Mortal Kombat: Equestria

by Green Akers

Flyer And Ice

As cameras flashed from all directions, a convey of black SUVs made their way through the streets of Washington, DC, eventually stopping in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. A team of large, unsmiling men in crisp black suits exited the vehicles and stood by as one of the SUV drivers opened their passenger door for the visiting dignitary he was carrying: Princess Celestia of Equestria.

"Salutations, people of America!" Celestia called out to the gathered masses as she stepped out of the vehicle. "May all of you be blessed with the magic of friendship!"

The suited men quickly directed the princess through the front entrance of the Capitol Building, as nearby television correspondents began setting the scene for their respective networks. "In what has to be a historical first," one reporter narrated, "the leader of a foreign nation has agreed to stand before a Congressional committee and answer questions regarding the recent developments at the latest Mortal Kombat tournament. Analysts expect lawmakers to press Equestria's ruler for assurances that the defeat of Earth's champions will not adversely affect national security."

In short order, Princess Celestia found herself at a small wooden table in the middle of a large room, facing a committee of lawmakers that sat behind a long desk spanning nearly the entire width of the room. "You've got a nice setup here," she remarked to one of the suited men, "but the decor is a bit drab. Perhaps you should re-decorate with some more vibrant colors, hmm?"

The chair of the committee banged a gavel on his desk to call for order. "State your name for the record, please," he instructed the princess.

"I am Princess Celestia," Celestia proclaimed, "the fair and beloved ruler of Equestria."

"The committee requested that your sister and fellow ruler Princess Luna attend as well," the committee chair noted, gesturing to an empty seat next to Celestia. "Why did you come alone?"

"Well, somepony has to stay home to rule the country," Celestia explained. "Besides, when Luna gets involved in one of her marathon Halo matches, she goes completely deaf to the world around her. Can you believe she completely missed the last invasion we had? I mean, here we are in the middle of a crisis, and..."

"That will be enough, Princess," the chair interrupted. "Now then...are you the one who authorized the entry of six ponies and one baby dragon into the current Mortal Kombat Tournament?"

"Gosh...'authorized' is so strong a word," the princess offered. "I like 'encouraged' better. ...Ooh! Or how about 'cajoled'? That has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Yeah, let's go with that one."

"Princess, please!" the committee chair chided Celestia. "I trust that you realize the seriousness of this matter."

"...Not really, no," the princess replied. "So the Earth's greatest champions got royally owned by a couple of my subjects. So what?"

"So what?" another committee member shouted, rising from their chair in frustration. "So what? My dear Princess, do you have any idea what could happen if Shao Kahn were to triumph in the tournament? It would mean enslavement, desolation, the end of civilization as we know it! In short, it would be an absolute catastrophe!"

"Pfft." Celestia dismissed the congressman's concern with a wave of her hoof. "Like that'll ever happen."

"How can you be so sure?" another committee member inquired.

"Look," Celestia offered, "as we have all witnessed thus far, the subjects I sent to the tournament are strong, tough-minded individuals who are more than capable of laying upon Shao Kahn the smackdown he so rightfully deserves. They are the wielders of the Elements of Harmony - which, if you didn't know, are artifacts that possess the most powerful magic in Equestria - and have vanquished some of our nation's greatest enemies."

"And just who are these 'enemies' that you speak of?" the committee chair asked. "Surely Equestria has never known a threat as great or powerful as the emperor of Outworld."

"Are you kidding?" Celestia shot back. "Tell me this: When was the last time one of your enemies threatened to shroud your planet in eternal night, or render all of physics null and void and make chocolate rain down from the sky?"

"Actually," one committee member admitted, "North Korea threatens us like that at least once a week."

"Regardless," Celestia continued, "all of these nightmare scenarios have actually come to pass in recent years, and every time, my champions - the same ponies who are right now working their way through all of Kahn's ne'er-do-wells - have challenged those responsible and walked away victorious. Seriously, if they can mop the floor with the embodiment of chaos itself...a pithy little shapeshifter like Sheng Tongue, or whatever his name is, doesn't have a chance."

Silence filled the chamber as Celestia finished. "Therefore," she concluded, "I'd like to respectfully request that the members of this committee take a chill pill, count backwards from 10, and realize that it's all going to be okay, and that you're clear to spend time on more important business, like Tom Cruise's divorce or your fantasy football team."

The gallery began buzzing with conversation as they processed Celestia's comments. "Order!" the committee chair demanded, banging his gavel to no avail. "I will have order!"

