Ryu and the others must stop M. Bison from conquering Equestria
Following the destruction of S.I.N. and the weeding out of any traitors in his organization, the tyrant M. Bison launches the next phase of his plan to re-build his terrorist organization and conquer the world. Though his intentions are noticed, Bison's plans are never clear-cut. He is determined to realize his dreams of ultimate power, and will drag anyone and anything else into his camp to accomplish this; even if it comes down to an entirely new world.
Notes: Rated T, contains heavy violence, possibly a slight swearing, and material that some may find dark. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic created by Lauren Faust and owned by Hasbro. Street Fighter developed and published by Capcom.
Pain was starting to overtake him now and exhaustion began taking its toll on the weary, battered man. There were already noticeable bruises on his head and arms. Multiple separate, but powerful strikes and set his entire torso, particularly his chest, on fire. Along with that there was a constant, powerful sting in his left leg that could not be ignored, making it difficult to put pressure on it.
But all the same he did, getting back into his fighting stance. He switched to lying most of the pressure on his right foot, while the left was barely on the ground, and pulled his left arm closely to his face while the other was stuck outwards. The thick grass of the hilly, long fields shifted and crumpled under the feet with a slight crunch from the dryness.
His eyes were also not in the best shape, with it becoming increasingly difficult to see from the right. It would not have really mattered though; the darkness of the cloudy night removed any real lighting from the world around him. Only with the occasional lightning bolt would his vision fully return for a fraction of a second; and, if he was lucky, a glimpse of his opponent, who seemed to have no real trouble with the atmosphere.
He pushed his dark, long bangs out of his eyes and resumed a defensive stance. The calm, usually private ninja knew that if he lost this fight he would surely die. He pulled his farther hand into a fist near his face with the thumb sticking out and the first two fingers rigidly up. All noise was out and he focused on finding his target; if not through sight, then through sound.
Several times he thought he noticed something, and turned to face it. Usually, it was nothing, but once or twice he thought he saw the towering figure of his enemy. He waited and waited until a bolt went out through the heavens for a prolonged period, giving great light to the area. Then he saw the great build of red that made up his target.
Immediately he broke into a rapid run, ignoring all pain and focusing on the villain. Although there was a distance of around twenty feet, the ninja covered it in no time. In seconds he reached his goal, and with barely a couple feet between them launched from his run slightly into the air. Putting a quick turn on it, he brought his other foot around, hoping to deliver a powerful blow against the head.
As the sneaker-wearing foot came around, it met with nothing but air on its pass before reconnecting with the ground. Nothing was there, and the ninja immediately knew it, as well as what that meant, in turn. Before he could recover and resume a defensive stance, there was a single, powerful blow against his back, as if a hard push was given with the power of an all-out punch. The hit sent him back and though the air a bit, falling back to the Earth and skidding across the grassy lands a few more feet before coming to a rest on his back.
He could not get up, or barely move for that matter. He had lost the energy or power to do any real kind of movement with his body, only feel the great pain he was in. The ninja felt consciousness slowly sipping away and tried to fight it, and his vision began to become blurrier.
Through the blur he could make out his victorious combatant standing triumphantly, mockingly, over him in a sense of great satisfaction. The extreme muscular build was covered by the red militia like uniform and a dark cape draped over his back. The only other breaks in the red were the shoulder pads, wrist bands, and shin guards, shining against the lightening in a dark silvery-grey. The visor cap was also bathed in bloody color, save for the golden skull symbol on the front.
“As fun as it was practicing against you, Guy, I’m afraid it will have to stop here,” he said in his deep voice with a cruel, sinister smile. “I have business to attend to, and it pains me greatly to procrastinate any further.”
“Bison….” The ninja coughed through the pain. “You… will not…”
“But I will,” Bison taunted. “That is why you are still breathing; I want my foes to witness the full extent of their defeat.”
“Rose… will not…”
“Enough of your foolish delusions watch my work come to its glorious completion.”
With that, M. Bison turned and moved back into the darkness, getting farther and farther with each flash of light. It had taken Bison so long to prepare things, so much time and work, and it was finally going to pay off. Shadow Law, his personal terrorist army, would soon become more powerful than it had ever been before. And its resurrection would also see the rebirth of his plans for total world domination.
