Rainbow has been beaten. She's been broken. Now, she will be reforged.
Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria, is done.
She's been beaten for three years straight by the same person, no matter how hard she's trained. Then she was crippled by a foe whose dark power was beyond anything she could fight. She lost her wing. She lost her pride. She lost her will.
But now she has a new foe to face. One that is cold and monstrous. He will not simply beat her. He will break her, break her down so badly that the only place she'll have left to go...is up.
A knocking on her door raised Rainbow Dash from her slumber.
The rainbow maned mare let out a groan as she glanced up at the clock on her wall. Noon. Far earlier that she was supposed to be up. She couldn’t imagine who was coming to bother her at this hour, but if she had to wager a guess it would be one of her friends. Though a part of her wondered if they were still friends. It had been months since she had last spoken to any of them.
The knocking grew louder and Dash realized the pony at the door wasn’t going to leave until they had spoken to her, so with a tired grown Dash rolled out of her bed and landed on her hooves. Her blinds were drawn, as always, but there was just enough light in-between the cracks for her to see. She stretched her one wing and walked out of her bedroom and into the living room of her small house.
Not wanting to deal with the pony at the door right away, Dash instead took a moment to look around. It had been a while since she had mustered up the strength to clean the place, so dust and cobwebs covered a lot of the room. There wasn’t much for her to look at. A couple of dusty seats. A table with some magazines on it. A shelf that had once held her first place trophies, until she had destroyed them one night in a fit of helpless rage. And then there was a single picture on her wall. One of her and her five other friends all smiling with their hooves around each other. Back when she had two wings. Back when she was happy. Back before Ryu.
The knocking grew so ferocious that Dash figured if she didn’t answer the door the pony would probably beat her door down. Dash walked to the door, grasped the handle, and, with a sigh, opened it. Sunlight poured directly into her eyes, blinding her momentarily and getting a couple of curse words out of her mouth.
“Wow. You’re in even worse shape than I thought.” When Rainbow could finally see again, she found that it was Fluttershy that had come to visit her. The mare had cut her mane and now wore glasses, but other than that she looked pretty much the same.
“Fluttershy? Why are you here and why are you dressed like that?” Rainbow asked.
“I’m dressed like this because I work at the vet now. And I’m here because nopony has seen you in months and somepony had to check up on you,” Fluttershy replied before looking past Rainbow into her house. “Are you going to invite me in or are we going to have this conversation out here?”
Dash grunted and moved to the side, allowing Fluttershy into her home. Fluttershy looked around with a concerned look on her face as she noticed all the dust and cobwebs. She then spied the ruined remains of a trophy near a shelf and her heart sank slightly. Yet she regained control of her composure and sat on one of the couches, ignoring the dust and grime.
“So what do you want?” Rainbow asked as she plopped down in a seat.
“I wanted to see how you’ve been doing. It’s been months since, well, your injury and you’ve dropped off the map,” Fluttershy replied. “You don’t go to the doctors anymore, you’ve stopped training and I’ve had to take care of Tank for you. Rainbow, you can’t keep living like this.”
“Why not? It’s the only way I can live now,” Dash spat dejectedly.
“No it isn’t. Missing a wing doesn’t make you any different from the Rainbow Dash we know and love,” Fluttershy replied.
“Really? Cause it’s sure as hell made a difference to me! I have to live down here, in the dirt, because I can no longer stand on clouds. I can’t go to Cloudsdale anymore in general because, oh look, I can’t fly! I’ve lost my wing, lost my Pegasus magic and lost not only my title as the number one fighter in Equestria, but also any chance I had at joining the Wonderbolts! There’s nothing left for me to do but to stay here and rot.”
“Rainbow, there are plenty of jobs out there for a Pegasus missing her wing,” Fluttershy said. “Celestia has a whole division in Canterlot to help those who are…in your situation. Her R and D department has even had a breakthrough with metal wings and they’re hoping soon that crippled pegasi will be able to fly again.”
“But it won’t be the same,” Rainbow spat. “I’ll never be the fastest flier again. I’ll never be the champion fighter that could take on any being not named Zangief. I’ll never be me again.”
“Rainbow…you’ve been in here too long by yourself. You’ve forgotten that we’re still your friends and that we’re always here for you,” Fluttershy said. “Our greatest strength is no our wings or muscles or magic, but our friendship. The friendship that brought down Tirek. The friendship that saved Luna. We’ve done the impossible not because of our individual skills, but as friends. And we can do so again, if you’ll let us help you.”
“Please, our little group is done. Twilight’s in a mental ward, Rarity’s off in Canterlot promoting her line, Pinkie’s traveling Equestria with Cheese and you…you have other responsibilities now," Rainbow spat. “The Ambassadors of Harmony are finished. Just like me.”
“Actually, Twilight was released from the mental ward a week ago. As long as she stays away from Zangief and his antics, she should be fine.”
“Well whoopie for her. Still doesn’t change my point.”
Fluttershy let out a small sigh and stared up at the ceiling, watching as a spider made a brand new web next to all of the others. “I want to help you, Rainbow Dash, but I can’t unless you let me. Losing your wing was a tragedy, but it isn’t the end of your life. There is so much more you can do, you just need to find the will to try.”
“I did try. And I lost a wing because of it,” Rainbow snarled. “Now do you have any other motivational speeches your read off a fortune cookie or are you going to let me go back to bed and live the rest of my life in peace the way I want to?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to say more, but thought better of it and rose to her hooves. “I’ll leave for today Dash, but you can’t get rid of me that easily. I want to help you, whether you want help or not. I’ve known you longer than anypony else and I know that quitter isn’t in your vocabulary. Eventually, you’ll see that I’m right.”
“Are you still talking? Don’t you have some sick squirrel to take care of or something?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy frowned before she headed towards the door, but once she reached it she stopped to look back at Dash.
“Ryu’s no longer in Equestria,” she informed Rainbow. “He left about a month ago. Apparently, he’s gone to hunt down the metal man who had tried to kill Diamond Tiara. If he’s the reason why you’ve been so scared to go outside, you don’t need to fear him anymore. You’re safe.”
Dash snarled at those words as Fluttershy left, but even though she would never say it she did feel like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She still had nightmares about that day, the day when Ryu had snapped and tore her wing from her shoulders. Ryu, the most boring, slow and uninteresting fighter Dash had ever fought, held a demon within his very soul. Something Rainbow had learned the hard way.
She hated to admit it, but she had been scared of running into Ryu again. Afraid that one moment he would be the dull weirdo he normally was and then he would turn into that monster again. It wasn’t the only reason Dash rarely left her house, but it was one of them. Zangief had spoken with the ponies and explained Ryu’s demon to them, as well as the fact that he had conquered it and the demon in Ryu would never bother them again. The ponies forgave Ryu instantly, because Zangief asked them to and they never went against Zangief, but they hadn’t been on the receiving end of his power. His hatred. They didn’t see his crimson eyes every time they slept or felt the screaming agony of a limb being ripped free. She did. And it wasn’t something one could easily get over.
A knock came from her door once more, getting Rainbow Dash to groan in annoyance. What was Fluttershy back for now? Had she forgotten something? Did she not want to leave Rainbow in the state she was in? Or maybe she read a new fortune from a cookie and thought that it might change the way Rainbow saw the world?
“For the last time Fluttershy, I’m not-“ Rainbow began as she ripped the door open, only to find she had severely mistaken who was on the other side.
A colossal human stood before her, one that, if she had to guess, was as tall or even taller as Zangief. He wasn’t as muscular as the Red Cyclone, but there was a ferocity and intensity to his aura that Rainbow had never felt coming off of the Russian. A nasty scar was on his chest, one that went from his lower abdomen all the way up to his right shoulder. Tape covered his fists and feet, and his shorts were red and blue.
But where Dash’s full attention was drawn was to his face. A face that was so hard set into a scowl that if she had been told his face had been carved from granite she would believe it. The human had only one, pure white eye. The other eye was covered by a black and worn eyepatch.
All this she gathered as she stared up at the human, unable to move under his gaze. It was like if a predator was gazing down at a mouse. The mouse knew that it was dead, the only question was would the predator kill it then or in a moment. That was how Dash felt looking up at this human. She felt like she was staring into the face of a tiger.
“Rainbow Dash?” the human finally asked her.
“Uh-huh,” Dash barely muttered in reply.
“You’re coming with me.” And then he kneed her in the face.
Rainbow’s eyes snapped open in an instant. She shot up and started to look around, only for a wave of pain and nausea to overtake her and nearly cause her to collapse. She took a moment to stare at the ground, waiting for the wave of pain to pass, before she lifted her eyes once more and took a good look around.
She was in the middle of some kind of jungle. The trees that surrounded her on all sides were different than the ones back home and three times as thick, with a mist floating between them that made it impossible for her to see through. Their branches and thick leaves all tangled together overhead, blocking out the sun and the sky.
But what grabbed her full attention was what was in the clearing. Two small mats on the ground, a pool of water and the massive, scar covered man that had knocked her out. He sat with his back towards her, hands on his knees in a meditative position, without his body moving in the slightest. Rainbow wasn’t sure if he was awake or asleep. Heck, she didn’t even know who he was.
“You’re awake. Good,” the man said. Rainbow let out a yelp he stood up at turned to face her. Now that she had a good shot of him next to another tall object, Rainbow realized that this man was indeed taller than Zangief. Not by much, but he still was. “Now we begin,” he said as he took up a fighting stance.
“Wait a moment! Who the heck are you?! Where am I?” she asked as she scrambled away from the man.
“I am Sagat, your new master,” Sagat said with a scowl. “As for where you are, this is the Jungle of Loss. A place that I have taken you to so that we may expedite your training. Now enough talk. It is time for battle.”
“Battle? Newsflash for you pal, but I don’t battle anymore,” Rainbow said as she indicated to her wing. “How can I, when I can’t even-“
In a blur of motion Sagat was on Rainbow, hurling out a kick towards her head. Rainbow let out a yelp before she rolled to the side, just barely avoiding the impact. Sagat read the roll and kicked off the ground, flying towards Rainbow with his knee outstretched. Rainbow took the knee square in the chest and tumbled backwards, gasping for the air that had been ejected from her lungs.
Sagat was on the offensive once more. He hurled a series of punches and elbow strikes at Rainbow, who was forced to block and deflect them with her forehooves. Sagat went low and tried to sweep her legs out from beneath her, but he was a bit too slow and she leapt over the attack. For a brief moment she and Sagat locked eye, before he raised his arm to defend himself from the blow that never came. When she failed to strike him, Sagat lowered his arm and looked down at Dash, who had simply backed away from him.
“You had the perfect chance for a counterattack and yet you did nothing,” Sagat said, his voice filled with disappointment. “I know you saw the opening, and yet you did nothing. Explain yourself, if you are able.”
“I’m not fighting you,” Rainbow spat. “I’m done fighting. I’m done with Zangief, with Ryu and with anyone else that comes from his world. Let me go home and back to bed. It’s too early in the morning for me.”
“Pathetic,” Sagat spat. “I had heard of you, Rainbow Dash, from one of the greatest opponents I have ever known. He called you brave, courageous, an incredible fighter, but most of all, one who never backed away from a challenge. Yet all I see is a mare that didn’t deserve any of the praise she had gotten to begin with. If this is all it takes to get you to give up, then you never deserved any of your titles to begin with.”
“Whatever. How do I get out of here?”
“Simply go in any direction and you shall find an exit. This jungle is not that large,” Sagat said. He turned around and sat down, leaving Dash to make up her mind. Dash spat at him before heading into the trees.
“Stupid Street Fighter. Thinking he can show up and tell me what to do, all because he’s so tall and angry,” Rainbow muttered to herself as she walked. The fog grew thicker as she walked, putting the mare slightly on edge. ‘No, it’s nothing. It’s just fog. You’ve faced world ending abominations. Fog is nothing.’
‘Rainbow Dash.’
Her soul turned to ice as Rainbow heard the words. It wasn’t the calling out of her name, but rather the voice of who had spoken. Slowly, while praying she was wrong the entire time, Dash slowly turned to look behind her. Standing there, to her utter despair, was Ryu. But not the white clad warrior that the princesses had pardoned. His suit was a dark blue, his hair was crimson and a blood red aura surrounded him. This was him. Her nightmare given form.
“No…no it can’t be you. You’re gone! Fluttershy said you were gone!” Rainbow screamed.
“I will never leave. Not while my prey still draws breath,” Evil Ryu snarled, slowly walking towards her. He extended one hand towards her, before crushing his grip. “You look so…off balance like that. Come here, little mare. Let me tear out your other wing…and truly cast you out of heaven!”
With a bellow of wrath that shook the forest, Evil Ryu lunged towards Rainbow. She let out a scream of terror before turning and racing through the trees, tearing across the ground as fast as her legs could carry her. She flapped her one wing uselessly as she ran, praying that it would give her enough speed to outrun the demon. But like all demons, it caught up to her no matter how fast she went
Evil Ryu burst through the trees and hurled a kick at her, getting Rainbow to scream as she ducked the kick. The attack sliced through one of the trees and brought it down, nearly crashing on top of her. She took off running once more, while the mocking voice of Evil Ryu echoed behind her.
“Run all you like, Rainbow. Without your wings, you are trapped in hell!”
Purple blasts of plasma burned away the forest all around her as E. Ryu shot out Hadoken after Hadoken towards her. Tears stream down Rainbow’s face as she ran, her eyes glancing around desperately for a way out of the forest or a place to hide. The forest gave her neither. She heard her demons cackle and glanced behind her in time to see a colossal dark blast of Hadoken tearing apart the forest as it tore a path straight to her. She threw herself out of the way of the blast right before it detonated, the shockwave catching the mare and tossing her into the side of a tree.
Pain wracked her body, terror made her limbs quake and the tears in her eyes obstructed her vision as Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves, preventing her from noticing where Evil Ryu was until he was right on top of her. With fear filling every last bit of her soul she gazed up as the demon walked towards her, a smile on his face so disturbing that it contorted his face and made his jaws bleed.
“Rainbow Dash. The fastest flier in Equestria,” E. Ryu mocked as he stalked towards her. “You were once so proud. Of your speed, of your skill, of your title of the lands greatest fighter. And now look at you. Crying and shivering like a babe that has seen true terror for the first time. Killing you as you are now will not be a victory. It will be a mercy.”
His hand lashed out and grabbed Rainbow by the throat, ripping her from the ground with ease and dangling her limp body off the ground. Rainbow squirmed as best she could, but it was no use. She could not escape.
“Twilight…Fluttershy…Zangief…anyone,” she sobbed weakly. Evil Ryu’s smile somehow widened even further and he laughed at her words.
“Begging for help? You truly have gone as low as you can,” Evil Ryu mocked. Then he grabbed hold of her other wing with his free hand and smiled at Rainbow. “Do not worry. I will make it quick. But it will not be painless.”
“Be silent.”
A massive, tree trunk like body slammed into Evil Ryu, driving its knee into the demon’s face. Ryu spat out blood as he tumbled backwards, roaring with rage as he snapped back up to his feet. Dash collapsed to the ground in a heap and weakly looked up to see Sagat standing over her, his eye locked onto Evil Ryu.
“Sagat. Come to be bested by me once more?” Evil Ryu laughed as he glared at Sagat. Sagat said nothing in reply. Instead, he slid his left foot back, rose his left arm and assumed a fighting stance Rainbow had never seen before. Ryu bellowed as he lunged towards Sagat, hand outstretched. Dash wanted to look away, but her fear kept her eyes glued to the humans.
In a single motion, Sagat swatted Ryu’s fist to the side before delivering three, hard hitting fists to E. Ryu’s chest. Ryu staggered backward with a look of both confusion and pain on his face, before he shook his head and bellowed once more. He lunged at Sagat and shot out his leg, diving down with a knife kick. Sagat stepped to the side and allowed the attack to sail past him, before he kicked Ryu in the back of the head and sent him tumbling through the dirt.
“What? How?” Evil Ryu snarled, getting back up to his feet and glaring at Sagat. Sagat had yet to move from his spot. “You are not this strong! I struck you down at your peak with a fraction of my power! You cannot best me!”
“Your words mean as much to me as the swaying of these branches or the wind in the trees” Sagat calmly replied. “As for you…you mean nothing to me. Just a face from my past like a memory. A memory of where I used to be. A place I am so far beyond.”
Evil Ryu bellowed at his words before lunging forward once more, dashing across the ground with such speed that the jungle behind him was set alight with his movement. Yet Sagat never moved. He never even looked up as the Raging Demon approached him. Right as Ryu reached out to claim Sagat’s soul, Sagat reached out with his own hand and placed it on Evil Ryu’s chest, stopping him dead.
“Tiger.”
An explosion of fire the likes of which Rainbow Dash had never seen consumed Evil Ryu, burning him away until he was nothing. Sagat then let out a sigh and rose up to his feet, finally turning around to look at Rainbow Dash.
“That is the true power of this Jungle of Loss. Those who enter into these trees are hounded by their greatest loss, their greatest failure, until they either overcome it…or are slain by it,” Sagat informed her. “So if you truly wish to leave this place. You must overcome him. You must overcome yourself. Now come. There is much to be done.”
Not wanting to stay in the jungle, in case the spirit of Evil Ryu returned, Rainbow had followed Sagat back to the small camp that he had made for them. Under the protection of the massive leaves that crisscrossed overhead, the camp consisted of two mats, a campfire, a pool of crystal clear water and some vials that she knew nothing about. While it was as barebones as a camp could get, at least it made sense to her.
What made absolutely no sense was the seven-foot-tall human that had knocked her out and dragged her here. Sagat, as he called himself, hadn’t answered a single question she had asked him on the way back to camp. Among those questions were the likes of “why did you kidnap me?” and “why on Equis did you bring me to this place?” Aside from a scowl, Sagat hadn’t responded in any way. Now Rainbow sat on her mat, staring at the mountain of a man who sat with legs crossed, hands on his knees and eye closed, breathing in and out slowly.
She didn’t know what to make of him. Now that she had a better look, she could see even more scars aside from the massive one that was on the front of his body. In fact, nearly all of his exposed flesh was covered in scars. Similar to Zangief. She wondered if they knew each other?
“Are you ready to begin?” Sagat asked. His voice was so sudden and deep that Rainbow nearly leapt off of her mat. She regained control of herself and narrowed her eyes at the man.
“Am I ready? Yeah, I’m ready. Ready for you to explain who the hell you are, why you kidnapped me and for you to take me back home! All that I’m ready for! As for…whatever the hell this place is, I have no intention of spending any more time here!”
“I already told you. If you wish to leave this place, you must conquer Ryu first,” Sagat replied, his voice practically a snarl. “And to do that, you need to be taught from the ground up. Unless you wish to face him again so soon.”
“Like I said, I have no intention of fighting him. Nor do I have any intention of staying here,” Rainbow snarled. “And if you don’t take me home right now, my friends will come to get me and when they do, your entire body will be one big scar!”
“Your friends are not coming. No one is,” Sagat informed her. He rose to his feet and walked over to the mare, towering over her as he glared down. “This is a location that only the beings called Changelings know about. It will hide your magic and your presence so that, if you fail, it can consume both without any interference. The only way out of here is to fight your way out. Now then, kitten, are you ready to learn? Or are you going to continue your mewling?”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, before the image of Evil Ryu flashed through her mind again. The stump on her back began to burn at the thought and she turned away from Sagat, curling up on her mat and ignoring him as best she could.
“Feh, your fear makes you less than a mewling kitten. Even they know when to brandish their claws in the face of a threat. You just lay there and wait for it to kill you,” Sagat spat.
“I don’t care. I’ll just lay here and wait to die,” Rainbow said.
“If that is what you wish for, so be it. Once Evil Ryu finds this place, I have no doubt he will not hesitate in granting your wish,” Sagat said. Rainbow Dash sat up and spun around to face the human, her eyes filled with fear. “Did you think you were safe here? That I made our camp in a place where he could not get to us? No, he will be here. Most likely soon. And if you face him in the state you are now, then I will have to find a new student.”
“Are you crazy?! Why on Equis would you set up camp in a place like this then?” Rainbow asked, before she started to look around. “We gotta move. Who knows how close he is? With his speed and bloodlust he could be here already.”
“Right now the only think keeping the spirit of Evil Ryu back is my presence,” Sagat told her. “If you go into that jungle without me, you will die within seconds. But eventually he will come here to claim your soul. And I will not stand in his way if he does. Either you will best him or he will kill you. There is no in-between.”
