Allan stood at the start of a gauntlet of obstacles, slowly breathing as he watched them. The course had been put together to push him to work and he had been trying to master it all day. Finally though he felt like he knew how to pass through.
He leapt off the start line, moving from obstacle to obstacle in a blur as he didn’t miss a beat going between each one. He knew the course like a speed runner knew a game, having many close calls that didn’t even phase him. It wasn’t long before he could see the end of the course in sight, sprinting toward victory…
“Hey Ally!” Suddenly Pinkie Pie was there right in Allan’s face, completely throwing him off as he stumbled. Something caught his foot as a swinging log slammed into him, sending him spinning into the air before he was plastered against the wall surrounding the temple. Allan barely managed to focus his swirling vision just as Pinkie ran up.
“Wow Ally! You went flying!” She giggled. Allan however was not pleased, especially when he then fell off the wall and landed on the ground face first. He got up with a growl before glaring at the party pony.
“Pinkie, I’m busy training. Didn’t I tell you guys not to bother me?”
Pinkie seemed to deflate slightly but retained her smile. “But you’ve been doing nothing but train since you got back. It’s been over a week and you haven’t celebrated or even talked with anyone.”
“I’m. Busy.” Allan reiterated before pushing past Pinkie and back toward the start of the course. “There are more important things to be doing right now than celebrating.” Pinkie’s smile faltered as Allan walked off. She opened her mouth to say something but seemed to lose face and instead walked out rather un-Pinkie like.
Just as she was leaving however, Twilight walked in. “Excuse me Allan, but I was wondering if you would be alright with me analyzing the Wu Chrysalis used on Celestia.”
“No. Go away,” was all the response he gave as he stood at the start of the course, watching it as if waiting for his moment to leap into action.
Twilight didn’t seem prepared for such a blunt answer as she stumbled a bit on her words. “B-but… such an object could open the avenue to many possibilities. Spells that can be used to capture dangerous criminals, ways to transfer magic that before was impossible. If it could hold Celestia of all ponies it must be quite the object.”
“I said no.” He never even turned to look at Twilight as he shot her down. She almost seemed to flinch at how flat he was before clearing her throat.
“Then would you mind if I examined another?” Allan groaned, throwing his hands up before walking over to the side where Dojo was sleeping. Allan picked up the scroll he was laying on, disturbing his slumber as he quickly pulled the Falcon’s Eye from it.
“There.” He tossed it perhaps a bit too forcefully at Twilight. “You got what you want. Now let me train.” Allan dropped the scroll next to Dojo who was still too tired to really understand what was happening. Twilight managed to catch the Wu out of the air before it hit her. For a moment she opened her mouth to speak but one glance at Allan as he walked back toward the course once again shut her up and she left.
With no more distractions, Allan started the course again, making it about halfway when something pulled him out of the air, tackling him. He reacted quickly though, grabbing what he noticed were wings on the attacker’s back and using them to pull them underneath him.
“Ow! Hey, watch the wings!” Rainbow cried out. Allan took a few moments to look at the mare he had pinned to the ground before letting go and standing up. As Rainbow picked herself up, Allan moved back toward the course. “What? No cocky response to beating me so quickly? No suggestion on how I should have done it? Nothing?”
Allan stopped, glancing back. “Rainbow, I have no time to play. Go mess around elsewhere.” Rainbow wasn’t having none of that though. Unlike Pinkie before her, she wasn’t about to just let it drop. In a moment she was in Allan’s face, though the sudden action didn’t seem to phase him.
“What’s wrong with you?! You might as well have never been de-statued. You certainly seem to act like one, especially since you haven’t dropped that angry face ever since.”
Allan barred his teeth. “What’s wrong with me?” He leaned forward, causing Rainbow to flinch back at the sudden aggression. “What’s wrong is that I have more important things to do than deal with some rainbow maned pegasus who likes playing in the dirt. Now get lost!” She stood there for a moment, surprised before glaring and shooting up into the air.
“Fine! Have fun with your stupid Xiaolin crap!” And with that she shot off, Allan watching for a moment before heading back toward the course. Dojo climbed up onto his shoulder, putting a claw on his chin.
