#Buster Moon is afraid of needles

[tigresslanzhu]

Doctor’s Appointment

Receptionist: Dr. Tramsine will be with you in a few minutes, Mr. Moon. She’s running a little behind.

Ash: A little behind, eh? Sounds like a good place for a koala to get a shot!

Buster: {screams}

Rosita: Ash!

[booneysboyfie]

SING + SING 2 HEADCANONS (human au)

Part one: main characters

Picrew link, art by Naylissa on various social medias

(One year passes in between movies so for characters who are in both movies, there will be two ages listed)

I’m posting this here instead of on my main because you guys are used to me being cringe <3

Also, important: I chose each character’s ethnicity based either on where in the world their species of animal lives, or (for animals that live all over, like pigs or mice) other contextual things (like Gunther’s accent)— basically, please understand that I’m not making Johnny black because he’s a gorilla, but because gorillas in real life can be found in equatorial Africa— however if you’re black and still find this offensive, please dm me and you can explain to me what’s wrong, and I’ll do anything I can to make it better :)

Buster Moon (he/him, gay and trans)

36-37 years old

5’0”

Australian

Autism, bipolar, and PTSD (after working with Jimmy Crystal)

Hair started going gray due to stress, so he dyed it all

Forgets to eat a lot

Works too much, gets bad burnout

Is best friends with Rosita; she reminds him to eat and sleep and stuff when they’re on the road

Has electrical burn scars on his hands from when he and Ash messed with the electric fence on Clay’s property

Was dating Eddie in the first movie, but they broke up which is why he’s not there in the second movie

Rosita (she/her, bi and ace)

40-41 years old

5’5”

Latina (I chose this for her because of her name)

ADHD, depression

In canonverse she had two litters of piglets, one with 15 and one with 10

In human au she only had five kids— Carrie, Hannah, Kelly, Leo, and of course Casper

Her husband, Norman, is very supportive of her identity— they were going through a rough patch in the first movie because he was taking on too much work (hes a Lawyer) and didn’t have time to spend with family, but they work on it together and have a much healthier relationship now

She got a degree in journalism and used to work for a newspaper

She has been closeted bi all her life, but only found out about the “asexual” label once she met the theater group (mostly Gunther) and learned more about the queer community

Speaking of Gunther…

Gunther (he/him, queer)

39-40 years old

5’5”

Immigrated from Germany when he was a teenager

Was not accepted by his family for being queer— he hasn’t had any contact with them for most of his adult life

He’s very well adjusted and stable now, though

A lot of his energy goes towards helping out his friends at the theater, who are still figuring out who they are— like Rosita!

He gets along surprisingly well with Ash, probably because Ash really needs a really positive friend to hype him up

Gunther has been doing dance since he was a kid, and is really good at it

Johnny (he/him, gay)

19-20 years old

6’0

Very sweet and supportive with his friends

Kind of a puppy punk— he’s discovering a lot of new music and ideas through Ash haha

Always bruised and sore from dance practice

Loves skateboarding

Used to straighten his hair (like in the first movie) but now he takes better care of it

Helps Nooshy get tattoos and piercings because they’re afraid of needles

His late mother is the person who inspired his love for singing

Also loves to do other kinds of art

Dropped out of school at age 16 to help out at the garage so his dad could focus more on his other business

His best friends in the group are Ash and Meena

Ash (he/him, transmasc)

19-20 years old

5’3”

Brazilian

Actually went to middle school with Johnny, but neither of them remember the other

Gives himself stick and pokes

Came out and started his transition in between the first and second movies

Also has electrical burn scars on hands like Buster

Is kind of withdrawn from his family— they love him a lot and want to rebuild their relationship, but Ash feels guilty for having chosen his ex-boyfriend over them when he gave him an ultimatum

Still doubts himself about his gender identity a lot because he grew up thinking everyone felt that disconnected with femininity

Loves getting piercings

He still wears really artistic makeup for shows

Hasn’t even thought about dating anyone after his ex— not because he carries a torch for him, but because he feels like his mind and body has been “ruined” by having spent so much time in such a manipulative and toxic relationship (I’m toootally not projecting haha /sarcastic)

Meena (she/her, transhet)

23-24 years old

6’1”

She and her family are Indian (I chose this because in the second movie she’s a lot smaller than Alphonso, and to make it work with both of them being amab I decided she’s an Asian elephant and he’s an African elephant)

Anxiety, dyslexia, rejection sensitive dysphoria

Her parents have always been supportive of her transition, but it took her grandparents a few years to warm up to it

She has been out as a trans girl since she was a young teenager

She’s been taking singing lessons since she was a kid

Attends a community college in the area and is really self conscious about the fact that she’s not pursuing any other higher education because her cousins and parents are all very scholarly

Her parents are both professors

Gets really dysphoric about her height and size

But she feels really EUPHORIC about her beautiful long hair and the jewelry she likes to wear!

Looks up to Buster a lot even though sometimes he doesn’t make the best choices

Miss Crawly (she/her)

82-83 years old

5’4”

Salvadoran

Half blind and hard of hearing

Was very good friends with Buster’s late parents

Is extremely good at cooking; always feeds the theater group when they work late rehearsing or putting on a show

Is actually married, but none of her friends at the theater know her husband very well

Has two adult children too; she loves them very much and talks on the phone with them a lot, but they both live out of state so she only sees them and her grandkids every few years

Doesn’t mind when Buster doesn’t have the money to pay her; she may technically be an employee, but she views her job at the theater as just helping out a family friend

Is definitely more competent that she appears to be

Porsha Crystal (she/her, lesbian)

19 years old

5’7”

Has lived in Redshore City all her life

Autistic

Has a lot of followers on her official social media, but she also has a few secret accounts so she can goof off with her friends without her dad knowing