To him, it felt like it was closer to his grasp than ever before. He had come close many years ago, holding a worldwide tournament that was to assemble the greatest warriors on Earth and conscript them into the organization. Unfortunately, it backfired, with most of the Shadow Law being destroyed, and Bison himself nearly dying from battling the greatest of them.
Things had never really been the same after that, with one scheme after another being thwarted, and attempts at rebuilding the organization conventionally being plagued with traitors and opportunists. But that had finally come to pass; anyone whom he could not control was gone, despite that being a fair amount of the weapons branch. But it mattered little now; he would soon have plenty of minions to do his bidding.
Continuing the walk for a short ways he reached his destination, a small steel ring that was barley large enough for him to fit through. The wires connected to it twisted and turned like long, black snakes. Most of them ran down to a small control bow on the ground. The largest was connected to a pad wrapped around a women, one that looked like its job was to take one’s blood pressure, though it was far more advanced than that.
The women, Rose, at first seemed like nothing more than a lady with ostentatious clothes and an eccentric hair style, making her look like some kind of gypsy or magician. In fact, that was exactly what she was, a magician. But there was so much more behind the Italian woman.
Bison’s great power came from his soul, which he turned entirely dark and evil many years ago by expelling everything good inside of it. Charity, mercy, care, and all the handicaps that prevented his power’s growth were forcibly removed and cast out. But somehow, those good pieces were powerful enough to manifest into their own form, which was what Rose became. In essence, she was his opposite, and her powerful magic posed an undeniably great threat to his position.
But now, he was using that same power to his advantage. What his foes had hoped would be the key to his defeat would instead be the key to their destruction. That same magic was what was needed to give the machine its power, its final touch. Finally, the time had come to begin his new mission.
Doing a quick runover with his eyes to check if everything was in place, he grabbed the control box and pressed hard on the large, black button in the middle. The ring began to light up, and a blue wave filled its open center akin to water filling an empty fountain. He stared proudly with his despicable smile at the portal, then turned to Rose with a look more of satisfaction or completion.
“I believe this will about call us even for your meddlesome acts,” he said to the unconscious fortune teller lying in a fetal position on the grass. “Still, there’s one last thing I think I should settle.”
He lifted one of his legs up in a stomping position and moved it over Rose’s head.
“You’ve outlived your usefulness,” he continued in a bloody tone. “I’m sure you won’t mind; I certainly don’t!”
He was about to bring the figurative hammer down when he heard something coming fast from behind him again. He did a quick 180 and threw his arm up in the air, blocking another attempted roundhouse from the badly panting Guy. Immediately counterattacking, he drove a massive fist into the ninja’s stomach, causing him to heel over and grab his midsection in pain. Winding up, he released a greater punch at the staggering fighter, knocking him to the Earth’s floor once more.
“Are you this insistent upon meeting your death so early, Guy!?” he yelled in an angry, rather annoyed tone. “I will be more than happy to grant your wish!”
To Guy, it well and truly felt like the end had come. He had faced it before, but it had never been quite as close as this. He took a bit of comfort in knowing that he had tried, that he had done what he could. Tough at the same time he wondered if anyone else could stop Bison. That thought expelled any real comfort he had left.
He watched Bison charge towards him. Before he was there, Bison launched himself in the air, and flew a ways over to his body. As he began to descend, Bison crossed his arms, straightened his body, and shoved his feet together as if it were a military stance. He was going to, literally, crush Guy under his boots.
He was falling like a rock, and though the red-clad ninja wished he could close his eyes, they remained fixed on the demon with fear. Just before Bison could make his lethal landing, a figure shot out from the corner of Guy’s vision and delivered a swift, hard kick to the terrorist that sent him on a new flight path to the ground several feet away. The figure then landed, rather gracefully, in front of Guy, filling his still-blurry vision with an image of white clothing, which he made out to be a tattered karate gi with the sleeves ripped away.
“Ryu?”
“Guy, are you alright?” he asked, still facing Bison.
“Yes, I’ll be fine,” Guy replied. “I can still-”
“You stay where you are,” Ryu ordered. “I’ll take care of this.”
Bison recovered quickly from the blow and was on his feet again, giving an evil chuckle when he saw his old enemy.
