First Encounters and Final Farewells
When you’ve spent your whole life fighting for something, what do you do when that thing is torn away? How does one adapt to the hole in their life?
Ragnarok
Year Unknown
“So this is the Ragnarok core...”
Zero stood in the middle of long hall lit with a sinister dark hue. He was staring at a large sword-like entity floating in the center. It was several meters tall and colored white and orange, unlike the dark colors adorning everything else in the room. “Charite?” he called out to the small yellow cyber-elf floating at his side. The cyber-elf floated out in front of Zero and toward the core. Zero tensed up, letting his hand fall to the Buster hanging from his belt. The small pistol had been previously modified to shoot lances made of ice, but it could be modified on the fly to shoot electricity, fire, or even an experimental time-field that slowed down whatever was inside to make them appear still.
Charite floated around the core, inspecting every centimeter of it. She finally reached her conclusion. “Head on attacks won’t work,” she said while hovering back to Zero, who narrowed his eyes.
“What do you mean?” he asked. Charite fluttered back to Zero and sighed.
“It’s armor is simply too thick. You wouldn’t be able to destroy it even if you self-destructed.” Zero grimaced, all too aware at the energy released when one of the newer Reploids exploded, and they were made with state of the art, less volatile energy cores. He could only imagine what would happen if his old core exploded, rather than dissipate. “So… does that mean that we can’t stop it?”
Zero froze and grabbed for his Buster as a familiar laugh echoed throughout the chamber. “It can’t be!” gasped Charite while Zero narrowed his eyes.
“Weil!” he shouted angrily as his long-time nemesis continued to laugh. “Welcome to your front row seats to the end of the world!” yelled Weil’s gravelly voice. Zero’s eyes were slits now, hatred etched deep into his face. “How did you survive the attack from Ragnarok?” he shouted, scanning the room for Weil. A flash of bright light lit the room and Zero had to take a step back while his eyes readjusted to the darkness. Weil’s bone-chilling laugh echoed throughout the chamber as he smiled savagely.
“Survive? That’s easy! Because I can’t die!”
As Zero’s vision cleared, his jaw dropped at the sight of Weil’s disfigured face. “My God… What happened to you?” breathed Zero. Weil’s helmet had shattered, littering his face with jagged gashes and cuts. A large section of his pale skin was torn off and bleeding a dark oily substance and revealing a mechanical skeletal structure underneath. Weil laughed darkly.
“Did my mechanical body surprise you?” asked Weil. “Did you think that I was a Reploid and that you could fight me?” he continued as Zero stood speechlessly. Weil grinned sadistically as he continued. “Sorry to disappoint you, Zero. I’m pure human, even with a body like this!”
Zero finally found his voice from deep inside him. “How?” he asked. Weil’s smile flickered then widened again.
“When the Dark Elf took control of the Reploids and destroyed the Mavericks in the Elf Wars,” he explained in the tone a teacher would take with their class, “the humans of the time modified me; they transferred all of my memories to program data and switched my body for this armor with the ability to rejuvenate me. Do you know what that means?”
Zero shook his head silently, already formulating a plan on how to take Weil down. Weil adopted a look of contempt as he looked down at Zero. “I can’t age and wounds heal faster than normal. After the war, I was cursed to live an eternity in a world without light or nature… The humans expelled me from Neo Arcadia!” Zero’s eyes widened. He knew Neo Arcadia, but not that they had banished Weil. Maybe they did have some good there after all. “Justice?” spat Weil. “Freedom? Worthless ideals! You Reploids are just machines, yet you started a war a long time ago in the name of freedom!” Weil pulled his lips up in a snarl of manic fury. Whatever sanity left had evaporated from his broken body. “And humans!” he roared, “just look what they did to me! They drove me away while spouting the word Justice!”
