Champion of the Sun

by Onomonopia

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other, Romance, Princess Luna, Original Character, Science Fiction, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Human
Length: 117287

Luna and Celestia try to stop the wrath of a mad man with the aid of a Megaman.

I leave this note here in case my sister and I were wrong and there are others who survived. While I am doubtful there is anypony, if you did survive, read this carefully.

My sister and I are sorry. We could not protect you. The monster...the Maestro...was too powerful. Far more powerful than we could have ever believed. And because of our ignorance...our world is gone. Leaving only my sister and me.

But the Maestro is not finished. He has plans to do to others what was done to us. And though we may no longer have subjects anymore, our vow still stands as long as we draw breath. So we head off to a new world, a world where hopefully we can stop him this time.

But this won't end until either we kill him...or he finishes off the royal family.

Published 2016-11-03 00:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2017-01-28 16:32:15 UTC

Magic

Silence. That was all that Celestia heard for the longest time after the vortex of magic ceased its spiraling. But after a moment she heard the sounds of birds chirping, felt the breeze of the wind through her mane...and felt hundreds of eyes looking upon her. Slowly the princess opened her eyes to take in where she was and what she saw made her eyes go wider than she would have believed.

The very first sigh that greeted her eyes were the colossal buildings that towered over the park that she was standing in, buildings the likes of which she had never expected to see in her lifetime in Equestria. Then she looked to the base of the buildings to see hundreds of humans all staring at her, humans with strange other lifeforms floating next to them.

The Princess of the Sun said nothing to the humans, still not certain of where she was. She knew of humans from Twilight, but when she saw cars that flew over her head or the strange, energy beings that hovered near the humans she was certain that this world was far different than the world she had known.

But then a groan to her left tore her eyes away from the humans and she spun to see Luna standing beside her, her sisters face a shade paler and she looked like she was struggling to remain standing. Without another second lost Celestia leaned her sister against her and supported Luna with her frame.

"Rest sister, I have you," Celestia said to Luna in a kind and soothing tone. Luna replied with a grateful smile before she began to look around, first to the humans then to the park that they were standing in.

"Sister...there is grass and trees here. There is life here," Luna said with wide eyed amazement as her smile grew wider. For just a moment the Princess of the Night had strength in her eyes as she looked around at all of the humans and other creatures, before the pain took hold as she groaned weakly as she collapsed to her knees. Celestia was by her side in a heartbeat, using what magic she still had left to sooth her sisters wounds. "We...we did it, sister. We made it to another world."

"Indeed we did, Luna. But now my question is could this be the one that Maestro traveled to?" Celestia asked before the wailing of sirens and the flashing of blue and red lights turned her attention away from Luna. Celestia's face set like flint as she rose back up to her hooves and glared at the police cars that encircled the park, completely surrounding the two princess.

"What is going on?" Luna asked weakly as she glanced around at all of the humans in armor getting out of the cars, all of them pointing some sort of device at the two princesses.

"I do not know, but I will deal with it," Celestia promised her sister as she took a step forward, glaring at the humans that had surrounded them with harsh eyes. "I know not who any of you are, but know that I do not want trouble. So I ask that you do not-"

"Supposed to be my day off and here I am dealing with this cluster of viruses," a human groaned aloud as he emerged from one of the cars, his brown trench coat blowing in the wind while a small light shone from the top of his head. He held a megaphone in one hand and some kind of rifle in the other, both of which he pointed at Celestia. "Alright team, looks like we've got either the mother of all viruses or some new aliens here on Earth. Capture them quick and we can take a better look at them back at base."

"Sir, I will give you one warning. Back-"

Celestia snarled as the police began to fire strange blasts of energy from the devices on their wrists, forcing her to erect a barrier of magic to deflect the shots. She found to her amusement that whatever they were firing at her barely even phased her shield, but they her joy was struck from her when she heard her sister cry out in pain. Celestia turned with horror to see that the human in the trench coat had shot Luna, who was seething with pain.

With eyes blazing like the sun Celestia lowered her barrier and stared into the eyes of the human that had shot her sister, before her horn glowed like an inferno. The human was torn from his feat and hurled into one of the cop cars behind him, where a sickening crunch was heard by the other officers as metal collided with flesh.

"Allow me to make myself perfectly clear!" Celestia bellowed in a voice so enraged that fire began to erupt along the grass where her hooves touched the ground. "If any of you take another shot at my sister, I will not stop until I have turned all of you into a shouldering pile of ASH! Am I clear?!"

The police responded by opening fire on the both of them once more, forcing Celestia to create a shield around both her and her sister. But a moment later she bellowed with fury as her mane erupted into a raging inferno and flames danced along her horn. She ascended into the sky and aimed at the police on the ground, firing balls of fire that decimated the cars that were there. Police and citizens alike ran for their lives as Celestia made fire rain from the sky, driving away any humans that had dared to get too close to her sister. After she was certain that she had chased them back, she descended next to her sister and extinguished her mane.

"That...was not a good first impression," Luna weakly said as she tried to lift herself, but Celestia placed a hoof upon her sisters back and held her down.

"Rest and let me deal with these worms," Celestia said in both a kind and menacing tone as she glared to see that the police were working their way back to her. "I lost everything I ever cared about in Equestria except for you. I will not let anypony take you for me...I will not lose my sister again."

"Do you fools not LEARN?!" Celestia bellowed in a voice that shook the very ground beneath the humans feet, stopping their advance with the strength of her words alone. She extended her wings and tore out chunks of the ground with her magic to make her look far more intimidating. "Take another step closer to my sister and I promise that you will all burn in the sun!"

The police responded by pressing the devices that they wore upon their wrists and pointing them at the ground. To Celestia's amazement beings of strange energy burst out of the ground, beings that looked similar to the officers except that they had strange energy in place of their legs and all looked identical.

"Satella Wizard Force on the scene!" the beings all roared at once before they charged Celestia. The princess snarled in reply before she fired a blast of magic at the oncoming attacker, erupting the ground beneath them and hurling them into the air with blasts of fire. But to her amazement they managed to get back up after her attack and resume their offense.

Celestia then looked back at Luna, who was barely able to move, before she made up her mind and caused her horn to crackle with the power that could move the sun. She then screamed with power before she fired a colossal blast of magic that consumed all of the attacking wizards in its blaze. They roared as they were slowly burned away to ash, while the park that they were standing in erupted into flames from the sheer heat of her magic.

Celestia heard silence once more as she ended her attack, causing her to look up and glare at the police officers that were standing near the park. All of them had looks of absolute horror upon their faces as they gazed upon the alien princess with no idea what to do next. Then, with her eyes blazing like the sun, Celestia slowly began to advance towards them, no emotion upon her face.

"I warned you all. Now you pay for daring to harm my family."

Yet she had only taken a few steps towards the police before she caught movement and leapt back, just in time to avoid a blast of blue energy that exploded in front of her. She snarled as she glanced up in time to see a sphere of blue slam into the ground in front of her, kicking up dust as it did so. But as the dust cleared Celestia saw a figure standing in the dust.

He wore a blue suit with an armored chestpiece, armored shoulder plates and blue boots. His left hand looked like some strange weapon and his hair stuck up in an odd angle in the back. His face was covered by a red visor that emerged from a headpiece, but what stuck out to Celestia the most was how the horror on the humans face behind the being turned to joy when they laid eyes on him.

"Don't worry guys. I've got this," the being said as it turned towards the humans and gave them a thumbs up, to which they responded by crying out,

"Megaman!"

[{EM}]

"So Mega, any idea what that thing is?" Megaman asked his left hand as the two stared up at the Pegasus with the unicorn horn that glared at them, both of them on guard for any sudden movements.

"It ain't an EM being, but that's about all I know about it," Mega grunted, causing the red eyes on the Mega Buster to light up as he did so. "That and that it has access to an incredible amount of power. You saw what it did to those Satella wizards, right?"

"Right. Let's see what it wants," Megaman muttered before he slowly began to walk towards the creature. "Look...I don't know who you are, but you need to come with me. I would prefer peacefully, but if not..."

"Take another step towards me and my sister and I promise that there will be no need for peace talks. Just a funeral," the being spat back in a voice that raged like a wildfire. Megaman stopped in his tracks and slowly held both hands into the air, not wanting to seem threatening. He glanced around the white pony with wings to see another one laying on the ground, one that was missing a wing and half of her body seemed to be burned.

"The white one is protecting the other one, which looks to be wounded," Megaman muttered to Mega. "That would explain why she's being so hostile. She doesn't want any of them harming her sister."

"Leave it to the Satelle police to screw up like that," Mega said with a bit of snark. "Try to talk her down, kid. As long as you don't get too close it seems like she's willing to listen to reason. Not to mention I don't want to tangle with the kind of power she's packing."

"Alright...look, whoever you are, we don't want to hurt your sister. I would prefer not to harm any of you," Megaman said in as friendly a tone he could muster as he smiled at the pony, who returned his smile with a glare. "But you've caused a lot of damage here, not to mention wounded quite a few people. So I'm going to need you to come with me so we can sort this all out. Please."

"Until I am certain that my sister has recovered enough to move on her own, I will not go anywhere," the pony replied with a dark tone that instantly put Megaman on guard. "As for my name: Celestia. And while you seem to mean well...for all I know you could be one of his. So I will not move. Now leave us alone."

"Well, there goes reason. What's next, Mega?" Megaman asked as the pony turned and began to walk back to her sister.

"We need to take this Pegasus down before she causes any more harm," Mega responded as he changed Megaman's left hand into a cannon. "Avoid trying to hit the bluish black one. She looks like she already was beaten down by something else. Not to mention that hurting her would probably send the other into a frenzy."

"I would prefer to settle this peacefully," Megaman complained as he took aim at the white pony with his buster.

"We tried that kid. And it failed. Now we need to make sure that she can't hurt anyone else, like she did those wizards. Or those people." Upon being reminded of the police, Megaman's teeth gritted and he fired a mega blast at the back of the pony. The shot caught her in the back of the head and sent her sprawling into the dirt. A moment later she rose up with her eyes set ablaze, along with the horn on her head.

"You shouldn't have done that," Celestia said in a cold whisper, but before she could launch her own attack the cannon transformed into a sword and Megaman lunged at her. She snarled in reply as she fired blasts of magic at him, but right before they impacted his form flickered at the blasts passed right through him. Her eyes widened in shock, barely giving her enough time to leap back out of the way of the sword strike.

Megaman's left hand switched back to the cannon and he fired two shots into Celestia's chest, causing her to roar with pain before she retailed with a concentrated blast of magical energy. But once more Megaman's form flickered and her blast went clean through him without leaving so much as a scratch. He leapt into the air and spin kicked her in the side of the head, sending Celestia crashing into the ground once more.

"Stay down. You can't win," Megaman said in a calm voice as he pointed his buster at Celestia. Her response was to use her magic to cause the ground beneath Megaman to erupt in an explosion, sending him flying into the air. She roared with fury as she grabbed the hero with her magic and slammed him into the ground with enough force to generate a crater.

"You should have just finished me off, instead of talking to me," Celestia said in a cold tone as she walked over to the crater, only for her eyes to go wide when she saw that Megaman wasn't in it. He reappeared right behind her, with his buster fully charged and pointed right at her head.

"Well good thing for me I'm a quick learner," Megaman replied as Celestia's eyes widened, knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop his attack.

"STOP!" the other pony roared with such ferocity that both Celestia and Megaman turned to look at her. Despite the burns that covered her right side she managed to push herself up to her hooves, weakly looking from her sister to Megaman before bowing to the latter. "Please halt your attack. This battle is yours. We surrender."

"What?" Celestia asked in disbelief. "But Luna, we-"

"We came to their world, attacked their defenders and now you are trying to bring down a human that sounds a lot like a teenager," Luna replied in a very tired voice before she turned back to Megaman. "Please, do not harm my sister. I am...I am all she has left of the world we came from. So she is very protective of me."

"What do you mean, all you have left of the world you came from?" the cannon asked the two, surprising the both of them as the looked down at the weapon. Celestia and Luna shared a look before Luna weakly walked forward with her head hung low, but Megaman held out a hand to stop her before she could start.

"Let me take you somewhere where we can get those wounds treated," he said to the both of them as he stared at Luna's burned side and missing wing. "After we've made sure that you're both fine, then you can tell us what you're doing here...and what happened to your home."

Headquarters

The tram cars were created to be able to hold nearly twenty four people in a single section, allowing as much comfort for as many passengers as possible even when they were crammed side by side. But despite the accommodations, Celestia and Luna sat alone on one of the benches. Luna was leaning against her sister while sleeping soundly, while Celestia's eyes flashed bloody murder to any that dared get close to them

Seeing as they were intelligent beings, the Satella Police Officers sat as far away from the pony as they were able to while also keeping an eye on her. But none of them dared get close to the being that had decimated their cars and broken the ribs of one of the toughest Captains that they knew. So despite being able to fit eighteen people on the seats, Celestia and Luna sat alone.

Except for the teen in blue who sat across from the two, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as he stared at the two during the entire tram ride. Twice during the ride Celestia had tried to warn him off with a glow of her horn, but every time she tried it his left hand transformed into a cannon and he aimed it right at her head. And with no idea what he was or how he so easily avoided her magic, Celestia figured that keeping calm was the best option as long as he was around.

"So I've met a Pegasus before, but you look somewhat different from the one I know," Megaman said after twenty minutes or riding in silence, trying to break the monotony of the ride. Celestia's response was to narrow her eyes and snort once, before she glanced down at her little sister to make sure she was okay.

"You're not from this planet, are you?" Megaman asked again, but this time his words couldn't even turn Celestia's eyes towards him. "Because if you were, you wouldn't have access to whatever power it is you're using. It isn't EM based and it isn't scientific based. As far as I can tell...it's either a technology that I've never seen before, or it's magic. Care to give me an answer to that?"

Once again Celestia chose to answer with silence, but Megaman was aware from the moving of her eyes that she was occasionally looking out the window at the buildings that they passed by. Figuring that his words weren't going to get anything out of her, Megaman lifted his left arm and transformed the cannon back into his left hand.

"So what do you think, Mega?" Megaman whispered to the AM alien in his left hand. "I can't seem to get a read on her. Aside from being the fiercest older sister that I've ever seen, she hasn't revealed anything else about herself. You figure out anything?"

"All I know is that she has a power that I've never seen before, a power that is incredibly strong," Mega replied with a growl that was loud enough to cause Celestia's eyes to glance over in Megaman's direction. "It's the little sister that I can't get a figure out. What happened to her to put her in such a state?"

"Hopefully we'll find out soon enough," Megaman said to his cannon before he glanced out the window behind him to see that their tram had entered into a rocky canyon, a smile crossing his face as the tram came to a stop in front of a pair of massive, metal doors. Megaman and the officers rose to their feet while Celestia nudged Luna with her shoulder, waking the younger of the two. Luna groaned as she struggled to see in the bright light, while Celestia had already stood up and was glaring at the humans, daring them to get close to the both of them.

"Come this way please. We'll get this all sorted out," Megaman said calmly as he reached out and grabbed hold of Celestia's leg, realizing for the first time that she was at least a full foot taller than him. The moment his hand touched her leg, Celestia glared at him with her horn blazing. Megaman's left hand returned to its buster state and he aimed at her once more, the two of them glaring into the others eyes before Celestia sneered and headed towards the exit of the tram.

"Sister, where are we?" Luna asked in a slightly delirious tone as she leaned against her sister for support. Celestia gave Megaman a menacing glare before the two of them stepped off of the tram and stared up at the colossal doors that awaited them. The police officers gave the two ponies plenty of room as they walked up to the door, with Megaman being the only person brave enough to stand by the two ponies. He placed his hand upon a scanner and a second later the doors lid back, allowing Celestia and Luna to see what was on the other side.

Massive walls composed of the strongest metal. Radar and satellite dishes that were in constant motion. Dozens of officers who were running drills in the dirt filled courtyard that stood between the ponies and the huge building that both of them had their eyes glued to.

"Welcome to WAZA headquarters," Megaman said to the both of them as he walked in front of Celestia and Luna, motioning for the both of them to start moving. Celestia glared down at the teen, but without another word she and her sister walked towards the main entrance. She narrowed her eyes when she saw a strange orange gate made of hexagons sitting in front of the building, but she glanced around as the officers stopped training to star at the ponies.

"Do not worry sister, nopony here will lay a hand on you," Celestia promised Luna as she made sure to make eye contact with each and every person in the courtyard, making sure that none of them had any thoughts about messing with them.

Megaman walked to the side of the front gate, where he placed his hand upon another scanner. The orange hexagons vanished into thin air, causing Celestia to narrow her eyes at the strange gate that had vanished. 'That wasn't magic. Yet it was far beyond anything that the human world should be capable of. What world are we in?'

Megaman stood before the two and made another motion for them to enter the building, before he held out a hand to stop the police officers that were trying to follow them in. "No, it's probably best if I do this alone. If they try anything, I don't want you caught in close quarters with them."

"How wise of you. You already know that I'm going to try something," Celestia whispered to Megaman as she passed by him, getting the teen to narrow his eyes before he followed after the both of them. The main doors slid open and Celestia and Luna walked inside, both of their eyes going wide and for a moment they were so in awe that they forgot about the situation they were in.

Hundreds of screens were placed around the entire area, each of them showing a different part of the Earth and what was going on in them. People were racing around with screens that followed them, showing them information and recording what they were saying. Beings that looked similar to the ones that Celestia and Luna had fought patrolled the corridors, each of them giving the two ponies hard glares before they moved to the side.

"Come on. The sooner we get you to see Ace the sooner we can get everything settled," Megaman instructed the two. Celestia paused for a moment, trying to think of a plan of attack if she was forced to blast her way out of the building, but Luna staggered forward with amazement in her eyes. Celestia let out a sigh as she followed after her sister, completely aware of the fact that Megaman had his eyes on them the entire time.

Megaman led the two of them passed multiple stations where officers were hard at work and down a flight of stairs, where they were brought into a room where there was only a desk and a screen so large that it put all the other ones to shame. But Celestia wasn't as fascinated with the screen as her sister was. Instead she was glaring at the human that was sitting in a swivel chair with his feet up on the table.

"Yo. So you're the two that caused that commotion downtown," he said with a smile as he studied the two ponies, who did the same to him. He had black hair, a smile on his face, and a white outfit with streaks of black in it that made him look "cool". But what made Celestia brace herself slightly was his eyes, eyes that were incredibly friendly while also incredibly dangerous. "Good job stopping them, Megaman. I can tell that they're both incredibly powerful."

"Yeah, I got the same feeling," Megaman replied as he walked over beside the desk, giving Celestia a cold stare that she mirrored perfectly back at him.

"Okay, so this room just got a whole lot colder and I don't think that's how we should be introducing ourselves," the man in the chair said as he stood up and walked to the front of his desk, which he then sat on the front of before he extended a hand towards Celestia. "Nice to meet you...Celestia. That's what you said your name was? I'm A.C. Eos, but everyone calls me Ace for short."

Celestia glanced down at the extended hand for a long moment before she slowly lifted her head, glaring into Ace's eyes until he placed his hand back onto the desk. Ace then glanced over at the other pony, who was breathing heavily and was having problems standing. "I see that you're little sister over there really took a beating. If you would let us, we've got a really good medical staff here that could probably help her. I mean, she looks really bad."

Celestia glanced down at her sister, gritting her teeth when she saw that the burns looked even worse than they had done on her world. Celestia didn't want to give any leverage to the people of the world she knew little about, but one look into her sisters eyes told her that she couldn't risk her sisters life any longer.

"...very well," Celestia said in a whisper eventually, causing Ace's smile to grow even large as he clapped his hands and took a step towards the two. But in a flash Celestia's horn glowed and Ace was hoisted into the air, before she spun her head and fired a blast of magic into Megaman's chest. Megaman was flung into the large screen, which cracked from his impact.

"But allow me to make this perfectly clear to you human, so that if I am forced to end you you will know it is your own fault," Celestia whispered with a rage so terrible that even Ace's smile was torn from his face. "If anypony...anyone in this building inflicts pain upon my sister in anyway except to help her heal, I will consume this building in a fire so intense that they will still be able to hear the screams of those trapped within for the next millennia. Are we clear?"

"Yeah...I think I got it," Ace muttered. Celestia let him go and moved to the side, flicking her head to indicate for Ace to move. Ace rubbed his neck as he glanced over at Megaman, who was picking himself off the floor with rage flashing in his own eyes. He held out a hand to stop Megaman from doing anything stupid before nodding to Celestia, leading her and her sister out of the room.

"So, she's got quite the temper," Ace said with a small chuckle to Megaman once the Blue Bomber joined up beside him, both of them glancing over their shoulders at the two ponies.

"Yeah, I saw that back at the park. Celestia is really dangerous, way more dangerous than most that I've fought," Megaman agreed.

"So why are they still walking free? We should take em down and throw them in a cell until she learns how to cool off," Mega snarled as the Mega Buster roared to life.

"That thought cross my mind, but I know that look in her eyes. Those threats, the destruction she's caused...even the way she glares at everyone. She's not doing it because she's evil or something like that. She's doing it because her little sister is hurt and she thinks everyone around her is an enemy," Ace said with a shake of his head as he pushed open the doors to the medical wing, motioning for some doctors as Celestia and Luna walked in after them.

" Yeah, figured that out myself. She's trying to protect her sister. That would explain her shoot first ask questions never mentality," Megaman agreed after a moment once he had the chance to think over the pony's actions. "And with all those horrible injuries that her sister has, it's clear now that she needed protection in the past and Celestia wasn't able to do it."

"Yeah. So for the time being, be nice to her and don't do anything that might tick her off," Ace instructed the two before a group of doctors reached the group. The doctors took one look at Luna and immediately began to shout instructions to one another. Some of them tried to move Luna from Celestia's side, but with a glare of rage Celestia stopped their attempts.

"They can't help her if you don't let them. And she needs help," Megaman reminded Celestia, who snarled at the teen in response. But he knew his words were true, so with all the strength that she could muster she allowed the doctors to take her sister from her side. "Don't worry, I promise you that they won't do anything without you by her side. Nothing will happen to your sister under our care. I promise."

For a long moment the pony stared at Megaman, with a look upon her face that was impossible to read. She then hung her head with a sigh.

"Thank you."

[{EM}]

For the first time in what felt like a lifetime Celestia felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. The doctors had managed to ease Luna's pain and deal with the infection that had plagued her body, freeing the princess from the weakness that had followed her. As Celestia stared down at the sleeping face of her sister, who was resting comfortably on a bed with her right side bandaged carefully, for the first time in weeks she allowed herself to let go of the rage and drive that had managed to keep her going for so long. She collapsed into the nearest chair as she felt exhaustion begin to overtake her, yet before she teased the idea of closing her eyes the door opened and two humans walked in.

"Hey there," Megaman said with another friendly smile as he entered, Celestia noticing that he carried a plate of carrots with a glass of water off to the side. "Figured that since you've been watching over your sister for three hours that you might be hungry."

"I...am, actually. Thank you," Celestia replied softly as Megaman set the tray on the small table beside her. Despite her hunger, she didn't touch anything as Megaman and Ace sat in a pair of chairs across from her. "I owe the both of you an apology. I have been...I am sorry for my actions since I have arrived here. This last month...has been soul destroying. I needed to make sure my sister was safe."

"Hey, you don't need to talk to me about keeping family safe. I've done similar things to protect mine," Ace said with a nod of sympathy.

"But if you really want to make up for what you did, then maybe you can tell us about who you are and why you suddenly showed up in a small park downtown," Megaman put forward. Celestia lowered her head onto her chest as she thought over Megaman's words, a smirk crossing her face when she knew he was right.

"Very well. After what I've done, it is only right that I reveal as much to you as I can," Celestia agreed before her face darkened and hatred flashed in her eyes again. "But in order to understand our pain, you must understand Equestria. The ponies that lived their, the magic that we held there...and the monster that all took it away from us. The Maestro."

World Ender

"I am Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun. The pony you see in the bed there is my sister Princess Luna, Princess of the Night. We are...were the two rulers of a land called Equestria," Celestia began to explain to the two humans, using her magic to create an image of a land filled with similar looking horses that all ran around in pure bliss. "Equestria was a land of magic and peace, where our subjects, most of whom were ponies like us, lived in peace and happiness."

"It was my responsibility as leader to take care of my subjects while also moving the stars to make sure that they were happy," Celestia continued, not noticing that the two humans raised their eyebrows when she mentioned moving the stars. "My sister...to keep her story simple, she grew jealous of the ponies love of me and sought to take my throne. I banished her to the moon for a thousand years and have only just recently had her returned to how she used to be."

"So you used your magic...to imprison your sister in the moon...for a thousand years?" Ace asked in a careful voice, letting out a sigh when Celestia nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Sure. Let's say I believe that. Did you achieve that with your magic?"

"Yes. My sister and I held the strongest magic in the land...along with Cadence and Twilight," Celestia admitted as her face was filled with sadness and she had to stop for a moment to recompose herself. "The point is that for the thousands of years that I ruled, I was able to protect my nation against any threat that opposed us. And because of that, friendship and harmony was able to reign supreme."

"The ponies that lived in the land...they could be idiotic at times and at others cold to those they didn't understand, but they were truly good ponies that always held a smile on their faces and would stand up for those they cared about," Celestia said as her voice choked slightly, causing her to look down to hide her emotions. "And six of them in Ponyville had saved the world more times than I had. They were my closest of friends. And thanks to them, our world was happy."

"But then a month ago all of that fell to pieces. A being called the Maestro, cloaked in black and having limbs stronger than any metal, appeared in our land. To put say he is evil is an understatement. He makes Sombra look like a saint," Celestia seethed, her mane catching ablaze as she thought of the monster. "Upon his very first day in our world he wiped Ponyville off the face of the map...and the six ambassadors of harmony along with it. All because he could."

"He then created a weapon. A weapon the likes of which I had only thought existed in the realms of nightmares. He created a bomb with so much black magic that it killed any that got close to it except for him. He then planned to unleash that weapon upon my land, my home, my FAMILY...just to see what would happen."

Megaman and Ace shared a somber expression, figuring out how the Princesses story ended from the way that she hung her head. "And without the Ambassadors...my sister and I were the only ones that could take him down. Or at least we thought we could. In the stratosphere above our planet, we engaged him next to his weapon. Our immortal natures allowed us to survive getting close to the bomb, while our magic tore the heavens asunder as we tried to kill him."

"It was a joke. Our magic could do nothing to the metal that made up his body. His own form of shattered magic made my sister and I look like we were playing with sparklers. And when he had finally grown tired of fighting us, he...that bastard...he tore my sisters wing from her body and incinerated her right side. Leaving only me to battle him, leaving me as the last hope to save our world."

"And you failed." It wasn't a question. It was a fact.

"It's worse than that. He trapped my sister and I within a sphere of his shattered magic, wanting us to watch as he detonated the weapon and wiped out our home," Celestia said with her voice so low that both humans had to lean in to hear her. "And as we watched he detonated the bomb, unleashing a hell of black magic that rained down upon the land, killing everything within that had been touched by magic."

"How much of your world was magic?" Megaman asked softly, getting Celestia to raise her eyes that stung with tears.

"Everything. All life, be it plant, animated or flesh and blood, was turned to dust by the bomb. My sister and I believe that the only reasons we survived was that the Maestro's magic protected us. Once the bomb was done, he left us on the dusty planet below, leaving us to stand in the wake of our failure. And then he vanished, leaving me with my wounded sister and a world that was dead."

"At first I thought that he had been exaggerating, that the bomb couldn't be that powerful," Celestia said as she gritted her teeth and stared holes into the floor. "That somepony had to have survived. But after healing my sister as best I could, I took off across the land in hopes of finding another. I flew around the land for six days...only to find dust and the ruins of what used to be lives. I then cast a spell that would allow me to feel the lives of any no matter where they were in the world...and I felt nothing."

"That's...horrible," Ace whispered while Megaman stared at the floor with rage.

"So there you have the tale of how my home came to its end and how I was unable to protect those that I had sworn to do so," Celestia said before she bowed her head to the both of them. "I know that it does not make up for my actions or my rage, but I feel that you deserved to know."

"No, this...if I was in your shoes, I'm certain that I'd be in an unstoppable rage as well," Ace admitted with a shake of his head, trying to take it all in. "So you and your sister...you're the only ones left?"

"Yes. We barely managed to make it off of our world and come here."

"So why did you come here?" Megaman spoke up a moment later, turning Celestia and Ace's eyes towards him. "Why to our world? I know that your world...home...had nothing left, but what drew you to this world in particular? Either you chose it at random...or there is a far more sinister reason that you came to our home."

"You are wiser than your age would suggest. The reason my sister and I came to this world...was because we used our magic to trail the Maestro here," Celestia said in a cold voice. Ace's eyes widened while Megaman let out a snarl, his buster following suit and growling with rage. "During our fight with him, he mentioned how our world was not the first to be destroyed by him just so he could see what would happen. In fact, he had long since stopped counting how many lives he had ruined. But we made a promise that ours would be the last."

"So...the being that destroyed your world is now in ours, planning on doing something to our world like he did to yours," Ace stated as he crossed his fingers and leaned against his hands, his eyes a thousand miles away. He then rose out of his chair and marched out of the room, leaving Megaman alone with the two princesses. A long moment of silence passed between the two before Megaman rose to his feet, staring at Celestia for a moment before he bowed.

"I am sorry," he said, causing Celestia to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "After everything you have gone through, it was no wonder that you were so hostile when we approached. But instead of talking with you I simply tried to bring you down like a common virus."

"Please, there is no need for this. If anything I should be the one apologizing to you," Celestia said with a shake of her head once Megaman had stood back up. "I should have kept a lid upon my temper and simply explained my actions, but I-"

"Was trying to protect your sister. And after everything that you've gone through, I think that you've responded appropriately," Megaman cut her off with a smile, before he extended his right hand to her. "Perhaps we should start over. It is nice to meet you, your highness. I am Megaman, hero of Earth."

"Then it is nice to meet you, hero of Earth. I am Celestia, former princess of a dead land," Celestia replied with a bitter smile as she took Megaman's hoof and shook it. "There is no need to be formal with me anymore. Celestia will do. I suppose the same will go for my sister."

"Well, if we're not going to be formal..." Celestia adverted her eyes as a sphere of light consumed Megaman, blinding her temporarily. When the light died down Celestia's eyes widened when she found a teenage boy standing before her with a colossal monster of blue floating behind him. "Then you can just call me Geo. This here behind me is Mega, an alien that's been living on Earth with me."

"Oh...well then, nice to meet you both," Celestia stammered. "But why did you, um, stop being the hero?"

"Because after hearing all of that, I've realized you're not an unstoppable monster. So there's no need for me to be the hero that brings down monsters," Geo said with a shrug before he glanced over at Luna, who was still sound asleep. "I'm sorry for what you had to go through. Perhaps if I had been there..."

"What could you have done?" Celestia asked with a shake of her head, a bitter sound ringing in every word. "You could not stop me with your power? What makes you think you could stop Maestro?"

"Well, for starters I wasn't using all of my power against you. Second, stopping world destroying maniacs is part of my job and I've done a pretty good job with the other four that tried it," Geo informed Celestia with a sly smile that made her raise an eyebrow.

"You've defeated four world ending threats at the age of...fifteen?"

"Fourteen. Not bad for a first guess," Geo smiled.

"Believe me, you're not the only one who has a hard time seeing this kid as the savior of the world. But lo and behold, here we are," Mega smirked as he clapped Geo on the back, nearly knocking the teen off of his feet. "Of course, he gets a bit of help from me. Think of me of the second half of the hero, the one that provides the power, the skill and the looks."

"And yet it's my face that the news puts on the tv and not yours. I wonder why?" Geo fired back, elbowing Mega in the armor. Mega rolled his eyes before pulling Geo into a headlock, using his knuckles to further mess up Geo's already messy hair. Celestia watched the two mess with each other for a moment before she let a small chuckle escape her lips, getting both Mega and Geo to look at her with surprise.

"I'm sorry, it's just that it's been a long time since I've seen...friendship," Celestia said as she regained control of herself. "Even thought it's only been a month, I'd forgotten how nice it was."

"Well then your in for a treat. This world happens to be pretty friendly. At least what I've seen of it," Mega informed Celestia. The door to the room was then opened once more and Ace walked back inside, a serious expression gracing his features. He took only a second to take in the fact that Megaman had split before he held up a drawing to Celestia. It was a human in a full metal suit with a black cape draped around his shoulders.

"This is the Maestro, right?" Ace asked Celestia, who could only nod her head in amazement.

"Yes, it is. But how did you draw his form so accurately after my brief description of him?"

"I didn't. He's been spotted here before." Both Celestia and Geo shot out of their chars as they heard Ace's words, while Ace turned the picture over and glared at it. "A few of the Satella officers thought that they had seen a man in a metal suit wearing a black cape hanging around areas where a good amount of noise was gathered. They weren't able to pin him down and since there was no evidence of anyone there, they thought he was just a myth."

"But it is clear that he is here and he's up to something," Geo snarled as he tried to run out of the room, but Ace held out a hand to stop him. "Don't stop me, Ace. Mega and I are going to go out there and stop Maestro before he has the chance to hurt anyone else!"

"But right now we don't know where he is and running off half cocked to fight him won't end well," Ace reminded Geo. "What I want you to do for me is to stay with Celestia. She's new to this world and will need some help in getting acquainted with how things work. And I want you to be the one to do that. Let the officers here find out where the Maestro is, then we can come up with a plan to bring him down."

"The plan is simple. Kill him before he can kill everything you love," Celestia added as she walked over beside Geo, smiling down at the teen. "But I admit that from what I have seen of this world, its technology and its people have me very interested in how it works. If you wouldn't mind, hero of Earth, I would like to be shown around."

"...sure, Celestia. I can do that for you," Geo said after a moment before both he and Mega walked out of the room, leaving Ace alone with Celestia for a moment.

"You left out some details of your story, didn't you?" Ace asked Celestia, who nodded somberly. "What were they?"

"That Maestro didn't just kill the Ambassadors. They fought him and unleashed their greatest weapon, the Rainbow Pulse, upon him. And he laughed it off," Celestia informed Ace, who raised an eyebrow. "The Rainbow Pulse brought down a villain that could have destroyed the planet with his power. And the Maestro walked through it like a calm breeze. His power is beyond my nightmares. He's like a god."

"I see. However, you should still tell Geo," Ace informed Celestia with a smile filled with confidence. "He may not look like it, but he's brought down a few beings that could be classified as gods. I know that I told him to show you around, but I actually want you to learn about him. And how it's not a bad idea to put your trust in him."

Coffee with the Princess

"Coffee?" Geo asked as he poured himself a cup, glancing over his shoulder at the princess as he did so. Celestia thought about it for a moment before she sighed and nodded. Geo smiled as he placed his cup on a table and poured Celestia a cup as well.

"I am not used to somepony at your age drinking coffee," Celestia thought aloud as Geo extended a cup to her. She took hold of it with her magic and took a quick sip, surprised at how bitter the coffee was.

"Yeah, well I'm not a normal teen," Geo reminded her as he chugged half of his coffee down in one go, making Celestia raise an eyebrow. "And I've pulled enough morning shifts to know that coffee is your best friend when you need to wake up and do it fast."

"Don't know why you all like that stuff so much. Just goes right through me," Mega said with a shrug as Geo and Celestia sat down in a pair of chairs next to a row of massive, glass windows. The two of them glanced out the windows, looking down at the officers training and exercising while they drank.

"Again, thank you for saving my sister," Celestia brought up once more, but Geo was starting to get tired of hearing it.

"Again, it's no problem. Actually, I would like to hear more about the Maestro. Like his powers and what he...did that was so terrifying."

Celestia's face fell for a moment before she took a long draught of her coffee. "His power is essentially to warp reality itself. He ignores the rules of reality and my magic bounced off of him without so much as leaving a scratch. And he is ruthless. Absolutely ruthless. He killed everything. Stallions, mares...foals."

"So he's a real monster. Good to know," Geo nodded as he took a sip as well. "I am curious to see if my EM weaponry will be able to harm him. Because if it doesn't we'll have to come up with a whole new plan to defeat him."

"If you cannot defeat him during your first encounter, he will make sure there is no second," Celestia collected for Geo, who glanced at her over the rim of his cup. "Twilight and her friends tried to retreat after their magic couldn't stop him. He wiped them off the face of the planet. The only reason my sister and I survived was because he wanted us to. No other reason."

"I get it, he seems to be an unstoppable monster. I've fought plenty of those before. One of who was a literal black hole," Geo said, trying to instill some confidence in Celestia. But the princess simply sighed and shook her head, before finishing off her drink as she stared out the window.

"The hero form, Megaman, what can he do exactly?" Celestia asked after a moment. "I know that you have a projectile weapon and can...somehow avoid my magic, but other than that I know little." Geo and Mega discussed with each other quietly for a minute, before Geo waved his hand over his hunter and pulled out a deck of cards.

"These are where most of Megaman's strength comes from. Battle cards," Geo began as he drew a card that had a picture of a sword, which he then offered to Celestia. "By scanning this card across my buster, I can transform my buster into the weapon you see. With this power I can adapt my weaponry to exploit my opponents weaknesses, always giving me an upper hand on them."

"Impressive...if our foe was not an ender of the world," Celestia shot back as she tossed the card to Geo, who caught it with two fingers.

"These cards have destroyed world enders as well. Another power Megaman has is the ability to change his frequency, turning form a solid being to an EM wave," Geo continued on, returning his deck to his Hunter. "With this ability I can make myself completely immune to physical attacks that aren't EM based while still being able to attack."

"Now that sounds like a far more useful tool in the fight against the Maestro," Celestia agreed with a nod. "His attacks, while beyond anything I could possible contend with, are definitely magical in nature. And your form avoided my magical attacks, so hopefully you can avoid his."

"Well, I'll be staking my life on that it can," Geo added with a laugh, but his words caused Celestia's face to fall for a moment. "What's the matter? It'll work, I promise."

"You should not be fighting this fight," Celestia said with a shake of her head. "You are still so young. You should not be having to fight in this war with the Maestro. I should be the one fighting him, but I know I cannot win. I hate being placed in this situation."

"Hey, if Maestro's here to destroy my planet, then odds are I'll end up dead if I don't fight him," Geo said with a shrug, before finishing his drink. "So if I'm going to die to the Maestro, I'd rather die fighting that sitting on the sidelines and watching. It's my home. I'm going to defend it."

"You sound just like they did. Are those the extent of your abilities? Or is that bag of tricks you seem to have bottomless?"

"The fusion between me and Mega also enhances my strength, speed, durability and reflexes," Geo continued on, glancing over at Mega for confirmation a few times. "Not to mention as Megaman I don't need to breath, making space combat a breeze. I think that's about it, at least for combat purposes."

"Thank you, Geo...but I still do not know if it will be enough," Celestia mumbled under her breath. Deciding to change the subject, Celestia glanced at a picture of Ace and raised an eyebrow. "So Ace, is he your boss? Because he seems to carry himself like one."

"Yeah, he's another like me. Able to EM wave change and become Acid Ace. He's been the leader here ever since the old director stepped down two years ago. He does the roll...alright, but he's a bit too impulsive in order to be an effective leader. He's a great friend and has always been there for me, not matter what."

"So you are not the only being that can become an...EM being?" Celestia asked, still not entirely sure what an EM being was...or what EM waves actually were. "What are EM waves, actually? And how does access them allow you to tap into power that allows you to become Megaman?"

"Yeah, there are others like me. Currently we have...five as apart of the Commandoes. That's our special team. Me, Ace, Bud, Tom and Sonia, who's not at the base at the moment. There are others out there, but I can't remember all of them off the top of my head."

"Now, on to EM waves. They are electromagnetic waves that we have harnessed to make every day life a little easier for us. For example," Geo stated as he pointed his hunter forward, pressing a button and causing a skyboard to appear at Celestia's hooves. Celestia leapt back in her chair slightly as Geo stood up and stepped onto the board, slowly gliding around the room with a smile. "These are real waves. Essentially we're making solid objects out of waves. We've actually gotten to the point where we can make entire buildings out of waves."

"That...is scary, actually," Celestia muttered as Geo kicked the edge of the board and flipped it into his hands, offering it to Celestia. She glanced over it for a moment before she declined it, getting Geo to shrug before he returned the board to the hunter. "But maybe your technology might be enough to-"

"Geo Stelar." Celestia let out a yelp as she spun around to find a being similar to Mega floating behind her, except that its face looked more dog like and its form was made of metal. The being registered Celestia for a moment before he turned his full attention to Geo. "Your friends have been trying to call you for the past ten minutes. I know that we ask that you keep your communications off while you're in here, but...I cannot deal with the one called Prez any longer."

"Ugh. Yeah Acid, I'll take that call," Geo said before he lifted his hunter. "On." A screen shot out of the hunter and came to a stop in front of Geo's face, showing him a girl with a turbine ponytail who was hopping up in down in a frenzy. "Hey Prez, what's-"

"Don't you dare what's up me! You fly off as Megaman to heaven knows where, battle some kind of Pegasus and then leave us high and dry for nearly a day! We deserve answers!" the girl screamed on the other end, gaining Celestia's full attention. "It was all over the news, and yet you never felt the need to call your friends!"

"I'm sorry Luna, but things here have been really hectic," Geo apologized. "But...that Pegasus that I was fighting...yeah, turns out-"

"So this one shares the same name as my sister," Celestia noted as she moved around to the front of the screen, her appearance causing Luna's eyes to widen in surprise. "Greetings human, I am Celestia. I know that you are Luna, but I know little else."

"Oh, um, nice to meet you, Celestia," Luna stammered out before she gave Geo a death glare. "Geo! What's going on? Why is that Pegasus looking creature with you?!"

"Yeah, that was the change of plans I was trying to tell you about. She's actually on our side and came here chasing after a villain that brought about the end of her world," Geo explained quickly. "So I'm in charge of bringing her up to speed on our world and what our plan is to defeat the Maestro."

"Fine. Guess I can't be too mad at you for this. But you'd better get back here soon. Bud and Zack refused to see the movie without you, so we've put it off till tomorrow," Luna stated with the underlining hints of a threat, one that made the princesses eyes narrow. "And this time I don't want to hear any excuses. We are seeing this movie together and I won't allow you to be late again."

"Fine. I'll hopefully see you guys tomorrow, provided I don't need to save the world," Geo shot back before he waved and cut off the call. He then glanced over at Celestia, who was giving the young teen a quizzical look. "What?"

"That Luna. Is she your friend?" Celestia asked, titling her head when Geo nodded. "How...interesting."

"Yep. Guess I'm going to see a movie tomorrow...but I still have orders to watch over you...I know, how about you come with me tomorrow?" Geo offered, getting a smirk out of Celestia. "No I'm serious. This would be a great chance to introduce you to our world and the people there."

"That is a nice sentiment, but would they not view me as some kind of monster?" Celestia asked.

"Feh, think nothing about that," Mega cut in as he appeared next to Celestia and clapped her on the back, nearly doubling Celestia over with his strength. "All we need to do is tell the people that you were an out of control wizard and that WAZA had you fixed. Believe me, the time I went out of control and went buck wild on a number of downtown buildings, that the excuse we went with."

"Interesting. So why did you go out of control in the first place?"

"Because I got angry at an invisible foe and tried a little to hard to bring it down," Mega admitted with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, obviously embarrassed.

"I do not know about your offer, Geo," Celestia said at last with a sigh. "Not that I don't want to see your world, but more because I do not wish to leave my sisters side. As she is all I have left..."

"Okay, how about this idea? We get you a Hunter VG, go into a call with you and flip the screen around so that you can see the entire city while staying right next to your sister," Mega offered. Both Celestia and Geo locked eyes and nodded at the same time, both of them liking that option. "Excellent. And see Geo, not all of my ideas involve ripping things to shreds with my claws."

"A broken clock is right twice a day," Geo replied, getting Mega to roll his eyes. "But that's not actually a bad idea he has. Come on Celestia, let's go pick you out a Hunter and we can set it up for you."

"Yes, this does seem like the best course of action, if I followed your conversation properly," Celestia agreed as he laid her cup on the table and followed Geo, who was walking ahead at a fast enough pace to almost leave Celestia behind. Yet even as Geo walked ahead of them, Celestia noticed that Mega was floating right beside her at a pace that perfectly matched hers.

"You don't believe that he can beat Maestro?" Mega asked Celestia in a near whisper.

"No. He may be powerful when fused with you, but the Maestro is on a completely different plain," Celestia replied with a shake of her head, not trying to hide the weariness and pain in her voice. "He may be a hero on your world, he may have done incredible things...but the Maestro is the impossible made physical."

"Then we'll just have to do what we do every time a foe like him shows up. We'll have make the impossible possible," Mega replied with a shrug of his shoulders, his tone sounding like he was talking about a simple chore. "Trust me Celestia, when you see what Megaman is capable of, you'll see why ending up on our world was the best thing to happen to you."

"Mega, if your words turn out to be true, then I will be perfectly content with being so wrong," Celestia said, before her expression darkened. "But I fear once again I will be proven right."

City Tour

Geo gripped the bar tightly as the tram came to a halt, hearing the announcer told the people onboard that they had arrived at the main center. The door to the tram slid open and Geo hopped out, glancing around to see if he could find his friends.

"Figures. They said they'd be waiting for us and they're nowhere to be seen," Mega snarled from over Geo's shoulder as the AM being materialized behind Geo. "Yet if we're so much as a second late, Prez tries to bite our heads off. I don't know why you out up with her."

"Because she's my friend. And speaking of friends," Geo replied before he waved to a group of teens that had just climbed the stairs to the tram station. the group waved back and raced towards Geo, who walked over to meet them halfway. "Hey guys, surprised to see that you're all so late."

"Well we wouldn't have been if somebody hadn't felt the need to stop and eat the new food stand they had here," Luna shot back as she gave Bud the stink eye. Bud tried to say something in his defense, but as both his arms and mouth was filled with food he could only make incoherent sounds. Geo and Zack snickered at Bud's frantic attempts to defend himself, before Luan cut off their enjoyment with a look. "Now then Geo, I believe that we are still missing one more member of our group? So if you would, please call her."

"Alright, here we go," Geo said as he pointed his hunter forward and pressed the call button. A screen popped up in front of him, but the screen was filled with static and made a hissing sound. "Um, Celestia? Are you there?"

"G-eo? I can-ba-" a voice replied on the other end, though Geo had a hard time making it out.

"Celestia, you're doing something to mess with the connection," Geo tried to explain to the princess. The hunter made a few sharp sounds before the image of the princess flickered in a few times before the image retuned to static. "Celestia, you need to push the button in the center of the hunter. The one that looks like a cell phone."

"What-cell-?"

It took another three minutes before Celestia was finally able to fix the screen so that she was able to connect with Geo's hunter. Once they had gotten to connection set up though, Celestia wore only a smile as she looked at Geo and his friends that were in the image behind him.

"Greetings, all of you. You must be Geo's friends," Celestia said from the other side of the call, where the teens were just barely able to make out the second pony laying in a bed behind her. "I am pleased to meet you all. I am...was princess of Equestria, but you can all call me Celestia."

"Woah, a talking horse. Never thought I'd see something like that," Bud awed as he leaned on Geo's shoulder for a better view, his weight nearly buckling Geo's knees. "Bud by the way. Bud Bison."

"Be polite, Bud. Didn't you hear her? She said she's a princes, which means she's royalty," Zack corrected for Bud while pushing the mass of humanity off of Geo, before bowing to the princess. "I am honored to meet you, Princess Celestia. I am Zack, genius extraordinaire."

"And humble too," Geo added with a smirk.

"What can I say? I'm just so perfect," Zack replied in a joking tone as he bowed even further, causing his glasses to nearly slip off his face. Celestia chuckled slightly as she watched Zack do his best to catch his glasses, before she turned her gaze to the girl that was hanging around the back.

"So princess, what kind of food do you like?" Bud cut in as he obstructed Luna from view. Celestia smirked as Luna grabbed hold of Bud's ear and, despite him towering over her, dragged him out of her view before she took his spot.

"Honored to meet you, your majesty. I am Luna Platz," Luna said in a tone that Celestia both recognized as well practiced and said in a way to impress her. She had heard it many times from the ponies and others of Equestria. And she hadn't liked it there either. "I am certain that we will get along perfectly. In fact, I'm certain that a sophisticated pony like yourself must be tired of dealing with such disrespectful people," she finished while giving a look to Bud and Zack.

"Actually, I was going to answer Bud's question," Celestia said in a tone that sounded aloof, used to blow off those that Celestia had no desire to speak with. "I actually really enjoy sweets, Bud. Perhaps in the future when my sister is feeling better, you can show me around to some of the best places to enjoy sweets around here."

"Oh you bet I can!" Bud exclaimed with excitement before he began to name off dozens of places that the two of them could go to get food. Before he could get too out of control a being made of fire and was shaped like a bull appeared behind Bud, also adding a few other places that they could visit.

'That is right, Bud is also like Geo. Able to transform into one of these EM warriors,' Celestia recalled as she watched Luna shout down both the bull and the Bud. She then glanced at Zack, noticing that his eyes flicked away right when she turned her eyes towards him. 'And Zack has been observing me this whole time, taking careful notes mentally. Interesting. As for Luna...she seems a lot like many ponies I've dealt with. Hmm.'

"So Celestia, what would you like to see first?" Geo asked the princess, who turned her attention back to the teenager she was in the call with. When she didn't give an answer, Geo took his hunter off of his arm and spun it around so that she could get a full view of the shopping center they were standing in. Her eyes went wide at the sheer magnitude of the buildings, the volume of people and wizards that were walking around and the strange machines that flew across the sky.

"I am actually fascinated by the technology that seems to put anything we had upon my world to shame," Celestia said as she spied a building that had a bunch of solid waves outside of it. "If you would not mind, I would like to learn more about how your tech works."

"Ah, a fellow intellectual. I knew there was a reason I liked you the moment I saw you," Zack cut in as he hijacked Geo's call and swiped the Hunter VG off of his friends wrist. Zack moved over to the devices with a speed Celestia would not associate one of his size, before she found her screen pointing at a number of solid waves. "Over here we have your standard solid wave cars, bikes and other vehicles. They may be impressive to you, but to us they are common place and can be seen everywhere. But over here is where the real fun starts."

"This right here, this is state of the art," Zack said as he pointed the screen at a massive, armored mecha suit that was nearly three stories tall. Celestia's eyes widened at the sheer size and power that the mecha held within it, even though she was looking at it through a screen. "This here is the newest in construction. It can lift tons of rubble, bring down buildings with a single hit or build them back up in a matter of days. It's amazing!"

"Zack, give Geo back the Hunter!" Celestia heard the voice of Luna scream at Zack.

"He's having fun and Celestia seems to be enjoying herself. I don't mind," Geo's voice of reason said in reply, but a moment later Celestia found her screen being run back to Geo, whose face filled her screen a moment later. "Well, now that Zack's returned my stolen property, what else wound you like to see?"

"Hmm...how about just walking around with my screen pointed forward?" Celestia offered. "I would just like to look around and see your world. You know, without me being in a rage and trying to destroy anything that gets close to me."

"Yeah, I think we can do that," Geo agreed before the group started to move forward. "So Bud, what happened on Sonia's show the other night? I spent all last night at the WAZA headquarters and wasn't able to see it."

"Oh man, it's probably for the best that you didn't see it. That fancy actor I was telling you about? He's trying to woo Sonia into being his girlfriend," Bud said to Geo with a chuckle. "But he's only doing it so that he can prove to some guys that don't like him that he can get the famous Sonia Strumm to go out with him. The episode ended with her about to give her answer."

"Bud, take this call. Megaman needs to go teach a jerk some manners," Geo replied in a serious voice as he tried to get Bud to take his call with Celestia. The group let out a laugh and a moment later they returned to their tour, before Luna moved back into the shot and gave Celestia a wide smile.

"So Celestia, I must know, what is it like to be royalty in another world?" Luna asked the princess, who pondered over her answer for a moment. "I mean, I know that you are powerful, but are you scared to be in a place that has beings you know nothing about and technology that, by your own admission, surpassed that on your world?"

"I am not royalty. Not anymore," Celestia replied with a small sigh as she glanced back at her sister in bed. "In order to be royalty, you need a nation that you rule over. I do not have a nation any more. I do not have a world any more. All I have is a sister to protect and a monster to kill. That is all."

Luna gave Celestia a nervous smile as she moved out of the princesses view, a little unnerved at the rage that was blazing in her voice. She and Geo caught each others eyes and Geo gave a shrug of his shoulders, before taking control of the conversation once more.

"Hey Celestia, take a look at this," Geo said as he lifted the Hunter and moved it so that Celestia was looking at the center of the shopping center. A colossal monument was erected there, a monument of Megaman holding up a meteor made of red energy that let off a soft glow, one that bathed those that walked by it in its light. Geo then spun the Hunter back around so that Celestia could see him and his smiling face.

"They constructed a monument to you?" Celestia asked in amazement, causing Geo's smile to widened even further.

"Yeah, they made this a four years ago after Geo-I mean Megaman-saved the world from Meteor G," Zack said as he moved under Geo's arm so that he was in shot. "Can you believe that it only took Megaman saving the world three times before they finally constructed a monument to him. If it were me I'd have one for each time he saved the world."

"And that's why the construction company doesn't let you intern with them anymore," Geo laughed as he pushed Zack out of shot, with a more serious expression on his face. "Celestia...I know that you are in pain and angry after what Maestro did to your world. But I want you to see that I can help you. I'm not just a teen with amazing power. I've fought the end of the world and won multiple times. And no matter how powerful the Maestro is...with your help, we can beat him."

Celestia opened her mouth to reply, to tell him that it was too dangerous, but after a moment she bit back on her words and reconsidered. She looked back at her sister and lost herself in thought for a moment. 'I do not wish for him to do this. He has been very kind and understanding since I have arrived here...and he is exactly the kind of person that Maestro would delight in destroying. And I cannot watch another child die.'

'But then again, his powers are not what I and I assume the Maestro are used to fighting. Both of our powers come from magic, but Geo's power is based on both alien and earth technology that I cannot comprehend. Maybe, with a combination of the two of our powers, along with the powers of the other EM warriors that they have, we might be able to defeat him here.'

"Geo...I know that you mean the best, but I still am not sure if you can aid me in battling him," Celestia replied in a reserved voice.

"Celestia, we can fight him. I know this," Geo replied with a confident smile. "We can win together."

"An interesting theory. Time to prove it."

Celestia's eyes snapped wide as she heard the voice and a moment later a colossal explosion erupted on the side of one of the buildings. Geo and his friends spun around to see a being with a black cape and metal limbs staring down at them from the side of the now burning structure, staring right at Geo and his friends while holding a sphere of shatter magic within his grasp. People began to scream and run for their lives as fire fighting wizards started flying towards the explosion, but when they got close to the caped being they exploded into shattered energy.

"The Maestro," Geo snarled under his breath as both Mega and Taurus materialized behind their friends.

"GEO! Get out of there now!" Celestia roared on the other end as her image went to static. "I will be there soon, but you need to-"

"I would say that I am happy to see you, Celestia, but to be honest I'm more surprised. I thought I left to you to die on that rock," Maestro stated before he waved his hand and cut off the call to Celestia, before he turned his attention to Geo and his alien ally. "But I am done dealing with ponies. That story has closed. Now I am more interested in this world and how I can end it."

"If you want this world, you'll have to go through me to do it," Geo replied as he slowly lifted his Hunter.

"Of course. The hero will fight the villain. Me being the villain in this case," Maestro agreed as he slowly began to float towards the six. "You think that you can beat me. Destroy me. Perhaps even save me, if you are that foolish. But in reality, all you can do is fail...no. Not fail. DIE."

Strumming Along

Pain as the first sensation to return to Geo as he awoke. A pain that consumed his entire body, getting his eyelids to flutter a bit. He grit his teeth hard as agony seared through his veins, forcing the sleepiness away as he tried himself to remember what had happened to him. The memories came back like a flood, most them involving the Maestro thoroughly kicking the crap out of him.

'That's right...he was about to kill me,' Geo recalled as he remembered watching the sphere of shattered energy that had been flying towards him, unable to move out of the way. 'But then how am I alive?'

Figuring that he had spent enough time with his eyes closed he slowly cracked them open, grateful to see that there were no bright lights on in the room. As his eyes adjusted to the lighting he found that he was in a bed with pink covers, while posters of various rockbands, singers and even some of Megaman adorned the walls. But the two things in the room that really drew his attention was the Princess of the Sun sitting in the corner...and the girl with pink hair who was sitting beside the bed, tuning her guitar.

"Sonia?" he asked weakly as he began to move, immediately gaining him the attention of the princess and the girl who dropped her instrument. "What's-"

"GEO!" Sonia exclaimed before she hurled her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug that made his pain flare up again. It subsided after a moment, but the girl refused to release Geo and continued to hold him tight. He gently patted her on the back while looking over at Celestia, who was smiling at the sight. "Thank heavens you're alright! When Celestia brought you in here, they weren't sure if...I'm so glad you're alright."

"I'm...fine, Sonia. At least I think I am," Geo replied with a slightly red face as he retuned the hug. Sonia eventually released Geo from her grasp, but she kept her hands on his shoulders as she looked at his face to make sure his injuries were gone. While she did that, Geo glanced over her outfit and found she was wearing a pink hoodie with the sleeves missing, a pair of blue shorts that had a few tears in them and her own brand of boots that went up to her knees.

Then Geo's eyes were drawn to her face and despite the smile of happiness that she wore, she also had bags under her eyes and her hair was a disheveled mess. For someone that had spent countless nights awake, be it studying or fighting evil, he could tell that she had been up for a long time with little rest.

"Your wounds look better than they did a while ago. That's good," Sonia said with a sigh of relief before her relief changed to a warm smile that made Geo glance at the wall.

"T-thanks. But what happened to me?" he asked once more as he tried to get out of bed, but an agonizing pain flashed through his chest and he fell back with a grunt.

"You...you were stomped," Sonia said in as gentle a tone as she could muster as she softly placed a hand on Geo's cheek. "I saw it on the news. The horrible tragedy that took place downtown, the fight between you and the Maestro...the fact that he almost killed you. All I could do was watch it on TV. Until you showed up here I thought...I thought that...you were gone."

"Then...you didn't save me?" he asked with some confusion. Sonia shook her head in response, leaving only one other being for Geo to turn his head to. Celestia nodded when Geo looked at her, making guilt rise in his chest and he found he wasn't able to meet her eyes.

"Right before the Maestro could kill you, she teleported you to her. She then brought you here, brought you to me, and told me everything. Not just about the fight, but about herself and the Maestro...and how damned foolish you were to take him on alone!" Sonia half screamed at Geo, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked away from him. "You were practically dead when she brought you in here. You and Mega both! If not for her magic, I'm don't know if you would have survived!"

"Sonia...I...no, first I need to apologize to you," Geo said as he looked at Celestia, who raised an eyebrow in response. "You warned me about the Maestro, about what he was capable of, but because of all the other world enders that I have beaten I thought I could take him. But you were right. He was far beyond anything I have fought before. Thank you, for saving my life."

"Apology accepted. Now apologize to Sonia there," Celestia instructed as the nodded to Sonia, who was still looking at the floor. "When I brought you here, the poor girl was hysterical and refused to leave your side while I was healing you. She did everything she could to save your life and has been sitting beside you for three days on end."

"Sonia..." Geo said, trying to find the words to apologize. Before he could Sonia hugged him again and this time Geo returned the hug as well. "I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me for making you worry like this?"

"I don't know, Geo. Maybe if you treat me to dinner or something like that, I could muster up some forgiveness," Sonia said as she released Geo and winked, which caused a few tears to stream down her face.

"Mega...you mentioned Mega. Is he alright?" Geo asked after a moment, looking around for his friend.

"He and Lyra are outside. They're keeping watch incase the Maestro comes here to finish the job," Sonia informed Geo, who nodded before looking over to Celestia once more.

"Why did you bring me here? Why not bring me back to the WAZA base?" Geo asked.

"The night when I got my Hunter I had a talk with Ace. Not just about the Maestro, but also the Satella Commandoes, as he called you. And he told me that if anything happened to you, to take you to where Sonia was," Celestia explained. "He said that she would be able to protect you far better than anyone else he knew. I also figured that the Maestro would look for you at the WAZA base, while this studio isn't a place that most would look for a wounded Megaman."

"I see...thanks," Geo said once more as he pushed himself to a sitting position, grunting in pain before he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He grabbed his Hunter from the table beside him, looking down at it to see that he had over a hundred new messages, all of them from his friends and family. "They've all been worried about me. They probably think I'm dead. They have to be devastated...I need to call them."

