Tekken ...As Told By Ponies

by JC Borch

Tekken

***TEKKEN …AS TOLD BY PONIES PART ONE: TEKKEN 1***

When they were small, Celestia and Luna lost their mother in child birth. Their father tried to raise them on his own but he too soon fell, from illness. The only one they had after that was each other and their caretaker, the groundskeeper and guardian Wang Jineigh. The old stallion was from far off mystical lands and had come to Equestria as a travelling merchant but through his friendship with the then rulers came to stay in the Canterlot gardens. When they died, he took in their two fillies and cared for them deeply.

Even from little, Luna struggled with her alicorn powers. It manifested into the evil demon Nightmare Moon who was ever present, and it was with worry that Celestia acknowledged this. She confided with Wang and they agreed on a proper course of action. They sent Luna away to a school where she could be taught the differences between right and wrong and hopefully get her wild spirit in checks.

Wang could see that sorrow clutch at the sun goddess’ heart. She was lonely without Luna so Wang invited their niece, Cadance, to move in to the household. Also an orphan and an alicorn at that, she hit it off perfectly with the slightly older Celestia. Cadance was a natural learner and became a proper princess in no time. Luna did not appreciate the competition for attention however.

Luna had been alone at the school, more alone than Celestia and Wang could have had imagined. With no one to turn to, Luna instead gave herself in to Nightmare Moon and Celestia felt the change in her sister. While Cadance only wanted to be friends with her adoptive sister, she was always the perfect heiress and Luna the wild rebellion. One day, Luna simply flew off into the night to find herself.

With deep regret, Celestia accepted the decision and sent Cadance off as well, to Ponyville to learn her subjects better and prepare her for ruling the Crystal Empire. There she studied under Marshall Jack and Rainbow Phoenix in the magic of friendship. She sucked so much to her that Celestia appointed her the royal liaison and gave her a place in foreign politics.

A few years passed and things seemed tranquil. Luna went around Equestria and challenged ponies to duels and fights. Anyone who accepted was beaten into a pulp. Never once did she lose, although she did fight to a draw with Rainbow Phoenix once. Celestia was getting lonely in her big castle. She wanted to bring the family back together again and announced the first King of the Iron Hoof Tournament.

---MARSHALL JACK AND WANG JINEIGH---

Marshall Jack was just a humble country pony from Ponyville, tending to her farm and bucking apples. But profits were failing and the little family dreamt of repairs and new hips. It was decided she should take a stab at winning the tournament. Despite having no formal training she relied on her raw skills and got amazingly far. She clawed her way to the top and finally stood before Wang.

Wang Jinneigh was impressed with Marshall Jack’s prowess and requested Celestia to let him fight her. “This is the mare who could put an end to the all the sorrow in this family.” It was a long and arduous duel but the superior skills of Wang, even considering his age, gave him the edge. He realised with disappointment that he had won, but Marshall Jack was oblivious and returned happily with the second place prize.

---RAINBOW PHOENIX AND PHILOMENA---

A hot-headed young flyer, Rainbow Phoenix always wanted to join the Wonderbolts as they were said to be the greatest fliers in Equestria. For this reason she spent long hours training with her best friend, Marshall Jack. So when the tournament was announced, Rainbow saw it as her chance to prove that she was the greatest fighter. Rainbow was a formidable opponent with her combination of agility and power.

She finally stood before Celestia and asked for a bodyguard to match her speed. Celestia contemplated for a moment. “There is none in Equestria as fast as the animal for which you are named,” she said. A fiery red bird flew out of her cage. Rainbow Dash spread her wings in eager anticipation.

“You’re on.”

Rainbow was the only fighter insane enough to accept the challenge and raced for hours in the skies above Equestria. It was a fight of endurance that she barely won. She descended to the ground again and collapsed, too tired to continue. When she awoke again, the tournament was over and she had to leave empty-hooved.

---SWEETIE AND RARITY WILLIAMS---

Two sisters who grew up with so much love that it almost choked them. While their father favoured Rarity, their mother favoured Sweetie instead and that was how discontent was first sown between them. A life filled with hatred only fuelled by the sudden death of their father. Though Sweetie hated him, she still blamed Rarity who in turn blamed her. The argument came to a heat and the sisters fought each other for a long time, in the process completely destroying the house. With their mother already dead, the two split apart.

Rarity was known for her magical talent and when the tournament was announced, she was kidnapped and drugged into thinking Celestia was an enemy. She entered with the intent to kill the Princess. Sweetie found out and entered as well, as Celestia’s bodyguard. She wanted to stop her sister before she did something regrettable and to get a rematch.

A winner could not be found among them. They clashed and fought until the tournament was over and then they parted again. Despite all they had been through, Sweetie still loved Rarity but she was no longer the mare she used to be.

---PINKIEMITSU AND SNOWFLAKE---

Pinkiemitsu was the leader of a Robin Hood-like gang of fighters, the Manji clan, while fronting as a baker. Her exact origin is unclear but some call her a space ninja, others just call her “so random.” She always hides her true identity, whatever it may be, beneath masks and disguises.

One of her patrons was a fighter by the name of Snowflake. Though his skills were unquestionable inside his ring, allegations of performance enhancers coupled with his general appearance got him banned from professional sport. He then left Ponyville to pursue a life of crime to support his increasing gambling debt. Only one problem. He had Pinkie promised to be a good fighter no matter what. The allegations were still being investigated and Snowflake could have been exonerated but now he had not a Snowflake’s chance in Hell.

Snowflake then took on a job as Celestia’s bodyguard to earn some money and to escape Pinkiemitsu’s wrath. He was unsuccessful however as Pinkiemitsu snuck into the tournament and took down anyone who went in her way, finally standing before him. Her blend of sword fighting and downright weird stances defeated Snowflake. She had no interest in winning the tournament however and absconds with Snowflake’s ill-gotten gains to redistribute it among the poor.

---FLUTTERCHANG AND KUNIPIE---

Flutterchang was an innocent mare that took care of Ponyville’s animals. She led a quiet life with no sorrows until Celestia noticed her skills and sent her into the Everfree Forest to recover an ancient relic. Obediently, Flutterchang complied and stumbled upon an old ruin where she found an old necklace. She believed it to be the treasure but is subsequently denied entrance to Canterlot. The first tournament had begun and Flutterchang had no other choice but to enter to finalise her mission.

She did not know that she was being followed. Kunipie was the sister of Pinkiemitsu and a member of her Swastika gang for a few months until she was caught with hoofs in the cookie jar. Though thrown out, Kunipie had not learnt her lesson and continued her spree of petty thefts across Equestria until she heard of the necklace. She knew it to hold the key to unimaginable wealth and joined Celestia as a bodyguard, planning to first steal the necklace and then plunder Canterlot’s treasure trove.

Kunipie could not have anticipated her defeat however. Flutterchang looked like a defenceless filly but her grandfather, Celestia’s gardener and caretaker, had taught her many Eastern secrets in fighting. “I’m very sorry, but this isn’t yours,” Flutterchang said and moved on to stand before Celestia. The Princess however felt the power contained within the necklace. Knowing that it would be safer where no one would expect its location, Celestia dismissed her and Flutterchang went back home.