“Ah, Ryu; I suppose I should have expected this. It wouldn’t be a final step to total conquest without you, would it?” he asked mockingly. “Perhaps you came for a quick interview in joining our army? The offer is always open.”
“Shadaloo is gone Bison!” he replied. “You’ll never raise it on this world again!”
Ryu leapt forward to deliver a dive punch on his way down, but Bison shifted, or rather teleported, out of the way, leaving nothing but air for him to hit.
“That’s right,” Bison replied, reappearing a short distance behind Ryu, floating a bit off the ground. “It’s good to see you’re paying attention.”
“What do you mean?”
“Raising an army on this planet has become such back-breaking work; it’s so… brutal,” he explained, each word wrapped in a sense of wickedness. “But there are so many others out there that are far more fragile; more… obedient beings that will make for excellent soldiers.”
“And why are you telling me this?” Ryu asked, just now noticing where Bison was in the dark and turning to face him, keeping his back to the portal.
“Because I want your time in hell to be eased by the knowledge that the world will be justly ruled by its rightful king,” Bison responded. “And for you that time can start now!”
Bison shot forward in the air like an arrow out from a bow, shifting his body flat out as if he were flying and sticking his right arm outward. A purple aura seemed to encase him like a cocoon as he flew towards his target, and the body itself glowed blue. Putting a spin on it for the final touch, he shot forward like a torpedo, easily closing the short gap in less than a second.
Ryu himself tried to block, crossing both his arms and waiting for the impact. It did little real good as the attack hit him head on and knocked him from his footing. However, as they were flying back at a fast pace, they were put in the path of the portal’s door, which both had forgotten was there in the darkness.
Ryu himself remembered closing his eyes and feeling the heavy attack smash through him. He remembered opening his eyes to find himself shooting backward, Bison still grabbing onto him. He finally remembered falling into something that felt odd, and being surrounded by blue waves of energy. Then he felt nothing, and finally passed out from the impact.
When Ryu came to, he was lying in a deserted alley. He had a rather irritating headache and much of his body was stiff and sore. He lay on the hard brickwork that covered the ground, groaning and shifting for some time before he finally stood up.
The first thing he found was that he could not remember anything. He attempted to recall how he got here or what happened, and nothing came about. He tried the most basic facts like his own name or the names of others he knew, and nothing came from that either. A case of amnesia had already set in deep, removing everything but the simplest details.
Accepting that he needed help, he turned and walked out of one side of the alley, hoping someone there would be willing to help him. The alley itself had been rather dark, and when he turned out of it his eyes squinted from the bright sunlight. From the sounds around him it seemed as if he was in a large, bustling city.
“Can anyone help me?” he asked in his native Japanese by instinct, eyes still adjusting.
There was no direct answer as the world around him seemed to stop. The sounds of movement and speaking and general commotion decreased to near nothing. He could hear a few mumbles and gasps, and what words he heard sounded to be English. Keeping a hand on his head to calm the headache, he tried asking again in English.
“Can anyone help me?”
This time he heard a few more gasps, and a low yell here and there. His eyes finally adjusted to the heavy sun and he slowly began to open them more and more. The more he opened them, the less blurred the figures were, and the more and more he noticed something was not right.
There was a massed wall of colors of varying kinds in front of him, shifting around a bit. Gradually he recognized each color to be a sort of creature. They looked rather short, not standing on their hind legs, but possessed four like a dog; they were small enough to be a large one, like a Great Dane. But a few seconds later he noticed they were not at all that. They looked more like small horses than large dogs, with some disturbingly human features to them, and all of them a different color.
“What?” he mumbled to himself. “What is this? What are these things?”
The crowd only seemed to shuffle about more as the seconds ticked away. In the murmur he could make out some of what they were saying, but not much. And what he did hear was not good. Words like ‘beast’ and ‘demon’ and other suggestions, followed by some rather threatening ideas.
“What are you!?” he called out loud again, this time heavy enough to try and break the commotion.
This time a small wave of panic finally took hold, with a good number of the crowd yelling from the sudden outburst, but keeping their place out of fear. Many others tried to run off, pushing through the mass to get away. A few others actually attempted to approach Ryu, though whether it was to help or hurt was not immediately known.
“Guards, seize that beast!” a voice shouted from the crowd.
