Fluttershy's Cottage, Ponyville
Day finally shined upon Equestria, the animals at Fluttershy's Cottage were looking at the strange stallion that slept on Fluttershy's couch. Fluttershy was wide awake, and she worked on making some tea for her unknown guest. She soon took notice of the animals looking curiously at the sleeping stallion. "Please everyone, don't make him feel crowded..." she said to them and looked to him. Curiosity began to fill her mind as she looked at his mask. She wanted to reach over and remove it, but she pulled away to keep herself from doing so. "Leave it alone Fluttershy... you mustn't touch things that don't belong to you..." she said to herself and headed back to the kitchen.
While unaware to her knowledge, the stallion's eyes slowly opened, and looked towards her direction. He watched as she went into the kitchen and quietly got off the couch. Fluttershy poured the hot water into a pot and put some tea bags inside it. She turned around, only to see the stallion standing right in front of her. She gasped and dropped her tea tray, but before it could hit the ground... the stallion caught it and kept it balanced. Surprised of his reflexes, Fluttershy looked to him looking into his eyes. "Are you the one who sheltered me...?" he asked her.
She didn't know how to respond, but she nodded her head in response. "I did..." she said to him trying to stay brave, feeling fear in her heart.
Noticing this, the stallion set the tea tray onto the counter and touched her hooves to help calm her down. "Calm yourself... take slow deep breaths..." he instructed her. Seeing her do so, he saw how relaxed she's become. "Better...?" he asked her.
"Yes, thank you..." she said to him and looked to him. "I see you're feeling better after resting on my couch..."
"It was the most comfort I had in a while..." he responded to her.
Realizing she didn't get his name, she fixed her hair a bit. "I forgot to ask... but what's your name...?" she asked him wishing to know it.
He closed his eyes and bowed to her. "My name is Scorpion..." he rose his head looking to her. "Of the Shirai Ryu..." he said to her.
Surprised of his title, Fluttershy couldn't help but realize that he may not be from her realm. "W-Well Scorpion... I... I'm Fluttershy... are you, by any chance.... from Earthrealm...?" she asked him.
Shaking his head, Scorpion looked to her knowing of her curiosity. "No... I used to be of Earthrealm, but I was reborn in the Netherrealm." he explained to her and walked to the living room.
Fluttershy followed in pursuit with the tea, and set it on the table. "If you don't mind me asking... but how did you get here in Equestria...? I thought Celsetia's Amulet only sent the Protectors of Earthrealm..." she said to him as she poured the tea.
Looking to his hooves but taking notice of his horn, he started to focus seeing it glow. Seeing his magic aura envelope the tea cup, he held it up to him looking at his reflection. "Before I came here, I had unfinished business with a certain sorcerer..." he began explaining.
Netherrealm, 10 hours ago
Quan Chi walked to his study, to learn the secrets behind the amulet Raiden had. Suddenly, his instincts kicked in as he dodged an attack from a chained kunai. He turned seeing his former servant Scorpion, who glared at him. "Murderer...!" he claimed him to be for the death's of his family and clan.
"Scorpion... you know what I did was to get Sub-Zero out of my way." Quan Chi explained to him.
"But he wasn't the murderer I sought, you were! You made me into a puppet, burrowed your way into my head!" Scorpion exclaimed to him. "I thought that by killing Sub-Zero, my soul would be at peace... but all this time you lied to me, and used me to kill those who were a threat only to you!" he gripped his kunai.
Seeing this, Quan Chi knew that he couldn't let him kill him. "You were my best servant... but now you have only become a disappointment... Noob!" he summoned Noob Saibot to defend him from the ninja specter.
Looking to his old enemy, Noob glared at him and stood in his fighting stance. "Again we meet Hanzo..." he said to him.
"Bi Han...! So it is true that Quan Chi resurrected you...!" Scorpion said to him.
"He has... he perfected me into the perfect warrior." Noob explained to him. "You however have become defective in your design... and will therefore be destroyed."
Glaring at his old enemy, Scorpion knew he needed to survive if he wanted to kill Quan Chi. "I killed you once... I will have no problem killing you again!" he threatened him as Noob went for a strike. Scorpion blocked his attacks and dodged a kick, Noob anticipated this and pulled a round house kick hitting his face. Scorpion stumbled a bit and looked to him... true he had become powerful, but he was still Bi Han. Noob threw a few punches at him, but Scorpion blocked each attack and dodged one that was coming for his face as he threw a left hook landing it against Noob's face.
Grunting from it, Noob backed up from it and shook his head turning his attention to Scorpion. "You won't so much as get near Quan Chi...! Not while I draw breath..." Noob said to him and went for a strike, but Scorpion grabbed his arm and jabbed him in the throat causing him to choke. He then threw a few quick jabs at Noob's torso, and pulled a backflip, kicking Noob in the jaw as hellfire covered his feet. Noob hit the ground as Scorpion remained standing, but he wasn't about to let Scorpion win this fight. Black ooze covered his body, and he threw a copy of himself at Scorpion, holding him in place as Scorpion struggled to break free. "Now I will have my revenge on you Hanzo... for taking my life...!" he went for the finishing blow.