"Allow me," Celestia offered, turning to the gallery and taking a deep breath. "LET'S HAVE SOME ORDER AROUND HERE, HUH?" she thundered, shattering eardrums and cracking windows with a voice twenty times its normal volume.

The room, predictably, fell dead silent, as not even the crickets dared to make a sound. "That...that will be...be all, Princess," the stunned committee chair finally managed to say.

Celestia smiled as she stood up from her chair. "Luna's not the only pony who can use the Royal Canterlot Voice," she chuckled.

---

Morning came early on Shao Kahn's island, but for the remaining members of the Equestrian contingent, it brought with it a sense of purpose, and a renewed commitment to getting the job done. With a picturesque sunrise for a backdrop, the five ponies that remained unbeaten emerged from their hut and made their way to where the early third-round matches were displayed, trotting confidently by the other huts in a V-formation as the theme from Rocky filled the air.

Not everypony found the musical accompaniment soothing. "Pinkie, please!" Twilight insisted, shooting a glare at her friend as the party pony worked her way through the chorus on the trumpet she was holding. "I'm trying to think!"

"Oopsies," Pinkie Pie apologized, stashing her trumpet in the same mysterious place she kept her party cannon. "Sorry about that."

"Aw, let her play, Twilight," Rainbow Dash implored, flexing and preening for the fighters that had come outside wondering what the racket was all about. "We're just letting these dopes know that we were here!"

"Yeah, well, we won't be here if we start playin' around and takin' this here tournament lightly," Applejack cautioned her friends. "Besides, Rainbow, you toot your own horn loud enough already - you don't need Pinkie to do it for you."

Finally, the quintet reached the bracket bulletin board, only to find that Shing Tsung was once again late posting the early-round matches. "Good grief!" Rainbow sputtered. "Are we gonna have wait around for that doofus again?"

"Keep your feathers on!" Shing could be heard yelling from around the corner. "I'm coming!"

The ponies looked on with unimpressed expressions as Shing hustled over to the bulletin board. "Son of a shapeshifter..." Shing Tsung muttered. "I mean, what's with you ponies? Can't you just sleep in like everybody else?"

"Hey, we got places to go and baddies to smite!" Rainbow declared, pounding her chest with her hoof. "So spill the beans already!"

"Fine..." Deciding to try and get the ponies off his back before doing anything else, Shing unrolled his list of updates and quickly scanned for any sign of the fillies. "That's weird..." he finally offered. "They've got you down for just one fight today." He pointed at Rainbow Dash. "Looks like you're fighting Sub-Zero after all."

Rainbow jumped into the air and went nose-to-nose with Shing. "No fooling?" she demanded. "Is this legit, or are you seeing things again?"

"Well, I mean, see for yourself," Shing answered, holding out his scroll to show that not only were Sub-Zero and Rainbow slated to battle, they were the very first pairing on the list.

Twilight took note of the time written next to the pairing. "The battle's at high noon today," she announced. "And you said nopony else is fighting today, correct?"

"So far," Shing replied. "I mean, they haven't announced the primetime fight yet, but this is all I've got."

"It's all we'll need, too!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed, drawing an eye roll from her companions. "I'm gonna crush that chilly cad into cubes, and use him to keep my apple cider cool!"

Rarity could only shake her head in response. "And to think," she observed, "Fluttershy was worried about Rainbow's confidence level."

Rainbow Dash turned away from Shing and made a beeline for a group of cumulus clouds floating high in the sky above the group. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she called out behind her, "I've got some training to do!" Halfway to the clouds, however, the pegasus stopped and turned back to face her friends. "AND TELL PINKIE PIE TO LEAVE ME SOME CIDER!" she demanded.

Pinkie Pie looked over at Twilight. "Should I tell her I..."

"...drank it all last night?" Twilight finished Pinkie's question. "Maybe after her fight."

---

Sub-Zero, for his part, was getting in his own last-minute workout, training on one of the island's remote beaches with a team of generic-looking ninjas dressed in black from head to toe. "Whenever you are ready," he informed the others.

One of the ninjas nodded, pulled a whistle from his pocket, and blew into it with all his might. Three other ninjas carrying football pads immediately rushed the icy ninja, while several hundred feet down the beach, five more ninjas each hurled a clay disc high into the air.

Rather than waiting for his challengers, Sub-Zero instead charged the attacking ninjas, who stood between him and the disc throwers. He channeled his inner Barry Sanders to juke past the first attacker, performed a slick spin move to get around the second one, then simply leveled the third attacker with a single punch to the face. After taking a moment to locate the discs in the air, he took a deep breath, summoned his icy magic, and methodically shot each disc with an ice shard, causing them to shatter. "Too easy," he proclaimed, admiring his work.