---MAIN STORY---

The rumours about a mixed martial arts tournament spread like wildfire, no doubt fuelled by the promise of a big purse in reward money. Fighters from all over Equestria went through gruelling preliminary challenges but only eight had the gusto and the toughness to qualify. The fighters then had to go up against each other and, if they made it that far, go up against one of Celestia’s bodyguards.

This predictably drew out Luna. She mercilessly beat her opponents out of the ring one by one with her combination of magic and flight until she stood before Cadance. “Out of my way,” Luna said gruffly and pushed Cadance aside violently. She was no match for her adoptive sister’s wrath and was easily knocked out. Finally Luna stood before Celestia.

The eternal monarch had only wanted it to be a friendly exchange of fisticuffs but Luna played for keeps. Celestia was hard pressed but had the upper hoof. Luna was on the verge of defeat when she unleashed Nightmare Moon. The balance tipped in her favour and Celestia was knocked unconscious. Luna smiled ominously before reverting back. “Now it’s all mine.”

***TEKKEN …AS TOLD BY PONIES PART TWO: TEKKEN 2***

As Luna poured over her sister’s unconscious form, a wicked smile spread across her lips. She still looked like the innocent princess she had once been but it was Nightmare Moon’s laughter that escaped her. “You once banished me to a school where the loneliness consumed me. Now let’s see how you will like banishment yourself.” The fight had raged for hours and Luna was exhausted but strength flowed through her from her evil counterpart. Celestia was whisked away to be trapped forevermore in the Sun.

As Luna’s influence grew and slithered beyond the mere borders of Equestria, the mysterious mare disappeared into the shadows. Rumours of her immense power flourished among the common ponies and the world was plunged into an age of darkness.

Two years after the first tournament however, Luna hears that her sister is still alive and hiding somewhere in Equestria. Luna is unable to live with the fear that Celestia could come at any moment and challenge her. The second tournament is announced with a prize a thousand times higher than the first. Fighters from all over the world flock to Equestria so once again bodyguards are hired to protect the tournament sponsor.

---MARSHALL JACK AND BAEK---

Marshall Jack was able to renovate her farm with the prize money from the second tournament and everything seemed tranquil for two years after that. However, she returns home one day to find the farm destroyed. Her sister, Forrest Bloom, survived as well and tells how a single unicorn had come a few hours earlier and went completely berserk. “He said to meet ya in the second tournament.”

Baek was a promising unicorn with great magical talent who developed his own techniques as taught by his father. After an accident however, the father become incapable of even producing small sparks. The family was forced to live in poverty resulting in great tension between father and son. One day, the argument became too heated and Baek accidentally killed him. He was taken into custody but his guilt wracked him. He fled from his surrogate family and lived day by day as a mage for hire. He was eventually paid to destroy the Apple Family farm and kill Marshall Jack but was partially unsuccessful. Luna takes him in as a bodyguard as Marshall Jack once again enters.

One would think that an untrained earth pony versus a skilled mage would be an unfair fight, but Marshall Jack was nimble and strong. Furthermore, Baek had an unconscious desire to be killed to atone for his sins and slacked up. Marshall finally had him pinned down with her hooves raining down on his face, but she controls herself in the last moment. Disappointed in the fight, she forfeits and returns home again with a second price. Baek is humbled by her decision and leaves to do some serious soul searching. His careless life was not one for him and he decides to teach a younger generation his skills.

---RAINBOW PHOENIX AND PHILOMENA---

Rainbow Phoenix was unable to join the Wonderbolts because of her constant fights and living on the edge of the law. Fuelled by her near-victory in the last tournament, however, Rainbow Phoenix arrogantly signs up as soon as she hears of the second tournament. This time for sure she will prove herself!

Philomena, likewise, does not wish to savour the bitter tastes of defeat. She stayed by Luna’s side until she heard of Celestia’s survival. It was piece of cake for the bird to find her old master in her forest hideout and together the two of them trained hard in preparation for the next tournament. At last Celestia bids her bird farewell. Philomena’s place is at Luna’s side as her bodyguard.

It was an easy victory… for Rainbow Phoenix. She had become stronger and faster than ever before and completely blew Philomena out of the sky. Only one problem however. They had flown through Ghastly Gorge where the bird could not keep up, but just as Rainbow was on her way to move on she was caught in a landslide and ensnared by the falling rocks. When she finally got back to Canterlot, she found that the tournament had concluded and a winner had been declared. She smashed a rock with her bare hoof and flew off in frustration.

---SWEETIE AND RARITY WILLIAMS---

The two sisters split after duking it out in the first tournament. Sweetie, unable to cope with her sister’s grudge, went far away on “vacation.” After two whole years apart their relationship had only festered. Luna knew that someone had hired Rarity to kill her so she hires Sweetie for protection. Both sisters enter with their own agenda and a common one: to settle their dispute once and for all.

The fight is about to start but just as they had begun, it was over. Luna never wanted to rely on Sweetie for protection and instead gassed their arena. Rarity was taken away unconscious to forcibly participate in a cryosleep experiment. “But when she wakes up, she will remain young and I would have aged,” Sweetie rationalised. She then begged Luna to freeze her down as well. The sisters Williams were then laid to sleep side by side in separate tanks.

---PINKIEMITSU AND KUNIPIE---

Pinkiemitsu intended to help herself to some of the Canterlot treasures down in the vault but was stopped on her way by guards. Having no intention of being caught but locked inside hoof cuffs, she used her sword to cut off her left hoof. She stumbled through the corridors and would have surely died had a kindly scientist not shown her mercy. Doctor Doodle was almost a cripple from a back disease but was still filled with energy and replaced Pinkiemitsu’s hoof with a mechanical one. It is for this person’s rescue that Pinkiemitsu enters the second tournament, to free him of Luna’s brutal exploitation.

Kunipie on the other hoof had done nothing remarkable since the conclusion of the last tournament. Unable to live off of petty theft she instead became an air ventilation mechanic. Meanwhile, her grandmother, Granny Pie, tried to make a replica of Pinkiemitsu’s sword. This weapon was said to be the finest piece of art ever made, able to sunder an opponent in flesh, mind and soul. Making a copy would be the greatest achievement but also proved impossible without the original. Once again Kunipie enters the tournament as a bodyguard, in hopes of defeating Pinkiemitsu and steal her sword.

It was a tough fight and both fighters were determined to win. Pinkiemitsu however proved superior. It is not known what became of Kunipie afterwards, but it seems that she survived and crawled home. Pinkiemitsu then saw Doctor Doodle taken away in a flying chariot. Without wings, she instead used her mechanical hoof to rotate fast enough to get her airborne. She grabbed Doctor Doodle and descended while the chariot somehow exploded.

