//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 Cyrax // Story: Mortal Kombat: Defenders of Equestria // by KnightGomora1994 //------------------------------// Castle of Friendship, Library As day broke, Rainbow Dash flew into the Library to check on Twilight's training. "Hey Twilight, you in here...?" she asked only to see no one around. She walked through the library trying to figure out what to do, suddenly she noticed something on the table. It was Sonya's wrist com. "Hello..." she muttered and looked around. True she shouldn't mess with it, but what harm could there be in learning a little bit of technology...? She reached to it about to touch it, but then out of no where... "Just what do you think you're doing...?" asked a feminine voice causing the blue mare to panic. She turned around seeing Sonya standing before her, she even noticed a skeptical look on her face. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to touch things that didn't belong to you...?" she asked her. Sweating like crazy, Rainbow Dash pulled away as quickly as she could from her wrist com. "Sorry... I didn't know it was yours..." she said to her and looked to it. "What is that thing anyway...?" she asked her. "Its my wrist com, it allows me to communicate with my comrades, or look at maps of the realm I'm in... but its been on the fritz ever since I got here. I've been getting help from Princess Twilight to add a few elements of Equestria to it, so that it can adapt to your realm..." Sonya explained to her. "Wow... it can do all that...? That's actually pretty cool..." Rainbow Dash admitted as she watched Sonya install some crystals to work with her wrist com. Upon doing so, it activated and started working properly. "Hey its working...!" she watched as a projection of a map, she was psyched out from seeing it, but she soon noticed two signatures on the map. "Hey, what are these things...?" Seeing them, Sonya checked them to see what they were. "Strange... I got two signatures, heavy tech signals..." she looked at them and turned to Rainbow. "This world doesn't have technology what so ever, does it...?" she asked her. "Well if you count Vinyl's DJ booth, no... not a whole lot... why...?" Rainbow asked her out of curiosity. Sonya looked to the signatures starting to recognize it. "I have a hunch we may have found two cyber ninja's... but which ones...?" she wondered as she stared at them. "We should check it out... you and me will head there, and find them. If they're hostile, we can take them..." Rainbow said to her as a smirk crossed her face. Sonya returned with a smirk of her own. "You know, even thought you're quick to rush into a fight, you're not so bad..." she said to him as she put her wrist com around her hoof. "Lets get going, those cyber's aren't going to find themselves..." she walked out of the library. "Right behind you...!" Rainbow followed in pursuit, not knowing what they will face out there. Outskirts of Ponyville Meanwhile, a few miles outside Ponyville, two ponies looked around their surroundings. But strangely... they did not look like ordinary ponies, they appeared to be surrounded what most would consider as a suit of armor. One was a Pegasus, with yellow armor, with light and dark grey patches. His mane and his tail mostly appeared to look more like cables, and his eyes were green. The other, was an Earth Pony, with grey armor, and was dark grey under it. Rather than having cables for his mane and tail, they appeared to look more like wisps of white smoke... and his eyes were a natural red. The two looked around scanning the area for any activity, but there was nothing at the moment. The grey armored Earth Pony looked to his comrade. "We should stick together and keep moving Cyrax... we must find the nearest settlement and find out where we are..." he said to him. The yellow Pegasus, whom he named Cyrax, nodded in agreement. "You're right Smoke... if there is a chance our comrades are alive, we need to hurry before anything else does." he said to him. When all of a sudden... "Well, look what we have here brother..." said a rather annoying voice as the two Cybers turned around seeing who spoke. It was none other than the Flim Flam Brothers themselves. "Seems we have two lost ponies... but might I say, they are wearing such fascinating attire..." said Flim. "I couldn't agree more dear brother... in fact, we could make a lot of bits by selling them. What do you think..." Flam asked his brother. "Splendid idea!" Flim complimented Flam's idea and looked to the two Cybers. "If I may ask, but would you two be interested in selling those armors for a fair price...?" he asked them. Cyrax merely looked at them, not showing any expression what so ever. His eyes began to glow, as he observed their forms. "Scanning species data files..." he spoke out as he scanned the two brothers. "Species identified... unicorns, likely twins, and extreme Con Artists from the looks of them..." he pointed out. Flam scoffed at hearing it. "Con Artists?!!" he cried out. "We sir, are very good business colts trying to make good money!" Flim yelled at him. Smoke walked over to Cyrax tapping his