The two ninjas Sub-Zero had dodged, however, now turned and rushed back towards their target while his back was turned. Sub-Zero anticipated the move, however, and swung around at the last moment with a vicious roundhouse kick that caught both ninjas on the ends of their respective noses and sent them sprawling to the ground. "And you call yourselves ninjas," he chided his attackers. "I could hear you coming a mile away."

A slow clapping sound off to Sub-Zero's right caught the icy ninja's attention, and he turned to see Shang Tsung walking towards him. "Very impressive, my friend," the sorcerer credited Sub-Zero, "but also insufficient. There can be no hesitation when facing the speed of your next opponent."

"First of all," Sub-Zero corrected, "I am not your friend. Second, I am fully aware that my opponent makes Usain Bolt look slow - why do you think I got up early this morning and spent two hours working the speed bag in the castle gym?"

"It's not going to be that simple," Shang Tsung warned his colleague. "The rainbow pony is among the strongest of the group, and is certainly the fastest. You will need to stay alert and keep you wits about you to keep up with her."

"As if that wasn't true about facing any fighter," Sub-Zero muttered, turning his back to the sorcerer. "Your concern is touching," he commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "but my victory is already assured."

"Oh really?" Shang Tsung inquired. "Pray tell, then: How exactly did you draw that little conclusion?"

"Three reasons," Sub-Zero enumerated. "For one, this rainbow pony is mentally weak - she can be infuriatingly arrogant one moment, and racked with self-doubt the next. Neither of these states are conducive to victory."

"Go on..." Shang Tsung instructed.

"Second," Sub-Zero continued, "this pony thinks that she is fighting just another mortal - albeit the coolest dude since Lord Kelvin - and that for the most part, my behavior will mirror that of an ordinary human." The icy ninja tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "Let's just say I plan to...challenge these assumptions."

Shang Tsung rolled his eyes, noting that Sub-Zero's statement was also an assumption.

"Finally..." Sub-Zero reached into his pocket, pulled out a portable gaming device, and powered it on. After about thirty awkward seconds of tapping buttons, Sub-Zero held the device out towards Shang Tsung, just as the screen depicted a large bird being attacked by something that looked like a giant ice cream cone. "You see?" Sub-Zero asked, as the on-screen bird fainted. "Ice attacks are super-effective against flying foes. The pony is as good as toast."

Shang Tsung eyed the gaming device with suspicion. "Isn't that Scorpion's DS?" he finally inquired.

"Why, yes!" Sub-Zero acknowledged. "I 'borrowed' it after he was defeated by the ponies. Pulling the DS back and looking down at the screen. the ninja smiled an evil smile behind his mask. "I didn't think this game was challenging enough," he cackled, "so I released all of Scorpion's legendary Pokemon and replaced them with level-two Pidgeys. Now it's much harder!"

Shang Tsung facepalmed. "Scorpion is going to burn every Scrabble board you own when he gets back," he predicted.

"Pshaw," Sub-Zero scoffed, as he stuffed the DS back into his pocket and turned to leave. "When I win this tournament," he declared, "I will make Scorpion chop down one of these infernal palm trees, and carve me a hundred new boards out of the wood."

Shang Tsung scowled as he watched Sub-Zero walk away. "And he thinks the pony can be infuriatingly arrogant," he muttered to himself. "Do not count your chickens before they hatch, Sub-Zero, for if the pony does not destroy you...I will."

---

The bout between Rainbow Dash and Sub-Zero was scheduled to be fought within an underground temple buried deep within the mountains of the island. The trip from the huts to the temple entrance was long and treacherous (and was made even longer by Rainbow's incessant griping that she 'had better have room to stretch her wings'), but eventually the pony quintet managed to navigate the temple's maze of underground passages, and arrived at a large, dark chamber, whose walls were covered in strange runes and ornate carvings.

The wall decorations immediately caught Twilight's attention. "Incredible!" she gasped, rushing around the room to take in each and every detail. "This must have been the ceremonial hall for some ancient civilization!" She stopped at a section of wall that was completely covered in runes, and stared intently at the letters. "This is probably some sort of important prayer or chant," she hypothesized, wishing she had brought her quill and paper to write it down. "I wonder what it says..."

Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof at another section of wall, where the runes had been covered by an obscene word written in red spray paint. "I can translate that one for you," she noted dryly.

"Brrrr!" Applejack started to shiver. "Good golly, it's cold down here!" she exclaimed. "It ain't like the cave I was fightin' in, that's for sure!"