Rainbow stammered out a few words before she fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes as terror flowed through every vein in her body. “Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?” she sobbed.
“I am doing this because I owe a debt. A debt which I can repay by training you to be an even greater warrior than you once were. But I never promised that my training would be easy or that you would make it out alive. I promised to train you. It is up to you whether or not you survive my training,” Sagat said coldly. “If you have the motivation to sit there and snivel, then you have the strength to get back up and learn. Which will it be, kitten?”
“You don’t understand. Evil Ryu…he’s not something you can fight,” Rainbow whispered. “His speed, his strength…his ferocity. It’s power the likes of which I’ve never seen. How am I supposed to face something like that! You don’t know what you’re sending me up against!”
“I do not know the power of the Satsui no Hado? I do not know of the darkness that Ryu holds within? Who do you think gave me this?” Sagat asked, pointing his thumb to the massive scar on his chest. “I was at the peak of my power when Ryu defeated me. I was the greatest fighter in the world. And then he came along and toppled my empire with a single uppercut.”
“Do not waste my time whining about the loss of your wing or the loss of your status as champion. I have felt both. I have lost my eye. I have lost my crown. And I too lost my will to fight,” Sagat berated her. “But when you reach as low as you can go, there are only two options. To lay there at the bottom and pity yourself. Or start to climb once again. I chose to climb. All that is left is to see what you choose.”
Rainbow didn’t have anything to say. She was too busy trying to wrap her head around what Sagat had told her. He had faced Evil Ryu and been bested. It made sense, considering how he had known the spirits moves when they fought and had spoken about overcoming him. But the loss of his eye was not the same as the loss of her wing. He lost a little bit of depth perception and the ability to check his right. She had lost a tool of speed, mobility and aerial superiority. He had to change his fighting style slightly. She had lost the entire way she fought.
“You’d just be training me to prolong my death,” Rainbow spat. “Ryu himself was already a tough foe. He beat Zangief, for the love of Faust, the greatest fighter to have ever lived! And his evil form is even stronger than that! How would any amount of training help me to…to…”
Rainbow stopped talking, because Sagat had started laughing while she had been speaking. He threw his head back and laughed a hard, mirthless laugh for a moment, before his scowl returned to his face and he shook his head at her.
“How little you know. Zangief, while strong, is not the greatest fighter in our world. Ryu, even in his evil form, is perhaps second. But there is another fighter, one who makes the both of them seem like children. Akuma.” Rainbow didn’t know who Akuma was, but the moment she heard his name she felt her soul turn to ice and her stump began to blaze with pain.
“When Ryu uses the Satsui no Hado, he is using, at best, fifty percent of what it can actually do. Akuma though, is a true master of the killing intent. His form is perfect, his strength is unmatched and he holds no regard for his opponent’s life,” Sagat said, a smile crossing his face. Not one of joy or excitement. But one of fear. “There are none who can match him. He is a true demon in a fight. I have only witnessed him once. I hope never to do so again.”
“So Ryu, even Evil Ryu, isn’t the best?” Rainbow asked. Her voice shook like her whole world was coming down and she started curl up into the fetal position once more.
“Why does that upset you? If anything, what I have told you should make you happy,” Sagat said.
“Happy?! How on Equis can I be happy after you just told me there is a fighter who can kick around Evil Ryu like he’s nothing?!” Rainbow screamed. “Evil Ryu was the most powerful foe that I’ve ever faced and now you’re telling me he’s only second fiddle to the true master! What in that scar covered brain of yours would think that telling me that would make me feel better?”
“Simple. You believed Evil Ryu to be unbeatable. But I have just told you that he can be beaten,” Sagat explained calmly. “You cannot best him through raw power or might. But Akuma, from the little I saw, did not beat Ryu with power. He beat him with technique. With skill. By making all of his might worthless. And that, Rainbow, is something that you can do. It is something that I have done.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened in disbelief and she gazed up at Sagat with something growing in her heart that she thought she have never felt again. Hope. “You…you beat Evil Ryu?” she asked.
“I defeated Ryu. I bested Evil Ryu. And I held my own against Akuma himself,” Sagat told her, a true smile crossing his face. “That is why the being who wishes to help you came to me. Because only one who has overcome the Satsui no Hado knows how to best it. And just as Dhalsim taught me, so shall I teach you.”
Rainbow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A warrior, probably the only warrior, to have defeated Evil Ryu was before her, read to teach her how to do so. And for a moment she remembered herself in all of her glory, winning match after match, tournament after tournament, being hailed as the greatest in all the land. That was the her she wanted to be again. And it was time for her to reclaim her title.
“So are you ready, little kitten, to be pushed to the point where you wish for death, only to be driven beyond that?” Sagat asked her.
“Yes. I’m ready,” Rainbow said with a wicked smile.
“We shall see. Now then,” Sagat started, before he brought his arms close to his face and lifted one knee off the ground.
Everything on Rainbow hurt. Her arms hurt. Her legs hurt. Her head hurt. Her body especially hurt. She was certain that even her bruises had bruises from all of the abuse that she had taken in the past three days. She should be relaxing in a hot sauna to cure her aches and woes. Yet here she was, staring down the seven-foot man with her forearms raised in a defensive stance, ready for him to make his next move.
Sagat didn’t keep her waiting. His leg lashed out and aimed a kick straight for her head, forcing Rainbow to duck down low to avoid being hit. Sagat snapped his leg back and planted it down, using it as an anchor so he could step forward and drive his knee towards the crouching mare. Rainbow leapt back to avoid being hit, hating how much ground she was giving up. She never retreated, never gave up. Always fought to the bitter end. Yet n their first day of training she had tried that and ended up the bruised mess she was now.
‘He has no openings,’ Dash thought grimly. That was what she had learned about Sagat. He never left himself open, never revealed a moment when he could be counter attacked. Once his knee attack missed, she lunged forward to try to counter, but Sagat’s other leg came up and nearly kicked her head off. She rolled to the side to avoid the blow, but when she got back to her hooves he had already guarded again.
His limbs were the problem. With their length and precision he could strike her every time she tried to get in close to hit him. His arms were twice as long as hers and his legs were even longer, forcing her to get through them before she could get to him. And each time those limbs hit, they hurt. A lot.
‘He’s different from Zangief. Hell, he’s way different than Ryu,’ Dash thought. ‘He doesn’t want to get close to me. He’s perfectly fine at keeping me at a distance. And without my wing, I can’t get in close. Geez, this is so unfair. If only I could fly, I would-‘
In a blur of motion Sagat lunged towards Rainbow Dash, who had been so focused on her thoughts that she had never expected Sagat to go in. She raised her forehooves to defend herself, but it was too little too late. An elbow crashed into the side of her head before a rising knee ripped her off the ground. Rainbow Dash had just enough time to process how bad the blows hurt before a palm strike connected with her back and drove her into the dirt below.
“You were feeling sorry for yourself again, weren’t you?” Sagat asked. Rainbow Dash spat up some blood in response, getting Sagat to narrow his eye. “How many times must you learn this lesson? If you keep your sight on the past, you will never see what is right in front of you. All of this pain you feel right now could be avoided if you simply focused on the here and now.”
“Thank you sir, may I have another?” Dash spat with a laugh. Sagat snarled before he grabbed the back of Rainbow’s neck and hoisted her onto her hooves. He then returned to his starting position and took up his stance, waiting for Rainbow to do the same before he spoke.
“This time, do not focus on the past or the future. You try too hard to predict my movements and because of that you are easy to fool. If you cannot adapt to my attacks in the middle of battle, then you shall never be able to defeat your demon. Now come kitten, let us try this again.”
‘What should I do?’ Rainbow asked herself. ‘I can’t get past his limbs and every time I try I get beaten for it. It’s like this guy can counter anything in his line of sigh…sight. That’s it. That’s how I’ll get this punk. Can’t hit what ya can’t see!’
This time Rainbow didn’t wait around for Sagat to start. She kicked off the ground and hurled herself at him, watching his body careful. She saw the sigh escape his lips, a slight shake of his head and then his leg lashed out, ready to knock her into the dirt once more and be done with her. Yet this time Dash pushed off and leapt to the side, dodging the kick, before she flapped her solo wing with all she had. It wasn’t strong enough to create rainbooms like it had once had, but it was more than strong enough to blast a wave of dust and dirt into Sagat’s one good eye. The human snarled as he staggered back, Dash delighted to see that his one eye was now closed. With nothing standing in her way, she hurled herself at Sagat, ready to finally bring him some pain.
“Nice try.”
Sagat sidestepped as Rainbow descended, causing her to miss her strike and tumble across the ground. She snapped back up to her hooves and turned to face Sagat, whose eye was still closed. With a snarl she resumed her attack, throwing punches and kicks with a speed that would be hard to keep up even if you could see her. Yet even with his one eye closed, Sagat easily dodged and weaved around her moves, with the same precision and grace he had even when he could see. Rainbow let out a roar of frustration and leapt into the air, bringing both hooves over her head as she planned to crack his bald head open. And then Sagat smirked.
“TIGER UPPERCUT!”
A fist consumed with fire struck Dash in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her out of the air. With agony searing her body she tumbled head over hooves, before she crashed onto her back. Her strength left her as she lay there, with only the agony that was burning in her chest to keep her company. Sagat opened his eye and walked over to her, looking down at her with the same expression he always wore.
“Can you move?” he asked her. When she shook her head, he sighed before crossing his arms. “Trying to blind me. Not a bad idea, but you are hardly the first person to have tried it. As such, I have trained myself to be able to still fight even without my ability to see.”
“That’s not fighting while not being able to see. What you did there was fight better than you did when you could see,” Rainbow spat weakly. “You danced around me like I was standing still and then somehow you managed to knock me out of the air despite being blind. And what the hell was with that flaming uppercut?”
Sagat closed his eye and seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment, before a smile crossed his face. “In truth, I could not see you with my eye closed. Your physically attacks were a mystery to me. But I could still sense you, your intent, your desire to harm me…and all of it allowed me to figure out what your next move would be. As such, I was able to counter and dodge with the same skill as if I could see.”
“So you can see the future?”
“I can see what you’re going to do next. You are too direct, kitten. You think in a straight line so therefor you fight in a straight line. Even without my sight, I know what you will do. Thus I am able to counter it.”
“So I can’t stop you when you can see more or when you can’t. All I can do is get my flank whipped. Tell me again how this is training?”
“Because you are soft. I will make you strong,” Sagat replied as he uncrossed his arms. Then he brought those arms back, before thrusting them forward with a yell.
“TIGER SHOT!”
A colossal burst of fire erupted from his fists, roaring with power as it sailed over the trees. The fireball then exploded with an intensity and heat that Dash felt despite how high up it was. She gulped hard at the explosion, before she looked over at Sagat, who was staring down at her.
“First I shall strengthen your body. You have spent so long in grief and self pity that you have allowed yourself to go soft. Then we shall strengthen your skill. Create not a mewling kitten, but a fierce tiger that can defeat any foe. Finally we shall strengthen your spirit. Remind you why you used to be called the best in this land. That is what I have instore for you, Rainbow Dash. Now then, can you move?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Dash grunted as she stood back up.
“Good,” Sagat said, before taking up his fighting stance. “Again.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow muttered, before a blast of fire sailed past her head.
“No mewling. Evil Ryu will not tolerate you whining and neither shall I. If you have the strength to complain, you have the strength to fight,” Sagat snarled. “Now then, come!”
Rainbow had barely gotten back to her hooves before Sagat was on her once more, throwing out elbows and knees that could easily send her to dream land. She dodged and weaved as best she could, but every time she got clipped or stumbled back she felt her strength failing. He was pressing far harder than he had before, not even giving Rainbow Dash a chance to breathe.
“You are weak. You are a quitter. You spent your days bragging about how great you were and then gave up when the universe decided to knock you off your throne! That is who you are!” Sagat scorned, striking harder and faster. “A mare who thought she deserved it all and then quit when she realized she was owed nothing. It’s pathetic.”
“Shut up!” Rainbow roared in reply.
“Finally, some defiance. After what I have seen from you, I thought you might jut roll over and allow me or Ryu to kill you,” Sagat snarled. “Too bad that defiance did not come when you needed it most. Like when you gave up.”
“Shut…UP!” Dash bellowed.
“Do you hate me for speaking the truth? Do you have what the universe has done to you? Or do you just hate yourself for being so weak?!” Sagat roared, kicking Dash hard in the chest and sending her skidding backwards. “Which is it, quitter? Which part of this do you hate the most?”
“I…hate…all of it!” Rainbow bellowed, rage fueling every part of her body.
“Yes, I can see that. You feel that rage burning in you, do you not?” Sagat asked. “Now take that rage, take that anger and helplessness and channel it. Channel it to where you most desperately need it.”
Despite all of her rage, the piercing tone of Sagat’s voice got through to her. She used what little concentration she had left to channel her rage into her arms, planning on using what strength it gave her to beat Sagat to a pulp. Sagat noticed what she was doing and nodded in reply.
“Yes, it seems you understand this rage all too well. Now take all of that rage in your arms, thrust it towards me…and then let it go. Let it leave your body.”
Dash, who could barely think straight, let out a roar as she thrust her arms towards Sagat. Every part of her wanted to destroy him, wanted him to burn in the same fire that he used. But the fighter in her knew to listen. That he was trying to teach her something. So right when she felt she could no longer control her rage…she let it go. Let it go through her arms.
A blast of rainbow energy erupted from the ends of her forehooves, sending a rainbowball of destructive power towards Sagat. The human sidestepped the attack and watched it sail into the forest, where it exploded with the roar of a tiger. Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock at what she had just done, while Sagat turned back to look at her with the hint of a smile on his face.
“To be able to duplicate it after seeing it only twice. Yes, there is a great deal of potential in you,” he said with approval.
“What just happened?” she asked.
“You have taken the first step. For too long you have allowed anger and pity to fuel your thoughts and actions, making you weak,” Sagat said. “You angrily lashed out at friends, you allowed pity to chain your spirit and in doing so, you became a caged beast. Today, kitten, you have tugged against that chain for the first time.”
“Was that…all of my anger…?”
“This is the true power of the tiger spirit, as I call it,” Sagat continued. “Anger is not evil nor something to be avoided, as a certain headband wearing wanderer believed. When we allow it to control us, it weakens us, obstructs our thoughts and makes us sloppy. But when used as power, and nothing more, it makes us strong and gives us the strength that we may not have otherwise.”
“All of my tiger techniques come from taking all of the anger from the pain and anguish I have suffered and expelling them from my body,” Sagat told Dash. “The tiger shot you just performed was you doing the same. Taking all of your anger and releasing it as pure power. Anger does not control us. It is our greatest weapon.”
“So that’s why…you never let up on me,” Dash gasped, before she fell to a knee. “You wanted me to build my anger…so that I could learn how to be rid of it.”
“No. I wanted you to be angry so you could so how being controlled by anger would cause you to fail, just as I did years ago,” Sagat corrected. “Anger is your tool. It is not you. And when you use it properly, it can best any foe.”
“Okay…I think I get it…can I take a break?” Rainbow asked, falling onto her face. “My body’s going number.”
Rainbow brought up her forearm to deflect an elbow strike, her whole body shaking as she just barely managed to redirect the powerful blow. She shot back with a kick of her own, but Sagat stepped back, just out of range of her strike. A snarl started to escape Rainbow’s lips before she took a quick breath to stop herself. Do not waste a single ounce of anger. Channel it and use it, but do not waste it.
Sagat, sensing that she was lost within her own mind, pressed his attack, advancing on the mare with a flurry of strikes and kicks. Rainbow backpedaled, dodging around each attack as best she could. Sagat was far from the fastest fighter she had ever battled, but each attack was precise and thrown in a way that made it nearly impossible for her to deflect them. She could only dodge and that gave him the advantage.
If only she still had her wing. If only she could fly, this fight would be over in an instant. Those thoughts caused rage to boil within Rainbow’s veins, fueling her muscles with their wrath. But Rainbow did not use the rage to increase her strength. She knew that would be pointless against Sagat. So she let her rage build, locking it away for the time being until she truly needed it.
Pain flashed across her mind and the next thing Rainbow knew she was face down in the dirt, tasting the new flavor of the ground. She spat out mud as she pushed herself up, trying to get her eyes to see straight.
“You lost yourself too deep in thought,” the biting words of Sagat rang out. “Focusing your anger is important, but not as important as making sure you do not get kicked in the head. Unless you can manage both, you will never achieve the strength you seek.”
“Noted. All you did was fuel my rage further,” Rainbow spat. She faced Sagat once more and brought up her forearms, Sagat doing the same. There was no point in her trying to drag this fight out any longer. She had enough rage stored up that even Sagat wouldn’t be able to stand against her. So she brought her arms back and summoned forth all of the rage she could muster. Her mind blazed like an inferno, her blood boiled and she felt the desire to destroy the entire world. Then she focused that might into her forearms, feeling the rage leave her mind and instead enter into her body. Once it was where she wanted it to be, she locked her eyes onto Sagat and thrust her arms forward.
“Tiger shots!”
Rainbow blasts of energy erupted from her forearms and rocketed towards Sagat, who smirked at the oncoming projectiles. His face then warped into one of rage before he began to slash through Dash’s projectiles with his hands, knocking them away before they could strike him and in some cases straight up punching them out of existence.
Yet as he knocked the very last projectile out of the air, Sagat’s eye widened as he spotted the rainbow mare trailing right behind it. He started to bring up his hands at the sight of her attack but, just as Rainbow noted earlier, Sagat was a little too slow. She lashed out with a kick and caught the tiger master in the side of the head. She felt like she kicked a brick wall and Sagat’s head barely moved at all, but as Rainbow hit the ground and came up with a roll, there was only a smile on her face. She had finally scored a hit.
Sagat reached up with his thumb and wiped the side of his mouth, looking down at his thumb for a moment before he threw his head back and began to laugh. His laugh was so deep and powerful that several flocks of birds took off in surprise, like they had just heard the roar of a tiger.
“Yes, that is what I want to see. Not a kitten fighting like it is scared out of its mind, but the heavy and deliberate blows of a tiger. It is amazing how far you have come in this past week,” Sagat praised, a toothy smile on his face.
“I know. I’ve never felt this strong before. I may not be as fast as I once was, but this power…this raw might…it’s intoxicating,” Rainbow Dash noted. She looked down at her own hoof and summoned forth a slight bit of rainbow fire, a smile crossing her face at the sight of her new power. “Maybe after a couple more weeks I can even be the fighter I used to be. Going to be completely honest, my technique is incredibly rusty.”
“Feh, that is what you get for laying around feeling sorry for yourself. In fact, thank you for reminding me. Go practice your technique and stance,” Sagat ordered. Rainbow let out a grumble before she walked towards a corner of the clearing, taking up a stance and holding it. Sagat watched her for a minute, to make sure she didn’t try to cheat, before he rubbed his thumb against the side of his mouth once more, surprised to see he was still bleeding.
‘To think that she has come so far in such a short period of time. It seems that her skill never truly left her,’ Sagat thought as he watched Rainbow train. ‘To learn the tiger style so quickly without ever having seen it before is impressive, but to be able to integrate it into her own fighting style so quickly shows what a genius of combat she is. Ryu, how did you ever manage to hold your own against her without the Satsui no Hado?’
A breeze blew through the clearing, but not like one Sagat had felt in a while. He turned his eye towards the sky, noticing that the leaves above had parted to reveal the black thunderclouds that rumbled overhead. The animals had gone silent and there was a chill in the air, the kind of chill that was only followed by something dangerous. Rainbow sensed it too and started to walk towards Sagat.
“Who said you could stop? Back to your stance work,” Sagat barked. Rainbow stuck out her tongue at him before she returned to her stance, but she was nervous now. It was clear on her face. And if he was about to arrive, Sagat didn’t blame her for being nervous.
Sagat sensed the arrival of Evil Ryu before he saw him. A surge of murderous intent washed over the clearing and Sagat turned to face the arrival of their foe, narrowing his eye as the black and red clad warrior emerged from the trees, a wicked smile on his face while his eyes glowed with a crimson hatred.
“Sagat. So this is where you and that failure have been hiding,” Evil Ryu snarled. “You should have known it would only be a matter of time before I found you and struck you down like the wounded animal that you are.”
“Do not let your confidence become arrogance. A wounded animal is often the most dangerous,” Sagat warned Evil Ryu. “But I have nothing to fear. I know that you are not hear for me. I have already conquered you.”