But Scorpion refused to die here, so he quickly turned using the Noob copy as a shield. Noob was shocked from what just happened, and Scorpion glared at his enemy as flames engulfed his fist. Throws it upper-cutting his foe into the air, the then threw his kunai at him piercing his shoulder. "GET OVER HERE!!!" he pulled the chain with Noob following it. He threw a punch at him landing a right hook against Noob, knocking him out cold. "Perfection does not mean that you are invincible...!" he said to him and turned his attention to Quan Chi. "As for you..."
Seeing his glare, Quan Chi secretly held a green flaming skull. "Scorpion, please... there's really no need for any of this..." he said to him faking his cowardly act.
"You got away with many things Quan Chi, but this time I am going to finish you!" Scorpion gripped one of his swords. But Quan Chi threw the skull at him, landing a direct hit against Scorpion causing him to fall down.
Chuckling at him, Quan Chi walked toward him with a sadistic grin across his face. "Your path of vengeance ends here Scorpion...! Now you can join your family in hell..." he said to him seeing the ninja specter stand up.
Holding where he had been injured, Scorpion only held his fierce glare towards Quan Chi. "If you think this will be enough to kill me, you're mistaken...!" he stood in his battle stance. Quan Chi smirked at his foolish bravery, but stood in his stance as Scorpion charged. He blocked his attacks, and landed a kick to Scorpions ribs, fracturing a few of them. Feeling it happen, Scorpion saw Quan Chi going for a killing blow... but he vanished through hellfire and appeared behind him, striking him in the face.
Quan Chi stumbled from the hard blow, but managed to balance himself and turn to Scorpion with a glare. "Perhaps bringing you back from the dead was my greatest mistake... just as taking pity on Sub-Zero, will prove to be your greatest mistake!" he exclaimed to his former servant.
"This has nothing to do with him! All that matters to me... is seeing you dead for taking the lives of my family and clan...!" Scorpion roared out as hellfire surrounded his body. Quan Chi summoned two skeletons to defend him, they charged at Scorpion to kill him. Dodging their attacks, Scorpion pulled out his sword and slashed through both of the, scattering their bones. Seeing this happened, Quan Chi panicked knowing there was no stopping him. Scorpion lunged at him as hellfire surrounded his body, striking the evil sorcerer as he grabbed his head throwing his knee at his jaw dislocating it and sending him in the air. He then threw two kunai's at him, one landing in his chest, the other piercing his skull. He pulled hard on the chains, slamming Quan Chi down on the ground breaking his neck. Scorpion glared at the helpless sorcerer as he brought his kunai's back. "Now... you feel the same pain I felt..."
Groaning in pain, Quan Chi turned to him seeing him gripping his sword. He summoned enough strength to bring forth his strongest demons to surround him. Scorpion saw it seeing that he was out numbered, he knew he couldn't fight against this many demons. "Kill him!" Quan Chi ordered his demons, they charged at him to finish what Quan Chi started when he injured him. But Scorpion summoned his hell flames, and disappeared to escape, leaving Quan Chi to his own rage.
Present day
"That is how I ended up here... it was my only chance to escape." Scorpion explained as he touched his torso where he had his bandages. "I couldn't face that many demons at once, despite my injuries..." he directed his attention towards Fluttershy. "That was when you found me... took me in when I laid dying..."
"I couldn't just leave you there out there... I mean... it would go against my nature as a caring pony..." Fluttershy said to him while hiding her face in her mane. "And... for what its worth, I'm really sorry for what happened to your family and clan." she lowered her gaze thinking about his story. "I can't imagine what it was like for you to go through so much pain and torment..."
Seeing it, Scorpion also noticed the compassion in her eyes. A smile formed behind his mask, and he set his tea down. "For that, I am grateful to you... but I do not wish to over stay my welcome. Your rabbit here doesn't seem to like me anyway..." he pointed out seeing Angel Bunny glaring at him.
Seeing it, Fluttershy quickly pulled him away. "I am sorry about him, Angel Bunny doesn't always take kindly to strangers." speaking of strangers, an idea popped into her head. "Oh, that reminds me... if you're here, then you should join up with Liu Kang and the others..." she said to him.
Surprised of hearing his name, Scorpion could hardly believe it. "Liu Kang...? but, he was killed by Shang Tsung..." he said to her.
"I know, he told me and my friends what happened, but here he is very much alive. I'll explain on the way... come on, I'll lead you to Twilight's castle..." she helped him stand up. Feeling unsure of how he and the others would react, Scorpion knew he had no where else to go if he was to stay here. He followed Fluttershy out the door, heading to the Castle of Friendship.
Castle of Friendship
Stretching from a good nights rest, Johnny sighed as he breathed the morning air. "Man I haven't slept that well in a long time..." he said as he stretched his back legs. "It's almost as if I were sleeping on a cloud..."