"Actually, I would ask that you hold off on that, Geo," Celestia stated before Geo could call. "We are presented with a rare stroke of luck here. The Maestro most likely believes you to be dead. I was perfect with my teleportation spell and was also smart enough to leave a bit of your armor behind, making it look like you perished in the blast. But if I was certain that my foe was dead, who would they contact first to let know they were alive."

"My friends...and my parents," Geo agreed with a bitter growl, knowing what Celestia was hinting at. "But they must be in agony right now! They think that I was killed! How can I allow them to suffer like this?"

"In the state you are in, if the Maestro found where you were, you would be dead within minutes," Celestia reminded Geo in a serious tone. "Now we can use this time to pretend you are dead and come up with a plan to fight the Maestro...or you can alert him to the fact that you survived and get ready to go round two with him."

"I get it. You're right, in the state I'm in...all I would do is die again," Geo seethed with rage, having never felt so helpless before in his life.

"No you wouldn't. Not with me here," Sonia promised Geo as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're the unbeatable team, remember? So the next time you take him on, you better believe that I'll be right there beside you."

"Thanks...Sonia," Geo replied with a warm smile before he forced himself off of the bed, gritting his teeth as he struggled to remain standing. Sonia grabbed one of his arms and draped it over her shoulder, leaning Geo into her and supporting him so he could stand. "Where are we by the way?"

"You're in my room. This is where I've been staying while we've been recording the new season of my show," Sonia explained as she helped Geo walk to the door, Celestia following behind the both of them. "I told Lee about you being here and he's kept your presence under wrap for the time being. Everyone thinks you're an extra. Celestia startled him a bit, but I vouched for her and all seems to be well. Everyone else thinks that she's an animal that was brought in for an episode."

"And while I would love to correct their thinking, for the time being it allows me to walk around without drawing too much attention," Celestia said with a shrug of her shoulders as the group of three began to walk down the hallway. Geo looked around to find that they were in a smaller studio out by the woods, where through the windows he could see a crew setting up props by a lake that sparkled with light.

"Come on, let's get you outside. It's an amazing day out," Sonia said softly as she escorted Geo towards the exit, which a member of security opened for him. The three stepped outside and Geo had to lift a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, until Celestia extended a wing and shielded the both of them from the sun. They had barely taken a few steps before Mega and another EM being that looked like a lyre appeared before the both of them.

"Kid! Yer awake!" Mega said a sigh of relief as he held a hand to his chest. "Thank the stars...and thanks to you as well, Celestia. Without you-"

"I am just glad that I was able to save somepony...one from the Maestro's wrath," Celestia said with a bow of her head, before she glanced to the side to see the shocked faces of two crew members. She waved them away with a flip of her wing and the two walked away, deciding it was best not to question it. "But now I take it that both of you...all four of you understand why I was so insistent that you did not fight him?"

All four of them shook their heads in agreement, with both Geo and Mega glancing at each other with worried expressions. "But then what can we do? If Megaman wasn't able to beat him, even with the aid of Taurus Fire, what chance do we stand against him the next time we fight him?"

"Fortunately for you, you have something that my world did not. Experience," Celestia stated as she motioned for the four of them to follow her. They walked deeper into the woods until they were away from any pry ears, where Celestia created an image of the Maestro with her magic. "Both you and I have survived a meeting with the Maestro, meaning that we were able to learn a few things about him."

"All I learned is that he hits really hard and that nothing I do can hurt him," Geo said in a bitter voice as he crossed his arms, shaking his head with frustration. "My battle cards were useless against him and he's fast enough to react to my EM wave changes. I'm out of ideas on how to fight him."

"Then that is what we will do while we are hidden away here," Celestia informed the both of them as she used her magic to create a battlefield, one filled with traps, tricks and explosives. "We will train. We will learn and we will do our best to gain whatever advantages we can before we have to fight him again. And believe me, he will show up again. He always does."

"I'll train with you guys as much as I can, but I am here to shoot a show and if I don't show up people are going to start wondering what's going on," Sonia informed the two of them as she glanced awkwardly at Lyra. "I can cancel if you want, but then a lot of people would get mad and demand answers..."

"No Sonia, you go on ahead with the show. Leave this to Celestia and me," Geo stated with a confident smile, one that Sonia didn't return. "With our powers combined, with her magic and my technology, maybe we'll be able to overpower the Maestro."

"Wishful thinking, Geo. But I'm afraid that the Maestro is beyond both of you," Mega said with a shake of his head. "But I can't think of any plan better than what Celestia already started. So for the time being training is the best option we've got."

"And I'm going to train with you," Sonia promised before giving Geo a look that told him not to question her. "I wasn't there to help you the first time you fought him, but I will be there to help you all beat him the next time you guys fight."

"Well said, Sonia. That Maestro will be singing a different tune when he gets a taste of our music," Lyra stated with a proud smile. A voice then called out for Sonia to go to the main area, getting the star to shake her head as she rubbed her eyes.

"Anyone want to take bets on how well I'll do as an actor with only four hours of sleep?" Sonia asked Geo and Celestia as she ran her hands through her hair and tried to make herself look presentable. "Because I'm fairly certain all the makeup in the world won't fix this mess."

"You look amazing Sonia, don't let them tell you otherwise. How do you imagine Sleeping Beauties hair looked when she finally woke up?" Geo asked before giving her a thumbs up. Sonia giggled in response before punching him lightly in the shoulder, before taking off towards the studio.

"I'll do my best to get you guys in one of the shots! Come by the studio when you have some free time!" she called back to them before she and Lyra vanished inside.

"Now that we have a plan, it is time for us to begin," Celestia said with the stern voice of a teacher while Geo narrowed his eyes like a student ready to learn. "First we will study him. Then we will create countermeasures for him. Then we will work on bringing those measures into play. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Then let us begin."

Camera Shy

Megaman hurled himself to the side as an explosion of solar energy erupted behind him, hurling stone and debris across his visor. He kicked back up to his feet and spun around, firing into the trees with his Mega Buster. His eyes narrowed after he fired his shots, certain that he had missed every single one of them.

"On your left, kid!" Mega roared from Megaman's buster, yanking the teen and moving him out of the way of a blast of energy that tore through one of the trees. Megaman leapt back into a small river, spraying water across the magical version of the Maestro as the being hurled itself towards Megaman.

Megaman flipped over the back of the magic Maestro and fired numerous shots into his back. The magical being slammed into the ground, before it pushed itself back up and turned around to fire a blast of magic at Megaman. He shifted himself to his EM form to avoid the attack, before he swiped a card across his buster.

"Battle Card! Moai fall!" A massive, stone head slammed onto the magical Maestro, causing him to shatter into hundreds of little pieces. Megaman smiled as he let out a cry of victory, before turning to the side as Celestia teleported beside him. "What did you think of that? This time I managed to beat your copy without taking a single hit."

"Which shows that we're making progress, but it's not enough," Celestia said with a shake of her head as she picked up the pieces and constructed them back into a copy, which stood at her side while waiting for its orders. "This isn't even the furthest I can push this copy. Meaning that this will take much longer and that kind of time is something that we do not have."

"Maybe not, but each time we improve brings us that much closer to beating Maestro," Megaman said as he and Mega split back into their regular forms, Geo letting out a sigh as he wiped his forehead and sat down. "And maybe while we're out here working our butts off, he's resting on his laurels and getting weaker."

"Don't bet on it. The Maestro never acts without having a reason for it. And I wager that while we're training our butts off, he's off putting into motion whatever plan he has for this world," Celestia said with a shake of her head before she started moving around the copy around the forest they were practicing in.

"And whatever plan that is, we know that it can't be good for us," Mega agreed with a grunt, before he slashed at the copy as it passed by and turned it to shreds. "And this isn't getting us anywhere! Yeah, we're getting better at kicking a copy out of the air, while the real Maestro can snap his fingers and bring down a nation! We don't need training, we need something like our Tribe form or our meteor access! Something that can give us the edge we need!"

"Well then, why don't I just dive to the bottom of the ocean and retrieve the OOPart? Or maybe I can go gather all the pieces of Meteor G and point it right back at the Earth?" Geo replied with a smirk that made the alien snarl, but before the two could start anything Sonia raced into the clearing. She waved to them before she doubled over and breathed heavily for a moment as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hey...guys...sorry I'm...late," she panted before she held up a finger to signify that she needed a moment. Once she had regained her ability to breath she stood up and smiled. "The shoot ran late and I had to do the same stupid take twenty different times. I never want to hear the words "Maybe he'll be waiting by the docks" for as long as I live."

"Well Sonia, maybe he'll be-"

"And I'm stopping that there! Transcode: Harp Note! On! The! AIR!"

A flash pink light enveloped Sonia while a black bodysuit formed around her. A short pink dress formed over it with a heart emblem in the center. Pink and white sleeves spread across her arms and her guitar changed to a lyre and guitar combination. A helmet appeared on her head and a blue visor slid down her face, while a white scarf fluttered in the breeze.

"Harp Note, taking the stage!" she said as she winked at Geo and Celestia.

"Alright Sonia-"

"Harp Note.

"Fine. Alright Harp Note, we'll put you at where we were training Geo," Celestia stated as she recreated the Maestro copy, getting Harp Note to narrow her eyes as she glared at it. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing. I just really felt the urge to smash this thing to pieces," Harp Note stated right before the copy started flying around the woods. "Oh yeah, I'll need to get back to my shoot in about an hour, so if you know anyway to expedite the training it would be greatly appreciated."

"Teenagers. Always in a hurry to get a move on," Celestia said with a shake of her head as she started having the copy attack Harp Note, who started to fight the copy with a skill that impressed Celestia. After a few minutes of watching Geo joined back into the fight, forcing Celestia to push the copy as hard as she could to keep up with the two. But even as she concentrated and focused on trying to keep the two from winning, she couldn't help but smile as memories of training foals in Equestria came back to her mind.

'If it wasn't for the fact that we were preparing to fight Maestro, this wouldn't be so bad,' she thought to herself as her copy exploded into shards in the air, giving Megaman and Harp Note a chance to high five in the air. 'This reminds me of the good old days. Working with friends.'

{*}

"I have watched my fair share of filming, but I do not believe that I have ever seen a set quite like this," Celestia whispered to Geo and Mega, glancing around to make sure that no one was watching her. All around the two people raced back and forth, some with drinks, some with scripts and others with pieces of technology. The director spun around and roared at the people to shut up, before he spun around and snarled at the shot. "And what is with all of the...wizards? That is what you call them, correct?"

"Yeah, wizards are actually really good at tasks that regular humans struggle to complete," Geo replied as one of the wizards sunk into the lake beneath a red bridge, holding a camera to get the perfect shot. But Celestia found that while Geo was taking about the wizards, he was looking at the bridge that Sonia was standing on while wearing a summer dress that matched her hair.

"Careful kid, I think you're starting to drool," Mega teased Geo and Geo immediately stared in any direction that wasn't near the bridge. Celestia smiled at Geo's response before she pretend to be trying to eat grass of the ground, aware that a good number of people were beginning to look at her.

"Places...and where in the hell is Richard?!" the director roared at the people and wizards behind him, who began to look around frantically for the other star.

"Keep your toupee on, I'm coming," a voice called out over the noise of people, a path being cleared through the people as a teenager walked through them. He had golden hair, a perfect tan and radiated a presence that showed how rich he was. So immediately Celestia and Mega didn't like him as he walked by, while Geo's face was impossible to read. "Relax, I never miss a scene. Especially when I have the chance to work with the lovely Sonia Strumm."

"Thanks. I'm happy that you signed on for the show. You really bring in the ratings," Sonia replied with a smile before the director roared at everyone to shut up. People moved into place while the actors prepared themselves. Sonia caught Geo's eyes and winked once, getting Richard to look around with some confusion.

"Action!"

"Sonia, the performance is only a few days away. Won't you please give me your answer?" Richard began as he held out a hand towards Sonia, who looked away dramatically while staring down at her hand. "There is no other that I wish to be with! You are the only one!"

"Ugh, gag me," Geo muttered under his breath before Mega elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

"I cannot answer you now. I'm still not sure myself how I feel," Sonia replied in a voice that sounded more genuine and she stared off towards the side of the set with lost eyes. "I have really enjoyed being with you these last couple of weeks, but still...all of my thoughts should be going towards the concert. Not...teasing the idea of feelings that may not be real."

"What do you mean may not be real? Down by the lake, the moment we had, was that not real?" Richard asked before he stepped forward and wrapped a hand around Sonia's waist, turning her so that she was looking at him. "Look into my eyes and tell me that what we have isn't real!"

"I don't know," Sonia replied as she pushed him away, wrapping her hands around her arms and she turned away. "All I want is to focus on my music, on my fans. I don't have time for anything else...especially not someone like you."

"This is what passes for entertainment on your world?" Celestia whispered to Geo, but the teen was too busy staring coldly at the scene to answer properly.

"I understand. But know that this fire of mine...it will never go out," Richard promised Sonia as he turned and began to walk off the bridge, stopping and turning around to face Sonia one last time. "And if I have to wait till the end of the world, I will. Because you're worth it."

"Hey Geo, think you can grip those rails any tighter?" Mega teased Geo as he elbowed him once more, getting Geo to look down to find that he had a death grip upon the railing that prevented him from falling into the lake. He released his grip and crossed his arms, getting Mega to snicker. Sonia finished up the scene by staring at the spot where Richard vanished, before she ran a finger through her hair and stared at the ground.

"And cut! That's a wrap!" the director yelled with victory, getting the crowd to cheer along with him. Sonia did a fist pump before she walked over to the rest of the actors, all of them congratulating her for her performance. She then spied Geo and the others and walked over to them, a beaming smile on her face that outshone the sun.

"So, how did I do?" she asked.

"You were amazing," Geo said as he clapped his hands, getting Sonia to giggle before she took a small bow.

"Yeah and you looked pretty good too. Geo couldn't tear his eyes away from you," Mega ribbed, getting both Sonia and Geo to avoid eye contact for a minute.

"You seemed to be the only one there giving your all out there. Richard seemed to be phoning it in," Celestia said with a shrug before she spied something that made her start to nibble at the grass near her hooves. Richard walked over to the both of them, looking from Sonia to Geo with a raised eyebrow.

"Sonia, the director wants us to take a group shot now that we've finished the final episode," Richard said to Sonia, but his eyes were on Geo, and somewhat Celestia, the entire time. The two gave each other an unfriendly look before Richard turned and walked away once more.

"What was that about?" Sonia asked.

"Nothing. What did he mean by final episode? I thought there was at least four more?" Geo asked, getting Sonia to roll her eyes before she placed an arm on Geo's shoulder.

"Geo, do you know nothing about how shows are made? We record the episodes way before they air," she told Geo before bumping his shoulder with hers, waving to the three of them as she walked away towards the other actors. "I'm going to go do this group shot, then we can pick up where we left off. Try I'm really looking forward to it this time, Celestia. You really made training a lot of fun!"

"She has such a positive aura that it is hard not to smile when she's around," Celestia noted before she, Geo and Mega began to walk off set. "Reminds me...a bit of somepony that I used to know. Always perky, always happy and always making other smile."

"Yeah, she amazes me too. Especially with her past," Geo said with a somber shake of his head, peaking Celestia's interest. "She lost her mother a long time ago. Her mother was deathly ill and Sonia sang to her to make her happy. Her mom was the one that told her to become a singer, but her manager wanted to only use her talent to make money, not giving a damn about how Sonia felt. Bastard. Then her mom died, leaving Sonia all alone."

"Wow...that's terrible," Celestia said with a whistle before Mega cut in.

"Yeah, but then Sonia had the good fortune to run into our little ladies man here and her wizard Lyra back to back and suddenly her life changed around," Mega continued on. "Suddenly she went from no friends and a crappy producer to three friends and no producer. Everything worked out."

"Yeah. And she managed to keep on smiling and helping others to smile the entire time. She really is amazing," Geo said before he caught on to what he was saying and he glanced behind him to see both Mega and Celestia giving him a look. "She's a really good friend. NOTHING more. Got it?"

"Sure kid. And the moon is made of cheese," Mega replied.

Before Geo could try to change Mega's thoughts, a man with a small beard and crazy looking hair walked over to Geo. "Lee! Good to see you again!" Geo said as he extended his hand. Lee shook Geo's hand and smiled at him, before waving to Mega and giving Celestia a strange look. "What brings you over here?"

"Well, because I need your help. Or rather," Lee began before he moved in close. "I need Megaman."*

Security

"Sonia is being targeted?" Geo asked with disbelief, getting Lee to make a motion for Geo to keep his voice down as he started to look around. "But who would target Sonia? I thought she was one of the most beloved singers of all time?!"

"Yeah, she is Geo, but nevertheless our facts don't lie. Someone or thing has been staking out this place," Lee replied in a calm tone that had undertones of clear concern. He pulled out his Hunter and pressed a button on it, bringing up an image of shattered security bots. "Most of the security we hired for this place has either been killed or needs to be repaired. Things have been moved around from rooms that were locked, yet the locks were never busted or the doors forced."

"Okay, so someone is messing with things. Why does that need Megaman?" Geo asked in a tone that showed he wasn't convinced. "If you think it's a job for Megaman, then you know that Harp Note would be able to handle it as well. She's just as strong as me."

"Geo...the reason I'm so concerned is because five days ago, a being the likes of which the world has never seen showed up and decimated a section of the city while doing something no one every thought could happen. He beat you," Lee said, his voice starting to lose it's calm tone as the fear found rooting. "And he didn't just beat you, almost everyone thinks Megaman is dead. Even I did, until Sonia kicked my door down with you practically bleeding to death in her arms."

"He makes a valid argument, Geo. After seeing something like the Maestro decimated a city, only a fool would not be on guard against further attack," Celestia interjected, seeing where Lee was going with his words.

"Um, thanks talking horse."

"Okay, fine, you want more security after seeing me get my ass...butt kicked up and down a city block. But the Maestro came after me because I'm the hero of earth. Why would he come...after..."

"I see you're catching on. From what Sonia told me, and I'm guessing the horse told her, the Maestro wanted to kill you because as you said, you're the hero of earth. After he killed you, who be the next hero he would come after?"

"Harp Note. He's here for Harp Note," Geo pieced together as he turned back and looked at the room where the sounds of Sonia singing could be heard. "And if he could figure out my identity, then he'll figure out hers...come on Mega, we need to form Megaman!"

"Whoa, hold your horses there, kid! I mean, wait a moment," Mega said with a quick glance at Celestia, who smirked at his choice of wording. "Maestro still doesn't know we're alive. I figured if he did, he would already be here to finish us off. And I don't think he's the one doing all of this?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Let me finish and I'll tell you. We fought Maestro. He didn't care about stealth, he didn't care about taking out security or sneaking into lock rooms. He found show up, destroy anything in his path to get to Sonia, try to kill her and then leave if he succeeded," Mega deduced, crossing his arms with a shake of his head. "This sounds like something unrelated. But I still agree with Lee. Maestro will be here for Sonia and when he gets here, we need to be ready."

"Normally I trust your gut, but after what the Maestro did...I'm willing to help, Lee."

"Sweet. I got this for you and your wizard, Geo," Lee said as he handed a card to Geo, who glanced it before he swiped it into his Hunter. "That's a security pass. This will allow you to stick close to Sonia at all times without the reporters or other actors suspecting something is wrong."

"Except that a boy around Geo's age is hanging out with Sonia. That won't be on the pages of any tabloids," Mega smirked, but Lee's smile grew bigger than the aliens.

"Oh please, that ship has sailed. After that incident with Diamond Ice, the reporters have been trying to figure out you're relationship with Sonia," Lee told Geo. "But back on a serious track, I want to keep this between us. I'm fine with you telling Sonia, heck, she's probably already figured it out, but I don't want to cause a panic for no reason."

"The Maestro is a valid reason to panic," Celestia said in a tone so chilly that Lee shivered and rubbed his arms. "This is a sound plan, for the time being. And if Megaman is close to Harp Note, then hopefully if Maestro attacks the two of you can fight him together."

"Do you think we're ready?"

"No. But you stand a better chance together than separate," Celestia bluntly stated with a shake of her head. A person with a clip board yelled around the corner that Lee was needed somewhere and Lee nodded in response.

"Time to go do our jobs," Lee said with a sigh before he gave both Geo and Mega a worried look. "I really hope that you guys can figure out something to beat the Maestro...I really do."

"Well, no pressure," Geo muttered under his breath after Lee had walked off, turning with Celestia and Mega as they headed towards the recording booth. "Celestia...while I appreciate the training, I don't think it's going to make much of a difference. The Maestro is just..."

"I understand Geo and I'm trying to think of something else," Celestia said with a bit of heat as she and Geo stopped next to the door, leaning up against the wall with her head lowered. "But back on Equestria I tried everything to defeat the Maestro and he barely registered me. I've been trying to think of a way to use your tech to aid us in beating him, but..."

"Well, we've still got a little time to think of something," Geo said before he thought of something. "Hey Celestia? Thanks, for everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean thanks for warning us about the Maestro and helping us to fight him."

"Thank me when we win this, Geo," Celestia said with a scoff as she stared up at the ceiling. "Because if we don't win, then none of us will be able to thank anyone."

"But still, if you hadn't shown up Megaman wouldn't have been ready for the Maestro and the both of us would most likely be dead right now," Geo said before he extended a hand to Celestia. "So thanks, for doing everything you can to help us. I'm glad I've got a friend like you on our side."

"You've only known more for about a week and already you consider me a friend?" Celestia asked before she smiled and placed a hoof in Geo's hands, shaking it. "Perhaps the magic in Equestria isn't completely gone."

"What kind of magic was that?"

"...friendship, Geo. The magic of friendship."

{*}

"So he's going to be after me next, huh? Bring it," Sonia said as she slammed a fist into her palm, nearly knocking over her shake as she did so.

"Mega and I had the same attitude and we all saw how that ended up. We don't want him to bring it Sonia, we want him to be surprised and taken off guard by the fact that we're still alive," Geo corrected her as he grabbed the shake and stabilized it, before leaning back in his chair and frowning. "And even then it might not be enough."

"Come on Geo, stop frowning all the time. You're cuter when you smile," Sonia teased, but instead of getting flustered Geo's face became even more serious. "What's the matter, Geo?"

"Nothing, Sonia. It's..." he tried to brush it off, but a stern glare from Sonia got a sigh out of him. "Yesterday Celestia told me about her world, about the ponies, her relationships with them and how...happy it was. And then the Maestro ruined it all. Because he could. I can't let that happen here. I have to stop him here."

"And we will. When it matters, you always win," Sonia comforted him as she placed her hand on top of Geo's. "Solo beat you once and then you came back and bet him. Joker beat you and then you beat him. You're pretty strong in round one, but round two is where you really shine."

"You're motivational talks need a little work," Geo smirked before he nodded to her. "But thanks, Sonia. Guess I'll have to really step up my came in round two."

"The vegetarian smoothies that you have here are good, but not as good as the ones I had back in Equestria," Celestia informed the two as she walked over, causing the two teens to release separate with speeds that Celestia barely registered. Celestia sat down next to them and placed her smoothie on the table, glancing between the two. "How goes your day?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Ugh," Celestia muttered with a shake of her head. "Do you have time to train today Sonia? Or are your acting duties going to get in the way?"

"Sonia isn't required to act today, but she does have a meeting with some reporters later on about the show," Lyra informed Celestia from Sonia's Hunter, getting Celestia to nod before she sipped on her smoothie. "After that, it's a few song recordings and then we should be done for a while, giving us plenty of time to train."

"I forgot about those reporters. This won't be fun," Sonia groaned as she leaned back in her chair and started to balance it in two legs. "Can't we just skip it and go back to training."

"Sorry Sonia, but this is the last one. I promise," Lyra promised. "Now come on, you need to go get ready. They'll be here soon." Sonia groaned and looked to Geo and Celestia for help, but neither of them rose up to help her and with a groan of defeat she walked off towards her changing room.

"It's weird. The fate of the world is at stake, but hanging around the two of you almost makes me fell...like I'm at home again," Celestia noted as she took another sip. Geo pondered over her words for a moment before an idea came to him.

"Hey Celestia, why don't you come work at WAZA with us?" Geo put forward, gaining him the princesses attention. "Even though you've only been here a week, you've done everything you could to help us fight a foe that is trying to end our world. And with your magic and knowledge of other worlds, you could do things that no one else could. We could really use someone like you as apart of WAZA...no, as the Satella Commandoes."

"That is...a generous offer, Geo. But I would have to talk it over with my sister first," Celestia said with a sigh as she looked down. "I will always be there to fight the Maestro with you, but after we kill the Maestro the very first thing I will do afterwards is try to find a place for my sister. She has suffered far worse than I at his hands."

"Well, you'll both always have a place with us. And if you ever need any help, just ring us up and we'll be there for you and your sister," Geo promise her with a confident nod. "That's what friends are for."

Celestia gave Geo a soft smile in reply, but before she could voice her thanks Lee ran over to the both of them, breathing heavily as he glanced between the two. "Geo...talking horse...why aren't the both of you with Sonia? She's already outside talking with the reporters.

Geo and Celestia shared a look before the both of them took off towards the front of the studio, racing through the doors to find Sonia practically surrounded by reporters. "How in the heck did she get out here so quick?" Mega asked from within Geo's Hunter.

"Who knows. Let's just make sure that nobody tries anything," Geo grunted before Lee placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh yeah, Geo, I just got a message from your parents. They're really worried about you but are glad you're okay," Lee informed Geo, who stopped dead in his tracks before he slowly looked up at Lee.

"What?"

"Yeah, they got in contact with me about thirty minutes ago, begging me to tell them anything I might know about you. I told them that you were safe at that Sonia was taking care of you," Lee said before giving Geo a look. "You know that you should have really contacted them. They've been worried sick about you."

"You told them where I was?" Geo asked before he erupted. "Do you have any idea what you've done?! You've put us all at risk!" Geo erupted with such intensity that both the reporters and Sonia glanced over at him with confusion.

"W-what do you mean?" Lee asked as he backed away from Geo slightly. Mega materialized behind Geo and started to pull him back. "What did I do?"

"You have given me exactly what I wanted."

With a sickening chill sliding down his spine, Geo and everyone else around him looked up to the top of the studio, where a being in a black coat with a metal body was staring down at all of them. The metal owl on his face had warped so it looked like he was smiling, but the smile held no joy within it. It felt like the smile of death.

"Maestro," Geo whispered before he reached for his Hunter. Maestro nodded before he thrust out his hand and aimed it right at the reporters and the girl that they had surrounded. Yet the second before he could fire a blast of magic struck him in the chest, before a massive alicorn tackled him with her magic blazing like the sun.

"You will not harm anyone else!" Celestia bellowed as she drove both her and Maestro back, shifting his shot and causing the Maestro to shoot into the sky. The reporters screamed as the explosion rocked the entire studio, before a backhand from Maestro sent Celestia hurtling backwards.

"Celestia. I knew that you were here, but I had hoped that you would have learned that you cannot fight me," the Maestro told her as she caught herself, blood tricking from her mouth.

"Sonia!" Geo roared as he pushed his way through the reporters, finding Sonia in the middle of them, trying to get all of them out of the line of fire. The two of them shared a look before they nodded at each other, racing off to the nearest tree line with their wizards behind them.

"I won't let you take another world, Maestro. I will stop you!" Celestia bellowed as her mane blazed like the sun.

"You will try. And you will die," the Maestro replied calmly, getting Celestia to roar before she fired a blast of magic so intense that that roof of the studio began to melt. But her attack did nothing to the metal that formed the Maestro, getting him to sigh before he lunged through the magic and grabbed Celestia by the throat. He was about to twist her neck before a blast of sound caught him in the arm and shook him enough to drop the princess.

"She's not the one that will be dying today. You will," Megaman promised Maestro as both he and Harp Note floated down next to Celestia, both of who aimed their weapons at him.

"You're going to pay for all the lives that you've ruined," Harp Note growled.

"Doubtful. But I am grateful that you both appeared at the same time. Now I will waste no time...killing you."*

The Solar Knight

Maestro bellowed with vengeance as he fired shattered magic from both of his hands, decimating the very fabric of space and time around him as he tried to kill the hero before him. But despite the shattered magic's ability to decimate reality, when Megaman swung his shield to intercept the blast the Maestro found that his power was unable to pierce through the disk.

Megaman roared himself before he charged into the shattered magic, his solar shield blazing like the sun as it withstood the power that had yet to fail the Maestro. With one last push he knocked the remaining magic aside before he aimed Celestia's head towards the Maestro. Celestia smirked before her horn glowed and fired a blast of combined power that was filled with both hers and Megaman's energy. Maestro crossed his arms to deflect the blast, but this time the magical assault sent him skidding backwards with its power.

"This...shouldn't be happening," Maestro snarled once he had come to a stop, lowering his arms to find that his metal limbs had been melted slightly by the intensity of the attack. Solar Knight Megaman chose to answer by firing more solar bolts at Maestro, who was forced to create a barrier of shattered magic to defend himself from the onslaught. "Celestia is not capable of merging with an EM being! And what's more, neither of you should be strong enough to even stand after my previous onslaught. This is inconceivable...no, this is impossible!"

"Actually, Maestro, this is the power of friendship. The power that you mocked on my world," Celestia stated with the smuggest smirk she could muster before Megaman lunged forward again. Maestro snarled before he combined his arms and changed them into a massive cannon. He sneered before unleashing a blast of shattered magic far beyond anything he had used before.

He had expected Megaman to block the attack with his shield, but instead he changed his frequency and allowed the attack to pass through him. Maestro roared before Megaman re-materialized and slammed his shield into the metal skull of Maestro, causing him to stagger backwards while clutching a hand to his head. Celestia bellowed herself as Megaman aimed her right at the Maestros chest, unloading tons of solar bursts into his chest. The Maestro was sent tumbling backwards and crashed into what remained of the studio, snarling as he looked down to see that his chest was beginning to melt.

"Friendship was not this powerful on your world. I killed the power of friendship on your world," Maestro snarled as he rose back to his feet, tearing his black cape free of his body and burning it with his magic. "This is...an unforeseen outcome. One that not even I could have predicted, given the lack of evidence."

"Are you still having trouble understanding this?" Megaman asked as he pointed the armored head of Celestia towards the Maestro, solar power charging in her horn. "It's simple. Celestia held the power to bend the sun to her will. I was strong enough to defeat meteors and black holes. Combine that power together and you have an unbeatable warrior. Simple."

"Heh...there is nothing simple with the multiverse. And I admit, despite the damage you have done to this body, am I truly ecstatic for a new outcome. An outcome that I have never predicted," the Maestro said before the shattered magic took up his entire form, repairing the damage done to him. "But I have other plans for this world. Which means that I must still kill the both of you. But I will bring another Celestia to another version of this world later. It has proven most interesting."

"You will need to get rid of us first. And you won't."

Maestro roared as he hurled himself at the Solar Knight, slamming his fist filled with shattered magic into the shield of Megaman. Megaman growled as he pushed back against the unworldly power of the Maestro, digging his heels in deep to withstand the blow. The strength of the shield along with their combined power allowed Megaman to keep his footing, before he bellowed in fury and slammed Celestia's head into the face of Maestro.

Celestia roared as her horn blazed as she unleashed a stream of fire as intense of the sun into the face of Maestro, who roared before swatting her away so that he could leap backward to escape the flames. Maestro slammed his hands together and created a strange, bladed weapon out of his magic, one that he swung towards Megaman and Celestia. Megaman lifted his shield to deflect the blow, but the blade carved through his shield and left a massive scar down the front of it.

"Your power is incredible, but mine is beyond your comprehension," Maestro promised as he continued his onslaught, tearing piece after piece of the shield away. Megaman didn't budge an inch and chose instead to keep deflecting so that Celestia had a clear shot at the Maestro. Yet when she fired at him, his body flickered and her shot went clean through him. She gasped in surprise before the Maestro lashed out with his foot and kicked her head. "Surprised? You are not the only one that can alter your form."

Megaman leapt backward and kicked off the Maestro's chest, hurling the both of them backwards before Megaman landed on his knees. He shot up and aimed Celestia at the Maestro, only to find that she was still recovering from the Maestro's attack. Taking the opportunity, Maestro switched his shattered weapon to a chain with a hook on the end, one which he hurled at Megaman and wrapped it around his leg. His power was then channeled through the chain, causing Megaman to roar in pain as agony seared his nerves.

Maestro then flicked his wrist and pulled Megaman off of his feet, spinning him around a bit before he whipped the chain so that the hero on the end was driven through half of the trees that lined the back of the stuido. Maestro finished his attack by hurling Megaman into the air, before clenching his fist and causing a bolt of shattered lightning to strike Megaman from behind. The blast drove Megaman through the ground, where he started to push himself back up once more.

"Why don't you make this easier for all of us and just stay down?" Maestro asked as he focused his shattered magic into a sharp point, one that he aimed at Megaman's head. "After what I've done to you and your friends, it should be clear that you cannot beat me. Even if you manage to destroy this form, I will return."

"Stay down? After everything you've done to Celestia and Luna?" Megaman repeated as he rose back to his feet, his eyes starting to blaze like the star in the center of the sky. "After all the lives you have ruined? All the people that you've hurt and killed?! You think I would just stay down?!"

Maestro sneered before firing the spike of shattered magic at Megaman's head, but a wave of fire erupted from Megaman and wrapped around his body, incinerating the spike and consuming Megaman in the flames. Both Megaman and Celestia roared within the flames, which seemed to grow in strength as the wrath of their creators grew.

"After what you did to MY friends?! MY Sonia? MY WORLD?!" Megaman roared before he reached out with Celestia and had her bite down upon the flames, concentrating all of their power and fury into a blade that was as pure and as all consuming as the sun itself. The blade was shaped like a claymore, with yellows and red so bright that the people that looked at it had to avert their eyes. Both he and Celestia then both glared at the Maestro, who felt himself burning away under their gaze. "After what you did to my little ponies?"

In a flash brighter than the sun, Megaman was before Maestro. Maestro had just enough time to register that Megaman was there before the solar sword sliced through his chest, getting Maestro to roar as shattered magic began to spew from his wound. Another flash happened and his right arm was severed from his body, before another flash cleaved one of his legs.

"What...is...?" the Maestro asked before Megaman spun around and drove his blade through the chest of Maestro. He then drove both the blade and Maestro into the ground, where the metal madman found out quickly that he could not move the blade. He tried to vibrate his form to escape, but at the rate his body was melting he found that he was unable to.

"It's over, Maestro. Time to burn for what you have done," Celestia spat before Megaman leapt into the air, placing himself between the sun and the Maestro. He then moved his shield in front of Celestia's head, while the light of the sun turned the shield transparent. Celestia then narrowed her eyes as she channeled her magic both through her horn and her mouth, which in turn caused the shield to begin to glow with power. The Maestro roared with fury as he tried to escape, but to no avail. All he could do was look up at the hero that aimed his final attack towards him, an attack that was brighter than the sun.

"Solar Inferno!" Megaman roared before the blast of solar magic erupted from the shield, barreling down towards the Maestro while incinerating everything in its path. Maestro said nothing before he was consumed by the unrelenting magic, which quickly melted away the metal until there was nothing left. After a moment of firing Megaman ceased the attack, ceasing the beam of solar power and revealing that all that was left of the Maestro was a black circle of pitch black ash.

Megaman and Celestia lowered themselves to the ground, staring at the spot where the Maestro had laid. Megaman then let out a sigh of relief before he glanced over at the reporters, who had all been recording the fight with awe stuck looks upon their faces. The Solar Knight then turned and walked over to where Sonia lay, gently kneeling down and picking her up into his arms.

"Sonia? Are you alright?" he asked her softly. Sonia let out a weak groan before her eyes cracked open, blinking twice as she looked up at the crown on Megaman's head with some confusion. "Don't worry, you're safe now. We did it, Sonia. We beat him."

"I...knew you would," she said softly before she closed her eyes and rested her head against Megaman's shoulder. "And I knew you would save me too. After all...you're my knight in shining armor."

Sonia then began to breath softly, telling Megaman that she had fallen asleep. The Solar Knight walked back into what remained of the studio, which was only half of the building. He found that Sonia's room had managed to stay intact. He gently laid her down on the bed before sighing in relief, before he glowed like the sun and separated back into Megaman and Celestia once more. The two then looked at each other before they both collapsed to the floor, both of them breathing heavily as they tried to calm down.

"So we...did it right? We actually beat him?" Megaman asked Celestia, who was staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know. I don't know if something that evil can actually be killed," Celestia said before she glanced over at Geo and smiled, her smile brighter than the sun. "But we proved we can beat him. That with our powers combined...with the power of friendship, even a world ender like himself can be beaten."

"Good job you two. Neither of us knew if you could win," Mega said as he appeared next to Geo, with Lyra appearing next to the sleeping Sonia. "But that Solar Knight...that might be our strongest form yet, Geo. I've never held that much raw power within our body before."

"Yeah...speaking of, where were you when we transformed?" Geo asked in-between breaths.

"I was still in there, but with how well you and Celestia were doing, I decided to take a backseat and see where you two would drive us," Mega replied before he stretched his arms before he floated towards the door. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go fly off and give those reporters the impression that Megaman has flown off to save the day."

"But you both were incredible," Lyra said after Mega had left the room, giving the both of them a kindhearted smile. "When Sonia and I first started fighting the Maestro, I realized the true power that he held within him. And I thought...we were all going to die. But you beat him. You actually managed to put that monster down."

"It was a team effort," Geo said with a sigh as he sat up, feeling like he had a sunburn over all of his body. "Just like every other time we've saved the world. It was a team effort."

"But I am not certain that the Maestro is dead," Celestia said after a moment, shaking her head as she thought things over. "During the battle he said if we destroyed this body, he would live on. Does that mean he have more bodies? Can he posses others? I'm afraid that even with this newfound power, the danger of the Maestro will still loom over us."

"This time, though, we have the power to defeat him if he shows up again," Geo reminded her with a smile as he stood up, walking over to Sonia's bed and sitting in a chair beside her bed. "We have the power of the Solar Knight. And with it, we can put a stop to whatever the Maestro has in plan for this world."

"I agree with Geo. This power is beyond anything I've ever felt, in a good way," Mega said as he floated back into the room, swinging a camera around on his finger. "I've lead most of the reporters away and scared off the others that wanted to intrude on your privacy. Unfortunately for you Celestia, most of them are already writing stories about the magical, talking horse."

"I am not surprised. After my entrance upon arriving her and now this, it was bound to happen," Celestia said with a shrug. "Geo, now that we've dealt with the Maestro for the time being, this may be the best time to call Ace. Let him know that you're okay and tell him what's going on."

Geo nodded as he brought up his Hunter, selecting Ace's number and calling. A moment later Ace's face appeared on the screen before Geo, a wide smile on his face.

"Well well, if it isn't the hero of earth! Nice to see you again," Ace said with a laugh before he gave Geo a proud nod. "Yeah, I'm not surprised to see you. Everyone saw that battle between you and the Maestro on the news. Love the new look by the way."

"Thanks, but the only reason we beat him was because of Celestia. If not for her power, we most likely have all died," Geo replied with a shake of his head. "Sonia is down for the moment, but she's alive at least."

"Okay. Good job on taking down the Maestro, never doubted you for a moment. Now all of you get your butts over here, I've got a few things you'll probably want to hear about," Ace said with a sly smile before he glanced down at something. "Bring Sonia with you as well, once she's awake again. I'm going to need all of you here."

"What's going on?"

"We've found out what Maestro has been up to. And it isn't good."

Commandoes

"You should take a break," the human made wizard named Acid said to a hardworking Ace, who was typing into a computer with a frenzy that the wizard had rarely seen. "You've been working non-stop for nearly three days now and it cannot be good for you health."

"Forget about my health. I'm the fool that tore his body apart every time I merged with you to become Acid Ace," Ace smirked back before he brought up a file, scanning over it quickly before he went back to his work. "And this is worth the exhaustion and a few nights without sleep."

"Then what about your wife?" Acid reminded Ace, who sighed before he glanced to the side of his desk at a picture. It was of Ace, a woman named Tia, and her little brother Jack, all standing around the front of WAZA. "You haven't been home in a week. And I've been the one to take all of her calls for you. She's worried about you."

"Thank you for that, Acid, but with the apparent death of Megaman, I had to be working around the clock to keep up with what the Maestro has been doing," Ace replied with a tired sigh, before he held out an instructional pad to Acid. "And now that we know Geo and Mega did survive their fight with Maestro, we can move into the next problem that has popped up. Bud and his friends will be here soon, so can you go get Geo and the others before you drop that off?"

Acid let out a sigh before he floated out of the room, leaving Ace alone with his work. He exited the room to find Geo, Sonia and their wizards sitting outside of the room. Geo looked tired, Sonia had a horrendous black eye, and the two wizards looked to be slightly on edge. But what drew Acid's full attention was that a certain princess of the sun was missing.

"Where is Celestia?" he asked them.

"She's with her sister. Figured that she had been away for too long and wants to make sure that Luna's alright," Geo replied.

"I'd like to meet Luna. If she's as interesting as Celestia said she is, then she probably has some really cool stories," Sonia said before a deviant smile crossed her face. "Not to mention now that we have two Luna's we can totally mess with them by calling out their name when they're both in the room."

"Indeed. Ace is ready for you to go in."

Geo and Sonia nodded before they stood up and headed towards the door, leaving Acid alone with the other two wizards for a moment. "Stay close to those two," Acid instructed the pair. "Even if you managed to kill the Maestro, he has left quite a few presents for us to open."

"What do you mean?"

"Ace will explain everything for you. Now if you will excuse me."

Acid turned and floated off, getting a snarl from Mega before Lyra grabbed his arm and dragged him into Ace's room. They joined Geo and Sonia, who were both standing at attention while Ace typed away at his computer terminal. He glanced up to see that the four of them were there and he gave them a smile, clicking one last time before he stood up and walked over to the pair.

"Glad to see you're still with us, Geo," Ace said as he extended a hand to the kid, who grabbed Ace's hand and shook it with a large smile. "And glad to see that you could join us, Sonia. I know that with your life as a singer slash actress, it can be hard to find free time for anything."

"The world is in danger, so you know that I'll be there," Sonia said with determination, before she glanced up at the ceiling with a smile. "And the fight with Maestro totally trashed the studio that I was recording at. It will be quite a while before I can get back to work on my show."

"All the better for us. The Commandoes need every able body we can get," Ace replied before he heard the sound of feet running through the hallways outside the door. "And speaking of the Commandoes, I'm glad to see that the rest of them have decided to join us."

The door was practically torn off its hinges and three teenagers ran inside, all of them with tears running down their faces as they laid eyes on Geo. He had only just began to raise his hand to greet them before all three of the teens tackled him all at once, bringing down the hero of the earth and burying him beneath his crying friends.

"Nice...to see you guys...too," Geo wheezed out as their combined weight crushed him.

"We were so worried about you!" Luna cried out between her sobs, trying to get a hold on herself and failing miserably. "Scratch that, we all thought you were dead! Everyone thought that you were dead! Why didn't you tell us that you were alive?!"

"Part of...plan," Geo wheezed out as Bud finally managed to position himself so that he could crush Geo's ribs with his bear hug.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't any help during the fight! But I promise that next time it will be different!" Bud sobbed as he tightened his grip, nearly squeezing the life out of Geo.

"Bud, there's a ninety percent chance that if you don't stop squeezing, Geo won't make it till next time!" Zack said in a muffled voice before he pulled his face out of Geo's shirt and glanced up at him with tears streaming down his eyes. "And there's a hundred percent chance that if you ever do anything like that again, we won't forgive you!"

It took about ten minutes for his friends to calm down to the point where they were able to stop crying, but it was hard for Ace to keep from laughing when he saw his commandoes all standing in a line with red faces and one of them looking like he was on the verge of moving on to the next world.

"Thank you all for joining me today," Ace said in a serious tone, taking full control of the room as he did so. The five teenagers and their wizards stood at attention, which almost made him crack up. "As all of you know, recently our world has come under attack from a monster known as the Maestro. A being of unspeakable power that treats human lives like pieces on a chessboard who sought to bring ruin to our world."

"But thanks to the warning of Celestia, along with her efforts alongside Megaman, they managed to either kill him or stop him for the time being. Either way, we owe the both of you a great deal of thanks," Ace said to Geo, who nodded before he got elbowed in the arm by Sonia. "But just because the Maestro is gone doesn't mean that what he was working on has vanished with him. And that include this."

Ace turned and pressed a button on the remote he was holding, bringing up an image upon the colossal television that rested behind his desk. The image was of a massive sphere that floated above a facility, with both Sonia and Geo recognizing the metal it was made of as the same metal the Maestro was made of.

"Whatever this is, it is the cause of the power and...EM outage, I guess, in the area in the southern part of our country," Ace informed the group with a bitter frown upon his face. "We've lost contact with all of the people near those areas and all of the agents we've sent in have gone silent. That includes...Solo."

All sets of eyes widened in shock at Ace's words, leaving the general to press a button and show an image of a dark clad warrior with spikey white hair and a wicked looking sword. "After the Maestro showed us what he was capable of, I sent in Solo to find out what was going on with that sphere."

"How'd you get him to do that? He hates to listen to anyone weaker than him," Luna reminded them.

"Who said I'm weaker than him?" Ace asked with a sly smile before he shrugged. "But we didn't fight. I told him that the sphere was made up of material from the continent of Mu and he race off in a frenzy. Since he hasn't contacted us or destroyed the sphere, either the Maestro got to him or something else has happened. Either way, we've lost contact with one of our strongest fighters and are still no closer to figuring out what that sphere is."

"That is his final weapon. That is what he used to kill our world." Every set of eyes in the room turned around to see two princesses standing in the doorway, one of them looking far more angry that the other, who simply looked tired. "It is a weapon that sucked all of the magic out of the very beings that lived in the land and used it to wipe out anything that had magic within it. It is a symbol of his power."

"Well, thank you for answering the what and why. Now I need to ask you how the heck can we destroy it?" Ace asked, but Celestia shook her head with a bitter look on her face.

"My sister and I did everything we could, along with the Ambassadors, but we couldn't even scratch it. Our power, the power to move the sun and moon, wasn't able to phase his creation. I have no idea how to destroy it."

"I see. Luna, any ideas?" Ace asked as he glanced at the princess, but before she could speak the human girl named Luna stepped forward.

"Well, as Geo now has a brand new form that was able to destroy the Maestro, yes, I saw the battle on the news, it only makes sense that his form would be able to destroy anything that was built by him," she offered with a proud smile on her face, but her face fell when Ace chuckled and shook his head.

"Thank you Luna, but I was speaking to Princess Luna, Celestia's sister."

"And so it begins," Sonia whispered to Geo, who smiled in reply.

"Oh...okay," Luna said as she stepped back with a wounded look on her face, but no one noticed as the princess of the moon stepped forward with a stern look.

"I agree with my sister when she said that none of our magic was able to harm it. However, at the time our world was under attack and we were not able to devote all of our efforts to bringing them down," she explained, but before she could continue Ace held up a hand.

"Them? As in, more than one?" he asked, swearing under his breath when Luna nodded. He punched in a number on his hunter and turned so that the others couldn't see who he was talking to. "I need every agent and wizard we've got to spare on the lookout for anymore of those spheres like the one that showed up in the south. And if you find one, do not get close to it. Just report it. I'm sorry Princess, what were you saying?" Ace apologized as he turned back around.

"As I was saying, we were also dealing with the Maestro and his attack upon our world. So my sister and I only really assaulted the outer shell of the sphere, never trying any other tactics. And when it was clear that we could not harm it, we...focused all of our efforts to kill the Maestro. It wasn't until after he activated them that we learned that they were the real threat all along," she said as she hung her head in shame.

"I think I get what Luna is saying. Both of them," Geo cut in when Luna didn't speak any further. "With both the Maestro out of the way and with my new form, we might be able to find a way to destroy these things. It's clear that the metal is the same as what the Maestro was made of, meaning that the solar blade that Celestia and I can use should be able to cut through it."

"And even if that doesn't work, with the Maestro out of the way for the moment we might be able to find a way inside of it, maybe even find out how he built something like that," Zack added as he adjusted his glasses, before his wizard appeared next to him.

"Statistically Zack, it would be further in our interest to simply destroy the machine instead of risking its activation," Pedia, the wizard with an open book on the top of his head, suggested.

"Pre...cisely," Luna agreed before she let out a weal groan and started to fall over. Celestia moved like a blur and caught her sister with her shoulder, gently pushing Luna back to her hooves.

"You have been up for too long. You still haven't recovered from the wounds that the Maestro gave you," Celestia reminded her sister while glancing at her sisters burned side and missing wing. "You need to go back to your room and rest."

"I do not wish to rest, sister. I want vengeance upon the monster that took our world, our home...my wing from me," Luna snarled, but her quick flare of rage was extinguished by exhaustion and she leaned against her sister for a moment. "But I am...not opposed...to a quick rest."

"I will take my sister back to her room. As for the rest of you, please inform me of any plan or attack that you have in mind before you put it into motion," Celestia asked the humans. "I am still worried. Like there is something else that we are missing. Something important."

As Celestia took her sister and left the room, Ace leaned against his desk and lowered his head. He stayed like that for a moment, lost in thought, before he lifted his head once more and took in the group of teenagers that were awaiting his order.

"I don't have anything else for you right now," he said to them with a shrug of his shoulders. "Right now I'm going to go meet with Doctor Goodall and my superiors and try to come up with a plan of attack...and then I think I'm going to call me wife and see how she's doing. You're all dismissed for the time being. Try to have some fun and catch up. You've all spent the past week thinking one of you was dead while that one fought for his life. You guys need a break."

"He's right, you have all been pushing yourselves too hard. Especially you, Geo," Luna agreed with Ace as they left his office, the teenage girl giving Geo a look of concern. "And are you sure that you've recovered from your fight with Maestro at the mall? Because after what he did to you..."

"Don't worry, Sonia and Celestia patched me up perfectly," Geo comforted her with a nod to Sonia, who gave him two thumbs up in reply despite her eye. Luna flashed Sonia a grateful smile before the group noticed that Acid was floating towards them once more. "What's the matter, Acid? Did the Maestro show up again?

"No, but you do have a visitor, Geo. Two of them to be precise," Acid said. "Your parents."

News Report

As the elevators doors dinged open, Geo took in a quick breath to steady his nerves. 'It's been a week since they thought I had died. The three days I was out and the four that I trained with Celestia and Sonia. And aside from Lee, they found out about me being alive through the news. They've got to be beyond mad at me.'

Geo walked towards the main lobby by himself, having asked his friends to stay behind so that he could talk with them by himself. He found his parents sitting in a pair of seats by the desk. Or rather, his dad was sitting while his mom was practically throttling the guard to get by him. The abuse of the security stopped when Hope laid her eyes on her son. Geo had tried to raise a hand to greet her before she was tackled by his mother, feeling his bones crunch as his mother held him tight.

"You're alive...you're safe," she sobbed as she held him close, falling to her knees as she did so. Geo didn't know what to say to her, but he was saved from saying anything when his dad stood up and walked over to the both of them. Kelvin Stelar looked like a taller, more buff version of Geo, with even his hair looking the same as his sons. He said nothing, but gave his son a soft smile before he too knelt down and hugged both his son and wife.

"Come on you guys, bring it together!" Mega said as he materialized next to the family, hugging Geo from behind far tighter than his mother had been. Geo struggled and managed to break free of everyone's grasp, breathing heavily when he found he could finally breath again.

"Hey mom. Hey dad," Geo said with a small chuckle, not sure what to say to them. "Glad to see you guys."

"Geo Stelar," his mother said in a tone that was usually followed by Geo being grounded for eternity. "I know that you are a hero. I know that you are a member of the Satella Police. But I want answers and I want them right now."

Geo, Kelvin and Mega all knew that when she said something in that kind of tone there was no arguing with her. The group sat down and for about thirty minutes Geo explained to his parents what had been going on, both of them losing any traces of anger towards the teen as they were informed of what was going on.

"So it's another world ending threat, huh? But this time he's already destroyed a world," Kelvin said with a sigh before he clenched his fists.

"No dad. It's nothing like before," Geo said in a voice that was dead serious, so serious that both his mother and father looked at him with some surprise. "You guys don't get it. Maestro's power is beyond anything Mega and I have ever fought. He treated us like we were nothing and crushed us with ease. I know that you saw us beat him on the news, but the only reason we were able to was because we combined with Celestia and she added our power to hers."

"I vouch for the kid on this one. We might have gotten lucky against the Maestro last time, but he ain't gone. Beings as evil as him never stay dead," Mega snarled. Hope sighed as she clasped her hands together and stared at the ground, leaving the other three to wait in silence for what she was going to say.

"Stay close to Ace and don't get in over your head," she said at last, lifting her head to reveal a face that was both conflicted and proud. "I would love to tell you to not get involved, but even if I tried to shelter you from this it won't protect you. The only way you will be safe is if this monster is dealt with once and for all. So you have my approval to fight in this fight, but only if you promise that you will come back safe."

"I pro...I promise that I'll come back alive," Geo said with a grim face, leaving his mother confused. "This is the Maestro, mom. I can promise alive, but I can't promise safe. Not against him."

"I...can live with that," Hope said, not sounding too happy about what Geo had said. Kelvin then walked over to Geo and placed his hands on his sons shoulder, looking down at him with pride.

"Son...you're the hero of the world. But that doesn't mean you have to do this alone. Your friends will be your greatest allies in this fight," Kelvin reminded Geo.

"I've got it dad. Friends are the only reason that I survived the Maestro in the first place," Geo said with a laugh, before he looked at the elevator when it opened and revealed a Luna Platz that was beyond pissed. "And they might just be the death of me. Hey Luna, what's the matter?"

"Come with me!" Luna roared at Geo as she grabbed hold of the back of his collar and dragged him into the elevator. Geo extended a hand towards his parents for help, but they waved at him with a pair of large, but also slightly scared, smiles. She slammed a fist into a button and the doors shut faster than Geo had ever seen before, apparently as scared of her as Geo was.

"Um, is something the matter?" Geo asked Luna, who replied with a snarl that would have terrified tigers. Geo shut his mouth and stared at a stain in the corner of the elevator, able to feel the anger radiating from Luna. The door opened to the floor that Luna had punched and without wasting a moment she grabbed Geo by the ear, dragging him out of the elevator and into a room where the rest of the Commandoes were waiting.

"What's going on?" he asked the others when he found them sitting in numerous seats, all of them wearing the same expression that he was wearing. Luna forced him to sit down in-between Bud and Sonia, neither of who looked at him and kept their eyes forward. A blank screen was all that Geo could look at as he kept his head straight forward, before Luna picked up a remote and pointed it at the screen.

"Care to explain this?" she half snarled as she turned on the news, pressing a button and rewinding it back to the start of a topic.

"...and for those of you that have been cowering in fear because of recent events, there is no longer need to hide. Megaman, the hero of the world, is still alive," one of the wizard newscaster said.

"The hero, who was believed to be dead after a horrible battle with some kind of metal man last week, was found battling with that same creature at the studio in the north. The only difference was that this fight went incredibly differently," the second wizard said as footage of Megaman in his Solar Knight form was battling Maestro, the footage collected from one of the reporters that had retained enough sense to film the battle.

"Whatever happened to Megaman between the two battles, we may never know, but it seems that Megaman is in a fight to save the world once again. But this reporter is simply glad to say that Megaman, our hero, is back and stronger than ever."

"Well that was nice of them," Geo said with a kind smile as he looked up at Luna, who glared down at him in reply. "What's the matter with that? It's just a nice piece telling people that Megaman isn't dead.

"Keep. Watching."

"And in other news...are Megaman and the celebrity singer Sonia Strumm dating?" Geo whipped his head back to the TV fast enough to give him whiplash. "Recent words spoken by the blue bomber may seem to indicate that the two may be closer than anyone would have thought. During his battle with the metal man, Megaman said this-"

"After what you did to MY friends?! MY Sonia?! MY WORLD?!" Megaman roared on the screen as the fires raged around him, but at that moment Geo felt a rage that blazed with far more intensity and destruction than the fires that his ultimate form had created beside him, one that kept him from looking to his left.

"My Sonia, huh? Not many people get to call her that," one of the wizard newscaster said with a chuckle. "Well we have speculated for a while that Sonia Strumm may be in a relationship, but until now no one could figure out who."

"But Megaman doesn't seem to come as too much as a surprise, actually. After all, Sonia has in the past said that she is a huge fan of Megaman and Megaman himself-"

Luna shut the TV off at that moment, leaving the room they were sitting in deathly silent. None of the teenagers dared to look at the Prez, who was glaring daggers at the two EM champions that stared forward at the blank TV while doing their best to control their reddening faces.

"My Sonia, huh?" Luna finally said in a voice that sounded like the end of the world, causing Geo to close his eyes and make peace with death. "Quite a specific choice of words there, wouldn't you say, Geo?"

"Luna, I know what you are thinking. But this isn't what it seems like," Geo said very calmly and very thought out as he slowly lifted his hands up incase he needed to defend himself. "I had just transformed into a new form. I had merged with a new ally and was getting used to working with her. I was fighting with the villain that nearly killed all of us. I lost myself in my emotions and unleashed all of my rage towards the Maestro. Even I'm not sure what I was saying until after I said it. It didn't mean anything or imply anything special."

Luna's face showed that she was no closer to calming down then she was before Geo's explanation, but a moment later the door to the room opened and Ace walked inside. "Alright everyone, we may have a plan of action for how to deal with the spheres, but it will be a few days before we can put it into motion. So my next set of orders for you are-"

"Can this wait a moment? We are in the middle of something," Luna snarled with an intensity that made all four of the other teenagers sit up straight in their seats, all of them watching the confrontation out of the corner of their eyes. Ace stared down at the wrath that flashed in Luna's eyes, before he let out a laugh and lightly tapped his holo-board on the top of her head.

"You think a look like that scares me, Luna? I'm married. You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to get anywhere close to Tia's death glare," Ace said before he glanced down at his board again. "Geo, I've talked with Celestia and we both agree that it would be best if the two of you stick close to one another incase the Maestro shows up again. Better safe than sorry."

"Yeah, I can see why we should do that," Geo agreed, before he realized something. "But is she really willing to leave her sister? Or is she expecting me to stay here?"

"We've already figured out a solution to that. Sonia will be staying with Luna until she has recovered enough to leave WAZA," Ace replied, getting Geo to look at the smiling Sonia.

"When Celestia and I were talking, she talked a lot about her sister. She sounded really cool from Celestia's stories and I wanted to meet her. Not to mention that the place I was staying at was trashed and I've got no place else to sleep for the time being. So where else than WAZA to stay?"

"You could always stay with my family," Geo offered, before he felt Luna's gaze turn upon him once more.

"No, I figure this is for the best. That way if Maestro comes back and if he comes after Luna, she'll be protected by two of the best Commandoes, along with the entire WAZA force," Sonia said, her tone telling Geo that she had made up her mind.

"Alright, now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, the current plan is for Celestia and Geo to be on the watch for any sign of the Maestro's re-emergence, while me and the rest of the WAZA staff think of a way to bring down that sphere...and all the other ones that might be out there," Ace muttered under his breath.

"Sounds fine. Bud! Zack! Geo! Let's get going!" Luna ordered as she rose to her feet, with Bud, Zack and Geo following suit. But as the three started to follow her out, Sonia placed a hand on Geo's shoulder.

"Actually, can I speak to you for a moment...in private?" she asked. Luna threw her hands up with a growl before she stalked out of the room, with Bud and Zack trailing her. Ace nodded to the two before he put in a call on his Hunter as he left, with both Geo and Sonia barely able to make out Tia on the small screen before the door closed.

"So...what's the matter?" Geo asked Sonia as she walked over to the windows and stare out at the canyon around them.

"Nothing, it's just...we haven't had the chance to talk since the whole Maestro incident," Sonia replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Geo frowned slightly before he walked over beside her and joined her in staring out at the canyon. "Thanks for saving me, by the way. If you hadn't been there Maestro would have killed me."

"Hey, let's not forget who saved who first. If not for you, I would have died from my wounds from my first fight with Maestro," Geo replied.

"Well, it was actually Celestia that saved you. She just brought you to me," Sonia shot back with a small smile.

"Yeah, brought me to the one person that she knew would be able to take on the Maestro. Don't underestimate yourself Sonia, you're probably stronger than me," Geo added on with a playful smile. "New albums, working on a TV show and finding time to meet with your millions of fans. If you ask me you're the real hero here."

"Pfft, if only the media would appreciate Harp Note as much as they do Megaman. But somehow I'm the sidekick despite you owing me your life ten times over," Sonia replied with a laugh as she elbowed Geo, who responded by lightly flicking Sonia on the side of the head. The two laughed for a moment before Sonia's face fell and she lowered her head onto her arms.