“You are right about that, wounded tiger. I am not here for you,” Ryu snarled, before he turned his gaze upon Rainbow Dash. “I am here for her. The one who escaped me. I took a wing the last time we fought. This time I will take much more.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Rainbow spat back, yet fear still poisoned her voice. Sagat walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, noticing she was trembling. “I haven’t completed my training yet. Do you think I’m ready for this?”
“You have no choice but to be ready,” Sagat replied coldly. “Remember what you have learned and focus on what you have been taught. He may be powerful and bloodthirsty, but he is still a warrior of flesh and blood. He will fall just like all warriors eventually do.”
Rainbow swallowed hard to calm her nerves, yet even with fear starting to bubble inside of her, she stood across from Evil Ryu and took up her fighting stance. E. Ryu cackled as he took up a stance of his own, smile malevolently at the rainbow mare. Sagat stood off to the side, knowing that he could not enter this fight no matter what happened. This was Rainbow’s demon to face. She would have to be the one to best him. And if she failed, then she failed.
Evil Ryu let out a bellow and lunged towards Rainbow Dash, whose entire body tensed up at the sight of the oncoming demon. Her training kicked in at the last possible second and she rolled out of the way, just barely avoiding a kick that would have taken her head clean off. Evil Ryu didn’t let up the pressure and clawed at her once more, throwing attacks that were more like claw slashes than punches. Rainbow ducked and weaved as best she could, but the combination of Ryu’s offensive pressure and her own refusal to fight back slowly gave Ryu the upper hand.
A low sweep caught Rainbow’s attention too late and she was knocked off of her hooves. She had barely begun to fall before Evil Ryu slammed a palm strike into her chest, sending her crashing across the jungle floor. She coughed in pain as she shakily tried to get up, only to watch with horror as Evil Ryu leapt into the air and descended upon her with his foot aimed at her head. She threw herself to the side in time to avoid being decapitated, yet the monster of Hado was on her in an instant. She crossed her arms as a flurry of punches and kicks was launched into her, before an uppercut to the chest broke through her guard. Evil Ryu let loose a bellow before he slammed his foot into her chest, rocketing her into the side of a tree and dropping her to the floor.
“I…can’t. He’s too…” Rainbow stammered as she tried to get back up. Fear started to flood her eyes as Ryu stalked towards her, his hand reaching out for her remaining wing.
“How long are you going to let him kick you around, kitten?” Sagat called out. Rainbow glanced at Sagat with Evil Ryu doing the same, bringing the fight to a halt for a moment.
“I can’t beat him. He’s too strong,” Rainbow panted in pain.
“No. He is no stronger than you or I. The difference is that you are allowing him to be this strong!” Sagat corrected her. “Where is the mare who nearly mastered my tiger style? Where is the mare who successfully got a hit in on me? Because if that mare was the one fighting this battle, then this fight would have ended long ago. He is only stronger than you so long as you allow him to be.”
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed at Sagat’s words, but when she turned to look back at Evil Ryu he noticed that the fear that had once been there was now replaced by doubt. Not doubt in Sagat’s words, but doubt in the foe who she was facing. Evil Ryu snarled at Sagat before turning his attention back to Dash.
“Time to die!” he roared, lunging towards her with arms outstretched. But this time Rainbow did not move. She instead closed her arms, brought her arms down to her side and began to glow with a rainbow power. “You cannot best me! I am your demon! The beast that makes you tremble in fear! I am your death!”
“Tiger.”
An unholy fury roared from Rainbow’s mouth as she thrust her arms forward, unleashing a colossal blast of rainbow fire that made even Sagat raise an eye in amazement. Evil Ryu’s roar was lost amongst the explosion, which shaped itself to look like a roaring tiger. The explosion consumed Ryu in a roar of the king before it faded away, leaving Dash standing all by herself. She panted heavily while looking at the spot where Evil Ryu had been standing, before she collapsed to her back.
“He was never here, was he?” she asked Sagat. “Evil Ryu. This was an illusion created by the forest. One that was only stronger than me so long as I allowed it to be. When I overcame my fear of him, I overcame him. That sound right?”
“Correct and also wrong. This is a jungle, not a forest. But yes, that vision of Ryu was nothing more than the jungle bringing your worse fear to life. And so long as you feared him, he would have power over you. But once you overcame that fear, well, he was nothing in the end.”
“Still, that was probably my most impressive tiger shot to date,” Rainbow bragged. Then a thought crossed her mind and she glanced up at Sagat. “Hey, how’d you even know about this place? You’re not from Equestria, or at least I’ve never seen you. How’d you know?”
“Simple. I was told about this place by the same being how brought me here to help you. They called in a favor I owed them and so I came here to help you overcome your fears while returning you to the warrior you used to be.”
“Really? Who would want to help me that badly that they’d bring you in from across reality?”
Dash took in a deep breath of fresh air as she and Sagat exited the jungle. Her eyes were drawn towards the sky where she could see the pegasi at work shifting the clouds, managing the weather and making sure everything worked as it was supposed to. Normally she would never pay these pegasi a second glance, but after being in the jungle for what felt like forever, the sight of her fellow pony was enough to-
"DODGE!"
Five toes cracked themselves across the back of her head and a moment later Rainbow was laying face down in the mud with pain blazing in the back of her skull. Through the dull throbbing that now blazed in the back of her head, she could hear Sagat laughing to himself.
"Did you think that you could lower your guard just because we are out of the forest? Fool! You must never lower your guard and always be ready for attack. For if you are not ready for your foes, then they shall defeat you before you are ever aware they are there," Sagat informed her with a snarl.
"What the hell do you mean defeat my enemies?! You and I are the only ones out here!" Rainbow screamed at the madman after she picked herself out of the mud. "And what the hell is wrong with you?! Who throws a kick at full power from behind like that?!"
"Make no mistake, mewling kitten. I may be your teacher, but I am also your greatest enemy," Sagat informed her. "I am in charge of you. I am the one who will decide when and where you fight. And if I do not believe you are ready to fight, then you will not."
"What? I thought the plan was for you to help me overcome my demons and then I'd take on Zangief to reclaim my title?" Rainbow asked.
"Take on Zangief? The way you are now? You are a fool, kitten. Do you believe a warrior the caliber of Zangief, who beat you at your best when you had both wings, would lose to you just because you can mimic my tiger shot?" Sagat asked. Rainbow Dash nodded slightly and Sagat sighed. "Rainbow, allow me to inform you of my shame. I have lost only three fights in my life. One was to Ryu, arguably. Another was to Bison. There is no argument who won there. And the final loss was to Zangief, who pulled out a miracle to defeat me."
"And what's the point of telling me your win-loss record?"
"The point, kitten, is that if you wish to have any hope of defeating Zangief, you must first prove that you can overcome me," Sagat informed her. He took some small delight in the way her eyes widened at his words. "That is right, kitten. The only way I will allow you to face Zangief is if you can first defeat me. We can try now, if you are in a hurry."
"No thanks. I'm good," Rainbow muttered. She then looked to the left and then the right, before turning back to Sagat. "So, what's the plan? I mean, my plan was to head straight to Zangief and kick his ass, but since you've put a stop to that I've got nothing."
"You are aware of the tournaments that this land holds, correct? That is our plan. We shall enter you into this tournaments to rebuild your skills against opponents that I believe you should be able to handle," Sagat replied. "And if you prove satisfactory to me by the time the Tournament of Champions comes around, then you will face me. Should you prove triumphant, then, and only then, can you face your second greatest demon."
"Guess he would be my second greatest demon, since I did conquer Evil Ryu," Rainbow shrugged, but then she caught Sagat's smirk and narrowed her eyes. "What? Evil Ryu was my greatest demon and I conquered him back in that jungle!"
"If that is what you believe. But he was never your greatest demon."
"Then who is?"
"Think on that as we head to our first destination. It is a long road and we have much land to traverse," Sagat replied, blowing off Rainbow. She snarled and started to walk after him, but stop when Sagat held out a hand. "And what do you think you are doing?"
"Um, walking? Since I can't fly."
"Correction. I shall be walking. You shall be moving forward step by step in a defensive stance," Sagat corrected. Rainbow's jaw hit the ground in response. "With each step you will block high, low, left or right in that order. If you mess up, lose concentration or start to slack, then I will test how strong your guard actually is."
"Are you kidding me?! If I have to do that one step at a time, then it will take us forever to get to the next town!" Rainbow screamed, starting to tear out her mane.
"Then it will take us forever to get there. Stance. Now," Sagat said. Rainbow let out a few curses that Sagat pretended not to hear before she took up her defensive stance, taking a step and blocking in the pattern Sagat had told her.
"So how'd you lose the eye?" Rainbow asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Your eye. It's gone. I want to know how," Rainbow repeated, but slower. Sagat hurled a kick at her head for her tone, but she was ready and ducked under the blow. "Don't get all angry with me, if I'm going to be stuck with you as my master, I want to learn more about you. Or you can just keep throwing kicks at my head."
"Hrmn...you wish to know? Very well. I lost my eye to a man named Go Hibiki. I went to his dojo to see if he would bow to M. Bison's will. He would not. He and I fought. He kicked the eye out of my head."
"Ouch. Sounds painful. But considering he wasn't on that list you gave me earlier, I take it you beat him?"
"Something along those lines," Sagat replied, thought his voice was quiet. Rainbow waited a moment for him to elaborate, but when he did she pressed on.
"So you got all of those scars from different fights, huh. So who's that M. Bison guy you keep mentioning. He was on the list of people that beat you and-"
"OPEN!" Sagat roared as he kicked Dash in the back of her leg, sweeping her off her hooves.
"Faust dammit that hurt!" Rainbow snarled as she rolled back up to her hooves and glared at Sagat. "Oh you do not know how tempted I am to fight you here and now."
"Then what is stopping you. I am ready whenever you are," Sagat growled in reply. Dash narrowed her eyes and seemed to be considering it for a moment, before she snarled and took up her stance once more. "But to answer your question, M. Bison was a tyrant and a madman who sought world domination and would do anything in order to achieve it. Mind control, murder, an army of clones and wiping out all life on the planet were just some of the plans he tried while he was alive. It would not surprise me if he had many more that we never saw."
"So he's dead huh? How did that happen?"
"Well, the first time he was killed Akuma was the one that murdered him. Once he came back to life, don't ask, I don't know how, Ryu was the one to finally defeat him once and for all," Sagat explained. "Though it would not surprise me if he came back to life in the near future. Evil never seems to stay dead."
"And you worked for this lunatic? What is wrong with you?"
"Bison paid well and provided me the chance to test my might against an endless stream of the best fighters. At the time, I was happy," Sagat said, but his voice was anything but happy. He then looked back at Rainbow Dash, who quickly adjusted her stance. "We have all done things that we regret, Rainbow Dash. Some, like you and I, wear the scars of our mistakes on the outside. I know many who are scarred within. But scars can either strengthen you or bring you down, depending on the kind of being you are. We shall see what kind of pony you are."
"Guess we will...so, you never did tell me just where we're going. I have no idea where in Equestria we are, so I'm leaving the directions...up to the blind guy...this is going to work out well."
"We are heading to a quarry on the outskirts of Stalliongrad. There is a fighting tournament there that will be a good place to test your skill. It is a five day journey from here if we were running."
"Five days! You mean we have five days to get there while I'm doing this stupid stances?!" Rainbow roared. "How are we supposed to get there if I have to move slowly like this?
"Hmm, good point. Alright, kitten, time to move double time. Faster hoof work, precision and technique. But don't you dare sacrifice form. I am always watching your form."
"Considering you're missing one eye and all but blind in the other I seriously doubt-"
Before him stood a massive coliseum that was covered in chains, spikes and an air of filth and villain that no upstanding pony of society would have dared to tolerate. It was like a second home to him. Sagat could see that there was already a crowd of ponies gathered in the shady looking stadium, yet the lack of fights going on in said coliseum informed him that they had made it just in time. The tournament had not yet started.
"Yes, this will be the first place to test your skills, kitten," Sagat said as he glanced over his shoulder. Behind him stood Rainbow Dash, who was punching her legs in an effort to regain feeling in them. "Are you ready to face your first true test in this land?"
"READY?! I can't feel either of my legs! Not to mention that I've barely had any time to rest! All I've been doing is stance training these past five days! How am I supposed to be ready to fight?!" Rainbow screamed at Sagat.
"Hopefully with less whining. Come, we must get you entered," Sagat said. He walked down a wooden ramp towards a pony behind a counter, with Rainbow following him while grumbling under her breath. The pony who was manning the counter started up at Sagat with awe as the seven foot monster approached. "I wish to enter my student into this tournament. I trust we are not too late?" As he said this he pressed his hand against the counter, cracking the wood with his weight alone.
"N-not at all, sir! All we need is the name of your student and we can...hey wait a second, you're Rainbow Dash!" the pony exclaimed. "The former best fighter in Equestria! Wow, nopony has seen you in a long time! I thought you gave up fighting after the whole incident with Ryu."
"So did I. But here I am. So am I in or not?" she asked.
"Of course. Your reputation and the fact that the crowd will lose their mind seeing you more than gets you a spot," the pony said, making some changes to a bracket on the wall. "All right, you're all set. You'll be the first fight tonight, so go into the locker room and get ready."
Rainbow nodded to the pony and followed Sagat to the locker room, where she opened the door to find a whole assortment of creatures in a filthy room. All of them snapped their heads towards Rainbow, some eyes widening when they saw who stood before them. Then they spied her missing wing and smiles shown on their faces. Then they spied Sagat and quickly found other places to look at.
"I don't know about this, Sagat. This place doesn't seem...professional," Rainbow muttered.
"You have fallen all the way to the bottom. Did you think that you could simply return and get prize fights with the greatest in the land? No kitten, you will have to claw your way from the bottom. Underground rings and street fights will be where you start. Eventually, though, you will find yourself back on top."
"You're not afraid I will fail?"
"You will not fail. Your pride will not allow you. Whether or not you win is up to you," Sagat replied.
"Fighters in the first block to the arena. You both know who you are," a voice called over the intercom.
"Go. Show them not the sniveling kitten, but the roaring tiger," Sagat smiled. Rainbow nodded to him and headed for the exit, ignoring all the looks she was getting from the other combatants. She bit back a frown when she saw a dragon that was nearly three times her size join her at the exit. The dragon had one eye, numerous scars on its body and a mouth filled with sharp teeth, all of which it showed to Dash as it smiled down at her.
"So yer the legendary Rainbow Dash that Ryu decimated. I look forward to finishing you off."
"Those are some nice teeth you've got there. Be a shame if they got knocked out of your mouth," Rainbow spat back.
"And for our first fight tonight, do we have a doozy for you. Up first, you know him, you love him, ladies and gentleponies, give a round of a applause for the dragon of destruction, Scald!"
The crowd let out a roar and the dragon pushed past Rainbow, raising his arms over his head and drinking in the applause. Rainbow sighed and started to bounce in place, trying to warm herself up and calm her nerves.
"He is a dragon. Like Ryu. You are a tiger. Like me. And a tiger can best a dragon. I have done so. And so will you," Sagat said to her.
"And our second fighter, returning to the ring after nearly six months of being gone. The rainbow wonder, the loyal warrior, the one winged angel...give it up for Rainbow Dash!"
The crowd roar could have been confused for an explosion with how loud they got at the announcement of Rainbow Dash. Dash swallowed the last of her fear before she walked out with her head held high. The crowd whistled and cheered, getting her to wave at them in return. As she entered the center of the ring she noticed that the floor had blood stains on it and that there were pits on all sides of the arena. That didn't bode well.
"Alright everypony, here are the rules. First to be knocked out or give up loses. No killing. Anything else goes!" the announcer roared. "Combatants ready?"
"Ready to lose?" Scald asked her.
"I've had enough losing to last me a lifetime," Rainbow spat. "I'm here to win."
"GO!"
Scald let out a bellow and lunged towards Rainbow, his four clawed limbs pounding the ground as he charged at her. Rainbow went to throw herself out of the way as muscle memory took over, but only one of her wings flapped and she was yanked off her hooves. She slammed onto the ground in such an embarrassing way that Scald stopped his charge just to laugh at her. Rainbow gritted her teeth as she got back up, brushing off the dirt and taking up a fighting stance.
She wouldn't be able to get out of the way. All of her muscle memory, the way she used to fight, she wouldn't be able to rely on any of it. She couldn't fight like a pegasus. She would have to fight like a tiger. She would have to trust Sagat's teaching.
"What's the matter? Aren't you coming?" Rainbow asked. Scald smirked at her before lunging towards Rainbow, closing the distance between the both of them in an instance.
While Rainbow Dash might not have had her old speed, she still had her reflexes. She raised a hoof to intercept the dragons slash, blocking at the wrist so the claws wouldn't hit her. Yet the moment her hoof made contact with the wrist, electricity ripped through her body. She let out a screech before she was hurled backward, collapsing to the ground as the electricity caused her body to twitch.
"Ooo, it seems that Rainbow didn't know about Scalds electric body. That's what happens when you stay out of the scene for too long," the announcer said. Dash spat the taste of copper out of her mouth as she got back up, her body slightly twitching as she turned to face Scald.
"And here I thought you were supposed to be one of the best," Scald taunted, electricity crackling between his fingers. "But now I see that yer nothing more than a pony who thought she was all that. Well you spent too long on yer throne made of sand. It's time you wallow in the mud like the rest of us. And let me tell you how happy I am that I get to be the one to drag you down."
She couldn't touch him, she realized. Electricity wasn't just crackling through his claws, but every part of his body. There was no place for her to attack. And even though her being a pegasi would give her some immunity to electricity, ever since she had lost her wing her pegasi magic had grown weaker and weaker. She couldn't do anything like this! All of that training and it wouldn't even-
"Mewling. Kitten."
Dash glanced over her shoulder towards the locker room. There was nopony standing there. Yet she was certain that she had hear Sagat. Then she thought of him with his crossed arms, the look of disgust upon his face that he wore every time she complained about how unfair the world had been to her. And it pissed her off.
"Well if you're not going to do anything, then I'll finish this!" Scald roared as he lunged towards Rainbow, his body flashing like a thunderstorm. He lashed out with a punch aimed right at Dash's chest, yet once more she whipped her arm up in time to defend herself. His fist struck her limb, yet she remained rooted in place. "Block all ya want, pony, but you can't stop my electricity! How's that for..."
Scald stopped talking when Rainbow slowly raised her head so that he could look into her eyes. Her eyes weren't filled with fear, despair or even pain. There was only fury. The fury and rage of a tiger. And in the back, even though he wasn't watching the fight, Sagat smiled.
Rainbow let out a roar before she swung with her free hoof. She slammed her hoof into the jaw of the dragon and snapped his head to the side, the rainbow colored fire that was burning from her hoof drowning out the electricity that his body generated. Scald staggered and raised his arms to defend himself against the next attack, but when the next attack came it wasn't a punch or a kick. It was a massive, rainbow fireball that burned the very air as it rocketed towards it target.
"Tiger shot," Rainbow snarled.
The shot exploded with the roar of a tiger as it impacted, hurling Scald into the air before he crashed to the ground flat on his back. Pain the likes of which he never felt before racked his body and his electrical defense, which normally was never penetrated, had failed him. He tried to shake the stars out of his eyes before he felt a hoof on his chest, a hoof that belonged to Rainbow Dash.
"Yield," she demanded.
"I won't-" Rainbow then pointed both of her forehooves at the dragon, rainbow fire blazing along both of them. "I give. I give up. You win."
"And it's over already! The winner...is Rainbow Dash!" The crowd exploded into a roar once more, with ponies losing their minds over not only Rainbow's return, but her victory. "I can't believe it folks, I've never seen anypony other than Zangief defeat Scald that fast! It seems that even after six months, she's still one of the best in the land."
Yet while all this praise was going on, Rainbow didn't hear any of it. She was looking down at her hooves, hooves that still burned with rainbow fire. This power she had used to defeat a dragon in a single hit. Something she couldn't have even done when she had both her wings. This power would allow her to defeat Ryu. This power would allow her to defeat Zangief. This power...would make her number one again.
And for the first time in a long time, she smiled with her old confidence.
With a blow that sounded like a roaring tiger, Rainbow uppercutted the griffon she had been facing into the heavens. Rainbow Dash let out a cocky laugh before she spun around to face the rest of her foes, knowing better than to let her guard down during a battle royal. Another pegasi and a deer stood across from her, the both of them having made an unseen pact to deal with her before they would fight each other. They nodded to each other before they lunged towards the pony. Rainbow wouldn't let that happen.