Weil took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Zero, would you insist on saving them?” he asked calmly. “Controlling the Reploids is nothing! The destruction of all mankind is only fleeting!” The insanity was back in his eyes as sweat broke out on his brow. “Not quite alive… Not quite dead… Forever, right here at my side! I’ll make you suffer a fate far worse than anything you’ve ever experienced before!” With the end of his sentence, Weil rose into the air and started to glow with a white aura that enveloped the core in the center of the room. Zero, shocked out of his stupor, shouted for Charite to get back. The small yellow cyber-elf hovered backward quickly and barely managed to avoid the white energy.
Ragnarok’s core split into several parts and encompassed Weil’s glowing body. Zero jerked his Buster from its holster and activated his Z-Saber. Weil and the core had stopped glowing, but Weil looked completely different. His body was encased by Ragnarok’s thick armor and a black, red trimmed cape shrouded his arms. Weil laughed evilly. “I’ll show you that there is no place for fools to hide! Fools must live under my rule and my rule alone, thanks to Ragnarok!” With no warning, Weil flew at Zero. Zero sidestepped, but was surprised when Weil wasn’t there. He grunted as something smashed into him from behind.
“Zero, be careful! Weil teleported!” shouted Charite in concerned. “Got it! Can you provide me some cover fire?” shouted Zero back while dodging a blast of energy. Charite responded by launching a large fireball directly at Weil. Weil strafed left, exactly as Zero wanted him to. Weil grunted as Zero aimed a devastating overhead slash that left a rather large dent in his armor. Weil warped above Zero and split into four.
As Zero looked for the real Weil, Weil rained down a storm of swords that sent out bolts of electricity upon impact to the ground. Zero gasped as a bolt of lightning hit him in the stomach with the force of a strong kick. He grimaced as he realized how outmatched he was. Zero countered by launching a spear of ice at Weil’s chest. Weil moved, the ice clipping him on the shoulder. Weil scowled and shouted, “Get ready to die!” Weil floated up to the center of the room and phased into a ball of rainbow energy. A smaller ball of red energy split off and landed next to Zero, sending a burst of fire into the air. When the flames cleared, a familiar lizard Reploid stood there, ready to shoot off a jet of flame at Zero. Zero jumped and did a backflip, landing out of range of the fire. A blue ball of energy landed behind Zero and sent out shards of ice, the small rabbit-like Reploid grinning. Understanding slowly dawned on Zero as he dodged some bolts of electricity from an eel Reploid.
“The Eight Judges…” breathed Zero as he realized who the figures were. “I have to end this!”
~ ~ ~
Zero looked around. There was no trace of Weil anywhere, so he assumed that it was safe to deal with Ragnarok. “Agh!” he exclaimed as some debris broke off and crashed to Earth. “I can’t stop the descent!” Ciel’s voice broke through his helmet’s static.
“Zero! You’re reaching critical speed! If you go any faster, I won’t be able to get you home! Hurry!” Ciel’s transmission cut as a familiar, yet weak voice growled,
“It’s not over yet!” The broken and battered body of Weil rose from the debris in the corner. Blood leaked from terrible wounds to his head and chest. “Weil!” shouted Zero angrily. Weil spat blood out and smiled. “I told you… I can’t die! Nobody can stop Ragnarok now!”” Zero’s helmet beeped as Ciel finally reconnected.
“Zero! There’s no time! Get back here!” Zero grimaced, steeling himself for what he had to do. Ciel might never recover, he thought, but she certainly never would if she was dead. He had to do this. I'm sorry, Ciel.
“No. There is a way. If I destroy Weil’s core, the resulting explosion will take Ragnarok out with him…” and me. “If Ragnarok is in pieces, it is no longer a threat.”
“But what about you?” asked Ciel desperately. Weil laughed evilly.
“Are you even capable of it?” he taunted. “The Reploid hero… protecting justice and humanity! I’m one of those humans you were sworn to protect! Do you have it in you to kill me?”
It was Zero’s turn to smile, though it was quick and small. Then he frowned as Weil flashed with a fiery energy, too bright to look at. There was a deafeningly loud roar as Weil fused with Ragnarok. Zero narrowed his eyes as he looked at Weil. “I never cared about justice, and I don’t recall ever calling myself a hero.” Weil’s jaw dropped in shock and Ciel completely broke down and started sobbing. “I have always only fought for the people I believe in. I won’t hesitate if an enemy appears before me. I will destroy it!” I finally get it, X. Your compassion didn’t make you weak. It gave you something to fight for. It’s my turn now.