"I know... to be honest, this realm feels a lot similar to Earthrealm..." Liu Kang said to him. "Though it is different in origin, there are some similarities to it."
"Not too similar, and in case you two forgot... we're still in a realm that we have little knowledge about, and no way around." Sonya pointed out to them.
"Sonya's got a point..." Jax said as he approached them. "If we're gonna be staying here, we need more knowledge of this place."
Suddenly, Twilight appeared before them teleporting with her magic, causing Johnny to jump and scream from it. "Holy crap Twilight, you almost gave me a heart attack!" he exclaimed to her.
"Sorry Cage, but if you guys are looking for a way to learn about Equestria... I may be able to help with that." Twilight said to them and lead them to her library. "Welcome to my library..." she showed just how many books she had so far on the shelves. "As you can see, most of the copies from the Golden Oak Library are still being replaced with new copies that Princess Celestia is sending to me from Canterlot..."
"You read all of these...?!" Johnny asked in surprise earning a nod from the young Alicorn.
"Wow, it must be a field day for you to go through so many..." said Sonya has she looked around, and suddenly noticed a large mirror standing in a corner. "What's with the mirror...?" she asked.
Twilight looked to it knowing what it was. "Its a gateway actually... a portal to an alternate reality..." she explained. "But it only opens once every thirty moons."
"That long...? Where does it lead to...?" Liu Kang asked her as he observed the mirror.
"When I used it last, Spike and I traveled to a place that is similar to Equestria... but different in others. When I arrived, I turned into what you call a human. When Spike arrived, apparently he..." Twilight let out a small giggle. "Was turned into a dog...."
Bursting out laughing, Johnny could hardly contain himself of it. "Aw man, you must've embarrassed little guy...!" he said to him only to get an elbow to the ribs by Sonya.
"Eh... it wasn't all that bad... least I got a lot of attention from the ladies..." Spike said to him as a smirk formed across his face.
Jax chuckled from hearing it. "Even a dragon is more of a ladies man..." he said directing that comment towards Johnny, earning a disapproving look from him in return.
"He's not wrong..." said Kitana as she revealed herself shelving some of the books she read. "Good morning everyone... I trust that you all slept well...?" she asked them.
"We did actually... when did you get up...?" Liu asked her.
"Two hours ago, Twilight brought me to the library to look at some of the books she currently had..." Kitana showed some of the history books she looked through. "They truly have amazing history... how Equestria was founded, how the three tribes got along even though they fought causing a blizzard to fall over the land..."
"That actually happened...? There used to be war between the tribes...?" Sonya asked Twilight feeling surprised.
"Yes, but that was a long time ago, and the blizzard wasn't caused by the war. It was caused by spiritual creatures... called the Windigo's... spirits that brought winter cold, that nothing could survive. The crops and fields would be blanketed by snow, houses would be torn apart... and the three tribes would blame each other for it." Twilight explained what occurred what happened all those years ago.
"Wow... and I thought politics in Earthrealm were messed up..." said Jax as he crossed his hooves.
"Hey, no ones perfect..." Sonya replied to him patting his back.
Walking to the book shelves, Twilight placed the book where it belonged. "I have to agree with Sonya... back then, no pony was perfect till the three tribes put aside their differences so that they could finally live together in peace." she said to them as she placed the last book on the shelf. "Now... back to business, if we're going to be facing Shao Kahn. Me and my friends are gonna have to learn how to defend ourselves, and you guys are out best shot in learning how..." she said to them.
"Well, I've never been much of a teacher..." Johnny pointed out to her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine..." Twilight assured him. "Anyways, Liu Kang... seeing that you're sort of the leader, I was thinking that maybe you and I can-" before she could ask...
"Actually Twilight, Kitana already volunteered to be your instructor, I for one think its a good idea." Liu Kang said to her.
Twilight went stiff as she mentally shattered like glass, she shook her head getting out of her stiff moment. "What?! But... why...?!" she asked the shaolin.
"Because I think you and Kitana will work quite well together... I know you had high expectations to train with me, but the ways of the shaolin can't be learned by just anyone." Liu Kang explained to her, hoping that she will understand.
Mentally defeated, Twilight could only sigh and give an understanding nod. "Alright..." she responded to him.
Kitana smiled and approached her. "Don't worry Twilight... when it comes to Edenian training, you might learn it quickly." she assured her.
"Easy... right..." Twilight responded, wishing she could still learn Liu's fighting style. But when it comes to Kitana's... how bad could it be to learn a different fighting technique...?
Ponyville, Schoolhouse
Fluttershy and Scorpion at that time were walking to the castle heading passed the schoolhouse, Scorpion looked to it hearing the bell ring. The children that attended rushed out the door, even the CMC who hadn't noticed him just yet. He smiled behind his mask seeing them go by, thinking back to his son. "If my son were here... he would have wanted to be amongst them..." he said to Fluttershy.