While she had nowhere near the speed she once had, Dash was still pretty quick on her hooves. Her hooves pounded on the concrete as she dashed towards the oncoming threat, a wild smile on her face as she closed the distance. The deer lowered his horns to ram Rainbow while the Pegasi wound up for a punch, but neither of them scared Dash in the slightest.
"Tiger knee!" she roared as she leapt over the deer before driving her blazing knee into the face of the pegasi. The pony let out a gurgle before he collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before going limp. Dash took a moment to make sure he was still breathing before she turned to face the deer, who was glaring at her with rage and fear in his eyes. Dash raised a single hoof and motioned for the deer to bring it, unable to hide the smile that was spreading on her face.
The deer let out a bellow before he charged towards Rainbow, tearing across the concrete to close in on his foe. Rainbow shook her head slightly at the oncoming threat before she channeled her rage into her forehooves, knowing this fight was over.
"Tiger shot."
With an explosion mimicking the roar of a tiger, Rainbow unleashed an eruption of rainbow fire towards her oncoming foe. The deer had just enough time to register what was coming towards him before the flames consumed him, ripping him off of his hooves and hurling him across the arena. He bounced once as he landed before he skidded to a stop, barely moving as the flames went out.
"And it's over! The winner and the pony moving onto grand finals is...Rainbow Dash!"
"That's right! I'm the best! Or I will be, once I beat Zangief!" Dash cheered. The crowd roared with approval at her words and stamped their hooves in applause. Dash spun around, taking in the cheering crowd like it was the first time she had drank water after being in a desert. This is what she longed for. This is what she needed.
She waved to the crowd one last time before she headed towards the back, noticing that the locker was now far more empty than when she had first came in. In fact, the only being back there now was Sagat, who had his eye closed as he leaned up against the wall.
"So you won," Sagat said.
"Of course I won. With this power, I can best anyone!" Dash smiled, before staring down at her hoof. "And this is only the beginning. Once I've mastered this power, I will be unstoppable. Zecora, Ryu and even Zangief...none of them will be able to defeat me. I'll be the greatest once again!"
"Hmm, so you will," Sagat replied, but his voice was too calm for Dash's liking.
"You got something to say?" Dash asked.
"Nothing that you will listen to. Once you have won this tournament, we will be heading out to our next destination," Sagat informed her. "But seeing as we have a quick break in between now and the finals, I believe this a good time to teach you about a few of the tiger styles flaws."
"This style has flaws? You've got to be joking me. I've swept every foe I've fought and you have no openings. This style has no weakness," Dash laughed, only to be silenced by a glare from Sagat.
"Every style has a weakness. Do not trick yourself into thinking otherwise," Sagat warned. "The weakness of the tiger style is that each move has a purpose. When used for that purpose, my techniques are near unbeatable...but if used wrong, you leave yourself open for a world of hurt."
"What do you mean?"
"The tiger shot. Powerful, all consuming and capable of ending a fight on its own. However, its weakness is that is takes a moment to start up and launch. It may only be a moment, but if your opponent takes advantage of that moment you are at their mercy. Believe me, I have been caught once or twice myself."
"Don't use it wildly. Got it."
"The tiger uppercut. Raw, merciless and stops all approaches from the air and makes for a great surprise counterattack. However, the move has a long recovery. If you miss or your opponent can summon the strength to block it, you will be vulnerable to whatever attack they can think of on your way back down."
"Okay, knock em out of the sky or just straight up knock em out."
"Finally, the tiger knee. Good for ending a fight or pushing a foe back. But just like the other two, spacing in everything. To close and your opponent can counter. To far and you'll miss, leaving yourself open. The difference between victory and death can come down to a single step."
"Watch where I'm standing and knee them in the face. These are the weaknesses? I thought you were going to say something like if I use these too many times my arms will blow up. Just have to be careful and watch where my opponent is. Please, I can handle that no problem."
"Hmm, I see that your arrogance has returned with your confidence," Sagat noted, before the sound of the crowd roaring alerted him to the finals starting. "Go. Show me that you understand what I told you. If you win, perhaps I will allow you to walk to our destination. Lose and you walk on your hands."
"That's fine with me. I don't have hands," Rainbow smirked at Sagat. The Master of Muay Thai gave her a look, but she was already heading towards the entrance towards the arena. She drank in the roaring of the crowd, before turning to face her opponent. Standing across from her was a zebra who wore nothing but a bandanna. The zebra narrowed their eyes at Rainbow as she entered, before they took up a fighting stance.
"This is going to be a slobberknocker, folks! Rainbow Dash verses Whisper! The Ambassador of Loyalty verses the silent striker! i have no idea who's going to win this one, but I know it's going to be good. Combatants at the ready? Of course you are, so let's get this fight started!"
"Ready to get your face kicked in?" Rainbow Dash asked. Whisper, who had been dubbed the silent striker, lived up to his title and said nothing in reply, opting to take up a fighting stance that Rainbow Dash didn't recognize. But it didn't matter. She would win this.
The zebra started the fight by leaping forward and doing a twirl in the air, before sticking out a hoof and coming down with a high jump kick. Rainbow smirked at her foes foolish move, before her hoof crackled with fire before she leapt up with a roar of, "TIGER UPPERCUT!" her blow slipped past the kick and caught the zebra straight in the chest and sent them tumbling backwards, before they crashed onto the concrete.
"Let's end this!" Rainbow roared, bringing both of her forehooves back and filling them with rage. Whisper got back up to his hooves and narrowed his eyes at the mare as she charged her final attack. "Roaring tiger shot!" she bellowed as she thrust both hooves forward. An eruption of fire launched from the end of her forehooves and tore across the concrete towards Whisper, who had just enough time to realize what was about to happen before the fire consumed him. The explosion generated by Rainbow's tiger shot launched him clear out of the ring and down into the murky water below, which worked out well for him since it put him out.
"Mares and Gentlecolts, we have confirmation that Whisper is indeed alive! That means your winner. Is. RAINBOW DASH!"
"Yeah! I'm the best!" Rainbow roared along with the crowd. She pumped her hooves into the air, firing off tiger shots towards the heavens. "Nopony can best me now! Here that Ryu and Zangief?! I'm coming for you and there's nopony on this planet that can stop me! I'll be the best once more!"
The crowd roared in a frenzy, most of them glad that they were there when Rainbow started to reclaim her title. The announcer's words, Rainbow's cheers and even her own thoughts were drowned out by the roaring of the crowd. All Rainbow could hear was the crowd cheering for her, praising her. This was what she had needed.
And yet, for a brief moment, even over the roaring of the crowd, she could have sworn she heard Sagat sigh.
Sagat stared up at the starry sky, his eternal frown on his face. He had failed. Or, at the very least, he was close to failing. Not himself, but Rainbow Dash. She was arrogant. Incredibly so. When he had first been called to Equestria, he thought he was being brought there to repair a broken bird. Not a cocky one.
He turned and looked down the hill towards the small clearing where Rainbow Dash slept. Even in her sleep he could see her limbs twitching, throwing punches, kicks and blocking. And all the while the same smile plastered her face. A smile of strength. A smile of arrogance. A smile he knew all too well. This would not be a problem he would be able to solve on his own. She barely listened to him now. And she was growing stronger at an alarming rate. It wouldn't be long until she reached the peak of the tiger style...and then hungered for more.
There was no denying her skill. She was one of the greatest fighters he had ever met. It was her soul that concerned him. Sagat had never been one skilled in mending emotional wounds. The one time he had tried to make up for what he had done, he had accidentally created the fighting failure that was Dan Hibiki. And Dash would only become a stronger and more arrogant version of him. Sagat could not allow that. But he would need help. He would need...
"GYAH!"
Sagat turned to his right just in time to see a mass of Russian fall past him, faceplanting into the ground at his feet. Sagat looked up in time to see a green portal close, with the snickering face of some bug creature vanishing with it. Within a moment Zangief hopped back up to his feet, his eternal smile on his face as he looked into Sagat's eye. Sagat smirked at that thought. Zangief was one of the few men in the world that could see eye to eye with him.
"Sagat, my sour old friend, it has been too long!" Zangief laughed as he went to pull Sagat into a hug. Sagat stepped back out of range, having been caught in a few of Zangief's hugs before. He knew what the Red Cyclone was capable of. "i barely got a chance to see you the first time you came to Equestria! And now it has been what, three months since we last met?"
"Forgive me for my cold demeanor, but I have been busy with your...problem," Sagat replied, motioning to Rainbow Dash.
"I see! Well you are clearly making good progress, as I have only heard positive things about her!" Zangief replied. "She took first at the underground tournament, then first again at the Gardens, before managing to take down the griffon prince! No small feat! Only I have managed to defeat them all, but I had both arms and legs chained behind my back! Not to take away anything from your student. She has grown fast in such a short time."
"Too fast, if you ask me," Sagat muttered, causing Zangief's smile to fall.
"Come, tell me your troubles. You would not summon me out to the middle of nowhere at this time of night for no reason," Zangief said.
"Her arrogance is astounding, more so than her physical capabilities," Sagat said. "She believes herself to be invincible and no longer takes my training seriously. Which is fair, as there is not much more I can teach her about martial arts, but her cockiness will be her undoing. But what I fear the most is her hunger for more power. There is only one thing she will find going down that path."
"The Satsui no Hado," Zangief whispered.
"It is my fault. I thought that she was a bested warrior in need of strength and purpose. It was only after my strongest techniques and conquered her demon that I realized I should have worked more on her soul than her body. Truly I am a terrible teacher," Sagat smirked.
"Do not be so hard on yourself, I have played a part in her arrogance as well," Zangief admitted with a smile. "Perhaps I should have consoled her more or maybe gone easier on her. Crushing her so many times could not have been good for her spirit."
"Since when do you ever go easy on a foe? You're just as much of a battle fiend as Ryu or myself. Actually, that is one of the reasons I asked you here," Sagat said. Zangief raised an eyebrow at the reply, but his smile grew wider in anticipation. "I cannot be the one to topple her throne. If I do, she will simply resent me and refuse to listen to anything else I try to teach her. But since she already resents you..."
"Sagat my friend, you wound me. Do you truly believe that I would use all of my power upon a former Ambassador that has confidence issues?" Zangief asked. Sagat gave him a look and Zangief smiled. "I jest comrade, I understand what you are trying to say. You need someone that isn't you to take her down a peg, show her that being physically the best is not always enough to guarantee victory. That there is always someone better. Very well. Today, I shall best her."
"Zangief my friend, you misunderstand me. I do not want you to best her," Sagat replied with a wicked smile.
"I want you to crush her."
XXXXXXXX
"Wake up!"
Rainbow snapped to her senses just in time to raise her forehooves to block a kick from Sagat. The moment his sneak attack was ruined she flipped onto her hooves and took up a fighting stance, blinking her eyes quickly to clear the sleep from them before she focused on Sagat. The seven foot tall, monster of a man was glaring down at her, what else was knew, but there was something different about him. Something she couldn't place.
"You are awake. Good. Today you will be facing an opponent," Sagat said. Rainbow raised an eyebrow, surprised this was what he was greeting her with. She had gotten used to fighting all sorts of foes that Sagat deemed would be good opponents for her, but there was something off in his tone.
"Fine with me, it will be a good way to wake up," Rainbow smirked, throwing a few punches before creating a tiger shot that blew away the campfire. "So who's the lucky stiff? You got another zebra for me to fight or are you actually going to let me fight you today? With how strong I am now, I think I'm good enough to take you on."
"Perhaps you are. But the foe you will be facing is not me. I told you that I would help you to conquer your demons. Well you have conquered one of them. Now for the other."
Rainbow didn't have a moment to respond. The moment Sagat was done speaking a mass of muscle fell from the sky and crashed into the ground in front of her, forcing her to cover her eyes for a moment. Yet when she could see, her eyes widened at the foe who stood before her.
"AHAHAHA! Hell there, little sparrow! It has been a while, has it not?" Zangief asked with his usual laugh. Rainbow couldn't believe this was happening. Six months ago she had thought she would never fight again. Now she was standing before the one foe she could never fell. But she felt no fear for the Russian who stood before her. In fact, she had gotten tired of waiting to face him. A wicked smile crossed her face as she glanced down at her hoof, which burned with a rainbow fire, telling her that she could win.
"Yeah, it's been a while. And I hope you've enjoyed keeping my throne warm for me, because today, I'm taking it back," Rainbow snarled, taking up a fighting stance. "And don't think for a moment I'm the same fool you fought months ago. I'm stronger, I'm tougher and I've done nothing but win since I've come back. Today is the day that you finally fall, big man. And when the rest of world feels the earth shake when you fall, they will know that my dream, my dream of crushing you, has finally come true."
"I am glad to see that you still dream. It is good to have aspirations in life. But all dreams must be tempered with reality, or else they lead only to ruin. So today, little sparrow...I shall be your reality check." Zangief then threw his arms out to the side, creating a blast of wind so powerful that Rainbow Dash was nearly blown away by the force. But that wasn't what scared her. What scared her was Zangief's face. For, for the first time since she had met him, she saw a different expression on his face. Zangief wasn't smiling. He was dead serious.
Rainbow didn't wait to make the first move. She thrust her forehooves back, channeled her blazing power into them and hurled them forward to create a massive ball of fire that sailed towards Zangief. Zangief moved out of the way of the blast and began to charge towards Dash, but the moment he started to move forward Rainbow was ready with another volley of tiger shots. Zangief frowned as he started to move back and forth, avoiding the hits but being unable to move forward.
"This is it, Zangief!" Rainbow laughed, keeping her volley up while standing her ground. "Today is the day you finally lose to me! I have all of Sagat's skill and his most powerful moves! Even you, with all of your might, needs to get in to grab me. But with this new power, I can just wear you down, much like how Ryu did all those months ago! I finally have something nopony else did! I have a way to-"
Mid-sentence Zangief swung his arm forward with his palm bathed in a green fire. His palm banished Rainbow's tiger shot out of existence and stunned her for a moment. She recovered and threw another one, but Zangief swung forward again with his whole body flashing. Dash blinked and missed it, but for a moment she was certain that her shot had passed right through Gief. But then she realized she had a bigger problem. The problem was that Gief was now in on her.
"What is wrong, sparrow? Where is all your bluster?" Gief asked as he towered over her. Rainbow snarled as she crouched down, preparing a knee strike.
"I don't bluster. I roar!" she roared. Rainbow hurled herself forward and extended her knee, aiming right for the center of Zangief's chest. Zangief had just a moment to register her attack. He knew what she was doing, as he had been on the receiving end of Sagat's many a time, but he had never been able to counter. Not until now. So Zangief did what he always did. He flexed.
Rainbow felt her knee connect and was about to start bragging, but then she realized that Zangief hadn't been staggered by her blow...and that his entire body was now red. Zangief's body went back to normal and he reached out with his arms for a grab, but Dash was still fast enough to leap back to avoid Gief's signature move. She threw another tiger shot, but once more Gief flexed and his whole body went red and the fireball dissolved against his body.
"What the heck is this?" Dash asked.
"Muscles stronger than steel! My training has allowed me to harden my muscle to the point that not even bullets would harm me!" Zangief laughed. Sagat flashed him a look and Zangief dropped his levity, narrowing his eyes and crouching down slightly. "Which bears ill tidings for you, my young sparrow. Now prepare. This fight is over."
"Like hell it is!" Rainbow said. She threw out another blast towards Zangief, but this time he didn't go for the Banishing Flat. This time Zangief flexed, turned his entire body red and then he began to spin with the force of a cyclone. Dash was ripped from her hooves and sucked into the cyclone, his massive arms, pecks and shoulder blades bludgeoning her with the force of a tornado.
But Dash was used to tornados. While she might not have been able to fly, she knew how to get out of a tornado. She kicked off of Gief's body and staggered back, barely able to stand. Gief lunged forward, knowing this fight was his. But he was going to attack. Dash knew this. So it was time to bust out her strongest move. She tucked a forehoof in, channeled all of her might into her arm, and then exploded upwards with all of her might.
"TIGER UPPERCUT!"
This was her finishing move. Her strongest attack. A move that even Sagat was wary to use...and it missed. Gief had simply backed up and allowed Dash to throw out her move to hit nothing. She felt her soul go cold as she realized that she was now open, before her entire sight was filled with a jumping Zangief.
"I am sorry, friend," Gief whispered. Then he grabbed her, tucked her into a piledriver position and decided to end the fight as they spun towards the ground. "BORSCHT DYNAMITE!"
All Rainbow saw before she was knocked out was the ground rising up to meet her. She had a brief thought of disbelief, of how easily Gief had beaten her, and then there was nothing but darkness.
"Hahaha! I win once more, little sparrow!" Zangief cried in delight. He then looked down at the ragdolled Dash and started to poke her with his foot. "Um, sparrow? Are you alright? Huh, the last time we fought, I remember her being able to take far more than that. Perhaps she has not eaten enough? She does look a little thin."
"She lost because she is a fool," Sagat snarled. He joined Zangief and stared down at Rainbow, a scowl on his face. "She spent the entire fight using only my moves, moves that she has yet to master and moves that you know all too well. What did she expect to happen when she fought a seasoned warrior like yourself?"
"Do not be so harsh on her. It is amazing she has gotten so much of her old strength back after such a horrendous wound. In fact, I would say that it is a cause for celebration!" Zangief laughed, until a look from Sagat silenced him.
"You are not harsh enough. This is not her old strength. The only reason that she has gotten so far is that she has been solely using my strength. My techniques and skills that I taught her. If she had incorporated her own techniques into the fight, like she did against me, you might not still be standing. But she was so sure of this new power that she forgot of the weaknesses I taught her. Does this kitten never learn?"
"Her desire to win is strong. Throughout the fight I could feel the desire, the desperation to best me. Much like another warrior I know," Zangief sighed, giving Sagat a look. "There is only one place this path leads. The Satsui no Hado. And I will not let her go down it. I know that you do not like to listen to me, but this may save her soul."
"You may save your breath. I know what you are going to say and...you are right," Sagat replied. Zangief blinked twice and then cleared his ears, certain that he must have heard Sagat wrong. Sagat then bent over and picked up Rainbow, tucking her under an arm and turning to leave. "She is consumed with winning. She is consumed with the quest for power. I cannot change this about her, just like my master Dhalsim couldn't change that about me. But maybe if I can show her something greater than winning and greater than power...perhaps she can be the warrior we both know to be."
"That will be quite the trying task, my friend. She is one of the most stubborn mares out there," Zangief warned him. "Perhaps you will find yourself driven to the Satsui no Hado just to beat some sense into her."
"Yes, she is a stubborn one. But something she will find before our training together is over," Sagat began, before flashing Gief a dangerous smile. "Is that I am far more stubborn."
Rainbow let out a yelp and sprung up to her hooves, immediately regretting that decision. Everything on her hurt and she felt like she had been in a blender. Then she remembered who she had just fought and it all made sense. Zangief. Again.
"Hmm, you recovered quicker this time. If anything, it shows how thick your skull is." Dash glared off to the side to see Sagat, sitting cross legged as he always did. A fire burned in front of him and the stars were out overhead, telling Dash she had been out awhile.
"Zangief. I just barely manage to learn how to fight again and you throw Zangief at me. Do you not know the meaning of the word mercy?" Dash snarled.
"I know of the word, just as I know you do not deserve it," Sagat replied. "I train you, teach you my techniques, show you how to improve yourself...and what do you do? You become arrogant. The fatal sin of every fighter."
"I was not arrogant-"
"Lie to yourself all you want, for I see through your lies," Sagat cut her off. "You showboat. You draw out matches. But above all else, you have no respect for my techniques nor for the foes you face. You learned a fancy new trick and thought it would make you the best in the world. Then you faced a best in the world and saw what happened."
"So does having one eye make it easier or harder to see through lies."
Sagat glared at her before rising to his feet, taking up his famous stance. "Prepare."
Rainbow smirked and rose up after him, taking her own modified version of the stance. Sagat made the first move, aiming a sweep low at her legs. She hopped over it and threw a kick at Sagat, one that he easily deflected. She kicked off his arm with her other leg and launched herself backwards, firing a blast of rainbow power towards him. He held up his arms and blocked the blow, but the moment his sight was blinded Dash ran low, throwing out a kick of her own into Sagat's limbs. Thanks to his shins being tree trunks the blow was miniscule, but still enough to get him to snarl. She hopped back and smirked at Sagat.