Really admires Ash, even if he took a while to warm up to her

Dyes her hair as a way to be in control of her appearance— Jimmy always chose her hairstyle and clothing so she looked “normal”, but didn’t mind if she dyed it because that’s kind of typical for modern teens

Loves to do colorful and fun makeup

Had a little bit of a crush on Suki when she first started working for Jimmy, but obviously that was one-sided because Porsha’s a lot younger than her

Nooshy (he/she/they depending on the day, genderfluid and bisexual)

21 years old

5’4

Finnish

Depression

Was homeless prior to meeting the gang, now lives with Johnny

Dyes his hair black

Is afraid of needles

Gets a lot of nightmares and doesn’t sleep well

Doesn’t spend a lot on clothes, upcycles their own stuff

Still just does street performance as her job

Clay Calloway (he/they, trans, genderqueer, bisexual)

62 years old

5’5”

He and Ruby are t4t

Stealth in public, and has no living family members— the only people who know he’s trans are his friends, who he came out to after a few months of getting to know better

Ash is like their grandson

Completely left behind their old life when they moved to Redshore

Ruby transitioned later in life— when they first started dating, they were technically a mlm couple

Literally hates Jimmy Crystal so so much and is very open about it

Porsha helped them start a social media account. He’s not very active on it besides replying to fan messages and posting things about the shows he does.

[ash-the-porcupine]

Buster Moon Headcannons

-Is a hugger

-Picky eater

-Can actually sing but prefers for the others to do the singing and dancing. He would rather be to the side and let the others be the center of attention. 

-Uses Gunter and Nooshy for script inspiration

-Rosita helps him with script writing sometimes

-Buster plays piano with Johnny some days

-Buster is scared of spiders

-And bees

-And n33dl3$

-Porsha stays at the theater some nights, and she and Buster have a lot of fun.

-Buster used to have a girlfriend.

-Is allergic to pinepple (long story)

-Never met his mom

-Secretly is still very sad about the loss of his dad, but doesn't let anyone know or pick it up. 

-Thinks of Rosita as a motherly sister. 

-The piglets call him Uncle Buster

-Ash calls him Moon-man

-Nooshy calls him Moonie

-Porsha occasionally calls him daddy. 

-Gunter is like a brother to Buster. 

-Buster has done karaoke with Gunter

-Meena bakes him stuff a lot because all Buster knows how to make (without causing an explosion) is toast. He is invited to her house a lot.

-Buster had met Mr. Crystal when he was younger.

-He was extra afraid of Crystal because (in the wild) dogs are the main enemies of koalas.

-Buster hates getting wet as well as his precarious relationship with water. 

-It's not uncommon to see him falling headfirst down the stairs while tugging on his blue blazer. 

-It's VERY common to see him accidentally walking backwards off of the stage.

-He was bullied as a kid. (I can almost guarantee it)

-He would help his dad with the car wash as a kid.

-It wasn't uncommon for him to talk his dad's ears off about the latest shows.

-Buster was actually a nifty little theif as a kid when he needed to be, but he'd never tell you.

-He used to be in a rock band. 

-He tried to play baseball as a kid, but the mitts and baseball bat were way too big. Not to mention a ball speeding towards him would end with him getting really hurt... so yeah, he didn't get very far in his baseball career XD

-He still has nightmares of Crystal :(

-Him and Nooshy do things that are most likely mildly illegal.

-Nooshy and Ash taught him to be a hacker, even if he doesn't use the skill often apart from when he forgets his password... which happens a lot.

-Buster's original password was 'theater' but everyone guessed it on the first try and he had to change it. Now it is Yuri Dorfenboop. Foolproof. 

-Hehas a huge playlist, of many artists and genres. 

-Ash introduced him to her music (the Skunkdolls poster in her apartment in the first movie. Second movie, we ssee Buster has a Skunkdolls album.)

-He re-made his show War of Attrition when he managed to salvage the poster for it. That's why you see/hear about it in both movies even with the flood and fall of the original theater.

-He redid a ton of his shows.

-He sings when he's by himself

-He CAN play piano, but his mind wonders so much he switches songs and artist frequently without noticing every few minutes. By the end, he'll be freestyling. 

-Buster was once mistaken for a performer at Rick's Club when he ran onstage to help out Ash. He had a microphone shoved in his paws and had no choice but to sing. He sang Pheonix by League of Legends. The crowd went wild. Buster vowed to never perform in front of a crowd again, which he had to break when he was forced to play in a show for Angus Chrome. 

-He can also play the trumpet, and it's hilarious because it's way bigger than he is. 

-He falls off of the ladder a lot. 

-The crew caught him creating Daleonaise (mayonaise mixed with Dale's sauce) and tasting it.

-He has a fear of needles. 

-He can't pronounce Worceshire. Neither can I. We call it Woostashoosh. 

-He has memorized over one hundred actors. 

-He secretly kinda likes Rosita. (My comfort character. I like this. Sue me.)

-When he's nervous, his ears twitch as well as his nose and it's adorable.

-He makes weird faces when he's concentrating. 

-The color of blue of his eyes changes depending on the light. 

-He taps things absentmindedly with a claw when he's being bothered by something/someone.

-No one knows Buster's habits as well as Eddie Noodleman

-In college, Eddie would help out Buster with the bullies when he needed to (the bullies wouldn't hurt or mess with Eddie because his parents were rich and their lives would be over if they did) and in return Buster would help Eddie with school and play videogames with him.

-Buster was poor as a kid, too, so he didn't always have all the school books he needed so he would take notes by writing on his hands when necessary.

-He stills writes info on his hands when he needs to.

-Rosita acts like Buster's mom a lot.

-Clay still teases Buster about the water tap thing. 

