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pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer · 4 years

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Shooting Star Sonia 3.5: Event Horizon

Chapter 4

“Pitiful,” Scorpio said. “Was that really the best you could do?”

“It would have been unwise to press further,” Apollo said. He did not face Scorpio as he spoke, keeping his gaze fixed on Auriga: the general had his back to them, busying himself with crafting a new chariot.

“Do you believe that? Even if all you could have done was buy more time, that still would have been time for Clock to collect even more data. I’ve spoken with Administrator Sirius, and we are in agreement: if Clock’s countermeasures fail, you two will be held accountable for it.”

At this, Auriga whirled. “What? No, the blame is mine! There is no need to burden Master Apollo with it!”

Scorpio ignored him. Apollo said, “That boy from Mu was collecting data as well. If he had gathered enough to hack the armors’ connection, then we would be left at a notable disadvantage in future confrontations.”

“I see you’ve prepared plenty of empty justification,” Scorpio said. “Perhaps you should take this matter up with the Administrator. I’m certain he would be elated to know you think so lowly of the armor he invented.”

Auriga snorted. “Listen here, bug--”

Apollo held out his hand, silencing him. Scorpio left without another word.

“Hmph. I suppose no talk would penetrate that thick shell of his.”

Auriga returned to his work. As he beat the metal into shape, Apollo sat down next to him, placing a finger on it and increasing its temperature to render it more malleable.

“Thank you, sir.”

Apollo continued to stare in silence as Auriga worked.

“...My apologies,” Auriga murmured. “It is my fault the Administrator is cross with you. I was too weak to defeat those Earthlings, and because of that, you retreated.”

Apollo shook his head. “I was not faring well either. You needn’t shoulder all the blame yourself, Auriga.”

“I must! I am your loyal servant, and I have failed you. Once again, I have failed…”

Auriga sighed. Facing him, Apollo said, “I’ve told you--”

“I know. But I can’t help but wonder if there was something else I could have done--some other way to convince them that it was only I who was responsible for our sparring. I will never forgive myself for costing you your life’s work.”

Auriga continued hammering. Then, to his surprise, Apollo wrapped an arm around him and rested his head on his shoulder, jolting him to a standstill.

“Auriga,” Apollo said. “I have never blamed you. If anything, I am guilty of stealing your life, putting you under undue scrutiny from the rest. I am sorry.”

“W...what? Sir, where is this coming from? You need never apologize to me! The fault is mine, trouble yourself not with such concerns!”

Apollo paused. “The truth is, I was afraid. We have never fought such powerful foes, and I began to worry that they might harm you...I could not bear the thought. You have always been so fervent in protecting me. Yet, I have never made it explicit that I care for you in return, have I?”

Once he was no longer stunned, Auriga chuckled. “Sir...I have always known.”

Apollo picked his head up.

“Forgive the bluntness, sir, but you are not as mysterious as you think. I am well familiar with the subtleties of your conduct. You have made your affection known, in your own way. My fervor would not persist were I unaware.”

A silence fell over the two. Nervously, Auriga turned towards Apollo, who looked shocked by his words. Then, a smile formed, and Apollo laughed softly. He pressed his forehead against Auriga’s, and they both allowed the silence to go on.

In another part of the server, Clock sat before a massive terminal, typing away ferociously while trying and failing to stifle a low groan. When Scorpio approached, he held up one hand and said, “Wait!” After another minute of typing, he spun around. “Fine, go ahead.”

“I was simply curious to see how much progress you were making,” Scorpio said. “I take it not much?”

“Well, plenty, but there’s also plenty remaining.”

“I see. Care to explain the good news?”

Waving over his guest, Clock returned to his terminal and resumed typing. “I’ve got a solid analysis of the process Harp Note and Mega Man use to control Noise. Jamming their signal will be easy, though I’m certain there are some additional functions we haven’t seen, and I can’t guarantee they won’t be able to break through if they were to access great quantities of Noise. With just a bit more data, I should easily be able to counteract the other girl’s terrain manipulating ability, as well.”

Scorpio nodded. “And the boy from Mu?”

Clock chuckled. “Oh, him? His transformation is fueled by Adha: shutting it down is a given.”

“Excellent. It sounds as though our enemies’ repertoire will be greatly limited.”

