castle.
"We'll keep an eye on him until then." Celestia said following her sister.
Rock changed into Mega Man, determined more than ever to prove Proto-Man innocent. "C'mon, girls. We're going to find the real thief behind all this. For Proto-Man."
"I-I just can't believe he turned himself in like that!" Twilight shouted in disbelief over the whole debacle, "We know he didn't do anything! He was with us the whole time!"
"Then that gives us a better reason to find this Robot Master."
Mega Man gestured for the ponies to follow him. The mares and dragon nodded, walking behind the Blue Bomber. Rush whimpered, "It's alright, boy. We'll get Blues back. I promise. Heck, I won't leave here until then. Even if Wily came here himself, Dr. Light would be disappointed if I didn't come home with him." he assured his robot dog.
A blur was seen over the robots, "What was that!?" asked Dash, pointing upward. Mega Man scowled, seeing a scarf pass the field of vision on his optics. The pegasus knew what he was thinking and flew after the figure. A rainbow trail zoomed behind her as she began to speed up. Twilight teleported herself to the rooftops to get a a better view as well, "Don't worry, Twi! I got this covered!" said the speedy pegasus with an echo.
Mega Man and the others looked up, running to see more. Rainbow Dash caught up to the figure and tackled him, knocking him off the roof onto the ground next to the Blue Bomber, "What the-?! He looks just like Proto-Man!" Dash said. The Robot Master in question wore the exact same armor as Blues, but his armor was a darker shade of red which showed a difference between him and Proto-Man immediately.
"You're right, Rainbow Dash." Rarity gasped, "I can see the semblance. It looks like he was designed to throw us off."
Mega Man walked forward to stare at the Robot Master, "I should've known it was you, Dark Man." he placed his foot down atop the robot to keep him down on the ground.
"Dark Man?" questioned Applejack.
"Yeah. He was created by Dr. Wily to frame Proto-Man once. Of course, like Copy Robot, he proved to be a cheap imitation. I should've known it was him when Proto-Man was the one that got arrested." he knelt down to the fake red robot, "Now, why are you doing this. Again?"
"Wily wanted me to throw you off when he brought me back. Catch you all for a loop!" Dark Man revealed to his nemesis. "This was the perfect way to do so! I knew that you would fall for it a second time. With your brother gone, he knew that you would be so focused on getting him back that you'd lose focus on Wily!"
Mega Man shot a pellet, barely missing his head as a warning, the blue hero's eyes glowing red once more, "You don't know me! I'll knock that smug grin off your face!" he shouted, getting angrier by the second. The ponies looked at him worridly, Applejack, Rarity and Spike especially since they've seen him act like this before when they fought Drill Man and Frost Man. "Get up!" he ordered, removing his foot from the body.
Dark Man got up and shot the Blue Bomber with his fake Proto-Buster. Mega Man dodged it, a confident smirk on his face, "Is that the best ya got, Dark Man?" he asked the Robot Master. The ponies stepped back, ducking underneath the charged shot delivered from Dark Man. The beam hit a building, knocking off some chunks of the wall.
"Mega Man... What happened to him?" Fluttershy wondered, "I-Is he always like this fighting a robot?"
"No. He was the exact opposite when I fought with him." Dash replied, she flapped her wings and charged after Dark Man herself. She punched the robot in the face before Mega Man could even reach him, "Sorry, Rock... But you'll be staying out of this fight for now!" she ordered.
Mega Man's eyes turned back to normal again, "Huh? What?" he asked. 'Oh no... I lost control. Again...' he sighed, "Go ahead, girls... I'll be sitting this one out." he slowly walked away, a frown on his face. Rush barked at him, wondering what was wrong with his owner this time.
Twilight teleported behind Dark Man and shot the fake Proto-Man in the back, denting and burning his armor slightly. "Why you-!" he grunted, shooting at the alicorn, who already teleported to safety. Rarity held his Dark Buster back and allowed Applejack to buck him with her fronthooves. Dark Man felt the force of the hooves on his face, grunting while the farmpony attack him once more, this time even harder. He tried to grab Applejack, but the unicorn pulled back the earth pony with her magic before suffering his wrath, the pony covered in a light blue aura like his cannon before.
"That should teach you!" yelled Rarity.
Fluttershy stayed next to Mega Man all the while, seeing Pinkie grab Twilight and shoot at Dark Man, using Twilight's horn as a rifle of sorts to shoot beams of magic. Dark Man hopped around each one, but one of them hit his chest. "Fine." he held the damaged area with his free hand, "You left me no choice."
"What is he talking about?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No choice... We're already kicking your metal butt!"
"His true form." replied Mega Man with a stern look on his face.
Dark Man's fake Proto-Man appearance began to morph. He became bigger and his red armor became black. He had a torso similar to Top Man and his head had a dome on top of it. "That's his true form?" Twilight gulped, genuinely surprised to see what Dark Man truly looked like. By this point a crowd had formed nearby to watch the commotion, "Stay back, everypony!" she warned, "It's not safe here!" the ponies took a step back upon hearing her words.
"I already miss his fake Proto-Man shtick." taunted Rainbow Dash, flying above him.
Spike blew flames at Dark Man, burning his armor even more. The dragon slid underneath the Robot Master's grasp and stood up behind him. Spike hopped back behind Applejack. The farmpony ran back to action and bucked Dark Man once more, denting his chest even more than last time.
Dark Man clenched his chest, seeing that he was losing power. Twilight shot more beams of magic his way, damaging him even more. It got to the point where sparks were flying out of him, "It doesn't matter... Wily st-still has three more Robot Masters. All of them ready to kill all of you." he mocked, feeling that there was nothing left to lose. Rainbow Dash flew past him kicking him in the dome on his head, cracking it.
Twiligth charged her horn and ended Dark Man with a beam of magic strong enough to blast off his head. The robot stumbled forawrd before collapsing. The ponies around began to clap for the ponies that had destroyed the Robot Master that had been robbing them for the past few days. The mares panted, exhausted from a surprisngly brief, yet strong battle. "Nice work, everypony. Glad to see that Proto-Man was proven right."
Mega Man placed his hand on Dark Man's body, downloading any data to his own databanks, "Well, I'm surprised. There's actually something of use in here!" he cheered.
"There is? What is it?" asked Twilight.
"I'll explain once we get Proto-Man back." he held Dark Man's destroyed head and made his way to the castle, where he could prove his brother innocent.
Proto-Man sat in the chair, his hands tied up and himself silent. Celestia and Luna stared at him from across the table, asking him questions he chose not to answer. 'Give it a matter of time. Rock wouldn't leave you behind... He probably figured it all out like I have at this point. A shame these annoying excuses of royalty choose not to believe me.' he thought, his hands crossed on the table, still in silence.
The doors slammed open and Mega Man, with the ponies behind him walked in. The Blue Bomber placed the head of Dark Man on the table, "Dark Man?" asked Proto-Man.
"Dark Man."
"This... Is the true culprit? But he looks nothing like the reports."
"That's because Dark Man has the ability to change his form. He took the form of Proto-Man once again to mess with me. Luckily, unlike last the facade didn't work."
"It's true! We took him down!" Pinkie whined.
"Please! Listen to us, Proto-Man's not the enemy here!"
Celestia closed her eyes, "Very well, my former student." she and Luna released the cuffs holding Proto-Man and allowed him to leave, "Please accept our sincerest apologies, Proto-Man. We only did it to preserve peace until further investigation."
"I hold nothing against you. I could've broken out at any moment, but that would do more bad than good." the red robot taunted the security.
"Anyway, Blues. I finally got more info on Wily. Dark Man told me he has three more Robot Masters and in his data there were locations. I think Wily wants us to head there this time," Mega Man revealed, "What do you think? You want to help us find them?"
"I'll help you as much as I can. Remember, my core can only take so much."
The mares nodded with Mega Man, "Alright then. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. We apologize for the confusion. My nemesis Dr. Wily is plotting something big and we need to stop him and Starlight Glimmer. We have to leave immediately."
"Very well, Mega Man. We wish you the best for you and Proto-Man." Luna praised.
"Where to Rock?"
"How about we head to the nearest location, Whitetail Woods? I got a feeling we'll be running into an old friend there."
"Are you sure you wanna stay behind this time, Spike?" asked Rock. The gang had returned to Ponyville to prepare to face the remaining Robot Masters located around Equestria. Twilight and her friends all gathered at the outskirts of Ponyville at this point while the blue robot went back to the castle with Proto-Man to grab any E-Tanks that they still had. Spike had decided that he was going to stay for this battle for one specific reason.
"I gotta go watch some hoofball with Big Mac. I'm still trying to get my claws on his trading cards." explained Spike, wearing a soda drinking hat with a '#1' inscribed on top in the center. He had taken a sip from the straws connected to the bottles. Rock laughed lightly at the idea.