shoulder. "Lets go Cyrax, they're not worth our time..." he said to him as he and Cyrax walked away from them. Not being able to let it slide, Flim took a rock and threw it at Cyrax's head. But Cyrax's motion sensors detected it, and one of his wings extended and sliced the rock in half showing just how sharp they were. The two brothers were stunned by mere shock, and Smoke was more than a little surprised. "Cyrax, how did you...?" "I'm still trying to figure that out myself..." Cyrax admitted but looked to Flim and Flam. "As for you two... you never... should have tried to attack a Lin Kuei assassin..." he said to them. Glaring at him, Flim and Flam stepped up to gang up on him two to one. "What do you say brother...? Shall we teach this armored freak a lesson...?" Flim asked his brother. "By all means, let us show him what we got...!" Flam turned and charged at Cyrax and went to hit him. But Cyrax blocked his attacks, and threw a punch at him only to see him grab his hoof. Scanning the situation, Cyrax's arm twisted around getting free and grabbed hold of Flam. He knocked his metal head against Flam's face causing a fracture. Flam cried out in pain of it, and his brother Flim went for an attack. But Cyrax dodged his attacks, knowing they were amateur a best. He grabbed hold of his arm and landed a quick jab to his face. He turned and pulled a flip kicking Flim in the jaw, causing him to fall down to the ground. Flam grabbed hold of Cyrax from behind holding him down. "I got you now!" he said to the cyber Lin Kuei as Flim got back up from the ground and went to hit him. "Nice try!" Cyrax's chest opened up as he launched a net at Flim snaring him. Flim struggled to get out of it. "What is thi-" before he can ask, Cyrax kicked him away and broke free of Flams grasp. He leaped into the air dropping a bomb onto the ground. The brothers saw it land between them as they looked at it wondering what it was. But the minute it started ticking, they didn't realize until it combusted into an explosion, causing them to fly into the air. At that moment, Smoke appeared behind Flam and grabed hold of him. He threw him towards Cyrax letting him throw a hard hit towards his abdomin. Flam coughed up some blood from the blow, but Cyrax was not finished... he grabbed hold of the unicorn and threw him at their cart seeing him crash against it. "That's one down..." he said seeing him knocked out. He turned to Flim who looked that he wasn't willing to surrender. "You hurt my brother... now you are going to pay for that!" Flim struck at Cyrax landing a few punches, but this did not faze the cyber as he dodged the next few strikes. He ducked under the next punch and blasted Flim into the air, his body split apart as he reformed into the air, kicking him in the back causing it to fracture. He then grabbed hold of him and slammed him on the ground as she stomped on his head. He backed away knowing he was still alive. "Be thankful that I choose not to take your lives..." he said to them. Groaning in pain, Flim got up and rushed back to the cart. "Lets get out of here brother...!" he tried to pull the cart as much as he could. "Here... let me help you with that..." Cyrax blasted the back of their cart, sending them straight down the road. Amused, Cyrax turned to Smoke. "We should get moving... during our fight, I saw a town not too far from here..." he said to him. "Do you believe our friends are there...?" Smoke asked him. "If they are... we may even find Sub-Zero..." Cyrax said to him and looked out holding onto his hopes. Meanwhile, further down the road, Sonya and Rainbow Dash were enroute to where Cyrax and Smoke were. Along the way, Sonya told Rainbow everything about Cyrax and and the other cyber Lin Kuei. Learning this filled Rainbow Dash with shock, and utter disbelief. "I can't believe they would do that... I mean, turning all those warriors into... glorified robots...? That's just messed up..." she admitted to her. "So did I... having to be turned into cyborgs was not what most Lin Kuei wanted. There were those who went against their Grandmasters plan. Those being Sub-Zero, Smoke, and Cyrax..." Sonya explained to her and looked out. "But there was one who embraced the Grandmasters vision... Sektor... who is now currently the leader of the Tekunin Clan." "Wow, he must have a very sick twisted mind..." Rainbow Dash admitted from hearing it. "More than you know..." Sonya agreed with her, but her ears soon perked from hearing something. "Get down!" she ducked down with Rainbow as a missile flew over them, hitting a tree. She looked to who fired it and recognized who it was, despite looking like a red armored unicorn with a dark grey body under it and silver abdomen, and his eyes were blue. It was Sektor himself, he has been following Sonya ever since she left the castle. "You have spoken your last words Sonya Blade..." he said to her. "Sektor... I see you're back from the scrap pile of your Tekunin Warship..." Sonya replied to him. "Everything on that ship was destroyed because of you and your Special Forces...! Now I come here looking like this." Sektor gestured to himself. "Jeez, he's got a real problem... has