---FLUTTERCHANG AND SNOWFLAKE---

Luna knew that Celestia had not kept the pendant but was unsure where it was, until she saw footage of the previous tournament. It was around Flutterchang’s neck. Grinning, Luna sends her guards to kidnap her but she was not home at the moment. Instead they kidnapped her mother and left her a note urging her to participate in the upcoming tournament. Flutterchang overlooked the mess and bitterly broke a mirror in frustration.

After his defeat, Snowflake went down the straight and narrow but his former glory was lost. No one wanted anything to do with him and he could not find a job anywhere. After two years, he had no choice but to accept Luna’s offer. He hesitantly kidnapped Flutterchang’s mother and brought her back to Canterlot. That’s when he noticed Flutterchang herself and immediately fell head over heels in love.

Flutterchang defeated him and then rejected him before taking her mother and leaving again. She tossed the pendant into a lake on her way back as well, so that no pony could ever be tempted again. Snowflake was broken-hearted but no longer broke. His salary from Luna was enough for him to open his own flying school far away from everything to forget his heartache.

---SOARIN’ AND SPITFIRE---

Though clumsy, Soarin’ had a good intuition and usually solved ever case that fell before him. He could no longer abide by Luna’s regime and decided that she had sullied the good name of the Wonderbolts for her selfish reasons for long enough. That was his primary reason for entering the tournament, to bring Luna down, but there was a secondary one as well.

Spitfire was a fellow Wonderbolt that had seen her share of misfortune. Her father and her two brothers had been killed by gangsters and she had to struggle just to survive on a daily basis, but became all the tougher from it. She participated in races all over Equestria to earn enough money even after joining the Wonderbolts. One day she is asked to lose a race by a greedy better but instead decided to win. She flew home in good faith but was knocked out of the sky by henchmen of the greedy better. Luna’s guards found her unconscious and took her back to Canterlot where it turned out she has lost her memories. She believed Luna’s lies and joined as a bodyguard.

Soarin’ tried to convince Spitfire of their former relationship and that he was not the corrupt cop Luna had made him out to be. But Spitfire wanted to hear none of it and the fight became intense for both fighters. Spitfire almost won as well but Soarin’ managed to give a last push at the last moment. Spitfire left the arena, unsure what to think or do when she was knocked out of the sky again. No one heard from her again and Soarin’ mourned her death.

---MRS SPARKLE AND WANG JINNEIGH---

Mrs Sparkle was a niece of the royal sisters. Though only a unicorn, she inherited strong psychic powers and was the only one who sensed the deeper, more sinister aspect of Luna. She was at the same time a strong advocate for animal rights and was appalled by the Princess’ smuggling of animals for experiments. She entered the second tournament accompanied by the Wonderbolt Soarin’ to hopefully put a stop to the illegal activities and maybe even knock some sense into Luna.

The father of the royal sisters also sensed the evil in Luna and instructed Wang to stop her if it ever took over. Though Wang was strong despite his age, it would still not be enough to defeat Luna. He volunteered once again as a bodyguard to meter the strength of anyone who got far enough. As soon as he saw Mrs Sparkle, however, he knew there would be no reason for him to even fight. “You are the one I’ve been looking for. Please proceed.”

So Mrs Sparkle was able to proceed into Luna’s throne room. The two of them fought for a while but their familial relationship caused an unexpected effect. Mrs Sparkle’s kindness clashed with Luna’s evil, manifesting in Nightmare Moon fighting with a divine-looking, angelic beast. Luna won in the end but her powers were diminished, if not exhausted.

---MAIN STORY---

Celestia fought her way through the second tournament and at last stood before Cadance. “I’ve missed you so much.” She embraced Celestia and explained everything that had happened. Cadance had remained in Canterlot under Luna’s employ in hopes of halting her evil plans, at least partially. She had not been completely successful but things could have been much worse without her aid. Celestia thanked her and moved ahead.

Luna was panting with Mrs Sparkle unconscious at her hooves. The fierce battle between good and evil still raged inside her and Luna could not call upon Nightmare Moon’s powers. The two sisters both fought bravely but Celestia possessed superior magic skills. Luna fell before her power, and it was then that Celestia made the toughest decision of her life. There was no way to save Luna from Nightmare Moon, so she had to banish her own sister to the Moon. Hopefully her spell would be harder to break than Luna’s.

***TEKKEN …AS TOLD BY PONIES PART THREE: TEKKEN 3***

It was a few years after the second tournament and Celestia had once again regained control of Equestria. The darkness that had befallen the land had been dispelled and a time of peace ruled. Her royal guards with their gilded armour quickly responded to squabbles, and conflicts are nipped in their buds. To help prevent disasters instead of treating them, Celestia sent her most powerful guards to a remote location in the frozen wasteland in the Crystal Empire to make sure that the seal on Sombra still held. They were not heard from again.

Celestia herself travelled with escorts to the buried tomb to find her finest warriors brutally slain and their armours twisted and bent. With his dying breath, the only survivor recounted their blunder. They had gone to the deepest chamber when Sombra’s voice lulled in their ears and hypnotised them to release him. An ancient evil wearing a crimson mantle then proceeded to tear them apart with his bare hoofs. A single tear trailed down her cheeks.

“You fools.”

For many years, the tales of mysterious disappearances haunted Celestia. She knew that it was Sombra, the ancient crystal king, who claimed their souls to add to his power. She also knew that she would be powerless against him. Her parents had been the ones to seal him the first time and they had only barely won. She was alone and getting old. Just when all hope seemed lost, a young filly appeared on her doorstep claiming to be her granddaughter.

---TWILIGHT SPARKLE---

Mrs Sparkle had left the tournament to go back to her husband. Not long after, she found out that she was pregnant and the happy little family rejoiced. But they got an uninvited guest a few months after the tournament’s conclusion. Nightmare Moon had tried to flee from Luna’s banished body as a mere spirit. The unborn Twilight Sparkle would be a perfect new host.

Mr Sparkle died as the conflict escalated, but Mrs Sparkle was successful in driving out the infernal tempest. Wanting to avoid any further persecution from both the police and Nightmare Moon, Mrs Sparkle rode a bus all the way to Whitetails Woods. There, in a hut in a remote location, she gave birth to Twilight and raised her for sixteen years. She taught Twilight everything she knew about magic until she felt a presence in the forest. She told Twilight to run and hide, and at first Twilight obeyed.

But curiosity got the better of her. When fear had subsided and she had run a good way away, she turned around again. Smoke from the burning rubble of their hut could be spotted for miles. Before Twilight could make the entire distance, a dark shadow came to her. “Crystalssssss,” it whispered and branded Twilight with a mark on her left arm.

Twilight could not find her mother anywhere, and so she recalled an advice her mother been given her. “Go to your Aunt Celestia if anything ever happens to me.” Celestia took in Twilight with open arms and enrolled into her school for gifted unicorns. Once she was ready and had mastered her magic, Celestia announced the third tournament in hopes of attracting Sombra and vanquish him once and for all.

