The fall of Liu Kang sent shockwaves from California to China to Canterlot, generating more after-dark action than Princess Luna had seen since returning from her banishment. By the time she made it back to the castle after finishing her nightly rounds, television trucks representing every media outlet imaginable had set up camp outside the palace walls, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the famed Equestrian rulers and perhaps an inside scoop on the ponies dominating Shao Kahn's tournament.
Sensing a chance for some positive PR, Luna landed near the gathering throng. "Greetings, scribes and pundits!" Luna announced, wandering into the media fray. "We...er, I am Princess Luna, Princess of the Night here in Equestria! Wouldst any of thou like an interview?"
Everyone turned and stared at the smiling princess for a moment...then went back to their own business.
Luna looked confused. "All of thee would pass up a chance to speak with Canterlot royalty?" she pressed.
No one even bothered to look over this time.
Luna sighed. "Once again, our presence is taken for granted," she muttered.
"Excuse me, Princess?" A reporter hurried over to where the princess stood.
"Huzzah! We are not forgotten after all!" Luna squealed. "Dost thou desire a quotation from us...uh, me?"
"Actually," the reporter admitted, "we were wondering if you could get us an interview with Princess Celestia."
"Wha..." Princess Luna stepped back in shock. "Are we not royal enough for you?"
"Oh no, you're royal enough," the reporter declared. "You're just...well...how should I put this..."
"What is it?" Luna demanded, slipping into the traditional Canterlot Voice. "Tell us at once!"
"To be frank," the reporter offered, "Celestia's Q score is off the charts right now. Yours is...well...negative."
Luna grimaced. "Of course it is," she grumbled, leaping into the air and flying off.
"If it makes you feel any better," the reporter shouted after Luna, "you still score higher than Newt Gingrich!"
Luna flew up over the palace walls and over to one of the balconies, dodging a pair of news helicopters along the way. "Oh, sister dearest!" she called out as she entered the castle, her voice laced with irritation. "Thy adoring public is waiting outside." Getting no immediate response, Luna made her way to the palace kitchen, where she found her sister eating a bowl of Lucky Charms and staring at a small television nearby. "Shouldn't thou be out raising the sun?" she asked.
"In a minute!" Celestia shushed her sister. "I want to see if we made the Today show."
Right on cue, a shot of Liu Kang's impromptu flight appeared on the TV screen. "Breaking News!" a serious-sounding anchorman narrated from off-screen. "In what can only be described as a major upset, martial artist, defender of humanity, and all-around good guy Liu Kang is defeated in Mortal Kombat by a talking purple unicorn! What does this mean for Shao Kahn's plans for world domination? Has the fate of the Earth been placed into the hooves of a bunch of magical ponies? And how will this affect the upcoming presidential election? Our analysts debate..."
Princess Celestia giggled and shook her head. "Humans are such high-strung creatures," she declared. "I mean, let something even slightly unexpected happen, and they all fly off the handle thinking the world's going to end."
"Thy subjects have defeated all of their champions," Luna pointed out. "If the roles were reversed, would we not react the same?"
"Whatever for?" Celestia inquired. "I have my own special way of dealing with megalomaniacs...you know, like ones who refuse to lower the moon when I tell them to."
"Thou art so funny that we forgot to laugh," Luna muttered, turning and exiting the kitchen.
Celestia just snickered and turned back to the television, where a reporter was interviewing a man identified as "Kenshi," who was dressed in black and wearing a red blindfold over his eyes, and appeared to be sitting at a blackjack table. "...It's a crying shame, really," the man offered, pushing a stack of chips into the center of the table. "Originally, Liu Kang was going to be on vacation this week, but he switched places with me so I could attend my niece's bachelor party here in Vegas."
"You mean 'nephew,' don't you?" the reporter asked.
"Er...right. Nephew," Kenshi corrected himself.
Celestia could only smile as the reporter next spoke over the phone with "Jax," who had been found chilling on a beach in the Caribbean. "Tsk tsk, Raiden," she mused, "so many fighters, and yet so few of them were actually at the tournament...I wonder what he has to say about all this?"
After a few more interviews with AWOL warriors, the television showed a reporter asking Raiden that very question. "I SAID NO #%@^& COMMENT!" the disgusted thunder god roared in response.
"My, my...seems like somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Celestia observed, using her magic to raise another spoonful of Lucky Charms to her mouth while she changed the channel. "Time for some tourney coverage!" she proclaimed. "Let's see if that blasted Tebow guy is still ruining my 'Mortal Madness' bracket..."
Back on the island, Twilight and a few of her friends had chosen to spend their morning waiting for the remaining second-round matches to be posted, which they did with varying levels of patience. "Ugh!" Rainbow Dash muttered disgustedly, hovering above the purple unicorn and staring at the half-full bracket on the bulletin board before them. "Could these guys possibly take any longer to post these things? I could've gotten in a full workout this morning!"
"We've been here ten minutes," Twilight pointed out.