"Look at this. Skill, speed, power and confidence. Where was this when you were fighting Zangief?" Sagat asked. Dash narrowed her eyes at him. "Ah yes, you got arrogant. You thought you could win with just my moves. Clearly you could not. Yet you cast away your own moves, the ones that would give you the edge against that man, and it cost you the fight."
"Work against him? I've fought Zangief three times now and three times I've been beaten!" Dash snarled back. "I know my moves don't work against him. But your moves just might."
"Even though he managed to beat me when I, their master, was using them?" Sagat snapped back. Rainbow narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. "Your body changes, your moves change, yet why do you remain the same? Why is it the moment you have any source of success, you fall back to your old, arrogant self? Have you learned nothing from me?"
"I've learned plenty. I've learned to control my anger!" As she said this, she threw another rainbow shot at him, forcing him to dodge. "I've learned about spacing!" Sagat threw a kick, but Dash stepped back just enough to avoid it hitting her. "And I've learned patterns!" She leapt into the air just as Sagat threw a tiger shot, smiling as she threw a fist into the side of his head. Sagat staggered back as Rainbow Dash resumed her fighting stance.
With a burst of speed she was on Sagat once more, who cocked back a fist for the uppercut. Rainbow saw that and slightly stepped back. The moment she did, Sagat lashed out with one of his legs...only to find she had side stepped. He had just enough time to watch her move to the side before she kicked the leg he was balancing on, knocking him to the ground.
"I'd say I've learned plenty."
"Yes, you have. In terms of raw talent, you have me completely outclassed. In terms of how fast you learn, you are incredible. For all your faults, you are an impressive fighter," Sagat stated. "But it is your fragile ego that holds you back. It makes you sloppy when you succeed and it makes you give up when you fail. So long as that ego is controlling you, you will never triumph over Zangief."
"Oh really? Well how are you going to train me for that? More lunges on the way to the next competition? More surprise attacks to the back of my head? Or maybe a touching story about how you killed a guy for standing up to you? What are you going to do, Sagat?" Rainbow Dash asked. For a long moment Sagat glared at Dash, who was watching for the first sign of attack, before he sighed and dropped his arms to the side.
"I...cannot," he admitted. "I am not the kind of person who can show you how to overcome your own ego. I only overcame mine when I was bested and shown what I had become. You have been bested and faced yourself, yet you remain the same. With all I know, there is nothing I can say to you to help you overcome this."
"Then are we done?" Rainbow Dash asked. "And I mean done? Cause if there's nothing left you can teach me...then I'm going. Because there are plenty of other tournaments I can get to faster without you. No offense."
Sagat lowered his head for a moment and thought for a long moment, before he raised his head and smirked at Rainbow. "One more day. All I ask is that you stay here for one more day. Because while I may not be able to get you to let go of your own ego, there is one I know who might be able to. Your ultimate opponent."
"Another ultimate opponent? How many of them do you have in your world?" Dash asked.
"How strong is he? Well he completely defeated me. There was nothing I could do to him. He struck me down like I was nothing," Sagat revealed. Rainbow's eyes went wide at that Sagat and he smiled. "So what do you think, Rainbow Dash? Can you wait until tomorrow? I have already asked Zangief to go get him and he will be most disappointed if you don't show up."
"And you're saying this guy can turn me into an even better warrior?" Dash asked.
"If you are willing to learn from him, he is a warrior that will show you how to never be defeated," Sagat replied.
"Is this going to be one of those "you should have listened to my exact wording" kind of situations?"
"You will have to learn for yourself," Sagat said as he walked back to the fire. He sat down next to it, crossed his legs and clossed his eye. Dash thought about it for a moment. She had Sagat on the ropes in that fight, she knew that. A little longer and she could probably beat him. She had almost nothing more to learn about fighting from him. But this mysterious fighter had her intrigued. Whatever fighter could cause Sagat to be humble was one worth meeting.
"Eh, what's one more day?" she asked before sitting down across from Sagat, closing her eyes and drifting off to her glory days.
-=-=-=-=-=-=--=
"Where is he?"
"Give him a moment. What he is doing...even I don't understand it entirely."
Just as Sagat said, a moment later a hole in the fabric of reality was torn open by a spinning Zangief. The muscular Russian laughed as he came spinning down, landing in front of the pair. "Did you find him?" was all Sagat asked.
"I did. At first he wasn't too keen on coming, but when I said it was for you, he seemed to have changed his mind," Zangief said as he turned and looked up at the vortex. "He is getting ready. Are you sure...?"
"Yes. He is the only one."
"Alright then, let's see this warrior," Rainbow said. Then a figure appeared on the other end of the vortex. The distortion made it hard to see him, but Rainbow believed that he wore a gi similar to Ryu's, one that seemed to be...red in color? The warrior jumped through the vortex, appeared in her world...and then immediately fell straight onto his face with a high pitched "OW!".
"This is him?" Rainbow asked as the figured stood up and dusted himself off, revealing that his gi wasn't red...it was pink.
"Yes. This is one of the greatest warriors that I have ever known," Sagat said with a smile.
"Heya there, pony thing. Nice to meetcha," the warrior said with the shiniest smile Dash had ever seen.
"Dan Hibiki?" Rainbow asked. "This is the greatest warrior of your world?"
"One of them," Sagat clarified. The pink clad warrior walked over to Sagat, smiling at him and extending a hand. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I am...at my limit."
"Huh, a student so tough that you need me to crack them, huh?" Dan asked. He then glanced at Rainbow Dash and nodded. "Oh yeah, I can see it. She practically oozes with overconfidence and a desire for vengeance."
"Think you can help her?"
"Of course I can! I'm the greatest warrior in the world!" Dan laughed. He then walked across from Rainbow Dash and took up a fighting stance. "But first, I must see where this student of yours is at. Don't worry, I'll go easy on her."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow before she slowly brought up her own stance. Dan's was full of holes, holes that even a rookie fighter would be able to cover. Was he really going this easy on her? Or was it a bait, to make her think he was open and then to counter attack? She would test him out.
"Tiger shot!" Rainbow roared. A ball of rainbow energy erupted from her hooves and rocketed towards Dan, who let out a yelp as he dove to the side to avoid being hit. He rolled up and gave her a thumbs up, not noticing that his ponytail was slightly burning.
"An impressive move. Now try mine!" Dan roared. He threw one hand back and gathered green energy within it. His smile grew even wider as he thrust out his hand and yelled, "Gadouken!"
The blast of ki left his hands, floated lazily forward and then vanished from existence. Dash stared at the spot where it had vanished, dumbfounded. It was such a simple attack, how had it not made it over to her? Even her weakest tiger shot had been stronger than-
A kick caught Rainbow in the side of the head and she staggered back, having not notice that Dan was now on top of her. She snarled, angry at herself for falling for it. The blast had been a decoy, obviously, that had allowed Dan to get in close. She threw up her guard just as Dan threw another punch.
She blocked it easily, maybe a bit too easily, and lashed out with a punch of her own, catching Dan right in the nose. He yelped as his head snapped back, a trail of blood following his head. Dan recovered and threw out a knee strike, one that Dash easily sidestepped. She went low and swept Dan's legs, causing him to land flat on his back. The moment he was down she went for a strike on his head, but then he smiled and blinded the mare, getting her to snarl as she backed off.
"Hmph, you are a really good fighter," Dan admitted. He then held a finger to his nose to see that he was still bleeding. "In fact, you may have more talent than either Sakura or Ken. Yet you allow yourself to be held back. For someone so determined to be the best, you sure like shackling yourself with unnecessary baggage."
"As if you're one to talk," Rainbow snarled. "What's your game? You...aren't good. Your punches are slow, your kicks have little power in them, your ki is borderline useless...if it wasn't for all your oddball tricks, this fight would be over already!"
"And yet it isn't," Dan replied with a smile. "If you're so much better than me, why is the fight still going?"
Rainbow growled and launched herself towards Dan, hooves blazing with fire. He blocked her first blow before a second caught him in the gut. He doubled over just in time to avoid a kick to the head, before he sprang back up and headbutted Rainbow in the chin. both combatants staggered back, one clutching her chin the other the back of his head, before they both took up their fighting stances again.
"You're really boring, aren't you?" Dan asked. Rainbow's eyes narrowed into slits. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're good. But it's all so...predictable. Punch and kick when you're close. Fireball at a distance. You're one of those people...ponies...to eat food without spice, aren't you?"
"I do what it takes to win," Dash roared. "And I don't care about anything else!"
"And how's that working out for you?"
Rainbow saw red and hurled her arms forward, firing off her biggest tiger shot yet. But when she blinked and took a moment to look, she saw Dan was no longer in front of her. Her eyes snapped up to see that he was airborne. In fact, he might have leapt before she ever threw her attack. She tried to move, but was still rooted in place from anchoring herself for the tiger shot. All she could do was close her eyes and wait for the blow...that never came. Dash slowly opened her eyes again and saw Dan standing in front of her. He flicked her on the nose before backing up, lifting his stance once more.
"Why didn't you attack?" Dash asked.
"I told you. I'm going easy," Dan replied. He then shook out his foot, trying to hide the fact that he rolled his ankle upon landing.
"Who goes easy in a fight?" Rainbow asked.
"Someone who's having fun," Dan replied. He then brought both his hands together and aimed them at Rainbow Dash. He wanted to throw a fireball at her? Fine, she would return the favor. Dash leapt into the air, just in time to watch a somewhat bigger ball of ki erupted from Dan's hands. She smirked at his foolishness before she threw out a kick...only to watch what happened with disbelief.
The ki blast that Dan gave off was so strong that it actually sent Dan tumbling backwards, off of his feet, but more importantly, away from where Dash thought he would be. She had to make a last second adjustment and landed hard, staggering her as Dan rolled up to his feet. He flashed his pearly whites before throwing out his knee again, this time catching her in the face. He followed up with a series of kicks, with the last one sending Dash higher into the air. Then he uppercutted.
"Koryuken!"
The blow caught Dash in the chin and sent her tumbling backwards, where she crashed into the ground and groaned while Dan landed, stuck out his rear and gave Dash a thumbs up.
"You're so weird..." Dash grumbled, getting back up. "If your moves actually hurt, I might be in trouble. But they don't. You're not Zangief and you're certainly no Ryu."
"Neither are you," Dan replied. Dash snarled once more, but this time Dan rolled his eyes. "Anger. Is that your answer to everything? So you lost to Ryu. Join the club. So you've been mutilated by another fighter. Again, join the club. Anger only helps when you control it, like Sagat over there. And revenge doesn't help anyone. Take it from me."
"Take it from you? You're a joke. Your fighting style is basic at best and you're weak," Dash said. "You don't deserve to be on the battlefield! You're no warrior."
"Oh wow, never heard that before," Dan yawned. "Now then, are you ready to finish this?"
"Yeah, I am!"
Dash kicked off the ground and rocketed forward, channeling her power into a single hoof. Dan threw out another one of his gadoukens, but now that Rainbow knew they didn't hurt, she charged right through it without a second thought. Dan had just enough time to realize what she had done before a fist connected squarely with his chin and Rainbow roared,
"TIGER UPPERCUT!"
Dan was hurled backwards with the sound of a tigers roar, before he crashed down onto the ground without a sound. Rainbow land as rainbow flames encircled her, taking a moment to calm herself before she glanced over at Dan, who was starting to slowly move.
"This fight is mine," Dash snarled. Then she glanced over at Sagat. "I don't know what you're game is having me fight this loser, but it was nothing more than a waste of time. What did you expect for me to learn from this-"
"Wow, you really are impressive," Dan said. Dash glanced over at him just in time to see him give her another smile and thumbs up. "Thanks! That was a really fun fight! I'm glad I got to fight you."
"...huh?" was all Dash could say in reply.
"Some advice though," Dan began. He slowly stood up, winced as he put pressure on his ankle. "You're too stiff and straight forward, like I mentioned earlier. Also, you don't whiff punish enough."
"Huh?"
"New to the concept, I get it. I stuck out a lot of limbs in that fight, and you either dodge or blocked. But when someone misses, or whiffs, a big move infront of you, you should be able to strike the limb they used," Dan continued on. "I takes a long time to master and, not going to name names, some of us still aren't good at it."
"Why?" Dash asked again. "Why are you smiling? You lost."
"So?" Dan asked. Then a smile crossed his face and he nodded in understanding. "Ah, I get it now. Rainbow Dash, this may be hard for you to hear..."
For a long moment, all Dash could do was stare at the pink clad warrior, who had started to notice the long silence and was looking around awkwardly. Dash then shook her head and started smacking one of her ears with her hoof, a smirk crossing her face.
"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. Did you seriously just say-"
"Yes Dash, winning isn't everything," Dan repeated.
"Um, actually it is. It's why ponies do what they do," Dash replied. "Why would you bother devoting your time and life to something if you don't plan to be the best at it? Because if you aren't trying to be the best, then you're just wasting the time of those who do plan to be the best."
"Well, there is some truth to what you're saying. It's not wrong to want to be the best," Dan agreed. Then he gazed at Rainbow and raised an eyebrow. "But let me ask you this. When was the last time that you actually had fun fighting?"
"Fun?"
"Of course. Why do people or ponies get into something like fighting? Or soccer? Or tango? Because they enjoy it and have a passion for what they do. But when I was fighting you, there wasn't any joy or enjoyment. It was all...win."
"Because I fight to win. That's all that matters."
"Is it? Because if you believe that, then you're lying to me," Dan replied. Dash started to respond, but Dan held up a hand. "You're not just fighting and improving solely to be the best. I see that other light in your eyes. A light that is far more destructive and dangerous than your ego. You want revenge."
"Revenge?"
"Against Ryu for taking your wing. Against Sagat for ripping your from your home. And against Zangief for always being better than you." Dash snarled at that one. "And what have you got to show for it? Gief just beat you into the pavement. Ryu is so far above the both of us with his new harmonious form. And Sagat...well, he's still standing. Take it from someone who spent too much of their life looking for revenge, it's not worth it. Especially when it costs you everything."
"What could you possibly know of my hatred? My revenge?!" Dash snarled back. "You've haven't had to suffer like I have! You haven't-"
"See that seven feet of fury over there?" Dan interrupted. "That's the guy who murdered my father in cold blood."
All of Rainbow Dash's anger and scorn vanished on the spot at those words. She slowly looked over to Sagat, who nodded slightly to confirm Dan's story. She then looked back to Dan, who had a pained smile on his face. "So let me tell you, I understand all too well what wanting revenge is like. I sought out Gouken to teach me the strongest martial art. But my desire for revenge caused me to get kicked out. I developed my own martial art, but vengeance kept me from perfecting it. I had no friends, no allies, just me and my desire for vengeance...and it wasn't until I let that vengeance go that I finally started to enjoy living again. Enjoy fighting again."
"Let it go? How could you possibly do that?!" Dash asked. "Sagat killed your father! How could you just...let that slide?!"
"For the longest time I didn't. I devoted my entire life to killing him," Dan revealed. "And then one day, we fought. It was the toughest, most brutal battle that I have ever been apart of. We both gave everything we had and then more. I wasn't sure who was going to win..."
Dash looked over at Sagat, who tilted his hand back and forth a bit.
"But finally, I had defeated him. The man who killed my father. The man who caused me to devote my entire life to vengeance. I had him beaten and laying powerless before me..." Dan said.
"And you didn't kill him?" Dash asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"What would it accomplish?" Those words stunned Rainbow far harder than any of Dan's punches had managed to. Dan slowly looked over at Sagat, who slightly lowered his head in response. "Killing him wouldn't bring my father back. But what it would do would instill that same life destroying revenge in his student, taking away his love for fighting and turning it into a tool for vengeance. Then he would kill me and Sakura would go kill him to avenge me. A cycle without an end. So I decided to end it."
Dash had no words.
"And things have been great ever since. I have a best friend who's an animal at parties, a cool student who has a LOT of potential, I'm well liked in my area and even help people out when they need me," Dan said with a smile. "I even got to share a hot tub with two beauties after making my in ring debut. Life's good."
Dash was looking at Dan like she had never seen him before. Here was a fighter than could barely be called a fighter, with a weak fireball, weak punches and seemed to only have one win to his name. And yet he radiated an aura of peace and happiness the likes of which Dash hadn't seen in such a long time. And his smile...when was the last time she had truly smiled like that? When she was with...her friends...
"I guess...I hadn't...thought about it like that..." Dash replied. Dan walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, I hear that a lot. From other fighters, people...and even Ryu," Dan winked. "Take it from me. When all you care about is winning, you stop looking for how to improve and instead start looking for how to win. No matter what you have to do to achieve it. Even if it means surrendering to the Satsui no Hado."
"Wait, you know of the-?"
Dash leapt back with a yell when Dan threw his arms to the side, creating a purple and red aura around him that she had only felt on one other. "Incredible power and ruthless skill, but all it is is a shortcut," Dan said. "I didn't achieve this power by my own hard work and skill. I achieve it by giving in and admitting defeat. And for a warrior as great as me, I don't need any shortcuts." Dan then thrust his hands down once more and the aura vanished completely.
"Did any of that help?" Dan asked.
"Y'know...I think it did," Rainbow Dash said.
"Great. Always glad to help," Dan said. He then walked over to Sagat. "Alright, it's been fun, but I've got to get back to my dojo. Lot of students who are relying on me and I can't stay away for too long."
"Thank you for coming out here to help me with this. And I look forward to seeing you again...master," Sagat said with a bow. Dan gave a thumbs up with a smile just as the vortex appeared overhead again. Gief reached down and grabbed Dan, pulling him back into his world. Both Rainbow Dash and Sagat watched as the two vanished, before Dash looked up at Sagat.
"So what he said was true?"
"Yes. I am the one who killed his father and set him on that path for vengeance. He also did have me dead to rights. Had he wished to kill me, I wouldn't have fought back," Sagat admitted.
"But he didn't."
"No. He didn't. He avenged his father without descending into vengeance. And ever since then, he has taught others about the perils of revenge," Sagat replied with a smirk. "Even me. I was like him...and you. Ever since my defeat at Ryu's hands, I sought the power to defeat him. To reclaim what he had taken from me and inflict the same kind of humiliation upon him that he had inflicted upon me. And yet, after meeting Dan, I realized I was just like him. A fool seeking revenge. Dan was the one to make me realize what path I was on. I owe him everything."
"So that's why you called him master?"
"Yes. Dhalsim may have taught me how to walk the path of inner peace, but Dan was the one who showed me I needed to seek him out. He's a good guy...for a terrible fighter."
"You're telling me. Did you see some of those moves? I've seen foals throw better kicks and punches."
"It is astounding that for all the years he's devoted to martial arts he's still not much better," Sagat sighed.
"He's a terrible fighter, but one heck of a teacher," Dash said. She then lowered her head and thought about all that Dan had said...and came to a realization. "Hey Sagat, if there aren't any tournaments or jungles filled with my demons that we need to go to, mind if we go somewhere else first?"
Ponyville was unlike any other place that Sagat had been to. The air was rich and soft to the touch, bringing a sense of calm with it. The sun shown with a strong but calming light, seeming to alleviate his stress. The animals were friendly and came right up to him, no fear in their eyes. And the sounds of talk and laughter echoed across the area. It was a place of peace and harmony. A place not fit for a warrior.
"It's been too long," Rainbow Dash said wistfully. "It's been nearly half a year since I was last here."
"If I recall, your home wasn't too far from here," Sagat said.
"Yeah. You kidnapped me from it."
"Would have come with me if I hadn't?"
"Fair. Come with me, I'll show you around." Rainbow led Sagat through the streets, pointing out different locations to the tiger. "Over there is Sugarcube Corners. Pinkie used to work there, until she moved to the big city to be with her husband. And that's where Rarity used to work until she moved to Canterlot to expand her brand. And that's the crystal castle that Twilight used to lead from until she went mad."
"She was driven mad? What did that to her?"
"She tried to figure out how Zangief worked."
"Poor fool."
"And up there is Cloudsdale!" Sagat lifted his eye to the sky to see a city made entirely of clouds floating past. He raised an eyebrow. "Man, I remember that place. Filled with only the fastest pegasi...and Fluttershy. I had some of the best days of my life up there. Wish I could go back."
"Why can't you?" Sagat asked. Rainbow flapped her one wing. "Ah, right."
"But yeah, Ponyville hasn't changed much, has it?" Dash asked herself. The ponies all waved to her as they walked, some even stopping to talk with her. Sagat got some looks and some of the ponies who were wearing W.W.P. shirts asked if he was a fighter in the tournaments, but aside from a nod Sagat didn't answer. "We really need to work on your pony skills."