Smiling from hearing it, Fluttershy looked to the fillies as they went to play. "He would have liked Ms. Cherrilee, she is the best teacher around. She helps fillies in discovering their true talents, its how ponies get their cutie marks." she explained to him.
"Cutie marks...? You mean the strange markings on your flanks...?" Scorpion asked her as they walked together.
"Yes... you see, a cutie mark represents a ponies talent, in what they are good at. For me, I got three butterflies... which represents my love for animals." Fluttershy explained.
"Fascinating..." Scorpion admitted to her, before he could ask another question. His ears under his hood perked from hearing something, he turned only to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon picking on the CMC. "What in the name of..." he walked over to them.
"Scorpion wait...!" Fluttershy called out to him, but he ignored her.
"You blank flanks should know by now... that you're never gonna get a cutie mark, no matter how hard you try!" Diamond Tiara laughed at the CMC. "You'll just remain the same ordinary blank flanks, that you will always be!" she exclaimed to them.
Scootaloo at that moment, has had just about enough of her ranting. So she was about ready to punch her for everything she said, but then out of no where, Scorpion grabbed her arm stopping her from doing something reckless. Scootaloo looked to him surprised as Scorpion walked over to Diamond Tiara. "Why do you punish those who are different from you...?" he asked her.
Seeing his cold dead eyes, Diamond Tiara couldn't help but feel scared of them, but she tried to hide it. "B-Because I can... blank flanks like those three have no place here..." she explained to him.
"Sounds more like you're the one in power, hurting those who can't defend themselves... but you know something...?" Scorpion leaned down to her reaching her eye level. "Where I came from... there is a special place for bullies such as yourself..." he said to her as his face changed to a flaming skull briefly, but long enough to spook the living daylights out of Diamond Tiara. "Now... leave before I change my mind..."
Panicking, Diamond Tiara ran away screaming as Silver Spoon followed in pursuit. Scootaloo was surprised from what happened, and looked to the ninja specter. "What did you do...?" she asked him.
"It is best you don't want to know young one..." Scorpion replied and looked to Fluttershy. "My apologies for leaving you side..." he offered his apologies to her.
"Oh, no its okay... I mean, you were trying to defend these little fillies..." Fluttershy responded to him, before she could ask a question... something caught her attention. Something strange was moving passed the bushes, she couldn't tell what it was... until it shot acid at Scorpion causing her to panic. "Look out!" she tackled him down, avoiding the acid spit.
After hitting the ground, Scorpion turned towards the invisible assailant and saw it reveal itself as Reptile. The Raptor spy of Shao Kahn, he hissed at Scorpion causing the CMC to scream. "What is that thing?!!" Applebloom cried out.
Glaring at the Zaterran, Scorpion knew who it was. "Reptile... I never expected to see you here..." he said to him.
"Shao Kahn demands your death, by request of Quan Chi...!" Reptile informed him of the bounty he had on his head.
"Really now...? Did you even bother to ask why he wants me dead...?" Scorpion asked him.
Licking his lips, Reptile only snarled. "I don't care... as long as you die in the end!" he charged at Scorpion with the intent to kill him.
But Scorpion blocked each of his attacks, but turned to Fluttershy and the CMC. "Fluttershy, get the children out of here!" he dodged another attack from Reptile as Fluttershy nodded in response and took the CMC away from the fight. Reptile hissed and shot his tongue at Scorpion wrapping in around his neck causing him to choke. He struggled for a moment, but he focused his power, and vanished through hell flames appearing behind Reptile.
Reptile shrieked from it, but disappeared to hide from Scorpion... the ninja specter searched for the Zaterran to find where he was. But when he wasn't looking, Reptile appeared behind him and jabbed his hooves against Scorpion's side, causing him to cry out. He went to strike him, but Reptile disappeared again... leaving Scorpion vulnerable. Scootaloo watched it happen feeling worried for the colt who stopped her from hitting her childhood bully. "We gotta help him!" she cried out.
"You three are not going out there and getting hurt!" Fluttershy said to them with a stern tone. "You girls need to stay here, I'll head to the castle and tell Twilight and the others what's happening..." she said to them as she flew off. Meanwhile, Scorpion was struggling to find where Reptile was... given the extent of his injuries from his previous battle with Quan Chi, he didn't know whether or not he could keep fighting.
Reptile saw this as an opportunity, he sneaked towards the injured unicorn... like a snake sneaking up on its prey. Noticing it, Scootaloo watched as leaf's were being stepped on headed towards Scorpion. She realized what was going to happen, and she grabbed a stone and threw it at Reptile, landing a direct hit against his head causing him to grunt. Hearing it, Scorpion turned sharply blocking an attack from the Zaterran. He punched the sneaky lizard twice in the face, but before he could land a third... Reptile dodged and disappeared. Seeing it happen, Scootaloo started to realize what was going on. "Girls, did you see that...?" she asked them.
"Yeah, that lizard guy can stay invisible... but should something come into contact with him, he loses focus..." Sweetie Belle theorized.