Rarity reached into her saddlebags (which she had insisted on bringing along for the trip) and pulled out her trusty pink scarf. "This is why a girl always packs extra accessories," she declared, drawing a eye roll from her companions.

Within a few minutes, Sub-Zero arrived on the scene. "Hmph," he grumbled, "I see the peanut gallery has already arrived."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash shot back. "Well, if you think you've got a shot at winning today, you're the one who's nuts!"

After another minute of Sub-Zero and Rainbow Dash staring each other down, Shang Tsung and the battle referee appeared at the chamber entrance. "It seems we're a little late to the party," Shang Tsung commented. "Let's not keep them waiting any longer, shall we?"

The referee nodded. "Your attention please!" she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the chamber. "This third-round battle is about to begin!" She extended a hand towards Rainbow Dash. "In this corner," she announced, "one of the fastest fliers in Equestria, and certainly the only one classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction...Miss Rainbow Dash!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Rainbow bowed to an imaginary crowd, as the remote location and freezing cold had kept any spectators from coming. "Please, no autographs until after the match!"

"And in this corner," the referee continued, extending her other arm towards Sub-Zero, "a cold-blooded assassin who moonlights as a freezer repairman, ice cream taste tester, and amateur Scrabble player between tournaments..."

"What do you mean, 'amateur'?" Sub-Zero fumed. "I'm the reigning Scrabble world champion!"

"Outworld champion," Shang Tsung clarified. "You got trashed by Stephen Hawking in the Earth championship quarterfinals, remember?"

"Only because he put 'chronophage' on a Triple Word Score box," Sub-Zero complained.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Egghead," she muttered to herself.

"Ahem!" The referee cleared her throat loudly to regain everyone's attention and finish her speech. "Introducing Sub-Zero! Now then...combatants ready?"

"Yes," Sub-Zero acknowledged. "This pony's tournament ends now."

"Bring it on, Ice Cube!" Rainbow Dash responded.

"Very well then." The referee clapped her hands together. "FIGHT!"

"Let me introduce you to my little friends Fast and Furious!" Rainbow Dash shouted, leaping into the air (though remaining only a few feet from the ground) and rushing towards her opponent with her front hooves outstretched.

Sub-Zero's hands began to glow bright blue. "I'd stay on the ground if I were you," he advised Rainbow, "for this battle's forecast calls for some treacherous flying weather." Sub-Zero threw his hands in the pony's direction, and a stream of ice shards began shooting from his fingertips.

"Whoa!" Rainbow quickly hit the brakes and began bobbing and weaving to avoid the ice. "Yipes! Hey! Careful with those!" she objected.

"You cannot avoid me forever!" Sub-Zero insisted, continuing to fire away. "Dance, pony, dance!"

"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie replied, sweeping Applejack off of her hooves. "C'mon, AJ, let's polka!"

"What in tarnation?" Applejack sputtered. "Knock it off, Pinkie! He was talkin' to Rainbow, not you!"

"I know!" Pinkie answered. "Dancing's just fun!"

For her part, Rainbow Dash was having no trouble avoiding Sub-Zero's projectiles. "Nah nah na nah nah, you can't hit me!" she taunted, styling up her dodges with a spin or two.

"Perhaps you'd like to up the ante then!" Sub-Zero snarled, bringing his hands together and channeling his icy powers to generate a larger, basketball-sized chunk of ice.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow shot back, as Sub-Zero flung the icy ball in her direction. "Check this out!"

As the projectile approached, Rainbow Dash bent over backward in a Matrix-like pose, and the icy ball passed harmlessly over her, albeit mere centimeters from her stomach and nose. "Hah!" the pegasus roared in triumph, turning and watching the ball smash against the wall behind her. "You're gonna have to be faster than that if you want to..."

KAPOW! Taking advantage of the opening Rainbow had left him, Sub-Zero quickly skated over and planted a fist in Rainbow's cheek just as she was turning back towards him, sending the pegasus sailing backwards. "Is that fast enough for you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Uhhh..." Rainbow Dash groaned, finding herself upside down against the same wall the ice ball had crashed into. Shaking the stars from her eyes, she snapped to attention at the sight of Sub-Zero closing in for another attack. "EEYAH!" she screamed, pushing herself off the ground and into the air to avoid the blow.

Noting Rainbow's inverted position, Sub-Zero had planted his foot and aimed a David Beckham special at the pony's nose. Rainbow's evasive maneuver, however, meant that there was now nothing left to kick but a ten-foot-thick stone wall.