"As if you are one to talk, Ms. Win at any cost."
"I just lost my pony skills. You never had them in the first place," Dash snarked back. "Nice to meet you. Knee to the face. How are you doing? Knee to the face. Can I ask you a question? Knee to the face. If my pony skills are bad, yours are-"
"TIGER KNEE!"
Rainbow spun to the side, just in time to avoid a knee to the back of the head. She hopped onto her hind hooves and blocked the follow up kick, before throwing out a tiger shot in retaliation. Sagat hopped back to avoid getting hit, leaving the two facing off in the middle of Ponyville. A crowd formed around them and started chanting for them to fight.
Sagat stepped in close and threw another kick, but Dash ducked under it and closed the distance. She blocked an elbow strike before catching Sagat in the gut with a hoof, staggering him slightly. He brought an arm back for an uppercut, which Dash read and slightly backed off. Sagat then switched to a knee strike and flung himself towards Dash, but with a smirk the rainbow mare cocked a hoof back.
"TIGER UPPERCUT!"
Her blow caught Sagat right in the center of the chest and sent him tumbling backwards, where he came to a stop flat on his back. He started to get up, only to be stopped when Rainbow landed on his chest and aimed her rainbow fueled hooves at him. "You're getting slow, old man," she teased.
"Or perhaps you are starting to regain what you have lost," Sagat replied. Dash stepped off and allowed him to get back up, before a commotion in the crowd ended their fight.
"What in tarnation's is going on here? Ah thought everypony knew that there is no fighting in Ponyville!" an all too familiar voice called out as an orange mare pushed herself to the front of the crowd. "Now ah don't care who ya are or what reality yer from, but we won't be having any...Rainbow Dash?"
Applejack slowly walked up to Rainbow, looking as if this was the first time she had seen her in a long time. Applejack then brought back a hoof to deck Rainbow, getting Rainbow to flinch. But after a moment Applejack put her hoof down and pulled Dash into a bone crunching hug instead.
"Yer back. Ah've been so worried about ya," Applejack shakily said. "Ya have been missing fer months. And before that ya were locked up inside yer home...and then before that..."
"Yeah, I've...I've been a real piece of crap for a few years now, haven't I?" Rainbow said with a chuckle. Sagat flashed a look to the crowd and they dispersed immediately, giving the two some privacy. "But I'm...different now. I've had my eyes opened...and watered. Amazing what a couple blows to the head will do."
"Uh-huh," AJ replied, before casting a glance up at Sagat, who didn't flinch under her gaze. "And ah take it ya are the one who kidnapped Rainbow without leaving so much as a note to what ya were doing?"
"Zangief asked for me to train Rainbow. And I have done that," Sagat replied. "He did not ask me to keep any of you in the loop. If you are upset Rainbow has been gone for so long, blame her weakness. If she was stronger, she would have made it back to you much sooner."
"Why you..." AJ snarled, but Rainbow shook her head.
"No, he's right. I've been weak, stupid...and very, very arrogant. I came to apologize for all of that," Rainbow said. "To all of my friends, but I wanted to start with you. Mostly because you are the only one who I knew still lived here."
"Hmph, well aren't I just special?" Applejack snarked, but there was joy in her eyes. "Are ya going to apologize to the rest of our friends as well?"
"If they're still where I still think they are. Twilight still in white?"
"She nearly broke out the other week. Celestia has Starlight guarding her."
"Starlight's on our side now?"
"She is after Zangief spun so hard he collapsed space time on top of her to stop her time traveling scheme," AJ replied with a shrug. "She nearly broke like Twilight."
"I'm sorry, Zangief did what now?" Sagat asked. Dash and AJ both smirked up at Sagat before Rainbow sighed.
"Fluttershy still in her cottage?" Applejack nodded in response. "Alright. I need to go see her. After all, she...never gave up on me, even after everything I said. Would you two mind waiting here?"
Sagat and Applejack both watched as Dash walked off. It wasn't until she was far out of ear shot that Applejack looked up at Sagat and narrowed her eyes. "What did ya do to her?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ah mean she's...almost the same Dash ah remember," Applejack replied. "Cocky and flashy, yeah, but the anger, the disgust, the drive to be better than everypony else...it's all gone...it's almost like ah got her back. How did ya manage to pull her out of that hole she was in?"
"I retrained her body, brought back the strength she had lost. I taught her new skills, one that would allow her to go even further beyond where she had first been. But as for who helped her to see the light, it was the same man who helped me to do the same," Sagat said. "I am a warrior. I can teach to fight, to defend, to improve...but I am still learning when it comes to strengthening hearts. For a while, I feared that I might make her worse. But thanks to my friends, I was able to help her to dig herself out of that hole."
"Don't sound so ashamed," AJ replied. "We all need help with stuff. Ah'm the strongest pony around, but ah need help with forms, transportation and things like that. We work together when we come across something we can't do on our own. Even if we're a mighty warrior who likes to throw fights against our students."
"There is some wisdom in your words...except for that last part," Sagat revealed. AJ raised an eyebrow in response. "I did not throw the fight. I never throw fights against warriors who I seek to battle. As hard as it is for me to admit, Rainbow Dash...is my superior now."
"Come again? But, she beat you so...easily."
"It is the sad truth. She wasn't lying when she said I am getting up there in years," Sagat smirked. "I am getting older. But she has skill, power, dedication, but above all, raw talent. It reminds me of another warrior who I once fought who had all of that."
"Ryu?"
"No. Akuma." AJ felt her soul go cold at that name. "Dash has everything he does, including the desire to prove she is the best above all else. Luckily for us, Dan managed to disperse of her ego...but the danger is still there."
"So what are ya going to do about, old man?" AJ asked with a smirk. "Ah mean, yer her teacher. Isn't it yer job to guide her down the right path?"
Sagat lowered his head and stared at his hand for a moment, before clenching it with a dark smile on his face.
"You are right. I must make sure that she does not fall to that path ever again. It is time, then..."
The cottage was exactly the same as Rainbow had left it. Covered in nature, all sorts of critters running around the place and the sounds of the brook babbling softly to soothe the soul. Rainbow wasn't surprised that Fluttershy never left the place. With it as peaceful as this, who would want to?
She had just reached the tiny bridge over the brook before a very angry bunny crossed her path, crossing his arms and staring up at Rainbow. "Hey Angel, still alive, huh?" Rainbow asked. Angel narrowed his eyes in response. "Okay, I know it's been a long time, but I'd really like to see Fluttershy. Is she home?"
Angel narrowed his eyes once more.
"Look, I know I was a jerk to her, okay? I know that she spent all that time trying to help me and I just threw it in her face. I'm here to apologize for all of that, alright?" Dash said. Angel didn't move. "What do you want me to say? That I was a total self absorbed jerk who got so concerned with herself that she forgot all about her friends who tried to help her, including the mare who has been helping me ever since I was little? That Fluttershy is the only reason that I ever bothered to try anything, including martial arts, at all? That I'm the biggest idiot in Equestria? Is that what you want to hear? Will that be enough?"
"No, but it's a good start."
Rainbow Dash whipped around to find Fluttershy standing behind her with a basket of bird seed in hoof. "Hello Rainbow Dash. I heard that you were back in town."
"Fluttershy...hey," Dash said. For a moment the two stared at each other, before Rainbow let out a sigh and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You did so much to try to help me and I...I..."
"It's alright. I heard what you said to Angel. And I forgive you."
"Forgive me?" Rainbow asked, snapping her head up to Fluttershy. "How can you just forgive me? I've been such a jerk after I lost my wing...I've been such a jerk long before then. How can-"
Rainbow didn't get to finish. Fluttershy set her basket down walked over to Rainbow and pulled her into a soft hug. "Just the fact that you're alright is enough for me. After you went missing I feared for the worse. But to see you back, the old you back, is all I need."
Dash tried to say something, got it caught in her throat and settled for pulling Fluttershy into a hug with tears streaming down her eyes. "Thanks Shy. Thanks."
"Anything for my best friend," Fluttershy replied. The two separated and Fluttershy spent a second looking over Rainbow. "You're back to your old physique again. So how has training with that monster of a man been?"
"Sagat? Ah he kicks my flank, insults my ego and then tells me to stop whining so much. So he's been telling me everything I need to hear honestly," Rainbow chuckled. Fluttershy smiled as well. "I'm...glad he showed up. If he hadn't, I'd still be back home nursing my missing wing...but worse of all, still nursing my ego and desire for vengeance."
"Really? He did that?" Fluttershy asked. "So you no longer want to tear off one of Ryu's legs and beat Zangief so badly that he'll erase himself from the record books, nullifying every victory he ever had against you?"
"...is that what I sounded like?"
"Yep."
"Oof."
"Yep," Fluttershy agreed. "But you know Rainbow, you're friends aren't the only ones who have missed you."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a certain orange filly, well, she's not really a filly anymore, who I bet would like to see you."
"Oh no. Scootaloo. I can't imagine what my attitude has been like for her," Rainbow sighed. "Do you think she'll ever be able to forgive me?"
"Only one way to find out."
Rainbow smirked at Fluttershy's response before pulling her into another hug. Fluttershy patted her on the back, looked with pain at where her friends wing used to be, before Rainbow broke away and took off towards the town again. "Thanks again Fluttershy. For everything."
"Always," Shy replied. Fluttershy watched her go, but once she was out of sight a pigeon came fluttering down and landed on Shy's head. "Oh hello there mister bird. What brings you here?"
The pigeon cooed once and dropped a letter at Fluttershy's hooves before taking off once more. Fluttershy looked down at the letter and picked it up, wondering who could have sent it to her...or why the stamp was the image of a tiger.
====qcf+P====
Rainbow found Scootaloo in the same place she always was. The CMC treehouse out on the edge of town. The only difference was that the treehouse had gotten a makeover since she had last seen it and the CMC all had cutie marks now. She wondered if they still brewed trouble every day of the week or if they had come to their senses now that they had their marks? She bet the former.
The three were out in front of the tree house, talking to a group of much younger foals that all were lacking their marks. Rainbow stayed off to the side for a moment and listened in, a sad smirk crossing her face. They were teaching them the importance of cutie marks, but also how a cutie mark didn't define a pony. How, even with a mark, everypony still had the ability to choose who they wanted to be and what they wanted to do. How everypony could change. Once again, it seemed like she was the last one to get the message.
She waited until the group called it for the day and the foals all took off, chasing butterflies and stuff. The CMC started cleaning up their area, which told Dash it was finally time to face the music. So she walked out into the clearing and was immediately spotted by the three. Scootaloo's eyes went wide while both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle glared at her. But before either of them could say anything, Scootaloo looked at them and shook her head. The pair raised an eyebrow at her before they turned and headed for their treehouse, giving Rainbow one last glare.
That left Rainbow alone with Scootaloo, with neither one knowing how to start.
"Hey Rainbow," Scootaloo finally greeted.
"Hey kid," was all Dash could say in reply.
"Been a while."
"Yeah it has."
Silence for a few more minutes.
"Well, it's nice to see you again," Scootaloo said as she started to leave. "But we've got another class this afternoon and we need to get ready. I hope that-"
"I'm sorry." Scootaloo turned around to find Rainbow's head bent nearly to the ground. "I'm so sorry for letting you down all these years. It's bad enough to let down my friends...but to let down you...I've been a horrible mentor, a worse role model and the worst big sister you could ask for. I got so wrapped up in myself...there is no excuse. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I don't want or expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to let you know. I am so sorry."
Scootaloo looked down at Rainbow, who didn't dare to look at Scootaloo's expression. Then a smile crossed Scootaloo's face. "So how do you throw those tiger shots? Is it some kind of rainbow effect or are you throwing your punches hard enough to ignite the air?"
Rainbow Dash slowly raised her head to look up at Scootaloo. "And how about the new teacher of yours? Is he a friend of Zangief's? Because I never thought I would see a man bigger than Zangief, yet here we are. Is he the one who taught you all of those cool moves? Or did you come up with them on your own?"
"You...you know about all that?" Rainbow asked. Scootaloo smiled before she pulled out a folder that was with her teaching folders. She opened it up and showed it to Rainbow, who had to use all of her might to keep back the tears. Inside were newspaper articles about all of the fights Rainbow had participated in, her victories and how she seemed to be back on the rise to the top. "You...you still follow me?"
"Of course. I'll always be your biggest fan...and your sister," Scootaloo replied. "I knew you'd be back to yourself one day. Yeah it might take a while, but you're Rainbow Dash. You always come out on top. So that's why I never stopped believing in you. Because you may stumble, but you'll never let me down. Ever."
That broke Dash. She pulled the filly into a hug with tears streaming down her face, while Scootaloo did the same. "I'm so sorry for being such a jerk. I promise that I'll do better. I'll make you proud."
"The fact that you're here shows me that you already have," Scootaloo replied. "But now can we talk about your fighting style. Because I've been reading and watching it and I think it could use some improvements."
"Improvements? Alright, what do you have in mind?"
"Well why don't you try throwing your tiger shot with one hoof, so you can leave the other open for the uppercut?" Scootaloo suggested. "Yeah you might lose some power, but that's a way you can cover both your front and air space."
"That's not a bad idea."
"And how about using your one wing for some aerial mobility? You might not be able to fly anymore, but you can still use it for adjustments, right?"
"Never thought of that..."
"And have you come up with a finishing move yet?"
"Finishing move?"
"Sure. Gief has the Siberian Blizzard. Ryu had his Shinku Hadouken. What have you got?"
"I...I don't have a finishing move, I guess."
"Well then," Scootaloo began as she pulled out a list. "I've got a few ideas in mind...if you'd like to hear them?"
"Scootaloo...I'm all ears, lil' sis." She sat down next to Scootaloo, who pulled out a sheet of doodles with all sorts of cool moves and attacks on them. Scootaloo started to talk, before she smiled up at Dash.
"I guess we're the same now, huh?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow Dash looked at her in confusion and she flapped her tiny wings in response. "Two pegasi who can't fly."
Dash took a moment before she smiled, flapping her lone wing in response. "And what's wrong with that? You showed me that a pegasi doesn't need to fly to be awesome. Because you're the most awesome pegasi I know."
"You really mean that? Then can you teach me how to shoot fire?"
Rainbow finished up her letter and handed it to the mail pony, who stuck it in her bag with a wave before taking off. "That should be letters to all my friends. I wish I could apologize in pony, but since I'm so far away and down a wing..."
"You do not need to explain yourself to me," Sagat replied. Then Sagat pulled out a letter of his own and handed it to another mail pony, who looked at the address with a raised eyebrow before shrugging and taking off. "Now come, there is somewhere we must go."
"Oh? And where's that?"
"Away from here."
"And what was in that letter?"
"None of your concern."
Rainbow rolled her eyes at Sagat's usual tact before following the tiger out of the building. When the pair headed for the edge of Ponyville she wasn't surprised, but when Sagat took a turn and started heading for a place that was all too familiar to Rainbow did the mare start to wonder what was Sagat's plan. They headed through the Everfree forest, not bothered once by the animals inside. Dash assumed they were all scared of Sagat. She asked him a few times where they were going, but aside from a look he said nothing. The pair crossed a rickety bridge to a castle Dash knew all too well. A castle that has been a part of her history. Sagat only came to a stop once they were in the main hall of the castle, turning to face her.
"What are we doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Because this is where it all began for you. This is where you took your first steps to being a true fighter," Sagat replied. Dash raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how he could know that. "Applejack told me. This is where you battled Nightmare Moon. This is where you unlocked your harmony. This...is where you first became strong."
"You're right...this is where it happened," Dash said. She then smiled and looked around at the castle, a smile crossing her face. "Man, that was so long ago. What happened to me...to us?"
"Life went on. You grew and regressed. Your friends moved on with their lives. You all made choices," Sagat explained. Dash smirked at him but Sagat's face didn't change. "But that is why I have brought you back here. To where you overcame your first and greatest challenge. When you first overcame yourself. The place where you took your first step."
"And what have you brought me here to do?" Rainbow asked. Sagat's response was, as she expected, to take up his fighting stance.
"I have brought you to the beginning of your journey to end it," Sagat replied. "This is your final test. Show me what you have learned under my tutelage. Your skill, your technique...and your very soul. Show me how much you have grown...if you have grown at all, kitten."
Rainbow Dash smirked before she cracked her neck, bouncing on her hooves a few times before she took up her own fighting stance and flashed a dangerous look towards Sagat. The two stared each other down as thunder flashed in the sky, the wind starting to pick up and the smell of rain hung in the air.
"BEGIN!"
Sagat snapped forward with a speed Rainbow didn't know he was capable of and threw a blazing fist right at her head. Rainbow snapped to the side and barely managed to get out of the way before hurling a kick of her own at Sagat's head. Sagat snapped his other arm around and caught the kick in his hand, grabbing hold of Rainbow's leg and preparing to throw her. She brought her other leg up and kicked Sagat's fingers, getting him to release his grip and allow Dash to roll back.
She rolled to her hooves and hurled a tiger shot towards Sagat, who crossed his arms and took the blast head on. The moment the attack ceased he dashed forward again, hurling kicks that sliced through the air at Dash. Knowing that she couldn't get away, Rainbow Dash decided to get closer. She ducked the first kick and used both arms to block the second, gritting her teeth as pain shot through her body and she was sent skidding backwards.
The third kick was Sagat's first mistake. Dash leapt over the kick, landed on Sagat's leg and kicked off towards the tiger, whose eye widened as he realized her plan just in time to take a kick to the face. Sagat staggered back and threw out a tiger shot to force distance, but Dash slid under it and threw out another kick that caught Sagat in the hip. His force of will prevented him from falling to a knee, but he still staggered slightly. Rainbow, smelling blood, when in too quickly and right into Sagat's reach.
Sagat threw a quick punch that tapped Dash on the nose. While the blow barely did any damage, it did give her a moment to pause. And that moment was all Sagat needed. A knee strike came thundering up and caught Dash square in the gut, knocking the wind and soul out of Dash as she was sent tumbling across the castle floor. She shakily rose to her hooves, only to see that Sagat was already on her, throwing out another knee.
Dash's speed saved her and she just barely managed to roll out of the way in time. But she didn't just roll, she stuck out a hoof and caught Sagat in the side of the knee. Sagat snarled as he stumbled, driving the knee he had been going to attack with through the wall of the castle. The stone was obliterated by the attack, sending the wall crumbling down. But when Sagat turned to face Rainbow, she was black, blue and blood along his knee.
Sagat unleashed his tiger shots in full force, throwing them both high and low to force Rainbow Dash to adapt on the fly to where he was going to throw them. She quickly noticed that his low shots took longer for him to recover from than his high ones, so she just had to wait for the right moment. He crouched low and brought his arms back, telling her this was her chance. So Rainbow took to the sky, flipping and preparing to strike. Then she noticed that Sagat had a smile on his face. And he brought back a fist.
"Nice try. TIGER UPPERCUT!" Sagat roared. His arm exploded upwards with the roar of a tiger...only to find that he completely missed.
What Dash had done, when she realized that Sagat was preparing his uppercut, was twist her body, stick out a leg, angle herself towards the ground and divekick downwards to cut her jump arc early. And Sagat, who had been going for more damage, had chosen a short reach uppercut, meaning that he just barely missed her. And now he was open and vulnerable for a counter attack.
"Tiger...RAMPAGE!" Rainbow roared. She threw out a knee of her own, catching Sagat right in his chest. She then threw her hooves together and fired off a tiger shot at point blank, hurling Sagat through one of the castle walls and into the throne room, where he coughed up some blood as he struggled to get back up to his feet. Rainbow dashed into the room and skidded to a halt across from him, giving him a chance to get back up.
"Not yet...I'm not done yet," Sagat spat. He crossed his arms and then threw them out, a red and orange explosion coming off of him. "Prepare!"
Rainbow threw her arms back and hurled a tiger shot towards Sagat and he did the same, but this time there was a fire coming off of him Rainbow had never seen before.
"TIGER CANNON!"
His cannon tore through Rainbow's tiger shot, ripping it apart and blazing towards her without stopping. She had just enough time to brace herself before the cannon caught her, exploding with enough force to hurl her through the doors of the castle and down the stairs to the main hall. She wheezed in pain as she got back up, never taking her eyes off of Sagat as he walked back out.
"CANNON!" he roared again. Another massive blast of fire came barreling towards her, but she had noticed the longer charge up when he fired. The moment he made the motion, Rainbow was already moving. Sagat slammed a foot down to brace himself from the attack, only to look up to see that Rainbow had jumped over the cannon. A thin smile crossed his face before he took a hoof to the face, staggering him and giving Dash the opening she needed.