Frowning, Clock said, “Limited, yes, but not nullified. My work is far from complete.”

Suddenly, a window appeared in the corner of Clock’s screen, showing an image of Sirius. The Administrator said, “Even still, Clock, I believe it will suffice. I knew you wouldn’t let me down like the rest have.”

Clock sat back, resting his hands on his knees. “With respect, Administrator, I’m not ready to stop working on this just yet.”

“Then by all means, work to your heart’s content. You have until tomorrow.”

Stroking his chin, Clock said, “Hm...that’s a tight schedule. But I’ll find some way to make it in time.”

“Administrator Sirius,” Scorpio said. “If you are planning another confrontation for tomorrow, then I would like to request to be involved.”

Sirius laughed. “Can’t hold your eagerness at bay any longer, Scorpio?”

“I have no shortage of patience. However, I am...optimistic. Should the chance arise to delete Harp Note, I would relish the opportunity to do so personally.”

“Is that so? Well, far be it from me to get in your way. Make whatever preparations you see fit.”

“Thank you, sir,” Scorpio said with a bow. “I shall see to it immediately.”

Sirius cut the communication, and Clock returned to work. “Out with you, then. No distractions.”

Scorpio obliged and left Clock to his work. Sharpening his pincers, he thought, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you in person, Harp Note. At last, I can see for myself what it takes to bend Planet FM to one’s will.

***

Luna lay flat on the wave bed, letting out a loud, frustrated sigh. “The nerve of that general, really. This had better give us a chance to properly educate Planet XM the way we’ve done here.”

“We can certainly hope so,” Sonia said, taking a seat next to her.

“Assuming Solo doesn’t get carried away. He talks like he’s developing a god complex with that new form, and that’s the last thing he needs.”

“Yeah, that would be...interesting to deal with. But, I’m not all that worried.”

“Hm, I guess he did know when to quit. You’re probably right.”

Luna shifted. Sonia waited, then said, “So, Luna...are you alright?”

Flicking her tail, Luna said, “Well, I don’t think I was quite prepared to not have legs for so long. It’s such a weird feeling; once I get them back, I’m worried they’re both going to be asleep for hours.”

“Honestly, you material beings think much too highly of legs,” Ophiuca said. “They’re not that advanced a mode of locomotion.”

“That’s beside the point. The issue is that they’re what I’m used to, and I’m not wired to operate so differently over extended periods of time. How would you like to switch to legs for a few days?”

Sonia smiled. “Hehe...you’ll bounce back.”

Luna nodded with a triumphant hum, discreetly taking hold of Sonia’s hand at the same time. “I’ll just have to tough it out. Maybe once we get home I’ll do some jogging, make good use of them.”

“Sounds fun. Mind if I come too?”

“Of course you’re invited.”

“Then, does that count as a date?”

“Maybe...but only a small one. We’ll still have to do something bigger to celebrate resolving this.”

Sonia giggled. “I can’t wait. Anything particular you have in mind?”

“Hmm…”

A chime interrupted. Sonia gave Luna’s hand a quick squeeze, then stood up and said, “Come in.”

Geo entered the room, a gloomy look on his face. “Hey. Sorry to bother you, but it’s urgent.”

Sonia drooped. “Oh, let me guess…”

“Yep. Sirius isn’t willing to let us rest: he just sent a message informing us that he’s going to hold another ‘experiment’ tomorrow.”

“Well, on the bright side,” Luna said, “if we keep this up we’ll be home in no time.”

“I guess so.”

“Don’t look so glum!” Mega said. “After today’s fight, the FM-ians are in way higher spirits than when we got here. Seeing us beat the tar outta these tough guys is real cathartic for ‘em. And who knows, maybe Sonia’ll turn a whole squad of our enemies in one go.”

“Heh, no promises,” Sonia said.

Geo’s shoulders relaxed. “Maybe...well, I should go let the others know.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, Geo,” Sonia said. “We’ll be ready.”

He nodded and headed out. Sitting back down, Sonia sighed, and Luna grabbed her hand again.

“Are you alright?” Luna asked.

“Yeah,” Sonia said. “I think you’ve got the right idea: I need to focus on ending this as quickly as possible. We’ll handle tomorrow, and with luck Solo will be able to hack the armors and provide an opportunity for us to finish things.”