---TRIXIE---

A skilled magician who lost her teacher, Baek, to Sombra. Despairing, she teamed up with Snips and Snails to earn money. They would challenge passers-by to a duel and lose badly. The challengers would then be confident enough to stake everything thinking Trixie was equally unskilled but then get the surprise of their lives. This scheme worked flawlessly for a time as they travelled around until she met Twilight.

At first, everything worked as it should but then Twilight proved to be just as good at magic, if not better. The fight was broken up by the guards escorting Twilight. Trixie entered the third tournament to revenge her mentor and to defeat Twilight once and for all.

---SPIKE---

… always dreamt of having his own dragon-themed amusement park, but lived an unassuming life in the Canterlot gardens under the care of Jinneigh. He learned to fend for himself by the old stallion and eventually developed his own method of fighting. He donned a pair of boxing gloves on his stubby hand and a shell on his back, utilising everything he had for fighting including fire-breathing, farting and tail whipping.

One day, Spike crashed a party that Celestia held to invite somepony to the tournament. The guards did not care for the intrusion and tried to throw him about. When Celestia came to see what the fuzz was about, she found her guards knocked out with Spike in the middle. “I’ll give you your amusement park if you can win my tournament.”

He agreed to this and Celestia put him under Twilight’s care and trusted him with the caretaking of Philomena. As Wang told him, Spike could become a skilled fighter if he focused more on his training. His laidback nature certainly didn’t help and he was unsuccessful in winning the tournament, but his friendship with Twilight and Philomena was one that would last.

---SOARIN’---

… had worked up quite a reputation as a Wonderbolt and was respected and admired throughout Equestria. Still mourning the loss of his partner after nearly twenty years, Soarin’ turned his mind towards the mysterious disappearances. He felt helpless as he didn’t know what to do until Celestia herself invited him to a party. There she explained everything she knew and Soarin’ agreed to enter in hopes of getting to the bottom of it.

---SWEETIE AND RARITY WILLIAMS---

Rarity was awoken by an outside force that commanded her to enter the third tournament. Sombra feared that Twilight would be able to vanquish him so pulled Rarity’s strings like a marionette. Sweetie had ordered to be awoken along with her sister and was concerned to be told that Rarity had just up and left muttering something about the tournament and “Ssssslavessss.” Fearing the worst, Sweetie entered as well.

The bond was broken shortly before Rarity could fulfil the infernal contract. Sweetie was frustrated to see that her sister had lost all her memories, either from the cold touch of Sombra or the cryosleep experiment. But she also saw it as an opportunity to reconnect and together they left the tournament. She took her to see Doctor Doodle but he shook his head. Sweetie also tried to tell her of everything they had done together. It was all in vain. Rarity slipped away at her first chance and vanished.

---BABS FURY---

… was the meanest guard in all of Equestria and with an ego to match. She was a skilled fighter even before her “accident” and was often followed by dark rumours. One day she tried to take down two warring drug syndicates at once and paid the price with her life. But Celestia’s best scientist, Doctor Abel, saw the potential in her body and reanimated it. He quickly realised he was unable to complete the resurrection on his own. He needed some parts from Doctor Doodle so he sent Babs into the third tournament to hunt down Pinkiemitsu who had ties to the Doctor.

Unfortunately, Babs came to her senses halfway through the tournament and fled. Celestia’s best guard pursued her throughout Canterlot but nothing could stop the half cyborg, half guard pony. They were slaughtered down to the last pony and Babs fled into the night.

---FOREST BLOOM---

The younger sister of Marshall Jack and constantly living in her shadow, Forest Bloom was born and raised on the Apple family farm. She had been no more than a babe at the previous tournaments but she was now past the age of maturity. Still Marshall Jack strictly forbade her to use her strength for anything unrelated to the caretaking of the farm… especially the upcoming tournament.

Rainbow Phoenix came by every so often to spar with them however and it just so happened that Marshall Jack was away to help establish another farm in Appleloosa. “She only wants to keep you here because she knows you’re stronger.” The cocky Forest Bloom was sold on the idea and entered. She wasn’t strong enough to win but made it far enough for her sister not to scold her too harshly when she returned.

---BLOOMBERG---

This ancient and magnificent tree had been cut down over two thousand years ago and carved into the likeness of an earth pony. Its various limbs were connected with heavy chains and mystic writing had been chiselled into its back. He entered the third tournament to defeat the evil that had forced him to awaken.

---SCOOTACHANG---

Flutterchang was asked by Celestia to join her to consult on what to do with Sombra but she disappeared en route. It was then up to her adoptive daughter, Scootachang, to enter the third tournament to find out what had happened. She sensed the hoof of Sombra in it and sprang to justice. While everyone else was focused on winning the tournament, Scootachang instead slipped away and ventured deep into Sombra’s tomb. She found her mother and vowed to make Sombra pay, but Flutterchang stopped her. “Do you remember why I taught you to fight? It was to protect Mother Earth, not to destroy it.”

---PINKIEMITSU---

Doctor Doodle had created the cold sleep machines that stored the Williams sisters to preserve his dying daughter. But the old Doctor worked himself too hard and soon contracted a mysterious, back-breaking illness. Pinkiemitsu had made sure his project would remain funded by raiding and plundering. Now she desperately needed the blood of Sombra to cure her best friend and entered the third tournament. She managed to pilfer a sample during the epic fight and sneak away unseen.

--- RAINBOW PHOENIX---

… still carried on as she always had, undeterred by her increasing age. Embittered by her loss at the last tournament, she has only improved her strength and became a role model for kids all over the world. She entered the third tournament striving to prove herself as numero uno. Not even her old rival Philomena could stop her, and she had even regenerated recently, and Rainbow Phoenix was faced with Sombra. Too much for her power, Sombra bit the dust and Rainbow left in triumph not paying attention to the fallen demon behind her. Sombra transformed unbeknownst to her into True Sombra and the third tournament continued like nothing had happened.

---MAIN STORY---

After beating Trixie in a duel, Twilight was faced with Sombra’s true form. He had regained his old body by using Celestia’s life energy to transform. Luckily for Twilight, True Sombra was despite his monstrous appearance actually weaker since he had then access to less of his rationale. In essence, he was little more than a frenzied animal spitting crystals and galloping around. Still the fight was enduring and Twilight had to use every ounce of strength in her. The pleas of the ones Sombra had touched reached Twilight and she became charged with magic from their cries of anguish and desperation. So much so in fact that Twilight revealed her innate alicorn powers.

Celestia woke up to see Twilight surrounded by a glowing, purple aura. The young unicorn sprouted her wings and blasted through the tomb’s ceiling and flew up towards the Moon. Celestia looked longingly after her, knowing that she had made a mistake trusting everything to her. It had simply been too much for her to handle.

***TEKKEN …AS TOLD BY PONIES CHAPTER PART FOUR: TEKKEN 4***

Two years after the third tournament and Celestia still cannot find Twilight. What’s worse, there’s evidence to suggest Luna has escaped from the Moon still under the influence of Nightmare Moon. Fearing the worst, that the two things could be related, Celestia proclaims the fourth tournament to lure them both out of hiding.