"My turn..."
Dash hurled a punch into Sagat's stomach, a knee into his thig, a kick into his jaw and a backflip kick to knock him into the air. She then channeled all of her power into her arms before hurling them both forward with an explosion of rainbow energy. "TIGER ERUPTION!"
The explosion knocked out the pillars in the room, decimated the stairs, tore down any of the banners that were still standing and created a rainbow light that could be seen for miles. Rainbow then let out a sigh as she lowered her arms, able to feel the exhaustion that was burning through her. The smoke cleared and she saw Sagat laying on the ground, softly breathing.
"It's...over..." Rainbow Dash said.
"Indeed. You are truly spectacular," Sagat agreed. He fought to sit up, a smirk crossing his face as he looked over at Rainbow. "You have come such a long way. You are no longer the mewling kitten that I dragged into that jungle. Now you are a proud and roaring tiger. You have overcome your ego, your desire for vengeance and your own inability to believe that you could grow. I am proud."
"Thank you, Master Sagat," Rainbow said with a bow. Then a smile crossed her face. "So by beating your final trial, does that mean I finally get a crack at Zangief?"
"Beating my trial? I did not say this trial was over," Sagat replied. Rainbow raised an eyebrow as Sagat rose to his feet, where he then crossed his arms. "I said that I was proud of you for all you have overcome. But you have not overcome everything. There is still one last challenge for you."
"And what would that be?" Rainbow asked. Then her soul went cold as she noticed something. The aura that was surrounding Sagat. An aura that she hadn't seen in so longer...and one that shook her to her core.
Sagat then threw out his arms was a roar...and was consumed by the Satsui no Hado. His body erupted in a flash of purple and red light, before he lifted his head to glare at her, his one eye glowing red. He then slammed his foot down, lifted one arm over his head and placed the other at knee level, with a look of fury Rainbow had never seen on him.
"Sagat?" Rainbow Dash whispered. "W-why are you using-?"
"FIGHT!" Sagat roared. The tiger hurled himself towards Rainbow, faster than she could nearly keep up with. She barely threw herself back to avoid having her head taken off. She was too slow to avoid the next punch and took it in the jaw, hurling her across the floor and through one of the castle walls. She coughed as she fought back up to her hooves, looking upon the advancing Sagat with terror in her eyes.
"Stand and fight, kitten," Sagat snarled.
"What are you doing?! Why would you give into the Satsui no Hado?!" Rainbow yelled at him. "It goes against everything you stand for! Fight it! It's power isn't worth it!"
"If you will not fight," Sagat whispered. "Then you will die."
Sagat lunged forward once more, hurling another kick at Rainbow's head. Rainbow ducked the blow and backed up, but Sagat was on her once more. He threw out a flurry of punches that she barely managed to block in time. She brought her head back to avoid getting kneed in the face, only just barely catching movement out of the corner of her eye. She moved back...just in time to avoid a chop that would have taken out her throat. She clutched at her throat as she backed away, pupils shrunk as far down as they could go.
"You...you were going to kill me," Rainbow whispered.
"Fight or die," Sagat repeated.
Sagat went on the attack once again, purple fire burning in his hands as he approached. Rainbow Dash threw out a tiger shot to try to defend herself, but Sagat swatted her attack aside before kicking her in the gut. Hard. Rainbow was sent tumbling down the stairs into the main hallway and collapsed in the middle of the entrance, breathing hard as she shakily got back up.
Sagat burst from the room and threw three fireballs towards Rainbow, who had to roll out of the way to avoid being hit. Sagat lunged into the air over her, giving Rainbow Dash the opening she needed. She tucked an arm down, channeled her anger, and exploded upward with a furious uppercut.
"TIGER UPP-"
While still in mid air, Sagat threw a fireball at a diagonal angle that caught Dash right in the face, knocking her out of the sky and back down into the ground. Sagat then picked her up by the throat and slammed her into the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs once more. He slowly lifted her and leveled her to his eye level, glaring at her with nothing but hatred and violence in his eye.
"Sagat...please..." she whispered.
"Begging will not save you," Sagat said. He hurled her into a wall, where she crumpled onto the ground. With what little strength she had left, Rainbow began to get back up, fear clutching at every inch of her.
'I can't beat him,' she thought to herself. 'He was already a better fighter than me and now he's using the Satsui no Hado. I couldn't beat it when I had both my wings and was at my prime. How can I beat him as I am now?! I can't...I can't...' Rainbow watched with horror as Sagat approached, fear locking up ever part of her body.
"What is the matter, little kitten?" Sagat asked. "If you do not fight...then perhaps you are not worthy of my teachings...of my skills...of that wing."
"I...can't..." she whispered. "I...can't-"
"Yes ya can."
That voice was like a light in the dark for Rainbow. She turned to look at the entrance of the castle and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo...and even Twilight, white coat and all, were all standing there.
"Guys? W-what are you all doing here?" she asked.
"We came to support ya. We got word that ya would be facing Sagat in yer final test," Applejack said.
"So of course we had to come out and show our support for our favorite mare," Rarity continued.
"You've been working so hard to overcome your pain and suffering, to reach...no, go beyond where you once were," Fluttershy added.
"And of course you can win, silly. You've always found a way to overcome, no matter what was thrown your way," Pinkie said.
"The odds of you beating somepony who wields that Satsui no Hado are less than zero. But screw the numbers! Ever since Zangief showed up here, logic and reason mean nothing anymore!" Twilight cackled madly. "So win Rainbow Dash! Because even though the numbers don't support it, I know you will. Because you're you!"
Rainbow Dash then looked to Scootaloo, who smiled at her and nodded as well. Before making a motion with her hooves. A motion that made Rainbow's eyes widen.
"Do you hear their words, kitten?" Sagat snarled. "Or are you simply going to ignore them and continue to cry? Because no matter what you pick, it all ends here."
"You're right Sagat," Rainbow said as she rose up once more. "It does end here. Because dark hado or not...I will beat you."
"Try."
Sagat lunged forward...only to be kicked in the face by the rainbow blur that Rainbow had become. His head snapped back as he leg snapped out, try to catch Dash off guard. But Dash ducked under the leg and slammed her hoof into the back of Sagat's knee with a crack. Sagat roared before regaining his footing, hurling fireballs at Rainbow Dash, who sidestepped each of them with inches to spare. Sagat pulled his arms back for a big one and Rainbow leapt into the air, only to watch as Sagat brought his fist down.
"Metsu...UPPERCUT!" Sagat bellowed. With all of his dark might, he threw an uppecut that would have torn the heavens apart...only to find that it hit nothing but empty air. Sagat looked towards where Dash was supposed to be with confusion, finding that she had somehow...moved backwards in the air? In slow motion he watched as Dash put her arms behind her, smirked at Sagat...and fired a stream of fire out of her hooves.
"Tiger strike!" she roared. The flames pushed her forward right into striking range, giving her the chance to kick Sagat right across the face. The blow sent him flying back down into the ground, where he rolled back up to his feet...to find that Rainbow was now flying around the arena.
"How?" he asked.
"This right here is a Scootaloo special. Fun fact about ponies who can't fly? We spend all day thinking up how to do it. Trust me, I would know!" Rainbow called out. She put more of her power into the flames and continued to rocket around Sagat, using her wing to adjust herself in the air to easily avoid his punches, kicks and tiger shots. Even with the Satsui no Hado on his side, Sagat couldn't keep up with her.
A kick to the arm. A blow to the knee. Twin chops to the back. Little by little Rainbow started to wear Sagat down, chipping away at the mountain of a man. She slammed her hooves into the back of knee to drop him to the ground, before she brought back both of her hooves and channeled all of her power into them. Sagat saw what was coming and leapt into the air, arching his foot down in a dive kick that was aimed right for her.
With no time to stop her attack, Rainbow Dash fired her ultimate tiger cannon...and the blast was so powerful that it sent her flying backwards. Sagat's eye widened as his foot struck where she had been, before he slowly looked up and realized that she had already used her fire hooves to stop her tumble.
"My turn," she whispered.
With a yell that was a mix of fury, confidence and victory, Rainbow drove her knee right into Sagat's chin, launching him into the air. She unleashed all of her fire threw her back hooves and hurled herself into his stomach flying him into the sky and out of the castle. As she flew she began tp spin, covering both her and Sagat in a tornado of rainbow colored fire. She rocketed past Sagat and flew ahead of him watching as the spinning master came towards her.
"Thank you. For everything," Rainbow Dash whispered. She then raised one leg over her head and softly said, "Tiger..."
"DEVESTATION!"
Her axe kick caught Sagat right on the top of his head, causing the rainbow tornado to explode as it sent Sagat rocketing back down into the castle with the roar of a raging tiger. The castle exploded into a sea of rainbow fire that illuminated the very land of Equestria. Then, as soon as it had begun, the flames ended, leaving a Rainbow Dash would could barely stand standing over a Sagat who lay defeated on the floor.
"Sagat? You still alive?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes, Rainbow Dash. Yes I am. Barely," Sagat coughed.
"Good...hey wait a sec. Where did the Satsui no Hado...you were never under its influence, were you?"
"No my student...I never was. I used it's power, yes...to help you overcome your final obstacle. Yourself."
"You gave yourself up to a dark and evil power...just to push me? Just to help me overcome my trauma?"
"It was clear that until you faced the Satsui no Hado once more, you would always live in its shadow, regardless of how much progress you made. And the only way for you to truly overcome your fear of it was to face and defeat it, once and for all."
"I can't believe that you would that for me."
"Of course. That is what a master does for their student, tiger. Help them to overcome themselves."
"Wow, didn't know you had it in you and...and wait a sec. You just called me a tiger."
"Hmph. I suppose I did."
Anything else Rainbow wanted to say was cut off when six of her friends tackled her all at once. They held her tight as they all tried to say at once how proud they were of her, how amazing she was and all of that. Too bad she couldn't hear them as all their voices mixed together. It wasn't until they let go that Rainbow finally heard what one of them had to say.
"That was incredible! How you shot flames out of your hooves to fly, how you creating that fiery, rainbow tornado...it was so cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "It's all so amazing! Which of those made you the happiest?!"
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to answer then closed it. She looked from Scootaloo, to the rest of her friends, to the giant hole she had made in the castle roof and finally, to Sagat. Then she let out a small chuckle and smiled.
"I have to admit...it's kinda funny to see you like this," Rainbow Dash giggled.
Sagat said nothing to dignify her words with a response, but he assumed that he did look ridiculous. The seven foot, monster of a man was covered head to toe in bandages and casts, most of which had to be made rather quickly for some one of his stature. The only one that the nurses and doctors could find on such short notice were those designed for Zangief. Now that he was properly wrapped, Sagat spent the rest of his day sitting out in the garden.
"Using the tigers fire from your hooves to fly. I must admit it was a brilliant play," Sagat said. "Wouldn't work for me though. I am too heavy. Your lightweight gave you an advantage that I never could have predicted."
"Wish I could take all the credit for being so awesome, but that trick belongs to my little buddy here," Rainbow Dash said. She pulled Scootaloo into a one arm hugged, getting the foals eyes to light up. "And she also figured out that I could use my one wing to steer while in the air. Isn't she incredible?"
"Indeed. Perhaps I will train her now instead of you," Sagat replied.
"Heh, you're joking, right?" Rainbow asked. Sagat replied with a smile. "Sagat? Uh, master?"
"I can't believe that you would willingly give into that power," Fluttershy stated. "The Satsui no Hado. Such evil, vile power. I've seen what it does to good people."
"Do you truly think me so weak that I would give into its temptation for power?" Sagat spat. Fluttershy let out a squeak and hid behind Applejack. "I defeated that demon long ago. It was simply a tool for you to overcome your own weakness. Once it served its purpose, it was easy to dispose of."
"That's pretty impressive considering what it did to Ryu," Applejack pointed out.
"Ryu has always struggled with his demons. It is something he will have to deal with the rest of his life," Sagat replied. "We all have our own demons that we must overcome. Rainbow's is her arrogance. From the look of things, Fluttershy's is her cowardice."
"And Sagat's is how he can't move any of his limbs right now," Rainbow teased. Then a wicked idea came to her and she smirked up at Sagat, who gazed at her with a stone face.
"Do your worst."
"I bet that cast is really itchy right now," Rainbow said. Sagat's face didn't move. "I can't imagine how much putting on that cast, being forced to sit still and all of the bugs out here would make me itch. I mean, if it was me, I'd be itching like crazy."
"Rainbow Dash..." Applejack warned.
"I mean, the air is itchy enough as it is, but with casts on, oh it's bad. And trust me, I've ended up in my fair share of casts, so I know just how bad they can itch," Dash continued on. Then she peeked up at Sagat to see if there was any change.
"Is that all you have to say to me?" Sagat asked her. "You have wasted your breath and my time."
"Hmph, you're no fun."
"Where are the rest of your friends?" Sagat asked Applejack. "They were with you when I went into the hospital, but when I came out most of you had left."
"Rarity had to go back to work, Pinkie has a family to take care of and Twilight...if she passes her test on Friday she'll finally be allowed out of the asylum." Sagat raised an eyebrow at that. "Ah'm still here to support Rainbow Dash. While she seems like she's better, ah figured ah'd stick around to see if it sticks."
"Aw, you do care," Rainbow teased. Applejack rolled her eyes in response, but smiled back anyway.
"And I'm here because Discord had a meeting with the princesses. Considering it's been a few days now, I guess what he meant by meeting was annoying them for days on end," Fluttershy added on. Sagat turned his gaze towards her once more and she vanished behind AJ. "But don't worry, if anything comes up we'll all be here faster than you can cast a spell."
Hmm...and speaking of spells..."
A flash of green light went off in the garden and three beings appeared before the group. Two of them were pony looking creatures with black shells and holes in their legs, with one missing a leg and the other being much shorter than the former. And the third member was a fighter Sagat knew all too well.
"Faust, why did we have to come here? I hate it here," Chrysalis grumbled.
"Come on mom, you promised to stop using her name. If you don't she promised to continue to hide firecrackers around our home again," Insectum warned.
"I do not know why you hate it so, Chrysalis. It is lovely here! Almost as lovely as Mother Russia!" Zangief laughed. The three then turned their eyes to the other group and different reactions flashed across their faces. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at Sagat, Insectum waved to her pony friends and Zangief laughed once more. "Sagat! How good to see you again! I can tell that you have been doing some serious fighting."
"If by fighting, you mean losing to Rainbow Dash, then yes, I have been fighting," Sagat replied. Zangief then turned his gaze towards Rainbow, who managed to meet his stare without flinching.
"Ah, has the sparrow regained some of her former glory?" Zangief asked.
"No, Zangief. I am beyond where I was when we first fought and definitely way past where our last fight happened," Rainbow Dash corrected him.
"Such fire! Truly you seem like your old self!" Zangief said with a laugh. Then he shifted his gaze over towards Sagat, looking at the injuries the fighter had received. Sagat nodded slightly to Zangief with a smile, getting Zangief to cross his arms and nod. "And you have his approval. I think I know why we have been called here."
"You have figured it out. Zangief...I challenge you!" Rainbow Dash declared. Both Fluttershy and Applejack gasped, Insectum and Chrysalis looked at Rainbow as if she was crazy, while both Sagat and Gief nodded their heads.
"I accept, little spa...rainbow tiger," Zangief replied. "Chrysalis will decide the when and where. If you would not mind."
Rainbow Dash nodded and followed Zangief over to where Chrysalis and Insectum were standing. Applejack followed after them as well, but before Fluttershy could follow a grunt from Sagat caught her attention.
"Fluttershy, was it?" he asked. "Can you do me a favor."
"Y-yes? What is it?" she asked. Then she noticed how Sagat was practically writhing in his chair. "Ah. Hang on, I've got a backscratcher with me somewhere."
"You sure about this Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean, ah believe in ya more than anypony else, but...this is Zangief. Create tornados with spins, throw a dragon into orbit and beat Faust in a steel cage match. That Zangief."
"I can beat him. I know it," Rainbow Dash replied.
"Of course she can! She's Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cut in.
"Whether you can or not, I don't care. But there's a lot of good bits and press to be made with a rematch between the two of you," Chrysalis replied. Shen flicked her tongue between her smile and could already taste the money. "Oh, how much can I charge for the rematch of the century...?"
"No," Dash replied. Chrysalis looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "I'm not fighting in some large stadium or for money. I want it to be a basic fight...a street fight, if you will. Me and him. That's it."
"You don't want the spotlight? The fans screaming your name? The bits?" Chrysalis asked. Rainbow gave her a glare in response. Chrysalis smirked and let out a chuckle. "Maybe you are different. Alright then, where do you want the fight to take place?"
"Where it all began for me. The outskirts of Ponyville," Rainbow replied. "That is where I first came down here. That's where I hid away when I thought I had failed. It's the perfect place. Just you and me, Zangief. My friends too. I assume you'll also want to be there?"
"And miss out on Zangief kicking your flank again? Of course I'll be there," Chrysalis smirked.
"I guess I'll be there as well, since somepony has to be impartial," Insectum added on. "You all good with this, Zangief?"
"Of course I am," Zangief replied. "It has been so long since I truly got to fight you, Rainbow Dash. I hope you can be just as impressive as you were when we fought all those years ago."
"I'll be even better," Rainbow promised.
"Good!...you'll need to be," Zangief replied. "How about tomorrow? A fight like this should never be made to wait."
"Tomorrow it is," Rainbow Dash agreed. She then looked down at her hoof and let fire burn through it. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would finally avenge her loss against Zangief. She would show that she was still as good, if not better, than she had always been. But most importantly...she would leave everything in the ring.
With a roaring blow Rainbow Dash slammed her fist into the sandbag, ripping it off of its stand and hurling it through the air. She watched it fall, tracking its movements before she pushed both her arms forward. She didn't need to fire the tiger shot to know that she would have connected. Rainbow walked over to the sandbag and picked it up, placing it back on its hook before she went back to training.
"Ya should be in bed." Rainbow glanced over her shoulder to see that Applejack had entered the barn. And judging from the stars that were in the sky behind her, it was later than Rainbow Dash had thought. "Considering tomorrow is the rematch ya have been waiting fer all this time, ah would have thought that ya would be resting. Specially after yer fight with Sagat."
"I know. I just need to get my technique perfect for this," Rainbow replied.
"Ya can't be perfect. We learned that a long time ago," AJ teased. Rainbow flashed her a smile before returning to her practice. Applejack sighed before taking a seat, watching Rainbow Dash for a bit. "Ya have gotten a lot better than ya used to be."
"How can you tell?"
"Because ah used to watch ya fight. Ya were talented and skilled, but ya were...showboaty. Ya liked to perform and fight. And Faust almighty did ya have confidence to spare. But now...yer moves are tighter. There are no wasted movements," Applejack observed. "Ya have confidence, but no arrogance. It's like ya have trimmed away the fat of yer old fighting style and streamlined it to be as efficient as possible. All in such a short time."
"Six months isn't that short," Dash replied.
"No. But ya overcame disability, learned an entirely new fighting style, built yerself back up to where ya used to be then surpassed it...and then ya managed to dispel the darkness within ya. Honestly Rainbow, ah'm impressed."
"Thanks. Because you know I did all of this for your approval," Rainbow teased. Then she looked back at Applejack to find the orange mare smiling at her.
"Ah mean it. Yer the most impressive pony ah've ever met," Applejack continued. "To have gone through what you have gone through...and to be able to let go of your anger and desire for revenge...it's not something many could do. Ah'm...proud of you Rainbow Dash."
"Great, now we're getting all mushy," Dash gagged. Then she smiled and walked over to AJ, pulling her into a hug. "But thanks. For always being there all these years. And deflating my head when it got too big."
"Heh, somepony had to do it. Faust knows if ah didn't ya would have floated away into the clouds, never to be seen again," Applejack replied. "Are ya sure yer ready for Zangief tomorrow?"
"Of course I am," Rainbow said as she let go. "He's only the undefeated champion of Equis who can spin through time and open vortexs in reality with a flex of his thigs. I'm sure I'll be fine." Applejack gave her a look. "Trust me, I'll be fine. I've cooked up a little something special for him."
"Well, so long as you believe that yer ready," Applejack said. "But yer not going to sleep anytime soon, are ya?"
"Nope. Too wired. Figure it would be better to train."
"Fine. Then ah'll stay up with ya," Applejack said. She moved over to a bale of hay and sat down. "Give ya some critics on yer form."