“You have been pretty tough since you got back.” Allan glared at him for a moment, causing the dragon to flinch back. “But I’m glad you are here nonetheless. I…” Dojo sniffled before wrapping his arms around Allan’s neck, bursting out in tears. “I missed you so much!”
Allan growled, grabbing Dojo and pulling him off. Just before he was about to say something to the sobbing dragon though, they both had their attention grabbed by the scroll glowing nearby. Allan quickly dropped Dojo, leaping for the scroll and pulling it open before the dragon had even hit the ground.
“Shroud of Shadows. Lets you turn invisible. Got it.” Allan slung the scroll over the his shoulder, pulling out the Longi Kite. Dojo picked himself up off the ground and slithered over.
“If you want I can-” He was cut off as Allan shot into the air, kicking up dust. Dojo coughed a bit before sighing “Fly you there” and then slithered over to where he had been napping. As he settled himself back in, a shadow loomed over him, which took him a few moments to notice before jumping up. “Gah! Oh, Princess Luna. It’s just you. Disturbing a sleeping dragon is bad luck, you know.”
Luna smiled, rolling her eyes at the dragon’s antics. “As great as it is to see you again Dojo, I was looking for Allan. Is he here?”
“Ya just missed him.” Dojo picked his ear with one of his claws. “The scroll picked up a new Wu and he hightailed it out of here without so much as a goodbye.”
“I see… I noticed a few of his friends heading away from the temple as well. None of them looked particularly pleased.”
“Well with the way Allan’s been since he came back I don’t blame them.” He huffed. “I’m not exactly a fan of the ‘deadly focused’ version of the guy either.”
“Did none of them try to argue this?” Luna cocked her head.
“Rainbow certainly did, but Allan just got mad when she tried to convince him to be himself again.”
“Allan faces two new challenges.” Both turned to see Master Gongniu standing at the entrance to the temple. “One is born of the other, but at the same time they are opposite. He faces the danger of a new foe beyond anything he’s ever seen, yet at the same time is being faced with the idea that he may be powerless to stop it.”
Luna pondered. “So… you are saying that Allan is afraid this ‘new foe’ is going to hurt his friends?”
* * *
Meanwhile, Allan flew above a snow covered city, landing in the middle of a square before looking around. Bears walked around, all wearing ushankas despite having a heavy fur coat to withstand the cold.
“Hello comrade.” Allan turned to find one of the bears standing in front of him. “Welcome to Novosibearsk. We have never seen anything like you around here.”
“I’m busy.” Allan spoke flatly, turning away and following the direction his scroll was pointing. It led him to a large building, banners hanging down on either side. Inside there was a pile of old looking treasures, spread about the place. Allan continued following the arrow until stopping just before a sheet on the wall. It was gray with a black edge, though a slight golden glow coming off of it tipped Allan off to just what it was.
“Alright, and no annoying inventors to make this complicated.” He reached out to take it just before a barrel bot flew by, swiping the shroud off the wall as it nearly knocked Allan off his feet.
“Well, well, well.” Allan turned to see the two brothers and Wuya standing there, grinning with a couple dozen robots floating behind them. “So the Xiaolin warrior is back. We weren’t sure if the rumors were true.”
Flim grinned. “You’ve been gone awhile, and we haven’t been just sitting on our butts.”
Flam stepped up after him. “We’ve collected every Wu since you disappeared, and now you don’t stand a-”
“Eye of Dashi!” Allan took out the named Wu, nearly blasting the brothers and destroying a few robots, including the one holding the shroud. It fluttered away in the explosion, landing right in Allan’s grasp.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to interrupt our evil rant!” Flam grumbled.
“I don’t have time for your mierda.” Allan threw the shroud over his shoulders before drawing the Sword of the Storms, replacing the eye in his other hand with the Wu he had taken from Chrysalis, the Komori Sword. “Let’s go, culos.”
* * *
Luna sat at a low table in the temple as Gongniu poured them both some tea. “Thank you.” She picked up the cup, sipping it. “So what is this foe that Allan is training so hard to defeat?”
“It is an ancient evil, one that the world had forgotten. It is better if I tell you the whole story though, if you have the time.” Luna nodded. “Very well.”