"Alright then. Tell me how it goes." Rock said, grabbing the E-Tank sitting on the table. 'Alright. Time for a triple check... My weapon system is recharged, my systems are prepped and I feel good as new. Luckily the battle against Dark Man did nothing to hurt the ponies or myself. But I should check on my systems when I get back home.' he thought, feeling as though something was amiss within his programming.
Proto-Man faced the door, "Are you ready, Rock? There are still three Robot Masters. Are you sure you can handle them in one day?"
Rock turned into Mega Man and answered his brother's question, "Yes. We need to stop them before they do more damage than we can stop. Once they're gone and out of our way, we can take the fight to Wily himself." he said, petting Rush's head while speaking to his brother.
Mega Man and Proto-Man made it to where the six mares awaited them far away from the quiet town that they resided in. "It's about time ya showed up!" shouted Rainbow Dash, "We were about to fight them without you!"
"Heh. Good luck with that." Proto-Man mocked.
"Besides that. Are you ready?" asked Twilight. She had a bag strapped around her barrel. Mega Man wondered what she could've brought, but figured out that it was most likely refreshments for her and her friends, since the only thing the robots need are the E-Tanks they stored. Mega Man counted at least four more filled tanks from Proto-Man and the ones he found before ending up in Equestria. Luckily for him the battles weren't too difficult to warrant drinking an entire can at once.
The brothers nodded, "Yeah. I may have an idea as to who's already there waiting for us."
"Wily was never clever in his designations." Proto-Man agreed.
"So, do you know what makes this forest so special that Wily sould send someone here?" Mega Man asked the ponies.
"This is where we do the Running of the Leaves. Every year in Ponyville, we'd gather around and race, bringing down the leaves in the trees." explained Rainbow Dash.
"Oh..." said a surprised Mega Man.
"Um... A-Are you sure you can handle him, Mega Man?" Fluttershy questioned.
The robot boy spoke, "Yeah. I'm still feeling fine. I'm just hoping you're okay to go after fighting Dark Man."
"We are, thank you for asking." said Rarity, "We just want to make sure you won't run into anymore... Issues." she trailed off. Mega Man nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Proto-Man raised an eyebrow underneath his visors, thinking that he has gotten over this earlier.
"I-I'll be okay." studdered Mega Man, feeling unsure himself, "Let's just find the Robot Master in the forest." Rush looked up at him in confusion and worry. "Like I said, boy. It'll be alright." he assured his dog. The nine wandered into the forest, to begin the search for the Robot Master.
The first sign that something was off was the fact that there were different robots scattered around the forest. Mega Man and Proto-Man spotted the Sniper Joes and Shield Joes standing in the way as well as the various types of Mets that lie all over the place while covered in their hardhats. "Heh. Wily actually set up territory here. That's... not good." Mega Man noticed, readying his Mega Buster for battle. Proto-Man prepared his Proto Buster while the ponies got themselves ready to fight the small army lying in their way.
Proto-Man was the first to shoot, hitting the Sniper Joes. The green gun-wielding robots aimed their weapons at the red robot, but Proto-Man deflected them with his shield. He slid down from three more pellets, charging his cannon all the while. Once ready, he released the charge shot at once and destroyed the Sniper Joes standing in a line. He got back up and placed his shield on his back for now and tried to catch up with the others..
Twilight used her magic to lift up the Mets hiding on the ground. Pinkie looked at them in awe, "Aw. They look so cute!" she cooed, looking at the scared small robot in the eyes. The alicorn threw them into the air, and Rainbow Dash caught it before slamming them to the ground. "Woo!" she cheered with satisfaction, seeing it collide hard with the grassy floor.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy tripped on a Met bot while walking. The pegasus saw it stand up, "Oh, I'm so sorry..." she apologized to the tiny robot on the ground, bending down to face it. The Met scowled, seeing a target in front of it. Fluttershy squeaked, moving back away from the pellets that shot out in three directions. Rarity saw this and held down the robot, and Applejack tied it up, pushing it toward her oncoming hooves to buck it down.
"This ain't time to be apologizin' to killer robots, Fluttershy." Applejack said.
"I-I'm sorry."
Rarity frowned, "We're not mad at you, it's just... we have to be careful out here. Mega Man has said that these robots are dangerous and we can't bring our guard down." the unicorn added, knowing of Fluttershy's resistance of wanting to fight. The yellow pegasus slowly nodded, understanding their pleas.
"Hey. If it helps. We can handle the fightin' for ya, Flutters." Rainbow Dash offered, punching a Sniper Joe with her forehooves while in middair. She looked up to see more green robots of the same variety and some with shields standing on top of the tree branches.
"Thank you..."
Mega Man saw that as well and aimed his Mega Buster upward, "I got this, guys!" he announced. Mega Man shot at two of the Shield Joes standing, making them fall onto the ground. The Blue Bomber noticed that the area was clear and they moved on. The nine ran through the large forest, and Mega Man was enjoying the scenery, 'This would be such a peaceful place to be, but of course Wily had to ruin it. Again... I'll make him pay for what's he doing to Equestria.'
The gang stopped once they heard a noise. A robot stood in front of them. A smirk on his face. He appeared to be made of the same material as the wood. "Huh. I was right. I must say I'm not surprised to see you here, Wood Man." Mega Man introduced in an angered tone.
"Mega Man. And Proto-Man I see. Oh, and you brought some ponies with you. Like they can stand a chance against my powers." Wood Man boasted.
"I already took your powers, Wood Man!" Mega Man shouted.
Wood Man chuckled, "Starlight Glimmer has told me of this place. She and Wily mentioned that this would be the perfect place to test myself against you."
"You're a joke, Wood Man. Just give up now." Proto-Man threatened.
Wood Man raised his hands and a large swarm of leaves surrounded his body, "Go ahead, Blue Bomber. Take your shot."
Mega Man did as he said and shot some pellets at Wood Man, but the shots bounced off his leaf shield, hitting some surrounding trees instead, "His Leaf Shield is more powerful now with the trees. We need to find a way to get them away long enough for us to hit him while he's open."
Rainbow Dash nodded and began to fly around Wood Man, trying to use her speed to blow away the leaves that covered his wooden robot body. Wood Man saw this counter coming and aimed a barrage of leaves at the team. Twilight closed her eyes, and focused her energy on her horn. She created a force field large enough to cover her and her friends. The leaves bounced off her force field and scattered all over the field. "Thanks, Twilight." said Mega Man, scowling at Wood Man.
Proto-Man and Mega Man charged their busters at the same time, and because Rainbow Dash blew off the leaves and distracted Wood Man, they landed a hit on Wood Man, making him stagger in his spot. "Grr... I forgot how persistent you were, Mega Man." he groaned as he readied another shield.
Rarity turned ehr head and saw a few stones lying on the ground, "As uncouth as it is..." she sighed, and used her magic to levitate the rocks. She tossed them one by one at Wood Man, hitting him each time and stalling him from creating a shield. Mega Man noticed that Rainbow Dash remained in the air just in case Wood Man somehow created another Leaf Shield for her to remove. The Robot Master grumbled in his spot, feeling the small rocks hit his already damaged system. He lifted his arms and threw more leaves in the heroes' way.
"I don't remember him doing all this!" Mega Man shouted, sliding his way underneath the leaves. He changed his weapon to that of the Metal Blades and threw one once he got back to his feet. The round blade sliced through the leaf barrage sent his way. He then changed his weapon back to the Mega Buster to hit Wood Man once more.
Proto-Man lifted his shield in front of him, covering himself and the ponies from the remaining leaves that Mega Man never got to cut in time. Rainbow Dash flew downward spinning the leaves around. Wood Man tried to counter, but Mega Man shot him, stunning him long enough to be hit by his own attack. Sparks began to fly out of his body and exposed circuits before Mega Man ended the battle with one last charged shot.
Wood Man collapsed, the ponies looking at him and making sure he was shut down. Mega Man placed his hand on the Robot Master's body. Once he got the data he needed, he looked away from Wood Man to the ponies. "Guys... I got an update. According to Wood Man, the next Robot Master is here."
"What?" the six shouted in disbelief.
Proto-Man crossed his arms, "Wily's changing things up. He wanted to catch us off guard here, giving us the sense of peace here."
"Makes sense. Wily was always tricky like that."
After saying this, the team noticed that something sliced a tree with three marks seen on the bark of the tree. Rush barked at the sight of another Robot Master standing on top of the trees. He was a green and blue robot with yellow hair spiky like that of a porcupine and three metal claws sticking out of his knuckles and his feet.
"Who the heck is that?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Mega Man frowned at the sight, "That's Slash Man."
Slash Man snickered, "Ah, yes. The annoying helper robot. I should let you know Wily brought me over from my station for one reason. To turn this colorful forest into a city of his robotic image." he revealed, holding up his three metal claws near his face. He pointed at Mega Man and the ponies, "And you cannot hope to stop me this time." he sliced a branch off a nearby tree as though to emphasize the point he had made.
