"All right, everypony," Twilight declared. "All we all here?"
"I'd tell ya...if I could see any of y'all," Applejack replied.
"Seriously!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "Turn a light on in here, would you?"
"Oh...right," Twilight agreed. After a bit of searching, a candle was found and lit, casting faint rays of light across the hut. "Now we're ready," Twilight proclaimed, as her friends - save for a certain yellow pegasus - gathered around her. "This meeting of the 'Save Our Fluttershy Association' is officially called to order."
"Darling, is such formalism really necessary?" Rarity questioned. "We all know why we're here."
"It's meant to convey the seriousness of the matter at hoof," Twilight explained. "Fluttershy is scheduled to fight exactly three hours from now, and we need to figure out a battle strategy that will keep her in this tournament."
"Good grief," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Are we gonna have to do this every time she fights?"
"If necessary, yes," Twilight responded, drawing a facehoof from Rainbow Dash. "Now then, let's start with Fluttershy's opponent. Do we know who she's fighting?"
"Yes!" Spike answered affirmatively. "According to the official tournament tree, she'll be fighting someone - or something - named Reptile."
"Interesting..." Twilight mused. "Applejack's fight proved that not every one of our opponents will be human, so if this Reptile character turns out to be an actual reptile, it could play to our advantage."
"You betcha it would!" Pinkie Pie confirmed. "No animal can resist Fluttershy's charm!"
"Or her stare," Rarity added.
"Do we know anything else about Reptile?" Twilight asked Spike.
"Er...not really, no," Spike admitted.
"Then we can't assume anything at this point," Twilight decided. "Let's move on to Fluttershy - what can we do to improve her chances in battle?"
"We know she can take care of herself," Applejack pointed out. "You saw how she handled that dragon."
"And that cockatrice," Rarity added.
"And that bluebird that messed on her head last week," Rainbow Dash mentioned.
"Fluttershy's problem is attitude, not ability," Twilight declared. "If she's going to fight and win, she's got to be in the right frame of mind."
"Yeah...like that's gonna happen," Rainbow Dash remarked, gesturing over to where Fluttershy had assumed the fetal position in the corner of the room, shivering as if it were twenty below outside.
"Well...at least she's not doing that fainting thing anymore," Twilight countered, trying to look on the bright side.
"So what do we do now?" Applejack inquired.
Twilight closed her eyes and let her thoughts coalesce for a moment. "Okay, here's the plan," she finally announced. "Spike, Rainbow, you two are on intel duty - find out everything you can about this Reptile character. I want to know his strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, everything."
"We're on it!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
"Rarity, Pinkie Pie, you're on attitude adjustment duty," Twilight continued. "Find a way to get Fluttershy's head where it needs to be for the battle, got it?"
"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie Pie answered in the affirmative, while Rarity simply nodded.
"Applejack, you and I will go talk to that Liu Kang character we met earlier," Twilight concluded. "If he's been through as many of these tournaments as it sounded like, he must know something that can help us."
"Sounds like a plan," Applejack agreed.
"All right then, gang," Twilight declared, "you've all got your assignments. Let's meet back here in about two hours to finalize our plan. Move out!"
"Got it!" "Let's fly!" "We can do this!" With that, the ponies separated and set out to do their tasks.
Applejack gave Twilight a confused look. "Are you sure this is where that Liu Kang feller was staying, sugarcube?"
Twilight simply stared at the bare patch of dirt outlining where a hut used to be. "Well...it was," she finally offered.
The sounds of several people groaning and cursing nearby caught the fillies' attention. Wondering what was going on, Applejack and Twilight raced over in the direction of the noise, coming to a quick stop when they saw Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya slowly hauling their overturned hut back up from the base of the waterfall. "Uh oh..." the two ponies uttered in unison.
"It's not too much farther," Liu Kang tried to reassure his companions. "Just a little more..."
"Grrr..." Johnny Cage growled. "If I ever find out who did this, I'll...I'll...I'll use their intestines for dental floss!"
"Oh, just shut up already!" Sonya snapped. "At least you weren't in the hut taking a shower when this happened."
"Gee, that makes me feel so much better," Johnny shot back. "Explain to me this: How could you be inside a ten-ton hut, and not actually see the person stealing it?"
"For the tenth time, I was washing my freaking hair!" Sonya shouted. "I had shampoo in my eyes!"
