The Wandering Warrior

by Onomonopia

Spiders

Each hoofstep by the team pulling the carriage echoed throughout the eerie forest that wrapped around the ponies, who glanced in every direction at every sound they heard. A thick fog covered the path before them, obscuring their already limited vision and the sounds that came from within the woods made their manes stand on end.

Even within the carriage, the ponies inside couldn't fine peace within their walls. Filthy Rich tried to distract himself by reading his magazine about money monthly, but the constant screeching of the owls tested his nerves. Spoiled tried to turn her nose up at her fear, but hungry growls constantly made her head hang slightly. Tiara was the most nervous of the bunch and had decided to hide underneath of a brick house to keep herself safe. And Ryu was doing his best not to step on said filly as he practiced training, hardly noticing the sounds.

"Diamond Tiara, while I do enjoy your company I will have to ask you to move," Ryu said to the filly after another close call, nearly stepping on her head when his foot came down from a kick. Tiara peeked out from beneath Ryu with terrified eyes, yet the emotion was not reflected in his. "You are interrupting my training, but more importantly your safety is at risk if you are too close to me. Can you not hide somewhere else?"

"Hmm...hide someplace else where whatever is out there can get ahold of me...OR I can hide next to the warrior that can throw fireballs and punched out a dragon in a single hit," Tiara considered before she wrapped herself around one of Ryu's legs as another animal howled. "Yeah-no, I'm staying right here. Consider me an ankle weight or something."

Ryu sighed with frustration, but as he figured it would be pointless trying to move her he decided to continue his training. 'Very well, I can turn this into practice. I will simply train as if I have lost my right lower leg and focus on keeping my balance while fighting.'

Ryu lifted his right leg slightly off of the ground, getting Tiara to tighten her grip, before he began to practice blocking and then countering with a punch. Tiara watched him practice his single legged fighting, occasionally holding on tighter when he hopped forward or backward with his left leg.

"Whoa, hold on a second! If you even think about throwing a kick with me on here I promise there will be consequences!" Tiara informed Ryu when she spied his left leg tense. "Seriously, I will bite you." Ryu growled slightly, before sighing in resignation and looking down at her.

"For supposedly being my manager, you are not helping me in my training," Ryu informed her. Tiara replied by sticking out her tongue, only to yelp a moment later when the carriage came to a dead stop. Ryu snapped his head up before he marched towards the door, forgetting of the filly that was still attached to him. "We're here."

"Already? But I thought it was going to be at least another hour," Filthy muttered before another howl caused him to shut his mouth. Without any of the fear the others held, Ryu walked to the door and threw it open. A wave of fog rolled right into the carriage, causing the Riches to cling to each other while the warrior stared out into the fog.

"I can feel it. There's something out there," Ryu muttered to himself before he glanced back at Filthy. "Stay here. I will do this alone." Filthy nodded, but Ryu was already out the door. He passed by the trembling carriage pullers and marched straight into the fog, being led by his senses and not just his eyes. He closed his eyes for a moment to feel out where he needed to go, before snapping his head to the left and marching into the fog.

'Here. This is where I need to go' he decided as he came to the entrance of a large cave, one that howled with what could be interpreted as the sounds of other fallen warriors. Ryu hardened his face at the cries of those that had fallen and marched on inside, being consumed by the darkness almost immediately. Even with senses practically honed to perfection, even Ryu found himself unable to see where he was going. "Not good. This darkness is too strong. Even I can't see through this."

"Well good freaking job. Not only are we lost in the creepy woods, but now we're lost in a dark cave!" Ryu glanced down right as a light shone from his right leg, revealing the face of a very annoyed filly. "Well come on Ryu, don't just stand around gawking. Let's go deeper into this cave and find whatever wants to kill us."

"What are you doing?" Ryu asked her, a look of bafflement on his face as Tiara swung the flashlight around while still keeping a grip like steel on his leg. "Do you not know how dangerous it is to be here?"

"Oh I'm sorry, but by the time I realized what you were doing I was in the middle of the woods filled with Faust knows what and I sure as hell wasn't letting go there!" Tiara barked up at him before shining the light forward. "Be grateful that I carry a few tools with me incase I ever do get lost, like this flashlight. Now let's go get whatever you need to get before I completely freak out."

Ryu wanted to send her back, able to feel how dangerous this place was, but he also knew she was right in saying that it was far more dangerous out there without him than in here with him. With another sigh of defeat, as well as realizing that she had become his boss in a way, Ryu marched on into the cave.