"You monster!" shouted Fluttershy, getting the attention of the robots and her friends, "You dare harm the cute animals that live here?" she asked loudly.
Slash Man chuckled at the sight, "Yes. I do. It's in my programming you annoying pony. I was brought back for that purpose." he announced.
"Well, you're not going to destroy this forest like you did before in our world!" declared Mega Man.
Slash man jumped down from his spot and raised his claws once more. "If it is a fight you want, Mega Man. Then you shall get one!" he lunged at the Blue Bomber, who slid underneath his attack. Slash Man got himself stuck on a tree. He tried to pull himself out of his spot, but Proto-Man had already grabbed him and launched him into the air. Applejack used her lasso to catch Slash Man in middair and throw him downward. Slash Man tore apart the rope binding him and faced the farmpony. Rainbow Dash saw that he was ready to attack and tackled him, driving her hooves into his body.
Mega Man started to run, seeing Slash Man standing up. He used the Top Spin ability to hurt the Robot Master as much as he could. Once he stopped, Slash Man cut Mega Man in the chest, his blue armor now scratched.
Proto-Man saw that Slash Man was now focused on him. The robot lunged after the red hero, and once Slash Man was close enough, the red robot tossed up his shield in front of him and tossed Slash Man in the air by hitting him upward. Twilight grabbed him and levitated him with her magic before throwing him into another tree. The Robot Master grunted and sliced off some branches and tossed them at the mares. Mega Man threw his Metal Blades at them, slicing them before they could hurt anypony, "Rush! Spring form!" he ordered his faitful robot dog.
Rush barked and transformed his body so that the top of it was a spring that allowed Mega Man to jump on it. He hopped on top of Rush and bounced off the spring, getting high enough to shoot Slash Man with a powerful charged shot. He fell from his perch and landed on his back, while Mega Man landed perfectly om nis feet, "You should've stayed in your station, Slash Man." taunted the Blue Bomber with a confident tone in his voice.
Slash Man raised his arms, and suddenly caught Mega Man in a red aura. 'I-I can't move! Oh no... I forgot he could do that!' he thought, seeing Slash Man aim his claws directly at him. Proto-Man jumped front of him in time and blocked the Robot Maater with his shield once more. Rarity tried to use hr own magic to remove the aura surrounding and paralyzing Mega Man, 'I-It's paralyzing my joints! I'll be stuck here for a while! Unless Rarity or Twilight can find something...'
Luckily for the Blue Bomber, Rarity had managed to free him, "Are you better, now darling?" she asked him. Mega Man tried moving his joints, which started to move freely.
"Yeah, thanks for the assist."
Slash Man sliced once more at Proto-Man's shield to no avail, "Ah, forget this!" he shouted, trapping Proto-Man as well as the ponies in the same aura he trapped Mega Man. The Blue Bomber looked at them in worry, wondering how to assess the situation, 'Surrender now, Mega Man, or I'll hurt every single person here."
'But...' thought the Blue Bomber.
"Don't do it, Rock!" shouted Rainbow Dash, "He doesn't look so tough!"
Slash Man anickered, "Oh?" he asked, running at Dash, and pointed his claws directly in her face, causing her to sweat, "Listen, pony, in the state you're in, you won't be fast enough to avoid my slices... Now, you wanna repeat that?" he questioned. Rainbow Dash looked at her friends and gulped. Each of them struggled as Mega Man did before, but with the same results. Slash Man smirked, awaiting his enemy's decision.
"Fine." he sighed, transforming back into Rock. His choice caused all of the ponies to gasp, Proto-Man looked at his brother, seeing that he would sacrifice himself if it meant that no one got hurt, 'Just like Dr. Light programmed us... He has something that will stop him. I'm sure of it. Because this time he's on his own.'
Slash Man raised his claws, "So the great Blue Bomber surrenders. Wily will be pleased with the results."
The seven watched as Rock got punched by Slash Man, each of them unable to intervene thanks to the aura. "No!" the mares shouted at once. Proto-Man remained silent, yet he still worried for his brother, not being able to step in this time. 'Hopefully you have something up your sleeve this time, Rock.'
Rock felt his armor get scratched and staggered in his place. He fell to one knee, allowing Slash Man kick him. Rock made no effort to fight back this time, 'I can't... Not this time. My friends are in danger...' he thought, feeling his enemy continue to pummel him without holding back. 'C'mon, Rock... What are you going to do? At this rate if he destroys you, then he'll kill them and then Wily and Starlight will get away...'
Clenching his fists, Rock felt something surge in his system. Anger, rage, guilt. All of it combined in his processor and core. He wanted to do something, but didn't want to risk anything, yet at the same time he knew that something must be done. 'No... I'm not going to die today. Nothing is going to stop me! I'm Mega Man!'
Slash Man raised his fist, ready to end Rock once and for all, but then as he brought it down, something happened that surprised everyone around. Rock caught it, now back in his Mega Man armor, and eyes now glowing red. He used the Super Arm ability to push Slash Man upward. This surprised the Robot Maater greatly, "So... You wish for your friends to die. Then I'll just end them while you're alive."
Mega Man growled, throwing a Metal Blade in his direction, "No! You want to fight dirty!?" asked Mega Man in an angered tone. Slash Man attempted to fight against his enemy, but Mega Man countered each attack with ease. "Two can play at that game!" he declared loudly.
'Rock? What's happened to you?'
Proto-Man watched as Mega Man fought Slash Man brutally. Slash Man tried to tackle Mega Man, but the Blue Bimber used a Top Spin to counter, damaging the clawed robot greatly, "You threaten me! You threaten my friends! You were a mistake, Slash Man! Wily should've never brought you back! Because once I'm through with you, you'll regret ever challenging me!" Mega Man shouted his announcement to his opponent.
Slash Man was scared. Scared that Mega Man was no longer holding back. Mega Man smirked, activating his Freeze Cracker, "Hey, I just remembered!" he said, shooting an ice bomb, the explosion on Slash Man caused him to shut down for good. Mega Man stood over his body and smirked, watching his friends be freed from his aura, "How's that, Slash Man?" he asked the broken body, which never responded. His eyes never fading from its unusual red.
"Rock! What the hell was that!?" asked Proto-Man.
Mega Man ignored his question and pressed his hand on Slash Man's body, downloading the information he stored, "Found the last Robot Master's location. We're heading back to Ponyville to rest for a bit then we're heading back out." he ordered.
"Rock! Don't you dare ignore me!"
Mega Man gritted his teeth, "Or what huh!? You've been doing that to me for most of my existence! So how about you just shut up, Blues?"
"Hey! What's gotten into you, Mega Man?" questioned an annoyed Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah! Blues has only been looking out for you!" Rarity scolded.
"Don't you dare defend him!" yelled Mega Man, sipping his E-Tank to replenish his energy, "If you're not with me, then I guess I'm finding Ghastly Gorge on my own!" he stomped away from his friends.
"Ghastly Gorge?" asked Twilight, Mega Man already gone at this point. "Girls. Let's get Spike and follow Mega Man. Something's off about him."
"You guys go ahead..."
"Wha? But Proto-Man, we need yer help!" insisted Applejack.
"Sorry, but I already did too much. My core is unstable, remember? Let me know if something is wrong and I'll step in." said Proto-Man, "In the meantime, I'll deduce what's wrong with Rock. he's never acted like this before and I intend to find out why that is."
Mega Man grumbled while making his way to Ghastly Gorge. The Blue Bomber was annoyed, tired of being asked if he was okay over nothing. 'I'm Mega Man. Of course I'm fine. What was I thinking? That these ponies could be my friends. I never needed friends, I never needed Proto-Man to babysit me. I'm better off without them.' his eyes glowed a sinister red, scowling as the thoughts ran and computed in his systems.
The robot punched the rocky wall next to him, breaking apart the wall with a hole made from his fist. He assumed that the place he was in was Ghastly Gorge, judging by the canyons and eerie locale. Mega Man frowned, "I'm disappointed. Where's the army standing in my way like they always do? Peh, these Robot Masters are chumps anyhow... Once I find the one here, I'll tear them apart circuit by circuit..." he mumbled.
The seven returned to Twilight's castle to regroup, "It doesn't make sense. Rock doesn't seem like somepony who would hold a grudge." Twilight said. The other five mares, Rush and Proto-Man walked behind her all thinking the same thing, 'What happened to the friendly Mega Man they knew?'
"Twilight?" asked Spike, "Where's Rock?"
"He went off on his own! He thinks that he's all high and mighty now!" Dash grumbled.
"That... doesn't sound like him at all..." Spike trailed off.