“Yes sir!” a voice replied. “You! Stop right there! Stay where you are!”
Out of the crowd two large, white horses appeared and advanced towards him. Their armor seemed to be entirely golden, which told Ryu that they might be some kind of elite or special unit, rather than regular police; though he could not be sure, seeing as how he was facing an entirely new race. Both possessed spears, which were lowered and pointed at the human as they neared.
Ryu was conflicted over what to do. On one hand they could speak his language, so maybe if he surrendered they would be able to help him. Though on the other hand, he was currently facing an odd new place that probably ran differently, and the hasty classification of ‘beast’, along with their Guard’s menacing advance with their weapons, pushed him in the resistance direction a bit more than usual.
He quickly decided to do whatever his body did first on instinct, and the first thing his feet did was turn and start running back down the alley he came from. The two guards shouted more commands and followed, though he paid them little mind. He continued down the straight darkness of the alley to the other side, only to find another horse guard waiting for him there.
This one also had a spear sticking out towards him, and looked rather eager to use it. Again, Ryu was unsure what to do, but he could not stop running. Again, he let his body run on its own, hoping it would do something to get through.
To his luck, Ryu’s reflexes were still sharp, even if his memory was gone. As the stallion stuck the spear out, waiting to impale the runner, the human did a short leap off the ground with his right foot, hopped over the spear, landed on the guard’s helmet with his left foot, and use that to propel him even further into the air, far over and past the stunned guard.
In truth, Ryu was just as surprised as the guards were. The amnesia cloud blanketing his mind was so thick that he could barely remember the absolute basics. The ability to do something like this was far from what he could bring up. Indeed, doing it seemed to jog his memory a bit, and for a minute he thought he had something.
Any trace of whatever that something was ended when he was hit in mid-air by something flying fast. He crashed down onto the street below in a heavy daze, and found himself pinned. Coming to his senses, he saw the object the tackled him was a winged horse, who was also keeping him pinned. Before he could throw that guard off, the others swarmed around him, helping to pin him to the ground.
He struggled hard to try and get free, but it was too no avail. Thankfully the guards did not execute him immediately, though they kept their weapons pointed at him constantly. Still, it was better than dying on the spot there.
“Well, what’s this?” a pompous voice asked. “Some odd ape escaped from the jungle?”
“We’ve captured the creature, Prince,” one of the guards replied.
"And what is this creature?”
“Not sure, I don’t think any of us have seen anything like it,” the guard replied. “It can talk though, maybe we should ask it.”
“Well of course I’m going to ask it, you cretin! What do you take me for, some fool!?”
“No, not at all,” the guard replied grudgingly. “My bad, my Prince. I’m sorry.”
“Quite,” the Prince replied.
Ryu looked up to see the soldier’s apparent commander, the ‘Prince’ that had been speaking. He certainly looked the part, being pure white with a rather ornate hair style, being long and flowing, with a large deal of work and time obviously being put into it. His head was still being held against the ground, forcing him to watch the figure from a sideways view.
“Speak beast, what are you?”
“I’m a man!” Ryu responded, with half his mouth still shoved against the ground.
“A what?”
“A person! A human!” Ryu coughed out. “Please, I’m not trying to hurt anyone! I just want some help!”
“Hmph, I have never heard of such an animal before in my time. How can I trust something like you, especially in my presence?”
“I am not armed,” Ryu replied, taking his time and calming down. “And your troops captured me, didn’t they?”
“They did indeed,” the Prince replied. “It’s surprising; they usually cannot even stop common riff-raff.”
“You mean the ponies that don’t immediately bow when you walk around,” another guard scowled.
An evil look came over the Prince's face, one that looked as if it had been threatened. He quickly got in the guard's face. The guard, in contrast, changed his tone from one of minor irritation to a kind of fear. He looked as if he faced the end of the world, or his world at least, right in front of him.
“Silence!” the Prince yelled. “You serve me, remember that! I will deal with you later!”
“Of course, my Prince,” the guard sighed, grateful of how lucky he was.
“Please let me out,” the human begged again.
“Well you do seem harmless, though I have no real need for you,” The Prince replied.
“No need? Why would you need me? I only wish for help.”