“Right. And you do tend to have good luck.”

“You think so?”

Luna tugged on Sonia’s arm. “Yes, I do.”

“Hm...on some things, maybe.”

They shared a kiss, and then Luna turned onto her side, facing the wall. Sonia picked up her guitar and began to play quietly, gently lulling them both to sleep.

***

Sonia advanced very cautiously, being sure to keep her eyes peeled for any hint of movement. Far fewer enemy FM-ians than yesterday had gathered on the surrounding Wave Roads, and rather than attacking, they all simply watched and waited as she and her allies marched. Up ahead stood Clock and Scorpio, the latter equipped with ebony Rosetta Proxy Armor that encased his upper arms, layered more ridges upon his body armor, and joined these segments with two long tubes.

“Right on time!” Clock said, raising his arms in greeting. “Thank you for being punctual, Harp Note--you’ve no idea how hard that trait is to come by.”

“So you’re Clock Genius?” Sonia said. “Any way I can convince you we don’t have to fight?”

Clock laughed in response. Scorpio said, “The arrogance of a legend. You’ve let your forces become surrounded, and still you think yourself in a position to negotiate surrender.”

Pushing aside the urge to argue with him, Sonia said, “Scorpio. Why did you start this war? Was it really worth turning this whole planet against itself, just because you were afraid of change?”

“You misunderstand. I realize that change itself is inevitable; I simply took a look at what we were changing into, and rejected that path. Planet FM, a place of peace? What absurdity.”

“Would it be so bad?”

“A better question: by what right do you have a voice in this discussion? What does a material being from the other side of the galaxy know of Planet FM?” Scorpio made a sweeping motion with one pincer. “FM-ians are proud, powerful warriors! The meek docility you have forced upon us is an insult that disgusts us down to our source code!”

The armored FM-ians cheered in response. Lyra said, “Oh please. Are they that easily swayed?”

“I didn’t make the decision for anyone,” Sonia said. “I helped the FM-ians realize there was another path they could take, and most of them decided they wanted to give it a try. You’re the one trying to take that choice away from them, because you don’t want them choosing something other than what you’ve already picked out for them. I wonder why that is?”

Scorpio hummed. “Interesting. But I have to wonder...Clock. Have you established your connection?”

The clock situated on Clock’s helmet lowered abruptly, now covering his eyes, as a great spectral clock face appeared in the space behind him. “Indeed I have! Time to move things along!”

Sonia turned to shout at her allies to take cover. At the same time, Scorpio raised his pincer high, and the armored FM-ians all threw themselves into battle. Sonia blasted her immediate surroundings clear, and then swung her guitar forward to activate the Joker Program. It didn’t respond.

“Lyra?” she asked, narrowly evading an unexpected attack.

“I’m trying, dear,” Lyra said. “Something’s jamming our connection to the Noise Server. Unless we take care of that, I don’t think we’ll be able to Noise Change at all.”

After knocking aside an enemy, Sonia glared up at Clock and Scorpio. “Not willing to fight fair?”

With a shrug, Scorpio said, “Should we? Victory is what matters. I am willing to use whatever method of obtaining it I come across.”

Sonia barely had time to dodge as Scorpio’s tail extended across the vast distance between them, stabbing into the Wave Road where she had just been standing. Retracting the appendage, Scorpio pulled himself towards Sonia in the blink of an eye, swiping his pincer and sending Sonia rolling away with the blow. Clock elected to stay back, but soon enough he had Moon bearing down on him.

“Always the trickster,” Moon said as he readied a boomerang. “You won’t be so tough once I shut this thing down, yo!”

Wagging his finger, Clock said, “Oh Moon, you never did fully understand how my technology operates, did you?”

Charging, Moon said, “What’s there to know?”

Clock simply snapped his fingers. Instantly, an energy field enveloped Moon, and he froze completely.

“There’s plenty to know, Moon,” Clock said. “And knowledge contains so much power. I’ve worked alongside you long enough that I’ve been able to compile a fully comprehensive analysis of you, your waves--everything I need to completely neutralize you as a factor. I have nothing more to learn from you, Moon. Your new friends, on the other hand…”

He set his sights on Luna, currently preoccupied by a small squad of FM-ians. Swinging one arm forward, Clock summoned a spinning set of clock hands that flew through the air, dealing a glancing blow with the projectile and getting Luna’s attention.