"Man this place is creepy," Tiara muttered through chattering teeth as she shined her light in all directions, yelping when she startled some bats. The bats screeched as they took to the air all at once and swarmed by Ryu's face, but his stalwart expression didn't change in the slightest as the beast flew past him. "Wow, all those bats and you didn't even blink. How in the heck do you not freak out?"

"I am not afraid of bats. Nor the dark or the creatures in the dark," Ryu explained to the filly in a calm tone. "The only thing that I am truly afraid of is the power within me. Nothing else aside from that will-" Ryu stopped dead midsentence, causing Tiara to raise an eyebrow before she followed where he was staring. Her eyes and light both rested upon a large spider web, which waved weakly in the cave winds. She then glanced up at Ryu's stunned face, a sinister smile spreading across hers as she put two and two together.

"Hey Ryu, I think there's a spider on my back. Can you get it off?" she teased, giggling to herself when Ryu glanced down at her with a hint of apprehension in his eyes. Ryu then shook his head and closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling for a few moments before his eyes snapped back open and he moved further into the cave. The two moved on in silence for a long time, until both Ryu and Tiara noticed a new light source at the end of the tunnel.

"Hey Ryu, do you see that?"

"I do. And I don't like it," Ryu muttered as they approached. Another turn lead the two to a massive chamber, one that had a single beam of light coming down from a crack in the ceiling. Five pillars ascended into the sky, holding up the brittle ceiling that Ryu noticed seem to be covered in more darkness than the rest of the room, despite the beam of light. As Ryu reached the entrance to the chamber, he reached down and pried Diamond Tiara off of his leg, setting the confused filly down next to one of the pillars. "Stay here. And if things go bad, run."

"What do you mean "go bad"?" Tiara asked, but Ryu had already walked away from her to the center of the room. His eyes glanced around to every corner of the room, arms raised in his fighting stance as he prepared himself.

"Well what do we have here? A being not of this world has wandered into my den?"

Ryu's eyes snapped up towards the ceiling just in time to see a being slowly descending from above, twirling around on a web that gleamed in the beam of light. Ryu felt a shiver go up his spine when he saw that the being had eight legs and was dangerously close to an arachnid. But what staved off his fear was that the upper half of the being was more pony like, but far hairier.

"Oh, not prey but a warrior. Haven't had one of those in a long while," the being said in a feminine voice as she landed without a sound before Ryu, turning her head towards him to reveal eight eyes and a pair of mandibles that clicked as she moved. "Now are you here to seek what treasures I hold? Or simply here to try and kill me like all the others?"

"I have no desire for any treasure. Nor do I wish to take your life," Ryu managed to say as he fought down his shivers. "I am here because another warrior told me that there is a test here I need to pass. A test that will show me my future and the man I will become...or the demon that will consume me." Tiara tilted her head at Ryu's words, not sure if she had heard him right, but then the spider pony clicked her mandibles in delight.

"Oh, the test. I haven't had anypony take the test in such a long time," the spider pony cackled with joy as she clicked her hooves together. Ryu kept an eye on her as she started to walk around him, able to feel all eight of her eyes upon him as she walked. "In order to take this test, you will have to withstand a considerable amount of pain. But it will most likely reveal what you will become..."

"If it helps me to become a better warrior...and perhaps to finally find peace within myself, then I will withstand any pain," Ryu promised. "Inflict whatever pain you wish upon me. I will not succumb to it."

"If you insist."

The spider pony hissed before lunging forward and biting Ryu right on his neck. Ryu roared with pain before spinning around and swinging at the spider pony with all of his might. But his fist did not strike the spider. Instead, his fist was caught...by himself.

"What?" Ryu asked as he stared at himself. The other Ryu was older, indicated by the beard with grey hairs in it, along with the fact that his outfit was shredded and only his pants remained intact. Yet Ryu found himself slightly unnerved by the fact that he couldn't see the other Ryu's eyes...or that the hole in his chest had returned. Ryu ripped his hand free of the others grasp, taking up his fighting stance. "Showing me myself? I thought this test was supposed to be special. I've seen this before."

The Ryu said nothing in reply. He instead slowly lifted his head until he was "looking" right at Ryu...before his eyes snapped open to reveal twin crimson eyes. Ryu had just a moment to register what was happening before the bearded Ryu let out a howl of fury, throwing his arms to the side as an explosion of power erupted from his body. A power that Ryu knew all too well.

"This cannot be!" Ryu roared over the roar of the power. Bearded Ryu hurled himself towards Ryu, who barely lifted his arms in time to deflect the massive right fist that slammed into his arms. Ryu growled as he was sent skidding backwards, barely managing to stop himself before the monster was upon him again. Ryu shot both of his palms down to catch his foes knee, before raising his right arm to block an elbow strike to the back of the head.