“Why should I help something that cannot repay me? It would be such a waste,” he replied. “Though perhaps there is something I am not seeing. Stand up.”
The guards released their grip and let the man stand up. They kept their weapons trained on him, though in a noticeably less hostile way than before. Standing up to stretch, the man towered over all of the beings around him. And now being able to see fully without half of his face crammed onto the Earth, he also noticed that the Prince, and some of the others, had horns on their heads. He was certainly not on his own planet.
“Hm, interesting; it stands on its hind legs,” the Prince examined. “You are certainly unique. Perhaps there is something I can use you for.”
“And… what would that be?” Ryu asked cautiously.
“I seem to have been forgotten a bit by my ponies, as astonishing as that may seem,” the unicorn Prince explained. “The discovery of a new, alien beast should remind them of my importance.”
“So you wish to use me as a trophy?” Ryu asked. “Something to get you attention?”
“For one who deserves it, of course. My reputation has been in decline ever since it was unfairly soiled at the Gala. No doubt this will restore it!”
“I’m afraid I still don’t understand,” the man replied. “Sorry if I’m still confused over how things work around here, but isn’t that a little selfish?”
“What!? Do you not know who I am!?”
“No, I don’t know anyone from here.”
“I am Prince Blueblood! A royal over these common ponies!”
“Ponies? Odd, but that answers one question,” Ryu thought.
“And who are you, beast!?” Blueblood angrily replied.
“I can’t remember my name,” the man admitted.
“Well, what about a profession?”
“I can’t recall.”
“And you dare criticize me,” Blueblood huffed. “A beast who is also a useless vagabond.”
Ryu was becoming increasingly irritated by Blueblood’s arrogance, but he did not know any other people, or ponies, in the world.
"Right, sorry. Would you mind explaining how a few more things, Blueblood; mostly just about how your world works?”
“Prince Blueblood, you beast!” the unicorn snarled back. “And yes, but this is hardly the place to do so. And all this excitement has left me parched. Do you drink any, beast?”
“Sometimes, though I really don’t feel like it right now. I would much rather try to remember who I am.”
“Suite yourself then, but I am going. One of my favorite taverns is around the corner,” Blueblood replied. “Come!”
Ryu did so reluctantly, tailing Blueblood slightly, and trying hard not to make too much attention. The guards also followed, though he could tell that they were in no mood to deal with the Prince any more than he was. It must have been especially horrible to have their position, as he could not imagine having to deal with such an overbearing individual.
The man was glad the establishment was only around the corner, for the minute they ran into the populace again, more ponies began to panic. Once they saw he was doing nothing to harm anything, they began to calm down, though it was not enough to actually go up and speak to him. And of course, Blueblood took the credit for it, claiming that he alone had ‘discovered’ the ‘beast’ and kept him under control.
The tavern looked just what Ryu thought a tavern looked like, or at least what first popped into his head when he heard the word. It was large and almost entirely wooden, and the inside was decorated with many an oil painting, and the body of it was carved out to look very upper-class looking. The Prince had an entire section cleared out, and dragged him over to a table while the guards kept watch.
“Anything you want?” Blueblood asked. “Ale, wine maybe?”
“I really don’t want anything,” the human replied.
“Fine, beast; you probably just cannot afford anything.”
“I probably don’t have any of your currency,” Ryu admitted.
And I hope you don’t expect any from me, animal,” Blueblood replied, getting his first drink.
“I’ve got a name, you know; it’s not just ‘animal’.”
“And what is it?”
The human stopped again; he knew he could not remember, so he just stared angrily at the Prince.
“Exactly. You did not have one earlier, and you don’t have one now,” Blueblood mocked, taking a long swig of ale. “And that’s what you’ll be until you have one; a beast on my leash.”
It was after that that Ryu simply tuned the arrogant unicorn out, ignoring most of his insults. Most of the time Blueblood simply bragged about himself, or whined about what had happened to him, mostly over how he was publicly embarrassed at some large party a while back, as he had said earlier. Explaining one time was never enough for him.
Out of the cluster of words that Blueblood spurted out over the progressive hours, Ryu was able to pick out only a precious bit of useful information. He learned that the country he was in was called Equestria, and that they were in its capital city of Canterlot; names that seemed to fit its population of ponies. He also learned that there were a number of other intelligent species, though he failed to get a real list of them. Beyond that there was nothing.