-Buster met Mizuki because the gazelle wanted to figure out who showed up in her pictures of the couple in the first movie when Buster photobombed on his bike. 

-Buster dapples in photography and is a very good artist when it comes to drawing. 

-He's written a few songs but would never show anyone.

-He and Suki became friends after the second movie.

-Buster has destroyed four toasters in the span of a year.

-Whenever someone laughs at Buster for being so cheesy and optimistic over the craziest things, he jokingly tells them "I STAN OPTIMISM! And babies. I stan those too." everyone laughs really hard.

-He has a version of Jingle Bells of him and his little family doing arsonist-like activities.

-He doodles his family when he's bored.

-He doesn't know how to use a tablet. It took him forever just to learn how to operate his phone for calls and messages. 

-He loves peanut butter and bananas

-His favorite jelly flavor is grape

-His favorite soda is orange fanta

-His favorite snack is cheesy doritoes

-He also loves apples

-He will never turn down a tootsie rolls to save his life. 

-Loves chocolate.

-Climbs trees occasionally to read books.

-He says hello to the squids at Les Calmars whenever he passes by.

-His theater is on 551 Echo Drive.

-He refuses to get an apartment, that's why Nana had a bedroom built into his theater right above his office. 

-Stills uses his comfort drawer. (ITS SO FRIGGIN CUTE-!!!)

-Ash and Nooshy and Porsha fangirl over his adorable little ears and paws whenever he gets twitchy because it's adorable. 

-Porsha will do anything to get to pick up Buster and give him an extra big hug. Buster loves it too. He's a hugger. 

-He prefers his coffee black. 

-He's never had a butterfingers bar. Nooshy intends to right this wrong.

-He's never heard of Michael Jackson!! (yes he is a person in the Singverse. I headcannon he is a giraffe or kangaroo or something.)

-Buster would do literally anything for his family.

[foximator-blog]

Mega Man 3 Electric Heart Styled.

Now we're on to Mega Man 3, and this time we introduce a new possibility to redesigns: Gender swapping. There are just way too many guys, I don't think anyone would mind if I made a few girls here and there.

Proto Man

Proto man, otherwise known as Blues, is Dr Light's first creation. He is the literal first robot master ever built, and his blueprints serve as the base for almost every robot master that followed him. When Dr. Light was revealing him to the public for the first time, Dr. Wily detonated an explosive at the convention, resulting in many injuries and the disappearance of Blues... While Light thought at first his son had died... the heavily damaged Blues was actually wandering around the outskirts of town, with no recollection of how he had gotten there or what had happened... and he was eventually discovered by Wily, who took advantage of the robot's amnesia. Proto man was then modified for combat, and his damaged core was replaced with an inefficient and possibly unstable nuclear core, resulting in buster shots somewhat similar to atomic fire, but not as strong. Under the guise of "Break man" Proto man willingly helped Wily, as he was led to believe he was protecting the world from Mega man. Luckily, Blues learned the truth and he slowly started to recover his memory... Though he does aid the right side now, he never stays at Light labs for too long. He loves his father and his new little siblings to death, but he fears Wily has rigged his power core to explode if Light were to replace it, which is why he avoids maintenance unless he really needs it. While wandering, he can often be heard whistling, or can be found spray painting one of Wily's abandoned fortresses. Oddly enough, he would become somewhat decent friends with Bass, despite the two having a fairly rocky start.

Needle Man

Needle man sometimes seems very cold and sharp with his words, but really he's just an introvert who values his alone time, which he often spends by knitting or sewing. Built through the combined efforts of Light and Wily, he uses his sharp needles to whittle down tough metallic ores into manageable pieces, namely on one of the mining planets gathering materials for building Gamma. Though when Wily created a plan to steal Gamma, Needle man was brainwashed into fighting for Wily against his will. Needle man is weak to the Magnet missile, since his armor and needles are made of highly magnetic metals, and in a similar sense to Metal man, Needle man's Element is Undead. Not only are needles deadly and sharp, but they even have their own dedicated phobia.

Magnet Man

Magnet man was built for sorting through scrap and recovering recyclable materials on the mining planets, to reduce waste and increase efficiency. His magnetic fields are very powerful, which is why Wily didn't hesitate to brainwash Magnet man on his quest to steal Gamma. Magnet man values his spiritual and physical health, despite being a robot, so he loves massages and Shaitsu therapy. He can also be found sticking to metallic ceilings taking naps. He dislikes Disk based media, because he is unable to touch it without accidentally damaging it. His Element is Tech, and his weakness is Spark shock, due to the electric charge disrupting the balance of his magnetism.

Gemini Woman

Despite Wily's arguments, Gemini woman is the second female robot master every created. Named after the twins constellation, she is able to create holographic clones of herself with varying levels of detail, and she can use her Gemini laser to mine tough crystalline minerals on the mining planet she was stationed at. Though Wily didn't want her to be a girl, her abilities were still useful to him, so she was brainwashed. Gemini woman is friendly, but very vain, and is said to use her holograms to admire herself when she has no access to a mirror. She is deathly afraid of Snakes, but still gets along with her sister Snake woman. Search snake is able to tell the difference between her and her clones, which is why it's her weakness. Her element is Light, because of her abilities utilizing holograms and lasers.

Hard Man

Big, buff, and made with thick ceratanium armor, Hard man uses his immense weight as a ground leveling robot, mak8ng mining and construction easier on the mining planets. He is able to shoot his heavy fists as projectiles, an attack called the Hard Knuckle, which Wily created after brainwashing him. Hard man is a fair minded and honest individual who loves good food, though he often finds himself disappointed in some of the decisions his little sister Snake woman makes. His Element is Earth, and his weakness is Gemini laser, as it's the only weapon capable of piercing through his thick paramagnetic armor.