he ever tried Anger Management...?" Rainbow asked in the form of a joke. Sektor took notice of Rainbow Dash sensing her as an enemy as well. "And I will gladly kill your friend here..." he readied another rocket, forcing Rainbow Dash to panic knowing what the last one did to a tree. But before Sektor could lock on, Cyrax flew towards him and struck Sektor in the face. Forcing him to launch the missile in the other direction. Sektor stumbled a bit and turned to him. "You...!" "Still picking on those smaller than you Sektor...?" the yellow cyber asked him. "Cyrax...!" Sektor stood up and looked to him. "Still defending imperfect organics...?" Smoke rushed to Sonya and Rainbow Dash. "Ms. Blade...? I assume that it is you...?" he asked her. "You're right Smoke... how can I tell...? You still smell like a burned out fire..." Sonya replied to him and looked to Cyrax. "My wrist com detected your signatures, me and Rainbow Dash came to find you both as quickly as we could." she informed them. "Guess it seems we found you instead..." Cyrax said to her and looked to Sektor. "I suggest you all stay back... this is personal..." he walked toward the red cyber circling him as Sektor formed the same motion. "You never should have left the Lin Kuei...!" Sektor said to him readying kombat mode. "Sub-Zero reformed the Lin Kuei to how it should have been... the Grandmasters plan for cyberization was flawed!" Cyrax exclaimed to him. "His plan is not the only thing that is flawed!" Sektor charged at Cyrax and struck at him, only to see him dodge his attacks. But he was not going to let Cyrax out think him. He dodged one of his attacks and landed fast kicks to his sides, and pulled a back spin kick hitting his jaw. Cyrax stumbled a bit from it and saw that Sektor was going for a hard punch. He avoided it and grabbed his arm, landed powerful jabs against his rib cage and slammed a strong right hook against Sektor's cheekbone. "Whoa! He's got good reflexes! But probably not as good as mine." Rainbow Dash boasted with a smirk. "I wouldn't boast just yet..." Smoke advised her and looked to the fight. Sektor lit his flame throwers, and shot fire at Cyrax to burn him. But Cyrax's body split apart and came back together behind Sektor, leaving Rainbow Dash with her jaw dropped from what she saw. Cyrax grabbed Sektor and kneed him in his stomach two times and threw him over. Smoke looked to Rainbow noticing her expression. "I must suggest you close your mouth before you start drooling..." he said to her. Realizing it, Rainbow Dash quickly cleaned the drool off before it could drip. Sektor turned to Cyrax after getting back up, he aimed a missile and fired it at him. But Cyrax was quick to react as he threw one of his bombs at it, causing a large explosion. Seeing nothing but smoke and dust, Cyrax scanned the area trying to find Sektor. But he was gone, no where to be seen. Seeing the smoke clear, Rainbow Dash looked around for him. "Hey... where did he go...?" she asked as she looked around. "Damn... it must be his camouflage..." Sonya looked to her wrist com trying to pinpoint his location. "He must have planned that attack, using the explosion as a smokescreen to hide himself..." "Is there any way of finding him...?" Rainbow Dash asked her. "Unfortunately, he must have made his camouflage more advanced than before... I won't be able to use my wrist com to track him down... we need something that could help make him more visible. But sadly, we don't have any paint cans around..." Sonya pointed out. Suddenly, an idea popped into Rainbow's head as she looked towards a rain cloud and smirked and turned to Sonya. "Don't worry, I got ya covered...!" she flew towards the cloud and grabbed hold of it. This surprised both Sonya and Smoke from seeing it happen, they watched as she gathered more rain clouds creating a large one. "One case of rainfall coming up!" she punched the cloud letting it rain on the whole area. Cyrax looked around as it rained, but behind him... the silhouette of Sektor became visible as rain dropped over his body. Rainbow Dash saw it as her eyes widened. "Behind you!" Reacting quickly, Cyrax turned and pulled a back spin kick landing it against Sektor's face. His camouflage deactivated in the process, Cyrax took the chance to attack. He threw a fast punches against Sektor, kicked him in the neck causing his eye lights to flicker. Standing back, Cyrax launched his net at him snaring the red cyber. Sektor struggled to break free, but Cyrax charged at him and threw a hard punch at his face, knocking him out of commission. Seeing he is knocked out, Cyrax stood down. "Both the Tekunin and the Cyber Lin Kuei, are finished..." he said to him. Rainbow flew down to him and landed on the ground. "Oh man, you are like... so.. AWESOME!!!" she cried out in excitement. "Now I really want to learn the ways of the Lin Kuei...!" Smoke approached her as soon as she said that. "The only way to do that is if you meet Sub-Zero..." he informed her. "Wait, Sub-Zero isn't with you...?" Sonya asked him. "No... ever since we got here, we've been searching for him. We were hoping we could find him in the town