Wincing at the disharmony before them, Applejack looked back at Twilight. "Shouldn't we go help them? It'd be the neighborly thing to do, after all."
"My thoughts exactly," Twilight concurred, summoning her magic and using it to levitate the stone hut. "Let me give you a hoof with that," she offered.
"You!" Freed from the burden of dragging the hut, Johnny turned his rage on the ponies. "You dumb horses had something to do with this, didn't you? You've been messing with us ever since we got here!"
"Johnny!" Liu Kang admonished his comrade. "This is no way to talk to someone who is trying to help us!"
"Helping us?" Johnny shouted, as Twilight flipped the hut over in mid-air and placed it back in its proper place. "That's just what they want you to think!" He glared at Twilight and Applejack, who were more confused about the outburst than anything else.
"They're probably secret agents from Outworld, planted here by Shao Kahn to screw with our minds," Sonya muttered. "That's why Raiden wanted us to watch out for them!"
Liu Kang rolled his eyes. "Sure, Sonya," he stated sarcastically. "The ponies are working for the man who ordered the removal of their sisters' souls. Yes, that must be it."
"Just you wait," Johnny proclaimed, as he and Sonya stormed off. "These ponies are going to be the death of us all."
Applejack scratched her head as the two warriors walked away. "What's got a bee in their bonnets?" she wondered.
"Ignore them," Liu Kang suggested. "They've had a rough day."
"We're sorry if we've caused you any trouble," Twilight offered. "We were wondering if you knew anything about a fighter named Reptile."
"That I do," Liu Kang confirmed. "Reptile has been a loyal servant of Shao Kahn for many years, and is one of his most trusted warriors."
Twilight gulped. "That's what I was afraid of," she admitted. "What's the best strategy to beat him? Does he have any weaknesses? Phobias? Allergies?"
"Heck," Applejack chimed in, "I'd settle for knowin' if this guy's a critter or not."
"To be honest, I'm never sure of that myself," Liu Kang revealed. "Reptile is a skilled ninja who relies on speed and stealth to defeat his opponents. He can even make himself invisible at will."
"Actually, that's really not that hard of a spell," Twilight commented. "I learned how to do that back in..."
"That ain't really the point," Applejack reminded her friend. "So how do we beat this varmint, anyhow?"
Liu Kang thought for a moment. "The best advice I can give you is to beat him at his own game," he finally decided. "Be ruthless in your approach - attack from the shadows, strike fast, and show no mercy."
Twilight sighed. "In other words, be somepony other than Fluttershy," she translated.
"Wait...is Fluttershy the one who was hiding behind the other ponies during your battle with Goro?" Liu Kang inquired.
"That's her," Twilight replied.
"Yeah..." Liu Kang shook his head. "She's toast."
Reptile, for his part, was killing time in the castle cafeteria, enjoying a light refreshment while talking to a robotic ninja wearing red-colored armor. "I'm sssorry to hear about Cyrax'sss defeat this morning, Sssektor," Reptile offered. "It mussst be difficult for you to imagine."
"ARE YOU KIDDING?" Sektor leaned back and laughed in a robotic voice. "THIS DEVELOPMENT IS VERY FORTUITOUS."
"What do you mean?" Reptile probed, a bit thrown by Sektor's reaction.
"WITH CYRAX DEFEATED, I AM NO LONGER REQUIRED TO LISTEN TO HIS INCESSANT GRIPING," Sektor explained. "I CAN NOW CONSUME ICE CREAM IN MY SLEEPING QUARTERS, AND LISTEN TO MY MC HAMMER RECORDINGS AT WHATEVER VOLUME I PLEASE, AND ENGAGE IN MARATHON HALO MATCHES WITHOUT HIM OBJECTING OVER THE DISTURBANCE OF HIS BEAUTY SLEEP."
"You do realize that your room isss right next to Sssub Zero'sss, right?" Reptile pointed out. "You know how he feelsss about MC Hammer."
"A VALID POINT," Sektor conceded. "I SHALL HAVE TO MIX IN SOME MADONNA TO APPEASE HIM."
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Spike sat at a corner table, sipping apple cider and scanning the room for any sign of reptilian behavior. "So...which one of these guys do you think is Reptile?" Spike asked.
"Hmm...I dunno..." Rainbow Dash muttered. "They all look pretty slimy and scaly to me."