Top Man

Top man was built with experimental auto-balancing technology and wheels in his feet so he could explore new territories. He is able to spin at high speeds, but only for short times as he can sometimes feel motion sick. Wily definitely brainwashed Top man, though no one is sure why he had Top man take over a greenhouse. He loves to dance and rollerskate, and he absolutely loves new years, as his ability to produce you tops from his head makes him popular. After the events of 3, he even left exploration behind in favor of working at an amusement park. Due to his toy based theme, his Element is Magic, and his weakness is Hard Knuckle as it knocks him off balance.

Snake Woman

Snake woman was also made for exploration, though she specializes in areas that are extremely steep or heavily forested due to her insane climbing ability, and her Search snakes, which slither across the ground and up walls as little surveillance drones. Again, Wily does not like that she was built as a girl, but he still found use in her abilities, especially when she showed interest in using her braid as a whip, and martial arts, primarily Viper style kungfu. Snake woman is very mischievous and flirtatious, she loves to tease and mess with others just for fun (Toad man being a favorite target bot necessarily because she's interested, but because she finds his reactions cute), which Hard man often gets disappointed in. She shows great interest in real snakes and would love a pet Boa, but she's terrified of Slugs. Being inspired by constricting snakes that are good at climbing and thrive in jungles, her Element is Life, though since the Needle cannon is good at pinning her down, it serves as her weakness.

Spark Man

Spark man's job is to manage the electricity on the various mining planets and ensuring that no blackouts occur. Since he's the only robot master with this job out on the colonies, he is able to produce three times the amount of power as Elec man, which is why Wily didn't hesitate to brainwash him. Spark man loves electric eels and catfish, but even more than that he loves his brothers and sisters being able to keep him company. He can be a bit clingy, and he really hates being alone for too long. He's weak to the Shadow blade, in reference to cutting electric wires, and his Element is Tech. Electricity technically isn't tied to a single element in Skylanders logic, so his Tech typing comes from the fact his body is shaped like a Spark plug, a common component to machines.

Shadow Man

No one knows exactly where Shadow man comes from, but he's possibly of extraterrestrial origin. Wily discovered this robot in ancient ruins, which would later be revealed to be where the Stardroids and Ra moon resided. Since this robot was in such a state of disrepair, Wily patched him up and added a ninja motif, though Shadow man requested not to be catalogued as a Wily robot when he was repaired. Shadow man is a fast learner, and he was able to learn ninja techniques from simulations alone because of this trait. He can seem cold and merciless at times, but he is loyal to the LWN robots, as they treat him as their brother despite his alien origins, and it would end up being him who helped Mega man craft a weapon that could damage the Stardroids.

Doc Robot

While these robots have no advanced personality or thinking ability like Robot masters, they are able to copy the abilities and combat patterns of previous robot masters from data preinstalled by Wily. While Wily was getting Gamma ready for world domination, he sent the Doc robots out after Mega Man to stall for time.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Super Fighting Roll (2-4)

(After finally learning the truth about Break Man, Roll sets off to rescue Rock from his clutches.  However, there are far more Robot Masters than she bargained for lying in wait.)

Roll flew down into the lab on Rush’s back, nervously surveying the destruction.  Light was still hard at work repairing the transporter system, meanwhile LaLinde busied herself patching up Elec Man, Guts Man, and Fire Man. Tempo stood not far away, eyes fixed on the broken scaffolding until she heard Roll land.

“Roll!” Tempo said.  “I-I’m sorry...they…”

“Are you alright?” Roll asked.

“I’m...I’m fine.  I was upstairs when it happened.  I...wasn’t able to stop Break Man...and now, Rock…”  She shook her head.  “I’m sorry.”

Roll came forward, gently setting a hand on Tempo’s arm.  “Tempo, you don’t have to apologize.  I know you’re still healing, and trying to force your way past that is only going to make things worse.  I’ll get Rock back--everything’s going to be okay.”

Tempo slowly nodded.  Roll turned to LaLinde, asking, “How are they?”

“I’ve only been able to make rudimentary repairs for now,” LaLinde said.  “They’ve stabilized, but they’re going to need quite a bit of work as soon as we have the chance.”

Lifting his head, Guts Man said, “Sorry Roll...we weren’t as prepared to deal with the guy as we thought…”

“I know you tried your best,” Roll said. “Thank you, all of you.  Leave the rest to me.”

“Roll,” Fire Man said.  “If you face that fiend Break Man, be wary!  He has the ability to switch between a myriad of weapons, much as you do!”

“...I see.  Thanks, I’ll be careful.”  She finally looked to Elec Man, easily the worst-damaged of the three: his back had been blown open, revealing his inner circuitry, which LaLinde was carefully removing shrapnel from.  “I can’t believe he’d go so far…are you awake, Elec Man?”

“I am,” he said quietly.  “...It’s strange.  In a way, I’m actually a little relieved to know I’m not all that powerful after all.  But, until Rock is saved, I suppose that’s an awful way to think, isn’t it?”

Roll shook her head.  “Not at all.  I will save him.  There’s nothing wrong with thinking ahead.”

Elec Man chuckled.  Roll then made her way over to where Light worked, waiting patiently until he acknowledged her.

“This is all my fault,” Light said.

“Dr. Light…”

“If I hadn’t let myself be fooled so easily, Rock would still be safe.  Now Wily has him, and Gamma, and…”  He trailed off.

Roll hesitated.  “Dr. Light...about Break Man…”

Light’s hands paused between keys.  “Originally, his name was Blues.  DLN-000, Blues.  He was the first prototype Robot Master I designed, with help from Noelle.  In almost every way, he was a resounding success...however, his power core had a flaw that caused it to degrade over time. I revised the design and planned to repair him, but when I went to do so, he had vanished without a trace.  It was only after that that we constructed you, Rock, and Tempo.”