"I know. Rock's never acted like this before. I'm going to stay here till my core cools down. By then, I should have an answer as to what's wrong with Rock. All of you can go, I'll make my way there." Proto-Man assured. He looked at Rush, who was whimpering, "It's fine, Rush. We'll make sure he'll be okay."
"Aleight, Proto-Man," said Applejack, "Let's just hope Rock will be willin' to talk. He didn't seem to be in a talking mood like he usually is. Heck, ah've only ever seen him like that when we were fightin' the Robot Masters at the town."
"Rock's no fun when he's angry..." Pinkie huffed.
"Nopony is fun when they're angry, Pinkie. Especially somepony like Rock. We must find him immediately before he does something he will regret." Rarity noted.
"Finally!"
Mega Man swerved to the left, dodging three Sniper Joes standing his way. He grabbed the shield of one and decked the robot through the helmet, destroying it. "You all should know better than to mess with me! I'm Mega Man! You're all just weak Sniper Joes and Mets that are only an inconvience!"
The Blue Bomber knelt down to pick up a Met by its helmet, "See?" he threw it at a Shield Joe catching it off guard long enough to blow it up with a charged shot. Another Shield Joe tried to hit Mega Man with his mace, but the hero avoided it, "Just give up..." he sighed, grabbing the robot's arm. He aimed his Mega Buster at the Shield Joes's face, blow off the head without so much as a second thought. Mega Man chuckled, "Nothing can match my Mega Buster! Why did Wily bring you all here, again?" he asked.
Mega Man watched as a tiger like robot jumped at him. In a split second, Mega Man activated his Metal Blades, slicing the weapon through the body and cutting the tiger robot in half. Another came and this time, the Blue Bomber took a step backwards to avoid the tackle. He used his Top Spin to daze the tiger robot long enough to use his Freeze Cracker on it, stopping the animal designed robot in its tracks. Mega Man then shot the frozen robot to pieces with a smile on his face, ending it with a powerful charged blast.
The robot hero held his smoking arm cannon, wanting to stop before he overloads, 'Heh. As if that can stop me. Dr. Light gave me this for one reason..." his thoughts trailed off, trying to find the right words, as though something lingered in him to keep him from continuing his processing, 'To destroy any opposition that stands in my way.' his system finally finished, but that same process in his head told him that what he was doing was wrong, that he wasn't meant for this purpose.
Turning around, Mega Man spotted a shuriken coming his way. He ducked underneath the projectile, seeing it stick to a small crevice on the stone wall. The metal blue hero turned around, curiosity peaked. He saw nothing, but then another shuriken was about to collide with him. Mega Man slid to dodge it as it reached the ground, "Shurikens?" he spotted a familiar symbol engraved in the center of the projectiles, "Of course... Wily used Ra Moon, so of course he'd bring back the alien's greatest robot soldier." he mumbled quietly.
"You can come out, Shadow Man."
Something stepped out of the shadows upon Mega Man's instruction, it was a black robot designed like a ninja. He appeared to be nimble and a shuriken similar to the one he tosses was placed on top of his head, over and between the optics. "Mega Man. It will be an honor battling you once more."
"An honor? You say that as though you're going to win!" Mega Man cackled.
Shadow Man smirked, "And win I shall. For the glory of Ra Moon, I have been brought back to the living and in order to get my honor back, I must defeat the robot who has bested me before."
The two dueling robots glared at each other, ready for an intense battle. Shadow Man was the first to move, covering himself in a smoke screen. Mega Man growled, tripting to scan for his opponent, but nothing came up for him yet. He felt something hit him in the back, stunning him. Mega Man knelt down, shooting the ninja Robot Master on sight, "It is no use, Mega Man. I was created to be Ra Moon's greatest soldier. You got lucky last time we dueled, but now that luck has left you."
Shadow Man threw a Shadow Blade, and once it touched Mega Man, he seemingly collapsed on the ground, despite still being active. "Y-You..." he struggled to say.
"Have you forgotten my Shadow Blade? It is capable of temporarily freezing your mechanisms. You will not be doing much damage to me in the state you are in." the Robot Master boasted.
Mega Man scowled, feeling something move him, he managed to move Mega Buster up, "How?"
"Temporarily... I guess Light upgraded an immunity... Smart." mocked Mega Man, shooting Shadow Man as he got up. "Now, it's about time I followed up on my threat."
Mega Man changed his weapon to the Super Arm, before Shadow Man could vanish, the Blue Bomber punched him hard, destroying the armor he had. Mega Man snickered, throwing a couple Metal Blades and impaling the projectiles through his body. "You have no honor, Mega Man..." the robot struggled to say.
"I don't need honor." boasted the angered hero, using the Top Spin and the Super Arm to tear Shadow Man to pieces, "See? It's so much easier to do that!" he knelt on top of the broken remains of Shadow Man's body, "Now to steal your data!" he pressed his hand down, but a surge of electricity overtook his body.
"AAHHHHHH!"
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike arrived to Ghastly Gorge. The seven had witnessed the broken robot soldiers lying all over the place, but the scream got their immediate attention, "That sounded like Mega Man!" shouted Fluttershy. "He might be in trouble!"
"C'mon!" ordered Rainbow Dash.
The seven paused in their tracks once they saw Mega Man standing atop Shadow's Man's destroyed body. "Rock..." moaned Twilight.
Mega Man opened his red eyes, smirking. He pointed his Mega Buster at the unsuspecting ponies, ready to end them.
Everypony ducked for cover once they saw that Mega Man was shooting at them, "What's gotten into him!?" asked Rainbow Dash, gritting her teeth. Twilight was the first to stand up, seeing that the Blue Bomber had to cool down his arm cannon before he could continue to shoot. "Seriously! He was just fine earlier before he destroyed Wood Man and Slash Man." the cyan pegasus continued, getting herself up as well.
"That's what we're here to figure out!" Rarity shouted, ducking underneath more shots from Mega Man. The blue robot hopped up, seeing Twilight trying to ascend. The white unicorn tried to hold him down, but he proved to be stronger than she had anticipated, "Rock! Listen to us! We're you friends!"
"Yeah! You were a cool robot!" Pinkie said.
Mega Man frowned, "You think that you can reason with me? In your dreams. I'm Mega Man, I am a robot beyond normal comprehension!" he shot more pellets, 'Now if only I can go beyond my programming to kill them! They don't need to know that though... Heh heh.' he thought, realizing that no matter what he does, he was still bound by the regulations and programmings Dr. Light installed with him during his creation.
"Rock! Please! You're nicer than this!" Fluttershy pleaded.
Rainbow groaned, "Ah, forget this! He's not going to listen to us!" she took to the air and remained still, diving downward to hit Mega Man as hard as she could, "Bet ya felt that, huh?" she asked with newfound confidence. Mega Man grabbed her by the throat and scowled st the cyan mare, who was struggling out his grasp.
"You won't be able to escape the grip of the Super Arm." boasted Mega Man.
Something hit Mega Man in the back, getting his attention. He turned his head and saw that Twilight and Rarity had combined an offensive spell to hit him. He released Rainbow Dash to focus his efforts on the unicorn and alicorn. But as he readied his Mega Buster, he felt flames burn his body. The robot looked down to see that Spike had used his fire breath to burn him, "I'll say this once! Snap out of it, Rock! We're supposed to be friends!"
"Friends? With you? Ha, you wish!" mocked Mega Man, throwing Metal Blades in their direction, 'Still can't kill them... But I can hurt them. Really bad.' he thought, seeing the Metal Blades get blasted to dust by Twilight, the alicorn doing her best to hold back. "So. I see that you're trying your best not to hurt me. It is a futile effort. Since I will not pull any punches, you all should just give up right now and let me end you. For your sakes. Then Wily will get what's coming to him on my terms." he said, shrugging at the ponies.
"This isn't right!" shouted Applejack, "You were supposed to be better than that! Yer a Super Fightin' Robot meant to fight Wily and bring justice! Not kill him!"
Mega Man smirked, "As if you understand. I've been fighting Wily for years! Every single time I stop him, he just comes back again and again! I've had it! This will be the last time Wily will ever send his Robot Masters after me and the world and since he brought back Ra Moon, an alien that nearly killed me, him and the entire world, it's about time I played judge, jury, and executioner!" declared the robot boy with anger striking every word.
"Where's my friend, huh? We trusted you Rock!" Spike yelled in sorrow.
"How many times are you going to call me by that stupid name? It's Mega Man! The one who shall save all worlds the way I want to, whether you agree with it or not!" declared Mega Man. He readied a charged shot to incapacitate the ponies, but as he did so, a familiar whisteing tune echoed across the canyon.
A pellet hit Mega Man in the back, causing him to fall onto the ground, "Stay down, Rock. If you know what's good for you." said Proto-Man, holding up his Proto-Buster.
"Thanks for the assist, Blues." thanked Twilight.