Spike glanced around nervously at the seedy-looking brawlers around them. "Maybe coming in here wasn't such a good idea after all," he suggested. "Maybe we should wait outside...you know, where there's more light?"
"No way," Rainbow Dash declared, taking another swig of her cider. "If we're gonna find this Reptile guy, we've got to be here to catch him in the act."
"In the act of what?" Spike pressed. "We don't even know this guy look like!"
"No, but I'll bet my right hoof that somepony in here does," Rainbow Dash explained. "Lizard or not, he's gotta eat at some point, and this is the only greasy spoon on this island."
"Greasy is right," Spike agreed, rubbing his finger on the table and frowning at what rubbed off. "Would it kill them to wipe these tables once in a while?"
"When Reptile comes in," Rainbow Dash continued, "somepony will know him, and that somepony will greet him by name...and we'll have our target."
"I guess that makes sense," Spike said with a shrug.
Suddenly, a grotesque, oversized fighter burst through the saloon-style swinging doors into the cafeteria. "Hold it right there!" he bellowed, walking up to the lunch counter. "What're you trying to pull here?" he demanded of one of the food servers.
"Hey, no cutting in line, pal!" one fighter objected.
"This ain't none of your business, shrimp!" the large fighter snapped back. "And you!" he screamed at the line server, holding up a large paper cup. "Exactly what is this supposed to be, anyway?"
"Er...that's the latte you ordered a few minutes ago," the line server answered.
"Wrong!" the large fighter proclaimed. "I ordered an extra-large mocha-flavored soy latte! This awful concoction is not soy! This is milk product!"
From the corner of the room, Rainbow Dash and Spike watched the large fighter's meltdown with interest. "I'll bet that's Reptile," Rainbow Dash predicted. "He just looks cold-blooded."
"I dunno, Rainbow," Spike offered. "I don't think lattes are part of a reptile's diet."
Back at the serving line, a pair of large men dressed in dark suits and wearing sunglasses approached the enraged latte purchaser. "That's enough, pal," one of the men announced. "We don't need any trouble in here."
"Well, it's a little late for that!" the large fighter countered. "Who do you think you jerks are, anyway? You think you can get away with terrible customer service like this, and just shut me up and sweep me under the rug? Well, you're gonna find out that I'm not just some...some wimpy little lizard you can crush under your boot heel!"
Rainbow Dash's ears perked up at the word 'lizard.' "Aha!" she declared. "I knew that was the guy we were looking for!"
"Great," Spike whimpered, ducking his head below the table. "Can we go now?"
"Not before we squeeze the info we want out of him!" Rainbow Dash decided, bouncing up from her seat and flying over to the scene of the commotion. "Hey, you! Lizard boy!" she shouted, whacking the large fighter in the back to get his attention.
"WHAT?!?" the large fighter screamed, wheeling on the rainbow-maned pony. Unfortunately, in executing his quick turn, the fighter accidentally flung the contents of his coffee cup into the air, where it splash landed on an unpleasant-looking fellow in a Philadelphia Flyers jersey.
The jersey-wearer's face flushed with anger. "That's it!" he shouted, grabbing the latte-drinking fighter. "I'm gonna tear you apart!"
Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself in a middle of a brawl, as fighters all over the room dropped their trays and tossed aside their tables to get in on the action. "Hey! Watch it! Yikes! Whoa! Careful!" she shouted, dodging stray punches, kicks, and the occasional spoon, as she tried to find a path to the exit.
Reptile and Sektor watched the chaos unfold from their comfort of their table. "IT APPEARS AN UNSCHEDULED BROUHAHA HAS BEGUN," Sektor observed, standing up from his seat. "I BELIEVE I SHALL PARTAKE IN IT AS WELL. WHAT ABOUT YOU, REPTILE?"
"I really ssshouldn't," Reptile replied. "I have a match againssst one of the poniesss thisss afternoon."
From his vantage point underneath his table, Spike watched as the green ninja rose from his seat and made his way to the exit. "Well...at least we know what he looks like now," he said with a sigh.
"Good grief, Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed upon seeing her pegasus friend. "What happened to you?"
Rainbow Dash scowled as she tried to keep the ice pack balanced on her head. "I don't want to talk about it," she muttered.
"We, uh...ran into a few problems in the cafeteria," Spike explained. "But, we found out who Reptile is!"
"Great!" Twilight declared. "What's he like? Does he have any weaknesses we can exploit?"
"Um...well...we don't know," Spike admitted. "He kinda left once the brawl started."