Roll remained where she was, quietly absorbing all of this.

Light turned to look her in the eyes.  “I’m sorry if it seems like I was hiding this from you.  With his core in such a state, I thought Blues would have gone inactive long ago...I didn’t want to burden you with the idea of a brother you would never be able to meet.  And I…” He sighed.  “I thought it was best to grieve and move forward.  If only I’d known…”

Light returned to his work.  Roll said, “But, I don’t understand.  How is he still active?  Why is he working with Wily?  And the things he was saying on the moon…”

“I’m afraid I don’t have those answers.  The only one who does is Blues himself.”  A window appeared on-screen, prompting a grunt from Light.  “Darn...I’m afraid it’ll take me a little longer to restore the transporter.  If you’re going after Rock, you should recharge while you can.”

Roll nodded.  “Alright.  I promise I’ll get Rock back...and Blues, too.”

Light stopped abruptly.  He smiled, but it quickly turned into a tired frown.  “I hope so, Roll...I certainly hope.”

***

A handful of flickering lights did what they could to illuminate the lab, or rather the layer of dust that had settled over it.  Rock sat in a cage nestled in the corner of the room, and not far away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, was Break Man.  The distant sound of machinery was all that filled the air, until Rock finally looked up and stared at Break Man.

“Why did Dr. Light call you ‘Blues’?”

Break Man grunted.  “That’s the name he gave me.  I don’t use it anymore.”

“So Dr. Light built you.  Why are you working for Dr. Wily, then?  He doesn’t care about robots--”

“You think Light does?”  Break Man turned to meet his gaze.  “Sure he acts like it.  But once you’re not of use to him anymore, he’ll reprogram you without a second thought.  Just like he tried to do to me.”

Rock blinked.  “...What?”

Break Man looked away.  “He decided I was defective, so he tried to reprogram me. Tried to destroy who I am and overwrite me with something he thought was more palatable.  Seems like he wasted no time in replacing me.  And now, he’s turned Roll from a lab assistant into a war machine…”

“Being weaponized was Roll’s idea.  Dr. Light was against it--he only went through with it because there was no other option.”

Break Man scoffed.

“And when Dr. LaLinde removed Tempo’s emotions, he was against that too.  Dr. Light cares about all robots, he would never--”

“For all you know, those memories might not even be real!” Break Man shouted, turning suddenly.  “What proof do you have that he didn’t reprogram you too?”

Rock thought for a moment, and then said, “I guess...I just trust him.”

Break Man threw his hands up.

“If you really think Dr. Light would do that to you...I’m sorry.  But there must be some kind of misunderstanding.  I’m sure if you just talk to him--”

“I have nothing to say to him!”

“But you’ll talk to Wily?  Wily does reprogram robots!”

Break Man averted his gaze, quietly replying, “I...have my reasons.”

“So you hate doctors who reprogram robots, except for Wily?  How does that make sense?”

“He didn’t reprogram me!”

Rock gritted his teeth.  “Is that it?  Then why were you acting so worried about me and Roll?”

Break Man said nothing.  A screen on a nearby console flared to life, and Wily’s voice came from it: “Break Man!  How is our guest doing?”

“...Fine,” Break Man said.

“Good!  Roll should be arriving soon, and we want to keep him in good condition to get those Energy Elements back!  Neheheh...Gamma’s already so wonderfully powerful!  I can’t even picture it with thrice the energy!”

Break Man glanced at Rock.  He took a step towards the console, but before he could say anything, red light flooded the room to the sound of a blaring alarm.

“Ah, that must be her!  I’ll have the others get the door--you just sit tight for the moment.  It won’t be long now until we take our revenge on Light, nehehahahahaha!”

***

An imposing castle in the shape of a skull towered above Roll and Rush, flanked by smaller warehouses and radio dishes that formed a tight grip around it.  Several mass-produced robots had tried to fend her off, but she had not allowed them to even slow her down as she stormed towards the gate and broke it open with a Hard Knuckle.

“Wily!” Roll shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of the dim entrance hall.  “I’m here for my brothers!”

She ducked, only narrowly avoiding a thin boomerang as it cut through the air.    Standing in the center of the room was a Robot Master with bright red armor, a golden crest decorating his helmet and similarly-shaped spikes jutting off from his arms.  Grinning, he said, “Took you long enough.  I could’ve gotten here in a fraction of the time!”

Roll aimed her buster.  “Where’s Rock?  Where’s Blues?”

“Hey now, don’t be rude!  The name’s Quick Man, and I’ll have your full attention!”

Roll fired a warning shot.  Quick Man darted out of the way, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.  He sent Roll sprawling with a punch, and then leapt back, folding his arms and chuckling to himself.  Rush chased after him, but he backed away just fast enough to remain out of the dog’s reach.

“I don’t have time for this,” Roll said as she picked herself up.  “Please just let me through!”

“Tch!  You don’t seem to understand the position you’re in.”

Quick Man hopped over Rush and dashed at Roll. She fired a charge shot, making him veer off-course, and followed immediately with a Magnet Missile, the homing projectile very nearly finding its mark.  Roll stayed on her feet as Quick Man hit her again, managing to fire a Gemini Laser into the room.  Distracted, Quick Man was knocked back towards Rush, who tripped the robot and pinned him to the floor.  He swiftly pushed the dog back and began hurling boomerangs at Roll, until the Gemini Laser struck him in the back and stunned him.  Roll prepared to launch a Hard Knuckle.  The next thing she knew, however, pain was flaring in her side, and she fumbled, missing her shot.  Quick Man raised a glare, but it wasn’t directed at Roll.

“Idiot!” he said.  “I told you I’d handle her!”

Roll looked over her shoulder to see another Robot Master standing there, one with blue armor and a dome of yellow glass atop his head.  Shrugging one shoulder, he said, “You weren’t doing a particularly good job of it.”