"Like that's supposed to make me feel better," Rainbow Dash grumbled.
"Now, Rainbow," Rarity chided the pegasus from her position next to Twilight, "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this delay. Perhaps they're busy cleaning up the cafeteria from Pinkie's scuffle yesterday."
"Right," Rainbow Dash deadpanned, "because these guys care so much about cleanliness around here." She pointed to a nearby overflowing garbage can that didn't look (or smell) like it had been emptied since the Clinton administration.
Rarity's stomach turned at the sight of the can. and she quickly averted her gaze. "I suppose that would be too much to ask at this point," she conceded.
After another five minutes of waiting and griping, Shing Tsung finally arrived on the scene carrying a Sharpie and a piece of paper with the latest pairings. "It's about time!" Rainbow declared. "What took you so long?"
Rarity scowled at Shing's unkempt appearance. "He certainly didn't waste any time making himself presentable," she remarked to Twilight.
"I overslept, okay?" Shing admitted, as he prepared to fill in the bracket. "I mean, you try sleeping while the entire world is throwing a party just outside your door! I mean, it's not like Liu Kang hasn't been beaten before..." Shing started writing on the board. "Stupid Sub Zero," he muttered to himself. "I mean, I'm going to have 'Material Girl' stuck in my head for the next week."
The three ponies watched intently as Shing Tsung began inscribing the names of various combatants onto the tournament bracket. "C'mon, c'mon!" Rainbow implored. "I'm gettin' old over here!"
Shing ignored Rainbow Dash, instead focusing on staying awake long enough to finish writing all of the names. He failed at the most inopportune time, however, scrawling out the name 'Rain-' before collapsing against the board, snoring loudly.
Rainbow Dash was not amused. "Hey, Soul Boy!" she yelled into Shing's ear, causing him to leap up in shock. "You forgot the rest of the name!"
"All right, already!" Shing replied, reaching up to add '-bow Dash' to the end of the name, then filling out the name of her opponent: Sub Zero.
"Aha!" Rainbow Dash declared. "So I've got Snow Miser, do I? Well, he'd better give me more of a fight than..."
"Wait...what?" Shing perked up at Rainbow Dash's comment, then looked back at the paper in his hand. "Aw, geez, did I screw that up, too?" he grumbled. "Sub Zero is fighting Rain today, not you."
Rainbow Dash facehooved. "Way to get my hopes up, genius!" she shouted. "So who the heck am I actually fighting?"
Shing said nothing, but responded by drawing a line through Sub Zero's name and replacing it with a single word: Fluttershy.
"WHAT?!?!" the three ponies screamed in unison.
Temporarily paralyzed by the revelation, Rainbow Dash fell ungracefully to the ground. "Are you kidding me?" she objected, bouncing back to her hooves. "I have to fight...Fluttershy?"
Shing Tsung shrugged. "Seems like a fair fight to me. I mean, you two are the only combatants that can fly...well, okay, supposedly Kid Icarus can too, but honestly, I think his wings are fake."
"Oh dear!" Rarity squealed, bringing her hoof dramatically to her forehead. "Of all the things that could happen, this is..."
"It gets better," Shing admitted, looking down at his paper. "You get to fight the dragon," he announced, pointing a finger at Rarity.
"Spike?!" Rarity nearly choked on the word. "I...I have to fight...little Spikey-wikey?"
"Little?" Shing Tsung scratched his head. "I mean, the guy looked like Godzilla when he beat Cyrax. Good luck beating that."
With everypony's second-round match now accounted for, the three ponies turned and walked away in stunned silence, leaving Shing to fill in the rest of the board. Not a word was spoken until the ponies reached their hut, where Applejack was practicing her apple-bucking technique on a nearby coconut tree. "Hey there, gals!" she called out. "Say...why the long faces?"
"'Cause they're ponies, silly!" Pinkie Pie answered, sticking her head out of the hut doorway.
Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash shot Pinkie Pie a death glare in unison. "Ooh! Now those are awesome game faces!" Pinkie commented, misunderstanding the seriousness of the matter.
"Whatever," Rainbow Dash spat out in disgust, leaping in the air. "I'm behind on my training as it is."
"As am I," Rarity seconded, trotting briskly into the hut. "One must ensure that one is fully prepared when facing a serious matter such as this."
"Rainbow, Rarity, wait! Let's talk about this!" Twilight implored, as the two ponies hurried in opposite directions. "This...is bad," she admitted.
"And just how bad is 'bad'?" Applejack inquired, a bit surprised at the ponies' quick departure.
"Is it badder than the time Dashie and I pranked you by switching the labels on your bottles of distilled water and nitroglycerin?" Pinkie posed.
"Much worse, I'm..." Twilight did a double-take. "Wait, you did what?"
"Uh...nothing," Pinkie amended her statement.
"I wondered why that last experiment exploded..." Twilight grumbled. "Regardless, at least we all walked away from that little disaster. This time...we won't be so lucky."