"What?" Twilight looked at Spike incredulously. "You mean you didn't learn anything about him?"
"Well...we did learn that he ordered a Caesar salad for lunch," Spike suggested. "Maybe it'll give him a stomachache for the fight?"
"Argh..." Twilight shook her head. "Now what do we do?"
"We ain't beaten yet," Applejack reminded Twilight. "Maybe Pinkie and Rarity came up with somethin'."
"I hope you're right," Twilight remarked, as the foursome arrived back at their hut. "Rarity? Pinkie Pie? Are you there?" Twilight called.
"Why, yes!" Rarity answered, popping out from the doorway. "I'm glad you're back - we have something to show you!"
"Really?" Twilight's spirits lifted. "You mean you've gotten Fluttershy prepped and ready for battle?"
"Yessirreebob!" Pinkie Pie confirmed, bouncing out of the hut. "There's no way Fluttershy will lose now!"
"That's good to hear," Applejack offered. "So how'd y'all do it?"
"Like this!" Rarity gestured to the hut entrance. "Fluttershy, dear, come out and show everypony your new look!"
"New...look...?" Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged confused glances.
"I...I don't know about this, Rarity..." Fluttershy's voice drifted out from the hut.
"Oh, nonsense, darling, you look fabulous!" Rarity insisted.
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie concurred. "Come on out and strut your stuff!"
"Oh...okay...if you really think so..." Fluttershy stepped out of the hut, meekly modeling her new battle fatigues: a green cardigan sweater, with matching socks.
Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Spike stared dumbfounded at Fluttershy's appearance, causing her to feel self-conscious and stare at the ground. "See?" Pinkie Pie whispered to Rarity. "I told you we'd leave them speechless!"
"I still think we should have put her hair in pigtails," Rarity commented.
Finally, Twilight managed to shake herself from her stupor. "...What?" she asked.
"Isn't she adorable?" Rarity gushed. "Why, no living creature on Earth would even dream of hurting Fluttershy now!"
"Reptile's not from Earth!" Twilight pointed out. "He's from Outworld, remember?"
"Oh, you know what I mean, darling," Rarity corrected herself.
"Ooh! Ooh! And you haven't seen our super-secret weapon yet!" Pinkie Pie added. "Go for it, Fluttershy!"
"I...I don't think this is such a good idea, Pinkie," Fluttershy objected.
"Aw, but you Pinkie promised you would do it!" Pinkie Pie reminded her friend.
Fluttershy gulped, then reached around and pulled a juice box from the pocket of her sweater. Unwrapping the straw and poking it into the box, she sat down and began sipping quietly.
"And boom goes the dynamite!" Pinkie Pie declared. "Massive cuteness-induced heart attacks all around! They'll never beat her now! In fact, we may want to warn the crowd about this ahead of time..."
Twilight shot a bemused look at Rarity. "Really?" she inquired. "Really?"
"Well...we had to do something!" Rarity offered. "We tried to get her in the right frame of mind, but..."
"This is...is...this is just freaking perfect!" Twilight screamed. "The fight starts in thirty minutes, and all we've got for a battle strategy is to wear sweaters and drink juice!" She put her hooves on her head in frustration. "What're we gonna do?" she moaned. "If we can't think of something fast, Fluttershy will be killed in there!"
"It's...it's okay, Twilight," Fluttershy declared, setting the juice box down. "Deep down, I...I knew it would end this way." Fluttershy removed her sweater and gave it back to Rarity, then turned to leave. "Maybe...it would be best if...if you didn't come to the match," she advised. "That way...you won't have to see it happen...and you won't be sad..."
With a final sigh, Fluttershy trudged off to meet her doom on the field of battle, leaving her terrified friends standing silently at the hut entrance for several minutes after she disappeared from view. "...No!" Rarity finally broke the silence. "It can't end this way, it just can't!"
"I don't know about you ponies," Rainbow Dash declared, tossing away her icepack, "but I'm not gonna stand around and let this happen! I'm going after her!"
"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight called out in vain, as Rainbow Dash leaped into the sky and flew off in the direction of the battle.
"I agree with Rainbow," Applejack proclaimed. "Even if we can't do anything...we need to be there for her just the same. We can't let her die alone."
Twilight nodded in agreement, then grabbed Spike by the tail and flipped him onto her back. "Let's ride!" she shouted, taking off for the battle site with her friends in tow.