“Queen Ophiuca,” Clock said, steadily walking closer. “Another human-FM-ian fusion, able to control snakes and petrify foes. But, lately you’ve been displaying an ability we have no prior data on...I’d like to study it in-person.”

“You might regret it later!” Luna said as she faced him.

“Hold on, Luna!” Ophiuca said. “He seems to be the one responsible for interfering with the Noise Control Programs. If he has the chance to learn more about our ability, he might find a way to counter it as well.”

Luna slithered to one side, keeping her eyes on Clock. “Ah, that’s right. So, should we not use it?”

“I believe we should save it for the most opportune moment. We may only get a single use--it must count.”

Nodding, Luna charged forward, discreetly summoning a group of snakes behind Clock’s back. Humming in disappointment, Clock generated a single clock hand and fired it like a spear; Luna wove around it and fired her Gorgon Eye, narrowly missing Clock but then forming an unsteady stone pillar next to him. Clock guarded as the pillar collapsed, and the snakes began spitting poison at his blind spot. The XM-ian seemed genuinely surprised as he whirled around. He used another set of spinning hands to delete the serpents, and though Luna tried to exploit the opening, the floating clock face behind her foe turned and fired a great beam at her. The attack sent Luna sprawling, and she got back up to see Clock typing something into a panel that had extended from a clock on his wrist.

“Poison, hm? What kind…” Clock hit the panel a few more times before his whole body flashed. Smirking at Luna, he said, “I’ve collected all sorts of antidotes in my time--a tactic like that won’t work on me.”

“Darn it,” Luna grumbled.

“Furthermore, that is not the ability I wish to study! Come now, don’t make me goad you into it, human!”

As Luna considered her options, an unconscious FM-ian flew across her field of view. Solo walked up next to her, hand on his spaulder; he looked to Clock and said, “You talk too much. Allow me to shut you up.”

Golden waves surrounded him, but Clock was undaunted. With a snap of his fingers, a ring of light pulsed out from the spectral clock face, and the instant it touched Solo, his aura vanished. Solo’s eyes shot wide.

“Boring!” Clock said. “That power comes from the core left to ancient Mu, correct? That energy--Adha--is still the basis of the fuel we use for the MBN Program! I know more than enough to disarm even an archaic formula like the one you’re using!”

Before Solo could say anything, a loud, high-pitched buzz came from his armor. Covering his ears, he said, “Laplace?! Are you alright?!”

“Ah, yes, you do have a Wave Being with you. I suppose they’re also made out of Adha--how fascinating!”

Laplace’s cry trailed off into silence. Glaring at Clock, Solo said, “You...if any harm comes to Laplace…”

“Oh, don’t fret. We’ve experimented with the same kind of being: they’ll be affected by the process of course, but it’s nothing they can’t recover from. Why are you acting so sentimental over--”

He was cut off as Luna’s Gorgon Eye hit him, stunning him momentarily. Solo needed no further prompting: the flames coating his fist grew brighter, and he threw himself at Clock, unleashing a string of punches and kicks that beat Clock back. Seeing an opportunity, Luna used her next blast to freeze the area just behind Clock. Solo pushed him that way with one more punch, and then pulled back as his foe reached the altered terrain, slipping and tumbling down the Wave Road.

“Luna,” Ophiuca said, “the clock face!”

Looking up, Luna attacked the ghostly image. It appeared to crack, but did not break, so she prepared to follow up when she realized Clock was already on his feet. Luna tried to hasten her next move, but Clock pointed at the projection and shouted, “Daylight Savings!”

The clock face’s shine magnified suddenly, protecting it from the incoming beams and repairing the damage from the previous attack. Solo charged at Clock again, but this time Clock was prepared, and managed to jab Solo in the shoulder with a clock hand. His movements turning exponentially sluggish, Solo tried to keep Clock pinned down, but the XM-ian simply walked around him, making his way back towards the clock face.

“Hm, seems I got a bit distracted,” Clock said, examining the projection. “On the bright side, I’ve managed to obtain more data from that assault. Seems both of you are utilizing odd variations on Noise...how quaint!”