Rarity sat in a darkened corner of the hut, staring silently at the wall as the realization of what she would have to do - and who she would have to do it to - propagated to every corner of her mind. The thought of attacking a dear friend and beating them into submission made her stomach turn...but with her sister's life on the line, she had no other choice. Why did it have to be Spike? she thought to herself. I could handle teaching some manners to a brute like Applejack, or paying back Rainbow Dash for abandoning me in a desert with Pinkie Pie - actually, breaking Pinkie's jaw might be satisfying in its own right - but Spike? My darling little Spikey? I could never bring myself to harm one little scale on his head...and yet, I must. She was beginning to regret going along with Twilight's save-the-universe crusade and not taking Sweetie Belle back when she had the chance.
"Uh...Rarity?" The unicorn was startled by the familiar voice of her darling little Spikey coming from behind her. "Is everything okay?" Spike inquired. "You don't look so good."
Rarity did not look over. She didn't want him to catch her looking like this, and even if she managed to compose herself, she couldn't bring herself to look her friend in the eye anyway. "I'm...fine, Spike," she managed to say. "I just...want to be alone for a while."
"Oh...okay," Spike acknowledged, turning and heading for the hut door. Once outside, he spotted Twilight standing conveniently nearby, and made a beeline for her. "Rarity sounds really sad," he remarked. "Do you know what's wrong?"
"I'm afraid I do, Spike," Twilight admitted, although she did so in a voice that seemed a bit deeper than usual.
The difference caught Spike's attention. "You know, you don't sound that good either," he pointed out.
"I...don't?" Twilight paused for a beat, then began to cough. "I must be coming down with something," she theorized. "Anyway, about Rarity...she's trying to come to terms with the fact that her next opponent...is you."
"Me???" Spike shouted in surprise. "B-b-but I can't fight Rarity! Why, she's so strong, and talented, and gorgeous...just the thought of harming a single hair on her head is making me break out in hives!" As proof, Spike presented his arm (which was indeed covered in bumps) by pushing it into Twilight's face.
Twilight coughed again (although this was a product of dragon body odor rather than sickness). "Then you know what you have to do," she declared.
"What? What do I do? Oh, please, Twilight, tell me what to do!" Spike pleaded.
"You have to be her knight in shining armor," Twilight proclaimed. "You have to follow the route of chivalry."
"But how?" Spike asked.
"Concede," Twilight instructed. "Refuse to fight her, and grant her victory."
"But if I do that...I'll lose my soul..." Spike noted, breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought.
"Whose soul would you rather they take," Twilight posed, "yours...or Rarity's?"
Twilight's arrow hit its mark, and Spike stood silently for a few seconds as the question washed over him. "...Mine," he finally conceded, his voice cracking a little. "All right, then...I'll do it."
"You're making the right decision," Twilight encouraged, draping her front leg across Spike's shoulders.
"I hope you're right, Twi...I hope you're right," Spike replied.
With that, Spike turned and walked back to the hut, resigned to his cruel fate. Had he stopped to look back, however, he would have seen that Twilight had disappeared, and that a certain shapeshifter was now standing where she had been. "That's right, Spike," Shang Tsung whispered under his breath, as he watched the dragon slink back into his hut. "You chose wisely..."
The real Twilight Sparkle, for her part, had gone with Applejack and Pinkie Pie to chase down Rainbow Dash...or rather, Twilight and Applejack followed along as Pinkie did her best Pepe Le Pew impression while tracking down the pegasus. Eventually, the trio wound up outside a small mountain cave, not far from where Applejack and Blaze had tangled earlier. "Rainbow?" Twilight called out, her voice echoing off the cave walls. "Are you in there?"
"Go away!" a voice (which sounded an awful lot like Rainbow Dash) answered back. "There's nobody here but us rocks."
"Listen, sugarcube," Applejack offered, "I know it's gonna be hard to fight against Fluttershy, but..."
"Hard?" Rainbow Dash suddenly burst through the entrance of the cave, bowling over Applejack in the process. "This isn't gonna be hard!" Rainbow sputtered, summoning a burst of pride. "Fluttershy is the biggest wimp on the planet! Beating her will be, like, the easiest thing ever!"
"But you two have been friends for a long time," Twilight reminded Rainbow Dash. "Being forced to fight her..."
"This isn't about friendship, okay?" Rainbow Dash insisted, though her expression seemed to contradict the statement. "This is about beating the snot out of some smug sap and getting my fan club president back! This is about saving Applejack's sister and Rarity's sister and everypony's sister from world domination, and stomping on the face of anypony who gets in your way...no matter who it happens to be." Rainbow Dash turned away from her friends. "I will win this tournament," she stated flatly, "and I won't be stopped by you or Fluttershy or Celestia or Shao Kahn or anypony." With that, Rainbow Dash leaped into the sky and flew away before she lost her composure.
Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stood in shocked silence as they watched their friend fly off into the distance. "Sheesh!" Pinkie Pie finally spoke. "When did Rainbow become such a gruff grouch grouchy-pants?"