“Long ago, even before the three pony races had joined together in harmony, two beings entered this world. They were unlike anything else this world had seen, or would see until recently.”
“Are you saying they were human?”
Gongniu nodded. “They were indeed humans, and their abilities are what shaped the martial artistry of Xiaolin to this very day. These two humans were brothers, and their names were Dashi and Chase Young.
“They came to this world much as Allan had, confused yet good hearted. For many years they travelled, using their skills to help those in need. They even had a subtle hand in uniting the three pony races as they battled the windigos true master: the Heylin witch, Wuya. But that is a tale for another time.
“The two brothers after many years began to diverge on opinions. Dashi sought to settle down, to teach what he had learned after so many years. Chase Young, however, thought it be better to continue travelling, believing that spreading peace to all four corners of the world must be done through action. And so, with heavy hearts, the two brothers separated for the first time in the many decades they had lived on this world.”
Luna sat there for a moment, taking in everything he had said. “So… is it this Wuya that Allan prepares to fight? I seem to recall the same name being given to the ghost that works with the Flim Flam Brothers.”
Gongniu shook his head. “No. Allan has been well aware of Wuya since the beginning. It is a new threat that he now intends to face.”
* * *
Allan leapt through the bots, slicing with each sword as he bounded about. The air was filled with scrap metal and wreckage, nearly crushing their masters down below. In one moment, Allan landed on the ground only to find robots speeding toward him from all directions.
“Komori Sword!” The sword glowed before Allan leapt into the air, landing on the ceiling and sticking to it with his feet. The bots below slammed into each other, destroying themselves in one massive explosion.
“Don’t just stand there, you fools! Get him!” Wuya yelled at the brothers, who quickly pulled out some Wu. Flim took out what looked like a flower while his brother took out what looked like two fists connected to each other.
“Lotus Twister!” Flim shouted, the flower quickly wrapping around his hooves before he sprung into the air toward the monk. Allan reacted, jumping down from the ceiling and landing in front of Flam.
“Mikado Arm!” The two fists slid into Flam’s front hooves before growing ridiculously muscled. He leapt at Allan as he dodged once more, slamming the ground with such force the entire building shook.
Allan was given no break though as Flim swung one of his hooves at him, said hoof stretching twenty feet to reach him. He only barely avoided it and the following attacks from the rubber pony before Flam got close and slammed Allan through a nearby wall.
“Yes! That’s it!” Wuya cheered. Flam looked back with a grin before a Fist of Tebigong slammed into his muzzle, sending him through the wall opposite of the one Allan had just been sent through. As his brother moved to attack again, Allan aimed a new Wu at him.
“Juju Fly Trap.” The pod opened, letting out a swarm of pests that attacked Flim. He flailed at the bugs in his face, his long stretchy limbs getting tangled in themselves before eventually he was all knotted up on the ground.
“Why you!” Flam came charging back in, rearing up for another slam. Allan switched Wu again though, not giving him a chance.
“Serpent’s Tail.” He phased through Flam’s hooves, landing on his head and jumping off. Said pony was furious now, turning to attack again with steam coming from his nostrils. He was only met with another punch to the face though by the Fist of Tebigong, sending him sprawling next to his tangled brother.
Allan looked at the two in a mixture of disgust and annoyance as he put the Wu away, taking the shroud still hanging on his shoulder in his hands. “I’ve got more important things to do than deal with you three jokes. Shroud of Shadows!” With a flourish of his hand, he vanished beneath the cloak, leaving the two ponies to just wallow in their failure.
“You fools!” Wuya chided. “Two and a half years of collecting the most powerful artifacts on the planet and you two still can’t beat a mere boy playing hero!”
* * *
Gongniu took a sip of his tea before continuing his tale. “Dashi spent the next many years building a temple and teaching any who was willing to learn. In time, he founded the martial art of Xiaolin and raised four of his disciples to the rank of Dragon. Each represented the four elements that make up our world; water, fire, earth, and air. It was with these apprentices that the land knew true peace for a long time.