"But he'll just go back to being invisible again, how do we stop that...?" Applebloom asked them.
Thinking about it, Scootaloo looked around the area and found a couple of paint cans. Just at that very moment, Scootaloo found a way to beat Reptile's camouflage. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, grab those paint cans!" she ran over to them with her friends grabbing three of each different colors. Scorpion meanwhile was twirling his kunai looking very carefully for Reptile, but while he was unaware... Reptile was slowly sneaking towards the specter. Acid spilling from his mouth, fangs ready to dig deep into the throat of his enemy. He went for the kill, but suddenly... "NOW!!!" Scootaloo yelled out as she and her friends spilled paint onto the Zaterran, revealing where he was.
"What?!!" Reptile exclaimed and looked to them. "You insolent little mammals! How dare you!" before he could attack them, Scorpion appeared through hellfire, and struck Reptile in the jaw. He grabbed his arm pinning it against his back, dislocating his shoulder causing him to shriek. He then leaped over a tree branch, throwing two kunai's at the Zaterran seeing them pierce his shoulders. He landed on the ground, and pulled the chains, lifting Reptile off his hooves.
Feeling his body go over the branch, Reptile panicked as Scorpion pulled as hard as he could, slamming the Zaterran on the ground. Seeing he laid on the ground unconscious, or so it seemed... Scorpion cautiously approached Reptile to see if he was out cold. But to his surprise, Reptile's eyes snapped open as he leaped into the air shooting his tongue at him, but Scorpion caught it causing Reptile to panic. "COME HERE!!!" he pulled Reptile down towards him, and threw a right uppercut against his jaw. Seeing him land on the ground finally unconscious, Scorpion let out an exhale standing down. "Lizards may eat scorpions... but this one still has some fight in him..."
The CMC soon rushed towards him. "Wow, that was amazing mister! The way you fought him was unlike anything I've ever seen before!" Scootaloo cried out.
"I liked the way you used that chain thing." said Applebloom.
"And you're-" before Sweetie Belle could compliment the ninja, Scorpion looked to them with a disapproving scowl. She panicked knowing what it meant. "And you're clearly very angry with something..." she pointed out to him.
"You three were supposed to leave the fight to me, why aren't you with Fluttershy...?!" he asked the three fillies.
"She went to get Twilight and the others, I'm sure she'll be back soon." said the young Earth Pony as she rubbed her head a bit. "Also, this was Scootaloo's idea." she pointed right at her.
Seeing it, Scorpion shut his eyes and calmed down knowing that they were only fillies. He can't blame them for that, so he looked to them giving them a nod in understanding. "Still... you should never involve yourselves in matters that don't concern you." he said to them the best way he could.
At that time, Fluttershy and the others arrived to find that Reptile had been defeated. But she looked to Scorpion and rushed to him. "Scorpion, you alright...?" she asked him feeling worried.
"I'm alright... just a couple of burns, that's all..." Scorpion replied to her but took notice of Liu Kang and the other Earthrealmers. He could hardly believe his own eyes the moment he saw them. "So everything Fluttershy said was true... you're all here..." he said to them.
Johnny let out a small chuckle from hearing it. "Not that we're happy to see you either Scorpy..." he said to him.
Snickering from hearing it, Pinkie Pie tried to hold in her laughter. "Scorpy...!" she couldn't contain herself anymore, and burst out laughing from the nickname.
"That's enough Pinkie...!" Liu Kang said to her in a stern tone, and turned his attention to Scorpion. "Why did you protect these fillies from Reptile...?" he asked the ninja specter.
Scorpion shut his eyes for a moment, but opened them back up looking to him. "Because it seemed like the right thing to do... these fillies were innocent, I couldn't let them face the wrath of the Zaterran." he explained as the CMC looked to him surprised. "It was the only right thing I've done before serving Quan Chi..."
Taking a moment to process all he had heard, Liu Kang sensed a great change within Scorpion... something he had not seen since they first fought in the Mortal Kombat tournament. He approached Scorpion and stood in front of him. "If you were willing to protect them... then that will give us reason enough to trust you..." he said to him.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on Liu... you're kidding right...? Did you forget how many times this guy tried to kill us in the past?" Johnny pointed out to him to remind them of some personal history.
"Cage has a point, there's not telling what his guy might do." said Rainbow Dash as she gave Scorpion a skeptical look.
"Hold on now Dash, we shouldn't just judge somepony by their image... true these guys have some history, but sometimes when you know them for so long, you start to understand them a little better. Ain't that right Liu...?" Applejack asked him.
Liu nodded his head in agreement and looks to Scorpion. "If you truly betrayed your master, you are more than welcome to join us..." he offered him the chance to join their ranks.
Hesitant... Scorpion didn't know what to do, suddenly he felt a gentle hoof against his shoulder, and he looked to Fluttershy who gave him a pleading look to accept the offer. Looking at her eyes, Scorpion couldn't possibly say no. Though in most cases he would... but this young mare took him in, aided him when he was injured, and offered her friendship to him. He soon turned to Liu Kang, to give him his answer. "If it means stopping Quan Chi from ruining more lives... then I will gladly accept your offer." he said to the monk.