"I hate to admit it," Applejack admitted, "but Rainbow's got a point. We gotta find a way to win this thing, no matter who we end up fightin'. Somethin' like this was bound to happen, and I reckon this won't be the last time."
"I know," Twilight concurred, "but it's our bond as friends that makes us strong, and we aren't careful, fighting each other might sever that bond permanently." She looked over at Shao Kahn's castle in the distance. "This wasn't an accident," Twilight hypothesized, "but we can't let winning the tournament mean losing our friendship in the process."
Time waits for no pony, of course, and soon the dreaded hour of battle was at hand. The crucial bouts were scheduled to begin at about the same time, so Twilight left Applejack and Pinkie Pie to monitor the pegasus duel while she went to witness the fight of her number one assistant and his forever sweetheart. Rainbow Dash did not return to the ponies' hut before the battle, so the earth pony pair simply rounded up Fluttershy and accompanied her to the fight.
For her part, Fluttershy handled finding out that she was to fight Rainbow Dash much more calmly than anypony had expected - in fact, she barely appeared to react at all. She hadn't spoken more than a few words since her friends had broken the news to her - although that was nothing unusual - and her expression seemed more...determined...than Applejack had ever seen. "Are you sure you're alright, sugarcube?" Applejack inquired, not believing that Fluttershy could really be so placid at a time like this.
"I'm fine," Fluttershy replied curtly. "I just need to get this over with."
"If you say so," Applejack declared, though she was less than convinced.
"Well, I'm certainly not fine!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed. "I'm so confused about this battle, I'm positively flummoxed! I mean, who do I root for? Should I throw a victory party afterwards? And are silly childhood nicknames fair game when razzing the competitors?" Pinkie clasped her head in her hooves. "I don't know what to do!" she wailed.
"It doesn't matter," Fluttershy reprimanded her friend. "Now for pony's sake, be quiet - I am trying to concentrate."
Applejack and Pinkie Pie exchanged concerned glances, wordlessly agreeing that the pony-on-pony battle was having an adverse effect on Fluttershy as well.
Finally, the trio arrived at the prescribed beachside battle site, a newly-constructed circle not 100 yards from the one it had replaced (which had been turned into a crater via Rainbow Dash's earlier battle with Scorpion). A small crowd had already gathered around the edges of the circle, including Shang Tsung, who would be handling the soul-collecting duties for the match. Rainbow Dash, however, was nowhere in sight.
"It's almost time for the fight to begin," Shang Tsung observed. "I assumed all of you ponies would arrive together."
"Well, we didn't," Fluttershy snapped at the sorcerer, "so you're just gonna have to deal with it."
"Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Miss Grumpy," Shang offered, unable to suppress an evil smile.
Fluttershy stomped her way into the circle and waited for her opponent to arrive. After several awkward minutes of waiting, however, Rainbow Dash was still missing in action. "C'mon, c'mon," Fluttershy muttered to herself. "I don't have all day."
Finally, after another minute of stalling, a rainbow-colored streak shot down from the sky, and Rainbow Dash finally made it to the battlefield. "Sorry, everypony," the blue pegasus apologized. "I just needed an extra minute to get myself together."
"Meh," Shang Tsung declared. "Put on a good show, and all will be forgiven, right?"
The meager crowd cheered in response.
"Without further ado," the battle referee declared, stepping up to the circle, "it's time for our match to begin! In this corner, the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in the known universe, and owner of the greatest hair-dying job in history..."
"Hey!" Rainbow objected. "This color's natural!"
"...Rainbow Dash!" the referee continued. "And in this corner, the winner of the 'Kindest, Gentlest, Most-Nice Pony in Ponyville' award for seven years running...Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy just scowled in response.
"Combatants ready?" the referee asked.
"I guess..." Rainbow Dash muttered, while Fluttershy simply nodded.
"Very good," the referee concluded. "FIGHT!"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, and slowly starting walking towards her friend. "Look, Fluttershy," she began, "I know how much you hate fighting...and conflict...and the possibility of conflict...and I don't want to hurt your feelings or have you take this the wrong way, but...I have to beat you, Fluttershy. It's just the way it has to be."
Fluttershy said nothing, opting to glare ominously at her opponent.
"Look at the facts," Rainbow Dash went on. "I'm faster, stronger, tougher, smarter, cooler, awesomer, and radicaler than you are. I am the most qualified pony to kick Shao Kahn's tail, save the world, and bask in the requisite glory afterwards."
Fluttershy could only roll her eyes at the monologue.
"I don't want to fight you," Rainbow clarified. "That's just the way things were scheduled. No matter what happens, I'll still be your friend when it's over. This is just...just business, that's all. You understand...don't you?"
Fluttershy sighed. "Are you done?" she asked.
"...Yeah, I guess that about covers it," Rainbow decided, extending her hoof in friendship. "No hard feelings, then?"