Luna’s eyes flicked to Solo, verifying that he was still under the effects of Clock’s attack. “Alright, you got what you want. Wouldn’t it be fair to share some information in return?”

Clock looked over his shoulder. “Oh? There’s something you want to learn from me?”

“Why is Planet XM so dead-set on making these stupid power cores? Have you really been at it since the time of Mu? That’s nuts! There has to be some reason why you’d dedicate so much time to it!”

Clock’s gaze drifted upwards. “Hm...there’s some validity to what you say. When the MBN Program began so many years ago, it was the result of a superstition that had recently made its way to this galaxy--hardly a proper motivation for scientific research. In the time since, we’ve outgrown such silly notions, yet the program continues. We constantly seek to better our technology and understanding of the world, just as any civilized race would. You can at least understand that, can’t you?”

“If you want to improve yourself and your world, that’s one thing. But why does it have to be this one technology specifically? Why do you focus all that drive on destroying planets?”

“I’d say tradition is one of the biggest factors. Again, not something rational, but increased power output is something that has many uses. I agree that using it for destruction is rather base, but perhaps it’s inevitable...after all, the Meteor Breaker Numbers were envisioned to defeat even gods.”

Clock turned to see a massive ball of darklight shooting at him. He raised one hand, and it froze in mid-air.

“But you’ve bought enough time, wouldn’t you say?” he told Luna.

With a wave of his hand, the energy ball disappeared. Solo came running in behind it, now back at full speed, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the clock face from blasting him. He held his ground and prepared to resume his attack, but when he clenched his fist he realized it: his right hand was no longer coated in darklight, only a simple black glove the same as his left. Raising his fist, he stared at it in silence.

“I’ve more or less completed analyzing your abilities,” Clock said. “However, there’s some intricacies to the girl’s power which I haven’t quite cracked. Run along now and let me finish my work.”

Luna drew back slightly. “Rats...how do we stop this idiot?”

Clock was just about to attack when Solo leapt at him. The XM-ian barely blocked his attacks, retaliating with a swipe of a clock hand that missed as Solo dodged backward. Keeping the weapon pointed at him, Clock said, “Didn’t you hear me? I’ve no further interest in you!”

“Solo, I’ll be fine!” Luna said. “You don’t have to stick around!”

With a scoff, Solo got into his battle stance. “I do as I please.”

“Goodness,” Clock said, “are you serious? I’ve taken away all of your weapons, boy--you have nothing left to fight me with!”

Solo pointed with his thumb to the crest of Mu on his chest. “I still have my pride as a Murian warrior. So long as there’s breath in me, I will fight, even if I am stripped of everything else. You’ve tried to disgrace Mu, sealing away all of its remaining power...that is something I will not let go unpunished!”

Clock continued to fend off Solo’s attacks. As he moved back, he felt a snake bite into his ankle, and scowled down at Luna before returning his focus to Solo.

“Fine, stay if you like,” Luna said. “But like it or not, I’m going to help you! And I won’t tolerate any complaints on the subject!”

Another snake bit into Clock. He stumbled, and Solo finally connected with a kick, launching him back down the road. Glancing at Luna for just a moment, Solo said, “Hmph...suit yourself.”

As they continued their struggle, Sonia remained on the defensive against Scorpio, having no opportunity to retaliate between his aggressive attacks. She blocked a swipe of his pincer with her guitar and stepped back, only to find her legs knocked out from under her by Scorpio’s tail. Scorpio sent her flying with his other pincer before she had a chance to hit the road.

“Urgh...sorry guys, but I could use some help,” Sonia said into her mic. “Anyone nearby?”

“The rear guard took a pretty bad hit,” Geo said. “I’m trying to get things organized here, but it’ll still be a while.”

“Leave it to me!” Bud said. “I’m on my way, Sonia!”

Sonia’s response was cut off by Scorpio’s tail ramming into her helmet. As she fell back, Scorpio said, “My, what a disappointment. Are you so weak without your enhancements that you can’t even defeat a single FM-ian on your own?”

Picking herself up, Sonia said, “I could say the same to you. That armor is the only reason you hit as hard as Andromeda.”