“Just go, Flash Man!  I’m more than enough!”

Roll fired at Flash Man.  Suddenly, he was standing a few feet to the side of where he had just been, and Roll realized she had taken damage again.  Smiling at her, he said, “You’ll have to do better than that.”

Quick Man attacked her before she could try again. Leaping onto Rush’s back, she headed towards the hall’s ceiling, circling around while weaving between shots. “That ability’s going to be trouble...we need to deal with him, or we won’t get very far.”

First firing a Gemini Laser, Roll began dropping Search Snakes as she passed over her enemies, forcing them on the defensive. Both were fast enough to avoid the attacks, but it seemed Roll was successfully staying out of their range. She equipped Needle Cannon and waited until just after Flash Man moved--the spike made a direct hit, knocking Flash Man into a group of Search Snakes, and Roll grinned.

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

She turned to see Quick Man leaping at the wall, bouncing off of it with all his might to launch himself towards Roll. Knowing she wouldn’t have time to shoot him down, Roll switched to Top Spin instead, smacking Quick Man away the second he reached her and into the path of the Gemini Laser as he plummeted. Roll turned to find Flash Man, but realized she had lost track of him.  Rush whimpered suddenly, veering towards the wall; below, Roll finally noticed Flash Man, weapon pointed directly up.  Gently as she could, Roll pulled Rush out of his crash course and into a freefall.

“We have to get the jump on him,” she said. “Ready, boy?”

With a bark, Rush stuck his legs out and braced himself.  Flash Man aimed for where he would land and waited.  Unbeknownst to him, Rush’s parts began to shift, and when he hit the ground, the part of his back that Roll stood on sprang up, launching her high into the air.  Roll saw a quick change in Flash Man’s demeanor and a scorch mark on the wall. She then threw a series of Shadow Blades, splitting open Flash Man’s dome and causing him to drop to the floor.

“B...Blast it!” Flash Man said.  “I won’t…”

Sparks burst from his head as he tried to use his weapon again.  He returned to the floor, and this time did not get up.  Roll copied his weapon and went to Rush’s side, making sure the dog was okay, before being struck in the shoulder by one of Quick Man’s boomerangs. She whirled on him, but stopped when she saw the state he was in: his breathing was labored, his eyes were flickering, and he seemed barely able to stay on his feet.

“What’s wrong?” Roll asked.  “You can’t have taken that much damage.”

“Shut up!” Quick Man said.  “I’m still in great shape!”

He rushed straight at her.  Roll surprised him with a Spark Shock, bringing him to an abrupt halt, and said, “Just stop it!  If we keep fighting, you’re just going to get yourself hurt!”

Quick Man just sneered at her.  He prepared to charge again, and with a sigh, Roll fired a Hard Knuckle, stopping him for good.  Copying his data, she ran across the room and into the narrow hallway beyond. Ascending a staircase, she found herself in a chamber with several generators connected by a web of cables, and instantly the door on the other end opened on its own.  In stepped a Robot Master with thick orange armor, arms ending in drills rather than hands.

“Wow, you managed to get this far already?” he said. “I’m impressed!  But your little raid ends here!”

He fired a projectile with a blinking orb on one end as he charged.  Roll evaded, saying, “I don’t want to fight!  Just tell me where Rock is and--”

The projectile exploded behind her.  Now upon her, the robot began to swing wildly, Roll just barely able to avoid his strikes.  Rush headbutted him in the side, disrupting his balance, and Roll repelled him with Top Spin, running past him for the exit.  Before she could reach it, however, a wall of fire sprang into being, blocking the path.  Out from behind a generator emerged a robot whose body was encased in a box-like shell of yellow armor, eyeing Roll warily.

“So that’s where you ran off to, Heat Man!” said the Robot Master that had attacked her first.  “Could’ve said something sooner!”

“Like you gave me a chance, Crash Man!  You just rushed in headlong like always.”

“Aw, whatever.  Let’s just do our job, huh?”

They both advanced.  Roll decided to try out the Time Stopper, but it had no effect on her foes.  Dodging flames and bombs, Roll and Rush moved from the flame wall to the side of the room to have more space, though their opponents remained right on their heels. Using Rush’s spring, Roll launched herself back at the other robots, knocking them both flat with a single Top Spin. The flames died down slightly, so Roll took aim at Heat Man again.  Crash Man suddenly tackled her, knocking her aside and planting one of his bombs on her arm. Roll tried futilely to remove it, and Crash Man just laughed.

“Let’s see how durable you are!” he said.

Thinking fast, Roll pointed her fist and activated Hard Knuckle.  Her limb detached, carrying the bomb with it; Crash Man was able to doge, but Heat Man, taken by surprise, was only able to close the lid of his armor as the bomb exploded in his face.  The blast knocked her arm off its return course, so Roll ran forward to grab it but was intercepted by a kick from Crash Man.

“Well...not bad.  But I doubt you can keep it up for long!”

Roll forced him back with a Gemini Laser. Rush scooped up her arm and brought it to her, allowing her to reattach it as she examined the flame wall again, now little more than embers around the doorframe.  Back on his feet, Heat Man said, “Why you…!  That does it!”

Flames enveloped his whole body.  With a sudden burst of speed, Heat Man rocketed forward, colliding with Roll and launching her straight through the door.  Crash Man nullified the Gemini Laser with one of his bombs, and then said, “Heh, I’m the one who charges in headlong?”

“W-Well...she made me mad!”

Crash Man laughed.  After waiting a moment, he said, “Hey...is she...coming back?”

Heat Man blinked.  The two of them ran forward, chasing Roll through the next hallway to an open area with a catwalk suspended over a churning pool of water. Just as she was reaching for a ladder, one of Crash Man’s bombs burrowed into her arm.