“Zero!” sobbed Ciel in despair. “Zero! Don’t leave me!”
“Ciel… Believe in me!” Zero fought back tears of his own as he said this and heard Ciel cry. Ciel… Stay safe. I know you’ll do this world good.
“Zerooo!!!”
Zero bit back the urge to tell Ciel one last thing. If he hadn’t, he would have destroyed Ciel.
Ciel… I love you.
~ ~ ~
“Ooh! A shooting star!”
“Wow, look! A lot of shooting stars!”
“No, those are pieces of Ragnarok. But does this mean we’re saved?”
“Craft… Zero…”
~ ~ ~
“Luna…”
“Yes, sister?”
“What’s that, in the sky?”
“I don’t know, Tia.”
“It’s going to crash in the Everfree Forest!”
“Let’s get a team down there now and see what it is.”
“Good idea. We shall lead this search party.”
~ ~ ~
Zero opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to his brightly lit surroundings. “Am I… in a forest?” He looked around, noticing the lack of machinery. “Charite, are you there?” Charite popped into view.
“Are you okay?” she asked in concern.
“Yeah, a bit battered, but I’ll live. Can you detect any sign of civilization nearby?” Charite frowned.
“No. I’ve been trying to find some, but there’s no haze, no smoke, no technology threatening to swallow the plants, nothing. We’re definitely not near Area Zero or Neo Arcadia.” Charite fluttered through the vines. Zero stared at her in shock.
“Charite?” he called out slowly.
“Yes Zero?” she replied happily.
“You’re glowing. What are you doing?” Charite seemed to finally notice that she was glowing with a purple light. The purple light enveloped her and expanded into a large sphere, about the size of Zero himself. “What’s happening?” squealed Charite in terror. Zero covered his eyes as the light became blindingly bright. Then it dimmed down.
“Zero? You there?” asked Charite’s voice, though there was something different about it.
“Yeah…” replied Zero shakily. “Are you okay… What the hell?" Zero's jaw almost toppled dropped as he took in the sight in front of him. Charite was there, but she was completely different. She was… a unicorn. Her head reached Zero’s chest, and she had a pale gold coat and pale green mane. Her eyes were a rich blue and she was wearing a necklace with a golden orb that was the same shade as her previous body. “Charite? What happened?” He pulled out his Z-Saber and found that it was different, too. It was heavier and made of metal, but it still kept its dull green shine and he could feel that the core was still operating within it, much to his confusion. He held it out and showed her the reflection.
She frowned, deep in thought. “Hmm… I’m guessing that this is a result of the lack of technology. I can’t survive for long without the Cyberworld, so it would make sense that I adopted a new form… But why a pony? I don’t mind, but why?”
Zero shrugged. “Don’t know. I like the new form though. Suits you.”
Charite giggled. “I’ve always liked horses anyway.” Then she straightened her neck. “Something’s coming.” She bolted for cover with Zero behind her. Charite was fast, faster than Zero expected.
“I’ll be over there,” he whispered as he gestured at the wreckage across the clearing. He silently drifted over to the area he had specified and crouched down, his crimson armor hard to make out against the flames. Footsteps crunched through the undergrowth as hushed voices whispered.
"I don't see anything yet." English? Maybe we are closer to Neo Arcadia than we thought. Zero strained to hear them. There were three, two female and one male, but oddly the female voices carried the air of authority. “Check the other two crash sites. There might be something there.” A female.
“Yes, your majesty.” The male. Footsteps crunched through the undergrowth as the male ran off, though they were startlingly fast.
“What are you looking for, sister?” asked a younger female voice.
“Anything that could tell us the origin of this… thing.” Zero narrowed his eyes as he prepared to break cover. It would be better to run, he thought, than fight an army with technology and weaponry unknown to him. No, it is better to retreat than fight blind. But then he froze as a feral roar tore through the forest.