"So...did you mean what you said to Luna? That the whole 'My Sonia' was nothing special?" Sonia asked, getting Geo to avert his eyes for a moment. "Does that mean that I'm...not special?"

"Not at all!" Geo replied loudly, getting Sonia to jump slightly as she stared at Geo. He regained control of himself and sighed for a moment, before placing a hand over hers. "Sonia...you were my first friend. My first Brother. The first stranger in the world that I felt I could trust. The first person...that got me to smile. You are...the most special person in the world to me."

Sonia's eyes widened for a moment before she turned her head away, unable to hide a small smile. "And what...does that mean, exactly?" Geo looked down for a moment before he gave her a look that was as confused as he felt.

"I'm still figuring that out myself."

Geo then turned and slowly walked out of the room, fully aware that Sonia was staring at him the entire time. He didn't know what she thought about him after he told her that and, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sure how he felt about her. And he figured it was for the best.

The Stelar House

The tram was unusually quiet for the afternoon, with only a handful of people and one alicorn sitting on board. Geo and his friends were fast asleep, all of them tired from the long couple of days that they had. Celestia, who was used to working through exhaustion, was reading a news display that Ace had been kind enough to loan to her and she was reading through what was going on in the world. And the two Stelars were looking down at their son, each of them both concerned and proud of their little hero.

"Thank you," Kelvin said to Celestia after a long time of silence, getting Celestia to lift her eyes to glance at him. "For saving my son. For traveling across reality to warn us of the impending danger. We owe everything to you."

"You are welcome," Celestia replied before she went back to reading, interested in the more historical section of the display. She glanced her eyes back at the two Stelars, who were still looking at her, and she sighed before she placed the display beside her. "Alright, you have my full attention. What more do you have to say?"

"We just want to learn more about you," Hope said as she leaned forward with interest. "I mean, talking animals are incredibly rare. A talking Pegasus with a unicorns horn that can use her magic to move the sun? That's something I never thought I would say in my life. We're just...curious about you."

"There is little to say. My sister and I were the rulers of our own land, protecting the ponies that lived within it. Then the Maestro appeared and took away everything we cared about," Celestia said dismissively, yet Kelvin's eyes were sharp enough to notice the hints of sorrow that was hidden beneath her gaze.

"You miss them all, don't you?" Kelvin asked, getting Celestia to close her eyes with a sigh. "You know that for three years my family thought that I was dead?" This got Celestia to open her eyes and as she gazed at the human with curiosity, Kelvin continued.

"I was on a space station that was on a quest to an alien planet. Our goal was to make peace with them and maybe open up a kind of partnership with them," Kelvin said before shaking his head bitterly. "But their king was distrustful and sent his generals to attack us. Everyone onboard was killed. Except for me, thanks to that alien Geo's with that has a wonderful attitude."

"Yer welcome, Kelvin," Mega grunted.

"He turned me into what he is. An EM being. And as an EM being, I escaped from the station and spent years traveling the stars...until I ran into a meteor of noise that was heading for the Earth." Celestia was curious how a meteor could be made of noise could exist in space, but she chose to remain silent as Kelvin continued. "So for a long time I battled with it, trying to move it off course from Earth. Of course later I found out that my efforts were practically for naught, but the meteor was eventually stopped."

"By you?"

"By Geo. Or Megaman, to be more specific. He's saved the world three, now four, times," Kelvin said with pride, before giving Celestia a serious expression. "So I know what it's like to be away from home and not sure whether you'll make it back. But what I don't know is how are you still functioning after losing your world. Losing everything."

"I guess it is because I didn't lose everything. Even with everything I've gone through, I've still got my sister," Celestia said before her face darkened. "And my unrelenting desire for revenge."

"And I can understand why," Hope said before she shook her head. "I just don't know how anyone could be so cruel as to wipe out an entire world without any sense of guilt."

"Simple. Because Maestro isn't a person. He is evil. Simply evil."

The rest of the tram ride was done in silence, with the Stelar's choosing to enjoy sitting with their family while Celestia lost herself to her thoughts. Leaving her to be slightly startled when the tram came to a halt and snapped her free of her thoughts. The teens woke up with the halting of the tram and they all staggered out of the tram, with Celestia and Kelvin being the last to leave the tram.

Even with thoughts of what the Maestro did to her world still on her mind, Celestia felt her gaze soften a bit as she gazed around at the small town of Echo Ridge. The grass was soft under her hooves, there was a calm breeze in the air and from the station she could see kids running around and having fun under what little sunlight they had left.

'This feels...a little bit like home,' she thought to herself before realizing that she had fallen behind from the group and having to walk quickly to catch up with them. Bud, Zack and Luna all separated when they got to their houses, leaving Celestia to walk along with the Stelar's, all of who kept an eye on Geo who was practically sleepwalking at that point.

"And this is our little slice of heaven," Hope introduced to Celestia as she opened the door to a small, nice looking house with flowers out front that were enjoying the sunset as much as Celestia was. For a moment Celestia stared at the sun, amazed to see it moving without any aid from her. And she had tried to move it, only to find that this one didn't listen to her. "Come on in!"

Celestia stepped into their house to find that it was...simple. A nice kitchen, a small living room and numerous doors that Celestia supposed lead to their rooms. But she found that there was a sense of calm in the small house, one that appealed to her more than her castle ever had.

'So this is what a house ruled by love feels like. I suppose the only time I found a place close to this was Cadence and...dammit all,' Celestia thought before she shook her head and smiled at her hosts. "It is a wonderful little home. Nice and comfortable."

"Thank you, I've practically run the place myself, what with this one being in space and this one saving the world," Hope said as she grabbed both Kelvin and Geo and pulled them in tight. The two guys rubbed the back of their heads before Hope released them, walking to the kitchen. "So are you hungry? Because we've got plenty of food for you."

"No thank you, I have eaten," Celestia stated, but her stomach betrayed her by grumbling a moment later. Kelvin and Hope both let out a laugh, while Geo staggered towards the stairs to his bedroom.

"Why don't you get something for our guest, I'll set up her bed," Kelvin said to Hope, who nodded before she headed towards the fridge. Celestia glanced over at Kelvin to see him press a button on a device and a moment later a bed materialized in the middle of the room. Celestia raised an eyebrow in amazement, before she turned around to see Hope working hard on numerous salads and vegetable dishes.

"So you think he's dead?" Kelvin asked Celestia in a near whisper, not having to specify the who he was talking about.

"I don't think so. If he was so easy to kill I'm certain that somepony in one of the others billions of worlds he has supposedly been to would have killed him," Celestia stated bluntly, eyes narrowing as she thought about what Maestro had said to him. "And that may have not been his actual body. From the way he was talking, it seems he was more annoyed about being destroyed than afraid. No, I don't think we've seen the last of him."

"I see...perhaps I should join up with WAZA and help you guys in fighting him, if he does pop back up," Kelvin muttered aloud as he crossed his arms. "I haven't fought in a while, but I'm certain that with a few weeks of practice I should be able to aid you guys against him."

"Now I see where Geo gets it from. You would be of no aid to us in a battle against him," Celestia stated, silencing Kelvin with a royal glare before he could argue. "Your son said the same thing you are about to and then the Maestro nearly killed him. I do not say you would be of no use because of my opinion. It is nothing more than a fact."

"I suppose you would be the expert on that," Kelvin admitted begrudgingly.

"Dinners ready!" Hope interrupted, placing numerous dishes on the table for the both of them. Kelvin seemed to forget all about their conversation as he raced to the table, while Celestia moved the chair from her side as she was clearly too big for it. "So Celestia, have you done any sightseeing while on Earth?" Hope asked as the group started to eat.

"No. My biggest concern was making sure my sister was okay, then using all of my power to kill the Maestro," Celestia said with narrowed eyes, before taking a bite of her food. "And the only time I "saw the sights", you son was attacked by my mortal enemy and was nearly killed. So no, I have not taken in the sights."

"Wow. Way to kill the mood," Hope muttered under her breath, not knowing that Celestia could hear her. Celestia sighed as she realized she had unintentionally been cold to her guest, something that she found herself doing more and more.

"Sigh...where would you recommend me looking if I had to go sightseeing?" Celestia asked, getting the two Stelar's to raise their eyebrows in surprise. "Hopefully it is some place close by."

"Yeah, there's a really cool mall near here that kids love to hang at these days," Hope said as she put a finger on her chin. "Then there's a neat little shopping center that has a movie theater. Did you have movies on your world?"

"Yes and all of them were terrible," Celestia replied with a smirk, having been bored to sleep by most of the movies she had seen.

"How about letting Geo show you around tomorrow? Him and his friends could use a break and you could definitely use some down time," Kelvin suggested as he polished off his dinner. "Not to mention Ace told you to stay close to Geo incase of attack, so this way everything works out."

"You are very trusting with your son, aren't you?"

"Well yeah. He is the hero of Earth and is way more responsible that practically every other kid his age," Hope said with a laugh. "You shoulder hear all the mothers at school telling me they wish their kids were like Geo. Speaking of, do you have any kids, Celestia?"

Hope realized what she had said the moment after it left her mouth and she clapped two hands over her mouth. She tried to apologize, but Celestia held out a wing to stop her before she could speak.

"No, I do not have any children. And also no, the Maestro did not kill them. I was single," Celestia clarified, getting Hope to sigh in relief as she held a hand to her heart. "And it wasn't that I didn't have any suitors, it's just...I may not look it, but I am immortal. Age wise, at least. I've been around for two thousand years at this point."

Kelvin dropped his fork in disbelief while Hope stared at Celestia with amazement and a bit of envy. "So getting into a relationship...it didn't appeal to me as much. I had just had sent my sister to the moon and when you outlive everyone you love, including your children...it motivates you to stay alone."

"Geez, I'm sorry to hear that," Kelvin muttered as he took a drink.

"Well, at the very least it meant that I didn't lose anyone I loved when the Maestro destroyed my world," Celestia said, trying to put a positive spin on it, before her face fell. "We just lost everypony else."

The three sat in silence for a long time, each of them lost in thought. Then Celestia stood up and bowed to Hope slightly. "Thank you for the meal. I would now like to take a walk to clear my mind. Is there any place nearby that you would recommend me to visit?"

"Yeah, Vista Point. It's right by the school, so you can't miss it," Hope replied. Celestia nodded before she left the building, walking out of the house to realize it was already night. She took in a deep breath, taking in the quiet and peace of the small town before she headed off towards the school. A sign told her that the Vista was to her left and a moment later she was standing on a metal platform that was on the edge of a drop, where she could see all of the stars in the sky perfectly.

'This is a nice world. It reminds me a bit of Equestria, but with technology instead of magic,' Celestia thought to herself. 'It would not be a bad place to live, if I was left with no other options. And honestly...I'm not. Even if we manage to kill the Maestro here, I can't go home. Not that I would want to, not with the shape it is in.'

'And then there is that sphere that the Maestro has built here, the same kind of sphere that he constructed on our world,' Celestia said with a sigh, staring into the heavens. 'Father. Mother. I know that I have failed you. That I have failed the world that you left in my care. But I promise you that I will do everything in my power to save this one. These people...now I know we can beat him. Now I know that he's not invincible, like I thought he was back on Equestria.'

'But he knows that as well. So he will be back and he'll be back with a plan,' Celestia realized as she grimaced. 'And whatever it is, I hope we are ready for it. Because I am tired of watching families be ripped apart by this monster. A monster I failed to stop.'

Wall to Wall Tour

"It is so nice to be spending a day with royalty!" Luna said with pride as she and the rest of her friends got off of the tram to Spica Mall, with Celestia trailing after them. As she got off the princess looked behind her at the numerous people that were all staring at her with disbelief, bowing to them slightly before joining Geo and his group. "And I still can't believe that I share names with your sister! It must have been fate that brought us together."

"Highly doubt it. The reason you have your name is because you satellite around others, while Princess Luna actually controlled the moon back on her world. Which one of those sounds better?" Geo teased, but in a flash Luna glared at him with the intensity of the sun.

"Watch it Stelar, you're not out of the woods with me yet," Luna snarled in a tone that made Geo, Zack and Bud walk much faster than her, leaving Celestia next to Luna. "Sorry about that. Have to keep them in line or who knows what they'd get up to. As royalty, surely you've had to do the same."

"Yes...I have," Celestia replied with a small frown before she started to look around the mall. The moment they had stepped into the main entrance to the mall, her eyes had been assaulted with numerous flashing lights and loud noises caused by annoying music that blared over the speakers. "This place seems to have an...interesting way of attracting customers."

"Yep, the newest in EM display technology and some of the best music available on the radio. Numerous teens and kids like to hang out here because of the arcade and cool places to visit," Luna explained with a proud tone, while Celestia created earplugs out of magic to aid her in keeping the pounding music out of her head.

"Welcome to Spica Mall!" a display shouted as it popped up in Celestia's face. "Why don't-" A blast of magic obliterated the display and tore a hole through the wall that was behind it, causing everyone that had been standing nearby to glare at the clearly startled alicorn. She realized what she had done and blinked twice, before she stood up and glanced around at everyone watching.

"Yes. I can do that," she said to all of them in a calm voice, but the fact that she could talk seemed to startle everyone more than her magical abilities. She then looked down to see Luna and her group staring up at her. "I am sorry about that, but that...advertisement caught me off guard. And with everything that has happened, I've been on a hair trigger as of late."

"Hey, we can't blame you. You've been through way more than us," Geo said in agreement, before Luna cut in front of him and pointed at a large sign.

"Look there princess, the best place to shop for clothing in all of the city! What do you say we go check it out?" Luna asked.

"Yes...clothing for the six foot alicorn with wings and a horn. I am certain that they would have those," Celestia replied with a dry smile, causing Luna's face to fall before she glanced around in desperation for something to impress Celestia with.

"How about we stop there for a little bit?" she offered as she pointed to a food court that was a small ways away. "The sundaes that have there are to die for. Or so I've heard."

"I don't know. I already ate..." Celestia muttered, but before she could argue further Luna lead the group over to the food court. Celestia watched with raised eyebrows how Geo and the other teens didn't seem to question Luna's decisions, even though she could clearly see Bud eyeing a game store and Zack seemed interested in a bookstore.

"I'm sorry about all the people staring at you," Luna apologized for those around them as she chose a table for five and sat down, motioning for Geo to get the princesses seat.

"No thank you Geo, I'll stand," Celestia replied when Geo started to walk over to her. Luna ordered a small glass of water for herself before motioning to Celestia, but the princess shook her head with a smile. "I am fine, thank you."

"Well princess, what would you like to see first?" she asked Celestia, who shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I do not know. There is so much here and with the lights and music...it is a lot to take in," Celestia muttered, yet her words seemed to inspire Luna into action.

"Well, then how about Geo, Bud and Zack look around for you?" she suggested, turning to the teens before the teens had the chance to answer. "Each of you look around and search for a place that Celestia might like to visit."

"Actually Luna, I was going to-"

Luna cut off Zack's argument with a snarl, causing the teen to yelp slightly as he raced off into the mall. She gave Bud and Geo similar looks and they took off as well, leaving Celestia to give Luna a look before the waitress arrived with the water for Luna.

"I hope they can find something for you. They can be so unreliable at times," Luna said with a shake of her head as she began to drink from her water.

"From what I have seen and been told about them, they all seem to be very capable and brave souls," Celestia replied, getting Luna to glance at the princess over the rim of her glass. "Aside from Geo being the hero of earth, Bud also leapt into the battle with Maestro without a thought for his own safety and even Zack tried to protect Geo after he had fallen. He is luck to have friends like them."

"Of course you're right. They're the best friends anyone could ask for. They just need to listen," Luna replied with a shake of her head, getting a small sigh from Celestia. Luna's face then fell and for a moment she stared into her drink. "Hey Celestia...when the Maestro attacked us before, he said that I was...a waste of life. Do you know what he meant by that?"

"I think that he is a sicko and you shouldn't listen to a word he says," Celestia replied with a growl that made Luna slightly afraid of the princess. "He called my entire race a large experiment and the proceeded to wipe a city off the face of Equestria. He is a psychopath Luna, you cannot let his words get to you."

"Thanks. I won't," Luna promised before Zack came running back over. "Yes Zack, what is it?"

"I...found a store...that Celestia might like to visit," Zack wheezed out, getting a large smile to cross Luna's face as she rose to her feet.

"Splendid. Zack, lead us to this store right away," Luna instructed, winking back at Celestia when he did so. "See? I knew that they would be able to find you something you would enjoy."

"Yes..." Celestia muttered as she glanced to her side to see the bookstore. "Zack, can you halt for a moment?" Zack did as he was asked and both of the humans turned to face Celestia. "If you would not mind changing our destination, I am actually interested in this store right here. I have always enjoyed reading and would love to see some stories from your world."

"O-Of course!" Zack replied with a large smile as he lead Celestia inside. She glanced around with a nod, impressed by the number of books they head on display. But by books, she realized that those books were actually just data pads, with, as she read on the tags, the stories inside of them. "The books here can be read in the traditional sense, or they can be acted out using holographic images! It's the newest way to read!"

"That is actually very fascinating," Celestia muttered as picked out a classic even she knew of on the foreign world, Rapunzel. She cracked open the pad and selected holographic, her eyes widening when she found a full 3D version of the story appear before her. She then moved onto another book, just as impressed as she was before. Celestia spent a good hour browsing, before she nodded her head. "This is amazing. Think of the possibilities."

"My thoughts exactly. I can show you around, if you want your highness," Zack offered. Celestia pretended to think it over a minute, before she shook her head with a smile.

"No. I think I am done here for now. But why don't you spend more time here and enjoy yourself. You clearly wish to look at these." Zack beamed up at Celestia before he took off into the store, leaving Celestia to turn and exit with a confused Luna following after her.

"You weren't really interested in the books, were you?" she asked.

"Oh no, I found that holographic technology of theirs very interesting," Celestia replied with genuine interest. "But Zack would need to be with me all day if I was to wrap my head around anything even remotely harder to understand in there."

"We could ask him to..." Luna stated, before Bud came lumbering over to them." Hello, Bud. What would bring you running over here so quickly?"

"I...found a place. But couldn't...find you," Bud panted even heavier than Zack had, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. Celestia followed his gaze and found he was looking at an art store, with a look of disdain that she noticed a second later. "So...if you want too...I can take you to-"

"That arcade game store I saw earlier. Lead the way," Celestia replied, getting Bud to tilt his head in confusion. When she motioned for him to continue, he did so with a shrug. Celestia was aware that Luna was looking at Celestia with the same look of confusion, but the princess chose to avoid eye contact. For the time being.

"What an interesting place," Celestia muttered aloud when they reached the store. Bud practically ripped the doors off of their hinges to get into the place, allowing an embarrassed Luna and an impressed Celestia to follow after him.

"This is where I come to buy the newest games!" Bud said as he spun in the center of the room with his arms extended. Celestia looked around at all of the strange devices on the shelves, catching the cashier's eye. The two stared at each other for a moment before the cashier shrugged and went back to their hunter. "Oh princess, you've got to try this one!"

"Bud, I don't think that Celestia-"

"Alright. How do you play it?" Bud gave Celestia a quick set of instruction, but after twenty minutes of playing it was clear that Celestia stood no chance against Bud's superior skills. "And I think that is enough for today. But I thank you for introducing this store to me, Bud. Perhaps I will come back here in the future."

"Really, princess? Well, if you want to play against me you know where to find me," Bud said before he got a serious expression upon his face, clearly getting ready to play for real.

"Bud, we should-"

"Have fun, Bud. Meet up with us later," Celestia said before she walked out of the store, leaving a really confused Luna to tag after her. Celestia then found a nice bench in a large area that she sat down on, grunting uncomfortably as she tried to maneuver herself to actually sit on it. Eventually she settled for laying on it, leaving Luna to sit across the bench from her. "Speak you mind, Luna. Clearly you have something that you want to say to me."

"We just spent a good portion of our day looking at a place Zack and Bud wanted to see, but we didn't go anywhere you wanted to see," Luna put forward. "Today was supposed to be showing you places you would enjoy, yet those morons got sidetracked. I'm so sorry."

"Luna...weren't you paying attention?" Celestia asked the girl, who looked at the princess with confusion. "I was enjoying myself. I was having fun watching Zack get excited over the books or watching Bud get serious for a change over his game. I had fun learning about the people of this world and how they react to me. So just because I didn't go where you wanted us to didn't mean it wasn't fun."

"But I was suppose to lead you around. I was suppose to show you all the cool places," Luna said with a huff as she crossed her arms, getting Celestia to shake her head. She sat in quiet for ten minutes, enjoying watching the people interact, before she glanced over to see Geo and his friends approaching. "Oh now you all decide to show up. Did you get tired of ignoring our guest?"

"Calm yourself Luna, I am glad they enjoyed themselves," Celestia cut in with a smile to the teens. "So now that you have explored where you wanted to, and yes Geo, I know you did as well, perhaps we can move on to other areas?"

"Sure," Geo replied, a bit startled by Celestia's words and the glare that Luna gave him afterwards. Yet Celestia had just gotten back up to her hooves when an explosion of EM waves went off next to them, causing the teens to yelp as they leapt back, while Celestia activated her magic and prepared for battle. But the figure in the midst of the explosion confused her, for it was not who she was expecting.

He had an all metal suit which was similar to the Maestro's, but the metal was as black as the void and had a strange symbol on it. His left had was comprised entirely of shattered magic and in his right hand he clutched a horrendous looking blade. But what drew Celestia's eye was the visor in the shape of an X over his face and his pure white hair...as well as the fact that his eyes were as sinister as they were powerful.

"So you must be the being of the sun," he said in a voice that was cold and merciless. "You look far weaker than I expected you to."

"Clearly you know who I am, but I do not share that same grace," Celestia spat back, already able to tell he was trouble. "Your name, if you have any manners at all?" The sound of Geo transforming caused Celestia to look to her side, finding both Megaman and Taurus Flame standing beside her, looks of rage on their faces while Zack and Luna hid a ways back.

"Allow me, princess. This is who Ace was talking about," Megaman spat out, already transforming his left hand into a sword.

"This is Solo. Or better yet, Rogue."

Song of the Moon

Luna was beginning to get tired of staring at the same spot on the ceiling. But for the longest time she had been trapped within her recovery room, laying on the same bed and staring up at the same spot on the ceiling. She knew that she was too hurt to start walking around yet, but she was also beginning to get annoyed.

'I should be out there. I should be fighting alongside my sister,' Luna thought to herself as she glanced at the glass window on the door, able to see two security officers standing outside her door. 'Ace said that they are there to protect me and I would be inclined to believe him, but with everything that has happened perhaps I have ceased to be as trusting as I once one.'

Luna glanced at the screen that hovered at the end of her bed, an entertainment device that had been given to her by Ace to keep her busy while she rested. At first she had been intrigued by how the human technology worked, but after two days she found that TV dramas meant nothing to her and the shows failed to entertain her. So she had taken to staring at the same spot on the ceiling, thinking of all the ways that she would make Maestro pay for what he had done to her and her family. After a few days of those kind of thoughts, Luna was beginning to think that it wasn't healthy.

'At least there has been some slight improvements as of late,' Luna thought to herself as she glanced at the door as it creaked open and a girl with a brand new guitar on her back entered into her room. "Hello there Sonia, I am glad to see that you are on time today."

"How are you feeling, Princess Luna?" Sonia asked as the singer pulled up a stool and dragged it beside the bed, hopping onto it and swinging her guitar around.

"I'm in pain and I'm bored. I am starting to have trouble deciding which is worse," Luna voiced her complaints to the star, who nodded as she began to tune her instrument. "And then of course there is the fact that nopony tells me anything. It's all "everything is under control" or "we have our best agents working on it". They've just cast me off to the side and tried to hide what is really going on from me."

"I feel you there. Back when the continent of Mu was trying to destroy the world I was stuck in the hospital for a bit before Megaman had to save the world," Sonia vented with a shake of her head, strumming a few cords to find them to her liking. "And all the while I asked about what was going on they told me everything was fine. There was a floating island in the sky and the Earth was shaking beneath us. It was clearly not fine."

"Haha, isn't that the truth...thank you for doing this, by the way," Luna said with a weary smile to Sonia, who nodded in reply as she began to play her guitar. Luna half closed her eyes and moved her head back and forth along with the music, losing herself in the pure bliss of the music. And for a brief moment Luna believed herself to be back in Equestria, listening to the music of the ponies.

"For doing what?" Sonia asked while she continued to play.

"For taking time out of your schedule to do this for me. To play for me. Singing to me. Preventing me from slipping into a boredom induced coma," Luna finished with a laugh, before closing her eyes fully and leaning her head back against her pillow. "It's nice to have somepony to talk to that's honest with me and tells me what's really going on out there. Something big happened today, but nopony out there will tell me."

"And with pretty good reason," Sonia said with a shake of her head, ceasing her music for a moment. "Solo showed up at the mall where Geo and his friends were at. You can guess how that ended."

"Solo? I was told, well, forced it out of them, that he was on our side," Luna voiced, getting Sonia to chuckle before she started to strum the strings again.

"He's on his own side. The only time he works with us is when our common interests align. Other than that, he's pretty much out for our blood," Sonia informed Luna, who had narrowed her eyes. "Did I tell you he's the one that put me in the hospital? Pretty much broke most of my ribs. That was painful. Made it insanely hard to drag myself to give Geo a pep talk."

"Wow. Sounds like a piece of work. Did you get him back?"

"Heck no. As much as I hate to admit it, he's scary powerful. Only Geo's been able to beat him in the past and even then he needed our help or the aid of some power up to stand against him," Sonia said with a shake of her head before she looked down at her guitar, a small smile spreading over her face. "But Geo has always come through for us. That's for certain."

"Is that so? So what happened with Solo at the mall?"

"From what Geo and Ace told me, Solo is now either working for or with the Maestro," Sonia said with a growl, getting Luna's eyes to snap open in disbelief. "And the Maestro has powered him up so that he can fight the Solar Knight on even ground."

"The Solar Knight?"

"That's what we're calling Geo and Celestia's powered up form. Really think it fits."

"Wouldn't the Solar King be better? I mean, he's wearing a crown and everything," Luna put forward, getting Sonia to think about it for a moment before she shrugged.

"I don't know, I kinda like the idea of Geo being a knight more than a kind. After all, he's always there to protect us, just like a knight in shining armor," Sonia smiled as she started to play again, but when she looked up Luna saw sadness in her eyes. "It's funny, you know? How many memories this brings back for me...and how many hours I've spent sitting like this."

"Sounds like they're quite the tale behind that sad sounding voice," Luna said as she shifted her body so that she could face Sonia without turning her neck. "And it makes me realize that I know little about you. You've been, I assume, told all about me, but aside from the fact that you can change like Megaman and are a celebrity, I know little about you. Care to fill in the details?"

"Heh, only if you're in the mood for a pretty bleak story," Sonia said before she leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as her eyes clouded. "As far back as I can remember, it was only me and my mama. Just the two of us, living together. It wasn't the best life, but it was a nice once. I remember being happy."

"But then one day my mama got sick. Really sick. Sick enough that she had to go to the hospital. Problem was, hospitals are expensive and we didn't have any money. So mama came home and tried to get better there, but...I tried to get her spirits up by singing to her. I came up with so many songs and spent hours singing to her. It was our favorite activity."

"After a few months of singing, my mama told me about how some people were looking for a new singer and said I should go. So I went, tried out and became the next new, teen singer than would sweep over the world," Sonia said in a slightly amazed voice as she grasped at the ceiling, before she slumped back with a bitter smirk. "Then my mama passed away. Leaving me alone in the world. Alone with my music and a producer who sought to exploit my songs for money. And for about a year, that was my life."

"That...I am sorry about your mother, Sonia," Luna said with sad eyes as she stared up at the ceiling. "Did your father ever come back?"

"Only the dead know where my father is," Sonia replied with hints of venom, getting Luna to make a mental note to avoid talking about Sonia's father in the future. Then Sonia's face softened and the warm smile from earlier returned to her face. "But then my life turned around. The bad days that I thought would last forever ended."

"What happened?"

"I met Geo," Sonia said with a small laugh as she started to play on her guitar again. "He was my first real friend. Not someone who liked me because of my fame or voice. Heck, I don't think he knew who I was when we first met. But he still helped me out. And thanks to him, my life changed around. I soon after met Lyra and, after a bit of a mess, convinced her to stay on Earth with me."

"And I've never regretted it for a single day," Lyra said from within the guitar, messing up the music for a moment. "This wild ride with Sonia has been a blast and I've enjoyed watching the kind of girl that Sonia has grown into, while also saving the world as a hero every now and then."

"And yeah, ever since then I've turned my life around. I fired that producer I had and surrounded myself with people that actually cared about me. And things have been looking up ever since," Sonia finished with a large smile, one that Luna shared with the girl. "I'm a hero of the earth. I have so many fans that love me. And all of my friend are there for me. And I'll always be there for them."

"That is quite the interesting tale you have there, Sonia. Such a sad tale, but I am glad to see that it gets better," Luna said before she glanced down at her right side, gritting her teeth before she forced herself out of the bed. She felt blazing pain roaring up her side, but she blocked out the pain and remained standing with her teeth gritted. "And your tale has reminded me that I cannot just sit by and wallow in sorrow as the bad things happen. Yes, I am injured. But I must be there when my family and friends need me. So this pain...I will deal with it."

"Are you sure about this?" Sonia asked as she held out her hands towards Luna, not sure if the princess was going to fall over or not. "You're still not at a hundred percent and I'm not sure how your sister would feel about you walking around in the state you're in."

"Tell me something, Sonia. If you were in my condition and the person that was most important to you was in danger, was fighting an evil that you could not comprehend, would you allow it to get in your way? Would you allow anything to hurt the one you love?" Luna asked the singer with a coy smile. Sonia chuckled as she crossed her arms and gave Luna a look, before she rolled her eyes and slung her guitar over her back.

"I'd fight tooth and nail to protect the one I lo-want to protect! I meant to say want to protect!" Sonia quickly stammered out before glancing down at her Hunter and becoming it obsessed with it for a moment. Luna let out a hearty laugh before the pain made her immediately regret her decision.

"So Sonia, would you be willing to escort me to either the training area or where Ace is? Because I am certain that one will quickly follow the other," Luna asked Sonia, who nodded before motioning for Luna to follow her. The guards gave the two a look as they walked out of the room, but a glare from Sonia made them shrug and continue to stare ahead.

"And as you were kind enough to tell me your tale, how about I tell you mine while we walk?" Luna asked Sonia, who glanced up with interest. "I will cut out the longer details, but you will still fully understand how horribly I failed."

{*}

Ace glanced between the princess of the moon and the EM star, both of them giving him the same look that Tia gave him whenever she wanted him to do something. He had tried to blow off the subject that they had brought up and read a book, but then Luna had used her magic to move his head back towards her. For a moment longer he tried to hold out, before he sighed and clasped his hands together.

"So let me get this clear one more time. You want Luna, the wounded alicorn survivor of a doomed world, to go into battle against the force that put her in that state in the first place?" he asked the both of them, groaning as the two of them nodded and got him to hold a hand to his face. "Should I even bother telling the both of you why it's a bad idea or should I skip right to telling you no?"

"Come on Ace, she wants to help us fight," Sonia argued, slamming her hands on the desk to get her commanders attention. "And don't even think about giving us the too injured to fight talk. If I recall, a certain dumbass walked into Dealer base and got himself blown up when he was supposed to be resting. You're lucky that Tia had the patience to piece you back together."

"Commander Ace, I know that you believe you are doing what is best, but I heard about Solo from Sonia. I know that the Solar Knight may not be enough anymore," Luna put forward. Ace gave Sonia a dirty look before he motioned for the princess to continue talking. "And if my sister were to fall while I sat back and did nothing...then I would most likely die from guilt and a broken heart. So even if you keep me here, as long as my sister is in danger I too am in danger."

"I swear I don't get paid enough for this," Ace growled under his breath before a beeping on his desk gained his attention. He leaned forward and pressed a button on his desk, watching something for a moment before he let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. "You want my permission to fight? Fine, you got it. As Sonia said, I'm not exactly one who can say someone that wants to fight should stay behind because they're wounded. But it's not just my approval you'll need."

"What are you talking about? Who else would I have to ask?"

"Who do you think? Your sister."*

Sun "vs" Moon

""Well, that could have gone better," Bud grunted as the tram came to a stop, allowing the four teens and the one alicorn to get off of it. "But at the very least we made it out in one piece, which is more than we can say than our past encounters with Solo. You holding up, Taurus?"

"I'll live. Can't believe he dealt with us so easily though," Taurus grunted from within the Hunter, the sound of disappointment in himself clear as daylight. "All that training, all that hard work...and he swatted us aside."

"Don't beat yourselves up too hard, our super power totally invincible new form didn't fare much better," Mega reminded the wizard as the group began to walk across the canyon to the WAZA main building. "And that brings up a new problem. We have to assume that the Maestro didn't give Solo all of his power. I mean, why give someone that you know wants to kill you all of your power?"

"Are you saying that Solo was only fighting us with a fraction of his power?" Geo asked.

"No. I'm saying that the Maestro was fighting us with a fraction of his power," Mega growled in reply, slashing his claws at the air. "Think about it. We beat the Maestro with the Solar Knight. We stomped him. But Solo managed to practically beat us with what I have to assume is a fraction of that power. Meaning that the Maestro has a lot more to give. And I promise the next time he shows up he'll be packing all of it."

"Which means that we will have to step up our game if we hope to stand a chance," Celestia nodded before she looked at the gate to see Ace walking towards her, with both Luna and Sonia standing at the entrance of the gate with looks on their faces. "This should be good. Ace, is something the matter?"

"Yes, there is. Your sister. I cannot deal with her right now. So you must deal with her right now," Ace said with a shake of his head as he walked by the alicorn, patting her on the shoulder before he hopped into a tram. "I'm going home to see my family. I've been working here for a week straight and I need so down time with my family. So Geo, I put you in charge and if anything happens send me a letter."

"Ace, written mail hasn't existed for centuries," Luna reminded him. Ace winked in reply before the door slammed shut and a moment later the tram was heading away from the station. The group looked to each other before they shrugged and walked over to Luna and Sonia, who were now walking over to them.

"Alright, let's start with this. Sister, what are you doing out of bed and why did Ace tell us that you were being difficult?" Celestia asked her sister, whose face clearly showed pain but the night colored alicorn refused to make any verbal indication.

"Because I want to fight with all of you," Luna said in a strong voice as she stood tall, getting Celestia's eyes to shrink in horror. "And I know what you are going to say. That it is too dangerous and that I need to stay behind. But I'm not going to sit here and wait for news of my sister being killed by the Maestro. I am tired of being the scared little filly that you need to protect. We are equals, sister, even if you are my older sister."

"Luna, listen to yourself. You can barely stand and you are saying that you wish to fight the monster that did this to you," Celestia said in a calm and rational voice, one that made Luna's nostrils flare. "You need to rest. You need to recover. We can deal with this. With the Solar Knight, we can-"

"Get beaten by Solo, who also has the powers of the Maestro now, if I heard correctly." Celestia and Geo's eyes went wide before Geo looked past Luna and Sonia, who was whistling a tune while staring up at the clouds. "You were barely able to fend him off and he is not the one that ended our world. And thanks to Lyra here, I was able to hear the rest of your conversation, so I also know that you all assume that the Maestro wasn't using a fraction of his power."

"Sonia, what are you doing?" Geo whispered to her, getting Sonia to shrug in reply.

"Sister, we do not know that for certain..." Celestia tried to reason, but her cool reply was melted away by the raging fire that was the princess of the night.

"We were given a second chance to defeat him, sister. We were given a chance to beat him here, in a world that has accepted us and given us another chance. This world also has the fighters that have proven we can fight him, as long as we fight together," Luna replied in a fury that made the teens back away a bit.

"I will not risk your life by sending you into battle when you are not ready," Celestia said with her teeth gritted, visibly trying hard not to lose her cool, before she took on a more sympathetic look. "Sister, you are all I have left of our world. How can I possible send the only pony I can still care for, my only sister, to fight this monster? I sent others to fight him...and we all saw how that turned out."

"It was a tragedy what happened to our world, our ponies. And I am sad, no, devastated, that they are all gone as well," Luna said, before the fire flashed in her eyes once more. "But you are not the only one that lost ponies that day. And you are not the only one that wishes to protect the only family she has left against the monster that claimed her world. Say what you will, sister, but I will fight him."

"Sister...please, listen to reason."

"No. Listen to me...actually, it has become clear that you do not wish to hear my words. So apparently you will only understand force," Luna said as she turned and walked back over to Sonia, turning around with her horn glowing. "I challenge you over this topic. A royal duel. The winner gets to decide on this matter!"

"A royal duel?...Sister, this has not been done since the time of our grandparents," Celestia reminded her sister with a groan, but Luna had already begun to take up a fighting stance.

"Maybe not, but as the last of the royalty in my land, I challenge you. And you are free to decline...but then you leave the choice in my hooves," Luna said with a laugh as she began to paw at the ground. Celestia sighed and glanced down at Geo, who shrugged in reply.

"...I will not fight you, sister. In the weakened state you are in, not only would it not be fair, I run the risk of hurting you further," Celestia stated with a shake of her head, turning from Luna and sighing to herself. "So I will concede to you. If you wish to fight alongside us...then I will not stop you. But know that I strongly advise against it."

"You just couldn't battle with me, could you sister?" Luna asked with a chuckle before she walked over to Celestia, wrapping a hoof around her shoulder and pulling her sister into a hug. "I know that you are upset with me, but just like you I am doing what I believe is right. And that is fighting with you, not having you fighting for me."

"You are just as stubborn now as your were when you were a filly, do you know that?" Celestia said bitterly before she smirked and returned the hug. "I just hope you know what you are doing."

"So do I sister," Luna replied as the two separated, before both Luna and Celestia looked at Geo, who was smiling up at the both of them. "So then acting commander, now that that has been sorted out, what next?"

"Simple. Bud. Sonia. You two against Celestia and me," Geo stated before he transformed into Megaman, getting two "huh's" from Bud and Sonia as Celestia walked over to where Geo was standing. A flash of solar light erupted from the two and a moment later they were standing in their Solar Knight form. "Rogue made it clear that as powerful as the Solar Knight is, it isn't the trump card that we thought it was. We're going to need practice and you two are two of the strongest fighters I know. Battling the both of you should whip us into shape."

Sonia and Bud looked at each other before they shrugged and transformed into their EM forms. The Solar Knight reached out with Celestia's head and grabbed hold of the solar saber as it formed, while Taurus Fire pawed the ground while Harp Note tweaked her strings.

"You sure about this, Geo? Don't want to accidentally hurt you," Harp Note voice her concern.

"You've seen how powerful our foes are. I'm going to have to get used to being hurt," Megaman said before he vanished in a flicker of light, appearing behind Harp Note and Taurus Fire in a flash. Harp Note hurled herself out of the way of the saber slash, but Taurus caught the blow in the back and was sent tumbling into the dirt. Harp Note flipped into the air and fired her guitar strings towards Megaman, but he lifted his shield and the strings crumbled against it.

"This is a little out of the blue, wouldn't you say?" Princess Luna asked Zack and Luna, both of who nodded in agreement.

"Well, Geo can be that sometimes. Whenever there's a problem he wants to deal with it right away and if he can't then he wants to do everything he can to prepare himself in the future," Luna explained to the princess as the three EM beings continued to fight. "He didn't used to be, though. He used to be a bit more...laid back? Lazy?"

"Then a few years ago a group of villains calling themselves the Solar Eight, tried to take over the world. And in order to beat them we really had to step up our game," Zack added in while Luna lost herself trying to come up with the right word for Geo. "And ever since he's been working with Ace on how to get stronger and become a better leader."

"Because he no longer has a need for me," Luna whispered to herself, thinking that neither of the two she was with could hear her. But as the princess cast the teen a look of interest. Luna realized the princess was looking at her and hid her face with one of her hands.

"So he wishes to see if he has become a better leader? Then let us see how he does when a wrench is thrown into his plans," Luna said with a laugh before she flapped her wing and charged into the fray.

The Solar Knight blocked a shot from Taurus Fire with his shield, before he felt a blast of energy strike him from behind. He spun around to see Luna racing towards him, horn aglow and a smile upon her face. Both Geo's and Celestia's eyes went wide at the sight, before they had to lift their shield once more to deflect another blast of lunar magic from Luna.

"Sister, what are you doing?!" Celestia screamed at Luna, who wrapped around behind Taurus and Harp while smiling all the time.

"Simple, sister. I am seeing how this Solar Knight form holds up when faced with the eclipse of the moon!" Luna laughed in laugh Celestia had not heard in years. Luna began to prance back and forth while taking pot shots at the heroes, who were forced to block her attacks with their shield. Harp Note and Taurus both nodded to each other before they charged at the Solar Knight.

"Harp Note, attack the side where my sister is on! They can't move the shield to stop you without leaving themselves open to me!" Luna called out to Harp as the princess raced to the right side of the Solar Knight, who realized her words were true as he was forced to move his shield to protect himself from Luna's attacks. While he was busy blocking Luna's attack, Harp Note fired her guitar strings around Megaman's legs and pulled him to the ground.

"Awe, are you falling for me Geo?" Harp Note asked with a giggle as Megaman pushed himself back up. He glanced up in time to see a colossal fist come flying towards his head, giving him barley enough time to move out of the way. Megaman shot up to his feet and fired blasts of solar shots from Celestia into the chest of Taurus Fire, backing him up slightly. But before he could go on the offensive, Luna fired another blast into the back of Megaman.

"Your sister is really getting on my nerves," Megaman growled to Celestia as he spun around and pointed the Solar Buster at the princess of the night.

"No Geo, don't take your eyes off of-!"

Before she could finish two sets of horns slammed into the back of the Solar Knight and sent him skidding across the ground, where Megaman spat out a bit of dirt as he and Celestia split back into two separate beings. Megaman pushed himself back to his feet and turned around to see Luna, Harp Note and Taurus Fire all celebrating, with Luna laughing at the top of her lungs.

"Come now, Megaman! You are supposed to be the hero of the world yet you cannot even best us? Clearly you have a long way to go!" Luna chided with another laugh before she high fived with the other heroes. Megaman grumbled under his breath before looking at Celestia, who had tears in her eyes. He gave her a look as he turned back into Geo.

"I have not seen her this happy in so long," Celestia whispered to herself with a small smile. "Not since before the attacks by the Maestro."

"She did beat us," Geo pointed out to Celestia with a shrug of his shoulders. "Even though she was wounded and should be in bed."

"Are you saying that she should fight with us?" Celestia asked.

"She's supposedly just as powerful as you, right?" Geo asked before smiling at the sight. "And besides, she already seems to be on good terms with my team. And if she's good enough for them, she's good enough for me. Come on Celestia, let's go give her an official welcome to the team."

The Two Moons

With a flip Megaman avoid an EM barrage by a small orb that was programmed to float around the hero and shoot at him. Megaman propelled himself off of the ground with a push of his hand before twirling in the air and fired a burst of the Mega Buster at the sphere, which exploded upon impact. He landed on his feet just in time for three more spheres to circle around him.

"They just don't make training dummies like they used to," Mega said with a laugh when a wave of solar magic incinerated the spheres that had only just started their assault. Celestia landed next to Megaman with such ferocity that a gust of wind was created by her landing, before she and Megaman went back to back as a dozen spheres materialized in the air.

"They didn't make training dummies anything like this on my world," Celestia muttered aloud before she created a barrier of magic around both herself and the blue bomber, deflecting the blasts of the spheres that floated around them. The moment she lowered her shield Megaman took aim with his buster and shot three of the spheres out of the sky, before the two of them were forced to move as another barrage of EM lasers tried to make Swiss cheese out of the pair.

"It's funny. I've worked here for years yet never knew that we had a training area," Megaman said as he flipped off of Celestia back and used the leap to gain a height advantage over the spheres. The spheres all looked up to lock onto him, but the moment she saw that their gaze was no longer on her Celestia took aim with her magic and unleashed solar hell upon the EM spheres.

"Now I know we had one of those. I just never used it," Celestia stated as she finished incinerating the rest of the spheres, watching as they fractured into EM waves before Megaman landed next to her. "So you said that was level five, correct? How many more are there?"

"Twenty," Megaman replied before a four flashed over their heads and this time battle wizards began to materialize around them. "But the only time we ever managed to make it to twenty was when we had all four of us fighting together."

"I have been here for nearly three weeks now and yet your world still finds new ways to amaze me," Celestia said as she took to the sky, weaving through the air to avoid being shot down. Megaman brought up his right arm and created a green shield with his power, deflecting the volley of fire that had been targeted at him. The moment the volley ended the blue bomber retaliated with a rapid burst of his Mega Buster, which mowed down a good number of the wizards.

"So why start us so low? Surely with our combined power we could easily make it to the higher levels," Celestia called down from above as she fired a dart of magic into the heart of one of the wizards, before causing it to explode with her magic. She shifted to the side to evade fire, allowing Megaman to clean up the rest of the wizards on the ground with a couple more shots.

"Because if what Mega said is true, and the Maestro isn't using a fraction of his real power, then we need to rework our teamwork from the ground up," Megaman stated as he looked up at the air around him, waiting for the number five to appear. But when it failed to do so he glanced at Celestia and gave her a shrug of his shoulders, only for the door to the training arena to open and allow in a teen he knew well.

"Bud? What brings you in here?" Megaman asked Bud as the bulky teen entered, the expression on Bison's face telling Megaman that something was the matter.

"I need you to do me a favor. I need you to fight me," Bud said with a grumble. Celestia and Megaman shared a look before turning back to Bud. "I know that it sounds crazy, but I really need to battle with you. I know that the two of you are training and-"

"Okay, Bud."

Bud lifted his head with confusion in his eyes before a smirk crossed his face and he nodded to Megaman. Bud walked to one end of the training arena while Megaman walked to the other. Celestia gave Megaman a look, but Megaman shook his head before he started to cycle through his deck.

"Transcode: Taurus Fire! On! The! AIR!"

Megaman lifted his head once more to see Taurus Fire now standing across the training arena from him, pawing at the ground with his hooves while fire billowed from his face. Megaman slowly lifted his buster towards Taurus, hunkering down as he prepared for the bulls first move.

"Taurus flame!" Taurus bellowed before unleashing a stream of fire towards Megaman, who was quick enough to raise his arm and create his shield in time to deflect the flames. But the moment the fire died down Taurus Fire appeared above the blue bomber, fist cocked back and flames burning in Taurus' eyes. The fist came crashing down, only to strike the floor of the arena. Taurus looked up with a snarl to see that Megaman had flipped over him, firing a few blasts of his buster into the back of Taurus.

"So what's this about, Bud?" Megaman asked as he kicked back a few times, gaining distance from the blazing bull. "Do you simply want to get stronger or is there another reason behind all of this rage?"

"This is about proving myself!" Taurus roared as he lowered his horns and charged towards Megaman. Megaman shook his head before kicking off the ground once more and watching as Taurus Fire charged underneath of him, firing a few more shots into Taurus. The bull roared before he fell to one knee, seething with rage as he turned to face Megaman.

"Haven't seen that look in a long time. So what are you trying to prove, Bud?" Megaman called over to Taurus, who got up once more and billowed more flames out of his mouth. Taurus leapt into the air and charged down towards Megaman, whose eyes widened before he leapt out of the way and allowed the bull to crash into the ground. Taurus erupted from the rubble and wrapped a hand around Megaman, lifting him into the air while cocking a fist back.

"That I am a part of this team!" Taurus roared as he swung towards Megaman. Before the fist could strike the hero of earth, a battle card slashed across his buster and created a barrier that intercepted the fist. A battle card was swiped again and a gattling gun appeared in place of the Mega Buster. Megaman unleashed a barrage of gunfire into the face of Taurus, staggering the bull and getting him to release his grip on Megaman, who gave his friend a look.

"Bud...you've always been a part of this team. Why would you think you wouldn't be?" Megaman asked Bud, who snarled before slamming a fist into the ground and causing fire to erupt along the ground.

"Because Solo trashed me. All these years of training, of making myself strong...only to be one shot by the guy," Taurus admitted with bitter disappointment in his voice. Upon hearing Taurus' response, Megaman shook his head with a smirk before he walked towards Taurus and extended a hand towards his friend.

"Bud...he trashed all of us. He's trashed us for years. The only reason we've lasted so long against him is because we got each other," Megaman replied, getting Taurus to glance up at the hero. "So he one shot you. He would have done the same to me if I didn't have Celestia's power with me. But we managed to beat him because we have our friends."

"Easy for you to say. You've got a really cool form that makes you incredibly powerful," Taurus replied with a bit of sorrow, but he reached up and grabbed Megaman's hand and was pulled up to his feet.

"Then we'll just have to train you to the point where you'll be stronger than my super form," Megaman said. Taurus replied with a nod before the two of them backed off a bit, before colliding once more. And all the while Celestia watched, lost in memories of the days when friendship like what these two had was an endless bounty.

{*}

A girl sat by herself outside of the training room, watching through the glass as the hero of earth battled it out with the blazing bull. She hadn't been able to hear what the two had said to each other during the fight, but she knew that Megaman was probably telling Bud about how important he was despite the fact that he had been useless in the fight with Solo.

"Not that I can say anything about that. I'm way more useless than him," Luna muttered to herself as she rested her head against her palm, watching two of the strongest people she knew fight against one another as Celestia watched.

"And that is something that I have been meaning to ask you about."

Luna spun around to see the princess of the night walking towards the teen, the bandages that had been covering her for so long finally gone. Luna glanced down at the floor to avoid looking into the royals eyes, an action that was not lost on the princess as she sat down next to Luna. Princess Luna didn't say anything right away, choosing to watch as Celestia gave some advice to Taurus Fire before him and Megaman went back to their practice.

"What brings you down here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Luna tried to say to the princess, but all her words did was cause Princess Luna to sigh as she gazed up at the ceiling.

"All I have done since I got here is sleep. I have slept and rested enough to not be tired for a year. I want to be up and see more of this world. I want to be ready for when the time comes to fight," Princess Luna said with a hint of rage before she stretched out her right side, wincing slightly as she did so. "But I will say I am glad that those burns no longer hurt. The medical technology you have on your world is amazing."

"Yeah. We have some real geniuses on this world. Like Zack," Luna admitted with a small shake of her head. "I used to be able to keep up with him in grades, but now he's just so far ahead of me. He'll be coming up with something that will save the world, while I still be here."

"There it is. That is what I wanted to speak with you about," Princess Luna cut in, causing Luna to look away once more. "I have been keeping an eye on you and your dreams and I see the same thing in both of them. You feel worthless. You feel like you contribute nothing to your group dynamic. Yet according to my talks with Sonia, you are often the most confident, and infuriating, as she said, out of all of you. So what happened?"

"...the Maestro happened," Luna admitted in a tiny voice, one that instantly made Princess Luna understand. "He beat my friends and was trying to kill Geo, someone precious to me. I put myself between him and the Maestro, truly prepared to give my life to protect him. And do you know what he said?"

"What?"

"That I wasn't even worth his time to kill. That unlike the rest of my friends, I make so little difference in the outcome of this world that killing me would waste his time," Luna spat out with tears starting to well in her eyes, clenching her fists with such intensity that her nails dug into her palms. "All I'm good for is a hostage, someone for Megaman to save over and over again. Then he proved his point by attacking me, only for Geo to get hurt protecting me."

"Luna..."

"And he's right. The more that I've thought about it, the more that I realize that he's right about me," Luna continued in, her tears streaming down her face. "I can't help my friends anymore. I used to think that I was the leader, but Ace and to an extent Geo have taken that role. I can't be the muscle or the brains. All I am is the damsel, the person that gets captured and has to be saved...meaning the Maestro is right about me. I'm useless. I can't do anything to help my friends. All I can do is stand by and watch."

"...Luna, listen to me," Princess Luna said in a tone so strong that the teen had no choice but to look at the Princess. "Whatever the Maestro has said about you you cannot believe. All he cares about are those that change the world on a global world, like heroes and villains. About...main characters, if you will. So he gives little to no thought to those that aren't world changers."

"But that doesn't mean that your story doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to Maestro, but that does not mean that it shouldn't matter to you. That you're not important. Because you are," Princess Luna stated with a fire that the teen hadn't seen in the princess before. "So you don't save the world every day. So you aren't out there battling with demons or monsters. What you do still matters. You're just the only one that can't see it."

"But I want to do more! I don't want to just sit on the sidelines and watch, to be the damsel that has to be rescued!" Luna shouted back loud enough that it stopped the fight within the training arena for a moment. Princess Luna waved them off before placing a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "I want to be apart of the team again. I want to be...useful."

"Alright, Luna. I can help you with that." Luna looked up into the princesses eyes, while a smile crossed the alicorns face. "You said that you used to be the leader, but you felt that others took that position? Well I have aided my sister in leading Equestria for over seven hundred years. And, despite how everything turned out, I have learned much about what it means to be a leader. If you are willing, I can share that with you. Would you like to learn from a princess on how to lead, my student?"

"Of course I would. I want to know as much as I can," Luna said with a strength in her eyes again. "I want to lead the charge that brings the Maestro down once and for all. I'll make sure he remembers who helps bring him down."

"That's my second moon."*

Girls Day Out

Luna had never felt more alive in her life than she was at the moment. She was on the back of Celestia, sailing across the clouds with both arms in the air and a smile on her face. She had closed her eyes so that she could feel the cool breeze on her face while also taking in the warmth of the sun. Below her Princess Luna was being pulled along in a sphere of solar magic, while Harp Note rode a wave road next to the three.

"I can't believe this is real!" Luna exclaimed with a loud laugh as she opened her eyes and stared into the horizon, happier than she had been in a long time. "Flying on the back of a Pegasus was something I only thought I could get away with in my dreams, but here we are!"

"Technically I'm an alicorn, but I am glad to see that your mood has improved," Celestia said over her shoulder to Luna before the princess of the sun began to scan the ground for a place to land. She made a motion to her sister and Luna nodded, getting Celestia to begin to descend. Luna looked over the shoulder of Celestia to find that they were landing downtown.

"Why are we going to a marketplace?" Luna asked Celestia, who smiled in reply without revealing anything. The princesses landed first, drawing all eyes to them. Luna hopped off the back of Celestia and looked around to see the citizens gawking at the princesses, while Harp Note landed in a back alley and walked out a few moments later as her human self...not that Luna could recognize her at first.

"Sonia, is that you?" Luna asked as she stifled a giggle as she saw what the superstar was wearing. Sonia was wearing a yellow hoodie with the sleeves ripped off, had a large pair of sunglasses on her face and her hair had been dyed yellow. "You look...nothing like you're supposed to."

"That's the idea," Sonia said in a voice that sounded far more devilish than her usual voice. "Don't want to run the risk of being spotted in public. The people here might exploded if they saw Sonia with the two alien princesses that have access to something most people thought was a myth."

"Good point. And with everything that is going on, freaking them may be the last thing we want to do," Luna agreed before she looked to the two princesses, who had found a pair of benches and were sitting on them as best they could. The two girls walked over to where the ponies were sitting, both of them cracking up at the sight for a brief moment. "So princesses, why did you bring the both of us out here? Especially without Geo? What if the Maestro attacks?"

"Then he will fight two princesses of Equestria and best the both of them. And that would be an outcome he has already seen. Which he hates above all else," Celestia said in a knowing tone as her eyes narrowed. "But if not, Megaman is waiting for a signal just to be safe. He's not too far from here, actually."

"I thought that was him following us at a distance," Sonia muttered with a nod before crossing her arms, looking around to make sure that no one else was listening in. "But that still didn't answer the question. Why bring us out here and away from the safety of the base?"

Celestia looked to her sister, who nodded before gazing upon the two before her. "Luna asked me for help the other day, help in being a better leader so that she could aid your commandoes when the time came for us to battle the Maestro and his forces once and for all. I agreed and here we are

"You promised you wouldn't tell!" Luna half shrieked when Sonia glanced at the girl.

"No, you made me promise I wouldn't tell Geo, Bud or Zack. You never said anything about Sonia," Princess Luna replied with a sly smirk that made the teenager groan and hide her face in her hands. "And that is what we are here today to do. We are here to start showing you tips and tools we used as leaders back when we ruled."

"I know I asked you for help, but why is your sister here?" Luna asked.

"Because I also observed how you "instructed" your friends when you were showing me around a while back. And I agree with my sister that you need some work," Celestia said with a nod of her head before she smirked and poked Luna with her wing. "Also my sister is terrible at keeping secrets from me...except for the only one that mattered."

"Yeah, she wormed out what I was planning yesterday. Sorry bout that," Princess Luna apologized while she rubbed the back of her head and stuck out her tongue meekly. "So, you get the added bonus of having the alicorn that ruled Equestria by herself for a thousand years while her much better looking younger sister was...indisposed."

"Well, I am grateful to have you here," Luna said with a smile to Celestia, who nodded in reply.

"Hey, Luna?" Sonia asked.

"Yes?" both of them responded at the same time.

"Heh, that's never going to get old. Princess Luna, you explained why Luna and the two of you are here, but why were you so instant that I come along as well?"

"Ah, that is because I enjoy talking to you," Princess Luna replied with a smile before patting the spot on the bench next to her. "And that we never got to finish the story about the time that you got separated from your producer in that foreign county."

Sonia smirked in reply to Luna's words before she walked over to the princess and sat down beside her, turning her gaze upon Luna, who was looking at the three with a nervous expression. "So, what am I supposed to do?" Luna asked in a meek tone.

"Back at the mall, you were instructing your friends to show me around...and then took credit like you yourself had done something worthy of praise," Celestia said in a no-nonsense tone that made Luna's eyes shrink slightly. "Luna, from my observations of you and your actions, you are terrible at reading ponies...people. Sorry, it is hard to break a way I have talked for so long."

"It's okay. But what do you mean, bad at reading people?"

"Back when we were at the mall, you were so concerned with impressing me by showing me everything of interest that you failed to see I was more interested in your friends. Or when you tried to say that your leadership is what allowed us to find those interesting stores, when in reality it was your friends," Celestia explained, causing Luna's face to fall with each word.

"And Sonia has told me plenty of stories told to her by Geo, one of them being the first time you met him," Princess Luna added on, turning the teenagers attention to the two of them. "If what Geo told her was true, then you essentially bullied him into going to school, even when it was clear that he had no desire to."

"That was-"

"I do not want an excuse. I am telling you what happened," Princess Luna cut her off in a tone that silenced any backtalk. "Luna, in order to become the leader you wish to be, you must learn to read the emotions of those around you and to see how they feel. Yes, part of being a leader is telling others what to do, but you must also understand them and their emotions in order to truly lead. If my sister and I hadn't cared for our subjects, do you think they would have adored us so?"

"No...but Geo, Bud and Zack have still listened to me."

"Yes. Because they are your friends. And they are afraid of you, to an extent," Celestia added, getting Luna to widen her eyes. "Do not act surprise. Your reaction to the news the other day told me everything I needed to know about how you felt about insubordination. You have a temper that reminds me of a younger me. Much younger."

"I'm not scary! Yeah, I can be a little tough, but...Sonia, a little help?"

"Sorry, Luna, but you scary," Sonia replied with a shrug of her shoulders and a smirk. Luna looked from her to the princesses before she hung her head.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked.

"That is simple. I want you to observe these people," Luna said as she motioned her wing to all of the people around them. "I want you to see how they're doing, how they seem to be feeling and how you would instruct them if they were your allies. Then you will come and tell me of your thoughts and I will see how they stack up to what my sister and I think. You start now and have until sunset."

Luna spun on her heels and began to race around, leaving the princesses to shake their heads when she began to panic. The three of them watched Luna race around for a bit, before she finally managed to calm herself down and found a place away from the group where she had a clear view of everyone. A green rabbit in a magicians hat appeared beside the girl and offered her advice, leaving Sonia to explain that the rabbit was Luna's wizard.

"It was nice of you to help her," Sonia said to the two princesses after everything had calmed down and the group had gotten tired of watching Luna freak out. She leaned back against the bench and stared up at the sky, while Luna and Celestia read information about the world on Celestia's Hunter VG.

"It was no problem. I promised that I would not let the Maestro win, no matter what. Luna felt so down because of something that the Maestro had said, so I have to make sure that she does not let him get to her," Luna explained before smiling to herself. "Not to mention, as Celestia said, Luna reminds me of a younger Celestia, one that had a volcano for a temper. You should have seen it when she threatened to throw all of the dragons into the sun."