Sub-Zero's eyes nearly popped out of his head as his foot connected with the wall. "AAAAHHHH!" he howled, grabbing his sore foot and doing a one-legged-holy-cow-that-hurt dance around the chamber.

"Whoa! Now that's a cool dance step!" Pinkie commented, rushing over to Sub-Zero and copying his technique.

Applejack shook her head in disbelief. "C'mon, Rainbow!" she called out to the pegasus, who was hovering in the air but still trying to regain her bearings. "Now's your chance!"

Rainbow smacked herself in the face with one of her hooves to try and regain her focus. "Right!" she agreed, making a beeline for her distracted opponent.

In the middle of hopping and cursing, however, Sub-Zero suddenly looked up to see Rainbow Dash bearing down on him. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted, conjuring a quick burst of magic and shooting his patented Ice Freeze attack at the pony.

"What the..." Rainbow Dash had no time to react, and quickly found herself frozen into a Rainbow Dash-sicle.

"Ha ha!" Sub-Zero laughed. "Let's see you dodge now, you..." Sub-Zero's smile disappeared from his face as he realized that while the ice had stopped Rainbow's movement, it had done nothing to slow her momentum, and that now he was being attacked by a frozen missile. "Gah! Pull up! Pull up!" he pleaded, trying to get out of the way but failing thanks to his injured foot.

SMASH! The sound of ice, pony, and ninja coming together echoed throughout the chamber, and both combatants found themselves piled in a heap on the floor. "Whee! Pony pile!" Pinkie Pie squealed, diving on top of the pile and drawing a facepalm/facehoof from all in attendance.

"Enough!" Sub-Zero growled, grabbing Rainbow and Pinkie by their tails and flinging them in opposite directions. "You, Miss Dash," he snarled, turning to face his opponent, "are beginning to make me angry!"

"And you aren't the brightest star in the sky," Rainbow Dash pointed out, making a dopey face and imitating Sub-Zero's voice. "'Oh, there's a pegasus coming at me? Let me freeze it so it hits me even harder! Durrr...'"

"Let's see you copy this!" Sub-Zero offered, firing another hail of ice at Rainbow Dash.

"Hah! That old trick again?" Rainbow laughed and began darting randomly about the chamber, easily dodging the ice shards. "Try again, loser - I could do this all day!" she proclaimed.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was significantly less happy with Sub-Zero's tactics. "Stop it!" she ordered, pointing to where the ice was hitting and damaging the chamber walls, rendering the ancient runes there illegible. "I haven't had a chance to study those yet!" she complained.

After another minute of effortless evasion, Rainbow Dash grew tired of Twilight's whining, and decided to wrap things up quickly. "You know," she pointed out, "I'm still lightning-quick up here, but I noticed that you aren't moving around so well. I say it's time we made you dance for a change!" With that, the pegasus zoomed over to a spot on the ceiling just above Sub-Zero's head, then reared back and kicked the ceiling with her back legs for all she was worth, causing a chunk of stone from the ceiling to break loose and fall.

"YAHHH!" Sub-Zero screamed, diving out of the way moments before the stone came down on his head. "Hey! Watch it!" he objected. "If that lands on my toe, you're really gonna get it!"

"Whatsamatter?" Rainbow Dash teased, jarring another section of ceiling loose. "Too much for a one-hoof wonder like you?"

Twilight, for her part, wasn't any happier with Rainbow's tactics than she was with Sub-Zero's. "Rainbow, stop!" she demanded. "Do you know what you're doing? You're destroying history!"

"No, I'm destroying lame ninjas!" Rainbow Dash corrected her friend, as she knocked down another ceiling chunk.

Sub-Zero quickly tired of the pony's game. "This has gone on long enough!" he thundered. "It is time to unleash my secret weapon..."

"Yeah, sure, whatev." Rainbow dismissed Sub-Zero's threat with a wave of her hoof, and prepared to kick out another ceiling shard.

Sub-Zero's hands began to glow again, but instead of summoning more ice to attack, the ninja began waving them around wildly, with each hand leaving a trail of ice hanging in the air as it moved. "You best be careful, Dash!" Applejack warned. "This rascal's fixin' up another frozen treat for you!"

"He'd better hurry!" Rainbow shouted back, as she continuing attacking the ceiling. "Scissors aren't the only thing rock beats!"

The battle turned into a race against time, as Sub-Zero tried to construct an icy defense before Rainbow could unleash her stone-cold attack. In the end, however, the pegasus was just too fast, and with one last kick, Rainbow Dash knocked loose a massive chunk of stone above her opponent. "Timmmmmberrrrr!" she shouted.