“But peace would not last. Chase returned from walking the world but he was no longer the man Dashi had knew. Gone was the brother of his that defended the world from darkness, now replaced with someone who only sought to spread evil. He attacked Dashi’s dojo with an army of warriors, beings from all races that he had contracted into his surface using dark Heylin magics.
“Dashi refused to fight his brother and so it was left to his four disciples to take the battle to Chase. It was a long battle but they eventually won out in the end and sealed Chase in another world, never to return. Dashi, however, did not celebrate his brother’s demise. He wanted to know just what had turned him to the path of evil and so went out across the world, searching for the source.”
“Did he find it?” Luna asked.
“Unfortunately, no. It is said that Dashi, after many years, gave up and instead decided it would be best if the world knew some peace for a time. So he spread his mystical Shen Gong Wu across the world and then… vanished.”
“Vanished?”
“No one knows where he went after that. Not even Dojo does, having been asked to safeguard the Serpent’s Tail before the end of Dashi’s journey.”
“He’s right.” Dojo poked his head out of Luna’s mane. “I knew he was planning on disappearing, but he never told me where. Just said the world didn’t need anymore humans for awhile.”
“Do you think he knew Allan would show up eventually?”
“Maybe,” Dojo shrugged. “Dashi always was a bit odd at times. He could ‘see the direction the wind was heading’, or so he put it.”
“You mean he could see the future?”
“I don’t think so. It sounded more like he could just make a good guess how things would turn out,” Dojo shrugged again. “Like I said, Dashi was an odd one.” He sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye. “I do oh so miss him though.”
Luna looked down at the tea in her cup, staring at her reflection in the brown liquid as she thought. “So… it is this Chase than that Allan works so hard to fight.”
“Yes. Chase is also partially responsible for Allan’s two years spent in stone. He came to Allan acting as an ally and put the idea in his head to use the element bearer’s chi.”
“I see… so he is quite the tactician as well. I can only imagine how many plans this Chase has.”
“That is indeed what makes him such a dangerous foe.” Gongniu nodded. “He is cunning, strong, but most importantly, patient. He would wait a thousand years for the opportune moment to strike.”
“I assume that is why we haven’t heard anything about him. He is preparing, making sure all his pieces are in place.”
“And we must make sure our pieces are in place as well. It is a deadly game of chess that is being played.” Gongniu looked out at the courtyard. “Ah, it seems the young monk has returned.” Luna and Dojo looked as well, Allan floating down on the Longi Kite as the sun set. He walked over to the table, facing Gongniu.
“Master, I’m going to go to bed. I will get an early start on completing the course tomorrow.”
Gongniu nodded. “Very well. Have a good night my apprentice.” Allan nodded before turning to Luna.
“Good evening princess.” He turned and step inside without another word, leaving Luna to just watch him leave. After a few moments, she turned to Gongniu.
“How?”
Gongniu rose an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”
“How do you just let him continue to act this way?” She said angrily. “This behavior may lead him to grow stronger, but it will alienate everyone who cares about him!”
Gongniu looked at her, seeming to think about what he was going to say before sighing. “I am aware, but I can not simply tell him to stop what he’s doing. As his master, telling him to do things a different way would not help. I am here to guide him, yes, but I’ve warned him of the path he walks and its dangers. It is only up to him and his friends now to determine who he ends up being in the end.”
“But if this fails, he may as well become this Chase he seeks to destroy!”
“I know.” Gongniu stated flatly. “And I am prepared should it end that way to do what is necessary. Only Allan can decide the kind of strength he wields. I had hoped the friends that came by today would have convinced him, but it seems this might take more.”
“And where will this more come from?”
“I do not know.” Gongniu shook his head. “Perhaps another friend of his that didn’t speak today will break through. I can not claim to see the future.”
Luna glared at him a little longer before sighing and standing up. “I will return later. I still do not know if I agree with what you are doing but I will allow it for now until I have had proper time to think.” As she stepped away she stopped. “I do have one more question though.”
“Yes?”
“When my sister and I told you about Allan, was your reason for agreeing to train him because he sounded similar to Dashi?” Gongniu was silent, drinking his tea. “I see. Thank you for the tea. As I said, I will return once I’ve had proper time to think on things.” And with that she flew off into the night.