"The threat worked and they never bothered us again. I fail to see why you see the threat of throwing somepony into the sun as a poor negotiating tool," Celestia shot back with a smirk, one that made Luna roll her eyes. "Throwing your foes into the sun is a valid strategy and one that should be used more often. Why can you not understand that?"

"Because the ruler of Equestria shouldn't be going around threatening to throw others into the sun," Luna replied with a laugh before she seemed to get the thousand yard stare in her eyes, one that Sonia noticed was in Celestia's eyes as well. "Those were the days, huh? When mom and dad dealt with everything and allowed us to run around to our devices. When we could terrify others with threats of solar incineration?"

"Back when we had little responsibility and could go wherever we wanted, without a care in the world?" Celestia added on with a smirk, one that seemed dry and pained. "Yeah, I remember those days. No cares about ruling, about billions of lives resting on our call...or thoughts of what would happen if we made the wrong choice. When the weight of the world wasn't on our shoulders?"

"Yeah...those were the days..." Luna said as well before she shook her head and forced the pained memories to go away, before she glanced down at the concerned face of Sonia. "So yes, those are my reasons for helping your friend past her problems. And once I am done with her, I promise that I will help you with your courage."

"My courage? My courage is fine," Sonia said with some indignation as she crossed her arms. "Who was the first of us to take on the Maestro when he showed up at my studio? Me. Who always jumps into danger at the first sign of trouble? Me. Who stands up to Luna whenever she gets mad? A dead man, that's who. I think my courageous actions speak for themselves."

"Are you sure? Perhaps there is something that makes you second guess yourself...or perhaps there is something that you are to afraid to do? Afraid to say?" Princess Luna probed, but when Sonia gave her a look of confusion in reply the princess shook her head and smiled at her sister. "Ah to be young."

"What are you talking about? Stop being subtle and just spit it out," Sonia growled at Luna, who stuck her tongue out in reply. Sonia raised an eyebrow before she tackled the princess and tried to put her into a headlock, getting a laugh out of Princess Luna before she began to resist. Despite still suffering from her wounds, Luna was more than strong enough to break the grip of Sonia and with a flick of her neck she tossed the teenager into the air. Before the superstar could begin to fall, Celestia caught her with her magic and lowered her to the ground, giving both her and her sister a look.

"For a being that is over two thousand years old, you can be so immature sometimes," Celestia chided her sister, but Luna was having none of it.

"Come sister, you must try to relax and have some fun. It is better than the alternative," Luna said with a smile, but her smile only caused her sister to roll her eyes and shake her head. Luna glanced at Sonia and gave the girl a shrug. "Sisters. What are you going to do?"

"Deal with whatever Luna is dealing with apparently," Celestia replied, turning both Princess Luna and Sonia's head towards Luna, who was sprinting towards them at full speed with a look of terror on her face. "What is the matter, Luna?"

"Yes, what is the matter? Did you tick someone one off?" Princess Luna asked with a smile.

"Trouble...big trouble..." Luna panted as she doubled over and rested her hands on her knees, taking in numerous deep breaths. Before she could speak an explosion of shattered energy went off behind her, forcing Luna, Celestia and Sonia to leap off of the bench as people around them began to scream. From the center of the explosion walked forth a being with black, metal armor that had the symbol of Mu in the center. His blue visor was in the shape of an X and his left hand was filled with shattered magic. But all four of them narrowed their eyes with anger as they realized who was walking towards them.

"Rogue," Sonia said with a hatred in her voice that Luna and Celestia didn't know she could make. "Figures that on such a beautiful day you would have to show up to ruin it? What's the matter? Get tired of getting your butt kicked by Geo? Or do you want my boot print there instead?"

"I am here for the three of you," Rogue replied in a voice colder than ice as he pointed his blade at the four, eyes hidden behind the visor. "Maestro has had enough of you and your sister, Celestia. He said that your stories have ended, so you should end with it. And for the pain you caused him, he wants me to end your sister first. So you can watch. As for you girl, I have put off slaying you long enough. You can keep the two company in hell."

"So Maestro doesn't want to deal with us himself and instead sends his lapdog to deal with us," Celestia replied in a voice like venom as she stepped before her sister, horn glowing with a powerful light. "No, lapdog isn't the right term for your relationship with him. I believe that the proper word is bit-"

Faster than she could follow Rogue slammed his fist into her face, sending her flying backwards into the side of a building. Princess Luna called out to her sister, but before she could move Rogue kicked her in the chest and caused the princess to spiral off to the side. He then turned his gaze to Luna, who was staring up at him with fear. He glared at her for a second before he turned his hatred towards Sonia, who had taken off her hoodie to reveal she was wearing a workout shirt beneath.

"Got to admit, never liked the idea of playing any of my music at a funeral," Sonia said with malice as she picked up her guitar and strummed it once, glaring at Rogue with blazing eyes. "But since it's your funeral, I guess I'll make an exception. What song would you like me to start with?"

"I do not know what I hate more. Your constant interference or that annoying voice of yours," Rogue spat back as he aimed his blade at her chest. "Any last words before I make sure you never speak again?"

"Just this. Transcode: Harp Note."

Shattered

Bystanders screamed in horror as a teen in a pink outfit was sent hurtling through the side of a building, spraying them with material before she burst out of the other side and skidded across the ground. Harp Note growled in pain before she forced herself back up, glaring to her side to see Luna helping Celestia back up to her hooves.

"Sonia! He's coming!" Harp Note glanced up in time to see Rogue lunging towards her with blade held over his head. Harp Note threw herself to the side and just narrowly avoided the blade, which plunged itself into where she had been standing a moment before and decimated the ground beneath Rogue's feet. People were hurled off their feet by the force of the impact, but Rogue paid them no mind as he slowly turned to glare at Harp Note.

"Is all you can do run? Or do you know that you are too weak to fight me?" Rogue asked as he lifted his shattered hand and aimed it at Harp Note. A torrent of shattered magic erupted from his hand and tore through the air towards Harp Note, who barely had time to strum her guitar and create a shield of sound in front of her. She gritted her teeth as she leaned into the shield, her feet slowly skidding backwards as the force of the energy pushed her back.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Harp Note roared as she the shattered magic finally ceased, allowing her to strum her guitar once more to create three musical notes that lunged towards Rouge. His face didn't change in the slightest as he sliced through her attacks with ease, before his form flickered and he vanished from sight. Harp Note's eyes widened as she began to look around for him, only for her soul to go cold when she felt him appear behind her.

"Die," he snarled as he swung his sword at the base of her neck. Harp Note spun around and lifted her guitar to deflect the blow, but the raw power of Rogue nearly broke through her defense as she tried to keep the blade from getting any closer to her. With both of her arms being used to push the blade back, Harp Note was unable to defend herself from the shattered fist that slammed itself into her stomach, doubling Harp Note over before Rogue slammed a foot into the side of her head and sent her tumbling across the ground.

"Sonia! You need to get up!" Lyra roared from within the guitar while Harp Note clutched at her stomach in pain. She glanced up to see Rogue descending upon her, eyes as cold as the grave as the blade was aimed at her heart. Right before the blow could cleave through her, Harp Note flickered her form and the blade passed through her without leaving a scratch.

"No you don't," Rogue said as he flickered his form and grabbed Harp Note by the leg as she tried to escape, whipping her over his head and slamming her back first into the ground. She cried out in pain before Rogue swung her to the side and drove her into the side of a building. Harp Note coughed out a bit of blood before Rogue slammed his fist into her stomach, the blow hurtling her through the side of the building and clean through the other side. Rogue appeared on the other side and grabbed her by the back of the head as she sailed passed him, before driving her face first into the ground.

"Sonia!" Lyra screamed as Harp Note lay on the ground motionless, unable to move as Rogue lifted his blade once more and aimed for her heart.

"Time to die."

"SONIA!"

Rogue snapped his head to the sky to see Megaman rocketing towards them, absolute wrath blazing in his eyes and his Mega Buster charged beyond what it should have been capable of. Rogue snarled before he channeled his left fist with shattered magic, making the very earth beneath him shake. He then drove his fist into the ground, summoning a shockwave of shattered magic that formed a barrier around the area that they were fighting. Megaman bellowed with fury as he unleashed his charged shot into the barrier, roaring when the blast didn't scratch the surface.

"You won't interfere this time," Rogue said to Megaman, who could hardly hear him over his own roaring at the shots that he was unleashing into the barriers. "I will deal with you once I am done with her," Rogue promised Megaman before he spun and swung his blade towards the motionless singer.

"GRAH!" Rogue roared as a combined blast of solar and lunar magic tore into his chest, rocketing him backwards across a small café before he slammed into the side of his own barrier. Rogue roared as he fell to his knees, slamming a fist into the ground to keep from falling over. He glared up with rage filled eyes to see the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon both standing between him and Harp Note.

"Has no one taught you any manners, boy?" Celestia spat while her horn glowed like a solar flare. "It is rude to keep royalty waiting."

"I think he's just dumb, sister," Luna said with a laugh while her horn glowed like the dark side of the moon. "He's already taken candy from a stranger, so it's clear that he has little intelligence whatsoever. But perhaps we can learn. Let us see."

"Fine. You two want to die first. So be it," Rogue snarled before he kicked off the ground and propelled himself to the princesses, reaching them in a heartbeat and slicing at Celestia's head. His blade was blocked by a blade of lunar magic, turning Rogue's head towards Luna who was smirking at him. The second he took his eyes off of Celestia, the Princess of the Sun she unleashed a torrent of fire into the chest of Rogue. He snarled in pain before he changed his form to EM so avoid her attack. The two sisters went back to back and created an eclipse barrier around themselves, forcing Rogue back.

"If it came down to our lives or hers, then yes, we would prefer to be the first to die," Celestia agreed with Rogue before her eyes were consumed with fire and she smiled darkly at Rogue. "But if it came down to our lives or yours...well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

Rogue said nothing in reply, but instead plunged his hand with the shattered magic into a vortex. He grabbed hold of something and pulled out a broadsword with a red hilt from the shattered energy, which he then whipped around before resting it upon his shoulder.

"I don't think he agrees with you, sister," Luna said. Celestia nodded before Rogue vanished from before their eyes. The two had just enough time to widen their eyes before Rogue appeared between the both of them, lashing out with both blades at the two princesses. Celestia was fast enough to create a barrier of magic around herself, but Luna tried to leap away and took a glancing shot to the side of her chest. She snarled with pain as she shot lunar magic towards Rogue, but his form flickered and he vanished once more.

"Are you alright?" Celestia asked her sister before glaring at the surrounding area, looking for the rogue warrior.

"It's a glancing blow. Little punk got lucky," Luna growled as she held a hoof to her sliced chest. "This EM form is really starting to tick me off. Not only can we not hit it, but it also makes him invisible! Where is the fairness in that?"

"He doesn't play fair. Rogue just wants to kill all of us," Celestia replied as she kept her back to her sister. "So if I were him, how would I deal with us? What would me...no!"

As the words left her mouth Rogue appeared over Harp Note, blade already raised as he plunged it down to where she was still laying. Celestia and Luna spun around to face him while Megaman roared in fear, but none of them could react in time to stop the blade from plunging into the girl.

"Battle Card: Barrier!"

Rogue's blade came to a stop as it struck a blue barrier, which withstood his attack and prevented his blade from killing Harp Note. He slowly turned his head to the side to see a terrified teen standing across from him, hand on her Hunter VG and a barrier card in her right hand. Rogue slowly stood up and walked towards the girl that had interfered, dragging his blade along the ground with malice blazing in his eyes.

"Out of all of your little friends, you were the only one I thought was smart enough to stay out of my path," Rogue said in a menacing voice as he walked up to her, his overpowering aura making Luna seem even smaller in his presence. "But just like the rest of them, it seems that you need to learn your place."

Luna said nothing as Rogue stood before her, too scared to run from him and knowing that she wasn't strong enough to fight back. Rogue glared into her eyes for a moment before he whipped his blade back. A roar of fury ceased his attack and a moment later a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist. He looked down with shock before he was suplexed head over heels and slammed onto the back of his head. He roared before his head shot up, just in time to take a guitar to the mouth that snapped his head to the side.

"Lesson in being classy, Rogue. Never try to dance with another girl when you haven't finished your dance with the first one!" Harp Note roared before she slashed her fingers across her guitar. A screech of music erupted from her guitar and overwhelmed Rogue with the noise. He roared as he clamped his hands over his ears, leaving him open for Harp Note to fire guitar strings that wrapped around his body. "Time for a royal beating."

The moment Harp Note spoke, twin beams of solar and lunar magic blasted Rogue in the back. He growled with pain as he was hurled across the ground, his back smoking while he strained against the strings that held his arms to his side. He glanced over his shoulder to see Celestia, Luna and Harp Note all standing together, while the teenage Luna stood behind them with a far more confident look.

"That's how it's going to be, huh?" Rogue asked before he flexed and snapped the strings holding him, before he rose up once more and cracked his neck. "Then I guess I should stop holding back."

The group had just enough time to take those words in before shattered magic erupted from Rogue's body. Cracks formed in his body as the magic poured through him, changing his visor from blue to a gray silver that had cracks forming along it. He then glared at the group before in the blink of an eye he appeared next to all of them. He slashed Celestia in the chest and sent her flying backwards with a roar of pain.

He twirled towards Luna and struck her in her wounded side with a kick, one that drew blood while also sending her tumbling into the ground. She seethed with pain, leaving herself completely open to a sword slice that was aimed at her other wing. A hand grabbed Rogue's arm and stopped his attack, before a blast of sound staggered him slightly while also giving him a new target.

"Didn't you hear me before?" Harp Note asked in a far more concerned voice as she crouched down, steeling her nerves as Rogue turned to look at her. "We're not done dancing yet."

"Sonia...Luna...run!" Princess Luna roared as she slammed herself into the side of Rogue, staggering him while pushing him away from the girls. "He's too powerful for the both of you! Get out of here!"

"Die," Rogue said as he slashed at Luna once more, but again a guitar blocked his blade. Rogue slammed his knee into the gut of Luna before a backhand sent her flying backwards. He then spun and lunged towards Harp Note, lunging towards her and driving a fist into her stomach. Harp Note cried out with pain as she was sent tumbling backwards, but she rolled to her feet and kicked herself right back at Rogue. She swung her guitar towards his head, only to watch as he spun around behind her and drove an elbow into the back of her head.

"You are annoying, aren't you?" Rogue asked before he stabbed at her with his blade, only for her to deflect it once more. He followed up with an overhead strike with his other blade, only to snarl when Harp Note weaved to the side to avoid the blow. He went low and swept her feet out from under her, making her go horizontal before he slammed his knee into her back with a sickening crunch. Harp Note let out a scream that terrified the others before she fell to the ground with a thud.

"SONIA!" Megaman roared from the other side of the barrier, getting Rogue to turn towards him with a smirk upon his face. Making sure that Megaman was watching, Rogue lifted his blade over Harp Note slowly, making sure that Megaman was suffering through every second. With a bellow that could rend the heavens Megaman slammed a fist into the barrier, his hand cracking from the blow. All the impact did was put a small crack in the barrier, but for the Princess of the Sun that had been watching that crack was enough.

"Megaman!" she roared before her horn glowed and she vanished in a flash of light. A moment later she appeared beside Megaman, who looked at her with surprise. "The Solar Knight! Hurry!" A flash of light erupted between the two and a second later the Solar Knight drove himself through the barrier, roaring with fury as he slammed into Rogue and sent the both of them tumbling.

"You will not touch her!" Megaman roared as he grabbed the solar blade out of the air and slashed through Rogue's chest. Rogue snarled as EM energy sprayed from the wound and he leapt back out of Megaman's range with a hand to his chest. He narrowed his eyes as he glared at the Solar Knight, before his blades vanished and a second later he did as well.

"Get back here you coward!" Megaman roared with such fury that the sun above blazed even brighter. He roared at the sky for a moment more before Luna yelled at him.

"Forget about him, Geo! Sonia needs us!"

All of the rage left Megaman's body as he spun around to where Sonia was laying. Both of the pLuna's along with Lyra were standing over her, looks of concern on their face. Megaman raced over to her, knocking Princess Luna out of the way, and with horror picked her up into his arms.

"Hey...Geo..." she said weakly with a smirk upon her face. "Guess we...scared him off, huh?"

"Sonia! Are you alright?!" he asked her with fear tearing at his voice.

"Yeah...can't feel anything...is that normal?" she asked weakly before she began to cough weakly. Without another word the Solar Knight hurled himself into the sky, launching the three of them towards the WAZA headquarters with such intensity that it left a sonic boom that was as bright as the sun behind him.

Left Behind

"You don't have to sit here and watch me all the time. I mean, I'm grateful for the attention, but I'm fine," Sonia said to one Geo Stelar, who had been sitting beside her bed for a long time. "Geo, there's no permanent damage to my spine. The medical equipment we have here prevented anything bad from happening. A hundred years ago maybe I would be in trouble. But I'm fine. So go down to the command center and talk with Ace about whatever he wanted to talk to you about. I just need a bit of rest, that's all."

"I shouldn't have let you guys go without me," Geo seethed without hearing Sonia's words, getting a sigh out of Sonia as she laid back on her pillow. "What would have happened if it had been the Maestro instead of Solo? All of you would have been dead and it would have been my fault."

"But it wasn't and we're fine," Sonia replied with a smile, one that was lost on the hero of the earth. "Besides, I was totally about to mount my counterattack before you and Celestia interfered. Probably for the best though, because if you hadn't stepped it I would have done far worse to him."

"How can you keep making jokes?!" Geo practically yelled at her, getting Sonia to look at him with surprise. He took in a few deep breaths before he leaned his head against his hands, sighing in frustration.

"Geo. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong," Sonia said.

"It's nothing. You should just focus on getting better," Geo said as he stood up and tried to walk away, but Sonia wrapped a hand around Geo's wrist. He turned to look at her and found that she was giving him a hard stare, one that made it very hard for him to look into her eyes.

"Geo."

"I'm supposed to be the hero of earth, the guy that comes through when all else fails," Geo said at last, his willpower crumbling under Sonia's gaze. "But I wasn't there to keep you guys safe. I wasn't there to fight off one of the most dangerous forces that has ever stood on this planet. And just like the last time you fought him alone, I almost lost you."

"You're not going to lose me, Geo," Sonia said with a smile before she moved her hand from Geo's wrist to his hand, taking it in hers. "And you've got to stop putting so much pressure on yourself. The fate of the world doesn't rest solely on your shoulders. Me, Bud and Ace are all here to share the burden with you. We'll always be by your side. I'll always be by your side. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Thanks...Sonia," Geo replied with a grateful smile before the two stood next to each other in silence for a moment. Then then two let go of each other and Geo walked towards the door to the room. "I need to go see what Ace wanted. You should rest up so you can fight with us the next time we go into battle. I don't know how we'd pull through without you."

Sonia gave Geo a smile in reply as he exited the room. The moment the door shut behind him Sonia spun on her bed and slammed a fist into her pillow. She then grabbed the pillow and put it over her face, screaming into it so that her voice was muffled.

"I'm amazed you managed to hide all of that rage from Geo," Lyra said as she appeared next to the side of the bed. Sonia removed her face from her pillow and rolled over, staring at the ceiling with rage blazing in her eyes. "And I've rarely seen you get this angry. So what were you hiding from him?"

"I'm so useless," Sonia said in a whisper that was simmering with anger. "All that talk about how we're a team, all that talk about how I can handle myself but when it matters I get beaten down just like all the other times."

"So this is about what happened with Rogue?" Lyra asked, shaking her body before she placed a hand on Sonia's shoulder. "Sonia, you know that Rogue is far more powerful than he used to be. The fact that we fended him off without any serious injury is amazing in and of itself."

"You mean that Geo fended him off? Geo saved me, like he always does," Sonia admitted with a sigh as she closed her eyes. "Here I am going on about how I'm his partner, his equal, but when he needs me to help him I can't. But whenever I need saving he'll move the heavens to do it. How am I supposed to help him like this?"

"You've already helped him more than either of you will admit," Lyra reminded Sonia, who sighed and rolled to her side so that she wouldn't have to face her friend. "Being there for someone doesn't mean just fighting alongside them. Just being there for emotional support can make a world of difference."

"But we are going to be fighting alongside each other. And Geo's already got the fate of the world on his shoulders. He shouldn't have to worry about me," Sonia replied before both of them heard the sound of the door to her room being opened. Sonia rolled over to see the Princess of the Night walk into the room, waving slightly as she did so. "Luna. How much did you here?"

"More than I believe I was supposed to. Though to be fair, your voice does carry," Luna admitted as she closed the door behind her, nodding to Lyra before sitting next to Sonia. Sonia looked up at the ceiling and refused to speak, telling Luna that she would need to start the conversation. "You know I find it funny. A few days ago Luna comes to me and asks for my help in become a better part of the commandoes. And now here we are with you, doubting yourself and feeling kind of like she was. Should I worry about Bud and Zack, or will Geo be the next to lose his strength?"

"Geo will never lose his confidence. That's what makes him the hero."

"I see. Sonia, I feel that I must agree with Lyra in this situation," Luna began, getting an appreciative nod from Lyra. "Being there for somepony doesn't just mean physically fighting with them. I'm still too weak to actually do any serious fighting, but my simply being here is keeping my sister from completely giving in to her hatred and sorrow. Perhaps that is what you are doing for Geo. That simply being there for him is enough to keep him going."

"Maybe that's true for you, but it's going to be different here," Sonia replied before she glanced over to see Luna looking at her with confusion. Sonia then held out a hand with four fingers held up. "Four times, Luna. Four times Geo flew off into some world saving battle by himself. And each time he barely makes it back."

"Such is the risk when you try to save the world."

"And four times I was stuck on the sideline, unable to help him because of some asinine reason," Sonia grumbled with anger. "The first was because he asked. The second was because Rogue kicked the crap out of me and put me in the hospital. The third was because an energy called noise prevented me from going. And the forth was because I wasn't worthy to go where he needed to. And after each of those battles, it's taken longer and longer for him to come back to us..."

"Ah."

"But this luck can't last forever. Eventually his luck is going to run out," Sonia said with fear in her voice, making her whisper. "He'll go off to save the world and most likely save us all. But eventually, he won't make it back. And then where would we be...where would I be? Sitting on the sidelines, like usual. Unable to be there when he needs me the most."

"Sonia..."

"Sorry, I'm just ranting," Sonia said with a shrug of her shoulders before she rolled over to avoid looking at Luna. "Thanks for taking the time to listen to me whine. I know that he'll be fine and save the day, like he always does. You should probably go see what Ace has called the commandoes for."

"Feh, if you think he'll let me in on any of those meetings then you're crazy," Luna said with a small chuckle. "Even thought I'm the Princess of the Night, even though she said she'd let me fight with her, they're still keeping me out of briefings. Because I'm wounded they say, but I know the truth. It's just because I'm Celestia's little sister and she doesn't want me getting hurt."

"Sounds like she's being a good older sister," Sonia suggested, getting a laugh out of Luna.

"We're a lot alike, Sonia. Both of us aren't happy with how strong we are or how useless we seem to be when everything matters to most," Luna said, looking over at Lyra with a smile. "Back on my world we had six heroes that would always save the day whenever things went wrong, despite my sister and I being the rulers of the land. And guess where we were the entire time they were saving the world?"

"On the sidelines?"

"Actually most of the time we were captured, but I guess that works," Luna said with a shake of her head. "And despite wanting to help them, I knew I was powerless to do so. They told me that they would handle it and that we didn't need to worry. So we relied on them to save the world over and over, eventually getting used to it. And then the Maestro showed up and killed out defenders with no effort. So the safety of the world fell to us, ponies that had been out of action for a long time."

"What are you saying?" Sonia asked, sitting up in her bed and turning to face Luna.

"Don't listen to them. When they tell you to stay out of it or stay back so they can save the day, don't," Luna said in a tone filled with regret and sorrow. "Because we weren't there to support our heroes and they paid the ultimate price. And if I were to wager, there will come a day where you aren't there for Geo and will spend the rest of your life wishing you were. That is the same way I feel with my sister. If I'm not there when she needs me the most, then I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it. They think they can hold up the world by themselves. But they can't. And they're the only ones that can't see why."

Sonia and Luna sat in silence together for a long time after that, both of them lost in their thoughts. Lyra floated between them, not sure what to say to either of them while also understanding what Luna was telling Sonia to do. After about twenty minutes Sonia let out a sigh and smiled at Luna.

"I guess we are pretty similar, aren't we?" Sonia asked before she smirked and shook her head. "Of course, you never gave into temptation and tried to take over the world because you felt cheated and angry." To both Lyra and Sonia's surprise, Luna threw back her head and laughed at the ceiling for a good minute.

"Never tried...oh my dear Sonia, let me tell you about the time I went by the name Nightmare Moon."

{*}

With an air of confidence Luna pushed open the doors to the main meeting room, walking inside with Sonia standing beside her. Everyone that was seated in the room turned with surprise to look at the two, who found a pair of empty chairs and sat down in them. Sonia and Princess Luna looked around the room to find the other commandoes, Celestia, Zack, Luna and Geo's parents all sitting in the room with them, each of them giving the two the same look.

"Oh, don't mind us. Go on with what you were talking about," Sonia replied with a smile as she put her boots up on the table in front of her.

"Sonia, what are you doing here? You should be resting," Geo tried to tell her, but Sonia smirked at him before she made herself comfortable.

"Maybe, but I can rest far more comfortable in the presence of friends," Sonia replied as she put her arms behind her head. "And since all my friends are here, I figure this is the most comfortable place to rest." Geo smiled and shook his head at Sonia before Celestia gave her sister a look.

"You should not be here, Luna. This isn't anything that-"

"If it involves the fate of this world in some way, then it involves me," Princess Luna replied curtly, not letting her sister finish. "So we can waste everyponies time with the whole 'Too dangerous for you' speech or we can spend that time going over whatever it is you are all talking about."

"Heh, I like her," Bud said before he looked at the floor when Luna gave him a look. Celestia looked to Ace for some kind of help, but with a smile on his face he shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Don't look at me, Celestia. The looks they've got on their faces right now are the same Tia gives me when I'm about to lose an argument. All we can do is take Princess Luna's advice and move on with the meeting to save time," he said before he pressed a few buttons on his Hunter, changing the floating image behind him to an image of the sphere that Maestro had created. "Also, since you two most likely don't know, Kelvin and Hope wanted to sit in and see what's going on. As Kelvin has done so much for us in the past, I couldn't say no."

"Hiya mister Stelar," Sonia said with a wave to Kelvin, who waved back with a similar smirk to what Ace was wearing. Celestia looked at the group before she sighed in resignation, motioning for Ace to continue before she accepted that she had lost.

"So for our two commandoes that showed up late, we've been talking about Maestro's sphere and what its means for this world," Ace began before a smile crossed his face and he placed his hands on the table. "And as I was about to tell the group here before you two walked in...I think we've found a way to bring it down."*

Interuption

As Ace had expected, the room went quiet at his words and every single set of eyes rested solely upon him. Ace smiled at those present before he pressed a button on his Hunter, changing the image of the sphere to from a side view to a view that was overhead of the weapon of destruction.

"About six hours ago one of our spy wizards took a shot of this," Ace said as he zoomed in on the shot, revealing a large hexagon in the top of the sphere. Energy pulsed from the opening, energy that seemed to be shot into the sky. "What we've learned since then is that the energy that is being released from that opening is being launched into space. Most of it is EM energy, the rest seems to consist of that shattered magic that has been giving our tech guys hell for a few weeks."

"But you don't just see an energy exhaust, you see an opening. A weak point," Zack stated with a smile spreading across his face. Ace gave the teen a thumbs up before he rotated the shot with a flick of his fingers.

"Unfortunately, the spy wizard was deleted a few moments after he took the shot. If I was a betting man, I'd say either Solo or Maestro was the one that brought it down."

"That Solo. When is he going to learn?" Bud grumbled under his breath.

"But back to what to what Zack was saying, this does indeed look like our opening. We've tried all sorts of weaponry against that hunk of metal, but even our strongest bombs and cannons can't even put a nick in it," Ace explained before changing the image to numerous WAZA officers unleashing their weapons upon the structure, which didn't budge from the onslaught.

"And again, most of these men and women didn't make it home," Ace admitted with bitter regret in his voice, one that made everyone in the room hang their heads in silence. "And this time we know it was the Maestro's works. Those that survived said that he let them go because there was still a chance they could do something interesting before he decimated the Earth."

"So he is alive," Geo said through gritted teeth, slamming a fist into his hand while rage blazed through his eyes. "Now I know what the plan of attack is. Celestia and I form the Solar Knight and we go take him out once and for all. Once we've turned him into molten slag, we bring down his sphere and prevent him from destroying the world. Problem solved."

"Never seen Geo this angry," Kelvin whispered to Hope, who could only nod her head in agreement.

"That would be an incredibly foolish as well as suicidal plan," Ace replied, shooting Geo's idea down on the spot. "Not only are we not sure what that sphere can do, but we also know that Rogue with Maestro's power was able to match you in strength. If the both of them are there, then we might lose our best shot of taking out Maestro and his weapon, not to mention a good friend of mine and the one of the two survivors of a doomed world."

"What, no love for me?" Mega asked as he appeared beside Geo.

"Trust me Mega, we wish we could get rid of you," Ace ribbed with a smirk. "But somehow you would survive and continue to pester me."

"If you think I'll let the kid die before me, then you're sorely mistaken."

"Back to my point, there are too many unknowns to risk a frontal assault," Ace continued on. "Not to mention that the sphere draws in EM energy and beings and converts them into power. As I believe I said earlier, we don't even know if our own EM forms would be safe."

"Then allow me to bring it down," Celestia asked. "I did not get the chance back on my world, due to the panic Maestro caused. But perhaps here-"

"If my sister is going, then I will support her as well," Luna cut in, gaining her a look of annoyance from Celestia. "Do not try to keep me out of this, Celestia. Maestro would be too much for you. Maestro and Rogue would be overkill."

"Neither of you are going in. Again, if the Solar Knight, the most powerful Megaman form to date, couldn't defeat Rogue by itself, you two would stand no chance against the both of them," Ace said with a small growl, getting the two princesses to stop fighting. "Just because we found a weak point doesn't mean we're that we can pull a Death Star on this thing. The moment we underestimated what we're up against is the moment we lose."

"So we're just supposed to sit here and do nothing?" Kelvin asked, getting Ace to sigh as he placed a hand to his face. "Every second we sit here and debate is another second that thing comes closer to destroying our world. What if it already can and Maestro's just waiting to see what it can do? We need to act."

"With all due respect Kelvin, you've been out of the fight for a long time," Ace shot back, starting to get annoyed. "And my point still stands. Rogue wiped the floor with Taurus Fire and Harp Note, while only the Solar Knight was able to fend him off. Say the Maestro confronts Geo. Sonia and Bud, can you two tell me to my face that the both of you can handle Rogue without Geo?"

Both Sonia and Bud glared at the ground, wishing they could tell Ace he was wrong, but their most recent injuries were still fresh on their bodies and those wounds kept their mouths shut. But Taurus and Lyra emerged behind the two, the looks on their faces telling Ace that they weren't going to keep quiet.

"Yeah, he might have beaten the both of us, but both times he caught us off guard," Taurus argued, getting Ace to groan. "This time he wouldn't just be fighting the two of us, there would also be the Princess of the Night...and Acid Ace. The three of us should be able to-"

"Acid Ace...won't be of much help to anyone," Ace cut him off bitterly, getting everyone in the room to look at Ace with shock. "After what happened with me and Joker, my fusion with Ace has become rocky. I can still do it, but each time I do it drags me closer to my grave. When I was by myself it was no issue, but now...with Tia and Jack..."

"You don't need to say anymore. We understand," Kelvin agreed as he placed a hand on Hope's shoulder.

"I'll still fight with you guys if it's absolutely necessary or for the final battle, but I can't just transform whenever we need it. I have to be smart," Ace admitted, before pressing another button on the Hunter and changing the screen. "If it does come down to it, I can transform for this battle and perhaps the next. But after that I'll need to take a break so I can recover. Both from my fusion and the thrashing that Tia will give me."

"So we aren't going to be going off to destroy this thing?" Luna asked.

"No, Luna. We are not going to be doing that."

"Doing what? I didn't say anything," Princess Luna said with a smirk, forcing Sonia to cover her mouth to avoid laughing out loud.

"Oh great, now she's doing it as well," Ace groaned.

"Sister, please focus," Celestia asked Princess Luna, who sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "So we have a weak point, but it means nothing to us if we don't have a plan of attack. Yet Ace is insistent that something is holding us back. Do you have any idea what that might be?"

"...we're too weak," Ace admitted, gaining him some somber looks. "Things changed in this war on Maestro when we gained the Solar Knight, but with the Maestro recruiting Solo, we've lost our advantage, if we ever had one."

"So what you're saying is that we should be focusing on bringing Solo over to our side?" Luna asked, turning all heads towards her. "Or at least making it so that he won't fight for the Maestro. Without his "lapdog" at his side, as Celestia so eloquently put it, we could leave him to Geo, which would allow the rest of us to destroy his sphere."

"That's not a bad idea, but you forget that Solo is only concerned with power and wiping out those that he hates," Sonia reminded Luna, rubbing some of her bruises as she did so. "Maestro gives him power and he hates our guts. The only reason he allied with us against King was because they stole his heritage and tech."

"Maybe I can convince him? I can be very convincing when I want to be," Luna said with some pride, but a scoff by Luna knocked her confidence off of her face. "Think I said something funny, Stelar?"

"Luna, you can be convincing for normal people. Rogue wouldn't even hear what you had to say. He would either ignore you or end you," Geo said in a matter of fact voice, one that made Luna's face fall. "I think you're smart Luna, but what you just suggested was suicide. Solo has turned to the dark side and he's not coming back. He loves this new power too much."

"Then what do we do?" Luna snarled at Geo, though there was none of her usual fire in her voice. "What should I do?"

"What you're best at. Being a hostage."

Geo roared with fury as he shot to his feet, but he had barely risen from his chair when spheres of shattered magic surrounded his friends. He glanced around to see that everyone except for Mega and Celestia had been caught within the spheres, while the one responsible for them had appeared at the end of the table next to Ace.

"Maestro," Geo seethed as he held out his hand, but the moment he did so the sphere with his parents in it shined with power and they roared with pain from within.

"No sudden movement Stelar, unless you wish to be an orphan like so many of the other heroes I deal with," Maestro snarled at Geo, who snarled in reply as he lowered his hand. "Meet me out front." The Maestro vanished in a flash of light, but he had hardly vanished before Geo, Mega and Celestia raced through WAZA and burst through the front entrance. Horror crossed their faces when they saw the bodies of the officers that were strewn across the canyon, but then all three sets of eyes focused on the metal being in the black cape.

His armor was far different than before, looking far more like that of a dark knight or evil warrior. His shattered magic could be seen coursing through the armor and it made him look very similar to how Rogue looked at full power. Maestro twitched and the spheres with Geo's friends trapped in them appeared next to the side of the building.

"Geo!" his friends cried out, while Ace, Sonia, Kelvin and Princess Luna were trying to bash their way out of the spheres.

"Let them go, Maestro! This is between you and me!" Geo roared, only to met with a silent stare from the Maestro.

"They are already dead, Stelar. The question is will they die now or after you die?" the Maestro asked Geo, closing his fist and tightening his spheres somewhat. The trapped screamed from within, getting Geo to glance at them with fear. "And I promise you they will die unless you do exactly as I say."

"NO! We'll tear you apart instead and save them!" Mega roared, but Geo held out a hand to stop both him and Celestia.

"Fine...what do you want," Geo asked in a defeated voice, getting his friends within the spheres to scream at him.

"Transform into Megaman." A look of confusion spread across his face, one that was mirrored by both Mega and Celestia. A moment later Geo spoke the words and in a flash of light Megaman stood across from the Maestro. "Good. Now become the...Solar Knight. That is what you are calling your little fusion, is it not?"

"The Solar Knight? The form that beat you?" Megaman asked. "Why would you want me to become that?"

Maestro turned and fired a blast of shattered magic into one of the officers that had run out of the building, turning him to a mist of blood within a second. Megaman roared in fury as Maestro unleashed a few more blasts at more of the guards, before turning his hand towards the spheres with his friends in it.

"I do not recall asking what you thought. Transform or I will kill the one you care about most," the Maestro promise, keeping his hand aimed at Luna, before shifting it to Sonia. "Whichever this version of you cares about more, at least."

"Celestia?"

"Let's do it. I'm ready to kill him."

A flash of light that could have blinded the sun erupted between the two and the moment it died down a warrior clad in white armor stood before the Maestro, shield in his right hand and the head of an armored Celestia upon his left. Megaman then reached forward and summoned the solar blade, which Celestia grabbed with her mouth. Megaman then swung the sword and created a wave of heat that melted the ground, before he aimed it at the Maestro.

"There. We've transformed. Now what?"

"Good. You are capable of limited listening. Now...this." Maestro lowered his hand and ripped the cape off of his body, disintegrating it with his power the moment it left his hand. He then began to move his metal body in a way that caused his power the rage throughout his form. The ground shattered underneath of each of his steps as he walked towards Geo, the owl that had been on his head replaced with the visage of a being that Megaman had never seen before.

"We fight."

"Fight. As in, one on one, you versus me?" Megaman asked, before he looked down at an equally confused Celestia. "In case you have forgotten, this is the form that I beat you with before."

"Yes. Where I was humiliated by two beings that had no right laying a hand upon me. As for you, Celestia, you should have just died. It would have saved your sister the pain of watching you die," the Maestro said in a cold tone that made even a being chosen by the sun shiver as if ice had been injected into his veins. "So I must correct that mistake. A mistake that is never interesting or provides new results. A mistake that only serves to annoy me. So I will crush you at your most powerful. I will bring down the hero in front of all of his friends. And then I shall erase this mistake of a world and try again without the interference of the princesses. As it should have been."

"Well hate to make you cry, but neither the princesses or the hero of earth are going anywhere," Megaman promised as he spun the blade and lowered his head, so that his visor made his eyes unable to be seen. "You on the other hand...are going straight to hell."

As the Star Falls

In a flash of light brighter than the sun Megaman lunged towards the Maestro, blade held above his head as he planned to cleave the monster in two with a single strike. The Maestro watched the hero approach before he too vanished in a flash of light. The only difference was that when he vanished he left behind a pulsing cluster of shattered magic. Megaman's eyes went wide as he realized what was about to happen, before the cluster detonated and sent the Solar Knight hurtling backwards.

Maestro materialized in Megaman's path and held out an arm, causing a sickening crunch to be heard as Megaman slammed into his metal limb. The Maestro then quickly spun and grabbed Megaman by the face, driving the back of his head into the canyon floor with enough strength to completely decimate the area they were standing in. The Solar Knight let out a cry of pain before a boot slammed into his side and sent him skipping across the ground, forcing Megaman to dig his weapon into the ground to keep from tumbling further.

"Is it just me or is he way stronger than last time?" Megaman asked as he pushed himself back up to his feet, watching as the Maestro began a slow walk to where the hero was standing.

"It's like we thought, kid. He was holding back last time," Mega growled. Megaman narrowed his eyes before he gripped the blade tighter and raced towards the Maestro, swinging the blade before him so that Maestro would have little room to dodge. But instead of dodging the metal madman reached out with his hand and caught the blade out of the air, holding a weapon that was hot enough to melt the sun with a single hand.

"Holding back does not even begin to describe how I have been dealing with you," the Maestro stated before he threw the blade back at Megaman, staggering the hero and allowing Maestro to point his fingers at the ground. A column of shattered magic erupted from the ground beneath Megaman, hurling him into the air with a roar of pain. Maestro appeared above him a moment later and slammed a palm into the chest of Megaman, altering his course and sending him rocketing into the canyon floor once more.

"You thought yourself so might with your fusion form, with your new solar powers. Yet you fail to see that the only reason you lived for so long was because I allowed it," Maestro informed Megaman as he floated down next to the hero, glaring down at him as Megaman tried to pull himself out of the ground. Maestro then placed a foot on Celestia's head, pressing down and getting her to snarl with pain.

"Your form was something I had not seen before. Ever tested before. Perhaps this brand new power would warrant further research in another reality," the Maestro continued on before kicking Megaman in the chin, ripping him from the ground and sent him flying into the canyon wall. Maestro was at his side in a second, standing sideways on the wall while Megaman tried to fight through the pain.

"But then I tested your fusion against a fusion of my own and your power proved to be nothing more than a cheap thrill," Maestro finished as he plucked Megaman from the wall, holding him upside down by one of his legs while the Maestro shook his head. "A form that I'm sure could be done in any reality. It is nothing special. So in short, neither of you are anything special. Certainly not enough to change my plans for this world. So not only have you insulted and damaged my form, but you have bored me. And that is a sin that can not be forgiven."

Maestro drove his palm into the side of Megaman and sent him on a one way trip into the ground, where he kicked up dust and dirt as he tumbled across the ground. When he came to a stop he sat in the dirt motionless, but when the Maestro landed on the ground Megaman began to push himself up once more.

"You think...that is a sin?" Celestia spat with venom, turning with Geo so that the both of them could glare at the Maestro. "You take my world, kill all of my friends, threaten my baby sister...and you consider being bored a sin? Maestro, for all the sins you have committed not even hell will be a worthy enough punishment for you. But I will enjoy knowing that you will burn until the end of everything."

"Hell fire means nothing to me, Celestia. Neither does your petty ideas about good and evil. There is no good and no evil. There are only choices," Maestro informed Celestia before he slammed his fists together, causing his shattered energy to erupt from his armor. "And seeing how those choices play out is all I care about. I do not care about the lives of those lost. I saw how their choices played out, as I have yours. And your choices now bore me. So when I kill you, if you end up in that eternal fire...you can have my spot, if you'd like."

Maestro rocketed across the ground with such speed that the very color and light was stripped from the air. Megaman had just enough time to blink before a fist slammed itself into his stomach, getting him to cry out in pain. Yet Geo held on to enough of his strength to reach out with Celestia and summon his blade once more, which he then plunged into one of the joints of the suit of armor. Maestro snarled as the blade stuck and a moment later he was across the field from Megaman, where he ripped the sword out of his armor.

"Seems you're not as tough as you thought you were," Megaman spat along with some blood, which dripped down from his mouth. He wiped the blood on his gauntlet and took aim with Celestia, holding up the shield to defend his right side while making sure the Maestro was within his sights. "Your armor still has plenty of flaws, but it has far less than you do."

Megaman and Celestia bellowed together as then unleashed a hell storm of solar blasts upon the Maestro, who flickered his form and appeared behind the three in an instant. Maestro lashed out with a punch, but before his blow could strike a beast of blue and green appeared in front of him.

"Forget about me?!" Mega roared as he wrapped himself around the limb of the Maestro, throwing off his aim and causing him to miss the Solar Knight. Megaman spun around and fired a burst of solar light into the chest of the Maestro, hurling him backwards into the side of the canyon. Maestro's body groaned as he fell to the ground, landing on his feet and slowly looking down to see a dent in his suit.

"Oops, I think we got a scratch on your new car. Don't worry, I'm sure insurance will cover that," Mega grunted with a laugh before he vanished back into Megaman.

"What do you say we make the rest of the suit match?" Megaman asked as he began to fire more shots at the Maestro. But unlike before the monster didn't get out of the way. He allowed himself to get shot as he began to march towards the hero, making no effort to avoid any of the shots that were putting more and more dents into his form.

"Go down, damn you!" Celestia roared as she channeled all of her power into her horn, before she fired it towards the Maestro in a beam of raw solar might that incinerated the ground as it tore towards it target. Maestro stood still as the beam approached him, before he snapped his fingers and caused a vortex to appear before him. The blast sailed into the vortex and vanished from Megaman's sight, making his and Celestia's eyes go wide with shock. The Maestro snapped his fingers and the vortex appeared behind the Solar Knight, where a beam of unstoppable solar magic came hurtling through.

The beam struck the back of the Solar Knight and quickly consumed him with its power, while the scream that erupted from the mouth of Megaman was lost within the explosion caused by the impact of the beam. An explosion of solar magic consumed the area with such intensity that it could have been seen from space. As the light and the explosion died down, the Maestro lowered his arms to see the Solar Knight resting on his knees, his head tilted low and his armor cracked and broken.

"GEO!" everyone trapped with the spheres cried out at once. Bud, Ace and Sonia transformed into the EM forms and attacked the spheres holding them with a new ferocity, but Maestro ignored them as he slowly walked over to where the Solar Knight knelt. Megaman made no movements as the Maestro walked up to him, staring down at the hero for a moment before he reached down and grabbed him by the throat. He hoisted Megaman into the air and glared into his eyes, eyes which were barely conscious.

"Your story ends here," Maestro promised before he shot a blast of shattered magic clean through the chest of the Solar Knight, getting him to cry out weakly before the Maestro whipped Megaman around and sent him skidding across the canyon floor. Maestro unleashed dozens of shots of shattered magic into the Solar Knight, who was silently consumed by the magic. An eruption of solar energy erupted from the knight, blinding all for a moment...only for terror to fill their eyes when they saw Geo, Mega and Celestia laying beaten and broken in the dirt.

"And the invincible form of yours that you believed would be my downfall succumbs to my power," Maestro said with what sounded like conceit as he marched towards the three. Geo weakly lifted his head to watch as the Maestro approached, only able to see out of one of his eyes while blood poured from a wound on his head. Celestia let out a weak groan as she tried to get up, but her legs failed her and she fell to the side. Mega wasn't even moving and all he could do was look at the Maestro approach out of the side of his eyes.

"And you, Celestia, you truly believed that this child would aid you in destroying me? To do what the six champions of the world could not? To do what the beings that could move the heavens could not?" the Maestro asked in a condescending tone. All Celestia could do was spit out a bit of blood, but there was only pain in her eyes. Then the Maestro turned his attention back to Geo, who was the only one glaring at Maestro with defiance.

"If it gives you any comfort, you were difficult to kill. Not the most difficult hero to kill, but difficult none the less," Maestro told Geo before he raised a hand and pointed it right between Geo's eyes. "And take comfort in that single fact. Because you will also die knowing that this world will follow, along with everyone you ever loved. And you will have failed. If you have any miracles left, now is the time."

Geo had no miracles left. All he could do was stare up at the shattered magic that vortexed in the Maestro's hand, waiting with rage and pain for the Maestro to kill him. 'My battle cards are useless, the Solar Knight was bested and even Megaman would just delay the inevitable,' Geo thought to himself before he narrowed his eyes. 'But I won't let him see fear. I won't give him the satisfaction!'

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my son!" Hope roared from within the confines of her sphere, driving her shoulder into the shattered barrier. A crunch could be heard, but even though pain lanced in her eyes she turned to the other shoulder and tried again.

"If you lay another finger on him, I promise that you'll wish for a quick death!" Kelvin followed up, using his battle cards to try and blast his way out.

"I'll burn you to ash!" Taurus Fire bellowed as he unleashed hellfire into the sphere, but it refused to burn.

"You are all wasting my time. The spheres are strong enough to take the attacks of a goddess. I have also modified them to keep your EM forms contained as well," the Maestro informed them as he glanced over at them. "You will all be extinguished soon enough. I would appreciate it if you would keep the noise down until your deaths."

"If you don't let him go right now I promise I'll-" Luna began, but before she could say any more the Maestro turned and fired a blast of shattered magic that just barely missed her head.

"You are the one I do not wish to hear anything from. All of your friends provide a small threat to me. It may be the tiniest percent, but it is there regardless. You are a waste of time and life. Be quiet and watch," Maestro said to her as he slowly turned and grabbed Geo by the face, lifting him into the air as shattered magic began to burn the teens face. "Watch as your beloved hero dies while there is nothing you can do."

Luna screamed as she pounded against her sphere, but her attacks hardly seemed to phase the prison in the slightest. With horror freezing her heart she realized that the Maestro was right, that there was nothing she could do except watch the death of the person that mattered most to her. Tears flooded her eyes as she watched through the shimmering magic as the now screaming Geo-

"DEATH NOTE!"

Maestro snapped his head to the side in time to roar as a musical note as black as death ripped into the side of his head, staggering him for a brief moment. A second later a guitar slammed into the side of his head before the owner of the guitar flickered her form and pulled Geo out of the Maestro's grasp. Maestro snarled with more fury than pain as he glared at Harp Note, who landed on the ground away from Maestro with Geo clutched firmly in her grasp.

"Sonia?" Geo asked weakly as he gazed up at her.

"Don't worry Geo, I've got you. You're safe now," she promised him with a kind smile before she glared at the Maestro. "I won't let him hurt you anymore."

"No Sonia, he's too powerful. He'll-"

"Kill you, if I don't stop him," Harp Note finished before she laid Geo gently on the ground, before turning to face the Maestro. "And I won't let him. I won't let him hurt you anymore. You hear that, monster?"

"Your words are mere prattle. Though I am a bit intrigued as how you managed to escape my sphere," the Maestro asked as shattered magic formed in his hands.

"You wanna know how I did it? You were threatening the life of my best...of the person I love," Harp Note said in a calm voice as she took her guitar in her hands once more and took up her fighting stance, not aware that nearly everyone's eyes had gone wide except for the Maestro. "So I forced my way out, slamming my EM form against the sphere while using my music to constantly change what frequency I was at. It hurt like hell, but that's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you."

"So you say girl, but I bested the strongest Megaman has been with ease. You will be a brief inconvenience," Maestro promised her. "All your escape will do is force Geo to watch you die before he follows you. A cruel thing to do to the one you love."

"Sonia..." Geo whispered.

"Don't worry, Geo. It's my turn to protect you," Harp Note promised him with a shaky smile before she turned back to the Maestro, strumming her guitar one last time. "That's what a partner does."

Final Performance

Harp Note snapped her head to the side to barely avoid a metallic fist, one that obliterated the air where the teens head had been a moment before. She leapt back and raked her fingers across the guitar, unleashing wave after wave of musical notes upon the Maestro, but with no concern whatsoever he turned towards Harp Note and simply tanked her attacks.

"I would ask you why would you bother fighting me, when you know for certain that you cannot best me, but it clear that your emotions have overridden your intelligence," Maestro told her before he vanished in a flicker of magic. Harp Note blinked and looked around until a blow to the back of her head sent her tumbling into the ground. She cried out with pain as Maestro landed next to her, picking her up by the back of her head. His hand flashed with shattered magic and Harp Note was sent hurtling across the canyon.

"So I will simply end you, unless you can prove to me that your emotions are enough to best me," Maestro told her as he teleported in front of her, slamming a metal limb into her back and stopping her dead in her tracks. She let out a weak cough before Maestro blasted her with another shot of shattered magic, returning her to the dirt once more.

"Sonia..." Geo weakly stammered out as he tried to push himself back up, but his arms gave out and he collapsed to the ground once more. Harp Note was going through the same issue, as she could barely find the strength to get back up. But when she glanced over at the fallen Geo, along with Celestia and Mega, she gritted her teeth and shakily pushed herself back up to her feet.

"Sonia..." Lyra began.

"Don't talk me out of it. I'm going to keep fighting," Harp Note spat as she turned towards the Maestro, only to take a metal fist to the head that struck her with such force that her head was snapped to the side. She crashed into the ground, but a moment later she began to push herself up once more. Blood poured from the side of her head where the fist had struck her and her helmet was shattered, but when she turned to face the Maestro he found that there was still defiance in her eyes.

"How interesting. You resolve is stronger than I could have believed possible," Maestro stated before he swung another fist at Harp Note, but this time she ducked out of the way and slammed her guitar into the side of his head. Maestro didn't budge from the attack, so Harp Note struck her strings and caused a blast of sound to rip into the Maestro. Neither attack phased the Maestro in the slightest and simply lashed out with his foot, catching Harp Note in the leg and shattered her bone.

Harp Note cried out in pain as she collapsed to the ground, holding her leg with tears pouring from her eyes. Maestro pointed his hand at her and unleashed a torrent of shattered magic into her. Her friends screamed out for her, but their voices couldn't be heard over the sound of the magic ripping her apart. It was only after the Maestro could not longer hear her scream that he stopped firing and looked down to see that Harp Note had been reduced to a smoking body that lay motionless on the ground.

"And with her out of the way," Maestro began as he turned towards Geo, who was staring at the motionless Harp Note with tears welling up in his eyes. Maestro pointed his hand at Geo and charged up his shattered magic. "I believe I have put this off long enough. At least I get to see the look you are currently wearing upon your face. It is a small consol-"

Maestro stopped talking and looked down at his foot, where a pink hand had grabbed hold of his ankle. He looked even further to see that Harp Note had grabbed hold of him, despite the face that he was certain that he had killed her. She was hardly breathing and her eyes were slightly glazed over, but her grip was nearly as strong as the metal that made up the Maestro's body.

"You...won't...hurt him," she spat out in a near whisper.

"You resolve seems to be unmatched," Maestro said as he spun and grabbed Harp Note by the throat, hoisting her up before looking over at Geo. "But your body cannot match your spirit. That is fine. All this means is that Geo gets to watch once more as his precious Sonia is killed before him. I am almost tempted to let him live, just to see how he would react."

"Don't you dare!" Geo roared as he tried to get up once more, but his body refused to move.

"Mega," Celestia whispered softly to Omega-Xis, who actual was managing to move, before she flashed a glance to Princess Luna. "I need you to knock me out."

"What? How could that possibly-?"

"Harp Note is about to die. Do it!"

Maestro glanced over just in time to see Mega slam a fist into Celestia's face and cause the princess of the sun to fall over. Even the Maestro had nothing to say at the sight, so instead he began to tighten his fist around Harp Note's throat.

"MAESTRO!"

Maestro turned and received a blast of lunar magic to his face for his efforts, causing him to roar as he staggered back once more. Harp Note vanished from his hand in a flash of lunar magic, appearing next to Princess Luna who was standing next to her sister.

"And now you're free as well," Maestro snarled before he glared at the others trapped within their spheres. "Any of you want to escape as well? How did you manage to escape, Princess. I know for certain that your magic cannot free you from my power."

"Because while you can seal my magic, you cannot seal my abilities, such as my power to jump into the dreams of others," Princess Luna spat as she moved her head back to her sister, who was only starting to wake up. "And when I am in another's dream, I chose where I-"

"You know what? I do not care," Maestro said as he appeared before Luna, slamming a fist into her throat and driving her into the ground. He aimed at her head, but his aim was shifted when a blast of music struck him in the side of the arm. He turned around in time to see guitar strings wrap around him, though with a flex of his body he was freed a moment later.

"And now you've gone from resilient to simply annoying," Maestro said as he grabbed Harp Note by the face and slammed her into the ground, before twirling around to catch Luna out of the air. He lifted her with one hand before driving multiple shots into the gut with his other, before hurling her into Harp Note. Both the princess and the singer cried out in pain as the tumbled across the ground. Maestro spun and fired a shot towards Geo, but in a flash of pink Harp Note placed herself between Geo and the Maestro, taking the shot herself.

"Do you not go down?" Maestro asked in a tone that was more annoyed than confused. Harp Note weakly began to push herself up once more, giving Geo a small smile before she rose to her feet. She shakily turned around to face Maestro, trying to lift her guitar to attack. Her strength left her hands and she dropped her guitar, only able to support herself.

Maestro tried to kill Harp Note with another blast of shattered magic, but his hand was yanked to the side by lunar magic. He snarled as he turned to see that Luna was standing once more, a smirk on her tired face.

"Again and again you continue to interfere, even when you know you cannot win," Maestro snarled as he flashed over to Luna, grabbing her and trying to plunge his hand into her heart. Harp Note threw herself over Maestro's arm and yanked it down slightly. He turned his gaze to her before hurling the princess into Harp, sending them both crashing into the ground. "Why are you so damn persistent?"

"Because...we're both trying to do the same thing," Princess Luna said as she stood up once more, supporting Harp Note in the process. "You're trying to hurt somepony we love. And as long as you're trying to do that, we will resist you with all of our might. No matter what you do to us."

"And all the broken bones, all the agonizing burns, all of the pain...is nothing compared to the agony of losing someone you love," Harp Note said in a near whisper, taking up her guitar once more. "So it doesn't matter what you do to us, how badly you hurt us. As long as you're trying to hurt them, we'll fight you."

"Fine. You can both die!" Maestro roared as he pointed both of his hands at Harp and Luna, both of who were struggling to stand from their injuries. The ground shook beneath the power of his magic, which sucked all the color out of the air. But even in the face of such devastating power, Harp Note turned around to face Geo just as Luna looked at her sister.

"Don't worry," they both said at the same time. "I'll protect you."

Maestro roared as he fired his magic, unleashing a kamehameha style beam towards the both of them. The blast enveloped both Luna and Sonia, consuming both of them with its magic. Geo and Celestia both cried out as the two were consumed by the blast...before everything went dark. The sun in the sky went black, any source of light was snuffed out and the only sound that could be heard in the blackness was the sound of the Maestro moving.

"What is going on?" he asked as he began to look around, only to spin around as a spotlight as pure as moonlight shone on a single figure behind him. "No...not again."

The figure wore an outfit that was pure and dark blue as the most beautiful of nights, while her arms and legs were covered in an armor that shone like the stars. On her head was a midnight blue helmet with a unicorn horn in the center, with two crescent moons on either side of her helmet. A scarf the color of the cosmos was wrapped around her neck and a single, blue wing extended from her back. She held a guitar in her hands, a guitar whose base looked like a crescent moon while the neck of it mirrored the image of the stars. But both Celestia and Geo both looked at her face, looking at her hair that matched the color of Luna's mane while her visor was a pure as the celestial satellite itself. Then she opened her eyes, eyes that shone with the power of the stars.

"So this is what it feels to have the power of the heavens?" she asked as she looked down at herself, before she twirled the guitar in her hands and rested it upon her shoulders. She then smirked at the Maestro, who was seething with rage. "Time for the final performance. Lunar Diva: taking the stage."

Maestro flicked and appeared next to the Lunar Diva, roaring as he hurled a fist at the singer. But instead of striking her his fist vanished into a vortex that appeared next to her. He snarled as he yanked his fist back, but before he could the vortex closed and severed the lower part of his arm clean from his body. He leapt back while glancing down at his arm, but when he thought he was safe Harp Note glanced in his direction and a moment later Maestro found he was standing next to her once more.

"What power is this?!" Maestro roared as he unleashed a torrent of shattered magic at the Lunar Diva with his remaining hand, yet she extended her hand to intercept the magic. When the magic struck her arm it swirled around her limb before she transformed it into lunar energy, which she then absorbed into her guitar. "And she can absorb my power as well? How can this be?"

Harp Note didn't answer, but instead began to play her guitar. She slashed her fingers across her guitar and called down rays of lunar power that decimated where the Maestro was standing. He roared as his form began to fade under the power of the moon, forcing him to teleport out of the rays.

"This next piece goes out to a pair of special someones in the audience that's always been there for us," the Lunar Diva said in a voice that was both Sonia and Luna, before she began to play her guitar with all of her skill. The Maestro looked around him to find thousands of beams of moonlight began to rain down on him, forcing him to move in rapid succession to avoid being struck. Then the Lunar Diva kicked her skills up to eleven and began to play her guitar so fast that fire lanced from her fingers.

The rays of light moved as fast as she played and even with his power and speed the Maestro found himself being slowly ripped apart by her power. Roaring with a fury that shook the ground he hurled himself towards her, covering himself in his shattered magic to protect himself from her onslaught. He weaved through her blasts and managed to reach the diva, reaching out towards her with all of his power in his hand. But the moment he entered into the spotlight that shone around her, he found himself stuck in place, unable to move.

"What is happening?" he asked as Harp Note stopped playing, smiling at the Maestro with a dark expression.

"Sorry sir, but please remain motionless during the performance. And no touching the star," the Lunar Diva said as she walked out of the spotlight, leaving the Maestro trapped there. She then began to play a piece, a piece that caused the light within the sphere to increase in intensity. The Maestro tried to teleport or flicker his form, but under the spotlight he found himself unable to so much as twitch. All he could do was listen as the song Harp Note played got faster and faster and faster...until she stopped all at once and exhaled.

"Lunar Symphony," Harp Note said as she plucked one last string, causing the spotlight to fade away. But as the light faded away, so did everything within the light. that included the Maestro, who faded away with the light until there was nothing left of him. The lights of the world came back on the moment she finished playing, leaving the Lunar Diva to sigh as she stared up at the sky. She then turned towards her trapped friends and strummed her crescent guitar, freeing all of them with moonlight. In a moment she was beside Geo, smiling down at him as she rested a hand on him.