"No!" Sub-Zero proclaimed. "This is not how it ends!" Pressing his hands up against the meager ice shield he had built, he gritted his teeth, summoned all of his magic, and transferred it to his defenses. Within mere moments, the power infusion caused the ice to quadruple in strength and thickness, forming a complete hemisphere around Sub-Zero.

CRASH! Rainbow's rock smashed into the icy shield with a loud bang...and splintered into small pieces without making so much as a dent in the ice. "Oh, come on!" Rainbow griped. "That has to be against the rules!"

From his vantage point next to the referee, Shang Tsung could only sigh and shrug. "Well, you know what they say: Defense wins championships," he offered.

Rainbow Dash flew down to the frozen hemisphere and started banging on it with her hooves. "Hey! No fair hiding in an igloo!" she shouted. "Come out and fight like a real pony!"

Rainbow's word choice drew a giggle from Pinkie Pie. "He's not a pony, silly!" she pointed out.

"I don't care if he's a freaking centipede!" Rainbow replied, as she continuing pounding away on the ice. "Get out here, you coward!"

The awkward standoff went on for another minute or so, until Rainbow Dash finally threw up her hooves and gave up. "So...now what?" she asked the referee. "Do I win, or do we have to spend the next forty years waiting for this bozo to come out of his shell?"

"Well...er...I'm not sure," the referee admitted, looking over at Shang Tsung for guidance.

Shang Tsung shrugged again. "Give him a minute or so," he suggested. "I'd like to see just how special his 'secret weapon' really is."

"Fine," Rainbow Dash pouted, folding her hooves and beginning a staring contest with the icy shield. She did not have to wait long: Within seconds, a bright light began emanating from the center of the ice dome, and the structure suddenly exploded, sending ice flying in every direction.

"Yikes!" Rainbow cried out, pulling out her best spin-o-rama to avoid a large ice piece that came flying at her. "Okay, loser, it's time to...what the heck?" Her eyes doubled in size at the sight before her: Standing at the center of where the ice shield had been, laughing the most evil laugh he could muster, was Sub-Zero, sporting a notable addition to his usual attire - namely, a pair of large, icy wings.

"What do you say to this handiwork, eh, Miss Dash?" Sub-Zero asked the speechless pony. "Most people think ice is too cold and hard to work with, but I've always found it to be a rather flexible medium."

"What...how...where..." Rainbow Dash sputtered for a moment, then flew over to the referee. "Okay, this has got to be considered cheating, right?" she inquired.

"Sorry," Shang Tsung informed the pegasus. "There are no rules against powering yourself up via your own magic."

"Well, there ought to...whoa!" Rainbow dove out of the way of another ice ball. "Hey, I'm talking over here!" she screamed at a smirking Sub-Zero. "Haven't you ever heard of a referee timeout?"

"We don't have those, either," Shang Tsung pointed out.

"Enough stalling!" Sub-Zero thundered, charging the pegasus. "Prepare to meet your doom!"

Rainbow Dash ducked out of the way of Sub-Zero's errant fist. "You spend a gazillion years hiding under a glacier, and then accuse me of stalling?" she complained. "You have got to be the lamest ninja ever!"

"No matter!" Sub-Zero declared, throwing another punch but once again missing his target. "Now that the sky is within my reach, there is nowhere left for you to hide," he reasoned. "No more games, pony. It is time for us to end this battle, once and for all."

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, but stopped before she spoke, and a strange look appeared on her face. "Silence implies consent," Sub-Zero proclaimed, as he moved in for another attack.

As Rainbow deftly dodged Sub-Zero's advances, her expression slowly morphed into a small smirk. "You know what? No," she decided. "Later!" With that, the pegasus did her best Road Runner impression, zooming out of the chamber while leaving nothing but a rainbow-colored streak and a dust outline of her previous position.

"Wait...what?" Sub-Zero was caught flatfooted by the pony's retreat, and took a few seconds to realize exactly what had happened. "Hey! Wait a minute! Get back here!" he ordered, taking off in pursuit of his opponent.

"Come on, girls!" Applejack shouted to her compatriots. "There ain't no point in standin' around in this ice box anymore!"

"But...but...but I haven't finished looking at the runes yet!" Twilight objected, sighing as she followed her friends out of the chamber.

Shang Tsung cursed under his breath as both he and the referee mimicked the pony posse and headed for the exit. "This is what I get for eating before the match," he grumbled, as his stomach voiced its displeasure at being jostled.