nearby..." Cyrax explained to her of their situation. Sonya was surprised as she looked to Rainbow Dash, who shared the same expression with her. Her face soon turned into a frown as she looked to the two cybers. "We're sorry you two, but Sub-Zero might not be there..." she said to them. Both Cyrax and Smoke looked down knowing that their efforts were in vein. But they didn't have time to despair as they looked toward her. "Then with your permission, we will need a place to stay for the time being." Cyrax said to her. "No sweat... we have a place that you can stay in, and trust me... its big." Rainbow Dash said to them. Believing their word, the two cybers followed their comrades to Ponyville to settle in. Not aware of what, or who they may face in the small town. Ponyville, Equestria Everypony in town watched as the two cyber ponies walked through the streets, they clearly sensed there was uneasiness amongst the residence. Never have they seen the likes of them before, nor would it be the last. Cyrax glanced seeing the way they were looking at them, sensing how nervous they were. "I take it there is no technology in this realm...?" he asked. "Yeah, seeing you two might give them the wrong ideas..." Rainbow Dash said to him. "Perfectly understandable... this world, given how strange it may be... it may be better off without Earthrealm's technology." Smoke said to them. "Well now that you bring it up, can't you guys shed that cybernetic armor...?" Rainbow Dash asked them as she pointed to them. "Its not that simple Ms. Dash..." Cyrax said to her as he walked by her. "When the old Grandmaster had the Cyber Initiative turn us into who we are, he wanted to make sure that it was permanent... therefore leaving us the way we are." he explained to her as he looked to his cybernetic body. "I was one of those who stood against the Grandmasters plan... in fact, I chose to join the Lin Kuei..." hearing this surprised Rainbow Dash of what he did, he looked to her to assure her of one thing. "But I never said I would surrender my free will..." "So... you left...? Knowing that they would hunt you down...?" Rainbow asked him. "Yes, Cyrax left the Lin Kuei, defying their laws..." Smoke explained to her and looked to that of himself and his comrade. "But when the Lin Kuei found him, he was going to face death... but the Grandmaster wanted him alive. I soon became cyberized when they captured me in Outworld." "That explains so much now..." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. Nodding at hearing it, Cyrax soon looked ahead and noticed a familiar ninja ahead of them. It was Scorpion spending some time with Fluttershy. He was surprised, even though he couldn't express it. He still remembered that night when he took Bi Han's life, his body split apart leaving Rainbow, Sonya and Smoke. "Whoa, hey where did he go...?!" "One good guess..." Sonya pointed to where Scorpion was. Scorpion at that time, sensed Cyrax's hostility, and grabbed Fluttershy vanishing from his attack. Cyrax looked around and saw him reappear. "There you are...!" he glared at the ninja specter. "Cyrax, what is the meaning of this...?!" Scorpion demanded to know. "Don't play dumb with me Scorpion...! You think that I would forget what you did...?! Killing Bi Han, and nearly killing Kuai Liang?!" Cyrax asked him as his eyes glowed a bit. Seeing this, Fluttershy began to worry and looked to Scorpion. "Scorpion, what's going on...?" she asked him. Knowing that Cyrax was on a warpath, he couldn't let his rage get unleashed on Fluttershy, or the other residents of Ponyville. He turned to her, knowing she mustn't get involved. "Fluttershy, I need for you to stay back..." he said to her as he looked to Cyrax. "This is a personal matter..." he marched to the street preparing for a fight. "I may have killed Bi Han... but we both know that he was reborn as Noob Saibot..." "Which you caused! I will not rest until I make you pay!" Cyrax charged at him and unleashed his fury against the ninja specter. Scorpion blocked his attacks and leaped back dodging an attack as Cyrax punched the ground. He looked to where Scorpion was, but detached his entire body and reformed behind him. He struck Scorpion down to the ground, and saw him slam into it. Fluttershy gasped seeing it and saw Sonya and the others running to her. "Sonya, what is going on here...?!" she demanded to know. "Fluttershy, believe me when I say, I had nothing to do with this..." Sonya said to her. "Its the truth... Cyrax acted of his own will and attacked Scorpion..." Smoke assured her and looked to the fight. Fluttershy looked to the battle seeing Cyrax attack Scorpion with a powerful punch. "But he was doing nothing wrong..." she said to them. "That isn't entirely true... its not something that he isn't doing, it's what he did..." Sonya said as she watched Scorpion block Cyrax's kick. But as he did, Cyrax leaped and swung his other leg and kicked him in the face causing him to stumble. Scorpion shook off how dazed he was and blocked another attack from Cyrax, he flipped backwards landing a hard kick against Cyrax's jaw. He grunted from the assault, but Cyrax didn't let it faze him as he saw Scorpion throw his chained kunai. He blocked the attack with his wings and charged at him activating his saw blade. He blocked Scorpion's next attack and struck him with his saw blade leaving a few scratches. Rainbow Dash winced from seeing it. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt..." she muttered. "This is insane..." Fluttershy whispered to herself watching the fight. Cyrax pulled out two bombs and threw them at Scorpion. The ninja specter saw it, and quickly teleported the explosives as they appeared behind Cyrax, blowing up behind him. He felt the force of the explosion hit him, forcing him to crash against the wall of Sugarcube Corner. Seeing it happen, Pinkie Pie poked her head out the door with a scowl. "Hey! What's the big idea?!!" she demanded an explanation. "Long story..." Sonya and Rainbow Dash said in unison as Cyrax pulled his head out of the wall and turned to Scorpion. He spread his metal wings and charged at him. Seeing him use his bladed wings, Scorpion dodged his attacks to avoid further injury. He eventually caught Cyrax's wing and smacked him across the face and kicked him in the stomach. But as it happened, Cyrax grabbed hold of Scorpion's leg and punched him in the face. Seeing he is dazed, Cyrax landed and uppercut, launching Scorpion into the air. He leaped up and grabbed hold of him, and slammed him on the ground. He backed away from the injured ninja, seeing he is defeated. "This is the end for you Scorpion..." he pulled out his saw blade, preparing to end his life. But before he could, Fluttershy got in his way, defending him. Cyrax was surprised by her action. "Move out of the way..." he said to her. "No, I won't let you hurt him any more...!" Fluttershy protested against him as she stood firm. "He wasn't harming anypony, yet you attacked him without warning! If you honor this Bi Han, then honor who he was in life..." she said to him. Cyrax was surprised of what she said, he looked to Scorpion seeing him stand up holding his injuries. He wanted to end his life, but something in him realized that this is what the old Cyber Lin Kuei would have done. He looked down knowing it was wrong, so he deactivated his saw blade putting it away. Seeing it happen, Scorpion walked to him. "I know you respected Bi Han... I myself did once before..." he said to him. Cyrax looked to him, and realized what he meant into his words. "You wanted me to attack you..." he said to him. Scorpion nodded his head and looked down. "It was to release your anger, to unleash your agression. Not a moment goes by that I wish I could undo what I did... if I had realized that Quan Chi was the true murderer of my family and clan, I could have spared Bi Han of his fate." he admitted to the cyber ninja. Hearing it come from him... Cyrax looked down understanding what he tried to do. "It made me feel worse..." he said to him. Fluttershy approached him placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Sometimes we all have to face our own mistakes. Even if we can't see them for what they are..." she said to him. He looked to her, even if he couldn't show any expression, Cyrax knew that her words were true despite what he tried to do. He nodded to her. "You speak wisely young one... I apologize for my aggression..." he apologized to her. Fluttershy nodded in reponse, suddenly Pinkie Pie showed up with a glare. "I'd forgive you myself... IF YOU HADN'T CRASH INTO THE WALL OF MY HOME!!!" she exclaimed as she directed everyones attention to the large hole in the wall. Even Mister and Misses Cake were examining it from the inside of Sugarcube Corner. Scorpion looked to it and chuckled a bit. "That would entirely be my fault, I will take full responsibility..." he said to them. Sonya walked up to them. "We're sorry for the damages, we will have the damages paid for. Meanwhile, we need to get Cyrax and Smoke to Twilight's castle..." she informed them. "Thank you dearie..." said Mrs. Cake. "We appreciate it..." said Mr. Cake as the Pound and Pumpkin Cake were causing a ruckus inside the shop. "No little ones! Don't do that!" he rushed to stop them. Chuckling at seeing it, Sonya turned to Scorpion remembering his injuries. "You best get those looked at, can't have you wandering through town looking like a bloody mess..." she said to him. "I'll make sure its taken care of..." Scorpion replied to her and walked with Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash turned to the two cybers and walked up to them. "So, you ready to head for the castle...?" she asked them. "We are... we need to meet with this Twilight Sparkle you spoke of, and hope she could help us in locating Sub-Zero..." Smoke said to her. They nodded to him and headed straight for the Castle of Friendship. Never knowing what awaited them, or to who was watching them in the shadows. Shao Kahn's Dungeon, Outworld Raiden, still chained to the wall, his wounds slowly healing given his weakened state. His thoughts meanwhile, returned to the days he spent with Celestia when he was still himself back then. Suddenly, the door to his cell opened, and he looked to who it was. It was Quan Chi who had his