"Lemme ask you a question," Fluttershy replied. "Ya hungry?"
"Huh?" Rainbow shot Fluttershy a puzzled look. "Er...sort of..."
"Let me fix you a hoof sandwich, then!" Fluttershy shouted, drawing a front hoof back to strike.
POW! Stunned by the thought that Fluttershy might actually attack her, Rainbow could only watch as Fluttershy forcefully connected her hoof with Rainbow's nose, sending the blue pegasus head-over-heels and drawing a pained "Ohhhhh..." from the crowd.
Applejack looked over at Pinkie Pie in disbelief. "I...I don't believe it!" she sputtered. "I never woulda figured Fluttershy had it in her to hit Rainbow like that!"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "You just missed her 'New Fluttershy' phase, that's all."
Meanwhile, back at the battle, Fluttershy had begun a massive verbal assault on Rainbow Dash, as the latter pegasus struggled to get back on her feet. "Who do you think you are, anyway?" Fluttershy demanded. "You think you can just waltz in here, proclaim your greatness to the world, and expect me to back down and let you roll me like a carpet?"
"Um...yes?" Rainbow Dash answered.
"Well, let me tell you something, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy went on. "You might think you're a big shot, with your colorful mane and your too-cool-for-flight-camp attitude, but in reality, you're the biggest fraud in Equestria, a no-talent hack who's just a red nose away from being a clown! If you want to be the hero, you're gonna have to earn it...and I don't think you can!"
"What the..." Rainbow Dash whispered in shock. After taking a moment to compose herself, she returned Fluttershy's glare. "Oh really?" she snarled. "Well, if that's the way you feel, then I'll prove to you - to everypony - that I'm the right mare for the job, 'cause I'm the best fighting filly that history has ever seen!"
"What do you have in mind?" Fluttershy inquired.
"Let's settle this the old-fashioned way," Rainbow declared. "I challenge you...to a cyclone duel!"
"Challenge accepted," Fluttershy agreed. "Bring it on!"
"Whoa - a cyclone duel!" Pinkie Pie squealed, as the two pegusi leaped into the air. Her expression, however, quickly shifted from awe to confusion. "Um...what's a cyclone duel?" she asked Applejack.
"I reckon we're about to find out," Applejack answered.
As Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash prepared for their battle, Twilight found herself on a rocky mountain plateau on the other side of the island, watching as Rarity and Spike prepared for their own brouhaha to begin. Rarity was a nervous wreck, of course, but Twilight was more struck but how calm Spike seemed to be as he took his place in the circle. He seemed to have made peace with the idea of fighting against his crush, though Twilight couldn't for the life of her figure out why. While Shang Tsung knew the truth, he had sent his nephew Shing to cover this battle (on the off-chance that Spike morphed into Spikezilla again and starting attacking the crowd), so the secret of Spike's serenity remained with the dragon alone.
"S...so tell me, Twilight," Rarity sputtered, "does our Spike have any...er...well...weaknesses that I could...um...take advantage of? Y...you know, so that we can end this...this battle...quickly?"
"Not unless you have a gallon tub of ice cream handy," Twilight replied. "To be honest, I would say his only weakness...is you."
Rarity swallowed hard at the thought. "W...well then," she declared, attempting to compose herself as best she could. "I suppose we'll just have to...to make the best of things, now won't we?"
"You attention please!" the battle referee called out. "This second-round battle is about to begin! In this corner, currently in his earliest evolution stage, the only dragon manly enough to appear in public wearing a decorative apron...Spike!"
Spike was staring at the ground was lost in his thoughts, and did not acknowledge the introduction.
"And in this corner," the referee continued, "the first pony ever to grace the cover of InStyle magazine - which comes out tomorrow, by the way - and the biggest star to hit the world fashion scene since Tommy Hilfiger...Rarity!"
Rarity gulped again, and managed a weak wave to the crowd.
"Combatants ready?" the referee inquired.
"Well...I...uh..." Rarity stammered.
"No," Spike interrupted, causing the crowd to fall silent. "No, I am not ready," the dragon went on, in the most dignified-sounding voice he could conjure up, "and if you're asking me to fight the most beautiful creature in the world...then I never will be."
"Well, I mean, you should be good then," Shing Tsung commented. "I mean, we're not asking you to fight Britney Spears, right?" This comment drew a lot of strange looks, and caused the people standing around Shing to gave him a ten-foot berth. "What?" Shing asked. "I mean, I think she's cute."
"Ahem!" Spike shot a 'you're stealing my thunder' glare at Shing, then continued with his soliloquy. "Yes, my lady," he gushed, looking into a blushing Rarity's eyes from across the ring, "I could never bring myself to do you harm, no matter the cost to my being. Therefore, I cannot engage in this battle, and forfeit my right to continue in this tournament."
"Wait...really?" Shing did a double-take. "You wanna quit? I mean, you can grow into a fifty-foot monster at will and could probably crush Shao Kahn right now...and you wanna quit?"