Proto-Man nodded, "All of you take cover. I'm about to have a few words with my brother." he said. The ponies nodded and all hid behind a giant boulder. Mega Man got to his feet, gritting his teeth while doing so, "You're infected with a virus, Rock. That's why you're acting so off."
"Off? I've never felt better! This virus as you claimed has let me see the error of my ways! No more shall I feel remorse or any emotions, and instead I will act upon what I believe to be best for our world! We will finally be truly free!" Mega Man announced, his voice echoing all around the area.
"That's not what Mega Man does. He's a symbol of hope for our world. He's a friend to all on Earth and Equestria. Most importantly, he's my brother. And I'm not gonna lose you while I'm here." replied Proto-Man with a shake of his head. He faced his infected brother, knowing what must be done in order to save him.
Proto-Man was the first to shoot, hitting Mega Man in the face. The blue robot countered with his own pellets, but his brother deflected them with his trademark shield, and bounced them back in Mega Man's direction, hoping that they would manage to hit him. The Blue Bomber slid out of reach of the pellets as they collided with the ground. He stood back up, changing his weapons to counter with Proto-Man's lack of a variable system.
Mega Man threw a Metal Blade in the direction of his brother, Proto-Man blocking it with his shield and feeling the projectile stick to his cover. He moved his shield away from his buster arm and and shot at his brother, hoping to do some damage, luckily his charged shot proved to be too fast for the blue hero to dodge and he took a bulk of the blast, sending him flying onto the rock wall behind him. Mega Man groaned, picking himself up.
"You'll pay for that!"
Mega Man started to run, using his Top Spin to hit Proto-Man. The red robot struggled to escape the attack, but his brother continued the barrage. One he stopped, Mega Man groaned, "This is why we shouldn't be held back by our programming! You don't want to hurt me, yet you wish to stop me!"
"That's right!" whispered Twilight, "Rock wasn't able to kill us or the humans of his world since he's bound by his programming!"
"What the hay does that mean?" asked Dash.
"It means that when the time is right, we'll go out there and help Proto-Man stop Mega Man before he either gets away, or destroys Proto-Man."
Proto-Man flipped to the side, dodging the Quick Boomerang, he landed on his feet, seeing Mega Man get flustered, "Just die already, Proto-Man!"
"Never. I'm not turning away this time!" declared the red hero, punching Mega Man in the face. The Blue hero staggered backwards, the force of the punch making him do so. Mega Man prepared his Super Arm and delivered back a twice powerful jab to Blues' face, weakening him. "No... You're going to be saved, Rock. Dr. Light and Roll will never let me hear this end of this... And I won't be able to forgive myself if I let something happen to you."
"Now!"
The seven hiding all ran out and did their best to stall Rock, each of them running around him and hitting him or using their magic to slow him down, "What the hell? I thought I told you to take cover!"
"Mega Man cannot kill us due to his robot law! We got ya covered!" Applejack revealed.
Proto-Man readied himself, 'Let's hope my core doesn't overload.' he thought. Mega Man tried to stop the ponies but something held him back physically and mentally. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to keep Rock at bay, allowing Blues to shut him off with a powerful charged shot. Once the hit collided, both Rock and Blues collapsed, with the red hero still awake, smoke covering some of his body and cannon. The ponies looked at him, "Are you okay, Blues?" asked Rarity.
"Y-Yeah. I overdid it a little. Rock will be fine. With a system reboot he should be back to his old self. I'll give him one of the E-Tanks we have left to refuel... Because I have a feeling that Wily and Starlight's going to show up with the Robot Masters finally gone." he slowly got to his feet, seeing Twilight lift Mega Man's body with her magic.
Wily looked at the monitor, now inside of the fortress. It was once again shaped like a skull, but there were plenty of traps left for Mega Man and his friends to overcome. Starlight Glimmer overheard the doctor and trotted next to him, examining the monitor closely despite not knowing anything on the screen. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Wily pressed a button, changing the screen to show Mega Man's circuits and processors, something he stole from Dr. Light quite a while ago, "It appears that Mega Man had been infected with a virus all this time. From the looks of the data, it is unlike any virus I have ever seen." he noticed, pointing Starlight to the metal bones and processors, seeing something red overtake them entirely overtime through his examination.
"What do you mean?'
Wily placed his hands on the keyboard, "It means that I hadn't expected this turn of events. Ra Moon must've planted something in the rebuilt robots, and he must've downloaded the strange program. Of course... That explains it. When I used the technology of Ra Moon to restore my army, there was a virus and Mega Man downloaded it slowly through the Robot Masters. He should be occupied longer than we initially thought."
"With the virus, it means that the ponies will be tired and once I meet them once again, they won't be able to stop us." Starlight shuckled darkly.
Rovk snapped awake, seeing that he was lying on the bed Twilight gave him, 'Never thought I'd actually use this... How did I get back here? I only remember fighting Slash Man and Wood Man, then everything went black... Oh no! There's still one more Robot Maater left!' he thiught, not remembering any event.
"Easy there, Rock." a voice called to the Blue Bomber.
Rock turned to see Blues waiting next to his bed, "Blues? What are you doing here? What happened to me?"
"You were infected by a strange virus. It happened after you downloaded the data of the last Robot Masters. You went off the deep end once you destroyed Shadow Man mercilessly and you attacked me and the ponies in a fit of uncontrollable rage. Dr. Light upgraded us to rid our AI to rid of viruses upon rebooting." Blues explained, sitting on the bed next to Rock.
"I-I need a minute..."
Proto-Man nodded, "We'll be waiting for you." he stood up and walked out of the room, allowing Rock to process everything that had happened.
The red hero closed the door on the other side, the ponies listening in from the side in worry, "How did it go?" asked Twilight.
Blues shook his head, "He didn't take it well..."
"That sucks! This wasn't his fault! That stupid virus controlled his body!" yelled Rainbow Dash.
"I think that may be why he's not easing himself up yet, Dash. Rock thinks that even though he was infected that he should still hold responsibility for his actions." Rarity suggested.
"That ain't fair on 'em." Applejack added.
"Girls. Give him time. He's always like this. Not to be rude, but he needs some alone time to process everything that's happened. He doesn't remember everything..." Proto-Man told the ponies.
"Okay, Blues..." whispered Fluttershy, seeing his point.
Rock sat on his bed, Rush hopping next to him, "I'm glad to see you, Rush... But I'm not a hero. Not anymore... I'm just glad no one close to me got hurt during my rampage." he petted the dog in a friendly manner, trying to cheer himself up. A frown remained on his face, the memories in his databanks coming back to him slowly but surely, each one proving that he became a monster.
'Do not believe that you are evil, Rock.'
The Blue Bomber looked down to find the source of the voice. He saw a glowing cloaked pony standing next to his bed. Rush looked around around, trying to find what his owner was looking at. "Uh... Who are you? My sensors aren't picking a lot up from you. It's like you're not really here."
'I apologize for my sudden intrusion in your room, but my name is Solar. I have been travelling to different Equestrias to find heroes like you for a certain reason. Of which I cannot explain yet should my theory be correct.'
"What are you talking about?"
Solar faced the robot through her hood, 'You are the Blue Bomber. A robot hero that fights for everlasting peace. Yet you doubt yourself a lot... It is because of your purpose. Whenever something beyond your programming happens, you lose yourself. If you truly are the legendary hero that many have said you were, you must put confidence back within yourself.' she explained, the robot trying to figure out what she meant.
"I am Mega Man, but I almost went beyond my programming. I almost hurt the ponies and my brother! What if it happens again while fighting Wily and Starlight?
'You do not need to worry about that. If you followed what I said, you would never worry about such an idea again while in Equestria.' she hinted once more, much to Rock's confusion. 'Now... I must leave this world. The Dark Knight must be spoken to.' she warped away, leaving Rock and Rush.
"She's right. I am Mega Man... Wily is going to be stopped no matter what! Now, to look over the data I downloaded." he paused, going over the files he transmitted into his body, "Got it!" he changed into Mega Man while stepping out of his bed, Rush following behind him as fast as he could.
Mega Man made his way to the crystal room, "Guys!" he called, the ponies happy to see their friend back to normal, "I just got Wily's location. It's just beyond the mountains of the town, nearby a town called Manehattan." he revealed.
"Are you better Rock?" asked Pinkie.
Nodding, Mega Man answered, "Yes. But now that I'm back.we have to head out! This may be the only chance Proto-Man, Rush ans I have at getting home."
"What do you mean, Mega Man?" Twilight questioned.
Mega Man explained, "Turns out while we were busy with the Robot Masters, Copy Robot, Dark Man, and me being infected with the virus, Wily and Starlight have been building a fortress and expanding the robot army for us to fight. By now, judging by how long we've been here and with Ra Moon's advanced alien technology, he should be finished and prepped for us to get there and throw in every obstacle he possibly could."
Rainbow Dash nodded, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get this show on the road!"