smug grin on his face. "Come to torment me some more sorcerer...?" asked the thunder god. "You assume much Raiden... and here you are, still despairing over silly little equines..." Quan Chi said to him. "The ponies of Equestria have nothing to do with this, leave them out of this...!" Raiden pleaded to him. Quan Chi only laughed at his plea, and kneeled to him. "So its true... not only do you care for the humans of Earthrealm... but for these creatures as well..." he said to him as he pulled out Celestia's Amulet. Raiden's eyes widened in horror from seeing it, and Quan Chi smirked seeing his expression. "More particularly... you care for one close to you..." Raiden lunged at him but his chains held him back, but it didn't stop him from glaring at the evil sorcerer. "If you so much as touch Celestia, I will make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!" he threatened him. A chuckle is heard from behind the cell door, he looked to see Shao Kahn standing in the doorway. He chuckled with his arms crossed. "How the mighty have fallen..." the dark emperor said to him as he approached him. "But since you have shown to have affections to this Celestia... we will see to it that she suffers the most..." he said to the thunder god causing him to fall further into despair. He turned to Quan Chi, with a smirk. "See to it that Noob Saibot accomplishes his mission in that realm..." "Yes emperor..." Quan Chi bowed to him and walked out of the room. Meanwhile, Shao Kahn turned to Raiden seeing how broken he had become. "Don't worry Raiden..." he grabbed the thunder gods head and held him up. "You will live knowing... that everything you sought to protect will be destroyed because of your arrogance..." he let out a dark chuckle and walked out of the room. Raiden lowered his head knowing that Shao Kahn was right, he raised his head looking to the sealing of his cell. Knowing that he is alone, he knew there was nothing left to do... but pray. (This song is Parody of God Help the Outcasts, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.) Raiden; I don't know if You can hear me Elder Gods Or if You're even there I don't know if You would listen To a my prayers He looked down thinking back to the times he spent with Celestia before he became an Elder God himself. He shut his eyes regretting ever leaving, and becoming who he is now. Yes, I know I'm just a fallen god I shouldn't speak to You Still, I remember you faces and wonder Were You all once outcasts, too? Tears formed in his eyes as he clenched his fists and looked up to the sealing. Gods help the Equestrians Innocent since birth Show them the mercy They don't find on earth Gods help her people Who look to You, still Gods help the Equestrians Or nobody will His thoughts returned to the ponies of Equestria, he remembered their smiles, their hopes and dreams, and even the love that they shared. Some ask for wealth Some ask for fame They even ask for glory to shine on their name Some ask for love they can possess They ask for the Gods to protect and guide them He soon lowered his gaze knowing that his prayers may not be answered. For the Elder Gods may have forsaken him the day he sacrificed himself. But I asked for nothing I can get by But I know so many Who aren't as lucky as I But please help her people The peaceful and just Show them the light The hope of Peace Gods help the Equestrians People of the light. He lowered his head feeling despair take hold, but he refused to give in. He rose his head showing a glare on his face, not only will he give up... he needed a plan to escape from the dungeon. But in order to do that, he needed to regain his strength. Castle of Friendship, Equestria Sonya and Rainbow Dash had arrived with Cyrax and Smoke to meet up with Twilight in the library. "Remember you two, Twilight and the others will still be new to technology, so it is best to make sure you don't say anything about it. she advised them of it. "We will keep that in mind..." Cyrax replied to her as they walked into the library, but when they entered the room... there was no one around. "Odd... you said she would be here..." "She was..." Rainbow responded as she looked around, but soon found a note on one of her books. She walked over to it to read it. "Dear Rainbow Dash, if you're reading this, I am currently training with Princess Kitana in the meadow. I estimate this might last a couple of hours, or all day. But I will be sure to check in with you as soon as I get back. Your friend, Twilght Sparkle..." she groaned knowing this was no how she planned it. "Kitana had to pick today of all days to train her...?!" "Relax Rainbow, I'm sure that it won't take that long..." Sonya said to her. All of a sudden her ears twitched from hearing a sharp sound. Her eyes widened and she looked to Rainbow Dash. "Get down!" she tackled the rainbow haired Pegasus down as dark shuriken's flew by piercing a few books on the library shelves. She turned to the source of the throw, and found that it was Noob Saibot. "Hello Sonya Blade... miss me...?" he asked her with a smug grin behind his mask. Sonya only glared at the phantom and stood up from the