"Yes," Spike reiterated. "For Rarity...I will resign."
"Oh, Spike..." Rarity whispered, a bit taken aback by his sacrifice. "That...that is very noble of you, Spike. I...I thank you."
"I guess that's it, then," the referee announced with a shrug. "The match is over! Rarity wins...via Friendship!"
"Awwww..." the crowd murmured, though mostly in disgust. "But we wanted to see some action!" someone in the back shouted.
"Geez..." Shing muttered, walking over to where Spike stood. "Let the record show that I think you're nuts," he offered.
"Stay your hand a moment," Spike requested. "I need another moment with my friends."
Shing threw up his hands. "Why not?" he agreed. "I mean, it's not like I'm going anywhere..."
Spike shuffled over to where a stunned Rarity stood frozen in place. "Don't worry about me," he insisted, "You're the strongest, toughest, most beautiful pony I've ever known. You will win this tournament and save us all, Rarity, I just know it."
"Th...thank you, Spike," Rarity answered, her eyes welling up a bit. "That was a very brave thing you just did, and I...I will never forget it."
While the rest of the crowd dispersed, pony and dragon shared a heartfelt embrace, and then, without warning, Rarity brought Spike's face to her own and planted the mother of all kisses on his lips, causing Spike's eyes to bug out, his face to turn beet red, and steam to start shooting out his ears. "Know that no matter what happens, no matter where they take you," Rarity whispered, "our souls will always be together."
"I know," Spike replied. "I'll wait for you, Rarity...no matter how long it takes."
"Aw, come on, man!" Shing chided himself, turning away from the scene as he began to sniffle. "I mean, I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry!"
Finally, after several emotional minutes, Spike pulled out of Rarity's embrace. "I have to go now," he explained. "Goodbye, Rarity, and good luck." With that, Spike walked over to where Twilight (who had gotten fairly emotional herself) stood at the edge of the ring. "Thanks, Twilight," he offered. "You always give the best advice."
"Wait...I do?" Twilight's sadness was immediately replaced by confusion.
As Twilight began racking her brain to figure out exactly what Spike was talking about, the dragon himself finally went back over to Shing Tsung. "I'm ready now," he declared.
"Hold your horses!" Shing demanded, wiping his eyes. "I'm gonna need another minute here."
Spike, Rarity, and Twilight stood in awkward silence for another minute as Shing tried to compose himself. Finally, the sorcerer got himself together enough to perform the grim ritual, and sucked Spike's soul from his body. "I'm sorry about this, I really am," Shing apologized to Rarity. "I mean, I'd have totally let the little guy stick around as a non-combatant and not have to split you up, if I didn't think Shao Kahn would pull my brain out through my nostrils if I did."
"It's alright," Rarity insisted. "But if I could...I'd like to stay with him until you have to take him away."
"Be my guest," Shing agreed.
Twilight walked over to where Rarity sat, as the reminder of the crowd dispersed and the two ponies found themselves alone with their fallen comrade. "We will make Kahn pay for this," Twilight declared, "I promise."
"Yes," Rarity proclaimed. "Our foe has raised the stakes...but I, for one, am all in."
Back on the beach, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and the rest of the fight attendees could only stare into the sky as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made their final duel preparations. "What are they doing up there?" Applejack wondered. "And did anypony figure out what in tarnation a cyclone duel was?"
"Aha!" Shang Tsung announced, holding an old, dusty, red-stained book high over his head. "I just had one of our staff fetch a copy of 'Ancient Pony Practices' from the castle library," he explained. "Now then, let's just take a look at the index..."
"What's with all the ketchup stains?" Pinkie Pie asked, pointing to the book's cover.
"It's blood, actually," Shang revealed. "Sometimes we hold matches in the library - you know, just to change things up." After a few moments of searching, Shang discovered a passage on cyclone duels in the book. "Here we are!" he cried out. "'A cyclone duel is an ancient pegasus custom used for settling disputes.'"
"Yeah, we kinda figured that," Applejack observed, rolling her eyes. "How's it work?"
"'The duel starts with both pegusi flying in the same circle, but in opposite directions,'" Shang read aloud. "'Combatants can choose to either inflict damage on the other fighter as they fly past, or increase their speed enough to create an upper-atmosphere tornado. The duel ends when one pegasus is unable to maintain their flying pattern, and either falls or gets flung out of the circle.'"
"Yikes," Applejack commented. "That sounds serious."
"It looks pretty serious, too," Pinkie agreed, as she watched the battle using a telescope she had pulled out of thin air.
"Hey, whatever floats your boat," Shang Tsung commented.
"Attention, combatants!" the referee called out to the flying fighters (with the help of a giant megaphone). "Since the battle has already officially started, you can commence hostilities at any time!"
High in the air, Fluttershy shot Rainbow Dash a determined look. "Are you ready?" she asked.
"Since the day I was born," Rainbow Dash responded.