"Are you sure he can do this?"
Wily smirked, "Of course. He is one of my finest robots. I built him to counter Mega Man's capabilities. Copy Robot was flawed, not meant to be equals with him. But he is a major improvement over that." he assured. "Especially with the upgrades I have given him thanks to the Ra Moon remnants"
"I can prove it to you lady."
"N-No, thanks, I'm fine." Starlight forced a smile.
Wily pointed at a door, "Mega Man and his friends will be here any minute. Stand guard and kill them on sight, Bass!"
Bass held up his buster, his robot dog Treble growling next to him and started walking away to his post, "Easy, boy. Yeah, yeah. We'll handle Mega Man and his pony friends. Don't lose your hair over it."
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.
"Grr... Bass was a failure." Wily grumbled, seeing his trusted robot fly back to the Fortress to be repaired, "He won't be able to face them again in the state he's in until all of this is over."
Starlight Glimmer looked at the ground, then back at the scientist, "I'll go... I have a bone to pick with Princess Twilight and her friends from destroying my image."
Wily faced the monitor, "Very well. If you wish to do so, you can head into the first major arena room within the fortress. You can divert the ponies away from Mega Man and Proto-Man long enough for me to bring in my last secret weapon with the power of Ra Moon on its side." he chuckled, seeing the orb he held to do everything he had been since the planning phase.
The heroes walked into the entrance of the Skull Fortress which proved to be simple what with Bass being the only real security guarding it. Mega Man and Proto-Man remained in the front, making sure that there were no traps that the ponies could fall for, "So, what's the deal with Wily's fortresses?" Rainbow questioned, hovering above the others slowly. Mega Man peeked around a corner, shooting two Sniper Joes behind the back.
"There are a whole bunch of traps probably waiting for us further inside. It may looks simple enough, but Dr. Wily's always got something up his sleeve in here." explained Mega Man.
Proto-Man used his shield to deflect any shots their way, staying in front of the group. He revealed his Proto-Buster and shot the Sniper Joes back. "This is all too easy. We just have to hope that this is it."
"Oh, I hope it's easy..." Rarity sighed.
Jumping over a small pit, Mega Man kept an eye on the ponies to make sure that they could traverse it just fine, mainly the three poines and the dragon that had no wings. At this point Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Fluttershy made it to the other side. The Blue Bomber told Rush to use his jet form to glide the others to the opposite side. Once they were all together again, they continued on, facing any opposition that stood in their path. The robots paused upon seeing the door in front of them, telling the ponies to do the same.
"Giant door... Wily's got something behind there. I'm sure of it." Mega Man elaborated.
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.
Proto-Man stepped forward, "It means that things just got a bit more difficult for us." he explained, watching the door open in front of them. The mares and dragon stepped as well with Mega Man and Proto-Man standing ahead, prepared to tackle whatever lies on the other side.
It was an empty room, with only one more door on the other side. Mega Man held down his Mega Buster, but saw that nothing was inside of it, "Huh. I guess Wily forgot to put something in here." he joked, calming down.
"Uh oh..." whimpered Pinkie.
"What is it?" asked Mega Man.
The mares looked at Pinkie's twitching tail, "It's my Pinkie Sense!"
"A who what now?" Proto-Man blurted out.
"Her Pinkie Sense... It's hard to explain." muttered Twilight. Spike at this point had already dived for cover.
"A twitchy tail means that something is going to fall!" the pink pony declared. The others moving away from the spot as did Pinkie, the robots looked at each other before scoffing.
"Yeah right, I only know one person who can detect danger with heightened senses and he's not here right now." scoffed the Blue Bomber. Suddenly, a beam hit the floor right where the ponies were once standing. Mega Man and Proto-Man looked up to see Starlight Glimmer standing on a pillar, having teleported inside to get the element of surprise, "...I take back everything I just said." he mumbled quietly.
"You!" the unicorn gestured to the ponies, "You'll pay for what you did to me!"
"You enslaved an entire town and plotted against Equestria! You have to pay!" Dash shouted back.
Starlight Glimmer snarled, "I only wanted what was best for Equestria!"
"And this is not the way to go about it!" yelled Rarity.
Mega Man whispered to Proto-Man, "Should we leave this battle to them? We cannot harm another living being after all thanks to our programming."
The red hero nodded, "You're right... This is up to them."
"Are ya two gonna help out!"
"Sorry, girls. But our programming forbids us from attacking another organic being like humans and ponies..."
Dash smashed her hooves together with a smirk, "Fine! We can take her down alone easily!"
Starlight Glimmer frowned, teleporting into the center of the arena, "Very well..." she sighed. The unicorn shot a beam of magic, teleporting behind the group in order to perfect the hit by holding down Twilight, who was her first target. Rainbow Dash and Applejack slammed their hooves on Starlight, making her lose focus. Twilight warped away from the beam and reached the evil unicorn, shooting her with a small blast of magic.
Hovering in the air with her magic, Starlight aimed an ice spell at Fluttershy, the pegasus's eyes widening upon finding that she was the target. The yellow mare hurridly hopped out of the way, the spell freezing the ground where she was once standing. "T-Taht was a close one..." she panted.
Flying near the unicorn, Rainbow fumed at the sight of her friend nearly get hurt, "You..." she grunted, flying across Starlight's face repeatedly, punching her face each time she crossed. Starlight huffed, using her magic to hold the fast pegasus still in her tracks, You'll never hurt Fluttershy again if I have anything to say about it!" she snarled. The unicorn laughed, angering Rainbow Dash even more, "Now what's so funny, huh?"
"The fact that you're all willing to help each other. You're all so different. There is no way all of you can possibly get along perfectly! It makes me sick!"
"But we do, Starlight! Wily doesn't care about what happens to us! He only cares about his empire!" Twilight pleaded, "You just to look deeper!"
"Ha! As if I'd listen to you, Twilight Sparkle!" Starlight mocked, shooting a fire spell at the alicorn. Pinkie pulled out her cannon and allowed it to fall into the barrel, shooting it back at the unicorn, who created a force field to faze out the flames before they could have a chance to burn her. Twilight wiped the sweat from her forehead, Rarity pulling out a small rag to help her do so, placing it around the lavender mare's face.
Starlight Glimmer huffed, "You got lucky!" she shot more pwerful beams of magic from her horn, causing the mares and dragon to run about to avoid them ending with a block of ice heading their way. Spike puffed up his chest and breathed out his green flames, burning out the small glacier. He panted, worn out and sweating from drawing out too much fire,
"Blues..." whispered thr Blue Bomber. "I just remembered something that we can do to help them."
Looking at his brother, Proto-Man spoke, "What is it?"
"The 0th Law of Robotics... Something Dr. Light programmed us to do. How we're able to fight Wily despite him being a normal human." he recalled.
Smirking, Proto-Man held out his Proto-Buster, "Nice thinking, Rock."
The two robots held their Busters at Starlight Glimmer, who was still in the air, "Stand down, Starlight! Or we'll step in to aid the ponies!" Mega Man ordered.
"You're bluffing! Wily told me you are bound to your programming! You can't harm another organic being like me!" Starlight scoffed, crossing her hooves.
Mega Man released a charged shot at Starlight Glimmer, causing her to lose focus and fall on the ground. The ponies and dragons stood around her, "H-How...?" she asked, feeling sore from the attack.
"The 0th Law of Robotics. We're bound to help humans and other living creatures and we cannot bring them harm through our inaction. You're harming the ponies and we step in, while still following our orders." mocked Mega Man, "With us in the picture, your alliance with Wily is over."
"Okay! Fine! I'll surrender!" pleaded Starlight who lied on the ground and begging, as they all reached for her to figure out to do with the mad unicorn, she teleported away with one last spell, leaving the heroes to wonder where she went. "I'll be back!" she said, her voice fading away in the warp light.
"Uh... That wasn't supposed to happen." Rainbow muttered.
Twilight shook her head, "We'll worry about her later. Right now we have to find Wily."
"So... Starlight Glimmer has abandoned me." Wily grumbled, seeing that she wasn't present anywhere in the presence anymore and couldn't track her. "Fine. Never needed her anyway... I have all of the information I need to take over Equestria anyway thanks to her shortlived assistance. When I find her I'll make her pay for abandoning me!"
The scientist faced the monitor, "Now, before I unleash the Ra Moon Machine upon Mega Man, I think he and his friends will appreiciate a small reunion with an oldie but goodie!" he pressed a button, releasing the weapon in the next arena room, which was right before th passageway to the lair he resided in to examine the invasion of his fortress.