"Don't worry," she told him as the moonlight healed his injuries. "You're safe now." Once he was healed Geo stood up, glancing down at himself with surprise before turning his gaze to the Diva, nothing but relief and amazement in his eyes. "Like I told you Geo, I wouldn't let him-"

Harp Note was cut off when Geo tackled her, pulling her into a tight hug. His body shook as he held her tight, doing everything in his power to keep from crying. Harp Note smiled at him before she wrapped her arms around him as well, returning the hug.

"I thought I was going to lose you," he whispered in fear, never noticing that Luna and Harp Note separated, leaving him hugging just Sonia. She glanced over to see everyone looking at them with smiles on their faces, except for both Luna's. The pony was checking on her sister while the other was wiping tears out of her eyes. Sonia then closed her eyes and rested her head against Geo, pulling him tighter.

"It's like I promised you, Geo. I'll always be there for you. That's what partners are for."

After the Show

"Calling this impressive would be an understatement," Ace said with a whistle as the Lunar Diva placed her guitar upon her back and walked out of the training room where she left dozens of training bots laying on the ground. "In fact, I'd have to call it a down right miracle."

"Or you can call it a hero saving the day, like they always do," Zack said with a proud smile at the Lunar Diva.

"You were so awesome yesterday! You just ripped the Maestro apart!" Bud roared with amazement, pulling the Lunar Diva into a hug. She rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed smile before she glanced over at Luna, who was staring at Harp Note, but not really looking at her.

"What's the matter, Luna?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just...thinking," Luna replied in a soft voice as Celestia stepped forward.

"We got lucky that the two of you managed to fuse into this form before the Maestro could kill us. You two saved our lives the other day," Celestia stated as Luna and Harp Note separated, the kind words of their friends causing the alicorn and the singer to smile with pride. "And here I was thinking that Geo and I would have to be the ones protecting you the entire time, yet here we are."

"It is like I said, sister, we protect each other. That is what family does," Princess Luna reminded Celestia before she looked around the room. "Speaking of the champion of the sun, where is he?"

"He is...outside, helping to clean up," Celestia said with a sad sigh, shaking her had as well. "He feels guilty for all the lives that were lost during the Maestro's attack on the base. He feels that if he had handled it differently, then perhaps no lives would have been lost."

"He should know better. When dealing with the Maestro, there are going to be casualties," Princess Luna said with a shake of her head. "It is a miracle that we all managed to make it out alive, in spite of everything that he did to kill us. And how he will try to kill us in the future."

"Regardless, he is beating himself up over it and wants to help try to make up for what he did...or what he thinks he failed to do," Celestia continued, getting Sonia to sigh before she placed her hands in her pockets.

"And if I know him he'll be that way for a good while. I'll go talk to him and see if I can convince him otherwise," she said as she started to head for the door, but before she could reach it Ace placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sonia, I need to talk to you for a moment. Nothing serious, just some advice," Ace said. Sonia shrugged and the two walked away from the others. "I want you to go to whatever school Geo and his friends will be going to this fall," Ace stated, getting both Sonia and Lyra to look at him in surprise.

"Um, Ace? I don't really go to school. Celebrity and all that," Sonia reminded him, but he nodded his head with a smirk.

"I know that. But life keeps on moving. We can't just hole up here and wait for Maestro to attack us," Ace said as he munched at a snack bar. "You guys may be the strongest fighters our world has, but you're still teens. You still need to live your lives. Go to school. Get in fights. Party hard. I've talked with Luna, Bud, Zack and Geo and they all agree that we can't let the Maestro ruin our lives. But we can't ignore him either. So it would be best if you all stuck together, at least until we've gotten rid of him once and for all."

"I see where you're coming from," Sonia said as she crossed her arms, thinking over what Ace was saying. "But wouldn't staying here be best? What if he attacks us at school? We could be putting innocent at risk?"

"Everyone is at risk as long as Maestro is here. If he wanted to kill all of them, it be best if you were there to stop him. Remember, this is the psycho that brought down at building just to see who would live," Ace reminded her. "But you and Geo are the only ones that can stop him, as long as you're with Celestia and Luna. So we have to make sure that the two of you are safe."

"...you're right Ace, as usual. It's just...school. Wow, when was the last time I went to that?" Sonia asked Lyra with a chuckle, getting a kind smile in reply. "Alright Ace, I'll go with them. Who knows, maybe I can use this experience for new music."

"That's the spirit."

"I'm going to go find Geo now. He's probably kicking himself if what Celestia told us is correct," Sonia said as she turned and headed towards the exit of the training room. She exited the room and headed down the hallway to leave the base, but to her surprise she found Luna leaning up against the wall, clearly waiting for the singer. "What's up, Luna? I thought you were going to go home early?"

"I was, but then..." Luna began, but she cut herself off and stared at the ground for a moment, getting Sonia to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Thank you, Sonia."

"You're welcome. What are you thanking me for again?"

"For what you did. We were all trapped and Geo was dying. The Maestro was going to kill him and there was nothing we could do...nothing I could do," Luna whispered, but Sonia could still hear her. "And as I watched from that sphere, I thought I was going to watch someone I really care about...die. All I could do was stand there and watch. I knew there was nothing I could do."

"But you didn't believe that. You forced yourself out of the sphere. You pushed yourself through the pain and agony that the Maestro inflicted upon you to save Geo. And when all seemed lost, you and Princess Luna unleashed a power that could rival the Maestro...all to save Geo," Luna finished, getting Sonia to look at Luna with a concerned face. "You were there when he needed someone the most."

"Luna...what are you saying?"

"That he's lucky to have someone like you. Someone that will always be there for him," Luna said after a moment, but her words sounded strangely calm. "And that we're all so lucky to have a friend like you."

Luna turned and walked away from Sonia, who could only watch the teen go with confusion at what she had just been told. She glanced over at Lyra, who shrugged her shoulders, before the two of them exited the building. Sonia had to avert her eyes for a moment as she gazed out at the canyon, due to all the destruction and the blood stains that bathed the ground.

"He's over there," Lyra said to Sonia, pointing towards an area near the building. Sonia steeled her courage and walked over to her friend, finding Geo hard at work trying to move stones to repair some of the damage to the area. She stealthy walked up behind him before poking him on the shoulder, getting Geo to jump. He spun around prepared for a fight, but when he saw Sonia he held a hand to his heart.

"Hey Geo. Celestia told me that I might find you out here," Sonia said with a smile, but Geo averted his gaze and glanced at anywhere but where Sonia was. "She said that you might be still upset over what happened with Maestro the other day. But you can't let him get to you like this. You need to-"

"Thanks Sonia, but I'd really like to get back to work," Geo cut her off in a hurried tone before he began to move to another area. "Thanks for the words, but I just want to get my mind off things. See you later!"

"What was that about?" Sonia asked Lyra as Geo took off, glancing down at her EM friend. Lyra watched Geo go with a shake of her head, before she glanced up at Sonia with a bitter smile on her face.

"He doesn't want to talk to you right now. Or rather, he doesn't know how to talk to you anymore," Lyra said, getting Sonia to raise an eyebrow at her friend with confusion. "Sonia, whether or not you meant to, you, in a way, confessed to him the other day. Remember? Right before you and Princess Luna became the Lunar Diva?"

Sonia's eyes widened and she turned her head back to where Geo working, noticing that he occasionally glanced back at her before snapping his eyes forward. As the realization sunk in Sonia's face turned red and she held her hands to her face.

"What should I do?" Sonia asked through her hands.

"Give him a day or so. He'll hopefully have calmed down by then," Lyra said before she flashed a smile at her friend. "But eventually the two of you are going to need to talk about this. And I'd recommend sooner rather than later."

{*}

The stars shone overhead with a splendor and majesty that made Princess Luna almost jealous of how well they could shine without her. But she admitted to herself that the view from Vista Point was just as good as her sister said it would be, though she didn't know about the name. Yet the cool air along with the beauty of the sky made her quickly forget about her problems, though she was still thinking about the Lunar Diva.

"It's a really pretty place, isn't it?" Princess Luna turned her head to see Luna walking towards her, a look on the teens face that the princess couldn't read. Luna walked up beside the princess and rested her arms on the railing, staring up at the heavens with eyes that seemed to be seeking something.

"Indeed, it is. I am glad that even with all the light pollution that this world creates that there is still this amazing a view of the stars," Princess Luna agreed, following Luna's example and resting her forearms on the railing. The two stood by each other in silence for a good period of time, before Luna finally decided to break the silence.

"Thank you, by the way," she began, getting the princess to glance over at her. "For saving Geo. For saving all of us. If not for you and Sonia, we would have all died."

"You are welcome, but I can hear that defeated tone in your voice again. It is a tone I am personally familiar with," Princess Luna pointed out, getting Luna to chuckle with a smirk. "What is the matter?"

"I couldn't do anything again. All I could do was be a hostage, then stand on the sidelines and watch," Luna said once more, shaking her head with bitter disappointment. "But thinking it over, I realize that the worse thing I did was that I didn't try. I didn't try to get out, I didn't try to break free. All I did was stand there and watch. Like a spectator."

"Luna, all of us were trapped. If not for my sisters quick thinking I would not have made it out either," Princess Luna pointed out, but Luna shook her head once more.

"But Sonia did. She broke free of her prison and fought the Maestro by herself...even when she knew she couldn't win," Luna admitted, getting the princess to raise an eyebrow. "She refused to be a spectator, refused to watch as Maestro killed Geo. She fought...even though she knew she would lose her life. But she was there for him when he needed someone...while I was just watching."

"Are you jealous of Sonia?" Princess Luna asked.

"No, actually...I admire her," Luna admitted. "She's suffered so much in her life, has been through so much pain, but she's always trying to help others. Be it helping them smile through her music. Or fighting to keep them safe as Harp Note. She...doesn't give up. She doesn't see limits. She, like Geo, just keeps shooting higher into the stars."

"What are you saying?"

"I can't save the world like them. I can't fight evil like them. But I'm tired of just...watching. It's time for me to start doing something," Luna said with her confidence returning in her voice, though her expression showed that she was pondering something difficult. "I don't know how right now, but I know the first step is to prove the Maestro wrong. He said that all of us Luna's across reality are useless, uneventful people that never change anything. And looking over my life, he's right. But I'm not going to stay that Luna. I am going to change something. And the first thing I'll change...is myself. No more bossy, spoiled little girl that gets mad if she doesn't get her way. That person can't survive in a world like this. I need to be more."

"I just wanted to let you know. Since you tried to help me be a better leader," Luna said with a grateful smile to the princess before she looked up at the stars. "But I'm not a leader. Not in the same way Ace or Geo is. So the question now is: what kind of person am I? And how can that person stop standing on the sidelines?"

Luna turned and walked away from the princess, waving to her over her shoulder. The princess watched her go while nodding her head with a smile on her face, proud of the human that for a time she had thought to be annoying.

'I am proud of you, Luna. And I promise that I will help you become the person that you wish to be, whatever that person is,' Princess Luna thought to herself before she turned and stared up at the heavens, knowing that the Maestro was up there somewhere. And that thought made her smile. 'You're going to lose, Maestro. Luna has shown that the people of this world are too strong to be broken by you. And when the day comes you realize this, I'll enjoy watching you break.'*

Registration

Geo stared out the window of the tram at the rising sun, a sunrise that brought with it a small sense of comfort and peace for him. What aided in the feeling of peace was that for the first time in a long time Geo had gotten a good nights sleep, able to sleep without fear of being attacked by the Maestro. He stretched out his arms with a content smile before looking around at the other teenagers on board, each of who was waking up.

"I don't know why we have to do this so early," Zack grumbled as he rubbed the sleep out if his eyes, not aware that his glasses were crooked on his face. Bud let out a snore from beside the genius to show that he shared his friends thoughts, their actions gaining the both of them a look from Luna.

"I swear with how the both of you are acting it's like your forgot why we are here so early," Luna said with disappointment in her voice before she looked in a mirror, making sure she looked as perfect as possible for their trip to the school. "Ace said that just because the Maestro is waging war on our world doesn't mean that we can forget about our other responsibilities. And since Maestro has been our biggest concern, we haven't had time to register for class this fall. And as it is your first time attending high school, you need to put on a good first impression."

"Luna, keep your voice down, I'm trying to sleep," Sonia grumbled from beside Geo, before she groaned and began to stretch out her leg with pained looks upon her face.

"Your leg still bothering you?" Geo asked.

"Yep. I thought that the Lunar Diva's healing powers had managed to deal with my broken leg, but with how stiff and sore it has been maybe my healing powers aren't as strong as I thought," Sonia grumbled before she punched her leg once, only to immediately regret her decision a moment later. She then swung her leg up onto Geo's lap and crossed her arms. "I can't get it to stop hurting. Can you massage it for me, Geo?"

"Why are you asking me? You've got two perfectly good hands that aren't broken," Geo said with a hint of sass in his voice, getting Sonia to raise an eyebrow.

"Wow, a beautiful girl asks you to do her a favor and instead you just brush her to the side. No wonder you're so terrible with women," Sonia remarked while rolling her eyes sarcastically. Geo pushed her leg off of him, only for Sonia to retaliate by swinging both of her legs onto his lap. He tried to push them off, but Sonia grabbed his arms and tried to hold his arms. The two grappled with each other for a moment before Geo slipped off his seat and fell to the floor, getting Sonia to cry out in victory before she placed both of her legs on where he had been sitting.

"Sonia, can I have my seat back?" Geo asked as he stood back up. Sonia crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at him, getting Geo to raise an eyebrow before he sat down on her legs. Sonia wormed a leg free and tried to kick him off, resuming their pushing match. But after a moment the two stopped and looked over to see Luna watching them with a look on her face neither of them could read. "What's the matter, Luna? You look upset."

"Nothing's the matter," she quickly said before pressing a button on her Hunter to bring up an image of the school. "Echo Ridge High. The closest school to all of our houses and the next step up in our journey to adulthood. That is where we are going today."

"Yeah, I already knew that," Geo said before Sonia put a boot on his face and kicked him off of her. He grumbled slightly as he stood up and walked over to Luna, sitting down beside her. "You want the seats that badly you can have them. Why are you even coming with us anyway? You don't go to school with us."

"Right..." Sonia muttered before she leaned back and rested her arms on her head. "I was talking with Ace yesterday after...everything...and we talked about your plans to come to the high school today." Luna noticed that both Geo and Sonia looked away from each other after she said "everything". "And we both agreed that it was best if I...joined your school."

"You're going to be going to school with us?!" Bud exclaimed with excitement as he shot up in his seat, terrifying the other four teens. "That's going to be so cool! We'll get to go to school with an idol and I can tell everyone that I've been friends with her for years!"

"Bud, we've been friends with another idol for years as well. Megaman," Zack reminded Bud, only for Bud to cross his arms and smirk.

"Yeah, but I can't go around and tell everyone that I'm friends with Megaman, can I? Even if they believe me, that would have the side effect of exposing Geo's secret."

"He's still an idol!"

"What good is being friends with an idol if I can't go around bragging about it?!"

"So what are your reasons for joining our classes this school year?" Luna asked while giving Bud and Zack a look to cease their argument.

"Like Ace said, we need to continue on with our lives. But all of us know that the Maestro is still alive," Sonia said matter-of-factly as she shook her head. "And he wants Geo and me to stay close to one another as often as possible, just incase the Maestro or Solo tries to pick one of us off. He may hate all of us, but he loathes me and Geo at this point, almost as much as he hates Celestia and Luna."

"So you sign up for classes at our school and stick close to us, hopefully dissuading Maestro of an attack," Geo pieced together before he gave Sonia a look. "But back to Bud's point, you are a celebrity. That means that word is going to get out that you go to our school. That's going to draw attention."

"Price I'll have to pay to make sure you're all safe," Sonia admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, before her face darkened and she lowered her head for a moment. "And having to deal with being a celebrity in high school isn't anywhere near as painful as it would be to lose any of you."

"You won't lose any of us, Sonia. We'll get through this together," Geo said with a confident smile, getting one out of Sonia in reply.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line? You trying to steal my material?"

"What can I say, you've rubbed off on me?"

The two began to banter with one another, leaving Luna to watch the two talk with a small smile upon her face, one that was both sad but understanding. She then looked up to see that the tram was pulling into the station for the Echo Ridge High School, causing her to clap her hands and gain the attention of all of the other teenagers.

"Alright everyone, we're here. Put on your best smiles and lets try not to mess up our first impressions!" she ordered as the tram stopped, all of the teens standing up the moment it did. They exited the tram with excitement and a hint of nerves, while Geo and Sonia looked up to see the sun and moon flying over their heads, with the moon needing some help. They each discussed with one another about their expectations, but the talking all stopped when they saw the building that was before them. It was as blue as the sky and had flickering images of waves that moved along its side.

"Welcome! You must be the Luna Platz group!" a man with a large mustache said with a laugh as he walked over to them, the badge on his Hawaiian shirt showing the teens that he was the principal there. "I see that all of you match the desciptions that Luna sent in. Call me Mr. Wave. Yes, it is like the ones that cover the building, you are not the first to make that joke."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Geo said as he extended a hand towards the teacher, who shook it with a smile. He shook the other teens hands before he stared with awe at Sonia Strumm.

"I apologize for staring, but it's just amazes me that THE Sonia Strumm would want to enroll in my school," he said with some pride while he wiped away tears at his eyes. "It makes an old man proud to see someone so famous wishing to further increase their knowledge."

"Um, thanks?" Sonia said with a small chuckle before the principal got ahold of himself and stood up straight.

"Sorry. Come on in. Allow me to show you around!" he said before motioning for the group to follow him. As the group began to walk Mega and Lyra materialized next to their friends, Lyra looking around with interest while Mega looked less than impressed.

"This place doesn't look any different than the one you used to go to, only that it's larger," Mega grunted rudely, gaining him a look from Geo.

"I like it. It reminds me of the beach or the ocean," Lyra said with a nod.

"I'm glad to see that your wizards seem to be liking it. You'll all be glad to know that we have the newest technology to accommodate wizards and their personalities," Mr. Wave told them with another laugh. "But just wait till you see the inside of the building. That's where the real fun starts!"

"Thank you for seeing us so early in the day," Luna said gratefully, getting her a smile from the principal. "Normally we would have come later in the day, but with Sonia being super famous and all, we thought it be best..."

"That is perfectly understandable. I'm already dreading the chaos on the first day of class when everyone here finds out that a celebrity is going to my school!" the principal said with pride before regaining control of his emotions once more. He then waved a card across the door to the school, unlocking them and allowing him to open the doors for his guest. "Please, come inside."

The teens walked inside, eyes wide with what they were greeted with. The school was painted like the layers of an ocean, with the upper levels being a lighter blue while the floor beneath them was practically black. Numerous designs of fish decorated the walls, while facts about the sea were written every few feet.

"How does a school in one of the most technologically advanced places in the world be related to fish and not science?" Zack asked with a hint of disappointment.

"Because the sea is still one of the most interesting places in the world! Even with all of our advanced technology, there is still plenty about the sea that we do not know!" Mr. Wave said with a laugh before he began to point out different parts of the school.

"So what kind of clubs or special programs do you have?" Luna asked after the principal had described where everything was. "Anything like...leadership club or maybe...I don't know, therapy classes?"

"Hmm, an odd choice for clubs, but no, I do not believe we have anything like that here. Even the college that most of the students that graduate here go to barely have any classes for those subjects," Mr. Wave muttered, never seeing Luna's expression, an expression that looked as if she was making a difficult choice. "But we do have over a dozen clubs on deep sea exploration. I'm certain you will all love those. After all..."

"Do you think most of their food here is fish?" Bud whispered to Zack once the principal lost himself in his own words.

"How would I know?"

"Well, you'd better learn if you plan to study here," Luna informed Zack, but her words gained the principals attention again and he spun around to face them.

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me. I have here the registration for the fall," he informed them as he brought up an image upon his Hunter VG, one that he sent to all of their Hunters. "All you have to do is show them to your parents...or in your case Sonia, your legal guardian."

"I'm my own guardian," she muttered before she and the others looked over the form. "I live by myself at my studio."

"Not that there's anything too serious here. Just some questions and information for our parents," Zack stated after he finished reading.

"This is too much for me," Bud groaned, getting Zack to face palm.

"Speaking of studio, I am glad to see that you are safe, Sonia," Mr. Wave said, turning everyone's attention towards him once more. "Everyone saw the attack on your studio on the news. Thank God Megaman was there or else...well, a source joy for many of my students would have been gone, as well as a bright and wonderful person."

"Yeah...I'm glad he was there for me as well," Sonia said in a soft voice, glancing over at Geo who averted his gaze from the girl. For a long moment everyone stood around in silence, before Mr. Wave cleared his throat and pushed a few buttons on his Hunter.

"Also, this is a little something I do at the beginning of every year," Wave continued before he sent all of them a document with hundreds of different names on it, getting the students to look at it with surprise. "It's simply a little raffle that we have and the winner gets a prize. If you're going to come here, then you should enter."

"Sure..." Sonia said before she signed the raffle, waiting until Geo had signed in before she summoned forth as much courage as she could and placed a hand on Geo's shoulder. "Geo...can I speak with you for a moment? In private?"

"Um, sure Sonia," he replied. Sonia flashed him a grateful smile before the two of them walked towards the exit, leaving the others to watch them go with interest.

"What's going on with them?" Bud asked as he signed up for the raffle as well.

"Come on Bud, even you can't be that dense," Zack said with some disbelief to his friend as he signed as well, but to Zack's amazement Bud shrugged his shoulders and pulled a snack out of his pocket. The principal began to laugh as Zack berated his friend for eating while they were being shown around, leaving Luna to stare at the exit that Geo and Sonia had walked out of. A sad smile crossed her face before she looked down at the raffle, sighing to herself before shaking her head.

'Maybe...it's for the best,' she thought to herself as she pressed a button on her Hunter and returned the raffle to the principal, being the only one in her group to not sign her name. 'Maybe she's what they need most right now...what he needs most right now.'

Every Villains Weakness

"Pretty nice school, wouldn't you say?" Geo asked Sonia as the two of them stared at a section of the school, both of them doing everything in their power to keep from cracking up. Someone had spray painted the side of the school they were on, painting the image of Mr. Wave battling with a white whale. Geo and Sonia both snapped a picture on their Hunters before they found an area that they figured was far enough away from the school.

"Yeah, the principal seems nice enough and hopefully the students here won't be too bothersome," Sonia said with a shrug as she and Geo leaned on the railing in front of them, gazing at the city that was off in the distance. "Could do without the ocean theme, though. Seems a bit much."

"I don't mind it. Adds a bit of flare to the school," Geo replied before he took on a more serious expression. "You wanted to talk to me about something, right? I can probably guess what it is, but...go ahead. I'm all ears."

"Thanks. We haven't had a chance to talk since the Lunar Diva," Sonia admitted. "First there was the whole cleaning up what Maestro did, then Ace wanted to see the full extent of my capabilities. Then he told us to take a break and holed himself up inside of his office by himself. Which leads us to today."

"I see...the Lunar Diva, though. I can't believe that I didn't see it coming," Geo said with a laugh while shaking his head. "Of course you would be able to achieve a form like that. You're practically Luna's best human friend. Of course you'd be able to fuse with her."

"What are you talking about? Bud and Zack are Luna's best friend," Sonia said with a giggle.

"Seriously? Hasn't that joke gone on long enough?"

"Nope."

Geo smirked and leaned his head on his arms, a more serious expression upon his face as he began to think. "But now the Maestro will be out for blood, even more so than he was. He didn't take kindly to being beaten by me and Celestia. I doubt he'll be happy that you and Luna managed to erase his body. He'll most likely be back with a stronger one."

"Then the two of us will combine our powers and get rid of him once and for all," Sonia said, but Geo shook his head.

"But for how long will we have to keep doing this? If he can keep coming back each time we beat him, how long until the day comes when he wins?" Geo asked with a bit of fear in his voice. "We might have forms that can beat him, but he's an immortal being. He's never going to stop. And eventually..."

"Leave thinking of a solution to that up to Ace. You're trying to take all the burden onto yourself again," Sonia told Geo as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Geo looked at the hand then looked at Sonia, before he became incredibly fascinated with a bug on the railing. "Alright Geo, let's deal with the elephant in the room."

"What do you mean?"

"What we've been avoiding. The reason that despite the both of us trying to act normal around each other, we've still been awkward and shy," Sonia reminded him before she flipped up her hood and looked away from Geo. "About the things I said when I was fighting Maestro."

"Ah. You mean...when you told him..."

"Right. That...honestly Geo, I thought I was going to die. I thought that I wouldn't make it out of that battle. So I wanted to make sure that I told you everything I wanted to before I went. That I would have no regrets. Including...how I felt about." The two went quiet once more, neither of them able to look at the other. "And then I survived. Meaning that I have to live with what I said. Meaning I have to wait to hear your thoughts."

"I see...how long?"

"What?"

"How long...have you felt this way?"

"If I'm being honest...not long after we first met," Sonia admitted, getting Geo to look at her in surprise. "Well, it was more a crush than actual love, but the feelings were still there. After all, you were one of the only people I had met that treated me like a person. Who saw more as more than just a star or a way to make money. And you were the light in a very dark place for me. Honestly...how couldn't I care about you. And with all these years of being and fighting together...the feelings have only grown stronger."

"Wow. You really think that highly of me?" Geo asked in mostly a whisper, though he was lost in thought.

"Yep. You're the mot special person in my life after all," Sonia admitted with a hint of sadness in her voice. "The one who helped me to smile again. And I wouldn't trade the memories we've had together for anything. Even the painful ones. That's why...even if you say no to my feelings...I won't mind. I'll still be your friend. And I'll still be there to fight with you, whenever you need me."

Geo crossed his fingers and lost himself in thought for a long period of time, long enough that Sonia was able to hear the others leave the high school and could see them walking towards the tram station. After a half hour Geo lifted his head and looked at Sonia, a look on his face that she couldn't read.

"Sonia...you mean a lot to me. You are also the most special person in my life," Geo admitted, getting Sonia's eyes to widen. But then he shook his head and glanced down at the ground. "I don't know. With everything that's going one, with the Maestro and Rogue trying to kill us every other day...would you mind waiting a little longer? I just...need a little more time."

"Sure, Geo. I can wait," Sonia said with a sad smile, before she pulled him into a small hug. She released him and jogged off towards where the others were, stopping for just a second to look back at Geo, who had yet to lift his head. It was only after he was certain that he was alone that he finally lifted his head, sighing as he did so before pulling out his Hunter.

"Mega, you were listening, right?" he asked the Hunter and Mega's face appeared in it a moment later. "Do you think I...handled that right?"

"I don't know, kid. Women have never been my specialty," Mega admitted with a shrug before he gave Geo a smirk. 'But ya didn't get her to run away with tears in her eyes, so yer already doing better than most your age."

"I'm being serious here, Mega."

"So am I. I guess the question you've got to ask yourself is how you really feel about her."

Geo sighed as he leaned against the railing, watching Celestia and Luna play magic tag in the sky, drawing the attention of some of the people that had showed up at the high school. 'And just when I thought things couldn't get any harder. But Mega's right. I have to ask how I really feel about Sonia.'

{*}

With only a single light shining down on him Ace worked tirelessly on his battle plan, going over numerous outcomes and situations that might come up. He sighed as he activated his battle simulator on his Hunter, bringing up tiny images of his team and also the Maestro's forces as well as a giant sphere in the background. He watched as the groups went back and forth, but the moment Taurus Fire went down he shut off the simulation and went back to work.

"You are so worried about Acid Ace tearing your body apart, but at the rate you're going you'll die from exhaustion before you ever get the chance to transform." Ace sighed before he glanced over his shoulder to see Acid floating behind him, clutching an energy drink within his grasp. Ace gave him a grateful smile before he snatched the drink out of his grasp, chugging it before going back to his simulation. "I take it that the plan isn't going well?"

"With the Lunar Diva on our side we win in ninety percent of the encounters," Ace revealed to Acid, before his face darkened. "But also in nearly every battle we lose someone. Most of the time it's me or Bud, but once in a while it's Sonia or Geo. And that means that those simulations are failures."

"A simulation is different from real life, especially when we are dealing with them," Acid stated as he floated over to the simulation, bringing up images of Pegasus Magic, Zerker and Black Ace. "If you were to do a simulation of Geo and his friends based off what we know now, what would your simulation say about his chances against what he went up against?"

"That he was doomed and had a practically zero percent chance of winning?" Ace replied with a tired smirk.

"Precisely. But the fact that we are all still alive shows that mere predictions and numbers cannot fathom what Geo and his allies are capable of," Acid reminded Ace before he brought up another image of that of the simulations. It was the Maestro's sphere, but instead of being on the outskirt of a town it was in the center of a desert. "You were right, by the way. We've finally found another one. It is pretty far from here, but it's positioning with the other would be perfect if their happened to be a third one."

"So they form a triangle around something. Send a team out to look for the third sphere while also looking for what might be in the center of that triangle," Ace ordered as he brought up all the information he had on the Solar Knight and the Lunar Diva. "And if you could, bring me another energy drink. I'm going to be here for a while."

Acid said nothing but floated off, leaving Ace once more by himself. 'We can win, I know that much. And in the best scenario we actually manage to get Solo back on our side and he aids us in bringing down the sphere. But no matter what outcome it is, one of us dies in this battle. Even without the Maestro there. The only situation where one of us doesn't is when neither of them are there. But they will be. They always have.'

'So that makes this the most difficult decision I've ever made in my life,' Ace thought as he rested his head on his hands, sighing to himself as he watched a battle take place where he was the one to die in order for it to succeed. 'Do I just bite the bullet myself and hope that the others can go on without me? I can't risk any of their lives when sacrificing my own will do. And they deserve to be happy. Maybe, if it's the only way, I should-'

"You're always such a martyr. Wanting to sacrifice yourself for the greater good even when there are other ways to do things." Ace's eyes went wide before a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck and he felt someone press their body up against his back. The shock was replaced with a smile when he felt the persons head rested on his shoulder, leaning slightly against his head.

"What, can you read my mind now, Tia?" he asked her as he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the moment.

"No. I just know you," Tia responded as she watched the simulations take place, shaking her head slightly when she watched Acid Ace get destroyed by the Maestro while the Solar Knight brought down the sphere. "And how you're so hung up on being the hero that you want to have your own heroic sacrifice."

"Acid brought you here, didn't he?" Ace asked as he tried to turn off the simulation, but Tia grabbed his hand and stop him from doing so.

"He said that you've been working yourself to death and that he could no longer get through to you. Said that I was the only person on the planet that had a chance of getting you to take a break," Tia replied before she paused the simulation. "Right there. That is where everything goes wrong. When the sphere activates and all of you attack it and Maestro at the same time."

"In every simulation the sphere activates. It's going to happen," Ace told her. "And that gives us only a brief period of time to destroy its outer shell so we can damage to core."

"But what if you didn't need to damage the outer layer?" Tia asked Ace, who turned to look at the thin smile she had on her face. "What if you had someone positioned above the sphere, waiting for it to activate before sending an attack down into the center of it through its weak point."

"The only two that are strong enough to fight the Maestro are the only two strong enough to damage the core," Ace replied with a shake of his head. "And he knows this. So if I send one of them to wait above the core, he'll catch on and it changes the battle completely."

"Distract him."

"How? He knows almost everything and has a power that can't be destroyed. How we distract him?"

"He's an evil villain. Get him talking and he won't stop."

Ace thought about it for a moment before he pressed a few buttons on the simulation, adding in her suggestion and watching as the battle unfolded. To his amazement the battle went off exactly like Tia had said, with the Maestro talking long enough to be caught off guard. A huge smile crossed his face before he spun around and pulled Tia into his arms, smiling down at his wife.

"You're amazing. How did you know that would work?" he asked her with a huge smile, getting her to smile slightly in response.

"I was a former villain myself. We like to talk when we feel we've won. So we let little things slip by us that we would have never let slip if we were losing," she admitted before resting her head on his chest. "Thankfully the hero gave me another chance."

"Heh, thankfully the villain was willing to care for this poor excuse for a hero," Ace replied as he held her tight, the two enjoying the others company. "But unfortunately this hero will have to ask if you'd allow him to go on one more mission. They'll need me."

"This is your third one more mission. But the answer is still yes. Go save the world."*

Assault

Assault

Six heroes stood silently as they gazed upon their objective, the harsh wind that whipped past them hardly registering on any of their minds. What all five of them were focused on so much was the colossal sphere that hummed with EM power that towered before them, a sphere that made most of the shiver slightly just by gazing at it. Megaman stood in the front, with Harp Note and Ace beside him while Taurus towered over all of them from the back. Celestia and Luna flanked their respective fusion partner, but the looks of their faces were far more rage filled than any of the others.

"So this is the cause of so much pain and destruction," Megaman said as he stared up at the sphere, able to feel the rage burning off of the Princess of the Sun. He glanced over at her to find her eyes like slits and her horn glowed brighter than the sun that was blazing overhead. "And this is what took your world away from you?"

"Yes. This is the very same weapon he planted in the center of Canterlot to drain the ponies there of their magic," Celestia confirmed before she fired a shot of magic at the sphere, only to snarl when it shattered against the sphere. "And from the way this one is glowing, it seems that it is almost done charging. Now is the time to strike."

"That's the plan, but in order to crash that party we've got to get rid of the bouncer first," Ace informed the group before he pointed at the base of the sphere, where a lone figure could be seen standing guard before the sphere. "Seems that Solo wanted to take us on by himself. That's nice of him. Maybe I won't have to fight."

"So it would seem, but the Maestro is a tricky one. He might be anywhere, just waiting for an opening to take one of us out," Harp Note pointed out, getting the rest of the group to nod in agreement. "I say we take no chances. Geo and I will deal with Solo quickly and then all of us together can bring down the sphere."

"A good plan. Bud, you'll hang back with me until they need support," Ace instructed the bull, who growled slightly before he crossed his arms. Harp Note and Megaman nodded to their respective alicorn, before both of them held an arm in the air.

Celestia and Luna flashed with power before their respective power consumed their champion of choice, bathing Megaman in a blaze of light while Harp Note was consumed with a radiant darkness. Rogue lifted his head to see the two columns of power split the sky into night and day, before narrowing his eyes at the two figures that stood on the hillside far from where he was. Rogue closed his eyes for a moment, only to open them a few seconds later to see the Solar Knight and the Lunar Diva both standing before him.

"So I see that your weakness is contagious, Megaman," Rogue said in a cold tone as he pushed himself up to his feet, pulling out his twisted blade from the shadows as he did so. "Because that weak form of yours as spread to the annoyance. Not that it will make a difference for her, as she will always be weak."

"Nice to see you too, Rogue," Harp Note spat with some heat, but before the fight could start Megaman placed his shield between him and her.

"Rogue, I'm only going to ask this once. Stand aside and let us destroy this monstrosity," Megaman said to Rogue, who said nothing in reply. "This sphere will destroy the world. Even you, with all of your love for power, would gain nothing from the destruction of the world. Stop aiding this madman and help us bring him down. And if your pride refuses to let you work with us, then stand aside and let us stop him."

"You infuriate me, do you know that?" Rogue asked as he began to stalk towards the pair, forcing Megaman to place himself between Harp Note and their approaching foe. "All your talks about working together and bringing down this evil threat. When will you learn? I don't give a damn about this world. If the Maestro wants to wipe every weakling off the face of this planet, I won't interfere. But there is only one weakling that I will not allow him to kill...because I will kill you myself."

"You say that every time we fight. And I'm still here," Megaman stated as he reached forward and grabbed his solar blade, twirling it once while Celestia's horn began to glow. "And now Sonia has the same power we do. Guess whose side she's on?"

"Of course. The only way you can beat me is for you weaklings to gather together," Rogue snarled.

"Careful. Or I'll let her beat you down without me. And then no one will be able to stop her," Megaman replied with a smirk, getting Harp Note to giggle. In a flash Rogue lunged at Megaman, slashing at him with his blade. Megaman deflected the blow with his solar saber, before swinging at Rogue's head with the side of his shield. Rogue backflipped to avoid getting hit, but as he landed pain lanced through his body and he hurled himself to the side.

"What in the...?" he asked as he glanced down at his side to see that a small piece of his EM form was missing, before he snapped his head towards the Lunar Diva, who was softly playing her guitar. She gave him a cold smirk before she strummed her fingers across the strings, summoning beams of lunar light that shined down on Rogue.

"Man, you really burn easy in the light," Harp Note said as she switched her playing and brought both hands closer together, causing the portals of moonlight to begin to circle around Rogue. He pulled out his second blade and began to swing at the portals, slicing them into oblivion with his blades. Beams of moonlight tried to strike him, but with incredible timing Rogue managed to either dodge or deflect the light away from him with the reflective surface of his swords.

"Your attacks are as annoying as your music!" Rogue roared as he turned to swing a blade at the Lunar Diva, only to eat the side of a shield that was slammed into his face. Rogue spat out a curse as he was sent tumbling backwards into the dust, growling in pain before the lunar light began to bombard him once more. Rogue flipped back up to his feet and began to deflect the lunar light once more, but his focus was split when Megaman lunged forward and slashed at him with the solar saber.

"I'm amazed you can keep shit talking us when you have two champions of the heavens to deal with," Megaman informed Rogue before slamming the armored part of his helmet into the nose of Rogue, who staggered back while clutching at his face. Megaman twirled at slashed at the chest of Rogue with the solar saber, cleaving through his shattered armor. Rogue roared with pain as he staggered back, clutching at the wound with rage.

"Give up, Solo. This is over," Megaman informed Rogue, pointing the tip of his blade at the warrior. Rogue snarled with rage before his face seemed to calm for a moment, instantly putting both the champions of the sun and moon on guard. He reached up to his face with his left hand, grabbing hold of his face and unleashing all of his shattered magic into his face. Megaman and Harp Note watched with horror as his whole body was consumed was shattered magic.

All of his black armor faded away and was replace with a silverfish gray armor, one that looked as twisted and shattered as Rogue's personality. His blades themselves twisted as well, until they look like something out of a horror movie. And as the shattered magic finished consuming the warrior, he slowly lifted his head towards the two, glaring at them from behind a cracked visor that held a sinister smile beneath it.

"And the Maestro was kind enough to give me even more of his seemingly infinite power after your girlfriend beat him. And with this power-" he said before he vanished and appeared behind Megaman, his blade slashing through his armor in a heartbeat. "Even the sun and the moon can be destroyed by me!"

Megaman roared in pain as solar light erupted from is back, before another sword strike brought the hero to his knees. Rogue lifted both blades over his head and prepared to kill Megaman once and for all, but the screech of a guitar forced him to leap into the air to avoid a beam of lunar light that disintegrated everything in its path. He spun in the air and slashed towards the Lunar Diva, creating a beam of energy that could have cleaved the stars in two.

The Lunar Diva flickered her form and became moonlight, allowing the blade pass right through her before she began to play her instrument again. Little orbs of light circled around Rogue, getting him to slash at them. But the moment his blade touched the lunar light, they exploded with a force that shook the planet to its core. Rogue roared as he was sent flying into the side of the sphere, striking it with such force that his body left an indent in the wall.

"Well well, seems that the sphere will break if we throw an asshole at it," Harp Note spat as Rogue pulled himself out of the wall. Rogue snarled at her before he vanished once more, appearing behind Harp Note with his blade cocked back. Before the blade could strike a hero in solar armor tackled him from the side, driving the both of them into the ground. Rogue slammed a fist into Megaman's face, snapping Megaman's head to the side. Megaman retaliated by slamming the side of his shield into Rogue's throat, getting him to gag with pain.

The Lunar Diva raced up and swung at Rogue with his crescent guitar, forcing Rogue to change his form to EM to avoid being struck. Megaman and Harp Note snarled before they changed their forms as well, following Rogue up onto the EM road that was barely present above the sphere.

Rogue roared before he swung both of his blades at the same time, creating two massive sword beams that tore apart the air as they hurtled towards the two. Megaman threw himself in front of Harp Note and raised the shield, channeling his power into it and caused it to burn with solar light.

"Get behind me!" he roared to Harp Note, who moved in close. Rogue snickered before he teleported once more, appearing behind Harp Note with his blade aimed at the back of her head. She spun around and lifted her guitar, barely managing to catch the first blade with her guitar. But with her guitar being used to stop his more twisted blade, Rogue aimed his second blade at her heart, making sure to give Megaman a sinister smile before he plunged it forward.

"Taurus Charge!"

Right as the blade was about to pierce through Harp Note's heart, a bull consumed with fire came charging towards Rogue. Rogue caught the movement and twisted his arm, driving the blade through the stomach of the charging bull. Both Megaman and Harp Note cried out as the blade burst through the other side of Taurus Fire's body, before he roared in pain from the impalement.

"Fool. Weaklings like you should stay out of the way!" Rogue snarled as he twisted the blade, getting Taurus to howl with pain. But through the pain a fire still blazed within the bulls eyes, before he glanced at Megaman and Harp Note.

"Destroy...the...SPHERE!" he bellowed before he wrapped his arms around Rogue, crushing Rogue within Taurus's grasp before the bull dragged the both of them off of the EM road. He consumed his body with fire as the two plummeted towards the ground, exploding into a ball of fire when they impacted.

"BUD!" Megaman roared as he tried to leap off after him, but Harp Note grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"He's buying us time! This might be our only chance to destroy the sphere!" she yelled at him, reminding Megaman of their mission.

"Geo, this is why we are here. We have to stop it before it destroys your world!" Celestia roared. Megaman glanced towards where the raging bull was battling with Rogue, before he nodded to Harp Note. The two of them leapt into the air over the sphere, taking aim at the opening.

"Solar Inferno!"

"Lunar Symphony!"

Twin beams of solar and lunar magic mixed in the air and descended into the opening, causing the sphere to glow with a light that eclipsed that of the sun and moon. The sphere tried to contain the power, but after a moment it was unable to and the power began to consume it. A moment later the sphere erupted into a torrent of solar and lunar energy, disintegrating the sphere and releasing all of the power held within into the sky. Harp Note and Megaman took only a second to watch the sphere get destroyed before they turned and rocketed down to where Rogue was.

"BUD!" Megaman roared as they found the bull laying motionless on the ground, his form flickering violently while Rogue placed a boot on his chest. Rogue looked from the two champions of the heavens to the exploding sphere, seething for a moment before he glared at Megaman.

"Our battle is done for today," he told Megaman as he turned to leave. "But I promise you that the next time we-GRAH!" Rogue roared as the solar saber slashed across his chest. He spun around in time to take a shield to the face, snapping his head back and sending him tumbling across the ground. His reflexes kicked in and he managed to roll out of the way of a sword slice that would have taken his head off. He vanished the moment he was able to, leaving Megaman to roar with rage as he plunged his blade into the ground.

"ROGUE! Get back here and fight me!" he roared into the heavens, causing sunlight to blaze along the ground.

"Geo! Forget about Rogue and help me!" Harp Note yelled at him, snapping Megaman back into his senses. He turned around and raced over to Taurus Fire, who the Lunar Diva was trying to heal with her power. She played him a healing song, playing it as perfectly as she could, as Ace raced over to them. He said nothing as he glanced from the destroyed sphere to the wounded Taurus, but to the relief of the team the wounds that had seemed life threatening were beginning to heal and Taurus' breathing calmed down.

"I think he's going to be fine," Harp Note said before she separated from Luna and Lyra, returning her to Sonia. She let out a sigh of relief before she leaned against Geo, who was gazing down at the peacefully sleeping Taurus Fire. "He saved our lives back there. Even though he knew the risk."

"Yeah, that sounds like Bud," Geo said with a sigh before all three sets of heads turned towards where the sphere used to be standing. "But thanks to him, we did it. We brought down the sphere."

"Yeah, we brought down one of them," Ace said, tuning Geo's and Sonia's heads towards him. "But there are still two more than need to be dealt with. And then there may be something else. We're not done, not by a long shot."

"It's the Maestro, Ace. We won't be finished until I have placed my hoof on his dead body," Celestia said with rage.

Feel the Beat

Celestia was nervous. Not the kind of nervous that came when you were about to fight your mortal foe in a battle to the death that would decide the fate of your world. No, her nerves came from the fact that it had been a very long time since she had partied and never with humans before. Even though she had thought she was past embarrassment with the destruction of her world, she found that some emotions were hard to keep down.

"You haven't partied in a while, have you?" Kelvin asked from the seat across from Celestia, getting the princess to turn to look at the human who had an understanding look upon his face. "Been there. Do you know how hard it was to get accustomed to regular life after being gone for three years? The world had moved way past what I remembered."

"You think you had it bad? I was gone for a thousand years. imaging what it was like when I got back," Luna butted in with a smirk at Kelvin before the music she was listening to kicked in and she started to move in her seat along with the beat. "Thank you again for loaning some of your music to me, Sonia, you are quite the singer."

"What, you doubted my words?" Sonia asked with a sly smirk from beneath her yellow hair and strange outfit.

"Not in the slightest. I just didn't know that you were this good," Luna replied before she continued to dance in her seat, making Celestia very happy that Ace had given them a tram all to themselves.

"But yes Kelvin, I am nervous. Not just of going to a dance party, but also because this may be my first real interaction with the public of your world," Celestia voiced her concerns, getting Kelvin to nod in understanding. "I have been shown around by your son and I have gone out a few times, but neither of those times did I dare to approach anyone. I am worried if they will be afraid of me."

"They might be at first, but the people of this planet are really nice, if you're willing to give them a chance," Geo said from next to Sonia, leaning forward in his seat so he could look at Celestia. "Trust me, back when dad first vanished I tried to shut myself off from the world. But they pulled me back in, even if I didn't want them to at first. And thanks to them, I'm where I am now."

"Sitting next to a famous singer and two mystical alicorns from another world?" Celestia replied with a small smile, getting Geo and Sonia to laugh.

"See? You're having fun already," Hope said from beside Kelvin, turning Celestia's attention to her. "Just have fun tonight and don't get so caught up in whether or not people will like you. Whether they do or they don't, it shouldn't interfere with your fun."

"I will take your words to heart. I will try to have fun. And I am grateful that the both of you came with us," Celestia said. "Although I am not sure why the both of you agreed to come, when we could have just gotten an officer from WAZA to join us."

"Hey, I've been reinstated while you guys were off saving the world," Kelvin said as he pulled out a card and showed it to Celestia, proving he was once again a member of WAZA. "So technically I am exactly the kind of person that they would send to keep an eye on your crazy horses."

"And I'm here because Kelvin here hasn't taken me anywhere in a dogs age," Hope replied with a dry smile as she started to elbow Kelvin in the ribs hard, getting him to chuckle before rubbing the back of his head. Hope then motioned for Celestia to lean in close, doing the same once she was certain that Geo was distracted. "And also my son's going to a dance party with a cute girl! I'm here to get pictures," she added before raising a small camera.

Celestia chuckled at Hope's words as she sat back up, glancing over to see that Geo had been watching them with a curious expression. But before he could question either of them the sound of music playing filled their tram car, turning all heads towards the sound of the music. Through the windows they saw spotlights shining in the sky, while the sound of the music got louder and louder with every second.

"Whoo, that is some beat. I can't wait to dance to this," Luna said with a laugh as she started to move her head back and forth, while tossing the music player back to Sonia. "Tonight's going to be a good night, I can tell."

"I think so too, but we must remember to be slightly on guard," Celestia reminded the group, though she found that most of them were too busy watching the lights. "You know, because of the Maestro. The evil villain that destroyed my home and is trying to do the same to yours? Anyone? Sigh."

"Forget about him for one night, sister. Believe me, he will be back in our lives soon enough, whether we want him to or not," Luna said in a bit of a serious tone, but then it was replaced with a huge smile as the tram came to a stop. "But that day is not tonight! To the party!"

"Someone stop her," Celestia said to the group, but Luna didn't even wait for the doors to open before she teleported through them and appeared on the other side, letting out a cheer as she raced towards the sound of music. Celestia let out a small sigh as she and the others got off of the tram when it came to a stop. Luna came to a stop at a railing over looking the party, her eyes going wide when she looked down at the crowd of humans and wizards that had gathered there.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Luna said with a large smile as she glanced back at the group, who caught up to her in time to see the unreasonable number of people that were already partying. She tried to race into the crowd, but a collar of solar magic appeared around her throat and yanked her back.

"Easy, sister. While you might be already having fun, we have to be careful about this," Celestia reminded Luna, who gave her sister puppy dog eyes in response. "No sister, we can't just run in there like a bunch of party animals. We're aliens and also responsible for a good amount of damage to a section of the city. We need to take this slow."

"No, you need to take it slow. You were the one that wrecked that part of the city and you are the one that no one likes," Luna shot back before she vanished in a flash of magic, getting Celestia to snarl as she glanced up to see Luna already at the back of the crowd. She gave Celestia a wink before racing into the crowd, gaining her a roar from Celestia before her sister pursued.

"And I'm already going to have to get involved. Those two don't waste any time, do they?" Kelvin asked before he hopped the railing and leapt down into the crowd, chasing after the two princesses who were starting to draw attention to themselves.

"Guess we should get down there as well," Sonia said, though there was none of her usual confidence in her voice.

"What, you don't think you're disguise will work? Trust me Sonia, no one aside from us will be able to tell that it's you under there," Geo comforted her, before glancing into the crowd to see Luna dodging Celestia while laughing all the while. "And even if they did, I think for once you wouldn't be the center of attention tonight. You're good."

"Thanks, Geo...shall we go?" Sonia asked with a bit more confidence, getting Geo to bow sarcastically for her. She rolled her eyes and gently pushed him out of the way as she walked down the stairs, before Geo followed after her with a smirk. Hope followed after the both of them, an excited smile on her face as she pulled out her small camera and followed her son.

The three of them reached the crowd to find that the music had stopped and that a good number of people were staring at something that was going on in the center of the people. Geo, Sonia and Hope forced their ways through the people and wizards to find that Celestia and Luna were in the center of the crowd, but what the two of them were doing nearly made the three burst out laughing.

Celestia and Luna were wrestling with each other, with the elder sister holding the little sister in a magical headlock. Celestia also had a cup over her horn and some kind of drink staining her face, while all Luna had upon her face was a large smile. Geo looked around to see that the crowd of people had uncertain looks upon their faces. Geo walked over to his dad and got his attention.

"Don't you think you should be telling everyone that there's no danger?" Geo asked.

"Already did that, but I'm not getting in-between these two," Kelvin said in reply as Luna managed to break free of the headlock and teleport, appearing up on the stage where the band had stopped playing to watch the fight. The crowd gasped at Luna's magic, gluing all eyes onto the princess of the night.

"Hello people of Echo Ridge!" Luna roared with her royal voice, getting the crowd to flinch slightly. "Are you ready to have some fun tonight?! I am Luna and I am here to party!" Before the people could answer she channeled all of her magic into her horn, sending a giant blast of lunar magic into the sky. The crowd gasped as the magic created images of wonder and awe that none had seen before, distracting them long enough for Luna to turn to look back at the band.

"Alright you guys, lets make this a night no one will ever forget." The members of the band all looked at each other and shrugged, before they began to play a piece that filled the entire park with the sound of music. Celestia looked nervously at the people, who continued to stare up at the alicorn rocking out on stage.

And then the crowd cheered.

{*}

Taurus Fire roared as he was sent hurtling backwards from the force of the attack, sending him crashing into a wall with such force that it shattered beneath his weight. He groaned in pain as he forced himself back up to his hooves, glaring at Acid Ace with fire blazing in his eyes. Acid Ace smiled in reply before he vanished, reappearing behind Taurus a second later.

"You have to keep an eye on your surroundings," Acid Ace said before he placed a boot in the back of Taurus head, not enough to hurt him but enough to make his point. Taurus spun around and threw a fist at Acid Ace, but by the time he had spun around Ace was already gone. Taurus drove his fist into the wall behind him, before breathing heavily as he turned to see Ace leaning up against the training room wall.

"Come on Bud, all you have to do is hit me once and then I'll buy your dinner," Acid Ace reminded Taurus Fire, who, motivated by the thought of food, erupted with fire before he charged towards Ace. Acid Ace shook his head before he pointed his blaster at Taurus, firing a wave of water into the oncoming bull. Taurus had just enough time for his eyes to go wide before the wave stuck him, causing him to roar with pain before he collapsed to the ground, his momentum making him slide right up to Acid's feet.

"Come on Bud, even a blind man could have seen that one coming," Acid Ace said with a shake of his head before he walked to the other side of the arena, allowing Taurus to get back up to his hooves and slowly turn to face Acid Ace, who smiled back at him.

"Bud isn't doing too well, is he?" Zack asked Luna, who was watching from the other side of the glance with a worried look on her face.

"This isn't even fair. Ace is just toying with Bud. That's so mean, especially after Bud poured his heart out to us," Luna said with some rage, before wincing as she watched Taurus run head first into a wall. "And Bud can't win. Ace is just too clever for him."

"Ace isn't as clever as he thinks," Zack replied, getting Luna to look at him with surprise. "He thinks he's hiding his attacks well, but all of his move have a pattern to them. He's about to move across the room and fire another water wave. I can tell."

Luna snapped her eyes up to see Ace teleport across the room, getting Taurus to turn and glare at where Acid Ace was standing. He pawed the ground once before he began to run towards Ace, who lifted his buster with a smirk.

"BUD! DUCK!"

Taurus's eyes snapped open and he hurled himself onto the ground, just in time to avoid a wave of water that sailed over his head. Ace's eyes went wide under his helmet as Taurus sprang back up to his hooves, taking aim with his horns and driving them right at Acid Ace's chest. Acid Ace teleported out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, but when he appeared at the other end of the room his eyes were narrowed.

"That was quite the reactions you have there," Acid Ace said to Taurus, who was looking over at where Luna and Zack were with some confusion. "I mean, I've never seen your react like that. How'd you do it?"

"I...don't know," he replied with some confusion.

"I'm confuse too. What happened?" Luna asked Zack, who had a coy smile on his face.

"I think you've been ordering Bud around for so long that listening to you has become second nature to him. So when you told him to duck, he did it without needing to think," Zack pondered, before narrowing his eyes with a smile. "And you told him to duck because I predicted what Ace was going to do next...say Luna, I think I've found a way to help Bud win this thing. But you're going to bark orders like you've never barked before."*

Bonds

Celestia shook her head with a large smile upon her face, unable to take her eyes off of the alicorn of the night that was rocking out on the massive stage at the front of the park with the members of the band that were playing. She was using her magic to unleash amazing sights of magic for the crowd, while keeping her magic in time with the music that was being played by the band. And despite herself promising that she wouldn't, Celestia found herself swaying to the music, enraptured by the symphony that Luna was making with her magic.

'And she's having the time of her life up there,' Celestia thought as Luna rocked out to an air guitar, while the crowd around her cheered and chanted Luna's name. Celestia cast a glance behind her to see that numerous people were also looking at her with looks of interest, but none of them dared to approach her. 'But I see that my actions have not been entirely forgiven. But there is no malice or anger in their eyes. Only confusion and uncertainty. That is probably more than I deserve.'

"Have you all been enjoying yourselves tonight?!" Luna roared at the crowd, who roared back at her. Luna let out a laugh before she motioned to the band behind her. "Let's give it up for the great members of this band who were willing to let a random pony like myself up on their stage and rock out with them!" The crowd roared even louder and the band took a bow.

"Now as an alicorn of the night, I can keep going until my sister raises the sun and ruins my fun, but I don't think all of you can keep going all night long," Luna continued on, but a laugh escaped her lips when the crowd roared at her that she was wrong. "Well, either way we have to wrap this up soon, sadly! But worry not! As Keith, the lead singer has informed me, there are still numerous songs left that will rock you to your core! Onto the music!"

The band started to rock out again and the crowd started dancing along with the music, allowing Luna the chance to teleport off of the stage and appear next to her sister. "Sister! How goes it?!" Luna exclaimed with eyes bright and a smile that beamed like the sun.

"It goes well, sister. I am impressed with how quickly the crowd has taken a liking to you," Celestia said with a nod as she glanced around at the crowd. Luna followed her gaze as well, spying Kelvin dancing with Hope and Geo, while Sonia danced not too far from them. "But more importantly I am glad to see that you are having fun. After what the Maestro did to you I thought that you would never smile in joy again. I am glad to see I am wrong."

"You have been wrong more times since you have arrived in this world than you ever were back in Equestria," Luna stated with a laugh before she smiled at her sister. "And that is how I know that this world is a great place. Because it has shown us that there is still so much for us to learn! Now come on stage with me and help give these people a magic show that they will never forget!"

"I do not know, it has not been long since I caused them so much pain," Celestia hesitated, but before she could ponder further Luna teleported back up onto the stage. She then extended a hoof towards Celestia, who looked at it with uncertainty. "Come on sister, show them who you are. Show them why my older sister is the coolest sister in all the worlds."

Celestia sighed before she took Luna's hoof with a smile, allowing herself to be pulled up on stage. Celestia turned around to see that both the crowd and the band were now looking at her, waiting to see what she would do. Celestia then glanced from them to Luna, who nodded her head encouragingly.

"Come on sister, have a little fun. Show them the reason so many back on Equestria loved you. Show them why you are the princess of the sun!" Celestia smiled at her baby sister to thank her, before her horn began to glow as well and she gave the crowd a look that sent shivers of excitement up their spines.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for putting up with my younger sister while she entertained you with some pretty impressive magic," Celestia said with a bow of her head to the crowd, only to raise her head once more with a grin that Luna never knew she could make. "But now it is time for the real fireworks to begin. My sister is good, but only one of us was declared the greatest magic user in all of Equestria. Ladies and gentlemen...are you ready for the real show?!"

The crowd roared with a frenzy as the band began to play their fastest and most energetic song, while Celestia channeled her power into her horn. She then unleashed her magic into the night sky, causing it to erupt with designs and scenes that the crowd couldn't fathom. Taking a page from Equestrian history, Celestia drew the image of her and Luna's battle with Sombra, making sure to make it look as epic as possible. Every eye in the crowd was upon the battle, before Celestia changed the magic so that it matched the beat of the music, getting the crowd to start dancing once more.

"Well well, Princess Celestia: Party animal? What would our parents say?" Luna asked with a chuckle before she gazed up at the battle of magic that was going on over her head, her gaze softening. "What would they say? Would they be disappointed in us for failing our world? Our ponies? Would they be proud of us for continuing to fight despite all that has happened?...would they be proud of me?"

Celestia looked at her baby sister for a moment before she extended a wing and pulled Luna into a hug, getting the princess to look up at her sister with surprise. "I think they would be proud of you, just as I am," Celestia said with a smile as warm as the hug. "You have been strong, you have been kind and you refuse to let anything that has happened damper your spirit. And in just under an hour you have managed to make friends with so many here, despite being alien to these people. I wish I could be more like you."

Luna gazed up at Celestia with awe before she giggled and stared out at all of the dancing people, the joy she felt matching that of the people before her. "Well, if you want to be more like me you need to start waking up around ten pm every night..."

"And I no longer wish to be like you."

{*}

Off in a corner of the party, Geo and Mega stood next to each other and stared up at the sky. Despite the loud music and the people having a fun time, the two found themselves engrossed by the images of the pony soldiers going to war against what they thought were mind controlled foes that a dark pony was sending in to fight them. But when the battle reached it's crescendo, the magic changed and instead started to match the music that was playing.

"Wow, I had no idea that cute and colorful ponies could have such a scary war like that," Mega said with both surprise and admiration. "But if Celestia and Luna could fight off someone as powerful as Sombra, then maybe I've been underestimating their power all this time."

"Yeah...but they were strong enough to beat somebody like Sombra, yet were unable to do anything against Maestro by themselves," Geo added on, getting the EM alien to look at him with arms crossed. "So what does that say about the Maestro? What does that say about our chances of beating him?"

"You're still on this, kid?"

"Of course I am. Bud was put into the hospital because I couldn't beat Maestro's lackey," Geo said with a pain in his voice that was as bitter as it was cold. "Rogue. I couldn't beat Rogue, even with the incredible power of the Solar Knight. How am I supposed to beat someone like the Maestro if I can't even beat Rogue?"

"With the help of your friends. I don't know about you, but the Lunar Diva is by far the scariest form that I've seen in my lifetime," Mega added, but Geo was barely paying him any mind.

"And risk their lives as well? I'm the hero of earth, so-"

"Oh enough about this hero of earth crap," Mega said with a snarl so intense that it made Geo snap his head around to face his friend. "Kid, the only reason you lived long enough to get the title hero of earth is because you had friends to help you when you couldn't do it alone. You couldn't do it alone against the FM king, you couldn't do it alone against Mu and you couldn't do it alone against the Crimson Meteor. All getting the title hero of earth has done for you is make you think that you have to do everything by yourself!"

"Mega-"

"Nope. Zip it. Not going to let you ruin my night," Mega grunted before he floated into the crowd, snatching a drink out of someone's hands and pouring it down his throat. "Go have fun by yourself and let me know when you learn to stop worrying so much!"