---

Out in front of the pack, Rainbow Dash quickly re-traced her steps through the underground maze, and burst from the temple entrance a mere forty seconds after exiting the chamber. She cast a glance towards the sky, and scratched her chin with her hoof. "Hmm...seems like we've got a few too many clouds today," she observed, despite the fact that it was eighty-five degrees and there were at most five clouds in the sky. Still, Rainbow concluded that something had to be done, and she dashed up into the sky to execute her plan.

For his part, Sub-Zero was nowhere near as quick or graceful in making his way through the maze, zigzagging wildly down each corridor while trying to avoid smashing his fragile wings against the walls. It took him a good ten minutes to find his way out of the temple, causing an underground traffic jam as the rest of the battle observers backed up behind him. "Finally!" the ninja declared as he emerged from the temple. "Where are you, you pathetic scaredy-pony? When I get my hands on you..."

"It's about freaking time!" a voice from above called out. Sub-Zero looked up into the sky to see Rainbow Dash peering down at her opponent over the edge of a large cloud - the only one left in the sky, and a product of the smaller, scattered clouds that the pegasus had smashed together. "What's wrong - having trouble with your shiny new wings?" she teased.

"Allow me to come up there and show you!" Sub-Zero snarled, leaping and flying up to the cloud. Rainbow, however, simply blew a raspberry at the ninja as he approached, and ducked her head back behind the edge of the cloud.

"Prepare to have your face...huh?" Sub-Zero stopped in mid-taunt as he reached the cloud, discovering that there was nopony on it. "Blasted mini horse!" he roared. "Where have you gone this time?"

Rainbow's head emerged from the far side of the cloud in response. "Yoo-hoo! Over hee-yer!" she sang out.

"Why you little..." Sub-Zero rushed over to where Rainbow hid, but the pegasus sunk back into the cloud before he could attack. "Spineless equine!" Sub-Zero cursed. "When I'm finished with you, you'll be begging to be shipped to the glue factory!"

"Hey moron!" Rainbow shouted, popping up out of another remote part of the cloud. "Does your face hurt? 'Cause it's killing me!"

"Then hold still so my fists can get in on the action!" Sub-Zero demanded. He hurried over to face his opponent, but Rainbow dove back into the cloud before he got there.

The game of Whack-A-Rainbow continued for another four or five minutes, as Rainbow Dash continued popping out of the large cloud to insult Sub-Zero, then diving back into the cloud before the ninja could mount an attack. His fury building with every zinger, Sub-Zero tried everything he could think to try to find a successful strategy: fake-attacking to get the pegasus to appear close to him, hovering underneath the cloud to fool Rainbow Dash into sitting still for a moment, even trying to freeze the cloud with his icy magic (which only made the cloud start snowing). As time passed, however, he began to notice that flying around the cloud was getting harder and harder, although he attributed it to simple fatigue.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, knew the truth behind Sub-Zero's deteriorating flying skills. "Hey, Popsicle Breath! I think your wings are coming up a little...short," she pointed out, trying hard to keep from laughing.

"What are you talk...YAH!" Sub-Zero screamed as he looked at his wings, which had taken a beating from the sun's rays and melted to a quarter of their original size. "So this was your plan!" he accused.

Rainbow Dash could contain herself no longer, and she burst out laughing at the ninja's misfortune. "You'll never make it to the ground before those things give out!" she declared, waving a farewell hoof at her opponent. "See you next fall!"

"You fool," Sub-Zero snarled, letting out an evil laugh of his own. "I am the master of all things frozen! I can make wings big enough to redirect the freaking jet stream!" Once again calling upon his frostbitten powers, Sub-Zero reached back and placed his hands on his wings, then channeled his magic to began restoring the wings to their former glory, all the while managing to stay aloft with the wing stubs he had left.

"Seriously?" Rainbow sputtered in disbelief, as Sub-Zero repaired his icy wings. Diving back into the cloud for cover, the pegasus re-racked her brain for a new strategy. "What am I gonna do now?" she whispered to herself.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash heard a faint voice echoing in her mind: Rainbow...Rainbow Dash...

The owner of the voice caught Rainbow by surprise. "No way!" she exclaimed. "F...Fluttershy? Is that you?"

The voice continued on: He is vulnerable now. Empty the warrens. Sound the battle cry. Attack. Destroy. Inflict maximal pain.

"Okay, definitely not Fluttershy," Rainbow reasoned. "Still...I like the way you think."

Meanwhile, above the cloud, Sub-Zero was nearly finished fixing his icy wings. "It will not be long now," he proclaimed. "Soon I shall have you at my mercy, pony, and then..."