More time passed and Blueblood became more and more drunk, and started making less and less sense. Ryu tried to focus on remembering anything about his past, but could not come to any real conclusion. Most of what came up were blurred pictures of people and things that he could not add names to. It felt akin to having a tune stuck in one’s head, but not remembering much beyond one or two words.
“W-weeell?”
“Hm?” Ryu asked, being awaken from his deep thought by an inebriated Prince.
“A-a-are you… ready… to leave… animal?” Blueblood asked between hiccups and burps.
“I suppose,” The human replied.
"Good, cause we gotta go to the you… and the thing you’re going to… and then that… thing.”
“What?” Ryu asked, now trying not to chuckle at the foolish looking unicorn. “You may have had too much to drink.”
“I am f-fine!” he yelled. “C-come beast and… uh.”
Ryu started laughing a good deal now, much to Blueblood’s chagrin, though he did not respond to it. Ryu followed Blueblood and his guards outside of the tavern, and could not help but notice that no one paid the bill, nor did anyone bring it up. He hoped that something had been given to the owners, though he knew it was not likely.
As he stepped outside, Ryu was a little surprised to notice that it was nearing nighttime, with the sun setting. There were only a few residents out and about at this time, taking care of some last minute errands. He could not help but wonder where the Prince was going to take him, and started to wonder just how bad his friends could be, if that was what was intended.
Just like that, a million scenarios jumped out of his head, each worse than the last. Was he going to a zoo maybe? What would he eat then? Would he be executed for some reason? Would he ever be able to remember who he was, or anything about him at all?
“That’s her!”
Again, the man was broken from his thoughts.
“Who?”
“Her!” Blueblood snarled. “The mare that… that made me look like such… such a fool at the Gala!”
Ryu looked across the street where the prince was staring, and noticed a single other pony in that direction. It was another unicorn, also very white, and whose hair also seemed fancy. She did not seem to be bothering anyone; merely walking out of a store where she seemed to be doing some shopping.
“You wait here,” Blueblood ordered, now quite sober, “I’m going to deal with her.”
“Hey wait! What do you mean ‘deal with her’?” Ryu called.
The Prince did not look back, marching angrily across the street and yelling unrecognizable threats. The other pony did not seem to notice him, even when he had moved close enough to practically be on top of her. It was very obvious as to what he planned, but that was not what worried Ryu. What stunned and worried him was that none of the guards moved to try and stop him.
“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be stopping him? Isn’t that your job?” he asked.
“Our job is to protect him, not so much others,” the nearest replied grimly. “Intervening could cost us our jobs, and that’s if we’re lucky.”
Ryu heard a scream, and turned to see Blueblood raise a hoof and send it towards the pony, striking her in the side of the neck and causing her to fall to the sidewalk.
“Fine, then I’ll do something!” the fighter said.
Again, he was not sure exactly what to do, so Ryu followed his instincts again, charging across the street. Just as the Prince was preparing to send another hoof punch onto the collapsed mare, he was tackled into the side of the shop’s brick wall by the human. Both fell back from the impact, with Blueblood falling onto Ryu, who in turn stuck a foot into his stomach, caught his upper body in his hands, and launched him backwards into the street.
Getting up, Ryu suddenly noticed something. That one action seemed to jog his memory a little bit, as some pieces of the puzzle fell into place. His mind was still blurred, but a few important pieces of information had suddenly been yanked out.
“What are you doing beast!?” Blueblood yelled.
The man replied by snapping into his combat stance, separating his legs a bit, and keeping his fists close to his body.
“I am no beast, my name is Ryu. And you’re not hurting anyone!”
“Fine then, I’ll end you as well!” the Prince snarled.
Again, Blueblood charged forward, trying to impale him with his horn. Ryu rolled to the right and out of the way, just barely being missed. He followed this with a fast jab into the stallion’s side, sending him back a bit, but not by much.
Blueblood, in turn, shot a punch that hit Ryu in the right shoulder, but did no real damage. He tried again with his other hoof, only to be blocked. Before he could try again, Ryu counter-attacked with three fast punches into the chest, leaving him in some serious pain. Before the Prince could react to the recent attack, Ryu performed a low sweep kick, knocking all four of his legs out from under him and sending him onto the ground.