A crowd had already assembled by the time Fluttershy approached the battle arena. "I guess it's time to face the music," she sniffled, taking a deep breath and walking towards the ring with her head hung low.
From his position along the edge of the ring, Johnny Cage gave the pegasus a disapproving look. "Look at her body language," he commented. "The way she's moping, she's already lost. It's about time, too - I've been waiting a long time for one of those ponies to get squashed."
"Reptile will actually do something useful for a change," Sonya agreed.
Liu Kang shot his companions an angry glare. "You two disgust me," he spat, turning and walking away to find another spot in the crowd where he wouldn't have to listen to his companions gloat.
Reptile waited at one end of the circle, folding his arms as the crowd parted to let Fluttershy into the ring. What isss her game? he wondered to himself. Ssshe ssseemsss ssso sssad...perhapsss ssshe isss trying to fool me into being complacent...
The referee checked his watch. "The fight isn't supposed to start for another ten minutes," he observed, "but we can start whenever you're both ready."
"It's okay...I'm...I'm ready now," Fluttershy confirmed, a single tear streaking down her cheek.
"Asss am I," Reptile added. "Let usss begin."
"As you wish," the referee replied, clearing his throat. "Your attention please!" he called to the crowd. "This match is about to begin! In this corner, the proprietor of the largest animal shelter in all of Equestria...Fluttershy! And in this corner, the only combatant for which the term 'cold-blooded assassin' can be taken literally...Reptile!" He glanced first at Reptile, then at Fluttershy. "Combatants ready?" he asked.
"Yesss," Reptile responded.
Fluttershy opened her mouth, but couldn't get any audible sound to come out. After several fruitless seconds, she gave up and just nodded.
"Very well," the referee declared. "FIGHT!"
Reptile assumed a defensive posture. "Let usss get thisss over quickly," he dictated.
Fluttershy simply laid down on the ground, hid her face and waited for the end.
"WAIT!" A rainbow-colored streak flashed through the crowd, and within moments Rainbow Dash appeared between Reptile and Fluttershy. "I can't let you do this!" she announced. "I'm not gonna let you kill her!"
"What are you doing?" the ref objected. "You're not allowed to..."
"...to interfere with your stupid battle, yada yada yada," Rainbow Dash finished the referee's sentence. "Well, here's what I think of your dumb rule!" she proclaimed, blowing a raspberry at the referee.
"It isss quite all right," Reptile remarked with a smile. "After all, the pony cannot ssstop what ssshe cannot sssee." Muttering a strange incantation, the green ninja suddenly disappeared into thin air.
"Yeah...like we didn't see that one coming," Johnny Cage grumbled sarcastically.
Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, had no idea what had just occurred. "What happened? Where'd he go?" she shouted.
"He's cast an invisibility spell!" Twilight called out, as she and the rest of her friends pushed their way to the edge of the ring. "He's preparing a surprise attack!"
"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash began shadowboxing her way around the ring. "What's the matter, salad breath - too chicken to face me?" she taunted. "Show yourself and fight like a mare!"
"I am not here to fight you," Reptile hissed from behind Rainbow Dash. "My busssinesss is with sssomeone elssse..." In short order, Rainbow Dash found herself lifted into the air by her tail, swung around in a circle like a sling, and flung over the crowd, where she crash-landed against the base of a palm tree.
"Oh...oh dear!" Fluttershy stood up with a start. "Rainbow! No!"
POW! Reptile connected with a huge uppercut to Fluttershy's jaw, sending her somersaulting through the air. "My busssinesss isss with you," Reptile clarified, as Fluttershy landed with a faceplant in front of her friends.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight screamed. "Get up! Hurry!"
"Uhhhhh..." Fluttershy lifted her head off of the ground and managed to stand back up, as her eyes did cartwheels in their sockets.
Reptile reappeared in the center of the ring. "It is time for my brethren and I to take our rightful place at the top of the food chain," he announced, peeling off his mask to reveal a hideous reptilian face underneath it.
"Wait...so he really is a reptile?" Twilight muttered, as the wheels began turning in her mind.
Reptile reared back and spewed a disgustingly-green spray of acid at his opponent. "LOOK OUT!" Twilight shouted, as she (and everyone else in the crowd behind Fluttershy) dived for cover.