---BABS FURY---

She successfully escaped the third tournament but quickly began to realise she wasn’t built to last. Doctor Abel had only barely been able to resurrect her so Babs saw no way out but to enter the fourth tournament to seek him out. Even though she was dying, her body flowed with renewed hope and she was deadlier than ever.

Babs did manage to find Doctor Abel who is stunned to see her still alive. He was just able to express his surprise before she punched him across the room and then fell unconscious herself. She was woken some time later to see Doctor Doodle pouring over her. “When you wake up again, you will be a whole new pony,” he promised her. She saw Pinkiemitsu standing at the foot of her cot before feeling an injection in her neck.

---TRIXIE---

Left broke and her schemes revealed, Trixie wandered Equestria in search of fulfilment. She longed for her days of duelling and she yearned to beat Twilight in a duel, but reluctantly accepted a job at a rock farm to help her through her days. But even out in the boons of Equestria the words of a fourth tournament reached her ears. For the first time in years, Trixie’s blood began to boil and she laughed in defiance. She slipped away from her obligations on the farm one night and joined the tournament in secrecy.

Unfortunately, Trixie had underestimated the rock farm. She was arrested before she could face Twilight and, when she refused to fulfil the last of her contract, was arrested. Kicking and shouting, Trixie was hauled off to jail.

---SCOOTACHANG---

… devoted all of her time trying to save the Everfree Forest and returning it to a normal, friendly forest. She accepted the help of the G Corporation, a friendly company who supplied her with all the data she needed. One day however she found out that someone had taken over G Corporation and stolen their library of research information. She connected it with the appearance of Nightmare Moon and decided to enter the fourth tournament. “I don’t know what her connection with the G Corporation is and I don’t care,” she said and left home.

Nightmare Moon vanished from the tournament before Scootachang could confront her and so the data was, for then, unavailable to her. She returned home in frustration to a forest that grew only more and more evil with each passing day.

---PHILOMENA---

… realised that she had lost touch with nature. She had become too tame, so to speak. She had even regenerated once but continued to lose to Rainbow. She felt there would be no other choice and left Celestia’s side to roam the Equestrian landscape on her own. It was the toughest two years of her life but she became all the stronger from living on her own. Then, as she flew over a town, she spotted a flier for the fourth tournament.

For the first time, Philomena beat Rainbow Phoenix and proudly resumed her post next to Celestia.

---MARSHALL JACK---

Even though she had a successful farm, she lost it in a cocky bet to a pair of brothers. Unable to face her family, she disappeared quite literally and figuratively as well into a mug of hard cider. She drifted about in a haze, letting herself go and not caring about anything at all. Sometime later she found a flier announcing the fourth tournament. A spark of hope lit up in her eyes. In just one month, she beat the flab away and stands again as a formidable fighter.

It had been a “few” years since her last tournament however. She was unable to compete with all the new contestants and had to leave the tournament in bigger debt than ever.

---CADANCE?---

Ever since the conclusion of the second tournament, Cadance had run the Crystal Empire alone and lived a carefree life. Celestia was surprised to see her niece enter the fourth tournament, and even more so when she didn’t even stop by to say hello.

But it had not been Cadance who entered, but a changeling, none other than Chrysalis the Changeling Queen herself. She wanted to show the supremacy of her people by infiltrating alongside one of her changelings. She had not expected to be faced with Luna and was promptly defeated… both her and her consort.

---SOARIN’---

His girlfriend had left him, fed up with his workaholic lifestyle. The moments they did spend together was used on mourning Spitfire. It was no wonder that Soarin’ was getting distracted with his mind elsewhere. To make matters worse, he botched a performance that the Wonderbolts had worked months on coordinating. His boss put him on forced leave.

But then as matters looked the bleakest, Soarin’ found an opportunity. A boxer who planned to enter the fourth tournament had become the target of some criminal syndicate. Soarin’ entered and managed to fail the attempt on the boxer’s life, in the process winning himself several arrests and a new friendship. His boss was so satisfied with him that he decided to strike the blunder from his records and Soarin’ was reinstated with a raise.

---RARITY---

Unable to regain her memories and numb from all the abuse of her life, Rarity had continued her life as a contract assassin and lost all contact to Sweetie. One day, a crime syndicate paid her to hunt down a boxer who had fled into the fourth tournament for safety. She felt nothing, not even when told it’s her own son conceived when she was in cold sleep.

She mercilessly entered the tournament to stalk her prey. Just as she had him in her eyesight, a Wonderbolt crashes into her apartment and foiled the assassination. She fled down the street in hot pursuit and was eventually confronted by the boxer. He instinctively understood who she was and helped her flee by impeding the Wonderbolt.

---RAINBOW PHOENIX---

… won the last tournament, except not. Sombra had morphed into his true form and the tournament continued on in her absence. Still she claimed to be the undisputed champion but few believed her. Her supporters eventually grew tired of her attitude and everything just collapsed on her. Until a poster of the fourth tournament flew into her face. That was her chance!

All the better, Luna would appear as well. She swelled with excitement from being able to duke it out with her rival from over twenty years ago. But then the unthinkable happened. Philomena beat her fair and square! The harsh regiment had paid off and Rainbow suffered a humiliating defeat.

---PIP---

An up-and-coming boxer training hard to win his fights, given away for adoption when he was small. One day, a crime syndicate offered him a large sum of bits to throw a fight. Pip instead threw the money and won the fight. That turned out to be a mistake however as the syndicate then vied for his life in revenge. No matter where he went, they were always right behind him. But then he saw the fourth tournament being announced and realised it was his chance for safety and to fight once again.

After the tournament concluded, Pip went back to his hotel. Just then a shot rang out and the ground splintered before him. A female assassin presented herself before him and he knew then who she was. He stopped the Wonderbolt chasing her to allow her to escape. He tried to explain himself and the Wonderbolt nodded in understanding. The two of them began to look into Pip’s past and a friendship quickly formed.

---SPIKE---

… went back to the school after losing the third tournament, but it was boring without Twilight. Only Philomena’s company offered him any entertainment. But then he saw an announcement for the fourth tournament and decided on the spot to enter when he coughed up a mysterious letter. “Whatever you do, do not enter the tournament,” it read. It only made Spike want to enter more badly than before as he suspected that the letter was from Twilight.

---PINKIEMITSU---

…’s large group of Robin Hood-like thieves were running into hard times. They had trouble funding their humanitarian operations and members were hard to recruit. Pinkiemitsu began to doubt her organisation’s future until she saw a flier for the fourth tournament. The first prize was the throne of Equestria itself. With such a bounty, Pinkiemitsu would never need funding again.

Unfortunately, Pinkiemitsu got distracted when she found the unconscious Babs Fury on a laboratory floor. Her good nature prevented her from simply leaving Babs there, so she dragged her back to Doctor Doodle and then assigned her group to watch over the operation.