"Geez, wonder how long that's been building up?" Geo asked as Mega vanished into the crowd, leaving the kid to sit by himself. He stared up at the magical images overhead for a moment, before a girl with blond hair leaned up against the railing beside him.

"So, what was that all about?" Sonia asked. "And by all that, I mean Mega yelling at you and going to interact with other people instead of being the shut in he normally is."

"I think that the stress of the Maestro is starting to get him scared," Geo replied as he crossed his arms. "And when he get scared he starts to get worried about me. And when he gets worried about me he can't put up with me and then what you just saw happens."

"Yeesh, glad Lyra never blows up at me," Sonia said as she gazed off at the crowd. "So, what did you say that got him so upset with you?"

"The Maestro, what else?" Geo said with a chuckle. "I've been watching the magical images that Celestia has been making with her magic and we think they're stories of her life, not just images. And in all of them she and Luna have been fighting, how many times they've saved the world. Maestro beat them like they were nothing. And that's the power we have to fight."

"Not alone. I'll be there with you when that final battle comes," Sonia promised Geo before giving him a smile and a thumbs up, but all her actions did was get Geo to look at the ground.

"I can't ask you to risk your life like that. I'm starting to think fighting Maestro might be as futile as fighting time. I can't ask you to be there with me when I fight him again."

"Then don't ask me. I'll just go with you. That way I can be there when you put him down once and for all and you won't feel bad for asking me," Sonia replied before she noticed that the music changed. A huge smile crossed her face as she recognized the song and she started to dance in place, gaining her the attention of Geo. "Sorry, but I really love this song! It's so catchy and makes a person just want to move!"

"Wow, never seen music have such an effect on you," Geo muttered before he started to lose himself in thought again. But before he could get too far Sonia turned and extended out a hand to him, getting him to glance up once more.

"Y'know, this song is fun to dance to alone, but...it's a lot more fun to dance with...someone you enjoy being with," she managed to stammer out, though she couldn't look Geo in the eyes as she said it. Geo's face reddened for a second, before he glanced at the crowd to see Kelvin dancing with Hope and the two alicorns dancing up on the stage. All of them having fun, despite the knowledge of what evil lurked.

'Learn to stop worrying so much, huh?' Geo thought to himself before he turned his head to Sonia's outstretched hand, which she was just beginning to lower. He let out a small sigh before he extended his own hand, grabbing hold of hers. Her head snapped up to look at him, surprise on her face and a smile on his. "Sure. I'd love to dance. If the Maestro kills us tomorrow, then all the more reason to have fun tonight."

Sonia's face lit up and a huge smile spread across her face before she raced into the crowd, dragging a smiling Geo along with her. She came to a stop next to the stage and released Geo's hand, laughing aloud before she began to move her body along with the music. Geo followed her lead and began to move his body in rhythm with the music, trying to match his movements as best he could. After a few tries he found that he could keep up pretty well, but was nowhere close to how good Sonia could keep up with the beat.

Geo quickly lost himself in the music and the one song he had promised to dance to turned into three and then five. He didn't care. For the first time ever since the Maestro had defeated him in the center of the city he felt his worries and weights leave his shoulders, leaving him with only the sheer mirth and laughter that was bubbling within him.

'I'll have to remember to thank Luna for inviting me to come to this. It's been a ton of fun,' Geo thought to himself before he felt someone bump into him, getting him to look over his shoulder at a beaming Sonia, who winked at him before she continued to dance. For a brief moment he was lost in her smile, before he shook his head and bumped in her back. Sonia turned and gave Geo a mischievous grin, before she tried to bump into him again, but Geo moved out of the way and flicked her head as she missed.

'And thank you too, Sonia. You always know how to extend a hand to me when I need it the most,' Geo thought as Sonia practically slammed into him, the two smiling as they tried to knock the other out of the way. 'I don't know what I'd do without you in my life.' The music picked up once more and the crowd really began to dance, along with the two teens in the front who, at the moment, weren't thinking about the Maestro or the end of the world. They were only having fun dancing each other.

Click.

{*}

Acid Ace finally found the strength to push himself back up to a sitting position, glancing across the now completely destroyed training are at Taurus Fire, who was just as exhausted as Ace was. Taurus also sat up a moment later and looked over at Ace, getting the both of them to lock eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before they both threw their heads back and began to laugh, continuing to laugh even as Luna and Zack raced over to Bud.

"You were amazing out there!" Luna sang with pride as she and Zack knelt next to Taurus, who turned back into Bud a moment later. "I've never seen you move like that before."

"Maybe it's because he didn't have to think as much and thus could devote more of his brain to reacting and moving?" Zack suggested as he looked down at his data. "But there's no denying it. What we did here improved Taurus Fire's fighting ability by two hundred percent. You're like a whole new fighter."

"And I have the both of you to thank for it," Bud said before he looked down at his fist, amazed with how well he had done. "I can't wait to show Geo and Sonia the new Taurus Fire, as Zack said. Maybe, for the first time in so long, I can actually stand among the both of them as an equal."

"I'm a man of my word and after that incredible performance you put on, I'd say you've earned more than a meal," Ace said as he walked over to the group, smiling at them while extending a hand to Bud with pride in his eyes. Bud flashed the same look in reply before he took Ace's hand and was pulled up to his feet. "You've earned my respect, Bud. You've proven why you deserve to stand with the rest of us. How would you like to lead the charge the next time we go after a sphere?"

"I'd like that a lot Ace, but honestly...I'd really like that free me you promised," Bud said with a laugh before his stomach rumbled, getting both Luna and Zack to shake their heads at him while smiling.

"Sounds good, Bud. Where do you want to go eat?"**

Push Ups. Sit Ups. And Plenty of Juice

"I'll give him this. At least he puts the spheres in places that I've wanted to visit in my life," Ace said. None of the group cracked a smile at his words as they gazed from the edge of a jungle, where they saw the second of the three spheres that threatened their world. This one was just as large as the previous one, but unlike the one that had already been destroyed the one pulsed with a power that the other one hadn't.

"Seems that this one is nearly at maximum capacity," Megaman said as his visor brought up readings on the sphere, making him clench his fist tightly with rage. "We need to bring it down before it can charge up even further. Sonia, with me. The Solar Knight and the Lunar Diva should be able to make short work of this thing."

"That would be the case Geo, but we've got a small problem," Harp Note added, pointing to a figure that was standing in front of the sphere with two blades clutched in his grasp. Megaman narrowed his eyes at the sight before he nodded to Celestia, who nodded in agreement. A flash of solar light erupted between the two before it was followed by a burst of lunar light, which caused the shattered warrior to raise his head towards the lights.

"So here we are again," Rogue said with a cold stare as Harp Note and Megaman appeared before him, the power of the sun and moon radiating from the both of them respectively as they glared down Rogue. He pulled both of his swords out of the ground and swung them twice, before taking up a fighting stance. Megaman and Harp Note each took up a fighting stance themselves, but before either side could start fighting Taurus Fire stepped in between the two parties.

"Sorry to butt in here guys, but I've got a favor to ask," Taurus said to both Megaman and Harp Note, both of who gave him a surprised look. Taurus pulled out a strange device out and placed it on his head, a device that had a small camera to the side and a radio on the other side. "I want to take this guy one on one. To get a little payback for what he's done to me during our previous fights."

"Are you a fool? You managed to escape my wrath twice with your life, but here you are throwing away the good fortune that the world had given you," Rogue asked with a smirk, one that turned to a snarl when Taurus smirked at him and looked back at his friends with a thumbs up.

"Come on guys, what do you say? Give me one more chance to make up for what I've done," Taurus asked the two champions of the heavens, who shared a glance with each other before they nodded.

"Alright Bud, if you believe in yourself so much, we'll let you handle this yourself," Megaman said with a nod before he gave Harp Note a quick glance, before motioning his head towards the sphere. Harp Note nodded to show that she understood and the two of them vanished in a flicker of light, leaving Taurus Fire alone with Rogue.

"You are a fool. With those two annoyances by your side, you might have had a chance to defeat me. But as you are now, alone, all you can do is die," Rogue said to Taurus Fire, giving him a menacing stare. Taurus' response was to press a button on the side of his headpiece, before hunching over and pawing the ground with his hooves.

"Who said I'm alone? That's you're greatest weakness, Rogue. You think that just because someone is fighting you one on one that they're alone. But I'm not alone. I've got Zack, Luna, Geo, Sonia and Ace. And with them, my power is beyond anything you can match," Taurus said with a smirk. Rogue flickered and appeared behind Taurus a moment later, bringing both of his blade down on the back of the bull.

To the surprise of Rogue, though, by the time his blades had begun their descent Taurus had already turned around and swung his horns up. Taurus bounced the blades off of his horns before driving his skull into the gut of Rogue, hurling his head back and throwing Rogue into the sky. Taurus crossed his arms and began to charge fire within his mouth, but he seemed to think better of it and cease his fire.

"Lucky shot," Rogue snarled before he hurled a blade beam towards Taurus and followed after it. Taurus spun to the right to avoid the blade beam before swinging a right hook with perfect aim, forcing Rogue to lift the side of his sword to block the blow. To his surprise the blow was strong enough to send him tumbling through the air, making him twirl once and land on his feet, narrowing his eyes with some surprise.

"What's the matter? Having a little trouble taking my blows?" Taurus Fire asked before he threw out a few quick jabs with his hands, mirroring the movements of a boxer. "In the words of a legend, float like butterfly and sting like a bee."

"All a legend is is a dead man that people wanted to believe was something greater. But they're not anything more than just what they are. A dead man. Guess that's what you have in common with him," Rogue growled before he slashed twice with his blades and appeared behind Taurus and slashed up at him with his blade. Taurus, spun around and grabbed the two blades with his bare hands, stopping them from slashing into his arm. Rogue gave Taurus a smirk as he watched the blade slashes get closer and closer, but the moment before they could strike him Taurus swung Rouge around and into the path of the slashes, which struck Rogue in his back. Rogue roared before he changed his form, before he vanished and appeared a bit away from Taurus.

Rogue had just enough time to recover before Taurus came barreling towards him, cocking a fist back and taking aim right at the X on Rogue's face. But the moment that he got close enough, Taurus's left hand rocketed up with flames erupting out of the elbow area, acting like a rocket for his punch. Rogue had been so focused on Taurus's cocked fist that he didn't react in time to the left blow until the fist was firmly planted on the side of his face.

Taurus bellowed with fire as he swung all of his power into Rogue, sending the shattered warrior flying into the jungle trees that surrounded them. Taurus smirked as he stood back up straight, before an eruption of shattered magic decimated any trees that hadn't been already destroyed by the body of Rogue. Rogue emerged from what remained of the trees a moment later, his whole body crackling with shattered magic.

"Enough. I have humored you long enough. I will kill you and then your friends, before finally wiping the Maestro off the face of the earth once and for all," Shattered Rogue said in a voice that sounded nearly identical to the Maestro. Taurus tightened up his guard as he put on his most serious expression, knowing that the real fight was about to begin. Then, to the surprise of Taurus, Rogue tossed both of his blades away and brought up both of his fists, mirroring Taurus's movements.

Taurus smirked before he dashed forward, throwing out numerous rights and lefts that were fast enough to be considered a blur, but Rogue dodged each blow as if he was swaying in the breeze. The moment he spied an opening he shot a fist forward into the nose of Taurus, snapping his head back and causing the bull to back up to regain some sense.

"Damn you hit hard," Taurus grunted as he wiped his face with his fist, before bringing his guard back up once more and advanced at a slower rate. Rogue threw a flurry of blows towards the face of Taurus, who tightened his guard to deflect the blows. The moment Rogue saw that he was blocking high, he crouched down and drove a heavy right into the gut of Taurus, who doubled over from the strike. An uppercut to the jaw staggered Taurus once more, but to the surprise of Rogue Taurus managed to remain standing.

"But not hard enough. I've been getting my rear kicked long before I got these powers. You're going to have to do a lot harder than that to take me down," Taurus Fire informed Rogue, who narrowed his eyes in reply. An explosion of magic gained both of the fighters attention, getting them both to look up to see that the Lunar Diva and the Solar Knight were now unleashing both of their powers into the sphere. "Looks like my friends are about to destroy your masters precious sphere. Gonna do something about it?"

"What do I care for his machines? I just want to see you all dead at my feet!" Rogue roared before he lunged forward once more, throwing punches so fast and with such fury that the ground shook from the ferocity. Taurus managed to keep his guard up and crouch down a bit to that his middle section was protected from the blows as well, even though each shot made him growl with pain.

"Do you finally see how pathetic you are?!" Rogue roared as he slipped around behind Taurus, driving a blow into his side with such force that shockwaves erupted from the other side of Taurus. Taurus roared as he forced himself to keep standing, but he couldn't get around fast enough to stop Rogue from kicking Taurus hard in the spine. Taurus fell to his knees from the impact, blinking heavily to try and keep his vision from blacking out. He felt a hand grab hold of his neck and lift his head so that he was staring up at Rogue, who was glaring down at Taurus with cold eyes.

"Did you really think that a little extra training and some fancy footwork would make you a match for me? You are a weakling, the worst of weaklings, who can't even win with his friends supporting him. That supposedly "unstoppable power" that Geo somehow manages to best me with," Rogue sneered as he brought a fist filled with shattered magic flooding through it, creating cracks along the fist. "No one will miss you when you are gone. All you are is weak."

"Yeah, I am weak. I can't do much by myself. All I can do is throw myself at a problem and try to solve it that way. But that never works in the long run," Taurus choked out with a smile, one that made Rogue narrow his eyes. "But I've got friends with me. Friends who are there to pick me up. To share their strength. To point out...your patterns!"

Taurus drove his head forward and slammed the armored face plate right into the bridge of Rogue's nose, snapping Rogue's head back and causing him to roar in pain. Taurus grabbed hold of Rogue's arm that was around his throat with one had before twisting it so that it was elbow side up. With a roar that shook the ground Taurus drove his other fist down into the elbow of Rogue, snapping the arm practically in half. Rogue bellowed with pain as he wrenched his arm free of Taurus, staggering backwards as he glared at his broken arm with disbelief.

He then screamed as he held out his left hand, summoning his sword into his grasp. He then spun and slashed at Taurus with all of his might, cleaving the earth in two as the blade tried to rip Taurus to shreds. But to the utter bafflement of Rogue, Taurus clapped his hands together and caught the blade, using his superior strength to keep the blade from cleaving into him. Taurus then roared as he strained against the blade with his insane strength, shattered the blade into pieces.

"How...?" Rogue asked in a tone that sounded like his whole world was crumbling around him, unable to believe that the weakling that he has bested so many times now had Rogue's back against the wall. A massive explosion that shook the planet erupted behind Rogue, but the explosion barely registered to the warrior. "I have the power of Mu. I have the power of a being that has decimated billions of worlds! How can your pathetic being possible stand up to my absolute might?!"

"Because as strong as you are, you're by yourself. And I've got my friends barking orders at me, telling me what I'm doing wrong or what you're about to do. They plan, they ordered and I execute," Taurus replied as he cracked his knuckles, before he glanced past Rogue and smirked. "And I've also got two of the strongest heroes in the world who have never failed us on my side. With all of us together, how can we lose?"

Rogue glanced over his shoulder to see the Solar Knight and the Lunar Diva standing behind Rogue, while a decimated sphere burned behind them. Rogue glared down at the ground as his whole body shook with rage, a rage that he had not felt since he had learned of the destruction of his people. He then slowly lifted his gaze towards the blazing bull, with a look in his eyes that would haunt the three EM champions.

"Do not think for a moment that his is over," he whispered to Taurus, who crouched down at waited for Rogue to begin his next attack. "You have won this day. I will admit that. What I will never admit is that your power, your friendship, is stronger than my might. You are weak. You have always been weak and you will always be weak. And the next time we fight, I will make sure that you admit that fact yourself before I take your life. Enjoy your last few days upon this planet, for the next time we fight...you die."

Rogue roared once more before he drove his twisted blade into the ground, creating an eruption of shattered magic that forced the three EM champions to cover their eyes. When the shattered magic finally ceased, they found that once more Rogue was gone, though the remains of his other blade lay on the ground. Taurus then unleashed a blast of fire that incinerated the rest of the sword, before he threw his head back and let out a victory moo.

"Bud...that was incredible!" Megaman said as he and Harp Note walked over to Taurus, who was fist pumping with sheer joy.

"I can't believe that you beat him by yourself! Even Geo and I couldn't do that! We could barely beat him together!" Harp Note said with amazement before she and Megaman separated from their alicorn allies, leaving four sets of eyes gazing up with admiration at the blazing bull, who also split into human and EM being. "How did you do it? You have to tell us! Was it special training? I bet it was special training!"

"Sonia, clearly it was the fact that Bud has achieved enlightenment and now is one with the universe," Luna said with a smirk before she gave Bud a look. "Seriously Bud, how in the heck did you do that?"

"Heh heh heh, wouldn't you guys like to know?" Bud asked as he rubbed a finger under his nose, before he and Taurus both shared a knowing look with each other. "But I can give you a hint. Let's just say that the voices in my head were giving me instructions."

Outlook Uncertain

Ace made a few adjustments to his screen before he brought up an image of the second destroyed sphere, which was being carted away by officers and workers. He then turned around to glance at the rest of the commandoes, along with the princesses and the Stelar family.

"Alright, first thing on the agenda: Bud. You're amazing," Ace said with huge smile with a thumbs up to Bud who nodded with pride with his eyes closed. "Second thing on the agenda: That makes two spheres down. Leaving only one last sphere in the middle of the ocean. That one we'll get to soon enough. But finally, Rogue took one hell of a beating at the hands of Taurus, so he'll either be back with a vengeance or with more power. But either way, watch out."

"But now he knows that he's not invincible like he would prefer to believe," Celestia stated for the rest of the people there, getting a nod from all of them. "But that is only going to drive him to become stronger. What I am more concerned about is how the Maestro will react to all of this. Ever since my sister and Sonia defeated him he's been quiet, just like he went quiet after Geo and I defeated him for the first time."

"But what makes him so dangerous this time isn't what he will do, it's what he may do," Princess Luna added as she crossed her hooves. "After you and Geo defeated him, when he came back he teleported into this room, trapped most of us in sphere's, and challenged the both of you to a fight to the death. One that you barely managed to walk away from alive."

"But he's prideful and hates to lose," Celestia said as she took control of the conversation again. "Something my sister and I had never seen back on our world. In Equestria, he was always focused, executing his plan and letting nothing phase him. But here I've seen him angrier and more emotional than I've believed was possible for him."

"And now that we know that, we know that when he comes back, he'll be back with a vengeance," Princess Luna finished, getting the room to go silent for a moment.

"He is emotional, way more so than any of us thought. But we can use that to work to our advantage," Ace informed the group, who all raised their heads towards him again. He pressed a few more buttons on his hunter and brought up an image on the screen, one that made the group gasp. "This is our newest anti Maestro tech. We've been reverse engineering what remains of his spheres and we are starting to understand how his powers work, at least to a degree."

"So you're saying that we may actually be able to destroy him once and for all?" Geo asked, getting Ace to shake his head with a shrug of his shoulders.

"At the moment, no. All this piece of tech really can do is, at the moment, maybe mess with his powers for a second. But once we understand more about him, we might be able to trap him and cut him off from his powers," Ace stated, getting shocked looks in reply. "Didn't I tell you all? Doctor Goodall is a genius when it comes to enemy technology."

"So say we strip him of his powers and actually manage to trap him, then what?" Sonia asked. "We just toss him in a cell and leave him to rot? If he's as dangerous as the princesses know he is, then there is no way in hell he'll stay there more than a few days at most. And when he breaks out, he'll be out for vengeance. How many times can we capture him before he finally finishes off one of us for good?"

"Sonia, what are you suggesting?" Geo asked Sonia, who sighed as she clasped her hands together.

"I'm saying that Maestro is not a foe that we should take alive. If we have the chance to destroy him once and for all, then we should take it," Sonia said in a bit of a quiet voice. "And I know that none of you may agree with me, but he's almost killed all of us at least once."

"So has every other villain that we've fought."

"But he isn't like other villains. He's a monster-no, he's beyond a monster! He's wiped out billions of lives and that's from Equestria alone!" Sonia said with some more strength, glancing at every other person in the room. "And what if after we manage to beat him, he just leaves? He just goes off to another reality, hell, another version of our world and just start over? Except this time, he kills that Geo before him and Celestia can ever meet? Don't we have a duty to all these other worlds, all those other people, to stop that threat before he can hurt again?"

The room went quiet as Sonia finished speaking, with no one except for Geo able to look at Sonia. "I'm sorry that if I sound like a bloodthirsty monster or something like that, but...I really care about all of you. And if I were to lose any of you because of him, because we couldn't stop him, I don't know if I could take it."

Geo rose from his seat and walked over to where Sonia was sitting, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She placed her hand over his and smiled up at him, before Luna cleared her throat and gained the attention of every person in the room.

"To an extent...Sonia is right. We know what Maestro has done. And Equestria isn't the first world that he's destroyed. According to him, he's done it to billions. He needs to be stopped," she began. "But I don't know if we are the ones that can stop him once and for all. Think about it. The Solar Knight melted his body. He came back. The Lunar Diva disintegrated his body. He'll be back. Even if we take his powers, even if we burn him in the fiery depths...would that be enough? Would that be enough to stop him once and for all?"

" So what do you think we should do, Prez?" Bud asked Luna, who crossed her arms and shook her head.

"We're thinking of what we should do to him after we've beaten him before we've actually beaten him. Our biggest concern right now should be finishing that weapon, destroying the final sphere and figuring out what super weapon he has hidden at the center of the three spheres."

The group all glanced over at Ace, who gave Luna a look before he changed the image on the screen behind him to that of a map. The location of the three spheres on a map of the continent, which the group immediately noticed formed a triangle. "So you've noticed it too, Luna. Yes, the spheres form a triangle. And there is something in the center of that triangle. But what it is, we have no idea, as every agent, every wizard and anything we send close to that area is disintegrated. It's probably Maestro's big doomsday weapon and he's protecting it like its his child."

"Then he is almost done." All heads turned towards Celestia, who had her eyes closed and her face was filled with nothing but concern. "Back on Equestria, there was an area of land that no one could get to without being destroyed. And that was where he held his sphere that destroyed our world. So yes Ace, you are most likely right in saying that a doomsday weapon is being held there."

"So that's where we should be focusing all of our efforts, because that's where Maestro will be focusing all of his," Kelvin spoke up for the first time. "If I had to wager a guess, he won't even care if we get to the last sphere. That doomsday weapon is where he will be focusing all of his efforts from now on."

"Any assault against this weapon directly would be suicide," Ace added in as he rested his hands on his desk. "Whatever is protecting that area is too strong even for our EM forms. Maybe the Solar Knight or Lunar Diva, but I'm not sending the two of them in alone against whatever the Maestro has up his sleeve. My suggestion would be to wait for our Maestro killing weapon to be finished before we move in on this area."

"But every second we spent waiting is another second that doomsday weapon gets closer to completion," Zack pointed out, getting a groan out of Ace. "Action would be the best course of action here. We have Maestro on the ropes. Rogue is wounded and he's down to a single sphere. If we attack now, we might have a chance to defeat him once and for all!"

"Celestia? Princess Luna?" Geo asked before the argument could continue, gaining him the attention of the princesses. "He's the villain to you two, more than anyone else here. What do you think?" Luna and Celestia shared a look before the princess of the sun rose to her hooves.

"Everyone here has made a valid point. Yes, with the Maestro weakened this may be the chance for us to finally get rid of him once and for all. But if we do this wrong, it may cost some or all of our lives. And after my failure in Equestria, I promised that I would let no one else die to the Maestro again," Celestia began very slowly, walking around the table as she spoke.

"I have lost my world to this monster. I have lost my ponies to this monster. I nearly lost my sister to this monster. I am tired of losing to him. Of having the things I care about taken from him. But a leader puts the needs of those around her before her own needs. And right now, what we need to do is get rid of the last sphere. The doomsday weapon will be complete whether we attack now or not. Maestro will make sure. So we must make sure that the weapon is as weak as possible. Getting rid of the sphere will do that."

"Welp, you call heard the princess. Our next plan of attack is to get rid of that final sphere," Ace instructed the rest of the group, who nodded in agreement as they all stood up. "We'll continue with the plan we've used for the previous two and put an end to this. We'll go on the offensive two days from now. Rest up a bit and get ready for a fight. If I'm right, both Maestro and Rogue will be there to protect it."

"Doubtful. As my sister said, Maestro will be far more concerned with his doomsday weapon and Rogue is still nursing a broken arm," Princess Luna cut in. "At most he will have a few abominations to protect it, but other than that he is done with his spheres. Destroying it should be a breeze."

"Guess we'll find out. Alright guys, meeting adjourned," Ace said before he entered in a phone number into his hunter and turned away from the commandoes.

"Very well, see you tomorrow. Bud. Zack. Let's go home. I'd like to discuss something's with you," Luna instructed to her friends, who followed after her without a word.

"It's getting late, so we should be getting home as well," Hope said before she gave Sonia a smile. "How would you like to stay with us tonight? I know that Geo would love to have you over."

"MOM!"

The Stelar's and Sonia laughed while Geo tried to calm down, all of them giving Geo a hard time as they walked out of the room. Ace nodded to the princesses as he walked by them as well, deep in discussion with an important looking person on the other end. That left the two alicorns in the room by themselves, both of them lost in thought.

"Just one more sphere and then we face a similar weapon to the one that destroyed our world," Luna said to her sister, who nodded in agreement before she stood up and walked over to the window, gazing at the setting sun behind the canyon wall. "And then we can deal with the Maestro, hopefully once and for all."

"Yes, let us hope so...sister, are you happy that this is the world we arrived on?" Celestia asked her sister, who gazed at Celestia with raised eyebrows. "Out of all the worlds that Maestro could have gone to, are you happy that this was the one?"

"I suppose I am. I like the people here. Geo is kind and strong, Sonia is an unstoppable wave of joy. Bud and Zack are fun to talk with. Luna's my favorite for obvious reasons...why do you ask this, sister? It seems like you're hinting at something."

"Perhaps I am. This world has been so kind to us, accepting us even when we are so different. And its heroes have fought and nearly died for us, even when the source of their pain was a foe that we failed to stop," Celestia said in a voice that Luna never liked.

"Sister, are you trying to imply something? Because whatever it is, I am not sure that I like the tone in your voice," Luna said with a hint of wariness.

"It is nothing, sister. I am just wondering about the future...about our future on this world," Celestia put forward, getting Luna to frown. "After we've beaten the Maestro, and I am hopeful that we will, what would our purpose on this planet be? It does not depend on us for the navigation of the sun or the moon. It's people can govern themselves just fine. What should we do, sister?"

"Well, Ace was kind enough to offer to let us join his team," Luna put forward with a shrug, before a large grin crossed her face. "And I am actually interested in getting my own wizard. I think that would be a unique experience. Oh, could you imagine if they give me one that could allow me to EM wave change? I could be a hero of earth as well!"

"As far as I am concerned you are already a hero of earth," Celestia said with a chuckle as she wrapped a wing around her little sister. Both sisters then lost themselves in thought, with one thinking about the peacefulness of the world they were on while the other wondered what would have to be given to maintain that peace.

Big Bro's Advice

"So this is the final sphere? I was expecting...more," Megaman said with a bit of disappointment as he and Harp Note stared up at the final sphere resting upon the waves. Figuring that they had no time to waste, the commandoes had gathered up once more and moved upon the final sphere, wanting to bring it down as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, it's weird. No Rogue. No Maestro. I'm not even sure if this thing is on," Harp Note muttered as she floated over to the sphere and knocked her fingers against it, hearing only the hollow drumming of her fingers. "Yep, there's no power in this thing. Wonder what's up?"

"Either the Maestro has done as I predicted and abandoned the sphere in favor of his doomsday weapon or he has gained all the power he needed from this sphere and has simply left it offline," Celestia put forward as she floated just above the waves, with her sister floating on a platform of magic next to her. "If it is the former, then I am concerned. If it is the latter, then I am afraid."

"At the very least we do not need to worry about having to fight to the death to destroy this one," Princess Luna reminded the group. "At the previous two we have had to deal with Rogue both times and he is always a problem. I am grateful that we do not have to worry about being cleaved in two this once."

"Megaman, Ace here. What's going on?" Ace's voice said from Megaman's hunter, getting the blue bomber to press a button on the back of his buster and bring up the image of Ace. "Have you arrived at the location of the final sphere yet? And what's the status of the sphere if you have?"

"We're here, but the sphere seems to have been abandoned," Megaman muttered as he looked up and down at the sphere one last time before he shook his head. "No signs of the Maestro, no sign of Rogue and the sphere is without power. The only thing of interest out here is the number of strangely colored fish that Sonia can attract with her music."

"It's really funny, actually. When I play my music a certain way I can even make them jump!"

"So yeah, aside from that the sphere is pretty much just taking up space. Not even sure if it's worth destroying," Megaman finished.

"Destroy it anyway, just incase the Maestro realizes that he still has a need for it and then hurry back. According to a message from Luna she has something really interesting in store for us when we get back."

"Wait, Luna as in the human or Luna as in the princess?" Megaman asked.

"Oh for the love of...Ace out."

"Welp, you heard him Sonia," Megaman said once Ace had hung up.

"Yeah, I heard what he said, but he never clarified which Luna," Harp Note replied before giving Megaman a wink and laughed aloud. "Just having fun. Come on Princess Luna, let's take this thing down!"

A blast of lunar light erupted from Harp Note, transforming her into the Lunar Diva a moment later. Megaman followed suit and after an eruption of solar magic, he stood beside her as the Solar Knight. The two of them kicked up into the air and propelled themselves over to the area where the weak point on the sphere was, both of them pointing their respective weapons at the weak point.

"You know, it's just not as fun without a fight to the death."

"Focus, Sonia."

Combined blasts of solar and lunar magic cleaved the sphere in two, but without any of the energy inside of it the metal simply faded or burned away until there was nothing left of the sphere. Harp and Megaman spent a few minutes more cleaning up the pieces of metal that fell into the ocean, before regrouping in the sky.

"And that's that," Harp Note said as she and Luna split back into two separate beings. "With how much of a big deal everyone made these spheres out to be I was certain that we might lose one of us trying to take them all down. It's funny what a little time can do to our perceptions of something."

"Maybe, but if Celestia is right in her assumptions then there is something way worse than these spheres awaiting us in the near future," Megaman reminded her as he and Celestia returned to their previous forms. "These spheres were guarded well, at first, but they aren't that hard to destroy. So whatever Maestro is currently working on will most likely be created to fight against out solar and lunar forms. We'll have to be careful."

"Geo, when am I anything but careful?" Harp Note asked, only to get Megaman to raise an eyebrow in response. The two of them heard a noise off to their sides and glanced over to see numerous whales breaching the surface, spraying water in every which direction as their massive forms broke through the waves. Megaman, Harp Note, Celestia and Luna all watched with wide eyes and smiles on their face, before turning their gazes to the sky to see all the birds that were flying around them as well.

"How odd it feels, for the world to be so peaceful," Celestia said aloud before she closed her eyes and basked in the glow of the sun.

"Makes you almost forget that there's a madman out there that seeks its destruction for asinine reasons," Luna added as she used her magic to swirl the water beneath her, observing all of the colorful sea life that the tiny whirlpool scooped up. That left Megaman and Harp Note alone to watch the whales, though after a moment Megaman was aware of the fact that Harp Note was occasionally casting glances at him.

"What's on your mind, Sonia?" Megaman asked her after another minute of being watched. His words made Harp Note fascinated with the sky above her, but when she realized that he wasn't falling for it she lowered her head and grabbed hold of her arms nervously. "Sonia, I know something's up. You always hold your arms like that when your nervous."

"I don't do it all the time," Harp Note grumbled back before she sighed and let go of her arms, raising her head and looking Megaman directly in the eyes. "Have you thought anymore about what we talked about? You know...how I felt?"

"Oh. That," Megaman responded quietly.

"I mean, I know we had a fun time at the dance party, but I still don't know," she said with a shrug before she shook her head and gave Megaman a smile that could outshine the sun. "Ah forget about it. We've got enough to worry about then one of those teenage dramas that my producer keeps trying to get me to be apart of. Come on, lets go home. We need to tell Ace our missions complete."

Harp Note leapt into the sky and landed on an EM road, racing off in the direction of the base. Luna used her magic to lift herself next to where the EM road was and sailed after her, leaving Megaman alone with the princess of the sun.

"You're still thinking about what she said, aren't you?" Celestia asked Megaman after a moment, getting a sigh out of the EM warrior before he too leapt up onto the EM road. He raced off after Harp Note and Luna, allowing Celestia to smile to herself as she shook her head. "Two teenagers not certain of how they feel about each other. I never thought I'd see the day when things were this peaceful again. It feels...refreshing."

Celestia then took to the sky and rocketed after the others like a blaze of sunlight, a smile still on her face as she did so.

[{EM}]

"...and with that the final sphere that has threatened the safety of the world has been destroyed. I'd say that that deserves a round of applause for our two heroes," Ace said as he smiled at Geo and Sonia, before the smile changed to a smirk and he brought up a screen that showed a strange vortex of blackness in the center of the ground. "But we don't have time for that. Because one of our brave spy wizards managed to snap this right before he was erased. This, whatever it is, is the doomsday weapon that Maestro is building."

"Do we have any idea what it is?" Luna asked.

"Not at the moment, no. But whatever it is made of has masked its presence from any of our cameras or technology. It is also generating a barrier of energy that will wipe out anything that gets close to it," Ace informed the group, who exchanged worried glances with each other at those words. "So at the moment we know nothing about it, aside from the fact that it will probably cause the end of the world. Which means that it's our number one problem."

"Wow, not even going to give us a few minutes to savor the fact that we've destroyed three of the weapons that were used to wipe out Equestria?" Mega asked with a snarl, but a look from Geo silenced him from any further outbursts.

"Hold on a moment, I never said that we wouldn't be doing anything to celebrate your victory. I just wanted all of you to know what we had waiting for us in the future," Ace defended himself before he nodded to Luna and moved to the side, allowing the teenager to stand up and walk to the front of the meeting table. "But as we know nothing about this doomsday weapon, there is nothing any of you can do for the time being. So instead of just having you wait around, Luna here had a suggestion."

"Thank you, Ace. This is what I had in mind," Luna said before she brought up an image of a beachside resort from her hunter. All sets of eyes in the room went wide as they gazed upon it, getting a smile out of Luna as she saw their faces. "Yes, my family has recently acquired a beachside house and wanted to know if I would be willing to go to the beach with them before school starts. I agreed, but only on the condition that my friends come with me."

"Wow, you would take us with you to such a beautiful place? Yer the best, Prez!" Bud said with nothing but joy in his voice.

"I concur as well. It was a very kind gesture for you to offer to bring us along," Zack said, before he glanced over the rims of his glasses and gave Luna a knowing look. "But it wasn't just out of the kindness of your heart that you did this, is it? There is something that you want to tell us, isn't there?"

"You know me well, Zack. Indeed, I have something to tell you all. However, I will wait until we there until I reveal my thoughts," Luna stated before she turned her attention to Princess Luna and Celestia. "Of course, the both of you are welcome to join us as well if you so chose."

"Of course we would love to join you all."

"Splendid. I will send all of the location for us to meet up and then we will head over to the beach!" Luna said before she clapped her hands together with a smile. "This meeting is adjourned. See you all tomorrow!"

"Hey, that's my line," Ace grumbled, but no one was paying attention to him. All of their thoughts were on the beach and how much fun they were going to have before the summer ended. All except for one of the teens, who sat alone in his chair with arms crossed and head lowered. Ace immediately noticed Geo sitting by himself and waved the teen over while he began to work on some battle plans.

"So Geo, what's eating at you?" Ace asked as Geo walked over to him, glancing over to see that Geo was lost in thought. "You've got something on your mind? Let me guess, is it a Maestro problem or a hero problem?"

"It's...a girl problem." Ace's head snapped back up and he glanced back at a now far more nervous Geo who was avoiding eye contact with Ace. Ace nodded slowly before he pulled out two chairs, motioning for Geo to sit before he himself took a seat himself.

"Okay, now that's a problem that we need to talk about. Don't worry, you're big bro is here to help you sort it all out," Ace said in a serious voice, but he couldn't help but smile at the way Geo was acting. "So which of the two is it? Sonia or Luna?"

"Why would I fall for a horse?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"I'm kidding, Ace. It's...Sonia," Geo admitted after a moment, getting Ace to nod with understanding. I can't, well rather don't, want to talk to my parents about it. I can't talk to Mega about it. I definitely can't talk to Luna about it..."

"You make another name joke and I'm kicking you off the team."

"Not to mention that you're married, so I guess that you know at least something about romance and...how to deal with these feelings," Geo finished, before he crossed his fingers and fidgeted in place while Ace lowered his head for a moment and thought.

"What made you bring this up with me?" Ace eventually asked.

"Sonia told me how she felt about be. During her battle with Maestro, when she turned into the Lunar Diva," Geo reminded Ace, who nodded to show that he remembered. "After that the two of us talked and she asked me how I felt about her. I asked her to give me a little more time to think about it..."

"And?"

"And...I don't know. I really don't," Geo said with frustration as he held his head in his hands. Ace placed a hand on Geo's shoulder and patted it a few times, waiting for Geo to continue.

"I guess there's only one thing left for me to ask. What do you feel like when she's around?" Ace asked Geo, who looked up with a bit of confusion in his eyes. Geo then thought about it for a moment, before he took on a more neutral expression.

"I guess I feel...happy. Like nothing can ruin my mood when I'm with her," Geo admitted slowly. "She lifts me up, helps me let go of my nerves and worries and just enjoy spending time with her. And when she smiles...I can't control my heartbeat," Geo whispered out at the end. Ace nodded with a smile on his face, getting Geo to glance up at him once more. "So, what do you think I should do?"

"Honestly Geo," Ace began as he stood up and walked over to the door of the meeting room, turning back to Geo with a large smile on his face. "I think you should be telling her this instead of telling it to me." Ace closed the door behind him as he said this, leaving Geo alone with his thoughts...which at the moment consisted entirely of a smiling Sonia.

Sunset Confessions

The sound of the waves breaking against the sand was like the music of the sirens, compelling the teenagers to race across the sand that blazed like a fire despite the burning pain. Bud, Zack, Geo and Sonia all let out cries of joy as they plunged into the water, while the two Luna's and Celestia took a more leisurely approach to the water. Bud wore a large set of trunks, Zack had a top and bottom suit, Geo had orange trunks and Sonia wore a full body pink diving suit. The moment the four got into the water they immediately began to splash each other.

"No matter how much the world changes, those four will always be such kids," Luna said with a sad sigh as she held a hand to her face, trying to ignore the sounds of her friends splashing water onto each other. Celestia and Princess Luna chuckled at her words while setting up their beach set, with Luna planting a huge umbrella next to a lounge chair.

"Well, we all need to relax every once in a while," Princess Luna said as she flicked open her umbrella and cast a huge shadow over a portion of the beach. She snapped open her chair and laid down in it, flicking a pair of sunglasses over her face before resting her head on her arms. "And I need to catch up on some sleep. Sister, if you wouldn't mind keeping the sun as far away from me as possible, then I would be eternally grateful to you."

"You forget sister that I do not control the sun on this world. It will pester you to its hearts content," Celestia stated while rubbing some sunscreen onto her nose, before using her magic to create a swimsuit around herself. "I will be enjoying some time in the ocean, which I realize I have avoided for far too long."

"Well, after everything the two of you have been through you deserve more than this for a break," Luna said to the twin princesses, but a loud snore from the princess of the night told the teenager that Princess Luna was fast asleep. Celestia walked to the waves and dipped a hoof into the water, shivering slightly at how cold it was. A flash of magic shone from her horn and a moment later the temperature was much more manageable for her. "What is it like using magic? From the way you use magic it seems to make your life so much easier."

"It does make life easier, but it is also a painful reminder that I am one of two beings from my world that can still use it," Celestia said with a shake of her head before she was sprayed by a large splash. The princess of the sun raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Bud, who had a competitive smile upon his face before he motioned Celestia to bring it.

"Oh, a challenge, is it?" Celestia asked before she spread her two wings with such force that all of the water was removed from them. She then sliced them through the water and created a tidal wave that bellowed towards the teens. Bud braced himself and crossed his arms while the other three swam for their lives. The waves broke against the bison, who managed to remain rooted in place. The other three weren't so lucky and were swept away by the massive wave.

"You call that a wave? Let me show you how to make a wave!" Bud roared before Taurus appeared next to him, grabbing hold of the teens arm and yanking him out of the water. He pulled Bud a couple of feet out of the water before dropping him into the waves, creating a wave equal to the one Celestia had created. Celestia raised an eyebrow at the approaching wave before simply constructing a barrier of magic around herself, watching with a smile as the waves broke against her barrier.

"It seems that to defeat you I'm going to have to pull out all of the stops," Bud said with a smile before he held out his hand, getting Taurus to float down next to him. Celestia gave the boy a smirk that told him to bring it, but before the two could continue their aqua battle Geo and Zack tackled him and restrained his arms.

"Whoa there you two, I like play water war as much as the next guy, but at the rate you two are going we might have a tsunami on our hands," Geo informed the both of them.

"My data indicates that if you continue at this rate there will be a ninety percent chance that this day will be ruined for all of us!" Zack roared at Bud, who let out a sigh before he held up his arms, not at all hindered by the two teens that were trying to weigh him down.

"Alright you two, I get it. We'll save this for another time, Celestia," Bud said with another smirk to the princess.

"I look forward to the challenge. You may be the first person that can actually match me at water wars," Celestia replied with a smile, before she and the others glanced over to see Luna entering the water, wearing a cerulean bathing suit. "Well well, you finally decide to join us."

"I had to wait until the two of you were done splashing each other like children. Honestly Celestia, you are a two thousand year old former ruler of a nation. Why do you still act so childish at times?" Luna asked the princess, who smiled to the others at Luna's words.

"Because it is good to never let the child inside die. You have to mature and grow up, but keeping that childish side of you helps in certain situations. Such as when someone who did not wish to get wet suddenly enters the water!" Celestia yelled before she swung a wing towards Luna, spraying water across Luna. Her face became a brilliant crimson before she started to try to chase the princess of the sun, who laughed with mirth as her longer legs allowed her to bound away from Luna with ease.

"Nice to se Luna having fun, especially with how she's been acting lately," Sonia said to Geo as Celestia sprayed Luna with water again, getting the teen to shriek before she started to splash water back.

"You've noticed it too, huh?" Geo replied as he glanced at Sonia, who nodded her head in agreement. "She hasn't been her usual, bossy self in a long time. Not since the Maestro showed up."

"Whatever he told her, it's changed her. Have you notice that...she doesn't get as upset with us?"

"You mean whenever we act up?"

"No, I mean...us."

"Okay you two, if you're done staring at the ground while talking to each other, we could use the two of you," Zack called over to them, getting Sonia and Geo to slosh over to the rest of the group. "As per tradition with out group, it is time for water chicken. You all know the rules, but as Celestia is a new comer we shall go over them for her. Three teams, two members each. The stronger member supports to weaker one on their shoulders, while the weaker one tries to push the other ones into the water. Any questions?"

"Only which one of you wants to be on my team?" Celestia asked, but when three sets of hands went up the prince smirked.

"As usual, it seems that I will have to decide the teams. Celestia, you're with me. You seem to work well with beings named Luna," Luna said, getting Celestia to chuckle to herself. "Bud, you're with Zack. As the last years reigning champions, it doesn't feel right to split the both of you up."

"Um, sure Luna, but you do realize that that only leaves-"

"Sonia, you're with Geo. As the two heroes of the earth, you both work together incredibly well," Luna said with a nod to the both of them, ignoring the confused looks they were giving her. "Of course, you two will have to decide which of you is stronger. I honestly can't tell between the two of you anymore." Geo and Sonia gave the other a look before they locked hands, straining against the might of the other. Celestia used her magic to create a surface underneath of their arms, allowing the two of them to arm wrestle. The two strained against the other for a few moments, before Sonia's arm finally gave out and Geo slammed her hand to the magic.

"Alright, we have a winner. Teams, battle positions!"

Luna hopped onto Celestia's back as she said this, laughing aloud as Celestia kicked her front legs and let magic shine from her horn. Bud picked up Zack and placed him onto his shoulders, the two of them crossing their arms to look like a formidable foe. Geo crouched down and allowed Sonia to leap onto his shoulders, though neither of them could stop their faces from turn red for a moment.

"Alright, here are the rules. No eyes pokes, no underhanded tactics, no kicking the mounts, no going for the mounts feet and no magic, in your case," Luna said as she looked down at Celestia, who gave Luna an innocent smile in reply.

"I'm suddenly noticing how unfair this is," Zack stated as he looked at Luna, who looked regal riding Celestia.

"Start!"

All three groups let out a cry as they charged the other, with Celestia going easy, before Zack, Sonia and Luna collided up top. The three of them started to fight and their motions forced those they were sitting on to constantly adjust to keep them balanced.

"This is a fun game," Celestia said with a smile, not bothered in the slightest by the three pushing against the others.

"It's usually more fun when the other teams have a chance at winning," Geo smirked in reply, before Sonia let out a yelp and started to fall over. Geo moved quickly and spun around to catch Sonia is his arms, before the both of them fell into the water. Luna let out a cry of victory before she started to overpower Zack, who was barking orders down at Bud. But right as Luna was about to push Zack off of Bud's shoulders, Celestia felt something grab her leg and shift it, causing the princess to tip over into the water. Luna yelped before she went under, with both her and Celestia surfacing a moment later to see Bud and Zack still standing.

The winners began to celebrate while Celestia and Luna both cast a nasty stare over at Geo and Sonia, who were looking back with large smiles on their faces.

"That's cheating," Luna said with fire in her voice.

"You said no going for the feet. Never said anything about hooves," Sonia replied, getting Geo to chuckle. Luna was debating whether she should scold them or not, but then Celestia chuckled and Luna figured that it didn't matter, as long as they were having fun.

{*}

The food that had been cooking on the grill finally finished, just in time for the group to watch the sun start to sink over the horizon. Bud scooped up a huge amount of BBQ onto his plate, before racing off to feast upon his spoils. Zack took a far smaller amount, but as the victory he took his sweet time, knowing that everyone else was giving him a nasty look. Luna went next and Celestia didn't take anything, which left a good amount for Geo and Sonia. As the group sat down and began to eat, Princess Luna finally awoke and joined them, though she wasn't too happy.

"Sister, why in the unholy Tartarus is one half of my face sunburned?" Princess Luna asked with some rage at her sister, who smirked at Luna in reply.

"As I told you sister, I cannot control the sun on this world. Therefor I could not stop it from frying half of your face," Celestia said with a chuckle, as she was the only one that could see how Luna was burned. Princess Luna grumbled something and sat down next to Luna, who stood up and clinked her finger against her glass to gain the others attention.

"Attention, everyone. I have something to tell all of you," Luna said, turning everyone's heads towards her. "Thank you all for coming today. I had fun and I know that everyone else here did as well." The group all let out a cheer to show that she was right, getting Luna to smile before her face fell for a moment. "I am glad to hear it. However, as many of you guessed the other day, I have some news to tell all of you. And that news is...I will not be joining you in high school come this fall."

Bud spat out his food and started to choke for a moment, while Zack stared at Luna with disbelief. Geo and Sonia just sat in silence, waiting for Luna to tell them why. "It is not because I can't stand you guys any more, it is...because I need to do this. I will be going to a private high school come this fall, in a few weeks actually, and thus will not be able to see you guys as often as I did."

"But why?!" Bud roared, unable to understand what Luna was saying. Luna gave him a smile to comfort him before she cleared her throat.

"Because the Maestro was right about me." The group went silent at her words, all of them waiting to hear her reasons. "He told me that me and all of the other Luna's like me made no difference to the world, that we were all a waste. And at first I didn't want to believe him, but the more I looked over my life, and the way it is now, he's right. I haven't really done anything, not like all of you."

"But Luna-"

Luna held up a hand to silence Geo. "This is my choice. Even if none of you believe what he said to be true, I do. And I am tired of him being right. That is why I am going to this private school. Because I want to make a change. And this school has the programs that can start me down this path. I know it might be hard for you to accept, but this is my choice. It is who I want to be. I want to be more than just a waste of space."

For a long time no one said anything, until Geo stood up and walked over to Luna. The two looked at each other for a moment before Geo let out a small sigh and smiled at her. "If this is your decision, what you truly want to do, then I won't try to stop you. Instead, I'll wish you luck. Whatever you want to do, I know that you'll be amazing at it."

"Thanks Geo," Luna replied before she was tackled by both Bud and Zack, who were sobbing uncontrollably as they tried to stammer out words to her. "Get ahold of yourselves, I'm not going yet! We've still got a few more weeks and even then I'll still be back on the weekends!"

The alicorns and the EM champions laughed at the display, before Luna looked over at Geo and gave him another smile. "We'll be getting ready to pack it up for the night and we leave first thing in the morning. If there's anything else you want to do...or say...now would be the time."

Geo looked at her in surprise, but Luna turned away from Geo and started to yell at Bud and Zack again, leaving the human to glance over at Sonia. He let out a small sigh before walking over to her, tapping her on the shoulder to get her to turn around. She stopped talking with Princess Luna and Celestia and turned to face Geo, who moved his head over to the edge of the sea. She nodded and the two walked over in silence, stopping just at the edge of the waves and stared at the sea for a few minutes.

"I've thought it over," Geo said to finally break the silence. Sonia nodded her head to show that she understood, but she was too afraid to look over at Geo. "Of course, I've had a lot of help. Ace, Mega...even Luna, surprisingly. They helped me to make sense of all this."

"I'm sorry that I did this to you. I should have just kept my mouth shut," Sonia whispered, but Geo shook his head.

"No, I'm glad you said it. Your words finally made me face my emotions that I've been uncertain about for a long time," Geo replied before going silent again. For another few minutes the two stood silently, letting the waves touch their feet while the smell of the ocean washed over them. "But now...I think I finally have an answer."

"And that answer...is?" Sonia asked in a tone that was barely audible and Geo could hear the fear in her voice. He let out a small sigh to calm his nerves before he took Sonia's hand in his. Her eyes went wide before she glanced down at his hand, before looking up at Geo. He nodded with a smile on his face, before squeezing her hand slightly. Tears welled up in Sonia's eyes before she smiled as well and leaned her head on Geo's shoulder. The two of them stayed like that for a while, watching the sunset while completely unaware that the others were watching them. And all of them had the same smiles on their faces.*

Change of Plans

"Nothing like a beautiful sunrise to get you pumped for the day, wouldn't you guys say?" Sonia asked with a smile that could outshine the sun, glancing around at the rest of her friends that were within the tram with her. Princess Luna grumbled sleepily in reply and Geo stifled a yawn, while Zack and Bud silently cried to themselves in the corner of the tram.

"Yes, I agree completely. There is nothing like a beautiful sunrise to get a person moving in the morning," Celestia said with a cheery smile before she glanced over at her sister, using her magic to prop her back up so she wouldn't slide onto the floor. "Yet it seems that once again my sister disagrees with me."

"It is her loss. I personally enjoy getting up first thing in the morning. It gives me time to think about my day ahead," Luna said before she glanced over at Bud and Zack, who were both looking at her with sad eyes and were doing their best not to let any tears escape. "Oh for the love of heaven you two, it's been nearly three days since I told you about my decision and you are still crying! Why are you so upset over this? It's not like I'll be gone forever, just during the school week!"

"B-but what are we supposed to do without you there?" Bud stammered out, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. "We've been a trio since the third grade and now you're splitting us up before our high school year? What will we do without your guidance? We'll be lost without you."

"No you won't. You'll still have Geo there to order you around and you'll be two of three students at the school to be friends with the famous Sonia Strumm. If anything the two of you will be fine without me," Luna said with an exasperated sigh. "Look at Geo, you don't see him crying over the fact that I'm leaving. I'm almost insulted."

"But he has Sonia now while we're losing you!" Zack stated with a sob. "There's a one hundred percent chance that school won't be the same without you!" Bud and Zack began to sob bitterly to themselves once more, getting Luna to give the both of them a sympathetic gaze before she turned her attention to Sonia and Geo.

"You look really tired Geo. Did you not get any sleep last night?"

"I've been having a rough couple of nights," Geo said while fighting back another yawn. "Somehow my mom found out what happened at the beach and she's been teasing me relentlessly about it. I place the blame on a certain alien freeloader that doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

"Hey pal, she wanted to know everything that happened. It's your fault for not removing your hunter before you confessed to your little sweetheart," Mega said from within the hunter defensively, getting Geo to smirk at Mega's response.

"Well at least I've got my independence. My mom asks you for anything and you bend over backwards to help her. Honestly you act like a little puppy around her," Geo snarked back.

"What did you call me?" Mega snarled as he materialized in front of Geo, growling at the teen.

"Little. Bed wetting. Puppy," Geo repeated slower and with a large smile, getting Mega to narrow his eyes at Geo's response. Mega extended his claws and Geo started to rise out of his seat, but before the two could begin to brawl Sonia wrapped her arms around Geo's neck and gently pulled him back onto the seat.

"Come on you two, let's not ruin such a beautiful morning fighting over nothing," she said to the two of them before giving Geo the puppy dog eyes, melting Geo's will with ease. "Can't this wait until later? Now I want the both of you to apologize."

"Sigh...sorry I called you a puppy, Mega. We all know your the guard dog of the family," Geo replied with an apologetic smile, getting a smirk out of Mega.

"And you just said that I had no will, but one look from her and she has your strings in her hands," Mega said with a shake of his head. Geo looked from Mega to Sonia before shrugging and placing one of his hands on Sonia's hip, pulling her in closer.

"What can I say? She knows me," Geo said with a shrug before Sonia rested her head on his shoulder, getting the both of them to turn slightly red in the face.

"Geez you two, it's only been a few days and already you look like you've been dating for months," Luna said with a small shake of her head, getting the teens to look at each other and smile.

"I guess we're just so comfortable with the other at this point," Sonia said with a small shrug before she scooted closer to Geo, closing her eyes and sighing with happiness. "But honestly Luna...after the way that you responded to the news asking whether or not I was dating Megaman, I truly believed you would be the first to rip our heads off when we started dating."

"Yeah actually, you've always gotten a little angry whenever I hung out with any other girls," Geo asked, getting Luna to smile slightly as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"Like I said at the beach, I'm trying to change the person that I want to be. No more flying off the handle at every turn. Not to mention," Luna muttered under her breath before gazing out the window. "There are...other reasons that I'm so calm about this."

"Man, now that I think about it Geo's the one out of all of us that's going to have the hardest time at high school," Zack said, turning everyone's attention to him. "After it gets out that you and Sonia are dating, every high school boy in that place is going to be out for your blood. You might have to stay as Megaman just to make it to your first day."

"If anyone tries to lay a hand on my Geo, then I'll tell all of them that I'll never create another album or do another show again," Sonia replied with fire blazing in her voice as he grip around Geo tightened.

"Your Geo?" Luna asked with a smirk.

"My Geo."

"Really Sonia? You would cease your livelihood all for the reason that someone took offense to you and Geo dating?" Celestia asked, more interested in watching the teens then she was Sonia's answer.

"Absolutely. No more music ever again."

"I see. Well it's a good thing that I hate your music in any reality."

Celestia let out a swear that was only understood by Equestrian royalty as she sprung to her hooves, only to take a metal fist to the face that sent her slamming back first into a glass window. Princess Luna's eyes snapped open and she unleashed a blast of magic at the metal being that had appeared in the tram car, but the spell bounced off of his suit and a moment later she joined her sister in dreamland on the floor. Maestro then turned upon Sonia and Geo, grabbing the both of them by the throat and pulling them off of their seats.

"Ma...estro!" Geo snarled as best he could with a metal hand crushing his throat. Mega and Lyra appeared next to the two teens while Bud began his battle cry to transform, but before any could interfere the Maestro's eyes flickered and he trapped them all within spheres of shattered magic. With everyone that could interfere out of the way, the Maestro slowly turned his head back towards the two teens that were clutched in his grasp.

"Ah, the power couple. So you have made your choice, Geo," Maestro said with some interest as he gazed at Sonia, who eyes blazed with a fury that was hotter than the sun. "And I am happy to see you as well, Sonia. Do the both of you like the new body? It took me quite a while to construct this one after you completely disintegrated my other one."

"What are you doing, Maestro?! Too afraid to fight us fair in square?!" Mega roared from within his sphere, only for Maestro's eyes to flash once more and he was muted.

"I have no intention of fighting fair. Truth be told, I actually came at this time to kill the both of you before you could transform. Now who should I kill first? Geo and watch Sonia's heart break before I kill her? Or should I kill Sonia and see just how far into his rage Geo would descend? Choices, choices..." Maestro whispered to the two teenagers, who both flashed each other looks that shone with fear for the other. For a moment of silence the Maestro did nothing...before he released the two of them and dropped them to the ground.

"What the-?" Geo choked out as he glared up at the Maestro, while Sonia wrapped her arms around Geo and flashed Maestro a look that was filled with murder. Maestro looked down at the both of them before he turned and looked out the window, staring at the rising sun with some interest.

"That was the plan after your beloved vaporized me. To return and kill the both of you in front of the other. But then I actually stopped to think about it. A Harp Note had vaporized me. After a Megaman had melted me into a puddle. Two things that had never happened to me before," Maestro began before he gazed back at the two teens, both of who were ready to fight. "And then I thought about it more. Thought about what has happened on this world so far. And how none of it has ever happened before, not in any other reality."

"What are you saying, you sick bastard?" Sonia spat at him.

"I'm saying that thanks to the interference of Luna and Celestia, thanks to your heroism, thanks to Sonia's refusal to let you die...you have created an entirely new reality for me to explore. One whose ending I only know if I chose to destroy it," Maestro replied with what sounded like joy in his voice. "An entirely new place, one that has an infinite possible choices that I've never seen. It...is rejuvenating, to finally feel excited once more. So what I suppose I am saying is thank you, the both of you. Thank you for being so damn hard to kill."

"So what, now that we've given you a new timeline to watch you're just going to leave and observe?" Geo spat out as he rubbed his throat, getting Maestro to chuckle.

"No, Stelar. Everything that has caused this reality to become an entirely new one has come of when everything you love and cherish in on the line. So I will continue forward with my plan and activate my, as you put it, doomsday weapon," Maestro said with a small laugh. "And I will do so fully prepared to destroy this world, along with doing everything in my power to kill all of you. But if I'm being honest...I hope that you can actually stop me. I'd love to see how this world turns out."

"Is this all we are to you," Luna asked, getting the Maestro to turn around to face her. "Are we just lives that you change however you want so that you can be entertained? Do our lives really mean that little to you?"

"Of course not. Your lives mean nothing to me," Maestro replied with no emotion before he looked back at Geo and Sonia. "I will be activating my device soon. Do everything in your power to stop me, or I promise the both of you that you will have to watch your beloved die before you. I should leave Celestia and Luna or maybe some more Equestrian Princesses alive in the future more often. They do very interesting things."

Maestro vanished a moment later, causing the spheres that had been imprisoning the others to vanish as well. The moment Mega was free he let out a bellow and began to slash at the air in rage, while Lyra just shook her body at his actions. Sonia pulled Geo close to her and held him tight as he wrapped his arms around her, looking around with rage building in his chest.

"He could have killed us. He could have killed us and it would have been easy for him," Geo whispered as he shook with rage, getting Sonia to tighten her hug. "And that's what this was. To prove to us that he could do it. that our lives are playthings to him. The only reason he didn't finish us was so we could entertain him."

"It's okay though, Geo. We're still here. He didn't kill us. We're alright," Sonia comforted him as she rested her head on his chest, getting Geo to calm down to the point that he stopped shaking. He then glanced over at the princesses, who were just starting to recover from the attack. Luna was attending to Celestia, trying to heal to the head wound that had been opened on Celestia when she had been punched. Bud and Zack were helping Princess Luna back to her hooves, but the look of divine wrath upon Luna's face made it hard for the two to look at her.

"He made it look so easy," Geo whispered as he shook his head, his words getting Sonia to raise her head from his chest and stare into Geo's eyes with her own.

"We're all still alive, okay? He could have killed us, he might have been able to do it easily, but he didn't! We didn't lose anyone...I didn't lose you," she whispered as she lowered her head sadly. Geo's face fell before he placed one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back, pulling her close to comfort her. The tram came to a stop a few moments later, only for the doors to be practically torn off of their hinges to allow Acid Ace to fly in a moment later.