Smiling in return, Liu Kang bowed to him as Scorpion did the same. The Mane Six smiled seeing it, but unaware to their knowledge... they were being watched. By savage eyes... a pair of glowing, orange, savage, beastly eyes were watching them from the tree's. It began to growl, but Jax's ears twitched from hearing it. He turned to it, seeing something fast charge right at them. "Look out!" he got in the creatures path, and blocked the attack of what appeared to be claw marks on his bionics.
The girls yelped from seeing it, and looked to what appeared to be a very large wolf. But it was no ordinary wolf, it managed to stand on its rear legs... standing like a man in Earthrealm. It was a werewolf in broad daylight... it howled and caused the Mane Six to panic from seeing it. "What in the blue blazes is that?!" Applejack cried out.
"Looks like a werewolf, and here my producer said I can't do horror movies." Johnny said to them as he backed away with them.
The beast snarled at them as he revealed something over his face. Kitana looked to it seeing red paint over its eyes... she recognized the pattern and realized who it was. "Nightwolf...?" she asked.
"Night-who-now...?" Rainbow Dash asked her with her eyebrows arched.
"One of our allies... he is a Shaman Warrior from Earthrealm who joined us in the fight in Edenia..." Kitana informed them as she looked to the massive wolf. "But it would seem he is trapped within his animality..." she observed it.
"Animality...?" Twilight asked her.
"The spirit beast which guides you... you can even transform into it. But how did this happen to Nightwolf...?" Liu asked only to dodge his swiping claws.
Scorpion blocked his attacks feeling his intense strength. "It must have been an affect of Blaze's power...! It must have infected his animal spirit, and caused it to go on a vicious rampage!" he said to them as he kicked the massive wolf away.
"How do we fight something that could kill us with one swipe?!" asked Rainbow as she avoided its snapping jaws.
Knowing his power over hellfire, Scorpion looked to Nightwolf believing he could pull it off. "If I can weaken him, I might be able to extract the fire spawn's power from the wolf spirit." he theorized.
"Sure you can handle it...? You're still recovering from your injuries..." Sonya pointed out to him.
Scorpion simply nodded to her and looked to Nightwolf, he walked towards him knowing it was both a good, yet crazy idea to the point he will end up getting killed. Nightwolf turned seeing him, and snarled viciously at the Ninja Specter. "I know you're in there somewhere Nightwolf... and I won't rest until I get you out of this rage..." he said to him and dodged a swipe of Nightwolf's claws and blocked his next attacks. Scorpion then grabbed a branch, breaking it from the tree it came from. He swung it at Nightwolf smacking him once, and swung it again smacking him across the face as the branch broke.
The Mane Six winced seeing it, knowing that it had to be painful. "That looked like a skull fracture for sure..." Rainbow Dash pointed out. Nightwolf snarled and struck Scorpion away and turned to the heroes and charged at them. "Oh boy, look out he's coming for us!"
Nightwolf struck at them, but Kitana blocked his attack only to feel his claws tear through her outfit, causing her to cry out and hit the ground. "Kitana!" Liu cried out, and blocked Nightwolf's next attack. "Get away from her!" he landed a few punches against his ribs and kicked him back.
Scorpion threw his kunai piercing Nightwolf's shoulder. "COME HERE!" he pulled him away and leaped over the werewolf, slamming his back hooves against Nightwolf's face. Causing him to yelp, as Liu Kang joined in a tag team and charged at him and landed a hard punch to his torso. He punched Nightwolf in the face, and punched him in the torso, he then slammed his hoof against his hoof against his mussel causing it to crack. He then kicked him in the side, punched him in the face and gave him a backhoof, and slammed his hoof against the back of his neck. And for the final blow, Liu Kang kicked the werewolf in the face turning him around slamming his hooves against his back and fractured his chest.
"Yeah Liu! You got this!" Applejack cheered out.
"He may got him, but Scorpion's got this in the bag." Rainbow Dash boasted. Charging at Nightwolf, Scorpion pulled out his sword and slashed at Nightwolf with the blunt side, but used it to strike a nerve to paralyze him. Nightwolf grunted from it and struggled to stay up, but Scorpion noticed a tree branch above him and leaped to it grabbing hold of it. The giant wolf turned to him eyes widened as Scorpion swung on the branch, and kicked him in the face sending him flying. Nightwolf crashed against an apple tree, he was about to get up, but Scorpion tied him down with his chains around the tree.
Whistling from seeing it, Applejack tipped her hat to the ninja specter. "Mighty fine tying there you got... now you better not do anymore damage to this here tree... its Apple Family property!" she exclaimed.
"Don't worry... my hell flames won't do anything to the tree... can't say the same for Nightwolf..." Scorpion looked to the thrashing werewolf seeing him struggle.