---TWILIGHT SPARKLE---

Far, far away from Canterlot lived a lavender unicorn under an assumed name. No one but herself knew that she was the winner of the third tournament. Every day for two years she trained to get her alicorn powers under control. To do this, she unlearnt everything that she had been taught and tried her hoof at more ancient forms of magic. When the news of the fourth tournament reached Twilight’s ears, her alicorn blood began to boil.

---LUNA---

A mysterious organisation simply called G Corporation had actually rescued her days after her banishment, bringing her back to Equestria to a research facility deep underground. There Luna had tried her best to get Nightmare Moon under control but still after twenty years, no success. The release of Twilight Sparkle’s own inner alicorn made it even harder for Luna to restrain herself. Finally, when the fourth tournament was announced, she could no longer contain Nightmare Moon. She destroyed the research lab she was housed in and whisked away their research data. After that, she only strived to use it to become more powerful. The tournament would be an excellent place to prove herself.

Luna was supposed to meet Twilight but was given another message instead. “The winner of Round 7 by default is Luna. Please proceed to the final stage.” She sensed something sinister in Twilight’s disappearance but complied nonetheless and moved on to the final arena. Fireworks exploded in the sky and a large crowd gathered around the arena.

---CELESTIA---

The reunion twenty years coming. Both sisters anticipated the other’s arrival but both knew that it would not be amicable. “Please, sister, come to your senses,” Celestia pleaded but Nightmare Moon flashed beneath Luna’s eyes.

“It’s too late,” she replied. While Celestia had lived a life of peace without want, Luna had trained every day to become stronger. Celestia eventually fell to her sister’s magic prowess. “Take us to our grandniece,” with which she meant Twilight.

---MAIN STORY---

Celestia took Luna to their abandoned summer home in the Everfree Forest, secretly all a part of the plan. The Sun Princess knew she would be no match for Luna and had planned all along to lead her to the old castle.

Meanwhile, Twilight struggled against her inner alicorn. “Give in to the anger,” “Hate me,” and “Curse me,” Nightmare Moon repeats over and over again flavoured with a howling laughter. Twilight finally woke and found that she has been chained to the floor. She easily broke her shackles and saw Luna for the first time, striding down the floor towards her. Celestia kept to the background, hoping that the two could wear each other out so they would be easier to help.

But when Twilight defeated her aunt after an enduring battle, she was so consumed by her alicorn powers that Celestia couldn’t stop her. Twilight is just about to kill her old mentor when a moment of clarity produces a vision of her mother. She realised what she was doing and escaped the temple by breaking out through the ceiling and flew off into the night.

***TEKKEN …AS TOLD BY PONIES PART FIVE: TEKKEN 5***

Celestia is left panting on the floor. She was almost killed by Twilight, and her wounds were grave. To make matters worse, she could hear what sounded like a small army approaching. Celestia and Luna got up on their hooves just in time to see private guards in strange armour storm the castle. The two sisters decided to lay aside their differences momentarily. Nightmare Moon had been weakened enough for the real Luna to supress her and Celestia felt the change. The two fought side by side again but Celestia, who received the worst beating, almost couldn’t handle it. Again Nightmare Moon welled up in Luna, and she threw Celestia to the wolves and escaped through a hole in the wall.

The guards pinned down Celestia and then hastily made their retreat as well. Before Celestia could even get up again, the old castle was completely destroyed in an explosion. The news of the Sun Princess’ death spread like wildfire and ponies everywhere feared the worst for Equestria. But oddly enough, the throne was quickly reoccupied and everything went on as normal. Only two months passed but a fifth tournament was declared. Fighters from all over the world flocked to Canterlot to register, some to find out what happened, some to get their hoofs on the prize and still others have their own agenda.

---SWEETIE AND RARITY WILLIAMS---

Sweetie had trouble finding meaning with her life after her sister vanished. She was so listless she couldn’t even find a reason to enter the fourth tournament. It was therefore with some surprise that she got a call from her sister, hoping they could meet up.

Rarity had worked all of her life that she could remember as an assassin, but when her contract managing crime syndicate fell, she was left with nothing to do. It was then that she remembered that she was supposed to have a sister and now she finally had the time to make an effort of remembering.

But when the two sisters met up again, it all came rushing back to Rarity. She remembered the old hatred, the guilt, the blame. The peaceful reunion quickly evolved into a magic duel that destroyed the entire town where they had met up. After three days of nonstop fighting they agreed to meet up in the newly announced tournament. Rarity won overwhelmingly and Sweetie was severely humiliated.

---BAEK AND TRIXIE---

Trixie was arrested during the previous tournament for breaking contractual obligations to a rock farm, but received a pardon while serving her time. Somepony had vouched for her, that if she simply carried out the month she had left she could be free. Trixie was shocked to see her old mentor alive and agreed. She went back to the rock farm and finished her contract.

As it turned out, Baek had not been killed by Sombra, merely knocked unconscious. He had then been rescued by Celestia’s patrolling guards and brought to a hospital where he awoke a year later. With no interest in the tournament anymore, Baek resumed his teaching role for Celestia’s troops while trying to find his favourite student. He was disappointed to see what she had become and pushed her hard to study.

They entered the fifth tournament together, she to defeat Twilight and he to keep an eye on her. Trixie had in fact trained hard with her old mentor acting as motivation and actually managed to defeat Twilight fair and square. Trixie was about to leave when Twilight gave a beastly scream. She had transformed into an alicorn and Trixie stood no chance. She was nearly beaten to death before Twilight flew off into the night. Baek immediately quit the tournament to rescue his pupil and carried her to a hospital.

---SPITFIRE---

Unfortunately, the second crash hadn’t restored the memory she lost after the first one. With Luna dead and with no purpose, Spitfire ended up in a survival school far, far away where she went on brutal hikes with milksops who wanted to be stronger. But then she heard the impossible. Luna was alive and competed in the fourth tournament. Spitfire saw it as her chance to join up with her again and signed up for the fifth one. There she met Luna and once again became her lackey.

---BABS FURY AND PINKIEMITSU---

Doctor Doodle could not realise his plans in time. Babs was simply too complex a machine to fix and the fifth tournament had already been announced. Instead he installed a perpetual engine that would keep Babs alive. She awoke and upon being told this, she exclaimed, “Endless power? This is perfect!” She pushed Doctor Doodle away and killed every one of Pinkiemitsu’s clan that got in her way. The fifth tournament would be perfect to test her newfound powers.

Needless to say, Pinkiemitsu was outraged. “You broke a Pinkie Promise!” she screamed after seeing the laboratory in ruins and entered the fifth tournament hot in her heels. Babs was unable to release her full potential as Pinkiemitsu constantly meddled in her affairs. Finally Babs had enough when the tournament ended and went on a rampage to destroy everything. Pinkiemitsu quietly left as well, feeling that there might be something wrong with her sword.

---LIGHTNING DUST AND SOARIN’---

Lightning Dust had always wanted to be the best. With a whole world to impress, she enrolled in the Wonderbolts Academy at an early age. She fast became a skilled flier but always wanted more. Being the best in her class, neigh, the best in the entire academy was not enough for her. She began to seek challenges outside as well which was strictly forbidden by Wonderbolts rules. When her teacher tried to reprimand her, she killed him and fled the academy.