As the crowd looked on from the ground, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began the ancient ritual, beginning by tracing a wide circle in the air, then shrinking it as their speed increased. Being the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria - as well as still being a little unnerved at the idea of attacking Fluttershy - Rainbow chose the easy route to victory, cranking her speed up to Mach 2 knowing that Fluttershy's flying abilities were only slightly better than Scootaloo's. Fluttershy refused to go along with the plan, however, and took a more aggressive approach, flailing at Rainbow with whatever she could swing (be it hair or hooves) and landing an impressive number of blows at every opportunity, keeping Rainbow from reaching her top speed.
"Ow! Oof! Ugh!" Rainbow sputtered with every blow. "Be careful, will you? You're gonna put somepony's eye out!"
"Am I hurting you?" Fluttershy replied in mock sympathy. "Why don't you go down and cry about it while that Tsung guy takes your soul? Nopony who whines as much as you could ever beat Shao Kahn!"
"Grrrr..." Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself, trying to concentrate on building speed. I can count the number of times Fluttershy said a mean word to anypony on one hoof...since when did she turn into the Wicked Witch of the West? she wondered to herself.
"You're avoiding me!" Fluttershy pointed out, landing another solid blow on Rainbow's head as she darted past. "What are you afraid of, Rainbow? Can't bring yourself to admit that I'm the tougher pony?"
"I'll...show...you...tough!" Rainbow shouted angrily, kicking herself into another gear as the winds began to flow decidedly in her direction.
Unfortunately, none of the subtlety of the action could be witnessed from the beach. "I can't see a dadblamed thing from down here!" Applejack complained.
"Neither can I!" Pinkie Pie admitted, holding the wrong end of her telescope to her face. "It's like they're fighting on the moon or something!"
As the battle raged on, Rainbow Dash started to generate a sizable cyclone with her speed, all the while under a withering physical and verbal assault from Fluttershy. "Face it, Rainbow Crash," Fluttershy accused, "you're not even good enough to beat poor, helpless little old me!" In truth, however, the yellow pegasus was finding it harder and harder to maintain her own flight pattern while fighting against the wind.
Just keep on keepin' on, Rainbow Dash told herself. No matter what she says, that girl is no bark and even less bite - she won't be able to hang on for much longer...
Fluttershy knew it too, and so she decided to bring out her biggest weapon. "Some Element of Loyalty you turned out to be!" she declared. "If you wimp out against somepony like me, you'll never be able to stand up for Equestria against Shao Kahn! I guess Scootaloo was a fool to put her trust in you - she can forget about being rescued!"
This was the straw that finally broke the pony's back. "That does it!" Rainbow proclaimed angrily, and as she circled around to meet Fluttershy one last time, instead of trying to pass her quickly, she did a 180 in midair and swung her back legs at her opponent with all her might.
BOOM! With a blow that reverberated across the sky (and probably doomed Rainbow Dash's soul to go down rather than up after death), Rainbow Dash landed a powerful strike, KOing Fluttershy in one shot. "Who's talking now, huh?" Rainbow asked rhetorically, as Fluttershy was unceremoniously flung from the cyclone and started to fall.
A collective gasp went up from the ground as Fluttershy began her descent. "Land sakes!" Applejack cried out. "We gotta do something! If she..."
"Ah, ah, ah!" Shang Tsung interrupted, wagging a finger at Applejack. "You know the rules, AJ - we can't step in until the match is over. Only Rainbow Dash can help her right now."
Rainbow, for her part, was too busy flexing and preening for the crowd for the thought of Fluttershy's fall to even register. "That's right!" she proclaimed, banging her hoof against her chest. "Number one, and don't you forget it!"
"Dangnabbit, Rainbow!" Applejack shouted into the sky. "Stop squawkin' and grab Fluttershy before she hits!"
"No worries, everypony - I got this," Pinkie Pie assured Applejack, putting her telescope away and pulling out a bright-pink cell phone out from behind her back. As the rest of the crowd waited on pins and needles, Pinkie punched a few numbers on the phone and waited.
Suddenly, a stray cloud next to Rainbow Dash started ringing, startling the pegasus out of her celebration. After staring quizzically at the cloud for a few seconds, Rainbow cautiously flew over, poked the cloud with her hoof a few times, then pressed her ear against it. "Uh...hello?" she asked.
"Hey Dashie!" Pinkie answered. "Hey, could you do us a super-huge favor and catch Fluttershy before she hits the ground and becomes a Fluttercake? Kthankxbye!" With that, Rainbow was left with nothing but a dial tone.
"Wha...?" It took a few seconds for the bulb in Rainbow's brain to light up, but eventually the implication made its way through her thick skull. "Oh, hayfever!" she shouted, looking down to see that Fluttershy was already halfway to the ground. "Hang on, Fluttershy!" Raindbow shouted, taking off like a rocket. "I'm comin!"
Thankfully, Rainbow's "fastest flyer" nickname had more than a modicum of truth to it, and Rainbow dove down and snagged Fluttershy out of the air within the span of five seconds, sucking all of the drama out of the scene. The pegasus pair then made a slow descent to the beach, as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and the rest of the crowd hurried over to the landing spot.