“Princess! Look out!” another male voice shouted before screaming in pain and in terror. Zero debated with himself whether to look at what happened. More screaming, and massive, thudding footsteps.
“I can’t stand by and let innocents get hurt… but I don’t want to put Charite at risk either…” Some more screams rang out as whatever had roared reached the clearing. “Hydra!” shouted the older female voice.
“Fall back! Agh!” the younger female cried out as she hit the ground with a thud. Zero made his mind up and grabbed his newly changed Z-Saber. He stood up and took in the scene before him and almost wished he hadn’t.
Author's Note
This is going to be the first of several crossovers I do. I've been thinking for a while, and those who have played the old Megaman X or its remake, Megaman Maverick Hunter X, know how loyal Zero was. He (SPOILER ALERT!!!) literally sacrificed himself and gave X his own arm so that he would have a chance against Sigma. In his own spinoff series, he continued to fight for the people he believed in, even when faced with the prospect of killing his own body and losing his best friend. He sacrificed himself to finish off Weil at the end of 4, and then was reluctant to leave Giro in ZX as he was dying. If Zero doesn't represent the Element of Loyalty, who does?
If you have suggestions for future Element Bearers, then please, by all means, comment below. Just leave a reason and which element they embody.
EDIT: Well, after about a year and a half of not even touching FimFiction, I figured I might as well get back into the writing game. I'm going to be redoing the whole story for the most part, so if anyone has any suggestions I'll be glad to hear them. Thanks for reading this after so long!
Maverick: Chapter 2
Changing Times
Unknown Forest Clearing
Year Unknown
“Aaagh!”
“Luna!”
“Fall back! Fall back!”
“Do something!”
“Don’t be a hero! Fall back!”
Don’t be a hero. Hero. The word had once meant something to Zero. It used to secretly please him whenever Alouette or Ciel or Hirondelle would call him a hero. It made him feel… respected, even loved.
I don’t recall ever calling myself a hero, and I have always only fought for those I believe in.
“Ciel… I’ll come back.” Zero closed his eyes and got to his feet. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with one of the most bizarre and confusing scenes of his life. The clearing was littered with the wounded and battered bodies of… horses? “What in the world?” muttered Zero under his breath. There were ten of them, all adorned in golden armor save one, who donned dark blue armor reminiscent of the night sky. Some of them appeared to be unicorns, but the two larger horses had both wings as well as a horn. Their armor was more ornate, and looked like they were in charge. The larger, more regal white horse was kneeling over the slightly smaller dark blue one and tending to her wounds. Six other horses lay strewn about in the wreckage of Ragnarok, bruised, battered, and some bloody. One lone horse, a white one with a blue mane and golden armor stood staring ahead with a look of terror on his face. Zero followed his gaze and blinked.
A large dragon-like creature loomed overhead, larger than even Omega when he had first crash landed in the Arctic. It’s murky greenish-brown scales glinted in the light and completely encompassed the creature – a Hydra, he remembered the ponies calling it – from its claws to the barbs on its tail to its… heads? “Great… first talking horses, now mythical dragons? What next?” muttered Zero as he prepared to make an entrance. The Hydra raised its foot and extended its claws, ready to crush the terrified horse underneath. Zero saw this and immediately sprang into action. “Look out!” he shouted as he activated his armor’s dash to propel himself across the clearing in an instant. He tackled the horse, whose head reached Zero’s forearms, and landed with a grunt out of reach of the Hydra’s devastating stomp.
“What in Equestria…?” started the horse as he snapped back into focus. Zero gestured for it to stay down.
“Stay here. I’m here to help, not fight.” The white horse started to speak, but Zero silenced him with a finger. “Later, if there is one.” The horse blinked, probably shocked, but nodded. Zero turned around and lifted his sword tauntingly, trying to draw attention to himself. The Hydra noticed him, and he charged the roaring beast.