Having earned a stellar place in the Wonderbolts, Soarin’ then turned his attention towards a string of attacks perpetrated by an unknown party. It wasn’t hard for him to put two and two together. Lightning Dust had toured Equestria seeking challenges and infuriated by the lack of competition, she ended out killing her challengers. She turned towards the tournament after learning that the Royal Vaults contained the Dragon Scroll that would give her immense power.

Soarin’ was unable to stop her simply because Lightning was a master of hiding. Whenever Soarin’ had a lead it went cold, and Lightning managed to get her hooves on the scroll before he could arrest her. She escaped Canterlot again with it in her arms.

--- SNOWFLAKE AND SCOOTACHANG---

Snowflake had opened his own little flight school where he taught others to fly. He had been out of the fighting circle for a long time ever since he was barred from professional fighting and thrown out of the Wonderbolts. But then he saw something unbelievable. It was footage from the previous tournament and showed Scootachang fighting. He immediately fell in love with her despite being the adoptive daughter and thus not blood related to his old flame, Flutterchang. Disregarding the significant age cleft, Snowflake entered the fifth tournament hoping to find the research data that Scootachang so desperately wanted.

Scootachang tried desperately to find a way to restore the Everfree Forest but she had lost the previous tournament. She had no money and her research constantly hit dead ends. Just as she planted her face on the desk in frustration, a letter was delivered to her. It was written in a nervous writing but with it followed a ticket for the fifth tournament.

Snowflake tried to find his way around Canterlot looking for a restroom and miraculously enough stumbled into the deepest vaults of Canterlot where he found material relevant to Scootachang’s research. As they both lost, he arranged to meet up with her later at the waterfront. After giving her the books, he went down on one knee and proposed. She was long gone when he opened his eyes again.

---PHILOMENA AND RAINBOW PHOENIX---

Philomena was distraught to find her master dead and quickly went to the castle. She was an intelligent bird and could have taken control of things, at least for a short while, but found that someone had beaten her to it. This angered Philomena, even more so when she heard about the newly announced tournament. She vowed to win it and get revenge for her master.

Likewise, Rainbow Phoenix decided to enter as well for entirely different reasons. She had been overwhelmed by Philomena’s tenacity at the last tournament and was delivered a finishing blow. A mountain of debt piled up around her ears and she had yet to prove herself the toughest fighter in Equestria.

The two of them clashed in the tournament and in a move that mirrored their first encounter, Rainbow Dash narrowly won but was too scorched and bruised to continue and was even unable to claim her prize. She had to leave again with singed feathers.

---MARSHALL JACK---

She had lost the last tournament and was left so destitute that she couldn’t even return to Ponyville. Instead she found various odd jobs in Canterlot washing dishes or waiting tables. To make matters worse, she received a letter from Big Mac saying that Forest Bloom had been involved in an accident with Rainbow Phoenix and caused a lot of “structural damages.”

It was then that the fifth tournament was announced and Marshall Jack saw it as a relief. Unfortunately, it was discovered that Marshall Jack was staying and working illegally in Canterlot and was deported from the middle of the tournament back to Ponyville with not one bit to show for it.

---CADANCE---

The news of Celestia’s death even reached the Crystal Empire. Cadance also heard of the imposter and decided to go back to Canterlot to see what the fuss was about. There she discovered the throne to be occupied but obviously not by the Sun Princess. Firmly believing it to be her incorrigible adoptive sister, Luna, Cadance thought it best if she entered the tournament that was announced a short while later.

But as the tournament progressed and she learnt what was actually going on, she realised it was beyond her abilities. She retreated to return to her people that needed her more. Even if she won, there would be nothing she could for Equestria.

---BLOOMBERG---

When the evil that compelled him to move was defeated after the third tournament, Bloomberg returned to his lifeless state with an added smile on his face. But he didn’t have rest for long. A new evil again forced Bloomberg to awaken and step into action.

---PIP---

… tried desperately to unlock the mysteries of his birth. He knew then who his mother was but that was about all. There was still the matter of the scar on his left arm and his conception. Without the crime syndicate dogging him, Pip again entered the limelight and several small competitions in hopes of finding his answers. On Soarin’s suggestion, Pip signed up for the next tournament. If he would not find his answers there he never would find them at all.

Pip learnt of Luna’s experimentations during her short reign over Equestria. More importantly, he found the secret laboratory where he had been born. He destroyed everything in a fit of rage before torching the secret lab, leaving without looking at the explosion behind him.

---WANG JINNEIGH---

This old pony was older than ever. Jinneigh had left Canterlot behind him and sought the life of a recluse at the top of a mountain far, far away. That was until he got a letter from a friend that he thought had died a long time ago. Celestia and Luna’s father had died when the girls were young, he had buried him on his own. He accepted the invitation to the fifth tournament to at least figure out who was pranking him and with such convincing handwriting too.

---SPIKE---

…desperately wanted to see Twilight and had followed her through the fourth tournament. But when Celestia’s guards had come to take him away, Spike had protested and was nearly killed in the process. Fortunately for him, Pinkiemitsu was in the vicinity and scooped him up. He owed his life to her but didn’t feel much better. Everything that had happened was like some cruel joke by fate. A scientist then approached him and said that he could make everything right, if Spike was willing to fund a time machine. The fifth tournament was announced and Spike realised that was his chance to get the money needed.

---MAIN STORY---

Twilight had escaped the castle long before the explosion and later awoke in an obliterated forest. She knew it was her alicorn powers going out of control. She tried to resume a normal life but nightmares kept eating at her sanity. It couldn’t go on like that. She entered the fifth tournament in hopes of ending it all. Following her fight with Trixie, Twilight was all the more pumped up. She met with Spike who was unable to convince her to calm down, she met with Wang who was pushed violently aside and she met with Luna who was given a serious thumping.

The one behind the tournament turned out to be none other than Celestia’s father… and yet, in a sense not. He had been buried beneath the castle he so loved upon his death but a trickster spirit had inhabited his body shortly afterwards. Discord was the mastermind behind it all but lacked complete control. In his moments of lucidity, Celestia’s father had written the letter to Wang and also announced the fifth tournament. Discord had gone along with it to test his new body and gather power to assume his real form and engulf the world in darkness.

At last Twilight stood before him. It was a tough fight but with her inner alicorn unleashed, Discord never stood a chance. He vanished into a whirl of dust. A wicked smile crossed her lips. Her dreams had been infused with her inner alicorn powers. Her mind was no longer right.

***FUTURE OF TEKKEN***

Twilight Sparkle, once hailed as the light of a new world, was overtaken by her own powers and ideals. She assumed the throne of Canterlot unopposed and almost immediately laid foundation to a secret network of spies. Entities all over the world began to suspect her motives, not just ponies, but all living creatures.

Luna purged the G-Corporation for any unwilling members, traitors and other assorted scum and became their leader. Through her opposition to the throne, she became the new hope of the world. Yet her motives were equally as sinister. She promised an enormous bounty for Twilight’s head.

