A Hero's Fall

Mega Man was silent for a moment, trying to enjoy the peace of the moment. He found that he couldn’t. Finally he pulled himself to a sitting position. “Doctor Light,” he said quietly, his gaze on his hands, which were on his knees. “I’m sorry.”

Dr. Light was taken aback. “Sorry, for what?”

“This entire thing is my fault,” the robot explained slowly. “I deserve to die for being such a fool.” He paused. “But you, and Roll, and the rest of the planet...you’ll be suffering needlessly because of something I did...

Dr. Light took a breath. ”Mega Man. Listen to me. Guilt or no guilt, now is not the time. Beating yourself over something you’d done in the past is not going to solve anything in the present.“

Mega Man blinked as he thought that over. ”You know,“ he said suddenly, ”you’re right.“ And he began to pull himself up.

”What are you going to do?“ Dr. Light asked, startled.

”I don’t know,“ Mega Man answered, ”but I have to try.“