As she tried to determine which one of the Reptiles she saw was the real one, Fluttershy squealed in fright at the acid spray coming at her in triplicate, and promptly hit the dirt and covered her head with her hooves. The acid passed harmlessly over her head, landing behind her on the ground where the crowd used to be.
From her new spot on the ground, Twilight did a quick diagnostic check to make sure all of her pieces were still there and in working order. "Why don't you look where you're aiming next time, jerk!" she shouted in Reptile's direction.
"Oh my!" Fluttershy quickly jumped back to her feet and scurried over to the edge of the ring. "Are you okay, Twilight?"
In an instant, the metaphorical clouds lifted and the sun shined through, and Twilight knew exactly what she had to do. "AAAIIIEEE!" she screamed, doing her best Rarity impression as she covered her face with her hooves. "My face! It's...it's melting!"
A gasp went up from the crowd, as Twilight continued screaming and thrashing around on the ground. "The pain! The pain!" she moaned. "My eyes are burning! They're...oh no...I...I can't see! Sweet Celestia, I'm blind!"
"Land sakes! Somepony get a doctor over here!" Applejack ordered, stepping forward as the rest of the crowd gave Twilight some space. "Now take it easy, Twilight, you're gonna be okay...now, just let me see..." Applejack managed to force Twilight's hooves away from her face, freezing in shock at the realization that Twilight wasn't hurt at all. "Now, wait just a minute..." she began to say.
Twilight gave Applejack her best 'work with me here, okay?' glare.
"...Oh," Applejack realized. "I mean, uh...my stars! She's been horribly disfigured!"
Another gasp went up, followed by the sound of Rarity fainting. Giving Twilight a wink, Applejack took her hat off and placed it over Twilight's face just as a pair of medical staffers arrived on the scene with a stretcher. "I'll go with her," Applejack told Pinkie Pie and Spike. "You three and Dash stay with Fluttershy, y'hear?"
For her part, Fluttershy watched in shock as Twilight was carted away, a horrified look frozen on her face. "Tw...Twilight...oh...oh no..." she sputtered.
Ironically, the whole scene appeared to catch Reptile off guard as well. "I do not underssstand," he offered. "Thisss hasss never happened before..."
As Twilight disappeared from view, Fluttershy's mood slowly began to change: Starting from shock, it morphed into guilt, then regret, then sorrow...and then suddenly to anger. "You..." she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she turned to face Reptile. "How dare you..." she declared, her voice rising in strength and volume. "How DARE YOU!!!"
Taken aback by the abrupt mood shift, Reptile found himself unable to move as Fluttershy flew over to him. "What's the big idea?" she demanded, getting up in Reptile's grill. "You're not man enough to take me on, so you have to go after my friends, huh? Is that it?
"Pleassse let me explain," Reptile offered, beginning to wilt under Fluttershy's withering stare.
"If you wanna come after somepony, COME AFTER ME!" Fluttershy dictated. "I'm your stupid opponent! Not Twilight, not Rainbow Dash - me!
"Mussst...counter...attack..." Reptile moaned. Willing himself with all his might, he managed to raise a fist to strike, but could not find the strength to follow through.
"How would you like it if I threw you against a tree, or spit acid on you?" Fluttershy went on. "Going after innocent ponies just to make yourself look tough...scum like you just makes me sick, you know that?"
"But...but..." Reptile tried to explain.
As Fluttershy continued lining out Reptile, Twilight and Applejack sneaked back over to where the rest of their friends were standing, with Twilight wearing a paper bag over her head to keep her ruse going. "Oh no..." Spike groaned. "Are you going to be okay, Twilight?"
Twilight raised the bag a little and gave her friends a knowing wink. "I'm fine," she announced quietly, "and so is Fluttershy."
Noticing that Twilight had returned to the crowd, Fluttershy grabbed Reptile by the hood of his cloak and dragged him over to her friends. "Now I want you to apologize to Twilight, and say you're sorry for hurting her like that!" she commanded.
"Of...of courssse," Reptile agreed, sweating bullets as he leaned over to Twilight. "I am sssincerely sssorry for..." The ninja stopped short as Twilight pulled her bag up for a split-second and stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, wait!" Reptile objected. "Ssshe'sss not hurt! Ssshe'sss..."
Fluttershy, having yet to notice Twilight's true condition, grabbed Reptile by the hood and slammed his face into the dirt. "Say it!" she ordered.
"Okay, okay!" Reptile conceded. "I'm...I'm sssorry!"