She threw herself to the side, only just dodging the stinger. Scorpio said, “Hmhm...that is true.”

“You’re a hypocrite through and through, huh? You talk about keeping Planet FM the way it’s always been, but you’re relying on allies same as me.”

“What you call ‘relying on allies’, I call ‘making use of the tools available to me’. Perhaps the difference doesn’t even matter--I have no qualms with hypocrisy, not if it helps me reach my goal.”

“At least he’s aware of it, I suppose,” Lyra said.

Sonia shook her head. “You just want power, don’t you? Control? Just for the sake of having it, or maybe because you’re convinced it’ll make you happy and won’t even consider that it might not? You’re exactly what people have told me you are, Scorpio, and I can see you don’t have any desire to change.”

Scorpio put one open pincer forward. “Precisely right.”

A jet of acid shot out at Sonia, forcing her to get moving. She was able to fire a few quick notes, but they were totally ineffective against her foe’s armor. Scorpio advanced as he continued shooting acid, driving Sonia into a corner before extending his tail once again, not landing a direct hit but pinning the end of Sonia’s scarf to the Wave Road. Unable to escape, Sonia did her best to endure Scorpio’s blows as he steadily wore her down. Scorpio clamped one pincer around Sonia’s neck, drew back the other, and prepared to strike, when a loud noise caught his attention.

“Hold on, Sonia!”

From the nearby mass of soldiers emerged Bud, knocking aside FM-ians as he barreled forward. Scorpio turned and shot a jet of acid, making him stumble, but it gave Sonia the chance she needed: her strings dug into Scorpio’s neck, just above his armor, and she used her knee to strum her guitar, sending a burst of energy directly into Scorpio’s body. The FM-ian lurched backward, releasing Sonia just as Bud finally reached them. One punch sent him soaring across the Wave Road.

“Augh,” Sonia said, rubbing her neck. “Thanks, Bud. You alright after taking that hit head-on?”

Bud nodded. “Yep! Sorry it nearly got me--I wasn’t thinking and didn’t expect an Aqua attack. Think he’s down?”

“Probably not. I wasn’t able to put a whole lot into my attack, and he’s got that armor fueling him too…”

Sure enough, Scorpio was back up in an instant, glaring at the two of them as he approached. “Taurus. Still ready to charge to your death like an idiot, I see.”

“Mrrgh, shove it!” Taurus said. “Thanks to Bud, I’ve gotten way more powerful than the last time we met! You’ll see when we beat it into you!”

“Your progress is irrelevant. You may have been considered an elite soldier, but only by a narrow margin. I was an elite among the elites--no matter what you do, you will never be able to close the gap between us. Especially not when I can douse your flames so easily.”

Scorpio shot twin blasts of acid. As the two of them dodged, Bud said, “Oh, you think your element makes that big a difference? Well then…”

With only that as warning, a Crown Thunderbolt came crashing down on Scorpio. Couronne, flanked by his cheering spirits, made his way onto the battlefield and crossed his arms with a proud grunt. “So! The conniving upstart Scorpio does show his face at last!”

“Prepare yourself, villain!” Crown said. “With our combined might, you stand not the slightest chance!”

Scorpio staggered slightly as he turned to face Couronne. “Ah, the king’s buffoon. You think you’ll be anything more than a nuisance? Clearly, you underestimate the power I wield.”

Taking aim at Couronne, Scorpio’s tail began to rapidly extend and retract, raining a flurry of blows upon his foe and his minions. Bud exhaled a sea of flames in an effort to stop Scorpio, but the FM-ian used a stream of acid from both pincers to stave off the blaze. Several notes emerged from the fire--Scorpio ignored the smaller ones, and when a large one did appear, he had enough time to pull himself out of the way without stopping his attack on Couronne. Bud came charging in again, and again Scorpio shot him with acid. It took a few hits this time, but eventually Bud stumbled, and Sonia leapt from her hiding spot on his back to fire strings that entangled Scorpio, pinning his arms and tail to his body. Couronne’s yellow spirit had survived the assault and now advanced spinning their hatchet. The blow spun Scorpio around, keeping him off-balance long enough for Sonia to knock him down with a sound pulse. He managed to wrench his tail free and prepared to attack, but Couronne was ready: forming his blue spirit’s bow, he began firing arrows imbued with electricity to keep Scorpio stunned. After several such bolts Scorpio found a way to fully free himself, but Bud was right on top of him to deliver a white-hot punch. Scorpio was thrown back, though he was still able to shoot more acid at Bud just as his armor returned to normal temperature, bringing him to one knee.