Mega Man refreshed himself and Proto-Man with the second to last E-Tank they had with them. The ponies each took a bottle of water that Twilight had on standby in case they needed it. Once they felt refreshed, they walked through the next door, of course more eobots and traps stood in their paths. Sighing, Mega Man and Proto-Man took charge, ensuring that their friends remained safe the entire way through. The first robot they spotted was a tiger bot, which Twilight disintergrated with a powerful spell, surprising the robots watching. Nontheless, they continued seeing the familiar Sniper Joes, Mace Joes and Shield Joes. A robot threw its weapon down, a sword, and Proto-Man blocked it with his shield, shooting the exposed robot with his arm cannon.
A lion robot stood in their path, throwing smaller robots in their direction. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew to the other side of the pit to find a weak point, once they did the pegasi pointed at it. Mega Man nodded, charging up a shot strong enough to destroy the large lion bot in their path. The lion exploded for good, allowing the heroes to continue on. But of course, something stopped them in their tracks once again.
It was a pit, and on the bottom were spikes, "Alright. Glad to see that hasn't changed." said Mega Man sarcastically.
"Spikes? How oddly primitive of somepony like Wily." Rarity critized.
Mega Man shook his head, "Proto-Man and I have a weakness to spikes. Wily figured that out and went on to placing as many as he possibly can within the death traps he calls a fortress." he crossed his arms, seeing a teleporting tile appear in middair, "And of course, you can't have a pit of spikes without the teleporting platforms that follow a specific pattern..." he sighed, seeing the tile vanish and reappear in a different spot, "In the meantime, you all can avoid it. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight; you three can carry over Applejack, Rarity, Spike and Pinkie Pie to the other side, Proto-Man and I will use the Rush Jet to fly over ourselves."
The winged mares nodded, Twilight placing Spike on his back and having Pinkie wrap her hooves around her own. Rainbow Dash had Applejack hold on to her hooves, while Fluttershy grabbed Rarity. Rush morphed into his jet form, "You wanna go first, Blues?" the Blue Bomber offered his brother.
"No. You go ahead." Proto-Man answered.
Shrugging, Mega Man stepped on Rush's board, "Suit yourself." he said as he and his robot dog hovered. The blue hero looked down to see the various tiles vanish and reappear all around the area above the pit. From the looks of it, that would've proved to be a difficult challenge for him and the ponies. He and Rush finally appeared on the other side, the red dog flying over to get his owner's brother with the others.
When Rush arrived back, Proto-Man stepped on, not having used the dog often for transport. Rush guided him across the pit, the red robot seeing how much of a death trap Wily made his fortress. Again. He sighed, finally arriving and stepping off, watching Rush change back into his primary form. "Finally!" groaned Dash.
"Let's just go..." sighed Proto-Man.
Mega Man and Spike looked at each other, "So... Do you know why you're weak to spikes?"
"No. I should ask Dr. Light when I get back home." replied the Blue Bomber.
The heroes reached another door and walked through it, taking them into another arena shaped room. "Alright... Where's the trap at this time?"
Pinkie remained still and silent, "I have no idea!"
"W-What!? I thought you had your Pinkie Sense!"
The pink pony nodded, "Oh, I do, but I have no idea what would happen here!"
"Okay..." muttered Proto-Man, "So much for an advantage."
Pinkie's tail began to shake, "Oh! Nevermind!" she smiled. Mega Man and Proto-Man nodded, figuring out that something is going to fall down their way. They shoved the ponies away from their area, Pinkie's tail had stopped moving at this point and they stood there waiting for something to happen. "Okay! Now what?"
"Now just simmer down a minute, Dash." Applejack tried to soothe.
A yellow square fell from the ceiling. Mega Man's eyes went wide. "Oh no... Not him."
More yellow squares began to fall from the ceiling and landed in a perfect square shape. The goo began to morph into a body. It was round with arms and legs and had a single eye in the center. "What is that disgusting thing?" gagged Rarity at the sight of the peculiar creature. The robots held their arm cannons in front of them, ready for battle.
"The Yellow Devil." answered the Blue Bomber, "I have no idea what this thing is or how Wily found and built it, but like his other creations, it's dangerous. I remember that the weak point is the eye." he revealed, already shooting at it, but his and Proto-Man's shots were being absorbed by the creature's gooey body.
A laser shot out of its eye, nearing the grounded ponies. Proto-Man leaped, deflecting the beam with his shield right back onto the Yellow Devil's body. "Thanks for the save, partner." said Applejack in relief, "How powerful is that thing there?"
"Not too sure myself... I only ever faced the Green Devil and the one in Wily's tenth Skull Fortress before we went off to outer space." he grumbled, shooting the Yellow Devil once more. The Yellow Devil released another red laser out of its eye and this time aimed it at Mega Man who slid out of the way of the attack in time before he could be harmed. Once he saw that the laser was heading for Rainbow Dash and Twilight in middair, he jumped using his Leaf Shield to block it and threw his shield away, hitting the eye of the strange goo designed yellow robot.
Twilight shot at the eye with a spell, hurting the Yellow Devil more. The creature melted down and Mege Man braced himself for what was coming next. The Yellow Devil morphed back into squares and one by one threw himself across the room, forcing the ponies and robots take cover. Rainbow and Twilight flew all over the place trying to avoid the higher squares while the grounded heroes jumped around and ducked.
Eventually, all the squares reformed the Yellow Devil. Mega Man changed his weapon to the Thunder Beam. "Girls. Spike. I need you to get the eye to open up. The mares and dragon nodded, running to the creature all the while. "And be sure to avoid touching it!" the Yellow Devil slammed its fists down trying to crush the ponies. Twilight used her horn to shoot its eye area before letting Spike blow fire into it, the others distracting it from focusing.
Spike exposed the eye, allowing Mega Man to shoot his Thunder Beam at it, damaging the eye even moreso than they ever did before. "Mow, I'm glad that these have the same weaknesses!" he chanted, hitting the eye once again with his weapon. The Yellow Devil gloaed red. And Mega Man and Proto-Man held onto the ponies and sprinted away, while it exploded behind them.
"Nice save, Rock!" cheered Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah. That robot was strange." Fluttershy said.
"Heh. Glad to see that's over with. Wily should just be ahead. But who knows what's in store for us this time. With Ra Moon's technology at his disposal he could do virtually any type of robot he pleases." Mega Man said.
After speeding through another room, everybody felt uneasy. There was a severe lack of resistance this time, and Mega Man was wondering why that was such the case when Wily could literally bring any robot he so choosed. Putting those thoughts aside, the Blue Bomber and Proto-Man remained in the front, seeing another door stand in the way. The two jumped up and touched the ceiling, hopping through the now open entryway. The duo landed and gave a light chuckle out of habit.
The ponies looked around at yet another empty room, "Wow. This Wily guy really needs to work on getting some stuff in here." Dash noticed, seeing that other than the floating platforms in the center of the room, nothing seemed to be visible, which Rarity also seemed to figure out.
Proto-Man turned his head, "Nothing... He's obviously hiding something here."
Nodding, Mega Man pointed his Mega Buster upward, "Most likely. This is how it always goes down."
Suddenly, the floor began to shake, scaring the ponies, dragon and robots. They all ran, avoiding the falling blocks coming from the ceiling, "Is the Yellow Devil back!?" asked Rarity.
"No. He'll be gone for a while." assured the Blue Bomber.
The nine remained still and turned around, watching a giant robot ascend to the very top of the room. The ponies' jaws dropped at the sight while Mega Man and Proto-Man scowled, knowing that the final battle was here. "Woah! That thing... Is that Wily's machine you were speakin' of? That's mighty huge!" gasped Applejack. The robot duo remained silent, readying their arm cannons to shoot should it start to attack.
An annoying sound blared around the room. They faced Wily flying around in his blue hovercraft, the ponies covered their ears at the noise. "Make it stop!" pleaded Pinkie. The scienstist laughed, hovering into the top of the robot, which began to hum, signaling that it was now active for battle. Spike was the first to react by widening his eyes, noticing that the once dull eyes on the mech were now glowing a sinister shade of red.
"Do you like it, Mega Man?" questioned Wily, his voice echoing through the speaker of his machine.
The robot frowned, "How did you do it? Using Ra Moon to your advantage?!"
"Ha! It was simple. I managed to scavenge the remains found after you destroyed his being. Using what was left, I managed to create the perfect power source for robotics besides your Powered Core, Solar Arm Cannon, and the Evil Energy! Using Ra Moon's cloning technology, I managed to create the perfect weapon without worrying of the cursed alien taking the reigns from me!" he gloated, slamming his fists on the rim of his hovercraft in rage after remembering what happened during the blackout. "I was able to create rift through many worlds, and this was one of the first!"
Proto-Man gritted his teeth at the explanation, getting angrier by the second. "That's it! Wily! We're going to stop your ridiculous plans and put you behind bars where you belong!" he declared, the scientist cackling all the while. "Now what's so funny, huh?" he questioned in a tested tone.
"That you think that prison can hold me! I've escaped before!"
Rainbow Dash snarled, "Oh he thinks he's so tough, huh?"