“Not so fast!”

Roll spun and equipped Hard Knuckle again. When she attempted to fire, however, she realized that the weapon had run out of energy.  Her eyes widened as the bomb went off.  The blast knocked her off the catwalk and into the water below, though thankfully it wasn’t as deep as it had initially appeared.

How did I use up Hard Knuckle so quickly?  I should have plenty more uses left…

Another bomb shot through the water.  Roll got as far away from it as she could.  She looked for a way to climb out, but then she noticed a form swimming straight at her.  Just able to throw herself clear, Roll got a good look at the robot that passed her: his armor was green, with fins on his feet and an apparatus like a diving mask covering his face.  He turned around quickly, firing a buster shot at Roll as she tried to balance herself in the water.  She retaliated, missing, and then the robot launched a large bubble at her, forcing her to kick off the ground and push herself out of the way.  Unable to redirect herself, she braced for her foe’s next attack.  At that moment, Rush came shooting through the water in his rocket form, knocking back the enemy robot before circling back to bring Roll to the surface.

“Thanks boy,” she said.  “I’ve gotta be more careful.”

“See?” Crash Man said, gesturing towards her. “I knew Bubble Man wouldn’t be able to take her out.”

The aquatic robot poked his head out of the water, saying, “Hey, I’m not done yet!  And it’s not like you’re doing any better!”

As they argued, Roll quickly checked how much energy her weapons had remaining, not wanting to run out by surprise again. Glancing over the list, she thought, They’re all lower than usual.  Is something wrong with the Variable Weapons System?  I guess it’s never been used on this many weapons before...maybe past a certain limit, it has less space to devote to each individual energy store?

Heat Man, apparently the only one still paying attention, lobbed a fireball at Roll.  Flying out of the way, she fired her buster as she observed her foes, deciding to save her special weapons until an opening presented itself.  The crossfire went on too long for Crash Man’s taste: charging suddenly, he leapt off the catwalk straight at Roll.  She dodged the bombs he fired, equipped Top Spin, and kicked him into the water, narrowly missing Bubble Man in the process. Landing on the platform, she took aim at Heat Man.

“Ah, great,” Heat Man grumbled.  “Well, don’t think I’ll make it easy for you!”

Flames surrounded him again as he charged forward. Roll flipped overhead and threw a Shadow Blade as Heat Man’s dash ended, then another as she landed to stun him out of making another attack.  However, she ran out of energy for the weapon, and the time it took to switch gave the angered Robot Master time to barrel forward in a bright blaze.  Roll slid out of the way, and Heat Man collided with the railing of the catwalk, tearing through it and ending up in open air.

“Uh-oh…!”

Roll ran towards the edge, but by the time she got there Heat Man had already hit the water.  A small explosion of steam went up as his body disappeared.  Seconds later, a Crash Bomb shot up out of the water, Roll just barely able to stumble back in time.  She picked herself up and ran for the exit, but Bubble Man shot out of the water to intercept her, using one of his bubbles to knock her into the water as well.

“There you are!” Crash Man said, swinging around to face Roll as she floated towards the bottom.  “Enough playing around!”

Rush tried to rescue Roll again, but this time Bubble Man was able to hold him off.  Roll twisted around Crash Man’s attack as best she could, and then rammed her buster into the side of his head, unleashing a charge shot on contact and sending him spinning away.  As she shot Bubble Man back, she noticed the deactivated body of Heat Man nearby; figuring getting a new weapon was the best way to refill her ammunition at the moment, she copied his data and then turned to keep an eye on Crash Man.  More bombs came her way, which she easily wove between to return fire with Quick Boomerangs.  Bubble Man tried launching a surprise attack, but Rush alerted Roll, and she stopped him short with a Spark Shock.  With a shout, Crash Man lunged forward as fast as he could.  Seeing an easy opening, Roll ducked, thrust her buster out, and delivered a burst of Atomic Fire directly into Crash Man’s chest to finish him off.

“Urgh...this ain’t looking good…” Bubble Man said, keeping his distance as Roll copied the Crash Bomb.

“Then just let me through,” Roll said.  “I don’t have any interest in fighting you! This--”

She cried out as a circular saw blade cut through the water, slicing across her shoulder.  Firing two Magnet Missiles out of the water, she leapt onto Rush and made for the surface, keeping a close eye on Bubble Man as she went.  Waiting above was a Robot Master with red and yellow armor, accented by a splash of blue and saw-like spikes on his shoulders and helmet.

“Let me pass!”

Drawing another saw, the other robot said, “Don’t think so.”

Roll waited until the last second to dart to the side.  At the same time, Bubble Man again leapt from the water in an attempt to surprise her, ultimately crashing to the catwalk as the saw cut straight through him. Wincing, Roll stopped briefly to copy his weapon before returning her attention to the newcomer.  She used a Crash Bomb to drive him back into the hall and give herself some cover, and then fired her last Gemini Laser into the confined space to further restrict her foe’s movements.  Crouching low, Roll then commanded Rush to charge, and they rammed right into the robot and carried him down the length of the hallway into the next chamber.  The walls here were an eerie purple, and conveyor belts and pulleys ran across the room in every direction.  Waiting in its center were two Robot Masters: one that appeared to be made of wood, and one with a large blue body with a giant fan rotor built into his chest. The latter unleashed a gust of wind the moment he saw Roll, blowing her off-course before she could get too close.

“Hmhm, well done, Metal Man,” he said.  “I knew you’d let us down.”

The robot Roll had carried in with her sat up and rubbed his head, saying, “Keep quiet for once, Air Man.  Wood Man, can I get some backup?”

The wooden contraption beat his chest.  “Of course!  We’ll give it our all to stop her here!”