"Meh...not good enough," Twilight declared. "I think his soul should sit in timeout for a while, don't you think?"
"That sounds more than fair!" Fluttershy agreed, grabbing Reptile by the leg and dragging him over to where a slightly-nervous Shing Tsung stood in the crowd. "Now then," Fluttershy instructed, grabbing Reptile by the collar and staring into the depths of his soul, "I want to you ask - nicely - for this person to remove your soul, and when you get to...um...wherever your soul goes when they take it, I want you to sit in the corner and think about what you've done! Capisce?"
"Yesss, yesss, yesss!" Reptile insisted, pulling free from Fluttershy and falling on his knees in front of Shing Tsung. "For goodnesss sssakesss, Ssshing, just take my sssoul already, pleassse!" he begged.
"Are you sure?" Shing probed. "I mean, she hasn't even really hit you yet..."
"TAKE HIS SOUL NOW!" Fluttershy thundered, turning her ire on Shing.
"Yikes! Yes, ma'am!" Shing saluted Fluttershy, and promptly began removing Reptile's soul.
"And tell the fillies we're on our way!" Applejack shouted, exchanging a high-hoof with Twilight as Reptile was unceremoniously de-souled.
"The match is over!" the referee declared. "Fluttershy wins!"
Satisfied that she had taught the evil meanie a lesson, Fluttershy reverted to her normal self once more, and rushed over to check on her friends. "Oh, Twilight," she sniffled, "I'm so sorry about this, it's all may fault, and..." Fluttershy stopped in mid-sentence as Twilight pulled the bag off her head, revealing that she was no worse for wear. "But...but how?" Fluttershy stammered. "You were hurt, and...and they took you away, and..."
"Let's just say a little acid is no match for the magic of friendship," Twilight said with a smile.
"Hey! What about me?" Everypony turned to see Rainbow Dash stumbling towards them, now sporting a huge black eye. "Everypony has a heart attack when Twilight gets hurt," she muttered, "but no one even bothers to come see if I'm okay after I get flung against a tree?"
"Oh dear, I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized, flying over and scooping up Rainbow Dash in her arms. "I'll take care of you, and you'll feel better in no time!"
"Hey! Leggo! I can fly too, you know!" Rainbow Dash insisted.
"Miss Fluttershy!" a member of the press called out. "Can we get a quote about your dominating performance today?"
"I'm terribly sorry," Fluttershy replied, "but I have to take care of a patient right now. Maybe later?" With that, Fluttershy flew off into the sky, hauling a reluctant Rainbow Dash behind her.
The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only Johnny Cage and Sonya standing in the clearing, too stunned at the outcome to move. "Wha...why...how did they do that?" Sonya wondered.
Liu Kang walked up from behind his companions and put his hands on their shoulders. "What can I say?" he said with a shrug. "When you're hot, you're hot."
The first round finished with a flourish that night, with Noob Saibot triumphing over Bo' Rai Cho in a victory in which the most surprising aspect was that Bo' Rai Cho had only vomited twice during the fight. After the battle, Shao Kahn retreated to his inner chambers, examining the tournament bracket as he began to plan out the second round.
After a few minutes of silence, a knock at the door drew Kahn's attention. "Enter," he declared, looking up from his work.
The door opened, and Shang Tsung stepped into the room. "Good evening, Shang Tsung," Kahn greeted his most powerful underling. "How are you feeling on this fine evening?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," Shang admitted. "I am not sure what to make of this tournament as of yet. The outcomes have been...unexpected, to say the least."
"To you, perhaps," Shao Kahn declared. "As far as I'm concerned, however, things are progressing just as I planned."
"Forgive me, Kahn," Shang Tsung apologized, "but I find it hard to believe that you planned for six ponies and a dragon to lay waste to some of your greatest warriors."
"And that," Shao Kahn pointed out, "is why I'm in charge around here, and you and your dimwit nephew are stuck on soul-collecting duties." He motioned for Shang Tsung to approach the updated tournament bracket he was crafting. "Tell me," he asked, "do you think these matches will generate suitable ratings for our broadcast partners?"
Shang Tsung examined the proposed matches, unable to keep himself from smiling as he realized what Shao Kahn had in mind.
"You see?" Shao Kahn slapped Shang Tsung on the back. "Those ponies may have laid waste to my fighters in this round...but starting tomorrow, they shall lay waste to Raiden's."