"Surprise!" Rainbow shouted, bursting from the cloud just underneath Sub-Zero with her hoof outstretched and aimed at the ninja's jaw.

BOOM! Rainbow Dash struck paydirt in the form of a devastating uppercut, catching Sub-Zero under the chin and erasing any and all green that was left in his health bar. "Ooh, toasty!" Pinkie Pie offered, as she watched the action through a set of binoculars.

"Oh my," Rarity commented, watching as Sub-Zero fell back to earth. "Perhaps somepony should do something before he hits the ground?"

"I got him," Shang Tsung replied, scurrying off in the direction of Sub-Zero's landing point. "You might as well call this one - it's over," he called back to the referee.

"Very well," the referee agreed. "The match is over! Rainbow Dash wins!"

"Aw, yeah!" Rainbow rejoiced, dashing back down to join her friends on the ground. "These bums haven't found the rainbow's end just yet!" she declared triumphantly.

"Rainbow, that was amazing!" Twilight gushed. "Luring Sub-Zero outside to make his wings melt? Brilliant!"

"Indeed," Rarity seconded. "I would never have imagined that you would come up with such a cerebral strategy."

"Thanks, gir...hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow demanded, wheeling on Rarity.

"Oh...er, nothing," Rarity replied.

---

Shang Tsung quickly made his way over to where he thought Sub-Zero would land, beating the ninja there by a good two thousand feet. "Let's see," Shang Tsung considered, "given the current wind speed and direction, and accounting for gravitational force..." He walked over to a nearby sandy knoll and drew an X in the sand with his foot. "He should end up right here," he concluded, "and it's a good thing I made it in time - at his current pace, he'll be putting the terminal in terminal velocity."

His calculations complete, Shang Tsung pulled a smartphone from his pocket, switched it to camera mode, and proceeded to film Sub-Zero as the ninja faceplanted hard upon the X, creating a impression in the sand of the ninja's body that was ten feet deep. "Hah! Classic," Shang Tsung chuckled. "I'll have Shing put this on Youtube later - Scorpion will never let him live this down."

After a few seconds, Sub-Zero managed to raise his hand and extend it towards the sorcerer. "I'm...okay!" he insisted. "You wouldn't...give me a...a hand here, would you...sorcerer?"

"I'm terribly sorry," Shang Tsung answered, "but aren't you the one who told Sektor to tip over the outhouse I was in?" Shang reached down past Sub-Zero's hand and placed his palm on the ninja's back, summoning his powers and beginning his soul-sucking ritual. "Don't worry," the sorcerer consoled Sub-Zero, "I keep Scrabble sets in my spiritual purgatory...it's just that the only letters in them are X and Q. Have fun!"

"NOOOOOOO!" Sub-Zero screamed, as Shang Tsung removed his soul.

Shang Tsung scowled as he finished the foul deed. "As much satisfaction as this gives me," he stated coldly, "it will mean nothing if tonight's battle does not go as planned." He looked over at Shao Kahn's castle off in the distance. "I hope that fool Kahn knows what he's doing," Shang muttered, "for all our sakes."

Comments

[Green Akers]

I'm setting the betting line for flame comments on this chapter at 8...and I'm taking the over.

[madatarigeek]

somebody once asked me hey why don't you like celestia? and I looked them in the eye and he already knew the answer.

[TundraStanza]

Taste the Rainbow mother-... oh, wait. That's already been said, hasn't it?
Hm...
Um... 20% cooler?
*bricked* *falls over*

[Linkonpark100]

Good ol' Stephen Hawking!

[Ice]

...See, Sub-zero is one of the veterans of and elites of the mortal combat universe....while the story is good I ain't happy with waiting forever to see him lose.

[DavidPony]

another great chapter

[AnubisLOAD]

Very nice chapter can't wait to see who else gets put in, hopefully we get to see some Ermac.

[FoxfanMLP22]

This is an Awesome Story, Great Job Dude. The Mare Six Can Kick Butt and Take Evil Down Even in Mortal Kombat.

[godzilla54]

I still want to see Celestia send Shao Kahn to the moon. Also I think Motaro should join the other side and say he is related to someone.

[boredbrony365]

It just makes me so pissed of what you did to one of my fav games it makes me sad that so many people like this fic

[boredbrony365]

357783 i totaly agree with you

[Green Akers]

1612867 Eeyup.

If all goes well, Chapter 13 should be up this weekend. Unfortunately, all very rarely goes well...

[bronybrofist]

The only reason i like this chapter is cause it shows my fave pony isn't a dumbass. She can be smart when she wants to