The battle referee peered over to get a look at Fluttershy's face (which now featured crossed eyes and a pair of hoofprints, not to mention the ring of stars and butterflies that circled her head). "No doubt about it - she's down for the count!" he proclaimed. "The match is over! Rainbow Dash wins!"
"Jolly good show, my dear!" Shang Tsung congratulated Rainbow Dash. "Now then, if I could just borrow your friend for a moment..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow objected. "Hold on just an apple-picking minute here!" She picked up Fluttershy and flew over to the water. "I need some answers first!"
As the crowd looked on, Rainbow Dash began dunking Fluttershy's head repeatedly in the sea. The yellow pegasus came up sputtering and screeching after the third dunk, after which Rainbow Dash dragged her back onto shore. "Oh...is it...is it over?" Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow scowled at her friend. "All right, missy!" she demanded. "What was with the Mean Girl routine up there? I mean, were you possessed or something?"
"Well..." Fluttershy offered, "I...I had to do it."
"Had to?" Appleack exclaimed, as she and Pinkie Pie hurried over to meet the pegasi. "I don't follow."
"I knew from the start that I couldn't beat you, Rainbow," Fluttershy explained. "You really are the strongest, fastest, and toughest pony in Equestria, and I'm...I'm...not."
"So you decided to troll me instead?" Rainbow scratched her head. "How does that work?"
"Well...these people are all mean and nasty and evil," Fluttershy continued, "and might try to bully you and call you names and try to make you think you could never win...you know, like those guys as the Best Young Flyer Competition."
"Okay..." Rainbow responded, trying to process the line of reasoning.
"I know that you can be really hard on yourself sometimes," Fluttershy went on. "I guess I thought that if I could bully you and make you overcome any fears or doubts you had to win, then maybe if it happened later, you would know how to handle it...and then maybe I would be helpful."
"Huh..." For once in her life, Rainbow Dash, the biggest-talking filly in modern history, was at a loss for words.
"I'm sorry about all those nasty things I said about you, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy apologized. "I didn't mean any of them...but I thought I had to say them anyway."
"And to think," Rainbow realized, "all this time, I was worried that I would hurt your feelings if I fought you..." After a few moments of pensive silence, Rainbow smiled. "Well, thanks, Fluttershy, I guess," she offered, extending a hoof to the yellow pegasus. "Friends?" she asked.
Fluttershy returned the smile, and gave Rainbow Dash a weak hoof-bump. "Friends," she agreed.
"A touching moment, I'm sure," Shang Tsung interrupted, stepping in between the ponies, "but there is still the matter of your defeat, Miss Fluttershy..."
"I...I know," Fluttershy conceded.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash interjected, pushing Fluttershy's chin up with her hoof. "Don't worry about a thing - I'll beat this Kahn bozo and get everypony's soul back before you know it!" She gave Fluttershy a knowing wink. "I am the best, remember?"
Shang Tsung leaned over Fluttershy, as pulses of dark magic began shooting from his fingertips. "Your soul...is mine," he proclaimed ominously.
Rainbow Dash glared angrily at Shang Tsung as he performed the dirty deed. "Not for long, it isn't," she stated coldly.
Given all of the drama thus far, the concluding fight of the second round seemed bland by comparison, as what was billed as a classic Ken-Ryu primetime grudge match went south when the former fighter had to retire five minutes due to a hangnail injury. After the bout, Shao Kahn retreated to his private quarters to bask in his good fortune and begin planning for the third round, and was soon joined by Shang Tsung.
"I suppose I should admit that I was wrong," Shang Tsung begrudgingly offered. "It appears that your plan is working after all."
"Yes," Shao Kahn acknowledged, "but rest assured that my wheel of chaos has not stopped spinning quite yet." He peered at the list of remaining fighters that lay on the table before him. "I'll be adding some new blood for the next round," he proclaimed. "Another fighter from Earthrealm, I believe."
Shang Tsung's eyes doubled in size. "You cannot be serious!" he objected. "We finally clear all of Raiden's champions from the tournament, and you decide to bring in another? Have you gone mad?"
Shao Kahn shrugged. "What can I say?" he replied, grabbing another piece of paper from his table and holding it out to his sorcerer lieutenant. "I was made an offer I couldn't refuse..."
Shang Tsung quickly scanned the letter...and his eyes doubled in size yet again. "You've got to be kidding," he implored his master. "This is a bad, bad, bad idea."
Shao Kahn chuckled. "Perhaps," he declared. "That's why I shall let the Equestrian contingent deal with it first."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In light of recent events, this chapter is hereby dedicated to MKE's resident Sub-Zero fan Brice "Ice" Kilmurray, who committed suicide back in May. May your soul find peace in a land where ponies are heroes and friendship is magic.
UPDATE: He's ALIVE! Let the rejoicing commence!