ground. "Noob...!" she was about to charge but she felt a sharp pain in her right hind leg, and saw that one of the shuriken's managed to hit her. "Awww... such a shame, I was hoping to torment you some more, but I'd rather hurt a target that is more active..." Noob turned his attention to Cyrax and Smoke. "You two I have more interest in..." he said to them. "Bi Han... what you are doing is wrong..." Cyrax said to him. "What I do is to ensure that Quan Chi and the Netherrealm is victorious... Smoke, Cyrax... you should join me in this conquest, and together we can destroy our enemies." Noob said to them, offering them a chance to do something they would never agree to. "Why protect these creatures, when they are so inferior to the likes of us... they will only revile you both as monsters." Listening to his words, Cyrax and Smoke looked to each other and nodded to one another. They looked to Noob and glared at him for everything he said. "The only one inferior here, is you... you joined Quan Chi and became this phantom... you tried to kill your own brother, you corrupted Smoke's mind..." Cyrax listed all the horrible things that he did in life. "You are not Bi Han... you're just a revenant dog!" Glaring at the last insult, Noob used his magic to form a crescent blade and stances. "If I'm a dog... then you're dog food...!" he charged at Cyrax going for a killing blow, but Smoke get in the way and blocked his attack as Cyrax leaped over and kicked him in the face. Stumbling from the blow, Noob threw a shuriken at him only to see him dodge the attack as Smoke threw a ball of smoke at Cyrax's hooves seeing him disappear. Rainbow Dash saw it surprised. "Whoa, where did he go?!" she asked as she looked around. She eventually saw a cloud of smoke appear above, and Cyrax dove down and kicked Noob in the chest knocking him down. Rainbow Dash's eyes were wide as saucers from what she saw, never before had she seen such team work, or skill be shown in her entire life. "Wow... their power is just intense..." Sonya smiled as she watched the battle. "That's the power of the Lin Kuei for you... trained to be assassins, but when Sub-Zero took over, that all changed..." she said to her. Smoke went for a strike towards Noob, but he blocked the cyber ninja's attack and kicked him away. But Cyrax managed to land a few punches against him, and landed a strong uppercut against the phantom, sending him into the air. He hit the ground and spat out black blood onto the ground and noticed he lost a tooth. Noob glared at seeing it and turned to them, forming his crescent blades to kill them. But Cyrax blocked his attacks, as Smoke disappeared and reappeared behind him grabbing his hoof stopping him from going for another strike. "You're finished...!" he said to him and landed a kick to his abdomen. Cyrax charged and swung a hard right hook, dazing the phantom as Smoke landed a left hook against the dazed phantom. Cyrax pulled a back spin kick landing it against Noob's face, as Smoke did a backflip kicking him in the jaw. Then the two cyber rose their back legs and kicked Noob in both the head, and his waist. Sonya and Rainbow Dash winced from seeing it, knowing that would be enough to cripple the dark assassin. But he still stood on his own hooves. "You... cannot defeat me...!" he said to them as he held his injuries. "You are nothing... but a bunch of cybernetic frea-" before he could finish his sentence, his whole entire body was frozen solid. "WHOA!!!" Rainbow Dash cried out seeing it. "How in the wide world of Equestria did that happen?!" she asked and looked to the cause of it. It was a greyish blue unicorn, with a blue assassin outfit, with dark grey fabric, and white patches to it. It was none other than the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, Sub-Zero. He looked to his former brother and approached him. "You're an even bigger disappointment brother..." he said to him. "Sub-Zero!" Smoke rushed to him with Cyrax. "Its good to see that you're alive..." he said to him. "You too Smoke..." Sub-Zero replied and looked to Cyrax. "You as well Cyrax..." Cyrax bowed to him as a sign of respect. "It is good to know you're alright..." he said to him and stood up. "But how did you get here...?" he asked the grandmaster. "When I woke up, I was alone and in this form... I eventually saw the fight between you and Sektor. So I kept to the shadows, not realizing that Bi Han was following you as well. So I rushed into this castle as fast as I could, and I arrived just in time." Sub-Zero explained to them and looked noticing Sonya Blade and Rainbow Dash. "Sonya Blade... I'm surprised you're here as well..." "Hello to you too Sub-Zero... nice to know you still care very little." Sonya said to him sarcastically. But Sub-Zero ignored the sarcasm and noticed Rainbow Dash starring at him. "You realize that its rude to stare...?" he asked her, snapping her out of her moment of awestruck. She shook her head and smiled a bit. "Sorry... but, I heard so much about you, and never would have thought I would meet you..." she responded to him. "But may I say what a great honor it is to finally meet you sir..." she said