"HADOUKEN!" Ryu roared as he slammed his wrists together and created a ball of power, driving it forward right into the raging Ryu's stomach. Yet the moment the ball of energy left his palms, the other Ryu vanished and the hadouken shot into the wall. Ryu realized what his foe had done the second before a fist plunged through his chest, causing Ryu to gasp in pain before he slowly turned his head to look behind him at his foe.

"This...cannot be me..." Ryu stammered out as pain flooded his body. "I...would never..."

"Succumb."

Ryu roared with pain as blast of murderous darkness erupted from his foes fist, consuming his body with pain and agony. Under the endless torrent of pain and darkness, Ryu could barely find the strength to stand, let alone fight. And then he felt an erupting of his own. An eruption of darkness from within. With a bellow that was far more bestial than any of the creatures outside of the cave, he tore himself off of his foes hand and turned around...only to find himself alone in the chamber.

'W-what...was...that?' Ryu asked himself, before he held a hand to where the hole had been in his chest. He sighed with relief when he found that he was still in one piece, but then he felt the rage and darkness within trying to break free. Ryu then dropped to his knees, taking in numerous deep breaths as sweat poured from his face. 'I've...fought the demon within before...but never like that.'

"Ryu?" a voice filled with fear and terror whispered from the shadows. Ryu lifted his head towards the voice to see Tiara staring at him from the shadows, her body trembling with fear.

"How very interesting. I can see why Zecora sent you," the spider pony said from behind Ryu, who was too tired to turn to face her. "There's a side of you that you wish to defeat, but it seems that your future is that you become this demon instead," the spider whispered into Ryu's ear so only he could hear it. Ryu let out a weak sigh before placing a hand on his face, wiping the sweat away from his face.

"I need to train harder. I can't let the demon win," Ryu whispered to himself.

"That may delay the inevitable, but eventually you may succumb," the spider pony whispered as she started to walk up the side of the wall. "There is a storm within you Ryu. A storm that can destroy everything in it's path. If you wish for my advice...seek out the elder in the Mystic Woods. Perhaps they can guide you."

Ryu finally glanced over his shoulder to see that the spider had moved into the shadows, leaving him alone with Tiara in the chamber. Ryu pushed himself up to his feet, feeling completely drained of all of his strength. He slowly walked over to Tiara, glancing down at her to see that she still held fear in her eyes.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"You...went into a frenzy. I've never heard you...scream before," Tiara whispered back, Ryu nodding his head with understanding. "For a moment, it seemed like you were possessed."

"And that is the last thing I want to happen."

Comments

[cyberlord4444]

Well then, the old Dagohbah test huh, can't say I'm surprised, but it's an excellent variant.

[Roxia]

Very interesting

[Uzume Tennouboshi]

So, besides the Satsui no Hado within him, looks like Ryu also fears spiders, to a certain extent.

Ooh, the result of that trial does not sound promising for our warrior. Here's hoping the elder of the Mystic Woods can help him.

Also, nice nod to the Bearded Ryu DLC in Street Fighter V! I assume that's what you were going for there, at least.

[NotreallyaBrony]

How is it that simply changing a few body parts can make a aracnophobic get less nervous about a clearly aracnhid monster? i have this phobia and surprisingly in not nervous about scorpions, spidergirls, man-spider, yet show a locked up tarantule and inget the goosebumps.

also, i see the little detail about beard Ryu.

[Doctorfoxwolf]

Spider-Pone, Spider-Pone,
Does whatever a Spider-Pone does.
Can she swing from a web?
No, she can't, she's a pone,
Look out, she is a Spider-Pone!

[Animefan608]

Made me think Juri was gonna be in this chapter at first.

[Fireeaters]

You know, I sort of expected some sort of gauntlet or obstacle course to be waiting for Ryu. I didn't expect a spider lady to just bite him into a venom-induced premonition. Then again, it would have probably been very similar to your other story, in which Zecora sends the protagonist out into the Everfree to gain strength.

[Dirty Bit]

I'm getting some Samurai Jack vibes from this chapter. Not so much from the test, but where he's to go next. Which is funny, considering that this author did a Samurai Jack fic

7477714 Same here!

[Greatazuredragon]

Nice chapter but I think it went a little too quickly.
He should had to have faced at least something before the trial.

[HIEfan]

"I will bite you...seriously" God i loved that line.

[Tuong Lu Kim]

It's the spider insider. How does she afford her living? Is she a free rider? Does she bootleg cider?

[Mad as a Hatter]

7484699
Actually yes, the spider does bootleg cider, the labels all read "Boat Nectar" for some reason and it tastes aged.

[PrismStrike]

*throws likes at author*