A dozen or so leaves suddenly materialized in the room, slowly going from ceiling to floor, while Metal Man leapt onto a conveyor belt and resumed flinging his blades.  Roll took evasive action as she tried to spot a path through them. However, Air Man began to spin his propeller, and the leaves were all pushed directly towards Roll, leaving tiny cuts all over her armor.  As she struggled to recover, one of Metal Man’s saws clipped her leg, making her falter long enough for Air Man to summon a small whirlwind that hurled her into the wall.  She slid to the floor, dazed until another saw cut her shoulder.

Alright...I don’t have any choice but to fight.  I’ve got to focus, or they’ll destroy me.

She slid to the side to avoid another leaf-filled gust.  Unleashing all her remaining Search Snakes and Quick Boomerangs, Roll leapt onto Rush and flew into battle.  Air Man focused on sweeping away the snakes while Metal Man leapt from one belt to another to dodge boomerangs, so she focused buster fire on Wood Man.  Leaves circled around him, blocking her shots. She tried to hit Air Man with a Spark Shock while he was distracted, but Wood Man leapt in the way, the electricity doing nothing against his wooden shell.  Banking hard to avoid Air Man’s retaliation, Roll aimed for Metal Man and fired her final Magnet Missile just as he attacked her.  Metal Man was carried into the projectile by the conveyor belt he stood on, meanwhile Roll was able to avoid the blade and turned back to Wood Man.  He summoned his shield again when he saw her taking aim, but the Needle Cannon pierced straight through his guard, burying itself deep in his armor.  Air Man was quick to counter, knocking Roll off of Rush and back towards Metal Man.

“Have to admit, you’re a handful,” Metal Man said. “But I’ll cut you down just the same!”

Roll slid as fast as she could to dodge the blades being thrown at her, not sure how much more damage she could sustain. Gradually, she closed the distance between her and her enemy, almost getting hit numerous times by Wood Man and Air Man’s support attacks and ordering Rush to keep his distance for now. When she got too close, Metal Man jumped--and Roll stuck a Crash Bomb to the floor right where he would land, the explosion ripping his body apart.  After taking the Metal Blade for her own, Roll rejoined with Rush and circled towards the remaining two opponents.

“Darn...this is bad,” Wood Man said quietly.

Air Man rolled his eyes.  “You can always quit if you’re too afraid.”

“I didn’t say anything about quitting!”

Roll equipped Bubble Lead as she dodged incoming fire, sending the projectiles across the floor ahead of her.  Both her foes were easily able to pop the bubbles before they reached them, but it did distract them just long enough for Roll to empty her remaining Needle Cannon shots into Wood Man.  Air Man did his best to force her back, but the Metal Blade was able to slice through the gale he summoned, causing him to recoil. Leaves filled the chamber; Roll burned her way through them with the Atomic Fire, then used Bubble Lead again to make Wood Man use his shield.  She dug a Metal Blade into the ground to keep from being blown away by Air Man, and before Wood Man got another chance to act, she unleashed a torrent of flame upon him, near-instantly incinerating the robot until only his scant few metallic components remained.

“Well...this is unexpected,” Air Man said as Roll grabbed onto Wood Man’s remains.  “Seems it truly is all down to me.”

“You can walk away,” Roll said.  “Please, I’ve had enough of fighting…”

“Hmhm, yes, I’m sure you have.  I’d rather defeat you at your best, but I will defeat you just the same.”

Roll activated the Leaf Shield, the barrier somehow able to repel Air Man’s next gust.  She quickly switched to Metal Blade, but despite being so bulky, Air Man was able to avoid the saws and send Roll flying with a whirlwind.

Stay focused, Roll thought, rolling as she hit the ground and coming up in a crouch.  I have one Spark Shock left.  Metal Blade seems pretty efficient so I can probably still get a few uses out of that.  Time Stopper probably won’t work on him either, and Leaf Shield...too soon to tell. I really hope he’s the last one…

Roll fired her buster as she advanced.  Air Man deflected her shots with whirlwinds before trying to make a counterattack.  Roll slid clear, only letting up as long as she had to.  As Air Man once again moved to attack, Rush leapt at him from behind, holding in his teeth one of the Metal Blades Roll had thrown earlier and using it to slash at Air Man’s back.  The Robot Master spun on him, and Roll seized the opportunity: she used Spark Shock to electrocute Air Man, and managed to land one more Metal Blade before Air Man knocked Rush away.

“Rush!”

“Worry about yourself!”

Roll put up a Leaf Shield as Air Man unleashed all the wind he could muster.  Even with its protection, she could feel herself being pushed back, so she put her arms forward out of instinct.  As she did, the leaves encircling her broke formation and dashed forward, cutting their way through the wind and into Air Man’s propeller.  Air Man’s eyes widened as his blades ground to a halt.

“Ngh...curses…”

Roll didn’t waste her chance.  She used up Metal Blade to wear Air Man down, and when he finally managed a counterattack, she blocked with Leaf Shield before sending it slicing through him again.  Air Man tried desperately to get his propeller moving, but eventually his mechanisms couldn’t take the stress, and the fan blades burst from him in a cloud of smoke.  Roll held firm until Air Man stopped moving completely, and then dropped onto all fours and sighed heavily.  She stared at the floor, shaking, unable for the longest time to say even a single word.

“...It’s...too much…”

Rush gently nudged her.  She looked up, the dog licking her face; he then opened the compartment on his back to reveal two tanks--one labeled with an “E”, the other with a “W”.

“...Right.  I have to keep going.”  She scratched Rush’s ear, smiling just a little.  “Thanks, boy.  It helps that I don’t have to do this alone.”

She got to her feet and drank both tanks. Then, she copied Air Man’s weapon, faced the corridor ahead, and ran forward.

Rock...Blues...I’m almost there.