"Critics?! My form is flawless."
"Ha. Seems yer ego isn't completely gone."
==============
It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, a soft wind was blowing...all was perfect in the world. So it made sense that on a day like this there should be a battle to end all battles.
Zangief and Rainbow Dash stood across from each other in a small field. Off to the side were all of Rainbow's friends, including Twilight, who had managed to get let our by Celestia and Luna, who were also there. On the other side were Chrysalis and her daughter, who be refereeing the match. To Rainbow's surprise, even Diamond Tiara and her family had shown up to watch as well. Sagat was off to the side, barely within sight but sure to be watching. But no Ryu. Pity. She wanted him to be there to witness this. The day she finally beat Zangief.
"Yes, it is a shame he is not here, but he is off being the hero that we know and love," Zangief said. That snapped Rainbow out of her thoughts and got her to smirk over at Zangief.
"Really? I don't know of many heroes who rip the wings off of perfectly innocent pegasi," she replied.
"Perfectly innocent? You? Come now, we both know you are the biggest troublemaker in Equestria," Zangief retorted. Dash found she couldn't do anything but shrug at that.
"Alright, I take it you both know the rules?" Insectum asked. Both combatants nodded. "Good. This fight goes to whoever can knock out their opponent or get them to give up. No death, no low blows and no pocket sand. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," both fighters said.
"Good...give it your all, you two. Now...round one...FIGHT!"
Dash was on Zangief in a moment. With fire erupting from her hooves, she hurled a blazing kick into the side of the Russians head, only for a smirk to cross her face when Zangief barely even budged. He snapped his head forward and nearly cracked Rainbow's skull like egg, but Rainbow Dash managed to rocket herself back in time. She fired a series of tiger shots towards the man, but with a flex of his muscles he created a gust of wind so strong that it extinguished the flames. Rainbow raised an eyebrow at that.
"I don't know if it's possible, but have you gotten even beefier since our last fight?" Rainbow dared to ask.
"Hahaha! Silly tiger! I haven't just gotten bigger, I've also gotten more toned," Zangief said. He then flexed to show off the results of his training. "And am a bit more flexible. After all, not being flexibility is not good for a fighter. I am sure you are already aware of that, though."
"Yeah, I got the memo," Dash replied. She then hurled her arms forward and fired a tiger shot high...before following up by kicking her legs and throwing one low. Zangief flexed hard as the first tiger shot hit, before grunting as the next one caught him in the legs. But while he was still mid flex, Rainbow Dash rocketed over to him and unleashed a flurry of kicks into the Russians face. Zangiefs body became like iron as he withstood all of the blows, never breaking eye contact with Rainbow Dash.
"My turn."
Zangief then swung with his right arm, moving it far faster than Rainbow remembered him being able to. She kicked off of his face to launch herself away from the attack, before Gief dashed forward and hurled out his left arm. All Dash had time to do was throw up her arms to guard herself before she took a punch strong enough to collapse a building. She was sent tumbling across the ground, where she spun back up to her hooves.
Then Gief was on her. For a moment, Rainbow didn't know what was scarier. How fast Zangief got to her...or what his piledriver would feel like. Gief grabbed the mare, tucked her in, and leapt into the air, spinning the both of them around. Then the two came rocketing back down to the ground, where Dash had enough time to fire a tiger shot outwards with all her might. The attack threw off Gief's balance and caused the both of them to tumble across the ground.
"Let go!" Dash demanded. She slammed her fire infused hooves into Gief's face and loosened his grip just enough for her to escape. She flipped backwards and slammed her hooves into the ground, anchoring herself as best she could. She then brought back her arms with all of her might, channeling all of her hatred, rage and desire to win into them. A rainbow fire bright enough to contend with the sun blazed along her body as she threw her arms out.
"Rainbow ERUPTION!" Dash bellowed. She fired all of her power out at once...only to look up to see that Zangief was already jumping. And that caused Rainbow to smile. The moment her attack came out, a massive explosion went off. Zangief, who had already extended his fist to strike the mare, smiled when he realized what she had done. The energy ball was so strong that it didn't go anywhere. It simply hung in the air. Yet the kickback had been so strong that Rainbow Dash was sent rocketing backwards, far away from where Zangief thought she would be. That means he had no choice but to land on her attack.
"Clever, little tiger."
Zangief hit the energy ball and an explosion went off that was so strong that it blasted away all colors, leaving everything in a black and white light. The spectators had to cover their eyes and numerous magical barriers went off to protect those watching, which themselves nearly gave out as the explosion roared like a thousands tigers. Then, finally, it came to an end, allowing Dash to raise her head and look at the smoke with relief.
"Wow, can't believe that worked. I honestly thought that he would do something crazy at the last moment," Dash chuckled.
"Don't you worry, tiger. I have."
Dash felt a smirk cross her lips as the smoke cleared, revealing Zangief still standing in the center of a crater that Dash felt the need to congratulate herself on. Yet it was Zangief himself that drew her full attention. His entire body was red and steam was coming off him, to the point that the air around him warped and shimmered. And as he walked out of the crater, Rainbow Dash noticed that all of his wounds were starting to heal, the grey damage on him was going back to normal.
"That was impressive, young tiger. To think that you had such a fire burning inside of you. Khorosho," Zangief nodded. Then he slammed a foot into the ground with enough force that the whole continent, causing all those watching to gasp in horror. Except for Rainbow Dash, whose smile only grew at the challenge.
"It wouldn't be you if you didn't do something impossible," Rainbow said. Then she thrust her arms down, causing rainbow fire to burn all along her body and to get her mane to stand up on end, blazing like her fire as her trigger came to life. "Come on then, Zangief. Let's do this one last time. Both giving everything we've got!"
"Very well, rainbow tiger. I shall give my all...into defeating you."
Rainbow was a hurricane of moment. Punches, kicks, chops, backhooves, knee strikes: she hurled it all at Zangief. Yet the Iron Cyclone didn't so much as flinch at Rainbow's storm of blows. And the moment she let up the attack was the moment Gief went for the finish.
His caught Rainbow in the chest and sent her staggering backwards, before his arms started to wrap around her for the finish. Rainbow spun kick to knock his limbs away, before she drove her knee into his chin. Gief paused for a moment and she lashed out with her other leg. Only this time Gief took up a stance that she had never seen before. He caught her leg in his big, meaty paws and spun the both of them around, creating a mini twister before slamming Dash into the ground. Pain wracked her body as the stone shattered from the blow, but with a grunt she pinwheeled on the ground and created a circle of fire that forced Gief back.
"That all you've got?" Rainbow asked.
"I have more than you can take. The question is, tiger, how long will it take until you realize that," Gief said. Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she noticed that all of the damage she had inflicted to Gief was fading once again, as the grey marks on his body went back to red.
'He's healing. Somehow, he's regenerating his lost life,' she realized. Then she cast a glance at his chin and noticed that the wound there hadn't healed. 'I get it. His muscle form. Whenever he takes damage while flexing or do a really strong move, it slowly heals. But if he takes an attack out of the blue, one that he's not ready for...'
She switched up her stance, but with a smirk she saw Zangief move his body in a way that told Dash he was ready for her. She didn't know why she was surprised. He had fought and defeated Sagat before, the master of the very style she used. Of course Gief would have a counter for it. But was he ready for her version of it?
Dash was on Zangief in an instant. Once again she unloaded with all of her blows and strikes, while Zangief flexed through all of it. Then she switched it up. The mare shot fire out of her hind hooves and rocketed into the sky, firing tiger shot after tiger shot at Zangief, who shielded himself with his arms as the fire blasted him. And little by little, Rainbow Dash noticed that the grey damage was becoming permanent. If she didn't let up, he didn't have time to heal. She could do that. She could win this.
Then Zangief spun faster than she had ever seen before and the next thing the mare knew, she was trapped in the cyclone. His tree trunk like arms battered the mare, wailing on her with the speed of a cyclone. Then Zangief snapped to a stop and launched Rainbow Dash into the air, where he leapt up after her and grabbed hold.
"Borscht...DYNAMITE!" Gief roared. The two came rocketing back into the ground, Dash head first, before Gief leapt back and began to stomp his foot on the ground, tuning up the band. Dash tried to remember what her name was as she stood back up, just in time to see Gief finish up. Hurled out a kick that she barely had time to block, but with the sound of shattering glass her guard was completely shattered. Gief then dashed in and delivered a headbutt that made her forget her name, before a punch to the head reminded her. Then Gief stared to pose.
"It is showtime!" Gief roared.
"And it looks like the Red Cyclone is all ready to wrap this up!" Chrysalis commentated from the sidelines. "Rainbow Dash is being pushed back and even though she burns like a fire, it seems that those flames just can't stand up to the cyclone!"
Dash shot backwards, putting some distance between her and Zangief. Her fire still burned, but she knew that she didn't have that much rage left in her. Whereas somehow Zangief managed to fire off his trigger a second time. If it was anyone but him, she would have been amazed. But Gief always managed to do the impossible. That's what made beating him worth all this pain.
"Since I like to give the sacrifice a chance, this form Zangief is in grants all of his grabs colossal power! Get grabbed and this fight is done, Rainbow Dash," Chrysalis stated. Dash stuck out her tongue at her. Gief then barreled forward, steam burning off of his body as he closed the distance. For a moment Dash considered backing up and throwing fireballs, try to tire him out before he got to her. But she knew that wouldn't work. Zangief had been fighting people with fireballs stronger than hers all his life and he always prevailed. So she would do the one thing he would never expect.
She charged towards him.
"Coming closer, even when you know how dangerous I am right now?" Zangief asked with a smile. "I am surprised...or I would be, if I didn't know you rainbow tiger! Come! Let us end this like true fighters!"
Dash responded by roaring at the top of her lungs and shooting jets of fire out of all four hooves, rocketing herself at Zangief. Zangief reached out with his arms to grab her when she landed, only to realize that she wasn't going to stop. The mare slammed headfirst into his chest and took the both of them into the sky. She pressed all four hooves to his chest and unloaded, sending the burning Russian even higher into the air.
"No more tornados. No more mistakes!" Dash roared. She rocketed herself back up into Gief and kicked him across the face. She rocketed past before coming back around and slamming a hoof into his back. Faster and faster she went, striking with all of her might. And when Gief tried to counter her, she would stop and shoot tiger shots into his face as she went past.
"I can't believe it! Rainbow Splat actually has Zangief at a disadvantage! How will the champion of Equis find a way out of this problem?!"
"Like this!" Gief roared. Both hands burned with green light as he swung them back, his eyes watching Rainbow Dash the entire time. The mare came to a stop outside of his reach, charging up what was sure to be a painful tiger shot if she hit him with it. But he wasn't about to let that happen. "BANISHING WAVE!"
Zangief then slammed his hands together, creating a green shockwave so powerful that it blasted apart the land around him, knocking Chrysalis, Sagat, and all of the others watching flat from the blast. All except for Dash. She had been tanking soncibooms all her life and knew how to ride them out. So with skill that would have made the Wonderbolts quit on the spot, she managed to right herself...just as Gief knew she would. And thus, since she wasn't blasted back, she was right within Gief's grab range.
"Time to finish this, little sparrow," Zangief whispered. Then he grabbed hold.
"SIBERIAN!"
Zangief grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash and spun higher into the sky, his rotations creating a cyclone so cold that it began to snow and the very sky itself was covered in clouds. He ascended higher and higher until at last he stopped to throw Dash...and continued to go higher still.
"INFERNO!"
Rainbow Dash slammed her head into Zangief's jaw and grabbed him by the chest hairs, using her flames to keep the two of them going higher and higher until the point that they could almost see the entire planet beneath them, along with the sea of stars above.
"All this, little tiger?" Zangief asked. "All this just to beat me? Does defeating me really that much to you?"
"It means everything," Dash whispered in reply.
Then she slammed into his back and started to rocket him back down towards the planet, fire erupting around them as the two started re-entry. Gief spun around and grabbed Dash, who slammed her head into his face. Both back to spin as they locked up with one another, becoming one, giant fireball of punches and kicks as they plummeted towards where they had first started fighting.
"Come on Zangief!" Insectum roared.
"You can do it, Rainbow Dash!" her friends all roared in response...before they all realized the meteor was getting awfully close.
Those who had been cheering suddenly dove for shelter, be it behind each other or beneath the magical barriers constructed by Chrysalis, Celestia and Luna. All except for Twilight, who was watching the meteor approach with a twisted smile on her face. "Logically, falling from that height at that speed would kill the both of them on impact. But since Zangief doesn't do logic, I bet the both of them will be fine and so will I! There's no need to hide, everypony! It's all going to be fine!"
"Just get under here," AJ snarled as she lassoed the mare and dragged her under the shield. Just in time to watch as the burning meteor collided with Equestria.
Every nation on the planet had a different take on what happened. Some said the impact caused earthquakes that sunk cities into the planet. Others said that the meteor created tidal waves so strong that half their nation was submerged. Others said that other stars like what the pair had done and started to crash into the planet as well. Twilight would call it another Tuesday in Equestria. But regardless of the stories, one thing that every nation could agree on was how it ended. For once the shaking and thundering and fire from the skies stopped, the crater that the pair had made finally stopped smoking allowing a single figure to slow rise back up, lifting a single limb in victory.
"The winner...the winner is...the winner is..." Chrysalis began.
"ZANGIEF!"
Just as Chrysalis had said, the Iron Cyclone stood victorious. His entire body was covered in grey damage, but somehow he still had managed to tank most of the impact himself. Laying at his feet was a defeated Rainbow Dash, who didn't even have the strength to look over at Zangief. All she could do was stare at the sky.
"Khorosho, mighty tiger. Khorosho," Zangief praised. He then tried to walk over to Chrysalis and ended up falling on his face. While Chrysalis and Insectum ran over to him, the ponies all ran over to Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow Dash," Applejack whispered. She knelt down next to the mare while all of her friends stood beside her, eyes that were filled with both sorrow and terror looking down at her. Sorrow for how close she had came. Terror for what this would do to her. AJ gently scooped Rainbow Dash into her hooves, while Scootaloo walked over to Rainbow with trepidation.
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked. Very slowly, Rainbow Dash looked over at Scootaloo. "That was amazing. You fought so well. I've never seen Zangief look so beaten before. You proved it. You're the best fighter from Equestria. And you're still my champion."
Rainbow Dash said nothing in reply, she just leaned in closer to Applejack and closed her eyes. "Rainbow Dash, please, say something. Anything?"
"You want me to say something? I think there's only one thing to say after that," Rainbow Dash softly replied. Then the largest, happiest smile that her friends had ever seen crossed her face.
With one last sigh, Rainbow finished packing her things into a small bag. She hadn't brought much. Some personal items, a few photos from better times...and the small flag that Scootaloo had given her. But she forced herself to smile. This wasn't the end of her story. It was the beginning of the next chapter. And like with all good stories, things needed to change. And so did she.
With one last look at her old home, which she was really glad that she didn't have to clean up anymore, she turned and headed off...only to stop dead when she saw Scootaloo, Applejack and all of her friends standing behind her. "You guys teleport behind me or something? Didn't hear you coming."
"Are you sure about this?" Applejack asked. "Leaving behind everything and everypony you've ever known..."
"It's not like I'm leaving forever. It's just...I need to do this," Rainbow Dash said. "For a long time, I was the faster flier in Equestria. Then I was it's best fighter. Then I was scowling stumpy. But now...who am I? I've learned a new fighting style, I've learned lessons I never thought I would learn and I've even learned how to accept defeat gracefully. So who does that make me? That's what I need to figure out."
"Are you sure that you don't want some company? Maybe one of us to come with you?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head and ruffled Scootaloo's mane.
"Sorry, lil' sis, but this is a journey that I have to figure out for myself. But you know, that's not a bad thing," Rainbow Dash replied. "And I think it's about time I travel the entire world. For too long I've been focused on only Equestria and the Changeling Empire, while there are so many other lands and beings out there to meet. Beings to learn from...and challenge."
"So you're going to travel the world, looking for fights and the meaning of yourself in the heart of battle? That sounds an awful lot like Ryu," Twilight pointed out. Her friends all looked at her with worried eyes before they looked back to Rainbow Dash, who stared at Twilight for a moment before she smirked and nodded her head.
"I guess it does. Who knew that I had so much in common with that wandering hobo?" Dash asked. Then she looked at all of her friends and smiled once more. "I know that this isn't what you want to hear. I know that you'd rather make up for lost time and try to get us all back to being friends like we used to be. And I want that too, I really do. But first...I need to do this. To settle the last demon that still burns inside of me."
Her friends all shared the same concerned look with one another and she knew that they were still worried about her. Then Scootaloo stepped forward and held out a hoof to Rainbow Dash.
"Then I won't say goodbye. I will just say until we meet again," she said. Rainbow smiled at the foal and shook her hoof. "I'm just glad to have you back...to have the mare I admire so much back. So take your time figuring out who you are. Because I already know."
"Oh yeah? Then who am I?"
"Easy. You're Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow smirked at that answer and nodded. "You're wiser than I thought, Scootaloo," Rainbow said. "Take care of yourself. All of you. And...thanks. For always having my back, even when I don't deserve it."
"What are friends for?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow waved to them one last time before she started to head out. She walked away from her home, past the town of Ponyville, over the hills on the outside of town, before coming to a stop as she crossed another figure, one that she wasn't sure if she was going to see again or not.
"Master," she greeted with a bow.
"Tiger," Sagat replied with a nod.
"I am surprised to still see you here. I thought for sure that once you were done training me that you would head back to your own world. After all, don't you have your own foes to vanquish and all that?" Rainbow asked.
"I considered going back to my own world. But then I realized that I still had more work to do here," Sagat revealed. "After all, just because you managed to overcome yourself this time does not mean that you will not slip again. Then there is the matter of who will look after your ego if I am not here. And without a skilled enough sparring partner, your skills will diminish once again."
"That's an awful lot of words to simply say that you just want to stick around because you'll miss me," Rainbow said with a wink. Sagat rolled his eye at the mare before a thin smile crossed his face.
"Perhaps I would miss you. After all, I have learned as much from you in the time that I have been here as you have learned from me," he said.
"Oh really? Like what?"
"I have learned how to use powerful attacks to keep one mobile. I have learned that by channeling the right amount of flame one can fly through the air. And I have also learned that even the worst of us can learn to simply love what we do instead of being consumed by the desire to be the best at it," Sagat replied.
"The worst of us? That's an awful lot of smack talk coming from the bronze medal."
"Bronze medal?"
"Yeah. You beat Ryu, I beat you and Zangief beat me. That puts me at silver and you at bronze," Rainbow Dash replied.
"Yet Ryu beat us both, so shouldn't he be-"
"Ah, details," Rainbow cut him off. She then let out a chuckle and stared at the sky, which was turning pink as the sun started to set. "I'm actually excited again. Excited to be training, traveling and fighting once more. I can't remember the last time I was excited for all of that. Even when I was at my peak, all I cared about was winning. Everything else was just extra. But now, I'm excited to...live."
"Hmph, that's quite the mature outlook to have. I does not suit the mare I know. Perhaps I kicked you in the head one too many times."
"Well I've been meaning to pay you back for some of those, so if you want to go again..." Dash teased. She took up her fighting stance, but Sagat held up a hand and shook his head.
"There would be no point. As I am now, I cannot defeat you. But perhaps after traveling this land and learning some new things...after all, I taught you the secret of my home land. Perhaps it is time you returned the favor."
"You want to learn about the different Equis fighting styles? Sure. Traveling's always more fun with a friend. So where do you want to head first? The plains that house the zebras? The mountains that shelter the griffons. The yaks? Please don't say the yaks."
Sagat bent over and picked up a few strands of grass that he then tossed into the air. The wind took hold of them and blew them in a direction to the east. "We shall go wherever the land wants us to go."
"I can agree with that."
The two turned and walked off, following the wind on their path. Rainbow didn't know where it was going to lead, but for the first time in a long time, she was alright with that. Because for the first time, she finally felt like herself. And because now she knew it wasn't about being constantly better than everypony else. It was about constantly surpassing herself. One day she knew she would defeat Zangief. But until that day came, she would enjoy the journey.
"So, any chance that I can handle Ryu the way I am now?"
"Not a chance. But maybe one day..." Sagat muttered. He then looked towards the horizon, towards the future, and a smile crossed his face. "Yes, one day perhaps you will be able to defeat him. Provided you give your all."
"Well you don't need to worry about that. I always-"