"What happened?" he asked as he glance at the carnage, his face horrified when he saw the looks of wrath on the princesses face. He then looked down at Geo and Sonia, who broke apart to look up at him. "Geo. Sonia. What? Happened?"

"Maestro happened, Ace. And he's moving into the final stage of his plan," Lyra said, the only being in the room that could still talk in a neutral voice. "That's what he said...after making it perfectly clear how easy we would have been to kill. Can you help us get these guys inside? They're going to need a while to recover from this."

Only Way

"Done with your chat with the doc, Geo?" Ace asked as Geo entered the command center, who nodded before sitting down next to Sonia. "Guess I can begin then."

"So today has been off to a terrible start," Ace said with a serious look as he gazed around the command center at the rest of the commandoes and the alicorns, none of who had any emotion except rage on their faces. Ace had brought them all inside and had walked them past the meeting room and straight into the command center, where he turned every screen to a certain area of the world. There were dozen of the worlds greatest and fastest supercomputers, while dozens of staff members ran the machines for max efficiency. But despite them supposed to be used to monitor the whole world, every screen was upon the same weapon.

"And I wish I could say that it's going to get better, but that would be a lie."

"Let me guess, he's activated his doomsday weapon," Luna said in a tone as cold as ice.

"Yeah and it's like nothing we've ever seen," Ace continued as he waved the images in front of the rest of the commandoes, allowing them to all see first hand the doomsday weapon that was now floating over the ground. Unlike the other weapons this one was shaped like a cube and practically spewed shattered magic. "It's way beyond the spheres in terms of durability and power. Even with your most powerful forms I don't think you'd be able to out a scratch in it."

"Then that would mean we either have to stop it before it can activate or destroy it from the inside," Celestia put forward, but when Ace's face fell she figured that there was more bad news. "Let me guess, he has some force field or a weapon that will keep us from getting to get it?"

"Of course there is. The weapon is in space," Ace replied, getting the group to look at him with less then thrilled expressions. "Not only that, but there are strange EM beings protecting it. Seems that the Maestro is going all out to make sure that this weapon destroys our world."

"Do we know how long we have until the weapon fires?" Princess Luna asked while keeping an ice pack glued to the side of her head.

"It seems that it could fire at any time, but if what Geo told me is right the Maestro will only fire it after he's killed him and Sonia," Ace explained with a sympathetic glance to Geo and Sonia, with the latter attending to the wounds of the former. "Which means that we have a little more time that we would normally have. But make no mistake, the weapon is primed and ready to fire. And this weapon will destroy the planet. Be it simply exploding the world or wiping all technology off the face of the planet, it's an world wide extinction event. We need to win this fight."

"I get that, but can we beat him?" All eyes turned towards Zack, who had been hammering numbers into his Hunter VG ever since the conversation had begun and now he was looking at the group with uncertain eyes. "He came back, just like we predicted he would, but then he showed up and attacked us at our weakest. When our guard was down."

"What are you saying? He got in a cheap shot, that's all it was," Bud growled, but Zack flashed him a look so terrifying that for a moment Bud was scared of his best friend.

"Say we beat him here. Say we stop his doomsday weapon and save the world. It won't kill him. We've seen that he can't be killed. Geo tried. Sonia tried. The Princesses tried. And each time he's come back. Whenever he felt like it," Zack stated for the group, crossing his fingers and closing his eyes as he lost himself in thought.

"We'll stop him, Zack. We'll save the world," Geo said, but in reply Zack slammed his fists into the table and glared at Geo with tears in his eyes.

"That doesn't matter! We could save the world all we want, but how do we defend ourselves against a being that can show up whenever he wants?! After we save the world, what's to stop him from simply killing any of us in our sleep?! Maybe once he sees how this world plays out he'll kill us just for interfering with his plans?! You've seen his power and you know what he's capable of...we can't be on guard all of our lives...but we can't kill him. We can't stop him, at least not for good. How do we stay safe when he decides that he's done with us?"

No one in the room had an answer to what Zack had just said. Ace had lowered his head and was trying to think of an answer, but there was nothing that he knew would work. The princesses sat in rage induced silence, having asked themselves the same question many a times back when they were stranded on Equestria. Bud seemed to be spending more effort trying to figure out where Zack's rage had come from while Luna sadly gazed at Zack, who was shaking in his seat.

Geo and Sonia both shared a look of concern with the other, knowing that it all came down to them. They were the ones with the power that had managed to fend off the Maestro and they would be the ones going into space to try to destroy his doomsday weapon. But even if they prevailed, neither of them knew what would happen after that. They took hold of each others hands and sat silently in thought, trying to think of a way out.

"What about the weapon that you created?" Mega asked as he appeared next to the group, turning all sets of eyes towards him. "The weapon that you theorized would be able to mess with the Maestro's power? At the moment hat seems like the only thing we've got that might put him down once and for all."

"It won't work," Ace said with a bitter shake of his head. "The weapon, while it might have the ability to seriously cripple the Maestro, requires an ungodly amount of power to function for even a few seconds. In order to do what you want it to, it would have to be active for over a minute. And there is nothing on Earth that has enough power to run it."

"So then what should we do?" Lyra asked, finally asking the question that was on everyone's mind. Ace let out another sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, looking at each and every being in the room as he reached a decision.

"The plan hasn't changed. We stop the doomsday weapon. We save the world. And then we deal with the Maestro. In that order," Ace said with an exasperated sigh. "We'll be launching our attack tomorrow. I assume that's all the time that Maestro will give us. In the mean time, each of you should go home and spend time with your loved ones. After tomorrow...I don't know what the future will have in store. Meet in the main area tomorrow at ten."

Ace dismissed the group after that and walked into the back part of the command room, leaving the commandoes by themselves.

"I don't care what anyone says, we'll prevail tomorrow," Luna said to the rest of them with confidence in her voice. "You guys have never failed us before and you won't tomorrow, even against a foe as powerful as this." She stood up after she said this and walked out of the room, stopping by the door and giving the people in the room one more smile before leaving.

Zack was the next to get up and head towards the door, giving the group a less than confident look. "The percentages aren't in your favor...but I still believe in you guys. I just...don't know. Maestro is so powerful. But I know you can prevail." Zack left the room after saying this, getting Bud to stand up next.

"We'll win. I know we will," Bud said to Geo and Sonia, before bowing slightly to the princesses as he walked out. "I'll be right there beside the both of you. To the bitter end." Bud left as well, leaving only Sonia, Geo, their wizards and the princesses alone in the room.

"Guess I should go next. Gotta go back and get ready for tomorrow," Sonia said as she started to stand up, but Geo grabbed her hand and stopped her from leaving.

"Ace told us to spend the rest of the day with the people we love. And...well...instead of going back to your studio alone, you're welcome to come to my place," Geo stammered out in an embarrassed tone, his words turning Sonia's face as pink as her jacket. She smiled happily as Geo stood up as well, letting go of her hand and glancing at the princesses. "The two of you are welcome to come as well, unless there's somewhere else you want to go?"

"No, I think staying together is the safest thing we can do right now, just in case the Maestro changes his mind," Princess Luna agreed as she and her sister walked towards the exit, both of them giving kind smiles back to Geo and Sonia as they left as well.

"Hey Sonia, can I have a minute to talk to Ace alone for a second?" Geo asked. Sonia nodded before glancing around to make sure no one was watching. She quickly pecked Geo on the cheek before racing to the exit, stopping just long enough to wink at Geo before she left.

"Dear God I've never seen your face get that red," Mega said with a small snicker at Geo, who was having trouble processing anything at the moment. He then shook his head and forced the smile off of his face, before glancing at Mega as well. "What, you want me to leave as well? Geez kid, you've been a real hassle lately. Fine, fine. I'll go as well. But don't take long, it's rude to keep friend waiting."

Geo laughed as Mega floated to the exit, phasing through the door. But before he was completely threw Mega stopped and looked back at Geo, a silent question in his eyes. Geo nodded and Mega shook his head sadly, before leaving the room. The moment he was alone Geo's face took on the most serious expression that he had ever worn before he turned and walked over to Ace, who turned to look at Geo with just as serious an expression.

"My answer is no," he said in a dead serious tone.

"No to what?"

"I know what you're going to ask. My answer is no," Ace snarled in reply as he tried to walk past Geo, but Geo grabbed Ace's arm with a strength that surprised Ace.

"I can power the weapon that can kill Maestro," Geo told Ace, who glared straight ahead. "As Megaman I can channel my power into it long enough so that it will kill him."

"And in turn it will kill you," Ace replied in a serious tone.

"Price I'd have to pay to make sure everyone I love is safe."

"Dammit Geo are you listening to yourself?!" Ace roared at Geo, turning on the teen with a look of fury that was matched by a blank expression. "I know how much stopping the Maestro means to you, but to willing throw away your life?! Think of what it would do to your parents?! Think about what it would do to SONIA?! You have too many people that depend on you!...I'll do it."

"Maestro will kill you before you get the chance. And not to mention, you've got a wife as well that depends on you," Geo replied in a calm tone. "Acid Ace can't hold his form long enough to do it. Only Megaman can."

"Do you honestly think Mega will let you sacrifice yourself like that? He'd stop you."

"He's already on board. He...knows that Maestro has to be stopped. Ace, you heard what Zack said. You know what Maestro is capable of. If we don't finish him off here, when he doesn't expect it. Because if we don't, we'll spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders to see if that day is the day Maestro decides to finish us off."

"Geo-"

"You said it yourself. A hero has to be ready to save those who depend on him, no matter the cost," Geo told Ace, who snarled at having his words used against him. "Ace...you know this is the only way. Only Megaman has enough power to activate the machine long enough to destroy Maestro. Please...we have to stop him."

"There has to be another way..." Ace muttered under his breath, but Geo could tell that he was starting to see the logic.

"If you can think of another way to power that weapon of yours in under a day, I'm all ears. But if not, this is our only solution," Geo replied with a shake of his head. "I've talked to Goodall. She's the one that told an EM warrior is the only way. Taurus Fire isn't strong enough. You can't hold your form to do it...and I can't ask Sonia. Please, Ace. Help me save them."

Ace snarled before he slammed his fist into the side of the wall, seething in rage for a moment. He then regained control of himself before he turned towards a cabinet, opening it and pulling out a small device that hummed in a way that made Geo's skin crawl. Ace put the device within a small container and handed it to Geo, but when Geo tried to take it Ace held on tight.

"Only as a last resort. If there is no other option," Ace made Geo promise. When Geo did, Ace let go of the weapon and closed his eyes with a shake of his head. "I'm going to burn for placing this burden upon you. I should be the one that does it."

"You know as well as I do that Megaman is the only one that can, just like in the past," Geo said sadly before nodding to Ace. "Thanks Ace, for always being an awesome older brother. I wouldn't be here today if not for you."

"And you may not be here tomorrow because of me," Ace replied. "Go home, Geo. Be with those who love you. I need...some time."

Geo nodded to Ace as he tucked the container under his arm, walking to the door and placing a hand on it. He glanced back at Ace one last time before he opened the door and exited the room, finding the princesses, Mega and Sonia waiting on the other side.

"All set?" Celestia asked, getting Geo to nod as he patted the case.

"Yeah, Ace was just giving me back something that he borrowed. Can't believe he put it in a case like this though," Geo said with a smile, getting Celestia to shake her head with a smile.

"Ace is a cautious person. He would do something like that. Come, I am getting tired and wish to sleep."

"Tired? Sister, we are going to a sleepover. The fun is just beginning."

Geo shook his head as the two sister began to argue, joining them as they started to walk towards the exit. Sonia walked over beside him and wrapped her arms around his left arm before leaning her head onto his shoulder, sighing in content. Geo then glanced over at Mega, who was rubbing his eyes with a tired look and hiding his thoughts.

'None of them suspect,' Geo thought to himself sadly as he clutched the container in his right arm a little tighter. 'And I hate to do this to all of them. But I have to make sure that they're all going to be safe. That the Maestro will never bother them again. That's my duty as a hero.'

Dreams

As the clocks struck midnight Celestia tip-hoofed down the stairs, creating a faint glow with her horn to illuminate the way so she could silently move. She slowly opened the door to the living room and softly gazed at the people that were sleeping in the room, all of them asleep from having stayed up a bit too late. Celestia had gone to Geo's room for some quiet time, but as she stealthy moved through the living room she couldn't help but smile at the people.

Kelvin and Hope had spent most of the night trying to tease Geo about his relationship, while Mega and Luna had started doing numerous competitions to see who was the best. Sonia and Lyra had been listening and laughing to the Stelars tell stories about Geo, while Geo tried to survive his parents onslaught of embarrassing stories. But now they were quiet, all of them fast asleep next to each other. Kelvin and Hope. Geo and Sonia. Mega on the floor and Lyra on a chair.

'But there is one that is missing. And I bet I know where she is,' Celestia silently thought to herself as she teleported through the front door, not wanting to risk awakening anyone by opening the door. Once she appeared on the other side of the door she began her walk to the place called Vista Point, a place that Geo told her a lot of people went to when they had something on their minds.

'And if there is any place Luna would be at this time of night, it would be here,' Celestia mused as she walked up the stairs next to the school, glancing over at the run down locomotive that rested on a pair of tracks that had long since rusted over. For a moment Celestia lost herself in the memories of the past, of a time when she could hear foals crying out with excitement when the train pulled into the station. Celestia raised a hoof and wiped a tear from her eye before she walked up onto the platform, spying another alicorn gazing up at the stars.

"I thought I would find you here," Celestia said to Luna, who nodded to show that she had heard but kept her eyes glued to the heavens. Celestia walked up beside her sister and joined her in staring up at the stars, happy that she could see the cosmos without any obstruction. "Are you nervous? About tomorrow? I know I am. If what Ace said is to be believed...then tomorrow may be the finally battle with Maestro. Months of trying to think of a way to stop him...and it all comes down to tomorrow."

"Of course I am nervous. We both now what Maestro can do. And in a way, we know him better than anyone else," Luna admitted as she kept her gaze upward. "But I believe in our friends. I believe in Sonia, Lyra, Geo and Mega. They have fought so hard for outsiders like us. For aliens that have no home anymore. Helping them to protect their world is the least we can do for people as kind as them."

"I completely agree...I still miss them," Celestia finally admitted, her words turning Luna's gaze from the heavens to her sister. "I miss the constant letters from Twilight asking if she was doing well. I miss the sounds of the Canterlot populace fight amongst themselves over the dumbest of things. I miss the magic. I miss my home."

"So do I, Celestia. And I know that no amount of magic can undo what was done," Luna said with a somber shake of her head, before she raised her head with confidence. "But as long as we draw breath, Equestria is not dead. Not completely. It will live on within you and me. And we have to make sure that it never dies."

"I agree...so, have you thought about what you wish to do after we finally annihilate the Maestro once and for all?" Celestia asked, getting Luna to place a hoof to her chin and think over her options. "I am thinking about writing a book about Equestria, maybe based on Twilight and her friend adventures. Or maybe about my own history with our world."

"That actually doesn't sound that bad. I'm thinking of becoming a traveling magician," Luna admitted with a nod, liking her idea. She then glanced over at her sister, who was doing everything in her power to keep from laughing out loud. "What? It's a good idea! Especially how the people at that concert reacted to my spells, I know I would have an audience. And it's genuine magic, not like the illusions that some of those charlatans on this planet use."

"It's just that I can imagine the looks on our parents faces if they heard that you wanted to use royal, alicorn magic to become a street performer," Celestia snickered as she shook her head, while Luna began to chuckle to herself as she pondered what her parents would have said. "Oh, they would have been so upset with you. After all, our magic should only be used for the benefit of Equestria, never for personal gain. Oh if only they knew all the times I teleported cookies out of the jar when they weren't looking."

"That was you?! They always punished me for that and I never got a single cookie!" Luna yelled with disbelief, the answer to a question that she had been wondering for years finally answered. "I can't believe this, my own sister letting me get raked over the coals while you sat there reaping the benefits. I'm half tempted to never speak with you again."

"Wow, if I had known that telling you I was the thief would get you to stop talking to me I would have told you years ago," Celestia laughed. Luna gave her sister a nasty glare before a shooting star rocketed across the sky, turning the two sisters gazes back towards the sky once more. "Do you think it's possible that any other ponies survived? I know it seems unlikely, but...maybe another? One more?"

"Actually, now that I think about it Maestro only destroyed Equestria, correct?" Luna asked her sister, who nodded. "Well if he destroyed our world, then human world we know of would be perfectly fine. That would mean that your old student Sunset Shimmer may live. Perhaps after we are done with the Maestro we can go see her?"

"Sunset! I was so distraught with what happened with our world that I completely forgot about her!" Celestia said with joy as she felt a small piece of her heart come back to life. "So then not everyone...everypony we cared about was lost. Maybe there are others on the other Earth as well?"

"Maybe there is. And I promise you once we've dealt with the Maestro that I will go with you to see who else is there," Luna promised her sister, holding out a fist next to her. Celestia looked at it with a small smile before she extended her own hoof and bumped her sisters, getting Luna to make an exploding sound as she moved her hoof back.

"You still doing that?"

"Come on, that was how we finished our secret hoofshake back when we were young. It's practically apart of who I am," Luna said with pride before she gave Celestia a smirk. "Of course in your old age it's clear that you've forgotten all about it. Why within a few years I'll have to tell you who you are every morning because you'll have forgotten."

"Old?! You dare to call the one that controls the sun old?!" Celestia roared with indignation, getting Luna to laugh aloud at her sisters face. "Why you little-I am still a symbol of beauty and youth! Hundreds of thousands would come to the castle just for the chance to try and earn my favor!"

"And once they saw how old you were they turned tail and hoofed it back home," Luna finished. Celestia lit up like a small sun and sent light cascading down on Echo Ridge, but after a moment of glaring at Luna the two began to laugh aloud and Celestia extinguished her light. The two of them then went back to watching the shooting stars, smiles plastered upon their faces. "Thanks for being such a greater older sister, Celestia. I couldn't ask for a better sibling than you."

"And thank you for always being there for me as well. Without you I would not be the pony I am today," Celestia replied as she extended a wing and hugged her sister with it. "And everyday I thank the creator for the fact that I still have you. Because if Maestro had taken you as well, then I would have most likely just given up and allowed myself to die in my home."

"Same, sister. I thank the stars that you are here with me," Luna replied with a smile. "And know that I would give anything to protect you. Even my life, if it came down to it."

"Same Luna. Same. Now come, Mega said he wanted to tell me something. It seemed urgent."

{*}

All of their friends were gathered around to see them off. As the two champions of the heavens stood in the center of the WAZA canyon, they couldn't help but reflect back on how much things had changed in a matter of months. Geo glanced at the EM wave transporter that had once taken him to the Crimson Meteor, which has been dusted off and repurposed so that it would take the group right to the death station.

Sonia stood at his left with Lyra floating behind her. She was doing her best to look confident, but Geo could tell that she was still feeling nervous. To his right stood the alicorns, both of who only had one emotion in their eyes. Vengeance. He then looked back at Mega, who floated behind him with arms crossed. Mega gave the teen a thumbs up, getting Geo to smile as he faced forward once more. He then looked down at the container that was resting by his feet, feeling the weight of the world resting on his shoulders once more.

"I take it I don't need to tell you guys what's at stake here, so instead I'll tell you that we all believe in you," Ace said to the heroes of the world with absolute confidence in his voice, but Geo was aware that his eyes flicked down the container every few seconds. "You have never failed us before and I doubt that you will do so today. But I know that you are all feeling the pressure. That you may be afraid. That's okay. It'd be stranger if you weren't scared going into this situation."

"Thanks for the pep talk Ace, I feel completely better," Sonia said with a nervous laugh before she rubbed her arms and glanced around.

"Don't worry Ace, I promise that we'll do our best. We'll save the world," Geo said to his commander before he looked around at everyone else. His parents waved to him with proud but worried looks upon their faces, while Luna simply nodded at him, as if she knew he'd be fine. Zack was doing his best not to worry, but Bud seemed to be put off by something.

"Alright, I believe you," Ace said with a smile before he turned on the machine and moved out of the way. "I'd like to give a speech, but we're on borrowed time as it is. Go. Save the world. And then I'll give the both of you the greatest victory speech you've ever heard."

"It better be amazing if it's worth saving the world over," Geo said with a snicker before he held out his hunter, Sonia following suit as their EM beings vanished into them. "EM wave change."

Two flashes of light went off and the teens transformed into their EM forms. The moment they became EM beings, two columns of solar and lunar power burst forth as well as the alicorns fused with the EM beings. A moment later the Solar Knight and the Lunar Diva stood side by side, radiating the power of the heavens. Megaman walked to the EM station first, but when he got to it he stopped and looked back at Harp Note with worry in his eyes.

"Sonia..." he began, but Harp Note held up a hand to silence him.

"Geo, I love you, but if you saying anything remotely along the lines of me staying behind, then I will unleash a tidal wave of lunar fury upon you the likes of which the world has never seen," Harp Note replied in a dead serious tone. For a moment the two stared at each other before Megaman smiled and shook his head.

"I was actually going to say stay close to me, but that works too. Bud, I need you here keeping an eye on things. I wouldn't put it past Maestro to try something while we're gone," Megaman instructed before he waved Celestia's armored head next to the EM station, turning him into EM waves and rocketing him up into the heavens. Harp Note watched him take off before glancing back at everyone else, who was waving to her.

"Take care of our son," Hope said to her.

"Don't worry. I won't let his side for a minute," Harp Note promised before she waved her guitar next to the station and flew off into the heavens as well, leaving the rest of the people to watch them vanish. The trip was a short one and a few moments later the Lunar Diva landed on a metal surface that was floating just at the edge of the atmosphere, glancing over to see the Solar Knight standing next to her. He didn't look over at her as she landed, getting her to glance up to see what he was looking at. Then her eyes went wide.

She knew what they were standing on immediately. It was a massive cube, one that hummed with so much power that the Lunar Diva felt weak in comparison to it. Cracks in the sphere held the EM and shattered power that had been collected, with all of that power aimed at the blue and green planet beneath them. Hundreds of EM demons flew through the sky around them, their numbers uncountable. But then Harp Note realized that Megaman wasn't looking at any of that. He was looking at a single figure that was standing at the end of the cube across from them.

"Maestro," both Megaman and Celestia said at the same time, getting the metal being to turn around to face the six heroes. Megaman pointed Celestia at him while Harp Note raised her guitar and aimed it at the heart of the Maestro, but all he did was open his arms in a welcoming fashion.

"Ah, Megaman. Harp Note. Princesses and EM beings. Welcome, to the end of your world."*

True Power

"The end of our world, huh? You sound awfully confident about hat fact despite standing before two people that kicked your ass in the past," Harp Note said before she raked her fingers across her strings, sending waves of lunar magic rocketing towards him. The Maestro made no attempt to get out of the way, but before the blast could strike him an EM being flew down and intercepted the blast.

"Yes, I will admit that you two have bested me in the past. And for that you have made this far more interesting than it ever should have been. So for that, I thank you," Maestro stated before his form flickered and Harp Note took a hellacious shot to the gut, one that dropped her to her knees and got her to start coughing in pain. The Solar Knight spun around and slashed at Maestro with the solar saber, but the Maestro held out a hand and caught the blade, which burned in his grasp but failed to damage him.

"You destroy Celestia and Luna's home, wipe out everyone they care about and dare to do the same to our world?! I promise Maestro, that I will do everything in my power to make sure that there is no tomorrow for you!" Megaman roared before he slammed the shield into the side of Maestro's head, before unleashing a hellfire of solar power into the face of Maestro. The power was enough to get Maestro to release the blade and take a step back, allowing Megaman to point Celestia at Maestro and fire shots of solar magic into his body.

Maestro titled his head to the side when Megaman stopped firing and seemed to be smiling at Megaman, before he lashed out with a metal fist. Megaman blocked the blow with his shield, but the blow was strong enough to send him skidding backwards across the face of the cube. Megaman caught movement out of the corner of his eye and spun the shield to intercept, barely blocking a kick that would have taken his head off. Megaman braced himself this time and managed to avoid being sent flying, but it still took all of his strength to stay rooted.

"Geo! Behind you!" Celestia roared, getting Megaman to look over his shoulder to see numerous EM monsters flying towards them. They looked like nightmare birds made of EM energy, but if Megaman had to wager a guess he would assume that all of them hurt. He planted a boot in the chest of the Maestro and kicked off of him, flipping into the air and fired at the EM being while upside down.

"Taking your eyes off of the prize? Fool," Maestro said as he appeared behind Megaman, reaching out with a hand to grab Megaman. Megaman turned around to feel metal fingers wrap around his head, getting Maestro to scoff as he began to crush Megaman's skull. That was until a blast of lunar magic smashed into his arm, getting him to drop Megaman as he turned to face his new foe.

"Hands off my Geo!" Harp Note roared as she swung the guitar into the side of Maestro's head, snapping Maestro's head to the side and sending the being skidding backwards. He snapped his fingers as he came to a halt, sending all of the EM monsters that were flying around them to attack the two champions.

"Sonia, with me," Megaman said before the two went back to back, with Megaman placing his celestial buster behind his shield while Harp Note began to play her guitar at maximum speed. Megaman and Harp Note both roared as they unleashed their attacks into the EM monsters, the giant beam of solar magic incinerating everything in its path while the lunar storm disintegrated everything that it touched. Within a matter of moments practically the entire EM army had been dealt with, allowing Megaman and Harp Note to turn to face the Maestro, who was sarcastically clapping his hands.

"Well done, you've essentially wiped out an army of fodder," Maestro said before he had to duck a blast of lunar power. Megaman appeared behind the Maestro in a flash of EM energy, swinging the solar saber at the back of his head. Maestro then vanished as well, getting Megaman to glance around before a blast of shattered magic caught him in the back of the head, sending the EM hero tumbling across the surface.

"But can you deal with me and my weapon? And can you do it before I kill everything you hold dear?" Maestro asked as Harp Note helped Megaman get back up to his feet, the both of them glaring at the Maestro.

"He's planning something," Luna said, getting Harp Note's helmet to light up. "But I don't know what."

"Whatever it is, we cannot allow him to do it," Celestia said before she glanced up at Megaman. "Geo, we know that he can fire this weapon at any time, so we have to destroy it before the idea crosses his mind. As much as I want to kill this son of a bitch, the doomsday weapon is our greatest concern right now."

"Agreed. Sonia, think you can punch a hole through this thing?" Megaman asked Harp Note, who nodded before she started to unleash blast of lunar magic into the side of the cube they were standing on. Maestro snarled as he lunged forward, only to take an armored hero to the side that drove the both of them further down the cube.

"Come on Maestro, you came after me first and now you don't want to finish this fight?" Megaman asked as he slammed the solar shield into the face of Maestro, snapping his head to the side before Megaman plunged the solar saber into the chest of the Maestro, but to Megaman's frustration the blade didn't pierce the armor.

"Did you really believe that I would waltz back in without preparing myself for you and your girlfriends new powers?" Maestro asked before firing a blast of shattered magic from his eyes, striking Megaman in the face and hurling Megaman off of him. His arm shot out and he grabbed hold of Megaman's leg, whipping him back down and driving him into the metal side of the cube. Maestro went in for another strike, but Celestia turned herself towards Maestro and blasted him in the face with as much solar power as she could muster. The attack was enough to get Maestro to snarl before he flickered backwards.

"Went after you first, Geo? If I recall Maestro attacked my home first and made it personal with me. If anything, we're finishing the fight he started with me and my ponies," Celestia spat as Megaman rose back up to his feet, summoning his sword of solar power. "You made a mistake in not killing me when you had the chance, Maestro. Because now we're going to strike you down once and for all."

"No, my mistake was trying to kill you in the first place. You are far more interesting when you have been stripped of everything and everyone you love," Maestro said as he glanced over at where the Lunar Diva was failing to punch a hole through the side of the cube. "But I bet you would be even more unpredictable...after you have truly lost everything."

"NO!" Celestia bellowed as she lunged forward, yanking the Solar Knight along with her. Maestro snickered before he ducked under Celestia's attack and reached up to grab Megaman by the throat.

"Anything involving your sister makes you so predictable, Celestia. But I am certain that without Luna you would truly interest me far beyond what any of the other yous have managed to achieve," Maestro said to the both of them before he pointed his other hand at Harp Note, only to take a lunar blast that hurled him across the side of the cube. Harp Note appeared at Megaman's side a moment later, creating a barrier of lunar power around the both of them to give them a breather.

"You guys alright?" she asked.

"We're fine. Did you manage to punch a hole in this thing?" Megaman asked before Maestro slammed a fist into the side of the barrier, practically shattering it with a single hit. Megaman roared as he channeled the solar power into the barrier, strengthen it even further.

"Not in the slightest. And my attacks aren't doing anything to his armor either," Harp Note grunted as she fired blasts of faded lunar energy into the chest of Maestro, who shrugged off the attack like it was nothing. "Nothing. Even my strongest attacks aren't getting through."

"It's like we thought. His new armor makes him essentially invincible to our attacks," Megaman realized as Maestro slammed another fist into the side of the barrier, nearly shattering it once more.

"Then what should we do, Geo?" Harp Note asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Megaman glanced down for a moment before the container that was resting on his back seemed to get even heavier. A blast of shattered magic shattered the barrier and snap the attention of the two back to the Maestro, who slammed his arms into the chests of both heroes, sending them flying across the side of the cube.

Megaman was the first to his feet and was the first to take a colossal right hand to the side of his head, putting him back down into the metal. Harp Note fired guitar strings as pure as the moon to ensnare the limbs of the Maestro, but her decision came back to bite her when Maestro channeled shattered magic through his body, frying the diva with his power. He appeared before her in a moment, grabbing her by the throat and transforming his left hand into a shattered blade.

"And you are the first to die," Maestro stated as he plunged the blade forward, yet before the blade could pierce through her chest Megaman swung his solar blade into the shattered blade with all of his might. The two blades shattered against each other, getting Maestro to lash out with his free hand and drive a fist into the throat of Megaman. A kick to his chest knocked him away from Maestro, yet when he glanced back to Harp Note he found that she had slipped through his grasp.

"I am starting to grow bored," Maestro informed the two champions of the heavens as they went back to back once more, breathing far more heavily than they had when the battle had begun. "I had hoped that the threat of planetary destruction would have inspired the two of you to do something I had never seen before, but now I see I set my hopes too high. Perhaps the actual destruction of the world will give you the proper incentive to try something new."

The moment the words left his mouth, the cube began to shake with a power that made the EM champions shake with fear. The side of the cube that was facing the planet opened up, revealing a massive ball of power that drained all of the color out of the area around them.

"That...is the same weapon that destroyed our world," Luna said with terror gripping at her heart. Megaman let out a bellow as he charged towards Maestro, slashing at him with his solar blade with as much power as he could muster. Maestro flickered and avoided the blow, before a spin kick to the back of Megaman's head sent him sprawling.

"We need to get through this metal and put a stop to this cube!" Celestia roared at Megaman, who nodded his head before he drove his blade into the side of the cube. To Megaman's horror he found that the blade couldn't pierce through the metal, getting the Maestro to chuckle to himself as Megaman continued to slash at the side of the cube.

"I can't get through," Megaman realized, glaring up at the Maestro who was shaking his head in disappointment. "He's made this damned cube just as strong as he is."

"Of course I did. Would you expect anything less? Now then, take one last look at your home," Maestro said as the weapon charged up to maximum power, getting the two heroes to gaze at their planet with horror. "Before it vanishes once and for-"

A column of fire erupted from the cube as something powerful slammed into the side of it, knocking everyone, including the Maestro off of their feet. Megaman and Harp Note shot back up and spun around to see what had created the shockwave, only for smiles of disbelief to cross their faces when they saw a massive bull standing in a torrent of flames.

"Bud?" both Megaman and Harp Note asked at the same time, getting the bull to give a thumbs up before he brought his head back. He then thrust his head forward and unleashed a hellfire of flames into the side of the cube, before superheating his fists and driving them into the area that he was burning, creating a small hole in the side. He then roared as he grabbed hold of the circle and pulled it apart with his colossal power, creating a hole big enough for him to enter.

"We heard everything that was going on through your hunter! Luna sent me to help you guys out," Taurus Fire explained, before he and the other two heroes glare at the arrival of the Maestro.

"Ah, Bud Bison. I wondered if you would show up or not," Maestro said with a nod of his head at the blazing bull. "But I thought that even with your limited intelligence that you would know to stay out a battle that you cannot hope to win."

"You said it yourself, all the other me's are heroes that fight no matter the odds, right? Guess I'm no different than them," Taurus replied before he glanced back at Megaman and Harp Note. "You guys focus on bringing down this monster once and for all. I'll stop the doomsday weapon from destroying our world. Seems that he didn't make his space station flame proof."

"I will admit that the idea crossed my mind, but I figured I would be far more surprised if you did show up. And I love to be surprised," Maestro replied with a snicker.

"Do you really think you can destroy it, Taurus?" Harp Note asked, getting the bull to shrug.

"Don't know. But I do know that if one of you went to destroy it that would leave me here to fight Maestro. And that's a fight I know I can't win," Taurus replied before he started to enter into the cube. "Stop Maestro. Make sure he can never hurt another person again. Trust me to do what I do best. Destroy anything I get my hands on."

"We believe in you, Bud. Destroy this cube and save the world," Megaman said with a thumbs up to Taurus, who gave a thumbs up in reply before he vanished into the cube. Megaman and Harp Note turned to look at the Maestro, who nodded before turning his head to the side.

"He is here and he is heading for the core. If you wish for your revenge, now is the time." A flash of black zipped past Megaman and Harp Note, who barely had time to register the being moving into the cube in pursuit of Taurus before Maestro resumed his attack. Harp Note created a barrier around the both of them to protect them from a blast of shattered magic.

"Well, now that the ever dependable Bud Bison is off to save the world, that will allow the both of you to focus your efforts on me completely," Maestro said as he extended both arms to the side, causing his body to crackle with power. "Of course, if there is any doubt in the back of your mind then you will not be able to fight me at full power. And then you will die."

"I have nothing but faith in my friend. I know he'll save the day," Megaman said as he pointed Celestia at Maestro, getting the being to snicker.

"How interesting. That is what Celestia and Luna said to me before I killed the Ambassadors. Those who do not learn from history..." Megaman cut off Maestro by hurling his blade at the head of Maestro, getting Maestro to knock the blade out of the way. Harp Note and Megaman nodded to the other before they charged at the Maestro, knowing that it was up to Bud now to stop the weapon.

Leaving them to stop Maestro once and for all.

Shut Down

"Geez, I know I acted all confident in front of my friends, but now, standing in front of this thing...I actually feel scared," Taurus Fire said with fear in his voice as he gazed up at he colossal sphere of energy that seemed to rip apart space and time around the area that he was standing. He had burned his way through the metal cube until he finally reached the power core, the center of the doomsday weapon that threatened everything and one he cared. That was where he found all of the EM power and shattered magic that the Maestro had collected, all of which was pointed at the Earth. The power was so intense that Taurus could feel his body slowly starting to fade away, making him focus to keep from being overwhelmed.

'It's okay to be scared, Bud. But just like Sonia and Geo, we have a job to do,' Taurus said to Bud, who narrowed his eyes before clenching a fist to pump himself up. He took a step towards the giant cube of death, but before he could get any closer a sword whipped by his head and imbedded itself right next to the power core. Taurus Fire turned around to see Rogue walking towards him, though he was far different than the last time that they had fought.

His body was completely cracked and shattered magic poured out of him, causing him to walk at an awkward angle. But what drew Taurus's eyes was the expression that Rogue wore upon his face, almost as if he had been consumed by the power that radiated from him. Almost like he had sold his soul for the power. Taurus crouched down slightly as he prepared himself to begin fighting immediately, but to his surprise Rogue stopped a bit away from Taurus, who whole body shaking.

"There you are. The weakling that deserves to die for daring to be anything more than a weakling," Rogue spat out in a tone that sounded like a man possessed, slightly unnerving Taurus before the bull let fire erupt from his nostrils.

"Hate to break it to you Rogue, but you aren't going to kill me. There's too much on the line to allow myself to lose to you!" Taurus roared with enough power to shake the entire room. Bud's wizard appeared next to him and fit a small device onto the bulls head, flicking a camera over his right eye.

'Okay Bud, you're coming through perfectly and...holy crap, is that Rogue? What the heck happened to him?' Zack asked from the other end of the line.

"Is this what it's come down to, Rogue? You want to beat us so badly that you're willing to sell your soul for this kind of power?!" Taurus roared at Rogue, who let out a small cackle before he twisted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at the being of fire.

"My soul? What good is a soul? It doesn't make me stronger? It doesn't give me any power in battle? All my soul is is a waste of space within my body, space that could be filled with power," Rogue replied with a sinister cackle before he reached out with his free hand, drawing the blade that had been embedded in the wall back into his hand. Rogue then crouched down and began to swing his blades, slowly approaching Taurus with an unstable look in his eyes.

'Be careful Bud, Rogue has completely lost his mind,' Luna's voice said on the other end of the device Bud was wearing, getting Taurus Fire to nod before Rogue flickered. Taurus's eyes went wide before he raised an arm to his side, barely managing to intercept a blade strike that would have taken off his head.

'LEFT!' Zack roared, getting Taurus to turn to his left and slam his arms together to block a second strike, though the strength of the impact was still enough to send Taurus skidding backwards. 'There's a eighty percent chance that he's going to follow up with an overhead attack followed by a stomach stab! Get ready!'

Taurus moved on pure fighting instinct alone allowed him to move his arm up to block the first strike, before he reached out with his hand to grab hold of the second blade that would have gone right through his stomach. Taurus Fire strained against the might of Rogue, but he quickly found that the power that the Maestro had given the being had made him far beyond anything Taurus was ready for.

"You are the worst of them all. Geo was weak. Sonia was weak. But they held a small bit of strength in them. But you have never been strong. You are nothing if not for those weaklings that you fight so hard to protect. And yet you dared to stand against me," Rogue whispered before planting a boot into the chest of Taurus and sent the bull hurtling backwards. Taurus roared with pain as he slammed into numerous cables and cords, becoming entangled in them.

'Bud, you need to get free now!' Luna roared through the communicator, getting fire to erupt from Taurus's body as he had his mission. With his already incredible strength he ripped himself free of the cords, but Rogue was on him in an instant and grabbed hold of the bull's head with his shattered hand. Taurus roared as Rogue ignited his hand, causing the burning magic to fry the face of the bull. Rogue then snickered at the pain of Taurus before hurling him into the ground.

"You dared to try and fight me. You dared to try to rise above what you truly are and that is weak," Rogue said with a deranged malice in his voice as he combined his blades, creating a brand new blade that looked like a nightmare given form. "But worst of all, you dared to defeat me. You DARED to defeat someone who will forever be beyond you. And that is a sin I cannot allow to let go unpunished."

"You've gone off the deep end, Rogue. You used to have at least a semblance of a warrior's code, but now you're just a bloodthirsty monster," Taurus replied as he picked himself back up, taking up a boxer's stance once more and motioned for Rogue to bring it. Rogue's eyes became enraged and he lunged towards Taurus, who braced himself for the onslaught.

'Bud, he's going to be going wild against you. Your best bet is to keep your guard up and wait for an opening,' Zack instructed Taurus, who followed his orders to a T as he deflected each massive sword strike with the armored part of his arms. Rogue pointed his left hand at Taurus and fired a blast of shattered magic into the face of the bull, staggering her momentarily and allowed Rogue to slash Taurus across the chest. Taurus roared as he staggered back, but the screaming in his ear forced him to concentrate.

He blocked a quick strike to the gut which allowed him to retaliate with a massive right hook that knocked Rogue off of his feet. Rogue flipped in the air and launched himself off of the ceiling, slamming the front of his head into the nose of Taurus Fire. Fire shook his head to clear the stars in his eyes before he felt a hand grab around the device on the side of his head, before Rogue ripped it clean off of his head.

"So this is what you have been using to be better than me. You are relying on friendship...that tears it," Rogue whispered as he turned the headset to nothingness as wrath flashed across his eyes. "You do not deserve to die. You deserve to suffer for all eternity. How dare you rely on such a weakness to overcome one like me who is strong?!"

Taurus, sensing that he might not have another chance, spun and slammed a fist into the side of the energy container, but to his horror he found that he could barely keep scratch the surface of the container. Rogue let out a cackle that chilled Taurus to his soul before a kick sent Taurus back first into the container. Rogue pinned Taurus to the wall with his free hand, before smiling widely as he took aim at the face of the hero.

"Do not bother. A weakling like yourself had no chance of punching through that. Only one as strong as myself can get through!" Rogue roared as he plunged the blade forward. But right before he could drive the blade into the skull of Taurus, the bull vanished in a flash of light. Without Taurus there to impale, the blade cleaved right through the side of the clear container and struck the energy core inside. Rogue looked from the area that he had impaled with surprise, before he glanced down to see an untransformed human and his wizard resting at the warriors feet.

"Like you said Rogue, I wasn't strong enough to punch through it. But I knew that you would be. I'm not stronger than you. But thanks to my friends, I can out think you," Bud said as he pulled out a small earpiece and flicked it at Rogue's face. "And thanks to them, you've done my job for me. Thanks for helping this weakling out."

Rogue let out a bellow as he pulled the blade out of the core and aimed it at Bud, but before either could do anything the core began to flash with a violent light and the room shook with an intensity that made even the crazed Rogue glance up in fear. That moment gave Bud his opening and a moment later he was back to being the blazing bull. Rogue spun around just in time a fist to the face, one that drove him into the heart of the machine.

Taurus Fire held him in there as the power coursed through both of them, an agonizing sensation that neither could withstand. After a few moments of that pain, Taurus released Rogue and they both fell to the ground, reverting to their human forms. Solo lay unconscious on the ground while Bud's vision was fading.

"Got...you...this time," Bud weakly panted out with a smile.

Laplace appeared beside Solo, looking down at the human that he had called partner. Laplace then shook his head at Solo before reaching down and picking him up, tucking him under one arm as he began to change the both of them to EM forms. But then the wizard stopped to look at Bud, an expression on his face that Bud couldn't read. It almost looked like...respect.

Then Laplace reached out for Bud.

{*}

Megaman had never been so tired in his life. His battle with the Maestro, which had in reality lasted about thirty minutes, felt like it had dragged on for hours. His armor was cracked and dented, his shield was shattered and a large chunk of it was missing and his solar saber barely had any flames left within it. Celestia fared no better, with her lower jaw cracked and her horn was having issues giving off anything but a few sparks.

But a glance to his side showed him that Sonia was far worse than he was. Without armor to tank blows like he had, she had taken far worse punishment than Megaman. Her outfit was ripped and tattered, while her helmet was completely decimated, allowing her midnight blue hair to be stained with her blood. Multiple bleeding wounds covered her body and her left arm was dangling limply, while one of her legs twitched in a painful manner. But in her eyes Megaman could still see the will to fight, the will that made him admire her so much.

"I admit that I am impressed that the both of you can still stand," Maestro said with a meager bit of praise, before forming a blast of shattered magic within his hand. "But it seems this is where our adventure ends. You're formers were far more powerful than I would ever have believed, but it is not enough. The simply truth is that you are flesh and blood. I am beyond."

Maestro then fired a blast of shattered magic at Harp Note, but before the blast could strike her Megaman threw himself over her, taking the blast himself. He roared with pain before his legs gave out, causing him to collapse into Harp Note's arms. She caught him with her good arm before her eyes went wide as she realized the next attack was already coming, forcing her to throw herself over Geo to protect him. She roared with pain as the magic tore through her suit and made her left arm go completely numb. She cracked open her eyes to see that her left arm was completely ripped apart, with blood pouring from a horrifying gash.

"Sonia...are you alright?" Luna asked weakly from what remained of Harp Note's helmet that lay on the side of the station.

"I saved Geo. That's all I need," Harp Note weakly spat back as Megaman finally managed to pick himself back up, his eyes going wide at the damage that Sonia had endured. He spun around with a fire in his eyes as he reached out and summoned the solar saber once more, but he found that the blade barely held a semblance of the light that it once did. Harp Note forced herself to take another step with a roar as she grabbed her guitar and held it like a scythe, spitting out a good amount of blood before she glared at the Maestro.

"Sonia Strumm. You have a will that just won't quit," Maestro said with a nod before he fired more blasts of shattered magic at the pair, forcing Megaman to use what remained of his shield to protect Harp Note as best he could. "Your love for Geo gives you strength that is staggering, especially considering in other realities, he chooses Luna over you. You are not that special to him."

"Why...would Geo pick a horse...over me?" Harp Note spat out with a small smirk, getting Maestro to lower his hand slightly.

"And speaking of horses, Celestia and Luna. Know that I owe the both of you an apology. When I killed your world I thought you would die with it like all the others did. But you two are stronger than the others. You changed the fate of this world because of your refusal to give up. And for that," Maestro finished as he channeled all of his infinite power into his hands. "I thank you."

"I can't block that," Megaman admitted with a whisper as he realized what was about to be launched at him. But then he cast a glance at Harp Note, who could barely stay standing, before gritting his teeth and throwing himself in front of her. "Get behind me, Sonia. I promise that I won't let him hurt you."

"If you think...I'll let you give your life for me...you're solely mistaken," Harp Note weakly said as she staggered next to him, bracing her good shoulder against the shield. "This time, I save you."

"Sister, talk some sense into her. If she dies then you will die as well," Celestia said weakly to her sister.

"Then I will die protecting you," Luna spat back as she used her magic to levitate what little remained of the helmet back onto Harp Note's head. "Like I told you, I would give my life for you."

"How precious, you are all willing to die for each other," Maestro said before he put both hands forward and smirked. "So I will kill all of you, just to make all four of you happy."

An explosion went off beneath them with enough force to tear all of them off of their feet, while a hole was punched in one of the sides of the cube as power erupted through the side of it. Maestro let out a snarl of frustration as he realized what had happened, but it took the champions a few moments more to catch on.

"Bud did it," Megaman whispered before he looked down at his Hunter, getting the "Mission Success" message from Bud. "He stopped the weapon."

"Correction, he let out all the power I had stored up. The weapon can still be fired again if given time," Maestro corrected for the EM champion as he floated back up to his feet. "All that means is I will have to kill the lot of you and then gather more power. Shouldn't take more than a few weeks with you gone."

"Geo...any ideas?" Harp Note asked Megaman as she tried to lift her guitar once more. Megaman looked from her to the helmet in which Luna resided before glancing at the alicorn in his hand. A small smile crossed his face before he reached back and pulled out a small container, knowing that the time to use his trump card had come.

"I've got one trick left. And it's a trick that the Maestro will never see coming."*

Chapter One

Ace was normally able to control his emotions, but as he gazed upon the four heroes that had saved the world he found that there was nothing else he could do beside smile with pride. A quick glance around the room showed him that everyone else was having the same problem he was. Geo's parents along with Bud's, Zack's and Luna's parents were at WAZA as well, each of them looking upon their child with pride.

But Ace's smile fell a bit when he looked at Princess Luna, who had blank eyes and a somber expression upon her face. 'She will never be the same,' Ace thought to himself bitterly. 'She lost a piece of herself when Celestia stopped the Maestro.' Moving on with the ceremony, Ace cleared his throat and gained the attention of every person in the room

"Let me just start off this meeting by saying how do you guys do it? Five attacks on our planets, four impossible victories," Ace said with pride filling up every word, getting the five kids and their wizards to smile up at him with beaming smiles. Then Sonia let out a swear that shocked everyone in the room before she held a hand to her left arms, seething with pain.

"I'm okay, just hurts like hell," she snarled as she forced the pain back down. "Continue."

"But this one might have been the closest we've cut it yet. The Maestro was a foe the likes of which we had never faced before and in all honestly I thought that he would be the one to finally get his way," Ace said as he shook his head with a small smile. "I should really know by now not to bet against the heroes. You've made me proud, but more importantly, you all saved the world. So I guess all I can say now is thank you."

"Feh, you make it sound like it was difficult," Mega said with a shrug of his shoulders, but before he could continue Lyra elbowed him hard in the side before moving her head towards the Princess. Ace caught the movement as well and dismissed the commandoes, who were immediately swarmed by their families and congratulated them with huge smiles. While they were celebrating Ace walked over to Luna, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her to look up at him.

"Your sister was the bravest of all of us. If not for here our planet might not be here right now," Ace informed Luna, who said nothing as she resumed staring at the floor again. "As someone who's lost dozens of his brothers and sisters, I know what you're going through. But know this. Celestia died a hero. She died protecting the one thing she cared about more than anything in all the worlds. She did it to protect you."

"But we promised..." Luna whispered in reply as she looked up at Ace with eyes that were filled with pain and confusion. "We promised that if the time came to sacrifice ourselves, that we would do it together. Why would she lie to me?"

"Because, if I had to wager, even though she promised you that you would go together, she just couldn't bring herself to let you go through it. If I'm being honest...she loved you too much to let you give your life as well," Ace said to the alicorn as he patted her on the shoulder. "I'd do the same if I was in her position. Here."

Princess Luna glanced down to see that Ace was extended a Hunter VG and a card to Luna, which she took and looked over with interest. "I know that you expressed some interest in being a commando, so I personally put you into the system and made you a full fledged member. Of course, you don't have to take me up on this, but I figured that if you ever want to..."

"Thank you, Ace. The gesture...is appreciated. If you will excuse me," Luna replied before she turned and walked out of the WAZA headquarters, staring up at the sun that blazed overhead like nothing had happened. She stayed alone for a few minutes before she heard the doors open and a teen in a red jacket with spikey hair came to a stop beside her.

"She was proud of you. Thought that you'd like to know that," Geo said to Princess Luna, who nodded her head with a small sob. She regained control of herself a moment later, but when she looked at geo he could tell that the pain would never go away. "She would talk about you all the time when we trained together. In fact, while she did give her life for you...you saved her. Without you, she said that she would have just given up and let the Maestro win. But the thought of the Maestro hurting you gave her the resolve to destroy him before he could hurt you even further. She really did love you. So much that she'd give her own existence then risk losing her sister."

"Thank you for the kind words, Geo. I know how my sister thought of me," Princess Luna thought to herself before tears stung at her eyes. "But that damned fool...always bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. Always trying to save the world by herself. Always said that it would get her killed. Now it has."

"Hey, as an expert on someone who would try to bear the weight of the world by himself, I'm thankful I got to meet her," Geo began, getting Luna to glance at him. "She saved my life. The both of you saved our world. And honestly, while it wasn't for long, I was glad to meet her. I bet she had a lot of untold stories that I would have liked to hear. But now she lives on in you and your memory of her."

Geo patted Luna on the shoulder before he headed back into the WAZA headquarters, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts. She then sighed to herself as she gazed up at the sun once more, a thin smile crossing her face as it felt as if her sister was looking down on her, watching over her even then. She then thought back to her conversations with her sister and what she spoke of doing once they had dealt with the Maestro. And how much fun they had wasting nights while talking about the new world.

'Sister, if you can hear me, know that I will live on. For us. I will not let your memory die or be trapped within solely me. I will show the world the hero that they never knew they had. I will tell them of who you really were, how much you had suffered...and how you were a sister the likes of which I didn't deserve,' Luna thought to herself before she turned to head back into WAZA headquarters, knowing what she needed to do.

"That was kind of you," Ace said to Geo as he walked back inside, getting the teen to shrug as he entered. Geo tried to walk over to his friends and family, but Ace placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "We're going to continue work on those anti-Maestro weapons. And while I'm truly sad that we lost Celestia...I'm relieved that we can still form the Lunar Diva if necessary."

"Why are you saying this? Maestro is dead," Geo responded, but to his horror Ace's face fell and he shook his head.

"I don't know, Geo. Everything seems like it worked, but...I don't know Geo, evil like his never seems to stay dead," Ace replied before he let go of Geo and walked away, leaving Geo to watch him with a grim look on his face.

{*}

Bud and Zack did their best not to cry as they placed Luna's suitcases down on the deck of the tram station. Despite being late in the day, the group of teens were the only ones at the station, allowing Sonia to flip back her hood and remove her yellow wig. All of them gave Luna a sad glance as she began to count up her belongings, but their looks weren't lost on her and she let out a sigh before giving her friends a stern glare.

"Come on you guys, you've been nothing but downers since this morning. Can't you be happy for me and the fact that I'm going off to do something positive with my life?" she asked them while placing her hands on her hips, but she rolled her eyes when Bud and Zack shook their heads with a few sobs. "Ugh, you guys. I swear if you weren't such crybabies this would be a lot easier on all of us."

"Don't be too hard on them Luna, they're just upset that they won't get to see you as often," Geo said with a bitter smile before he shrugged. "They're not the only ones. I'm going to miss you as well. Hanging out with you, I mean. I won't miss your bossiness or the way you get mad at us or how you like to-"

"You know for supposedly a heartfelt goodbye you really are getting under my skin," Luna replied with a smirk before she walked forward and hugged Geo, who gingerly hugged her back as well. Luna let out a small sigh before she forced herself to let go, giving Geo a bitter smile as she did so. "Thank you, Geo. For changing my life in a way I could have never predicted. These last four years have been...a ride."

"Hey, if not for you I might still be siting in my house staring at the stars. You've been a, mostly, positive influence as well," Geo replied with his own sad smile. "I'm going to miss you."

"Oh for the love of-we can still talk over the phone and I'll try to visit you guys on the weekends," Luna replied with a smirk before she lightly punched Geo in the shoulder. Bud and Zack slowly walked forward, trying to say something to Luna but were unable to due to the amount of tears that were falling from their eyes. They gave up and simply pulled her into a hug, making Luna's eyes widen for a moment before she closed them and hugged her best friends back.

"Don't worry you guys, I'll call to talk to you every night if you want," Luna promised them, getting them to smile weakly as they rubbed the tears off of their face. Luna then glanced over at Sonia, who was standing awkwardly by herself. Luna and her caught the others eye before Luna moved her head to the end of the tram platform. Sonia nodded and followed Luna to the end of the platform, where she teens rested their arms against the railings and stare out at the city.

"You've wanted to say something to me for a while now, haven't you?" Luna asked Sonia, who nodded in response. "Well, go on. Spit it out."

"Why?" Sonia asked, getting a chuckle out of Luna as she knew that would be the first thing Sonia asked. "Don't get me wrong Luna, I consider you my friend, but...I know that you feel the same way about Geo as I do. And for these past couple of years I've considered you a...love rival, if you will."

"Same," Luna replied, getting Sonia to look at her with confusion. Luna glanced over to see the confused look Sonia was giving her and it made Luna chuckle. "Sonia, I've know how you've felt about Geo. And I considered you the greatest of rivals, while also being my friend. You were popular, beautiful and hands down the nicest person I've ever meet. I knew I would have to pull out all the stops if I was to beat you."

"But...then why haven't you?" Sonia asked, getting Luna to sigh as she lowered her head.

"The same reason I'm doing this. Because of Maestro," Luna admitted, completely confusing Sonia. "Remember when he had us all trapped in his magic? Remember when he was killing Geo? Remember when there was nothing any of us could do?"

"Yeah, I busted out and then busted his head," Sonia replied, getting Luna to smile at Sonia with approval written on her face.

"That was the moment. The moment I realized something. Sonia, when you love a person they say that you'll always do what's best for them, right?" Luna asked, waiting until Sonia nodded before Luna let out a sigh and continued. "The day the Maestro trapped us, the day you achieved the Lunar Diva was also the day I realized something. You are who's best for Geo."

"Huh?"

"You're kind. You're caring. You're always there for him with a smile and some friendly advice. You make him happy. And when you're around it brings out the best in him. Not to mention...Geo's never going to stop fighting. I know that. We all do. And...while I can support him, I can't fight with him. I can't protect him. I can't save him when he's in over his head and needs someone there to fight his foe for him," Luna replied in a bitter voice before she smiled at Sonia. "But you can. You already have. You've proved that for the last four years...hell, you've nearly given your life for him so many times. I've never even taken a step off the sidelines."

"Luna..."

"But I promised that I would change. And after all that's happened, maybe I have. But I want to do more. I want to be a hero like you and Geo...even if that means I can't be with you guys. After realizing that, I made a promise to myself. I promised that if Geo chose me, I would be happy. And if he chose you...then I would be happy for you," Luna said as she glanced away from Sonia, trying to hide her face. "And we know the results. And the two of you have been happier than I've seen for a long time. I'm...happy for you both. You're perfect for him."

Sonia felt her eyes water a bit before she reached out and pulled Luna into a small hug, one that caught her completely off guard. Luna then chuckled before she patted Sonia on the back as well, before they looked up to see a tram approaching the station.

"Come on. I need to load up."

The tram came to a stop and opened up, allowing the boys to move Luna's luggage onto the tram. After they finished loading up, the group all stood on the platform together for the last time, none of them really knowing what to say.

"It's been a ride. And I wouldn't trade these memories for anything," Luna said with a proud smile as she looked at each and every one of them. 'I'm proud to call each of you my friend. I'm proud of all the years that we got to spend together. And I'll miss all of you. More than I will ever show."

The group nodded as well to show that they were thinking along the same lines, before the wizard driving the tram said that it was time for Luna to get on. She bowed to him before waving to her friends one last time, before she turned and walked onto the tram. She stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her friends.

"Bud. Zack. Try to get to bed on time and don't stay up like you both always do," Luna instructed to them before looking at Geo. "Geo, try to do your best not to work yourself so hard. With school coming up along with your hero duties, make sure you take the time to rest. And Sonia...take care of him. Heaven knows if he doesn't have someone to be there for him he'd run himself into the ground."

"Don't worry, I'll always be there for him," Sonia promised, getting Geo to smile at Sonia. The doors began to close and forced Luna to back up, closing her off behind the doors. A moment later she appeared at the window and began to wave to her friends as the tram began to move, getting them to wave and wish her luck in return. With the speed of the tram Luna was forced to go back inside a few moments later, leaving her friends to watch as the tram tore off into the distance.

Bud and Zack sobbed silently to themselves while Geo hung his head sadly. Sonia took his hand in hers and stared off to where Luna had gone, a newfound respect for her friend and rival growing within her. She then glanced up at Geo and nudged him with her shoulder, getting Geo to glance at her before nudging her back.

"See you later, Luna. I know that whatever you want to be, you can do it," Geo thought to himself before the group turned and left the station, each of them thinking about how Luna would do without them.

"Y'know something, Geo."

"What's that, Sonia?"

"I really admire Luna. She's braver than she believes. Wish I could be a little more like her."

{*}

The stars shone brightly overhead, shining on despite the near world ending event that had happened recently. Beneath their light sat a single, dark colored alicorn and a pair of teenagers, who stood at the other end of Vista Point. The two teens talked amongst themselves about the days to come while the princess of the night was working on something quietly, something that drew the attention of the two teens every once in a while.

"So, first day of highschool tomorrow, huh?" Geo asked Sonia, who nodded in reply with a smile. "First day of a brand new adventure. You know, i'm actually more nervous about this than I have been some of the foes that we've fought. Kinda like..."

"Butterflies in your stomach? Yeah, I know how that feels. Feeling it right now, actually," Sonia revealed with a small sigh. "Can't believe that tomorrow is my first day back to public school in who knows how long. It'll be an experience that's for sure. I'm glad I have you and the others there to help me get accustomed to it again."

"Yeah. Too bad that the whole gang won't be there," Geo said with a sigh, before giving Sonia a curious look. "So what did you and Luna talk about at the station? It seemed important, whatever it was."

"That's between me and her. If she wants to tell you, she will," Sonia replied with a look, telling Geo that's all he was getting out of her.

"You have any plans for tomorrow or are you just going to wing it?" Geo asked, getting to conversation back on track.

"Think I want to see what the school's music club will be like. I've always wanted to learn the trumpet," Sonia said with a shrug.

"That's awesome. I might join their space club or their underwater explorers club. I've always wanted to explore great unknowns and the principal was right. The ocean is way more unexplored than space," Geo answered before he smiled over at Sonia. "I am looking forward to spending the school year with you, though. It'll be nice to be with you for more than just a few days every couple of months."

"Awe Geo, you're making me blush," Sonia replied with a smile of happiness before a thought came to her mind. "Actually there's a lot of things that I'd like to do, but for a few of them I'd like to do them with you. Would you mind trying out a few new things this year? Y'know...together?"

"Sure, like what?" Geo asked as he turned to look at her, only for his eyes to go wide when Sonia stood on her tips toes and gently placed her lips onto his. For a brief moment they stayed like that before Sonia turned her head to the side and did her best to hide her blazing face while Geo stared ahead in a haze. He had no idea how to respond to what Sonia did, so he turned to look at Princess Luna, who was smiling over at the two. "Um, w-what are you writing, Luna?"