Zero jumped, avoiding a stomp from the Hydra and landed on its knee. He ‘wall-jumped’, as they called it back at the Resistance, up the Hydra’s torso and climbed onto the back of its neck. The Hydra quickly realized what Zero was trying to do and sent a ball of fire at him from one of its gaping jaws. Zero grunted as he lost his grip, and was left dangling from one hand from the scaly neck of the Hydra. The Hydra struggled, trying to shake him off in annoyance. “No you don’t!” grunted Zero through gritted teeth. He swung his arm around and punched the Hydra in the neck as hard as he could, punching through the skin and sending it roaring in pain. Zero took the opportunity to scramble up the backside of its neck and mount the top of its head. He stood up and grabbed his Saber from his sheath and raised it above his head. With a final shout of rage, he brought the sword down and drove it into the Hydra’s skull. As the head died, the other heads squealed in pain. The Hydra fell to the ground with a massive thud, shaking the forest and crushing a giant swath of trees in its path. As it lied on the ground, writhing in pain, blood seeped from the Hydra's wound until it stopped moving. Zero jumped from the top of the Hydra’s head and landed almost silently and sheathed his Z-Saber. The ponies shrank back, amazed and afraid of the crimson creature that had so easily killed one of the most feared predators in the Everfree. Zero straightened up and turned, his long blonde hair obscuring his face from the onlookers. He dashed from the clearing into the forest beyond, leaving the ponies to ponder what they had just seen and who that mysterious figure was.
~ ~ ~
“What was that about?” asked Charite after catching up with Zero. Zero shrugged.
“They didn’t pose a threat and they needed help. I helped. It’s what I do, remember?”
Charite flicked her ear, an instinct that came out of nowhere. “Yes, but you should have stuck around. Let them thank you. You would have drawn less attention that way.” She shrugged her new shoulders and blinked. “I’m still confused about the form change though. Why a Unicorn? They don’t exist, I thought.”
Zero raised an eyebrow. “Okay, first you explain how that would have drawn less attention. Then I’ll explain about the Unicorn part.” He flinched inwardly, remembering the last encounter with a mythical equestrian being. That’s what I said about Pegasi, but look at Weil’s creations. Minotaurs, Cerberuses, cockatrices; most of his Generals were based off of mythical creatures. What if they aren’t that mythical or far-off as we thought? Zero looked at Charite. She took that as a gesture to explain.
“Well, look at it this way. Now that their mysterious savior has disappeared, they’re going to try to locate him. You’ll be in every news broadcast, newspaper, and magazine and radio station, all looking for their ‘Red Hero’. If you’d just approached them, then you’d have saved yourself all that attention. They would wait to put you in the media to find more about you. You know I’m right,” she added when she noticed Zero’s skeptical look.
“Whatever. I’ll take my chances. They might not have been a threat then, but they might be now.” He checked his vitals, looking at his health bar. It was at halfway… but filling? “What the…?” he muttered. “Charite? Are you healing me?” he asked his companion. Charite shook her head slowly, confusion dawning on her head. “Well, it seems that I’’m… regenerating.” Charite’s eyes widened in shock.
“No, that can’t be right. A Reploid can’t regenerate by itself. It’s been proven! They aren’t organic-” Charite stopped mid-sentence. “Can it be?” she mumbled. Zero narrowed his eyes.
“Can what be?” he asked. Charite hesitated. “It… could be… that you…” she kept stopping, considering her words carefully. Zero sighed in frustration.
“Charite, just tell me already.” The yellow Unicorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Well, Zero, I think that you are becoming more organic than synthetic.”
“Explain,” said Zero.
Charite blinked. “You know how there hasn’t been a trace of any type of machinery?” she asked. Zero nodded, unsure of where this was going. “Well, I believe that the same forces that turned me into a pony are turning you into a form more suitable to this world.” Zero frowned.
“Then why am I not turning into a pony as well?” he asked. Charite frowned as well.
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because you can adapt to exist here easier than I could. I couldn’t survive outside the reaches of the Cyber World, remember?” Zero nodded.
“That makes some sense, but why are we here? And what forces are changing us?” Charite frowned, her eyes solemn. “That, I don’t know.”