Equestria, neigh, the whole world was plunged into a dark age unthinkable up till then. Skirmishes evolved to civil wars, and the foreign policy became nothing but conflict. Yet Twilight was uncaring. It was all just a point in her plan. The bounty only served to amuse her. She announced a sixth tournament and promised a large reward in addition. Fighters from all corners of the world came seeking the large sums of bits, fame… or revenge.

Sisters Sweetie and Rarity Williams sought it as a platform for incessant rivalry. Sweetie could not let her defeat in the last tournament go by. She joined the G-Corporation as soon as she heard that her sister had joined the Throne. Rarity felt hollow after her victory. It had not had the satisfaction she sought and instead joined Twilight as a bodyguard. These two sisters were fated to again clash in the tournament.

Trixie was nearly killed in the previous tournament. For the first time in her life, she begged with intense humility. Baek had been horrified to see his student beaten half-dead but also recognised her sincerity. The two of them trained intensely for another chance in the sixth tournament.

Spitfire became the highest ranking officer in Luna’s private militia. She took her squad all over Equestria to eliminate the royal forces wherever they went. Despite the obvious ambush, she entered the sixth tournament to fulfil her duty and kill Twilight Sparkle. Is there no hope for memories to return?

Babs Fury left the previous tournament in a blind rage and took it out on everything in sight. Then the wars started and there she could use her infinite power to wreak havoc and mayhem but the thrill eventually grew stale. Just as boredom was about to set in, a new tournament filled with new opportunities was announced.

Lightning Dust travelled the globe and challenged fighters wherever she went. The scroll had contained no mysteries or secrets, just a single line. “The one who destroys all other fighting styles and makes them his own shall become a warrior superior to all ponies.” With that thought in the back of her head, she joined the next tournament for more fighting styles to destroy.

Snowflake had abandoned everything for Scootachang in the last tournament, including his flight school. He tried his hooves at a restaurant but with the war and everything else, he eventually fell into a financial distress. But the sixth tournament was announced. It would be a golden opportunity to do a bit of advertising and perhaps even win the generous price.

Celestia had not died after the end of the fourth tournament. Just blasted far, far away by the explosion. It would take more than that to kill her however. Once she finally woke up, the fifth tournament was done and over with. She grieved for Twilight and what she had become but knew that it was impossible for her to get anywhere near her. That was when the sixth tournament was announced.

Scootachang returned to her home and her mother with the research data. There she worked with an old mare that lived in the forest to reclaim its goodness. But the old mare was a seer and told Scootachang that great evil would befall the world if Luna and Twilight should ever clash again. Scootachang scoffed at it but got more than a little nervous to hear about the next tournament. She decided it would be best to join, just to be on the safe side.

Philomena tried to regain control of the throne but Twilight severely punished her and later reintroduced her to the wild. It took the phoenix a long time to find her way back to Canterlot and by then, the next tournament had been announced. Once again she joined, also to get revenge on Rainbow Phoenix to whom she narrowly lost last time.

Marshall Jack, Rainbow Phoenix and Pip, all of them burdened by debt. Marshall had her sister’s accidents to cover and a farm to get back, Rainbow something similar. Pip was unable to enter any boxing matches as they were all indefinitely postponed because of the war and he knew of no other trade. Alone they would never win the tournament so Rainbow suggested to Marshall that they should stick together. But three heads think better than two. The sixth tournament would be their ultimate meal ticket.

Cadance was concerned with G-Corporation, a business that ran out of the Crystal Empire. Particularly their increasing militarisation. But they were also responsible for many great things. If she could just get rid of Luna. She decided to bite back her fear and enter the newly announced tournament to settle matters.

Soarin’ was getting frustrated. He had been unable to apprehend Lightning Dust and then the world was thrown into chaos. It was a job far beyond a mere Wonderbolt, but he joined the sixth tournament nonetheless to arrest Twilight for her crimes against ponydom. Poor fellow still hadn’t heard about Spitfire. It might have been for the best.

Bloomberg again rose to the duty. He had not even been deactivated after Discord’s defeat. The evil within Twilight was enough to keep him going. He finally had a chance to get at her with the sixth tournament.

Wang Jinneigh had been indifferent for too long. He had slinked into the shadows after the second tournament but it took the resurrection of his long dead friend to make him wake up and smell the pie. His defeat at Twilight’s hooves had only further cemented that fact. It was high time that he took responsibility as guardian to the royal family.

Spike was relieved to hear that Celestia had survived and hoped that everything could go back to normal again. But Twilight took control of Equestria and bulked up the military. She wouldn’t even see her old friend anymore. His only chance of meeting her was the sixth tournament.

Pinkiemitsu had been forced to abandon the previous tournament prematurely. Her cursed sword was rebelling against her and she became unable to control it. Instead she adopted a new sword, the Fumaken, to aid her. She then decided to enter the sixth tournament.

Zecora was born into a long line of vanquishers of evil and protectors of the royal tomb back in her homeland. She was well versed in the signs of fate but every single premonition became an omen of darkness. She consulted the elder and was told of an ancient lore. If the two stars were to meet, then the seal would be broken and an unmentionable evil would be released. She had no choice but to travel to Canterlot to prevent this meeting at all costs… the clash between Twilight and Luna.

***TEKKEN …AS TOLD BY PONIES PART SEVEN: OTHER***

Aside from the titles mentioned, a few other games have been produced in the Pony Tekken franchise. Tekken Tag Tournament featured a return of many fighters from previous games and is set between the third and fourth game. As such, Forrest Bloom was featured instead of her bigger sister (who would later reprise her role anyway.) It was also the first game where Scootachang and Flutterchang could fight side by side. There was no overall storyline being just a compilation but speculation would have it that it was Twilight’s mother who sucked the fighters into her mind from all time and creation to stop the evil that had been planted in her by Sombra. This seems somewhat confirmed by the later sequel, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, where Twilight’s mother is explicitly shown as the unique end boss to the tag series, Unknown.

Other mentionable titles would be Death by Degrees where Rarity is set as the protagonist in her own game. The shoddy controls and overall gameplay made it a game only Tekken fans could love, as its only redeemable feature was the light it shed on the William sisters’ past. And lastly, Streetfighter X Tekken which was recently released slated the clash between two popular fighting franchises in what can only be a non-canon setting. Its counterpart, Tekken X Streetfighter, faces an uncertain future.

A few obscure Japanese comics (manga) have also been released, in addition to a Japanese animation (anime) that tries to combine the first two games in a somewhat unsuccessful and at times bizarre mash. A live action movie was also released that diverges from the premise of the games almost as far as it can take it. And lastly is the Tekken: Blood Vengeance which acts as long cut scene in glorious Blueray HD. While a solid piece of animation is strangely stingy with the characters.

Author's Note:

It pains me that I couldn't find somepony to assume King's role, but I simply had no ideas for either him, Armor King or Marduk. And since they offer no impact as such on the storyline I was forced to omit them. I'd be happy to hear any suggestions.