"The poor thing... his transfer here must have been different from when Raiden sent him here.." Fluttershy felt sympathy for him.
Sonya touched her shoulder knowing how she feels. "Don't worry... if Scorpion and Liu Kang know what to do, they'll save him..." she assured her as she looked to them. "They have to..." she muttered.
Liu Kang and Scorpion approached Nightwolf seeing he was still thrashing, they looked to each other and nodded knowing what needed to be done. They turned to the snarling wolf, and focused their power on extracting Blazes power from Nightwolf. He began to feel the Fire Spawns power leave his body, his eyes reverted from orange to his spiritual green. He soon fell unconscious as the wolf spirit left his body, reverting him back to equine form. Scorpion took the Fire Spawns power, and destroyed it so that it would never corrupt another soul. "It is done..." he said to them.
Groaning, Nightwolf began to stir, opening his eyes seeing his allies and that of new ones. "Wha...?" he muttered as he sat up. "What happened...?" he asked as he rubbed his head but soon realized as he looked to them as well as his own body. "Am I in the spirit realm...?" he asked them.
Jax chuckled at his question. "Not even close partner..." he helped him stand up.
Standing on his own four hooves, knowing it was a familiar feeling... Nightwolf rubbed his head trying to remember what happened. "I was... laying dead amongst the Pyramid of Argus... my soul... and that of my wolf spirit..." he put it all together, and realized what had happened to him. He turned to his allies wanting to know. "Did I hurt anyone...?!" he asked feeling panicked.
"Whoa, relax Mr. Wolf... you didn't hurt anypony... although you almost hurt Kitana..." Pinkie mentioned to him only to get disapproving scowls from everyone. "What...?!"
"That aside..." Kitana turned to her ally. "You didn't know what you were doing... therefore we forgive you..." she said to him.
Although... "I for one, can't... look what he did to your outfit Kitana!" Rarity pointed out to the claw marks on her outfit. "This to me, is a crime against fashion! You will need a new outfit, something that will speak Princess of Edenia." she said to her.
Surprised of how she's acting, Kitana shook her head of it. "Really Rarity, that isn't necessary..." she assured her.
"Nonsense darling! I want you to have something that will suit you perfectly... free of charge!" Rarity said to her with a kind smile.
Twilight tapped her shoulder and leaned to her. "Believe me, its best not to refuse her offer... otherwise she's gonna go into her usual drama..." she said to the Edenian Princess remembering the last time Rarity made dresses for her and the rest of her friends.
Surprised of her explanation, Kitana knew there was no way of convincing Rarity, so she nodded to the white unicorn and smiled. Meanwhile, Fluttershy walked to Scorpion who was recovering from his wounds. "Will you be alright...?" she asked him.
The specter turned to her and nodded in response. "Yes, I am more than a little relieved that you and your friends are unharmed..." he said to her.
Smiling at his response, Fluttershy adjusted her hair a bit but looked to him. "Thank you for that... but you still need some time to recover from your injuries." she reminded him knowing the extent of them. She soon turned to Nightwolf realizing something else. "Most of all, where will Nightwolf stay...?" she asked.
"If its alright, I prefer someplace outdoors... wide open space... not confined in a small room." Nightwolf said to her.
Hearing this, Applejack smiled and approached him tapping his shoulder. "You're more than welcome to stay at Sweet Apple Acres, there is plenty of room for you there..." she offered to him.
"Hey yeah, you'll have plenty of room at Applejack's place." Johnny said to him.
Even though Nightwolf's people in Earthrealm had a bad history back in the times of the old west, he looked to the mare sensing something in her heart. It was pure, not tainted like those his ancestors faced in the past... thinking back to her offer, Nightwolf nodded his head to her. "I accept your offer Miss Applejack..." he said to her.
"Aw please, call me AJ..." Applejack replied to him, earning a smile in return from the shaman. Suddenly she realized something very important. "Wait a second..." she looked around for Reptile, seeing no sign of him. "Where'd that Reptile fella disappear to?" she asked them.
Seeing he's gone, the Earthrealm protectors realized that he may have given them the slip. "He must have gone back to Outworld to report his failure to Shao Kahn..." said Sonya.
"I would be willing to wager, that Shao Kahn will not be pleased when he finds out he failed..." Rarity let out a small giggle knowing she is one hundred percent correct. "Anyways, given all that has happened we should get the little ones home... come along Sweetie Belle..." she walked away with her younger sister.
"Yeah, I should get the squirt home too..." Rainbow Dash grabbed Scootaloo and flew away from the group.
"Guess that leaves me with Applebloom and Nightwolf..." Applejack said as she turned to them. "You two ready...?" she asked them.
Nightwolf nodded his head to her. "Lead the way AJ..." he said to her as Applejack took lead and headed to her families form with him and her sister.
Meanwhile, Twilight turned to the rest of the group. "I know we've all had quite the experience... but seeing now that things have cooled off.... why don't we take a tour around Ponyville...?" she asked them.
