Author's note: dunno why I randomly decided to write this (other than having work to procrastinate on), but it was fun. I guess I just enjoy thinking too much about Forte's thoughts and motivations. I tried to make my point in a small space without being completely ham-handed about it, but in the end I couldn't find a way to end it that didn't sound completely pretentious or over-the-top, so I apologize - it's the best I could come up with. Same with the title.

Forte's Victory:

A final shot flew through the air, and when it struck the red robot square in the chest, time seemed to slow. His expression was horrified shock, and his opponent's face showed similar surprised... which turned quickly to a smile.

Both robots were badly damaged from their latest fight, but somehow a shot had hit Rock at a weakened point in the super-adapter armour over his chest. Forte watched, still in slow motion, as the chest caved in, crushing vital components while Rock was still in mid-fall. By the time he hit the ground, his eyes had dimmed, the jets on his back stopped and the mechanics that animated his limbs had ground to a halt. This time, their fight was above a city street, and there had been a large crowd keeping its distance in either direction. As the onlookers' perception of time returned to normal, there were a few gasps from the crowd. Then, sobs of fear and sadness. Some bystanders started to rush toward their fallen hero, but Forte had to finish the job first. He cut his own jets, and dropped to the street, scaring off the approaching humans.

His wings receded, and his support unit, Gospel, separated from his systems and physically disengaged, turning back to his wolf-like form. Forte laughed with satisfaction as he jammed his foot into the cavity his last shot had caused. He ground Rock's innards with his heel, then kicked the body a few times, denting the armour further.

"Finally... finally it's done!" He turned to the onlookers, "do you see? I've beaten him at last! I've proven what I've said all these years - I'm the stronger robot... I'm the strongest robot in the world! You said I was a copy, a wannabe... well look who's laughing now!" They only cowered in fear, some children, and even adults, crying silently. No-one dared speak a word, and the only sound was Forte's echoing laughter. "That's right, no longer will I be 'Rock Man's Rival' or 'The evil Rock Man.' If anything, he's just the prototype for me! I'll go down in history as Forte, strongest robot in the world; Forte, champion of all time. And this piece of scrap... this so-called 'hero' will be nothing but a footnote to my glory!"

He continued to kick the lifeless robot around, laughing hysterically, while the bystanders were too shocked and terrified to interrupt him. For who could protect them now? Gospel began to howl loudly, the sound carrying through the city.

There was a clank as the head - the shock still evident on its face - dropped to the floor of the laboratory. Dr. Wily, watching several news broadcasts while he worked, did not turn around. "Oh, you're back. I've already launched several assaults on world powers, you need to get going if I'm going to keep my schedule."

Forte, annoyed at the lack of acknowledgement, cleared his throat - a purely superficial act for a robot. Dr. Wily turned in his chair, looking annoyed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want a prize? After all, I built you for a single purpose, and gave you more than enough firepower and equipment to complete the task... and here you are, having finally fulfilled that purpose after... how many years?"

"Tch. It figures, you'd still think I was doing anything under your orders. I told you, all I care about is defeating Rock Man, and now I have. I just wanted to show you once and for all how wrong you are... for every time you said I was useless, or thought I needed your help or inferior robots to beat him. I defeated Rock Man, completely and in a fair fight."

"Of course, silly me. You've finally promoted your status from completely worthless, to barely adequate for what I built you for." He swiveled the chair back around, to continue his scheming. "Now you're just as good as any of my other servants, so get out there and spread some chaos. Suppress some military resistance with my other robots, or destroy political or economic infrastructure. I don't care, just get out there and make sure they know what happens until I'm officially in charge."

"You're still missing the point. I'm not your robot. I never was, from the moment you turned me on. I'm more than you or anyone else ever gave me credit for, and I just proved it by killing Rock!"

"Fine, you proved you're your own man by doing exactly what I built you to do. If you're going to continue your rebellious self-delusion-" at this point, he was cut off as a ball of plasma flew past his head and blew up one of the many monitors that made up his large work-screen. He stood, grabbed a wrench and turned "Now that that infernal Rock Man is dead, I'm too busy to put up with your infantile tantrums. Now either yourself useful or GET OUT!" But the furious robot had already left.

"I swear, the worst mistake I made with that scrap heap was copying Light's blasted emotional AI. At least now I can get back to the busy work of ruling the world unopposed."

Dr. Light was in his own laboratory, slumped over a workbench. In the aftermath of the latest battle, he had at first tried to collect his creation and repair it... repair him. But the torso would need to be completely rebuilt from scratch. He had started his work, but... he knew, with the core destroyed and the head stolen... there was no way to really bring him back. Not the real Rock, Light's son. He couldn't bring himself to continue work, not when he thought of how much his son had grown since being assembled the first time. It was more than programming... it was learning, growing up when faced with real trouble, and any number of irreplaceable experiences. He barely noticed the loud crash upstairs.

Meanwhile, Roll's mourning was interrupted as the front door was blown off its hinges. "There you are, little girl. Is daddy home?"

"B-but... why are you here!? Haven't you done enough?" she cried.

"Yes... I'm here. And you know who am I am, don't you?"

"You're that horrible Wily bot!"

His smile turned sour, and he ran to the smaller robot and picked her up by the throat. "No! I am not 'that Wily robot'! I am not a faceless minion of that senile old man, and you will say my name!"

"Forte! Your name is Forte!"

"That's right, my name is Forte. And do you know who I am?"

"You... you're the one that defeated my brother... Rock."

"NO, I am the greatest, strongest fighting robot in the world! That's who I am." Angrily, he tossed her aside, throwing her into a wall. He continued downstairs.

"You! Light! You know who I am. Tell me, right now."

Dr. Light stood, not facing the door or the robot pointing a hot Forte Buster at him. "You are the one... who killed my son. You are the pathetic robot that wanted so badly to be just like my son that you killed the greatest, strongest little boy that has ever lived... greater in more ways than you can imagine, and stronger than you can understand."

The sound of hot plasma streaking through the air filled the lab.

Forte was soon in a large city again, not even sure where. He had merged with Gospel again, to increase his destructive capacity as he tore down buildings in a haze of anger and desperation. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go, or anything else to do. He heard bits and pieces from the people running away, and from passing televisions that were still on. All the channels were reporting on the wide-scale destruction caused by Dr. Wily's robots. His rise to power made possible by the defeat of world defender and hero, Rock Man, "a battle in which the world's greatest champion, Rock Man, was defeated by the robot shown here... a robot sent by the nefarious Wily to destroy the greatest obstacle preventing just this sort of tragedy. Wily then sent the robot to destroy his rival, and creator of Rock Man, Dr. Light, before joining other powerful robots in wholesale destruction."

As the people ran from this black and purple monstrosity, clearly insane and shouting demands that people know who his is, and that he be remembered, the day was marked as a turning point in history. This would always be remembered as the day that Dr. Wily's creations destroyed Rock Man, and the mad scientist took over the world.