//------------------------------//
// Demon 
// Story: The Wandering Warrior 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

Ryu hated awakening like this. With a sickening feeling in his gut that something terrible had happened and that he had been the cause of it. But as he felt consciousness return to him, that was the feeling that clawed at his stomach. A feeling that he knew all too well.

Ryu cracked open his eyes to find himself staring at a ceiling. With a grunt he sat up in bed to find himself in a backroom that housed only the bed that he was resting upon and a single chair, a chair occupied by a man that was five times larger than the actual seat. Zangief was fast asleep and as Ryu did not want to wake him, he glanced down at his body to find that his wounds had been bandaged in a sloppy manner. 

Ryu swung his feet over the side and hopped out of bed, but the moment his feet hit the floor Zangief snapped his eyes open and lunged out of the chair. Ryu had just time to widen his eyes before Gief tackled him to the ground, pinning Ryu with a massive boot as Zangief wound up a fist that was aimed right at Ryu's face. But the two locked eyes and for a brief moment, Zangief didn't move. He then removed his foot and backed off, holding out a hand to Ryu.

"Thanks. What was that about?" Ryu asked Zangief after he grabbed Zangief's hand and was pulled to his feet. "You attacked me as if your life depended on it...what happened?"

Zangief did not answer right away and instead glanced to his side, staring out the window at the city on the other side. Ryu raised an eyebrow at Gief before he felt his hand itch, but when Ryu lifted his fist to scratch it, but his eyes went wide when he saw his fist was drenched with dried blood. The sickening feeling returned to Ryu, who gazed up at Gief with wide eyes, the pieces falling into place.

"Zangief...please...tell me what happened."

Gief did not answer, but instead motioned for Ryu to follow him. Ryu followed Zangief out of the small room and down a long hallway, which Ryu quickly found out was a back room for a hospital. Zangief pushed open a pair of large doors and walked into a room that was too small for him, with Ryu glancing around Gief's frame to find the sign in to a hospital.

The ponies eyes widened when they saw Zangief and for a moment some of them approached him, but then their expressions turned to ones of horror when they laid their eyes upon Ryu. Some ponies fled for their lives, other cowered in fear and others snarled at him with clear intention to fight.

'These looks...these reactions...they are terrified of me. And there could only be one reason that they would be so afraid,' Ryu deduced before he slightly shook his head, guilt tearing him apart on the inside. The two moved on in silence, with noponies bothering to interfere with them until they reached one of the recovery rooms. Ryu reached for the door to enter, but Gief placed a hand upon Ryu's shoulder and shook his head. He then beckoned the warrior to the glass, where Zangief looked through with sad eyes. Ryu followed Zangief's gaze and was struck dumb by what he saw.

Rainbow Dash was laying in a bed, but she was drenched in blood and her chest was completely covered in a cast. One of her wings were being held up by a contraption, but Ryu found only a bloody stump where her other wing was supposed to be. Ryu glanced from the stump to the blood upon his hand, clenching both his hand and his eyes as he put the pieces together.

Numerous other ponies were in the room with Dash, but none of them glanced at the glass. All of their eyes were too full of tears to see the one responsible for the tragedy was on the other side of the glass. Zangief placed another hand on Ryu's shoulder, escorting him out of the hallway and then out of the hospital. Once outside Ryu found the Rich's awaiting for him on a park bench, but unlike before they all kept their distance when he approached.

"Zangief...I succumbed to the hado again, didn't I?" Ryu asked, but the truth was clear to Ryu already. Gief's silence answered for him, but after a moment Ryu let out a bellow that terrified all of Canterlot before he fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground. His whole body shook with rage at himself, as he silently cursed his own weakness.

"Ryu...I thought you had it under control," Zangief asked Ryu, not bothering to lower his voice. Tiara and her family turned their ears towards the Russian, who crossed his arms and shook his head at Ryu. "You told me the last time we met that you were starting to get a hold of the Dark Hado. That you could even tap into its power to fuel you. What has changed? How could you allow yourself to fall so far?"

"Because...I'm so weak," Ryu whispered in response, staying down in the dirt where he felt he belonged. "After what Dash said to me...after what she said about my master, I wanted to beat her so badly. I wanted to prove to her that my masters teachings were not flawed. That I was the fighter that he believed me to be. So when she was about to defeat me...I gave into the darkness. I wanted so badly to win."

"So you gave in. You risked her life and the lives of those around you, just to win," Gief said with what sounded like bitter disappointment in his voice. "You are better than that, Ryu. You do not need this cheap, evil power to be strong. You are already one of the strongest fighters that I know."

"But I have to be stronger...strong enough to make Gouken proud," Ryu whispered, causing Zangief to sigh once more.

"I have tended to your wounds friend and I have spoken with the princesses, explaining some of what happened. They will not try to kill you or harm you, but...they no longer wish for you to be in Canterlot. Near anypony, actually, unless I am with you."

"I see. Thank you for all that you've done for me," Ryu said with understanding as he stood up, extending a hand towards Gief. "They are correct though. I am too dangerous to be around anypony. It is best that I travel alone."

"I...I don't understand," Tiara butted in a weak tone, causing both Ryu and Zangief to lift their heads towards the filly. She took a step forward towards Ryu, but her father grabbed her and pulled her back. "What happened to you? The Ryu that I've come to know would ever do that to another pony, no matter how badly he wanted to win. What happened to you out there?"

Ryu and Zangief shared a look, before Gief nodded and left the four alone to discuss. Ryu crossed his legs and sat down, the guilt still burning in his eyes. He lifted a hand and summoned a small fraction of his power to form a hadouken. Then he narrowed his eyes and the sphere turned purple. 