"A book. One that my sister would have liked," Luna replied, her words gaining both Geo and Sonia's attention. She then showed them the cover, which had a white alicorn and a blue alicorn circling around a symbol. "I've used my magic to make sure that it will never degrade. It will carry on for as long as me, which should be a long time."

"That looks so cool. What's it about?" Sonia asked.

"It's about Equestria. Or to be more specific, the story of a pair of alicorns that thought they had all the answers," Luna replied as she cracked the book open, taking up a quill and continuing to write once more. "I want to get some of it done before I go looking for an old student of my sister's. I'm only on chapter one, but I have a feeling the world will enjoy this tale. That a certain alicorn would enjoy this tale. I wrote it...in memory of her, after all. This one is for you, sis."**

Author's Note

As the stars go out in this story, I'd like to thank everyone that came along for the long ride. Don't know why this one was so long, but I guess I really love Megaman Starforce. But this story shall be remembered by all upon Earth for years to come.

But the next story is about one who has been forgotten. One that no longer exists. But just because one is not remembered, doesn't mean that they can't be used. For in the next story, there are secrets to be unlocked. Secrets of light and darkness...and the heart.

And to unlock something, you need a key.

Gone

A coarse wind blew through the mane of the princess of the night, lifting the mane off of her shoulders for a brief moment before they laid upon her shoulders once more. But to the eternal torment of the princess, her mane was all that moved in the barren wasteland. Luna slowly moved her gaze from left to right as she looked around the barren wasteland, tear slowly streaming out of her eyes as she tried not to think too hard about what had once been there.

Off to her left she remembered having spent time at a small candy store that had once made a number of sweets she enjoyed. To her right used to be a library where she had spent many nights and a few mornings reading up on all the years that she had missed. And before her she remembered a beautiful castle, one that towered over the land and inspired all those that saw it with hope.

Now it was all dust. The once great town that had been a hope to so many was dust in the wind. Those that had once filled the air with the sounds of laughter and happiness were ash. Luna lifted a hoof and wiped the tears away from her eyes as she realized that she could still hear the echoes of their voices. Hear them still happy. Still hear the magic in them.

Then Luna realized that it wasn't just the buildings and the ponies that were gone. There was something else as well. Something that Luna had noticed every time she had walked through the streets, conversing with the ponies and living in their world. The magic was gone.

"Staring won't bring them back."

Luna shook the tears from her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at Celestia, who was knelt down in front of a large archway constructed of the strongest materials that they were able to find. Celestia had her back to her sister, yet just like when they were little somehow she seemed to know what Luan was doing. Luna returned her gaze to the barren landscape before she shook her head and turned to join her sister, gritting her teeth as pain coursed through the right side of her body.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you need me to stop and use another healing spell?" Celestia asked without turning to look at her sister.

"No. I will be fine," Luna said quickly as she glanced down at her left side, making sure to only look at her left. She then lifted her head and stared at the archway, feeling the tiniest hints of rage burning in her veins. "It is more important that we finish this machine...that we don't let him get away with what he's done."

"Indeed," Celestia said as she rose to her hooves and set her horn alight, creating a spiraling ring of energy around her horn that she then poured into the center of the arch. Her white magic was sucked into the sides and caused the arch to come to life with magic, which started to circle around the outlines. "But I hope that this will take us to him. I've scrounged up as much of my tomes on dimensional travels as I could, but I still could be putting us in considerable risk."

"What have we got to lose, sister?" Luna said with a small smirk before the pain smacked it off of her face. "He's already taken our home, our subjects and everything we cherish aside from each other. All we have left to lose is our lives."

"And I swore he would not take mine until I rip his head clean from his body," Celestia snarled as she poured more of her magic into the archway, causing it to roar with power as a vortex of her magic began to swirl within the arch. Luna walked over to her sisters side and gently placed a hoof upon her shoulder, stemming the rage until the proper time.

Luna then pointed her horn at the vortex and fired a stream of lunar magic into the center of the portal. With her lunar magic combined with Celestia's solar magic, the portal let loose a bellow before a hole was torn in the center of the archway before the both of them. Both Celestia and Luna's eyes went wide as they gazed into the vortex that seemed to go into eternity.

"So...this will take us to where he is? The Maestro," Luna said in a near whisper, unable to say the monsters name without shaking with rage. Celestia could only nod her head in agreement before she took a step towards the vortex, but Luna grabbed her shoulder with a hoof to stop her. "Are you certain? We have only just opened it and we have no idea whether it will work or not."

"It will have to. It is all we have left," Celestia said with a bitter snarl. "Come sister. We have a monster to put down."

"Sister...are you sure that you don't want to look one last time?" Luna asked her sister, who stopped in her tracks but only continued to stare ahead. "This is...was our home. And even if you are consumed with this desire for vengeance...are you sure you don't want to lay eyes upon our home once again?"

"Sister...if I look back, I may not be able to leave," Celestia whispered as she hung her head, before raising it once more as she continued to stare into the portal. "So I can only continue to look ahead, towards the next world that we have to go and protect. Because if I look back, I will be stuck here forever."

"Then let us not look to our failures. Let us look ahead to what we need to focus on," Luna agreed as she stood beside her sister, wrapping her left wing around her sisters shoulder. Celestia glanced over at Luna and winced on reflex, still having trouble looking at her sisters burned right side and missing right wing. But when she looked to her sister she found only confidence and belief in her with her sisters eyes.

"Indeed. Let us go."

The two took in a deep breath before they walked into the vortex, vanishing within the spiraling vortex of energy and magic. The moment that they were gone, the archway collapsed into a pile of dust, joining the rest of the world that had once been called Equestria. A strong gust of wind took hold of the dust and spread it to the corners of what was left of the world...which was now truly empty.

{*}

"Gonna be late," the blue and green alien known as Omega-Xis reminded with a smirk as he watched a fourteen year old boy race around his bedroom, looking in vain for his visualizers. Omega-Xis let out another chuckle as the kid growled in frustration as he ran up the stairs to his loft, tearing off the covers on his bed in hopes that his glasses were under them.

"And she is going to be mad. Might wanna step on it, Geo," Omega taunted with a smirk as Geo hurled himself down the stairs, landing with a grunt on the ground before he shot up to his feet. The teen glanced around with frustration building in his eyes, getting Omega to sigh as he rested against his arm made of waves. "We were safe five minutes ago. Now we'll be ten minutes late and also in trouble."

"I'm looking, Mega!" Geo roared in reply before he glanced up at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes with his confusion when he spied the greenish visualizers that he had been searching for dangling from the ceiling. "Mega, how in the world did they-"

"You tossed them up there last night after a tough battle with some EM viruses," Mega reminded Geo as the alien slammed a fist into the wall, knocking the glasses loose from the ceiling. They fell into Geo's awaiting hands, where he quickly slid them over his head.

"How do I look?" Geo asked.

Mega glanced up and down Geo, surprised to see that he was wearing a tan long sleeved shirt underneath of his sleeveless red jacket. Mega approved of the blue pants that went all the way down to the kids red boots, but what he wasn't certain of was why Geo suddenly cared about fashion all of a sudden.

"You look fine. Perfect for a funeral," Mega replied with a shrug, smiling when Geo raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What I mean by that is that we are fifteen minutes late, which essentially makes us dead men walking. Because by the time we get there-"

"Oh crap! We need to go!" Geo yelled as he raced towards the door, getting Mega to smirk before he vanished back into Geo's wizard carrying device. From within the personal terminal Mega watched as the teen slid through his living room, waving to his mother before he burst through the door and raced into the streets of Echo Ridge.

Geo sprinted towards the bus stop as fast as he could go, barely stopping to wave to the residents who waved to him. Mega knew that the effort was futile, but he gave the teen props for holding on to the faintest glimmer of hope as he ran. The two reached the bus stop after a two minute run, but when Geo rounded thee corner he found a very angry looking girl and two nervous looking boys awaiting him.

"Well look who it is," said a girl wearing a proper outfit snarled, her massive ponytail bouncing along with her rage. Geo's face fell as he placed a hand behind his head as he started to stammer out an excuse, while Omega-Xis noticed how the girls ponytail looked like a giant turbine when she got angry. "Ten thirty, Geo. That was what we all agreed on. What time is it now? Bud, what time is it now?"

"It's, uh, ten fifty," the larger and more muscular of the two boys said nervously.

"Correct. Ten fifty. Not ten, not fifteen but TWENTY minutes after we agreed to meet up," the girl snarled as she got right into the face of Geo.

"Now Luna, I know that I'm late, but I have a good reason," Geo tried to explain, but Luna held out a hand and silenced him on the spot.

"I do not care for your excuse. All I know is that if you are late once more-" Whatever she was going to say was silenced when Omega-Xis erupted from Geo's personal device in a flash of EM waves, roaring to the heavens as he did so. Luna yelped as she staggered back, getting a chuckle out of Mega as he stretched one of his shoulders. "Mega! What are you doing scaring me like that?!"

"I heard enough of your chit-chat and decided to end the conversation a little early," Mega replied with a smirk as he stretched his neck from side to side, smirking down at the slightly nervous girl. "So we can drop this whole thing here or I can chase you around for a few minutes like we used to do. Your choice."

With a grumble Luna accepted her defeat, moving to the side and allowing Geo to walk over to his other two friends. All three looked at each other for a moment before they all let out a nervous laugh, knowing that they had all gotten out of trouble for the time being.

"Crazy way to start a morning, eh Geo?" Bud asked as he clapped Geo on the back, causing the kid with the spiky hair to stagger forward a bit.

"Indeed. There was only a ten percent chance that you would be late. And nine percent of that involved your Megaman activities," Zack, a short boy with glasses and a very studious outfit, said to Geo as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Well, something happened. Then another thing happened. You guys know how it goes," Geo said with a shrug before all three of them glanced back to see Luna and Mega yelling at each other over something. "So how are you guys doing? With all my police work I haven't had the chance to catch up with you in a while. Anything new?"

"Yeah, only the second half of Sonia's new show started airing," Bud said, chuckling aloud when Geo whipped his head to face him. "Yep, it's been the talk of the town. Everyone has been singing their praises about it and how good of an actor Sonia is."

"She really is something else, isn't she?" Geo said with a warm smile as he stared off at the clouds for a moment, wondering how his best friend was doing.

"Yes, but a lot of people are also upset with the show and the fact that they've given Sonia a potential love interest,' Zack cut in with his eyes completely hidden by his glasses reflective surface, a devious smile spreading when Geo looked down at him with a blank expression upon his face.

"What?"

"You heard me. Seems they found another famous teenage actor that everyone loves and is making him the love interest on the show," Zack continued on with a shrug of his shoulders and a sly smirk upon his face. "Handsome, talented and famous. I can see why they would want him. I bet him and Sonia would make a great couple."

Geo stared ahead for a moment while Bud elbowed Zack in the back of the head, shutting the smaller teen up with a hard glare before walking over to Geo. Before he could say something to comfort his friend, Geo's Hunter VG began to ring and snapped the teen out of his thoughts.

"Hello?" Geo asked as he pulled up the device.

"Hey there, Hero of Earth. How's it going?"

"Ace?" Geo asked with some surprise, a smile crossing his face when a man with shiny black hair materialized in front of him. "What's up? Considering it's only been three days since we last spoke, I assume that this is important?"

"Of course it's important," Ace said as a serious expression crossed his face. "Downtown, near the mall, we've detected high levels of energy. Like nothing we've ever seen before. Every scientist we've got at the base says that this is an entirely new form of power. And it looks to be tearing open a hole in the fabric of reality."

"So, end of the world or beginning of the end of the world?" Geo asked with a smile, before he put on his game face and saluted. "Don't worry, I know what you want me to do. Go there and stop whoever is trying to tear apart space and time. Right?"

"Haha, that's the hero for you. Always knows what to do," Ace said as he retuned the salute, before the screen went to static as it vanished. Geo tucked away his Hunter before giving a glance at the two boys, both of who gave him the thumbs up. He smiled in response before he turned to face Luna, who had an annoyed expression on her face.

"Luna..."

"I know already. Just be quick about saving the world so that you can be back in time for the movie," Luna said with a sigh as she waved him away. Geo nodded his thanks before he and Mega took off running, Geo whipping out his Hunter once again as he did so. He then thrust the Hunter into the air as Mega lined up perfectly behind him.

"Transcode! Megaman! ON! THE! AIR!"

A blue light wrapped around Geo as a deep blue body suit formed over him. Mega disappeared while his armor attached to Geo. The shoulder plates fit into place while the chest piece and boots slid over their respective places. And finally a head piece fitted onto Geo's head, with a red visor sliding into place over his eyes. He thrust his left hand forward as a buster formed on it, red eyes glowing as the two finished their transformation.

Megaman then rocketed into the sky, heading off to save the day once more.*

Not Even Close

"EM WAVE CHANGE! TRANSCODE: MEGAMAN!" Geo bellowed at the top of his lungs as a sphere of light wrapped itself around both him and Mega. A moment later he was transformed into the blue bomber, just in time to take a punch to the face the sent him hurtling backwards across the ground. Megaman shot back up to his feet and unloaded with his Mega Buster. Yet even thought the projectiles move at a speed even he had a hard time tracking, the Maestro was able to weave in and out of the shots with ease.

"I have plans for this world, Megaman. And since I know that you will oppose me every step of the way, it benefits me to wipe your off the face of the earth here and now," the Maestro snarled as he wrapped his fingers around Megaman's face and drove the back of his skull into the ground. He lifted a metal leg and tried to slam it onto Megaman's chest, but Megaman flickered and the attack passed through his body without a scratch.

"Sorry, but I've grown really fond of this rock and don't plan on letting ya destroy it!" Mega roared as he materialized next to the Maestro, slashing him across the chest with claws that had brought down kings. "BEAST SLAP!"

But even with his incredible strength, Mega's claws failed to so much as scratch the surface of the Maestros body. Maestro turned and fired a concentrated shot of shattered magic into the chest of Mega, destabilizing him and returning him to Megaman's buster. Megaman leapt back as he fired multiple shots at the Maestro, but the villain simply held out a hand and let the shots disintegrate against his armor.

"This isn't working kid, he's just as tough as Celestia said," Mega reminded Megaman as the busters eyes lit up. "We need to start hitting him with some stuff that will cut through his armor!"

"On it! Battle Card! BREAK SABER!" Megaman bellowed as he slid the card across the top of his buster, transforming the cannon into a spiraling sword with a purple light surrounding it. Megaman transformed his body into its EM form, vanishing from Maestros sight and causing the villain to glance around with some confusion. A moment later Megaman reappeared behind Maestro, swinging the Break Saber towards him with a cry of victory.

Yet with reactions that were beyond even that of Megaman, Maestro spun around and caught the blade with one hand. Sparks flew from Megaman's weapon as it tried to cut through the Maestros body, while the Maestro simply shook his head at Megaman's efforts. He then clenched his fist and shattered the Break Saber, forcing Megaman to leap back while a look of bafflement spread across his face.

"Come on Megaman, you can do this!" Luna cheered him on from the sidelines, turning both Megaman and the Maestro's attention towards the three spectators that were watching the fight.

"Stay back! All of you!" Megaman bellowed at them before a wicked right cracked the side of his head and sent him hurtling into the side of a building. Megaman hit the building with such force that the real waves that made up the structure flickered slightly, causing the Maestro to look up with some interest.

"How curious. If I hit this building hard enough, it will destabilize. Perhaps I can gain something useful from this encounter after all," the Maestro said as he lifted a fist and began to walk towards the structure that he had hurled Megaman into. "And think of all the people that will suddenly find themselves in the air, only to plummet to their deaths. How many do you think will survive?"

"All of them, because I'm taking you down right now!" Megaman roared as he whipped out two battle cards. "Battle card! Sword! Sword!" Both of Megaman's hands turned into blades and he lunged at Maestro at full speed. Right when it looked like he would collide with the Maestro, he vanished once again into his EM form. Maestro clacked his metallic tongue as he began to look around for the hero. A blade materialized behind him and he swung around to intercept, only to find that it was only the blade there.

"Got you," Megaman said as he came down from above, slicing down with all of his might. Yet in the blink of the eye Maestro stepped to the side and allowed Megaman to impale the ground. Megaman's eyes widened in shock before the Maestro lashed out with a foot and slammed his metal foot right into the side of Megaman's elbow, where the sickening sound of bones snapping could be heard.

Megaman roared in agony as he clutched at his right arm, which was dangling at an awkward angle. Pain flooded his sense, so by the time he remembered that he was in a fight the Maestros fist caught him in the side of the ribs. Megaman was fairly certain that some of those cracked as well, but when he hit the ground a few seconds later he was unable to tell.

"Now then, where was I?" the Maestro asked as he turned back towards the building, channeling his shattered magic into his fist. But then he heard a noise and barely moved his head to the side to avoid an arrow. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Megaman's left hand was a bow and he was clutching a card in his teeth. "I swear that you care harder to kill than most of those other heroes. Of course, you are the first Starforce Megaman that I've ever had to kill myself. So I'm grateful to you for providing me this opportunity."

"And you are everything that Celestia said you were," Megaman spat back as his bow returned to the original buster, which he shakily aimed at the Maestro. "Impossible to damage. Ungodly powerful. But guess what? So was every other psycho that I brought down. You're nothing special."

"Oh that's where you're wrong, Megaman. In all of the realities, they're is only one of me," the Maestro promised Megaman as he allowed the buster shots Megaman fired to bounce off of his armor. "And do you know why? Because I hunted down and killed all the others. That took a few billion years. But it was worth it. Because even with multiverse theory, I am still one of a kind."

"So that means when we rip you apart, that will be the end of ya. Way to make it easy for us," Mega snarked back. "So how about we give you one chance to surrender and if you take it, we promise that we can put ya on the endangered species list and find a nice little zoo to display you in. I'm thinking with the parakeets."

"That's funny. Actually, birds are tolerable. But do you know what animals I can't stand?" the Maestro asked, before he spun around and swung his fist into the massive gut of Taurus Fire, who had been sneaking up behind the Maestro and had just lifted both of his hands over his head. With a blast of shattered magic he hurled the bison across the city center and through the real wave building, destroying it's form and leaving everything within floating in the air...including the people within.

"NO!" Megaman roared as he launched himself towards the falling people, but before he could go anywhere Maestro grabbed him by the ankle and slammed him onto his back. Megaman coughed up blood before a blast of shattered magic punched him through the ground and onto the level below them. Megaman came to a crashing halt with pain welling in his body, but the pain he felt was nothing compared to the screaming of those falling to their doom.

"Seems three of them will live. That's less than I thought. But then again, you humans are easily broken," the Maestro said as he slammed into the ground next to Megaman, slamming a foot onto his chest and breaking Megaman's ribs to make his point. Megaman weakly gasped out in pain, barely able to lift his buster and aim it at Maestro's face. "And what do you plan to do with that. You have already shown that you cannot harm me with it."

"B-b-battle card...heal!" Megaman yelled as he fired a blast of light behind Maestro, who turned just in time to see Taurus Fire leaping down towards him. Maestro lifted an arm perfectly to deflect a huge right hook from the blazing bull. While the impact did nothing to his armor, the blow was still enough to knock him back and off of Megaman. The ball of light that Megaman had fired into the air came down and landed upon him, repairing the damage to his arm and ribs somewhat.

"You okay?" Taurus asked Megaman as he helped the blue bomber to his feet.

"No, but that doesn't matter now," Megaman stated as he moved his arm back and forth, finding that it was no longer broken. "We need a two pronged attack! Keep him still, I'll-"

Whatever Megaman was going to do Taurus would never know, for a moment later the Maestro kicked him in the chest and sent him flying back up through the level above them. Taurus bellowed with rage as flames erupted from the his elbows, giving the punch that he hurled at the Maestro even more destructive power. Yet even with the added power, the punch came to a dead stop as it slammed into the Maestro's skull. The Maestro then lifted his metal skull, one that looked like an owl, and glared up at Taurus, who took a step back with disbelief.

"Bud Bison. You are an interesting one," the Maestro began before he grabbed one of Taurus horns and flipped the bull over his head, driving him head first into the cement. "You can change this world. In some realities you save it, in others you are the hero of the world and Megaman the villain. In some you give your life to save the world, but in others all your death manages to do is buy a little more time for your friends. In fact, in one you die saving Megaman from an attack that would have killed him. Without being Taurus Fire."

"But I've found that in nearly all of your deaths, provided you don't die of a heart attack, are noble. A fat, idiotic kid that always feels left behind like you is constantly heroic across the multiverse, almost always giving his life to save his friends. That is rare. And for being so rare, I will spare you this once," the Maestro stated as he stood up and began to walk towards where Megaman had been kicked.

"Y-you're pretty good," Taurus stated as he pushed himself back up, getting the Maestro to turn his head towards the bull. "Because you're right. I would gladly give my life...to save all of them! TAURUS FLAME!" Taurus bellowed with fury as he unleashed a hellfire upon the Maestro, a fire so intense that the concrete under his hooves began to melt. "GO TO HE-!"

A fist of metal then shot through the flames and shattered the face of Taurus, who screamed in pain before he split in half, both Bud and Taurus hitting the ground at the same time. The Maestro looked down the both of them before he leapt through the hole, landing on the level above to find Megaman still trying to get up...and that a small boy with glasses was standing there with his arms extended.

"Zack Temple. Ah yes, the resident genius," the Maestro stated when he found that the shrimp was the one that obstructed his path to Megaman, while Luna was at Megaman's side. "While not as interesting as Bud, you posses a number of paths that I have taken an interest in."

"W-whatever you do to try to get me to move, it won't work!" Zack stammered out, though his body trembled with fear and he was doing everything in his power to keep from wetting himself. "I'll...I'll fight you if I have to."

"No you won't, Zack. You're a thinker, not a fighter," the Maestro corrected for him. "And that thinking will either make you one that solves this worlds problems or makes you the greatest supervillain that this world has ever seen. Though if you're still friends with Geo at this point, I assume this you will be the former."

"Stay back!" Zack roared as he lunged at the Maestro, failing his arms wildly. The Maestro sidestepped the kid while sticking out a foot, tripping Zack and causing him to fall on his face. Zack groaned and tried to get back up, but a kick from the Maestro sent him flying across the city center and into the side of a wall, where he fell to the ground motionless. The Maestro continued walking towards Megaman, who was shaking with pain as he tried to get up...and leaving Luna as the only person left between the Maestro and Megaman.

"I won't let you hurt him," Luna promised as she stood up to the Maestro, who stopped in his tracks as he analyzed the girl. "You think just because you've got this power that means you can just do whatever you want?! Well let me tell you something, you-"

"Feh. Luna Platz. A waste of life," Maestro spat with actual disgust in his voice. His words silenced Luna and she looked at him with both confusion and anger. "Unlike the other two, you have little effect on the outcome of this world in any reality. All you are good for is being used as a hostage so that Megaman will save you."

"W-what?! That's not-"

"For example," Maestro continued as he aimed a bolt of shattered magic at Luna. But right as he fired Megaman threw himself in front of the blast, screaming in pain as he took it in the back. "My point is proven."

"I am not just a hostage! I also-!"

"In other realities, that is all you are. If you live, Megaman uses the power of friendship to get the power that will save the day. If you die, then his despair and rage will give him the power," Maestro cut her off, annoyance ringing in every word. "If Joker kills you, it distracts the heroes from saving the world for a little while as they go save you. If he doesn't kill you, then they move on with their plans for King like nothing happened. You mean nothing in anyway."

"In fact, whether you live or die makes so little difference that I will not bother killing you. It would only be a waste of my time, which actually has value," Maestro snarled with contempt before he pushed by Luna, flicking her with a finger and sending her flying away from Megaman. "You are of no significance to this world. None of the yous are."

"But the same cannot be said for you, Megaman," the Maestro said as he grabbed Megaman by the back of the head and hoisted him off of the ground. "You make so much of a difference. Be it good or evil, saving the world or damning it; everything you do has an impact in some way. But isn't that the fate of most heroes? Changing the world with every decision. You are so alike every other version of you I have met."

"You...what are you?" Megaman asked weakly as he tried to push the Maestro off of him, but the grip was stronger than the metal that made Maestro's body. "Celestia warned me of you, what you could do...but I never imagined...anyone could be so strong."

"I am beyond reality. I am beyond good and evil. I simply want to see what happens. What happens when a world dies. What happens when it's heroes can't save it, when it's villains aren't the ones that end it. What a person will become when everything they love and cherish is torn away right in front of them," the Maestro said to Megaman as the metal shifted on his face to create a smile. "What would happen if Megaman had to watch his world die?"

"But I have already gone down that path and I hate to see repeat results. So instead of making you watch everything you care about die, I will kill you instead," Maestro said before he hurled Megaman into the air, channeling his power into his hand. The shattered magic caused the very fabric of realty to be warped around the Maestro, before he fired the ball of shattered power into Megaman.

All Megaman saw was the sphere coming towards him, before a flash of white consumed him. A moment later the sphere detonated and shook the planet with its power, turning the sky white as the power tore apart Megaman. Then Maestro snapped his fingers and the devastation ended, allowing Megaman's visor, all the was left, to fall to the ground next to the Maestro's foot.

"M-Megaman," Luna whispered with tears in her eyes as she stared at the headpiece, which Maestro then crushed under his foot.

"Oh don't cry. People like you should just die and allow the story to progress without any interruption," the Maestro snarled before he looked up at the sky. "And speaking of no more interruption, seems that I will also have to deal with that silver bastard before I can continue my plans. Let's see if he can actually touch me this time."

With those last words the Maestro vanished into nothingness, leaving Luna kneeling in the middle of a decimated downtown. Her two best friends were both broken and bleeding, while a collapsed building was the graveyard of hundreds of people. But despite all that, all she could do was stare at the spot where Megaman had been blasted into oblivion, unable to register that her hero was gone.

Friends

"Feel the beat!" Harp Note roared as she swiped her fingers across her guitar strings, sending three massive musical notes hurtling towards the Maestro. The Maestro barely registered the attacks as the notes slammed into him, shattering against his metal frame without denting it. Harp Note snarled before she shifted her guitar so that she was looking down it, firing out guitar strings to ensnare him with.

"A futile effort," the Maestro scoffed as he snatched the guitar strings and yanked on them hard, pulling the wielder of the music towards him. He cocked back a fist in anticipation of taking her head off with a single punch, yet a blast from the Mega Buster cut through the strings and gave Harp Note enough time to get out of the way. "Megaman."

In a heartbeat Maestro was upon Megaman, grabbing him by the throat before slamming him face first into the top of the studio. His strength was so great that Megaman crashed through the roof and came to a stop when he crashed into the tiles on the second floor, growling in pain as he started to stand back up. Two boots to his back convinced him otherwise and a moment later he was driven down to the first floor.

With Megaman buried under a ton of rubble that had been caused by his descent through two floors, Maestro aimed at the back of Megaman's head with shattered magic forming in his hands. The sounds of guitar strings being strummed inclined Maestro to move out of the way, moving just in time to watch as musical note in the shape of a heart missed him and slammed into a wall.

"Harp Note. Sonia Strumm," the Maestro said as he turned to face her, before having to move again as she fired another round of musical notes towards him. "You...aside from Megaman, you may be the most influential person in this entire world. If it was up to my opinion, you would be the greatest influence that has ever influenced this world."

"Shut up. I'm done with you," Harp Note snarled before she pulled out a battle card and slid it across her guitar. "Battle Card! Ghost Wail!" Harp Note pointed her guitar at the Maestro and fired a wail of sound so painful that everyone near it had to cover their ears with their hands to keep from screaming in pain. Yet pain was nothing to the Maestro and he threw himself through the wail, driving a fist into Harp Note's stomach with such force that she was thrown through the nearest wall and out into the parking lot.

"You are responsible for an uncountable number of factors to happen in this world. You, for lack of a better word, are a catalyst," the Maestro continued as he walked through the hole he had made with Harp Note's body, while the EM hero pulled herself up off the ground while clutching at her stomach in pain. "If not for you, Megaman would have most likely never came into being. Then this world would have died years ago."

"But you are so much more," the Maestro said as he ducked a punch thrown by her and grabbed her by her face, driving the back of her head through the nearest car. She screamed in pain as he pulled her free and threw her into another car, which crumpled under the impact. "You are one of his greatest driving forces. You are a hero in your own right that has saved the world on your own. In some worlds you are the hero of earth, while Megaman is your sidekick."

"We're...partners...neither of us...is greater than the other," Harp Note spat out along with a bit of blood as she picked herself up once more, having to lean against the car to remain standing.

"You say that. But everytime the world is in danger, you are left behind while he saves the world," Maestro corrected for her, getting Harp Note to narrow her eyes. "But enough about this reality. I must admit that it pains me a bit to kill you. I would love to see how you would change if I killed Megaman and left you as the only hero here to save your world. But you would most likely attack me in an emotionally destroyed rage, and then I would have to kill you then. Oh well."

"I won't let you hurt him!" Harp Note roared as she grabbed her guitar and swung it towards Maestro, who grabbed the guitar and shattered it with his grip. Lyra cried out in pain as she materialized near the broken guitar. "LYRA!" Harp screamed before Maestro grabbed her by the mouth and hoisted her into the air, ignoring her frantic attempts to kick herself free.

"Oh, all the untapped outcomes. How would you live your life if you were not chosen by your love? Or what if he chose you and you spent the rest of your days with the one you care about the most. The pain and grief you would go through if he was dead. The rockstar you would have become had Geo not found you...or Lyra, for that matter. Until the FM kind destroys your world. Or if you had killed Megaman yourself, stayed evil and ruled the world with your power. Which of those do you think sounds the best?"

"The one...where you're dead!" Harp Note roared before she changed her frequency to EM, causing the Maestro's hand to slip right through her. Maestro sighed as his hand crackled with power and he spun around to strike a point behind him. His hand struck Harp Note and she screamed in pain as the power coursed through her EM form, before the pain caused her to collapse to the ground.

"A neat trick. But a trick only works once and it worked only once for Megaman," Maestro explained as he reached down and pulled Harp Note up by the top of her helmet, looking into her eyes to see that she was barely conscious. He then slammed his fist into her face, striking her with such force that the transformation was broken and she returned to Sonia. Her head slumped to the side as blood poured from her nose, while the Maestro aimed another shot. "And with this, you die."

Sonia vanished in a flash of solar magic, getting Maestro to sigh as he turned to see the princess of the sun holding up an unconscious Sonia beside her. "Celestia. Still up to your meddling I see."

"I won't let you take anymore lives," Celestia promised the Maestro, glancing to her side when Megaman appeared next to her.

"SONIA!" he screamed as he took her into his arms, placing his ear on her chest for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of relief. He rose to his feet with Sonia still clutched in his arms, flashing a look of absolute hatred towards the Maestro before he vanished inside with her. Maestro took a step towards the building, only to lift his arm a second later to deflect a blast of solar magic.

"Like I said. You won't hurt anyone else," Celestia promised. Maestro shook his head before he fired a blast of shattered magic into the chest of Celestia, throwing her into the side of the studio. She had just enough time to cough in pain before Maestro slammed his fist into her face, cracking her skull while hurling her through the wall and into the studio. She groaned weakly and in pain as she tried to get back up.

"The only reason you still live is because I am not sure I should kill you," Maestro stated as he lifted Celestia and hurled her through the entrance desk. Celestia coughed in pain as she tried to focus her magic, but a boot to her head ceased any attempts to fight back. "Because this is a new outcome, one that I have not seen before. Never before has a Celestia followed me to another world. I am tempted to leave you alive just to see if you can prevent the end of the world."

"I will try," Celestia spat at Maestro. He smirked at her response as he took aim with his arm, but once more he was prevented from delivering the final blow by a shot from the Mega Buster that had been charged to the point of absurdity. The blast was enough to stagger the Maestro, before a follow up shot forced him to raise an arm to defend himself.

"Megaman. Your refusal to die is starting to annoy me," Maestro said as the blue bomber bombarded him with a combination of mega shots and battle card combinations.

"I won't die until I know for certain that I've stopped you!" Megaman promised as he started to charge his buster once more, but the momentarily lapse in the onslaught allowed the Maestro to appear before Megaman before he could register what had happened. Maestro grabbed hold of Megaman's outstretched hand and swung him into the wall beside him, collapsing the wall from the blow.

"No. You will simply die," Maestro stated before he punched Megaman right in the center of his chest, hurling him through the entire studio. He burst out of the back of the studio and tumbled to a halt amongst the rubble, coming a stop next to the workers and reporters that had taken up refuge in the back.

"Kid, you've got to get up!" Mega roared at Megaman as the hero tried to see through the pain, barely able to focus on the metal man that was marching towards him. Megaman rolled onto his front and started to push himself up, but a boot placed itself on the back of his head and pushed him back down.

"It is over, Megaman. And sadly, you could not even put up a fight," the Maestro mocked Megaman, who strained weakly against the Maestro's superior strength. The reporters all began to take pictures of the scene before them, but the Maestro paid them no mind as he began to apply pressure. Megaman screamed in pain as he felt his skull reach it's breaking point, able to hear his helmet crack and break.

That was until the sound of a guitar breaking caused the Maestro to let up on his pressure. He glanced down at the broken guitar pieces before he turned around to see a beaten and bleeding Sonia Strumm, holding only the neck of what used to be her musical instrument.

"Let...him...go..." she spat weakly while clutching at what remained of her instrument.

"Sonia..." Megaman whispered weakly as the Maestro turned his attention from Megaman to the singer.

"Unless this reality is different, that guitar was given to you by your mother. And yet you destroy it in a futile attempt to kill me," the Maestro stated before he threw a punch at her head. A barrier of solar magic surrounded the girl just in time to absorb the blow, but the impact still hurled Sonia to the ground and knocked her out cold. "Sigh...Celestia. You will never cease to amaze me with how stubborn you are."

"Glad...to see that I'm...finally getting under your skin," Celestia chuckled weakly and in pain as she staggered out of the studio, causing the reporters to gasp at the talking horse before they began to click away with their cameras. "Like...I told you. I won't stop."

"No. You won't," Maestro agreed before he fired a blast of shattered magic into the chest of Celestia and flung her back onto the ground, where she gasped in pain as she writhed. Maestro then slammed his boot into the side of Megaman's head and sent him tumbling over to where Celestia lay, neither of them able to find the strength to stand. "And I believe that I am done. I refrained from killing the both of you to see if either of you could do something to surprise me, but like all your other versions, you fail to entertain. Perhaps the next versions of you will do better."

"I'm...sorry Celestia," Megaman weakly panted out as he glanced over at Celestia, who was in too much pain to even look back at him. "You placed all your hopes on us, but we still couldn't do it. Even with all of your training, we couldn't stop him. I'm sorry that I couldn't avenge your world."

"Even...in this situation...you're still concerned with others than yourself. Truly you are the hero that you claimed to be," Celestia weakly breathed out before a small chuckle escaped her lips. "I...am sorry too. If I had been able to defeat the Maestro back on Equestria, then none of this would have ever happened. Your deaths...will be on my hooves...just like everypony else that I let down."

"Don't talk like that. You did everything within your power to fight a foe that came out of nowhere. I had a warning and time to prepare, but I got cocky and was nearly killed. This is as much on me as it is on you."

"I am the thousand year old princess. I should have been more prepared for such a foe."

"Enough of your prattle. Die," the Maestro cut in before he fired a blast of shattered magic at Megaman. But before the blast could strike him, Celestia threw herself over Megaman and roared in agony as the blast burned through her back.

"Celestia?"

"You have friends...parents...people who need you. I can't...let you die," Celestia spat weakly as she made sure she was between the Maestro and Megaman. Maestro growled before he fired another shot at Celestia, but this time Megaman phased through Celestia and rematerialized in time to take the blast, getting a roar of pain out of him before he collapsed to his knees.

"No, Megaman-"

"And you...have a sister that needs you...I am the hero...of earth...and if I have to give my life to protect you...than that is my duty as a hero," Megaman said weakly before he collapsed onto his face. "And also my duty...as a friend."

"You two are sickening. Die already," Maestro snarled as he pointed both arms at the two of them, channeling a blast of magic so powerful that the ground shook as if it was going to be ripped apart. Megaman and Celestia both leaned on each other for support, each of them staring down the attack with as much courage as they could muster.

"Megaman?"

"Yes, Celestia?

"Thank you...for being my friend."

Maestro then fired a blast of shattered magic so powerful that it decimated half of the studio and practically everything around it. But even with such a powerful attack, the Maestro snarled as he crouched down, knowing something was wrong. And as the dust cleared out of the way from the attack, the reporters and workers that had been knocked off their feet saw why as well. For in the middle of the devastation, was a single, white shield.

The shied then swung to the side and cleared away the dust, revealing the hero that had been standing in the dust. Megaman stood there, but his blue armor had been replaced by entirely white armor, with red and yellow detailing. His new chest piece looked like that of a knights, a white cape flowed from behind him and the helmet was now adorned with a golden crown that blazed like the intensity of the sun.

Yet the Maestro found himself drawn to Megaman's hands. Because on his right arm was a shield, a shield of the purest white that was detailed to look like the sun. But his left hand drew the most attention, for his left hand was gone and replaced with a far more armored looking version of Celestia's head. Megaman then looked down at himself with both amazement and some confusion, Celestia doing the same as best she could.

"What happened to us?" Megaman asked Celestia, who took only a moment to think it over before a smile crossed her face. Between the chest piece, the grieves that now covered his legs and the crown and cape, she had a few idea what may have happened.

"I believe that we have combined our powers, Megaman. Perhaps enough to finally defeat the Maestro," Celestia put forward, getting Megaman to smile as well as he turned to face the Maestro, glaring at him through his golden visor. "But there is only one way to figure out. Let us put an end to this, my Solar Knight!"

Gone Rogue

"Solo? You mean the other member of the Commandoes that went missing?" Celestia asked as Taurus and Megaman placed themselves between the princess and Rogue, who was slowly marching towards the group. "He is your ally, correct? Then why does he have Maestros power and looks like he wants to kill us?"

"Because I am not there ally. I only use them and their organization whenever I see fit," Rogue snarled before he locked eyes on Megaman, who lifted his blade in a defensive stance. "But they are not my biggest concern right now. Right now Megaman, you must finally pay."

"Pay for what?" Celestia asked.

"Rogue has promised that one day he would finally defeat me in battle. I assume that he thinks today will be that day," Megaman replied before he pointed his sword at Rogue. "Don't even try it, Solo. If you've heard anything that's been going on then you know of the power that we now wield. We have the power of the sun on our side. You cannot beat this new form."

"Forms. That is the only way you have been able to beat me," Rogue replied in a cold tone as he stopped before Megaman, the two glaring at each other. "The Zerker form. The Black Ace. But never as Megaman. Never as just yourself. You are weak without others there to lend you their strength."

"How many times must I tell you? My friends are what give me my strength," Megaman replied as he glared back at Rogue. Rogue smirked at Megaman before he turned his head towards Celestia, looking her over for a moment before he turned and walked back to the center of the area.

"Well then, today we will see how much power your friends really give you!" Rogue roared as he turned and swung his blade, creating a wave of shattered magic that hurtled towards the group. Celestia created a barrier while Taurus Fire threw himself in front of his friends. The barrier was shattered by the sword wave, but Taurus was able to withstand the attack.

"Hurry Megaman! Transform!" Taurus roared as he turned and charged towards Rogue, bellowing like a bull as he charged towards the dark warrior. Rogue brought his left fist back, before he drove his fist into the skull of the flaming bull. Taurus roared in agony as he staggered backwards, before Rogue slammed a boot into the chest of the bull.

"You are not worth my time," Rogue said before he grabbed Taurus Fire by the horns and hurled him through the windows of a store. An explosion of solar energy erupted from his side and Rogue turned to see the Solar Knight standing beside him, his power radiating with such power that even Rogue narrowed his eyes. "As for you. You had better say your goodbyes, because I'm finally putting an end to your futile life."

"Every other villain I fought said the same thing. The Maestro said the same thing. And here I am," Megaman replied before he lunged towards Rogue, firing blasts out of his solar buster at Rogue. Rogue sliced the blasts out of the air before twirling and throwing a kick at Megaman's head. Megaman blocked the blow with his shield, but the force of the blow still made Megaman take a few steps back.

"You're far more stronger than before," Megaman noticed as he took up a defensive stance, beginning to circle Rogue as Rogue started to circle him. "What happened to you, Solo? Why do you look like the Maestro and suddenly have his powers? Don't told me he turned you to his side?! He wants to destroy the world! That includes any remnants of Mu!"

"I know that. And I will not allow him to," Rogue replied before he lunged forward, faking a sword attack to get Megaman to raise his shield before he went low and swept the feet of the Solar Knight. Celestia caught the movement and shot a blast of magic into Rogue's leg, getting him to snarl as he leapt back to recover. "He offered me power in exchange that I kill you. How could I pass that up?"

"Still a pawn even now, eh Rogue?" Megaman taunted with a smirk, getting Rogue's eyes to become slits. "You keep getting played by every villain that's threatened the world. When will you learn?"

"I don't care. I just want you dead."

Megaman and Rogue roared as the collided in the air, creating a shockwave of power that blasted back any that had stopped to watch the battle. Megaman pointed Celestia at Rogue's head, but before he could fire Rogue slammed his skull into the face of Celestia. She cried out in pain and moved herself back, leaving Geo's left side open. Rogue spun in the air and drove his foot into Megaman's ribs, sending him rocketing back to the floor below. Megaman hit with enough force to shatter the ground, but he kicked up a moment later and retaliated by unleashing a volley of solar blasts at Rogue.

Rogue flickered his form to EM and watched the attacks pass through him, before he reformed and lifted his sword above his head. A second later he crashed down into Megaman, swinging the blade with all of his fury into the shield Megaman lifted to defend himself. The sword met the shield and an explosion of shattered magic went off, hurling Megaman through a set of escalators while Rogue was hurled down a hallway.

"This isn't good," Megaman said to Celestia as he picked the two of them up, glancing down the hallway to see that Rogue was already back on his feet. "He's never been this strong before. He might be stronger than us."

"Is that possible?" Celestia asked with disbelief. "We were strong enough to defeat Maestro in this form. How can he possibly be overpowering us?"

"Rogue has always been stronger than me. I've managed to beat him over the years thanks to my friends and forms that I've received," Megaman explained as Rogue hurled another slash of shattered magic towards them, before teleporting behind the two of them and swinging with his shattered fist. Megaman spun around to intercept the fist with his shield, before spinning Celestia towards the slash. He fired a charge shot into the shattered slash, only for the attack to slice clean through the burst.

Realizing what was about to happen, Megaman moved Celestia out of the way and took the attack himself, roaring in pain as he fell to one knee. The attack left him open and allowed Rogue to drive his fist into the skull of Megaman, sending him hurling across the mall ground. Megaman spat out a bit of blood in pain as he started to get up once more, flames wrapping around him as he did so.

"Alright, I've had enough of this," Megaman said in a cold voice to Rogue as the fire was concentrated into a blade, which Celestia grabbed with her mouth and finalizing the fire into a blade. "The Maestro has left numerous weapons that have the potential to destroy the world and we have no idea how to deal with them. I do not have time to deal with you. So leave or I will put you down hard."

"You will try. But this time, you will lose."

Megaman appeared behind Rogue and slashed at him with the solar blade, with Rogue barely getting out of the way of the attack. Yet even though he avoided the physical sword, the heat from the attack still burned the front part of Rogue's body. Rogue slashed at Megaman with his blade, but this time Megaman intercepted with his sword and caused fire to erupt between the two swords.

With Rogue's sword locked in with Megaman's, Megaman swung at his foe with his shield. Rogue realized a second too late what was happening and took a solar disc to the side of the head. He roared as he staggered back, EM waves falling from his face as his X visor was shattered from the blow. He clutched at the damage before glaring daggers at Megaman, who twirled his sword before pointing it at Rogue.

"Yield."

"Never."

Rogue reached out with his shattered hand and reached into a hole of darkness, pulling out a silver sword with a red base. He swung the two swords around before lunging towards Megaman, who growled as he prepared for the onslaught. He deflected the first strike with his solar sword before blocking the new sword with his shield. Megaman then spun and slashed at Rogue, who made an X with his swords to deflect the blade. Rogue drove his foot into the gut of Megaman, staggering the EM warrior before Rogue twirled and slashed with both of his blades.

"TAURUS CHARGE!"

Rogue had enough time to look to the side before a colossal beast of red slammed into his side, driving Rogue through the wall of a store. Taurus let out a smirk at the hole he had flung the warrior into before he walked over to Megaman, holding out a hand to help him up.

"Thanks. I wasn't sure if I could keep that up," Megaman said as he took Taurus hand, the two of them glaring at the hole.

"How did he get so strong? Even he wasn't able to one shot me before," Taurus asked.

"He has the Maestro's power. Add that with his winning personality and he's fare more dangerous than before. We need to be on-"

The conversation was interrupted when Rogue appeared behind the both of them and slashed at them with his twin blades. Megaman was fast enough to spin around and block the sword aimed at him with his shield, but Taurus turned just in time to take a blade to the chest. He roared in pain as he staggered back, clutching at the large gash that was in his chest.

"Seems your friends aren't as strong as you believe them to be," Rogue said with a smirk as Taurus crashed into the ground, weakly looking up at Rogue who was glaring down at him. "You never stood a chance to begin with. The fact that you managed to catch me off guard shows just how much stronger he is than you. If he wasn't, I would have cut you out of the air before he had the chance to touch me."

"Don't take your eyes off the prize!" Megaman bellowed as he plunged his sword at Rogue, getting Rogue to snap his head back towards his main foe. Yet right as the blade was about to strike Rogue, a being made of black energy and hands like blades appeared before Rogue, slashing across Megaman's chest with his hands. Megaman let out a cry of pain as he missed his strike, before Rogue took the opening and slashed clean through Megaman. Megaman crashed into the ground and slid over to where Zack and Luna were, weakly pushing himself back up as the numerous gashes in his chest took their toll.

"So this is as far as your friends power takes you?" Rogue asked as he stalked towards Megaman, dragging both of his blades upon the ground.

"You have to get up, Geo! We cannot lose here!" Celestia instructed Megaman, who was trying with every last ounce of strength he had to push himself to his feet. But before Rogue could get close to Megaman, Luna ran in front of Rogue and threw her arms to the side.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rogue asked Luna, stopping in front of her while narrowing his eyes.

"I won't let you-"

"Just stop. You are the least threatening being in this entire mall to me," Rogue replied in a cold tone that bit at Luna. "You are weak. You have always been weak and annoying and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Rogue continued as he walked up to Luna, who backed away slightly with trembling eyes. "You have never been anything and you will never be anything. You are weak. And I hate the weak."

Luna's eyes went wide as Rogue lifted a blade and slashed at Luna, who closed her eyes as she waited for the blade to cleave her in two. But before the blade could strike she felt an intense wave of heat wash over her and a roar of pain erupted a second later. Luna cracked open her eyes to see that Megaman was before her, with Rogue's blade embedded in his shoulder. But the solar sword had also gone through the stomach of Rogue, who had staggered back while seething in pain.

"Don't...you...touch her," Megaman spat out as he ripped the blade out of his shoulder, tossing it to the ground before clutching at the wound. Rogue snarled in reply before his form began to flicker, with his metal parts and shattered magic starting to fade.

"You must retreat," the EM being that had protected Rogue whispered as he appeared behind Rogue. "You cannot hold that form much longer."

"No! I am so close to finishing him!" Rogue roared before he growled in pain and fell to a knee, the solar blade burning his body. "I will not retreat, Laplace!"

"That is no longer your choice."

Laplace lifted his hands and slashed them towards the group, forcing Celestia to create a sphere of magic to protect them. The impact kicked up a swarm of dust that blinded the group, but when it cleared Celestia found that both Rogue and Laplace were gone. Megaman narrowed his eyes before he let out a tired sigh and fell over, transforming back into Celestia and Megaman before Megaman turned back into Geo and Mega.

"Are you three okay?!" Luna asked with concern as she kneeled next to Geo, helping him to sit up as Zack and Bud both staggered over to them. Celestia rose to her hooves and used her magic to help Mega up, while Geo stared at the spot where Rogue had vanished.

"I'll live," Geo replied in-between breathes, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

"That's just one more thing to add to the crap pile," Mega said with a shake of his head as he placed a hand on Geo's shoulder. "First the Maestro, then his giants spheres and now this asshole shows up and is going to be a problem for us. This week just gets better and better."

"Yeah...you okay Bud?" Geo asked Bud, who was clutching at his chest with a look of pain on his face.

"Yeah...he only hurt my pride...and the rest of me," Bud grunted.

"At least you were of use," Luna whispered quietly enough so that none of them could hear.

"Well, at least we're all alive," Geo said as he stood up, trying to think positive. "Come on guys, let's go home for now. And Celestia, when we've both recovered we're going to have to start training as the Solar Knight. It's clear now that just having that power isn't enough. We're going to have to learn to work together."

What He Does Best

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You took yourself to the city?"

"Stop it Sonia."

"Never!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{*}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Tell us what, Bud?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Her Moment In the Sun

"A trick? What do you mean?" Harp Note asked before the Maestro was upon them again, grabbing hold of the Solar Knight's face and hurled him into the side of the doomsday weapon. Megaman roared with pain as the whole orbital death station tilted from the impact. Maestro turned towards the Lunar Diva and hurled a right punch at her head, yet she had retained enough of her senses to dodge out of the way. Her injuries made her slowly, however, and Maestro grabbed hold of her wounded arm, getting her to scream with in pain before she was hurled next to the Solar Night.

"It's the only thing I've got that can possibly defeat the Maestro once and for all," Megaman told her as he grabbed her right arm and lifted her back up to her feet, the both of them turning their gaze to the Maestro, who walked towards the both of them at a leisurely pace. "A last resort, if you will. And I have to get to him to fall for it."

Harp Note looked at Megaman with confusion as he reached behind him and pulled out a small container from within his armored suit. He cracked open the container and pulled out the device designed to bring down the Maestro, getting Harp Note's eyes to go wide as she realized what he was holding.

"No Geo...not that," she whispered with horror before she lunged at the Solar Knight, trying to snatch the device out of his hand. Megaman was quick enough to move the weapon out of her reach, but he did have to push Celestia against Harp Note to keep her back. "You can't use that! You heard what Ace said! There isn't a power source on earth that is powerful enough to run it!"

"Then why are you fighting so hard to take it from me?!" Megaman roared in response before flashing the Maestro a glance, seeing that their foe had halted his advancements and was watching the two bicker with interest.

"Because I know what you're going to do!" Harp Note roared before the Maestro shot her in the back, causing her to cry out as she nearly collapsed in Megaman's arms. He raised his shield to protect the both of them before gently laying her onto the ground. She took a moment to take in a few deep breaths before she glared up at Megaman, tears streaming down her face as she did so. "You're going to sacrifice your life to use it. You're going to use your power to fuel it and it's going to kill you. That's the only way it can be powered!"

"It's the only way," Megaman replied before he took out the device and gripped it tight, closing his eyes to fully accept what he was about to do before he glanced over at Harp Note, who was staring at the ground with tears running down her face. "You can't do it. You're too weak right now. Only a power like mine can fuel it. I'm sorry."

"You selfish jerk. Always so quick to sacrifice your life, regardless of what it will do to the rest of us," Harp Note sobbed as she tried to push herself up once more, but the wounds were too great and she collapsed to the ground in pain. She glared at Megaman one last time before she turned her glance towards the ground, unable to look Megaman in the eyes. "My feelings finally got through to you and you felt the same way. I was so happy with you. We're so happy. Please, don't do this."

"I have to," Megaman said as he looked away from her. "I'm sorry."

"As am I, Geo."

A flash of solar and lunar light erupted from the two champions and a moment later Megaman and Harp Note were sent skidding across the side of the cube. They weakly picked themselves up to see two alicorns standing next to one another, looking back at the two champions with smiles on their faces and the weapon in their magical grasps.

"Celestia...Luna..." Megaman whispered. "What are you-?"

"What we swore to do. Protect all of you," Celestia said before she constructed a barrier of magic around herself and her sister to protect her from the assault from the Maestro, forcing Luna to add her magic to barrier to keep it from breaking under his assault. "Maestro is here because we failed to beat him. You have all suffered so much because we failed. But never again. Today, we end this. Once and for all."

"No...princesses!" Megaman roared as he tried to race to them, but before he could take two steps Harp Note tackled him from the side with whatever strength she had left to bring him to the ground. Megaman tried to escape, but Mega appeared next to the both of them and used his strength to keep the both of them pinned. "MEGA! SONIA! Let me go!"

"Sorry kid, but this is for your sake," Mega replied in a tone filled with sadness, before he nodded to Celestia. Celestia nodded in reply before she bellowed with power and used her magical power to push the Maestro off of the both of them.

"Why bother with this, Celestia? Neither you nor your sister are a match for me without the aid of your champions," Maestro informed the both of them, but to his surprise Luna and Celestia chuckled to themselves at the Maestro's words.

"We know that. We know that fusion is the only way to stand against you," Luna replied, before she gave the Maestro a sinister smile. "But my sister and I talked it over and we realized something. We were able to combine with Geo and Sonia because they're our closest friends on this world."

"But if all it took to combine with them was being close friends, then surely we would be able to do the same with another who we also felt a close connection to. All it would take to do so is a desire to protect those we care about, like those two humans there," Celestia finished, getting Maestro to tilt his head before Celestia and Luna clasped their hooves together. An explosion the likes of which Megaman and Harp Note have never felt before erupted between the two of them.

A shadow of energy eclipsed the sun and blotted out the moon, casting a shadow upon all of the combatants. But within the torrent of magic and power the two EM champions could see an alicorn walking forward, an alicorn that was much larger than Celestia and Luna had been. Her coat was a pitch black with galaxies and stars upon it that helped her to mirror the very stars above. Her two wings looked like a galaxy while her mane flowed the length of her body, swirling like the cosmos. But what drew the Maestro's attention was her eyes, eyes that shone like the heavens.

"The Princess of the Eclipse. How long it has been," Maestro whispered to himself before he took a shot of magic to the chest that both tore into his armor and attacked his very being. He snarled in reply before vanishing in a flash of shattered magic, appearing next to the fused alicorn. He hurled his fist at them, but to his surprise the blow slammed into a vortex of sunlight, which hardly even budged from his attack.

"Alone we are strong. Together we are invincible," Eclipse said to him as she turned and pointed her horn at his chest, blasting him with another attack that sent him rocketing across the side of the cube, a new hole punched through his armor.

"Celestia?" Megaman asked with surprise.

"Luna?" Harp Note added.

The princess turned back to give them a quick smile. "Do not worry you two, neither of you shall lose the other today. You have given us so much in our brief time here. It is only right that we give you something in return. But sadly, all we have to give...is our lives."

The princess spread her wings and charged after the Maestro, slamming into him just as he was getting back up to his feet. He roared with fury as he fired blasts after blast of shattered magic into the side of Eclipse, but she fought through the pain before she drove the two of them into the heavens. Within moments they were clear of the cube, allowing Eclipse to toss the Maestro off of her before she unleashed magic akin to shooting stars at the Maestro, who weaved out of the way to avoid being hit.

His hands crackled with so much shattered magic that the very stars seemed to quiver under his power, yet when he unleashed all of his shattered magic upon Eclipse he found that she had vanished. He let out a snarl before spinning around to catch a blade like a black hole that had tried to impale him, struggling against the might of the ultimate alicorn.

"You power is formidable. But then again, I'd expect nothing less of the two most powerful magic users in Equestria combined," the Maestro said with a small smirk before he shattered the blade with his grasp, stunning the princess of eclipse long enough to drive a fist into her face. Her head was snapped to the side and she was sent tumbling into space, but a spread of her wings allowed her to recover and she swirled the stars around her into her magic. A beam of heavenly light erupted from the end of her horn and tore across space to destroy the Maestro, but he vanished and appeared beside her in the same breath.

"And it is clear that it is more than a match for you!" Eclipse roared as she spun and fired a blast of magic that could have cleaved a continent into two into the chest of Maestro, who roared as his metal chest was completely bent outwards. He seethed as he clutched at his chest with a hand, but then he began to chuckle as he glanced up at the alicorn. She was about to ask him what was so funny before her form began to flicker, making her look down at herself with shock.

"Yes, it's power might be able to contend with this form, but as with all great powers there is a catch. And the catch for this form is that there is a time limit. You cannot hold more than a few minutes at your current level. Perhaps with some training you could even go a full five minute," Maestro said before his fist crackled with power. "But if you believe that I will give you another chance, you are sorely mistaken."

Eclipse realized that his words were true, meaning that she didn't have much longer to defeat him. 'And with the shape that Geo and Sonia are in, then there is little chance that even if we can get back to them that they'd be able to defeat Maestro. We must end this now...no matter the cost!'

Eclipse let out a bellow that shook all of the galaxy that they controlled before they teleported the device into their grasp, slamming it into the chest of Maestro before hurling the two of them towards the sun. Eclipse began to pour her power into the device, activating it and causing it to shine with the colors of the cosmos.

"How cute, an energy draining device. But sadly, it will not...what?" Maestro asked himself as he tried to summon his magic, but to his horror he realized that it would not come to him. He glanced down to see Eclipse chuckling to herself, before glaring up at him with hate fueled eyes.

"It all ends now, Maestro!" she roared as they got closer and closer to the sun, her form beginning to fade away as more and more of their life force was poured into the device. The device in turn began to suck not only the Maestro's power into itself, but also Maestro's very spirit as well. Maestro bellowed with fury as he began to hammer away at Eclipse, able to hear bones break with each of his strikes. But to his horror he found that she would not release her grip, even though her life force was practically gone.

"This is for everypony that you took from us," Eclipse said as the sun approached, her form practically gone. "And while we may die, know that we avenged them. And know, in your final moments, that we were able to defeat you. Even if it costs us our lives! So I hope you spend your last few moments shaking in-"

A flash of light shone from Eclipse and a second later Celestia and Luna floated next to each other. Luna's eyes went wide as she glance down at herself, wondering what had happened. But before she could think of an answer a barrier of sunlight wrapped itself around her and hurled her away from the Maestro and Celestia. Luna spun to face her sister, who was still driving herself into the side of the Maestro and hurling the both of them to the sun.

"SISTER! No! Don't do this!" Luna screamed at Celestia as she tried to break through her sisters spell, but to her horror it held strong. She slammed herself against the side of the barrier, but when that proved futile she gazed through it up at Celestia, who was smiling sadly down at Luna "WHY?! We promised that we would go together! You promised..."

"I'm sorry, sister. But this will be the first time...I break a promise to you," Celestia whispered, but Luna still heard her as clear as day. "Even though we promised, even though we are inseparable...I want you to be safe. I want you to be happy. I want you to live...I love you, little sister. That is why I do this. Live and live happily. For me."

Tears poured down Luna's eyes as she tried one last time to break the sphere, but then Celestia let out a roar that could pierce the heavens as she unleashed the rest of her power into the device. She then flapped her wings once more and plunged both herself and the Maestro into the sun. Even though she was the princess of the sun, her body quickly melted away under the intensity of the star.

"Sacrificing yourself to save your sister. What a boring ending," Maestro said to her in a weak voice, his entire body cracked and drained of its shattered magic. Celestia could see that his essence was being dragged into the device and that bits of his armor were falling off, as if there was no longer any thing to control them.

"Hearing the disappointment in your voice the moment before you die. What a satisfying way to go," Celestia replied as her body practically faded away as well. She then closed her eyes and poured the last of her being into the device, which in turned caused Maestro to roar as his soul and power was sucked in as well. An explosion went off inside of the sun, one that was so large and powerful that it could be seen across the heavens. At first it was nothing more than a giant ball of fire, but after a moment the explosion took on the form of a horned being with wings. The alicorn shaped explosion shone across the entire cosmos, signifying who had been victorious, before it faded away and allowed darkness to return to space.

Unbeknownst to those that were battling amongst the stars, the people at WAZA all began to celebrate when they saw the explosion from the Earth. Their technology had told them that not only had the device been successful in capturing the Maestro and eternally trapping him, but also that Megaman and Harp Note were both still alive.

The two EM warrior were holding each other close from the side of the cube, watching the explosion as it died down. They then glanced at each other with somber expressions and pulled the other closer, believing both Celestia and Luna to be gone.

Then Mega pointed out the small sphere of solar light that was flying towards them, getting the both of them to rise to their feet and hurl themselves after it. They reached the sphere a moment later, eyes going wide to see that Luna was not only inside, but she was alive and unconscious. Smiles crossed their faces as they began to move the sphere back to what remained of the orbital weapon. Their excited smiles turned into tired smiles as the pain caught up with them, but they felt nothing but happiness and success, as communication coming from Earth told them that the Maestro was gone. Everyone had made it.

Everyone, except for a piece of Luna's heart that would be gone for the rest of her immortal life.