"Easy, Rainbow. Wily's machine could do Celestia knows what... Last thing we need to do is anger him."
"Oh, that's exactly what we've been doin', Twi!" Applejack commented.
The giant robot began to move, the arms of it coming into light. The fists started to slam down, prompting Mega Man to get everypony to safety as soon as he could. He rolled out of the way, the fist barely missing him and the ponies. Proto-Man grunted, jumping on top of the platforms and shooting the eyes of the robot, cracking them slightly, "You think it is easy this time, Blues?" asked the scientist, a missile launcher appearing on the robot's shoulder. The red robot slid underneath one while covering himself with his shield to block the second projectile.
"Twilight! Cover for Blues!"
The alicorn nodded, unfurling her wings and flying to the platform Proto-Man was standing on. She lit up her horn and created a force field strong enough to cover for the red robot, seeing that yet another missile was coming his way. Proto-Man turned around, seeing that Twilight was covering for him, and gave her a quick thumbs up before turning his attention back to Wily.
"I can see how you defeated Starlight, that poor excuse of a unicorn bailed on me!" shouted Wily, directing his giant fists at Mega Man's group once more. The Blue Bomber, realizing that he had to act quick, raised his hands and held up the hands, "Girls! Get to the platform! Rush will help you!" he said, the robot dog morphing into his jet form and allowing Spike to step on him, the dragon flailing about in his spot once Rush took off without warning. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy helped up Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity one by one.
Getting exhausted, Mega Man pushed the arms away from crushing his metal body, "Your robots are getting weaker, Wily!" he boasted, hopping on a number of smaller platforms, ending up next to his friends. "So why don't you just stop while you're ahead?" he asked the mastermind in a mocking tone, for once feeling confident about his battles.
"This machine is powered by the very essence that made Ra Moon, Rock! It will take quite the amount of firepower to destroy it for good!" the scientist boasted. Mega Man noticed the glowing blue orb on the center of the robot, "Alright. Proto-Man, Twilight, Rarity... Hit it with everything you got! The rest of us will cover for you!" the Blue Bomber ordered. They all nodded, the former three charging ahead near the edge of the platform. Rarity was the first to attack, throwing a pile of stones from the broken debris made earlier.
Twilight flew, avoiding Wily's machine's flailing arms to swat her. She aimed her horn at the core, shooting it with a beam of magic before repeating the same tactic. Proto-Man powered up a charged shot with his Proto-Buster, hitting the core with a fireball like blast. The three got next to each other and continued to shoot it as much as they could without stopping. Wily grunted from his spot and launched projectiles of various kinds to impede their progress.
Without hesitation, Mega Man led his friends. The Blue Bomber used many of his weapons from the Metal Blades, Top Spin, the Leaf Shield and much more. He aimed his Mega Buster, shooting down an array of missiles. Applejack and Pinkie did their best to weaken the defenses, hitting Wily's robot arms as much as they could while he was still vulnerable. Rainbow Dash hopped on various missiles, destroying them by hopping from one to another, "Alright!" she cheered, standing on another one before aiming it at the robot to damage it. Spike remained in front of the offensive, burning down any weapon aimed at them with his flames. Fluttershy proved to be distraction the homing laser weapon as well.
Mega Man stopped upon seeing his brother stumble, "Oh no! Blues!" he shouted, running to his brother, who was kneeling. "Stay still, Blues. You overheated... Go rest up, I'll take it from here." he ordered. The red robot reluctantly nodded and walked off to cool his core down. Wily laughed at the sight.
"What can you or your friends possibly do, Mega Man? You're overpowered! My weapon is invincible and the only hope lies within a pathetic helper robot and his team of neon equines? HA!"
Mega Man scowled, "What can I do?" he asked, Rush running up to him, "What can they do?" he repeated. He did something, he activated a second Mega Buster with his other hand, "I've beaten you before Wily! Plenty of times! This one will be no different!" he boasted hopping into the air and charging both of his cannons, creating the ultimate shot, something he's only ever done once to stop Ra Moon the first time. He released the shot, blowing up the core and forcing Wily to eject. Twilight erected a shield to cover everypony from the blast. Mega Man panted, feeling his own core overheat, which was an improvement over what happened last time. He grabbed what was left of the power core and hopped down with his friends.
"Please forgive me!" Wily begged on his knees.
Rainbow Dash looked at him in disbelief, "Is this guy serious?"
Proto-Man grabbed his nemesis by the collar of his lab coat, "Weak. I know..." he replied.
Mega Man held up the core, "Just enough energy to get us home." with that, he opened a vortex in front of them. The ponies looking at them, seeing that they had to say goodbye to their friends.
"Do you really have to go?" asked Rarity.
The robots nodded slowly, "Sorry, girls. But we have a world to protect back home. But I'll keep this to see if Dr. Light can create a way back here for me. I promise." he comforted them. Proto-Man waved, already dragging the scientist to prison. Mega Man looked at his friends, "Well... I guess this is goodbye for now." he said slowly to the ponies.
"J-Just be careful, dude. We'll miss ya." Spike responded.
Smiling, Mega Man said, "Will do. Same to you all. Thank you for everything... I wish I could stay, but Earth needs a Super Fighting Robot and Equestria's better off in your hands-er-hooves."
"Thank you, Mega Man." they all said. With one last smile and a wave, Mega Man stepped into the portal, it closing once he did.
"So, uh, what are we doing to do with that fortress and Wily?" asked Applejack. The ponies stood at the cliffside, staring at the Skull Fortress, or what was left of it anyway.
Twilight put a hoof on her chin, deep in thought, "We'll ask Celestia about that when we return and Starlight... She'll come back and we'll make sure that she gets the justice she deserves."
"Alright. I like the sound of that." Rainbow replied.
Spike crossed his arms, "Now... If only we can find out where she went. Ah, she'll probably reveal herself at our castle one of these days." he shrugged off.
"Twilight?" Fluttershy began, "What do we do now?"
"I know!" cheered Pinkie, "I'm going to throw the greatest party in honor of Mega Man and Proto-Man!"
"Good idea, Pinkie. I just wish the two of them were here to celebrate it." Rarity chimed in.
"Mega Man, Proto-Man, we hope you two are alright." she whispered to the sky, "Anyway, we should get home. It's been a long few weeks for us."
"That's so cool, Rock!"
Rovk had returned home to Doctor Light and Roll, where he had just finished explaining his absence to his family with Proto-Man sitting next to him. "I knew you weren't gone, Rock..." Light sighed. "But still, it was quite worrying. Knowing that Wily had such advanced technology at his disposal..."
"It's done, Dad. I have the power core right here." the blue hero handed him the small remains of Ra Moon to his curious creator, who took it.
"Fascinating Rock... You know what this means? We can advance robotics with this... But we should save that for when the world is ready." Light explained, "Though, perhaps this can help me with the freewill X-Factor I've been looking for in a robot." he continued, observing it.
"We have a favor to ask, if you don't mind, Doc." Blues began.
"What is it, my boy?"
"That can create a ruft through time and space. Rock wanted to see if you're capable of creating a rift back to Equestria." suggested the older creation.
Dr. Light nodded, "I believe I can. I just need time to examine my resources."
"Thank you, Father." said Rock.
"Yes! Now we can see the world Rock mentioned!" Roll cheered, earning a smile from both of her brothers. "Just to see if it really is a true story, anyway."
Solar sighed, she had just got back from discussing with the Turtle Son and Dark Knight once more. She was glad she got Mega Man when he needed consolation. He had potential, something that she needed now more than ever. The hooded pony walked around the hidden castle within the forest, glancing over the pedastals. So far only one was lit, revealing a cap with a red 'M' on it, the first warrior she had found before she continued her quest.
A second pillar began to glow, revealing a blue helmet worn by Mega Man. The cloaked pony smiled, 'The Element of Confidence has been discovered... Now to seek the next world. The world of the Blue Blur...' she warped away, leaving to yet another alternate version of Equestria.
Dr. Wily sat in his prison cell, kicking the ground with his shoes. His hands chained up and sitting on a wooden bench. "Stupid Mega Man and his ponies. Oh, if there were a way to get out of this stinkin' prison." he grumbled, lying down on the wood on his back, his back aching in pain seconds later. "I'm getting too old." he groaned.
Suddenly, time began to slow down for Wily as a portal opened up in the wall next to him. It was an armored man wearing a white hood and his face covered with some kind of metal mask. To Wily, he looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Nontheless, gulping he spoke, "Can I help you?"
The man nodded, "Yes you can. You have been to a different Equestria... I am looking for members of a team to fight against an army a cloaked pony is forming. I've heard of you, Wily. You can be in a world that appreciates your vision as it did mine. Will you join my cause?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Wily smirked, "Yes. I will." after answering the two stepped in the portal and time began to flow as normal, the guards panicking over the scientists disappearance.