"The Satsui No Hado. The surge of murderous intent. The darkness that you saw consume me...after I lost to Dash," Ryu admitted as he clenched his fist and caused the power to vanish. "It is the curse that comes with follow the teachings of Hado, such I as have. It is power, plain and simple, a power that none who face it can hope to match. It is strong enough to sink islands, to obliterate your foes or do the impossible."

"But as with all great powers, it come with a terrible price. The soul of the ones that uses it. They lose all their morals, all of their ideals and become a demon that only seeks combat and bloodshed," Ryu whispered as he gazed down at his bloody hand. "To give into that power is to give into violence itself. It is a power that I have battled with all of my life, yet I have not always successfully fought it back. When consumed by it, I become a near unstoppable monster, capable of almost anything. Was it Zangief that stopped me?"

Ryu hung his head when Tiara nodded, doing his best not to think of what would have happened had Gief not been there. "It the battle that I have fought every day of my life. Every day I can feel the pull of the Dark Hado, feeling as it tries to drag my soul down where it took my master's brother. But up until recently, I had been fighting it off...you said in the spider's lair Tiara, that I looked like a man possessed? That is because I was. Possessed by a power that I fear is gaining hold over me."

"Ryu..." Tiara whispered with horror in her voice as she shook off her father's hoof, taking a few steps forward towards the warrior. "Is there anything we can do to help you? Have the Ambassadors use their powers on you and banish this evil from your soul?"

"Believe me, I have tried almost everything. But there are only three ways that this can end for me," Ryu said in a dead whisper that made the Rich's back away from him slightly. "I defeat the Satsui no Hado and destroy it once and for all, finally reaching the point my master wanted me to. The Satsui no Hado consumes me and turns me into a monster far more dangerous than what you saw in that arena. Or I am killed and the hado is kept from overcoming me. And after what I have done, I am starting to think that the third option might just be the best option for everyone."

"No...you can't do that," Tiara whispered to Ryu. Ryu smiled at her kindness before he rose to his feet and began to walk away from them. "Where are you going?"

"To the mystical forest. If there is anyone in this land who can help me overcome the darkness within, it will be the elder that lives there," Ryu said in a voice that was half defeated. Ryu saw the question that was forming on Tiara's lips and he shook his head before she could utter it. "No, Tiara. I am far too dangerous to have you go with me. It is clear now that I cannot hope to hold off the Dark Hado. I will not risk your lives to help me battle this darkness. This is my battle."

Ryu then began to walk away from the ponies, not bothering to seek out his bag filled with his belongings. Then Filthy Rich stepped forward and cleared his throat, getting Ryu to turn around to face the stallion.

"Then I will go with you," he said with a strength that Ryu had never seen in his eyes before.

"As I said, it is far too dangerous for you to go with me. I will only harm you in the long run," Ryu reminded Filthy. "You have a family. You have a wife and daughter that-"

"Is only alive because of you," Filthy finished for Ryu, with a tone that was powerful enough to temporarily silence Ryu. "I know what I saw in the arena three days ago Ryu. I saw a destructive force the like of which Equestria has only faced a hoofful of times. But I also know what I saw when we traveled with you. I saw a kind man who always tried to help those that needed it and was always willing to be a friend. And if you are telling me that I have to watch the man that saved my daughter and rescued my family from debt go and fight a demon that seeks to consume his soul all on his own...then you must think little of me if you believe that I'll stand by and watch."

"Filthy, your family-"

"This is my decision, Ryu. Saving my daughter has placed me into your debt. A debt that I will never be able to repay, but one that I will do my best to," Filthy said with complete conviction as he stared up at Ryu, who found the strength of the ponies words surprising. "I am a grown stallion that can make his own decisions and this is what I have decided. You did not abandon us when we faced our demons, so I will be there when you face yours."

"Same with me," Diamond Tiara agreed as she ran up beside her father, glaring up at Ryu with a look he had gotten used to. "You're our fighter. That means we take care of you whenever you need help. But more importantly, you're our friend. And that means we'd face an army of demons alongside you. Don't try to get rid of us, because you can't."

Ryu glance down at the two of them, trying to think of something that would cause them to see how dangerous he was, how it would be best if they left him alone. But he could see in their eyes their conviction and strength, a strength that he could not hope to bring down with words alone. He then held up a fist and felt no trace of the Dark Hado flowing through his veins.

'It will be a while before it truly returns. And if I cannot get them to see the folly of their words, then it would be best to have them with me during this grace period,' Ryu figured as he tightened his fist, making a silent vow to himself. 'But I feel myself slipping against its power for even a moment, especially with them around, then I will take the only option left for me. I have to keep them safe above all else.'

"Very well," Ryu agreed after a moment of silence, before holding up a hand. "But only if am I kept as far away from you as possible during this trip. And I also want the two of you to promise me, if you see me begin to give in, that you will kill me without a moments hesitation."

The filly and stallion stared up at him with wide eyes, but from the stare Ryu was giving them they saw how serious he was. They both nodded weakly, yet Ryu was still uncertain if this was the right decision. 'But each second I wait around here debating is another moment the Dark Hado gets stronger. I need to find the elder as soon as possible.'

"We agreed to your terms Ryu, but I have a term of my own," Filthy said. "I want you to promise that you will not try to tackle this demon by yourself. You have us there to support you. You are our friend. And we will help you in anyway that we can."

"Very well, I agree to your terms...my friends. Now let us go. We need to move."