“Hah...a well-coordinated strike, I’ll admit,” Scorpio said, a ragged edge to his voice. “But that won’t be enough to stop me.”

“We’ve got plenty more,” Sonia said. “Give up before you get hurt, Scorpio.”

“Oh I will. No ambition is worth dying for, even if I can be reconstructed. But I won’t be withdrawing just yet.”

Stepping in front of Bud, Sonia summoned a ring of speakers around the Wave Road. Couronne alternated between lightning bolts and arrows, keeping Scorpio on the move, and Sonia played her guitar, shooting notes from the speakers to try to trip him up. While they kept him too busy to be much of a threat, none of their attacks seemed to be hitting their mark, even when Couronne’s spirits started joining in, and Sonia began to worry if things were turning into a stalemate. Watching this, Bud picked himself up and made his way over to Couronne.

“Art thou unharmed, boy?” Couronne asked. “There is no shame in resting!”

“I’ll be fine,” Bud said. “Just need to think of a way I can do some damage against this guy…”

Scorpio swatted away the purple spirit, using their shield to block a note before the weapon faded away. He lobbed a ball of acid at the nearest speaker, melting it down in an instant, and then returned to dodging.

Bud crossed his arms. “I’m sure I could trip him up, but even a white-hot punch wouldn’t be enough to knock him out. Stupid elemental…” He inclined his head. “Wait, that’s it! Hey, Mr. Couronne, I got an idea!”

Once he explained himself, Couronne fumbled with the weapon he carried. “What?! Have you gone mad, boy?”

“A maneuver such as that would be much too dangerous!” Crown said. “You mustn’t act so recklessly!”

“It’ll just be for one punch!” Bud said. “I can at least do that, and it should help us end this fight! Please, you gotta let me try!”

Sonia continued trying to pin down Scorpio, but the FM-ian proved too elusive. A shot of acid grazed her shoulder--it burned horribly, but she did her best to ignore it, refusing to lose her momentum and gave Scorpio an opening. A thunderbolt forced him to one side, jumping over the notes awaiting him, and then he shuffled back to evade the chain-wielding spirit; Scorpio was just shifting his weight when a pillar of flame suddenly erupted beneath him, taking him by surprise. Flashing a grin, Sonia fired strings from her remaining speakers to entangle Scorpio before he could get away. She turned to thank Bud only to stop short as she saw a Crown Thunderbolt strike his horns.

“What’re you doing?!” she shouted.

Electricity coursing through his body, Bud said, “It’s okay, Sonia! I’ll finish it!”

Aiming himself at Scorpio, Bud took off running. Scorpio saw him coming and struggled to free himself, but his bindings were too tight. When he was just a step away, Bud reared back, and then he threw all his weight into one electrified punch, slamming Scorpio down into the Wave Road and releasing the entire charge in one burst.

“Haaah…” Bud staggered back, barely able to stay on his feet. “There...that oughta do it…”

“Excellent work, Sir Bud!” Couronne said. “You’ve performed most admirably!”

“Indeed, such fortitude!” Crown said. “You are incredible to have made such a bold strategy work!”

Running to Bud’s side, Sonia said, “Bud, are you okay? What were you thinking?”

Bud gave a thumbs-up. “Nothing to worry about!”

Sonia sighed. Turning to Scorpio, she noticed a multitude of cracks running across his armor. “Are you willing to leave now?”

Two quick jabs of his stinger answered her. Scorpio rose, pincers at the ready, but he failed to notice Couronne’s red spirit get between them until they summoned their lance. The spirit drove the weapon into Scorpio’s chest, shattering his RPA, and then ran off before their foe had a chance to counterattack. The sudden loss of strength brought Scorpio back to the ground, and this time Bud and Sonia backed farther away from him.

“Curses…” Scorpio muttered. “It seems I underestimated the loyalty of those under your thrall, Harp Note.”