to him and bowed. "The honor is mine..." Sub-Zero responded to her. Sonya approached Noob looking at him. "So what are we gonna do about tall, dark and gruesome...?" she asked the grandmaster of what to do with his frozen brother. Sub-Zero looked to his former brother, and turned to her. "He will need to be relocated, we can't allow him to unleash his rage here..." he said to them. "And how are we supposed to haul a big ice cube out of here...?" Rainbow Dash asked him. "I may be able to help with that..." a voice called out, everyone turned and saw that it was Twilight who was standing beside Kitana. "I can teleport him someplace he won't be able to return from, once there, he'd have to travel long ways trying to figure out where to go." she explained to them. "That would be best... my brother will be around other equines..." Sub-Zero agreed to the idea. Nodding to the grandmaster, Twilight focused her magic to teleport Noob someplace far away. Choosing the location, she blasted Noob with her magic, and transported him away to that location. "That takes care of him..." she said as her legs began to shake. She started to collapse, but Rainbow managed to catch her. "Thanks Rainbow Dash..." "Looks like Kitana has been working you to the bone there Twi..." Rainbow said to her noticing slight bruises on her hooves. "When it comes to training with an Edenian, you need to treat it as if it were actual combat." Kitana said to her. "The same goes for the Lin Kuei... and it should have remained that way before the original grandmaster chose to cyberize all our comrades." Sub-Zero gestured to Cyrax and Smoke. "That is insane... and SWEET CELESTIA!!!" Twilight cried out seeing Cryax and Smoke, and observed their cybernetic bodies. "I never thought I'd see such advanced cybernetic bodies, true technology is still new to Equestria, but this is far more advanced from anything I've ever seen!" Surprised of how she's acting, Cyrax looked to Rainbow Dash as Twilight continued to observe him. "Is she always like this...?" he asked her. "That's Twilight for ya..." Rainbow responded as she shrugged her shoulders. She soon turned her attention to Sub-Zero, and grew a bit curious. "Um... excuse me, grandmaster...?" she earned his attention and she inhaled letting out an exhale. "There is something I would like to ask..." "You wish to know how to become a Lin Kuei, don't you...?" Sub-Zero asked her. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, never before had Rainbow Dash's questions been guessed by someone else. "H-How did you know...?!" she asked him how he knew. Chuckling at how surprised she was, Sub-Zero turned facing her directly. "During the travels here, I overheard how much you began to admire the Lin Kuei, despite its dark past. Also... I sense in you a deep devotion, to fight along side your friends against the forces of evil... it is an admirable quality." he said to her. Rainbow Dash was surprised from everything he said to her, never before had anyone... especially an assassin see so much potential within her. She shook her head, and looked to him. "So... is it possible for me, even though I'm a Pegasus... to become a member of the Lin Kuei...?" he asked him if she could join his clan. Sub-Zero looked at her, seeing how determined she was to become one. True, he knew very little about the realm he now resides in. But he knew potential when he looked at it. "Even though you show much promise Rainbow Dash... you have much to learn if you plan to become a member of the Lin Kuei." he said to her as he noticed she was about to cheer. "But..." he stopped her from doing so. "Until you learn to have more discipline... you will fall short..." Rainbow looked into his eyes seeing how serious he was, she knew that she mustn't disappoint him. Otherwise her chances of helping her friends in the fight against he forces of Outworld will be slim to none. She shut her eyes and bowed to him. "I promise, I won't let you down..." she said to him. Sub-Zero looked at her and shut his eyes, nodding in response. "Then starting tomorrow, you will address me as Grandmaster.... he said to her. "Yes Grandmaster..." Rainbow Dash replied to him. Twilight and Kitana smiled for them, knowing that Rainbow Dash will have a lot to learn from Sub-Zero. But it would be wise for her to not get her hopes up, because Lin Kuei training will not be easy... and Sub-Zero will make sure of that. Sonya of course, was also proud of the fact she has a master of her own. Cyrax glanced to her noticing that she had tears in her eyes. "Sonya, are you crying...?" he asked her. Panicking from his question, Sonya quickly wiped her tears a way. "No, its just... I got something in my eye, I never cry..." she fibbed trying to hide it. But Cyrax, even though he can't show it... was smirking under his face plate, knowing that she was lying about it. But he chose to let it slide as he looked to Sub-Zero and Rainbow Dash, who was cheering at the fact she now has a master of her own. She will need all the lessons she needs to face against Shao Kahn and his forces, because if he invades Equestria... they will be unprepared for what may happen.