"We would like that... it would help us to become much more familiar with our new life." Liu Kang said as he looked to the others. "What do you think...?"
"Well I'm game..." said Johnny.
"Of course..." Kitana replied to him.
"I guess its better than reading books all day..." Sonya muttered under her breath.
But Twilight's ears perked from hearing t as she looked to her with a scowl. "I heard that...!" she said to her.
Jax go between them to stop a fight from breaking out. "Alright you two, break it up, lets not start a fight after everything that's happened..." he said to them.
Knowing that he was right, Twilight cleared her throat and looked to them. "Anyways, lets get the tour started shall we...? Lets get moving while the day is still young..." she and her friends lead the Earthrealm Protectors to Ponyville.
Scorpion followed them as well, but he stumbled a bit about to fall... but Fluttershy managed to catch him while he still had strength. She held him up with as much strength she had, she looked to him wrapping one of her wings around him. "Lean on me if you're having trouble standing..." she said to him. Knowing he had been weakened, Scorpion nodded to her and leaned a bit as he followed the tour with her. Rarity glanced back noticing it, a smile formed across her face as her thoughts instantly went to romance.
Castle of Friendship, 15 hours later
Night fell over Ponyville, and everypony had gone to bed... but there was one who was still awake. Liu Kang was practicing his martial arts to become more familiar with the body he now has, he even took the chance to test out his control over his chi. He held out his hooves and saw fire rising from them. He smiled knowing he still had it... suddenly, a knock came from his door. He walked to the door and opened it and saw who he was expecting. "Nice of you to join me... Flash Sentry..." he said as the door opened wide revealing the Castle Guard himself.
"Sorry I came late... the train had some problems..." Flash explained what happened during his travel.
"Its alright... I was patient..." Liu assured him as he let him in. "Princess Celestia sent me a letter saying you wished to speak to me..." he sat down in front of the guard looking to him. "So... what about...?" he asked him.
Flash hesitated a bit, believing he may reject his request. But he bowed to him with his eyes shut. "I... I wish to learn the ways of the Shaolin..." he requested of him.
Liu Kang was surprised by this request, its not every day that someone asks to learn from the Shaolin. But he grew curious as to why he wanted to learn, so he decided to test him. "If you wish to know it, you must have a reason for it... I have met many who had selfish reasons for learning from the White Lotus. Are you doing this so that you could impress...?" he asked him.
"No, that's not the reason...!" Flash exclaimed keeping his head low. "The reason is... I've come from a long line of Sentry's, who's duty was to protect those in need. I have done little to prove my worth... I... I want to prove to my family I can be the colt my father was... to protect those I love..." he went into a state of silence for a minute or two. "I know you believe I am being selfish in my reasons... but I will understand if you choose not to accept me..."
Amazed by his words, Liu Kang felt just how honest he was in his reasons. He even sensed how much he cared for a certain princess, he smiled shutting his eyes. "In my realm... the Shaolin care about only what's in your heart. Not whom your heart desires..." he looked to him. "Very well... starting tomorrow morning, we will start your training..."
Flash raised his head looking to him, he smiled a bit and nodded. "I promise I won't let you down..." he said to him.
Meanwhile on the other side of Liu Kang's door, Twilight overheard their conversation. She was surprised from everything she heard, but she smiled proudly of Liu's decision. Suddenly... "Eavesdropping are we...?" asked a familiar voice causing Twilight to tense up.
She turned around finding Kitana look at her with her eyebrows arched. "Kitana, its not what it looks like, I swear...!" Twilight tried to explain to her.
But before she could, Kitana let out a giggle showing she was only teasing the young princess. "Calm down Twilight... its perfectly fine." she assured her and walked beside her. "So... who is Flash Sentry to you...?" she asked her.
Upon hearing the question, Twilight's face turned a bit red as she looked away. "Flash... was someone I knew in the world on the other side of the magic mirror in my library. I suppose you could say I... well..." she gulped as she tried to explain what happened during her adventure.
But Kitana figured it out before she could even explain. "You fell in love, didn't you...?" she asked her.
"NO! I mean yes, but that isn't..." Twilight panicked for a bit.
"It's alright Twilight... believe me, I know love when I see it." Kitana explained to her as she thought back to the first time she and Liu Kang met. "When I met Liu Kang... I actually tried to kill him." she explained but soon noticed a shocked expression on Twilight's face. "I didn't succeed though... I asked him to finish me, but instead, he showed me mercy... I didn't realize it, but when he won the first tournament..." she smiled remembering that night. "I felt exactly the same way you have..."
Surprised by her tale, Twilight felt that in a way, she and Kitana were more alike than she realized. "I guess it must have been love at first fight huh...?" she asked her with a smile over her face.
Kitana smiled at the thought of it. "You could say that... for now, you should get some rest. Now off to bed with you..." she said to her. Not wanting to argue with her future teacher, Twilight headed straight for her room to get some rest. Their training will be hard, but it will be worth it in the fight against Shao Kahn.