Sonia’s grip on her guitar tightened. “The fact that you look at it that way is exactly why. I don’t try to gain things from people, or use them: I try to help them. I trust my friends, and they trust me. It’s just that simple.”

Scorpio looked up at her. “Is that so? How revolting. I refuse to partake in a power such as that.”

The Wave Road beneath Scorpio suddenly buckled. Realizing he had used his acid to weaken it, Sonia moved forward to stop him, but she was too slow: Scorpio dropped down to a lower level of road and made his escape.

“Should we go after him?” Bud asked.

Sonia looked in the direction he was going. “...Yeah, just to be safe.”

Not far away, Clock continued to dance around snakes while doing his best to block Solo’s punches. Luna conducted the snakes from just out of range of the clock face’s laser, but unfortunately that meant there wasn’t much else she could do, as her Gorgon Eye had even less reach. Still, as time went on they landed more and more successful hits on the XM-ian, and so she remained optimistic about their chances.

“He’s not used to fighting like this,” Luna said. “That gives us a big advantage in stamina. But...it’s kind of strange. I thought this group was--”

“Luna, look out!” Ophiuca shouted.

Luna twisted around, able to soften the blow she received as Scorpio came rushing by her. Solo glanced at the new enemy before leaping back away from Clock--Scorpio stopped at his side, cutting down the snakes around him, and Clock lifted his visor clock to get a better look.

“Scorpio?” he asked. “Did you actually lose?”

“Harp Note and the others are on their way!” Scorpio barked. “You should have more data now--use it!”

“Oh, yes, I may be able to properly neutralize some of them now.”

Solo lunged, but Scorpio intercepted him. Clock ran over to the clock face, only to realize someone was already standing there: Geo had just materialized, Battle Card in hand, and he knocked Clock down with a charged shot before facing the projection. A large hammer appeared in his hand as he jumped up, allowing him to smash the clock face to bits with a single blow. Behind him, darklight erupted from Solo’s hand once more, and after easily overpowering Scorpio he turned to his shoulder. A faint buzz came from it. Solo let out a long breath.

In the opposite direction, Moon stumbled free of his imprisonment, blinking as he surveyed his surroundings. “Yo, what was that? Where’d everyone else come from?”

Luna looked up to see Sonia, Bud, and Couronne approaching. “Ah, you’re all okay! I got worried when I saw Scorpio.”

Sonia crouched next to Luna, wrapping her arms around her. “We’re fine. Are you okay?”

“Of course!”

Sonia then turned her gaze upon Scorpio and Clock, the latter covering his face with his hand. “Are you two done now?”

Scorpio’s eyes narrowed. Clock gave a half-shrug, saying, “Back to the drawing board, then.”

He snapped his fingers to summon a flare overhead. A small portal appeared next, and he stepped through, followed by Scorpio after the FM-ian gave one last glare to all those assembled. The rest of their forces moved to retreat as well. Sonia stood watching until the last one was gone.

***

Solo walked quietly into the room with Laplace hanging over his shoulder. Sonia and her friends had already gathered, each looking relieved to see that Laplace had recovered just fine. Solo was acutely aware of their concern.

“Anything from Sirius?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Sonia said. “This late, we might not be getting anything.”

“Maybe he won’t make a move tomorrow after all?” Luna said. “We did manage to beat every member of his little group, so it makes some sense.”

Sonia nodded. “But, if he doesn’t...then I think we should. The only way this is going to end is if we take the fight to Sirius.”

“Yeah,” Geo said, “but to do that we need to get into the Black Hole Server. Otherwise…”

Solo chuckled. “There’s something you all should know. After today’s events and a bit of work on my own, I’ve been able to figure out how to hack that troublesome armor our enemies are using.”

“Oh! That’s great!” Sonia said.

“And, since that energy powering that armor comes directly from the heart of the server...I imagine there are other applications for this knowledge as well.”

Sonia grinned. “You’re saying you can get us in?”

“It should be possible.”

She looked around the room. There were no objections. With a nod, Sonia said, “Alright then. Rest up, everyone. Tomorrow, we’re going to break into the Black Hole Server and put an end to this war!”

#Mega Man Star Force #Megaman Starforce #fanfiction #Sonia Strumm #Harp Note #Shooting Star Sonia

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