#!presto

The many months, the years all seemed to of blurred together into a haze of strife, of sorrow. Some never knew the full story, others wished to forget. Some, just wanted it all to end.

It must of been hard for others, though. To survive and continue on in the aftermath of that day, where it all came to a close. Heavens know it was never nor still is easy for Sonata to cope. Often still she’d be found crying into her and her wife’s bed, mourning for all that was lost. No doubt neither Presto nor Pulse could always keep the nightmares and memories at bay, forces to stare at blank screens and walls waiting for it to pass.

But it was better this way, it was the outcome that secured the peaceful future, at the cost of someone close.

Presto still remembered it so clearly, crashing in on him from time to time with the survivor’s guilt in tow when it came to his lost loved ones. He still remembered how Sonata violently thrashed, screamed and pleaded. Forced to watch the brutal fight that’d be the decider of it all. Watch as the monster that once controlled his body fought tooth and nail to try and become victorious. To take Pulse away.

It was terrifying watching it go down. It was frustrating to be powerless in that moment. To let Shade fall like this when she had his sister to return to, had Sonata to protect. But she kept adamant on this path and all he could do was watch and hope her method succeeded. And both thankfully and sadly it did.

It must of terrified Pulse to see it happen again. The damned fusion gun, used one last time and broken forever.

It was dry that night, suffocating almost while the green and orange fires clashed and smothered each other out. The trigger felt so heavy on that weapon when it stayed pointed at Adagio and at Shade. She kept assuring, demanding that she could keep him down. Keep him chained away and that this was the only way. For the heroes to have their happy ending.

Presto was the one to do it, his tech savvy sister dousing out the surrounding fires and keeping Adagio unable to escape Shade’s suffocating grasp as she kept him pinned to the ground. Unable to become smoke when she kept burning away the oxygen he needed. Presto could also see when he finally pulled that trigger, the guilt upon Shade’s face before that beam collided as the billowing smoke consumed them. The mixture of grays, blacks and whites that spiraled into the sky before crashing down into the smoke. sucking it up into a massive cloud with the surrounding, remaining flame and becoming a cloud of it all. 

They never got to see what the two became, only got to watch as that cloud flew away out of sight and was never seen again. The deafening sound broken by Sonata’s crying. 

But as time went on, they never had any incident or reports of someone like Adagio or Shade near them. They could only assume the worse and that the incompatibility of old vs new models fusing together killed them. It was something that hurt for a while for some, others relieved of no longer having to be afraid of the monster, and guilty for pulling the trigger that ended it.

They went on with their lives to the best of their ability after that, trying to move on from it.

“Okay, whatever you think is best.” Magic stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He then spotted Knight Man sitting on his bed. The usually fully armored bot was without his chestplate, pauldrons, or helm. Upon Knight’s featureless black face, shining streaks under the eyes made it clear that some crying had been going on. “Well, someone’s seen better days.” No response outside of a blank stare through bloodshot eyes. “Right...so. I heard that you’re not to happy about Centaur Man resurfacing.”

“Woman.”

“Pardon?”

“Centaur is a woman now. She transitioned during the earlier rounds of the Tournament, but did not reveal it publicly until after all was said and done of that affair, after she was back home in Greece.”

“I see. My apologies.” Magic took a step or two closer to Knight. “Well, you two must have been quite close for her showing back up to affect you like this. I’ve never seen you so...well, I don’t have to tell you how you feel.”

“We were...not as close as we would have liked to be. We knew how one another felt, but...with the Tournament, we felt it impossible to be together, when we were supposed to be enemies.”

Magic stood in silence before sitting next to Knight on the bed. “Knight...you really loved her, didn’t you?”

Knight took a deep breath before sighing. “Centaur...she meant so much to me. Before Lord Wily reprogrammed us all, I saw all of my fellow finalists as family, our bond forged and tempered through battle, but she...was so much more. Even before her transition, I do believe she held my heart in a way no other had before, or has since. Back then, fighting for the regime, to me, was fighting for a world where we could be together without such trivialities as robot law or nations' borders to come between us. After Mega Man thwarted us, and we were returned to our nations, I of course broke free and went straight back to the regime. But...before that, I went to Greece. I hoped to bring Centaur with me, and we would return to his lordship's side together...she refused...she chose to stay with her family...I have not known a greater pain since. As if my own heart were ripped from my chest and stomped into the dirt...”

“...I...I had no idea...Knight, if it hurt so much, why on Earth didn’t you choose her over Wily?”

“You don’t understand. Lord Wily is the reason I am. I could never turn my back to such a debt. Besides...I...I still think that if lord Wily were to conquer the world, it would become that world where we could be together.”

“I don’t think that’s how she saw things. Knight...do you think maybe Centaur would have wanted to be with you in the world as it already is? Maybe if you had chosen her over Wily that day in Greece...”

“There’s no point in fretting over what could have been...this is what is.”

“...I suppose that’s true.” Magic stood up from his seat. “Still, though.”

“...say you are right, and that is what she wished. Say she did think we could have been together in the world as it is now. What if she were wrong? What if we had tried, only to be torn apart?”

“...and what if you were wrong? It would mean that you were the one who tore you two apart.”

“!!! You dare-”

“Knight, I won’t stand here and debate your ideology with you. Goodness knows nobody believes in Wily’s cause as much as you. That said...maybe you should take a look at what that belief has ended up costing you in the long run.”

“...mm.”