With his opponent on the ground, Ryu turned around to help the pony he had hit earlier. She seemed a mostly scared, but the area she was hit in did not show any bruises, and there were no other injuries he could pinpoint. She opened her eyes into a slight squint, and then shot open when she saw what was over her.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe. Are you alright?” he asked.
Before she could answer, there was a flash from behind him and a burning sensation. Ryu flew forward a bit and rolled on the ground, his back in pain. Looking back up, he saw Blueblood standing angrily, horn glowing from an apparent attack.
“You think you can defeat me!?” he yelled. “I will blast you into dust!”
The unicorn fired another ball of energy, forcing Ryu to roll out of the way. Gaining his footing again, he readied for whatever attack came next. Surprisingly, it came with Blueblood picking him up with his magic, and throwing him farther down the street.
Ryu again stood up, this time a bit more slowly. Blueblood’s horn glowed brightly, and from it came a long, solid beam aimed at the fighter. Reacting quickly, Ryu, rather than dodge left or right, jumped up and over, towards Blueblood. As the beam passed under him, Ryu judged the distance between his and his target.
As the distance finally closed, Ryu stuck his right leg out and began turning into a Tornado Kick. The Prince was caught off guard, and Ryu’s foot landed three solid hits on the left of his head in the space of about two seconds. Ryu landed from the move on his two feet, while Blueblood crashed onto the sidewalk hard. Looking over the unicorn, the human confirmed that he was finally unconscious.
The fighter took a couple of deep breaths, and immediately walked back to the lady he had struck, still on the ground, and curled up in a ball. He patted her on the head gently to let her know she was safe. She looked up, and seemed rather surprised to see her rescuer again.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
It took her a few seconds for her to realize what had happened and respond.
“Y-yes, I’m fine,” she replied shakily as the man helped her to her feet. “I can’t thank you enough dear; I never expected him to go that far. Perhaps I should have.”
“Why did he want to hurt you, exactly?” Ryu asked.
“He’s held a grudge against me since our little… date,” she said in a tone of disgust. “For a prince, he certainly does not act like one.”
“Trust me, I know,” Ryu sighed. “I’m just glad I stopped him before he could hurt you.”
“And I couldn’t be more thankful,” she replied. “My name is Rarity, just so you know. And if I heard you right, yours is… ri… ru…”
“It’s Ryu.”
“Of course, sorry,” Rarity replied. “I’m not used to such names, I’ve never heard of such a name.”
“I can tell,” Ryu chuckled over the mispronunciation. “I just wished I hadn’t had to beat up the only thing in this world that knows me.”
“I knew you weren’t from around here,” she replied. “Well, no need to worry, dear. You put your life in danger to save me, and I will more than happy to repay you.”
Ryu’s spirits lifted to a new height; this was the kindest pony he had met since he got here.
“Thank you so much!” he said. “Can you help me find my way back home?”
Rarity put her hoof to her chin, pondering her options for a moment.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you myself, darling, but I do know someone who can.”
“Is he nearby?”
“She, and yes, she is close to here,” Rarity replied. “Just be happy that you ended up in Canterlot, and you were able to save me. Not many ponies personally know Princess Celestia.”
"A princess?” Ryu asked, a little surprised.
“Yes, and the ruler of our nation,” Rarity explained. “She’s probably your best hope.”
“That’s great! Let’s go!”
Before Ryu and Rarity could get going, one of the guards walked over to the two. At first Ryu was worried about being arrested; he did just beat up royalty, after all. Did he get a true chance just to get shot down? Either way, he felt he had done the right thing, and would not deny it.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that we… weren’t really watching, so to say,” the guard said with a smug grin.
The darkness of the Everfree blocked all the light the moon would provide the land that night. The crooked, deformed trees and thick fog added to the evil atmosphere. But the man walking through it barely cared about all those details; he preferred it, actually.
Bison had landed in the thick of the forest more irritated than anything, and had not seen any creature since. The forest he marched through in exploration seemed to be trying to scare him in some childish, futile effort. The darkness was his weapon that he would bend to his will, not the other way around.
Each passing minute that he walked through the seemingly deserted forest he became more and more agitated. Whatever this world’s inhabitants were, they needed a good reason for wasting his valuable time. He did not like waiting on little weasels playing games of hide and seek.
As he finally reached an open patch in the woods, one landmark noticeably stuck out. A large, dark looking structure, presumably a castle, rose above the woods a short ways away. Perhaps that was where they inhabitants lived. At worst he could at least get a higher vantage point.
Tired of wasting time, he decided to simply teleport inside, phasing out of existence in the woodland and into existence inside the walls. Nothing living was to be found inside, either; it seemed deserted as well, and in ruins. Not even the scurry of a mouse could be heard.
“Hmph, how useless,” he muttered.
Even though nothing seemed to be there, Bison noticed an obvious presence. A form of bluish purple mist gathered into a small concentrated gust overhead, hanging there, as if to watch him. A ghostly voice followed, flowing through the large area as if it were riding on the wind.
“Altar.”
Bison looked around a bit and quickly noticed what the voice was talking about; the large altar with a set of steps leading up to it.
“Altar.”
Bison marched up the steps, wishing to investigate why the piece was so important. He could soon understand why, as he could sense some strange power in it. Bison had become quite accustomed to finding powerful things, and something very powerful was manifest on the altar. That power would be more than happy to use for his purposes once he gained control of it.
“Altar,” the ghost continued.
“Yes yes, enough of your whining,” Bison retorted. “I know what to do with this.”
Bison’s Psycho Power, one of the greatest powers in the world, gave him many talents. The darkness of his soul gave him the ability to do what many trained for years to do. Teleportation, psychic attacks, and countless other powers had been gained easily. This would be no trouble.
His hands began to glow with the evil purple energy as he began to gather the power. When he thought it to be sufficient, he pressed his hands against the flat stone surface, forcing the power into the stone. The altar began to glow purple from the power, then turned to blue, then to black as it began to shake.
Before he could continue, there was a boom as the altar exploded. The shattered rock flew, along with Bison, across the room, coming to rest a short ways away. As the dust cleared, a form became present, one that was rather tall, and seemed to be standing on four legs.
“Ugh, how dare you!” Bison growled, getting up and brushing the dust off of his uniform.
Appearing from the dispersing dust was some sort of horse-like being, keeping an eye. It was largely black, with its hair, or what Bison assumed was hair, flowing is some kind constant breeze. It had both a horn and wings, and some form of armor over part of its body.
“I suppose I should thank you for giving me a suitable form,” the horse replied in a female voice, stretching a bit. “I will remember this when my conquest begins; perhaps you can-”
“Is this the paltry excuse for the world’s populace,” Bison interrupted in a mocking, laughing tone. “How sad. If this is your true form, then you may be served better floating about on the wind like the useless bag you are!”
“What!? Watch your tongue you pitiful monster!” the horse snarled, flying off the stand and landing near him. “Do you not know who I am? I am Nightmare Moon! I am your greatest fear! If you step out of line again I will end you!”
“Foolish little worm, you do not know the meaning of a nightmare,” Bison replied. “If you wish to live, you will serve me now.”
“Now I will make you pay for your arrogance!”
Nightmare charged a black shot of energy and fired it at Bison, incinerating the ground he stood on. However, when the fireball cleared, the human was not there. She heard a sound and quickly turned around to see a mass of black ink slowly form into Bison, floating there with a devious smile.
“You have made the gravest mistake of your life,” he said, dropping to the ground and throwing off his cape. “For now you face the Mighty Bison.”
Nightmare charged angrily at him, pointing her horn and planning to impale him. Bison move slowly in the same direction before dropping into one of his slide kicks. As the two collided, Bison ran right under her, knocking her off her hooves and sending her flying onto the ground while he returned to his stance in the opposite end, unharmed.
He moved to attack again while his opponent was still on the ground, dropping into another slide kick, hoping to jab into the stunned demon. He was about to reach her before her horn glowed once again and some kind of energy shield appeared in front of her, but at a slanted angle. Rather than going through it or it stopping him, the angle cause him to slide up it and into the air.
Noticing the trick, he tried to reverse, righting his body in the air in order to attack. Nightmare acted before he could get the chance, and fired a black orb of magic directly at him, hitting the dictator as he fell. Bison crashed onto the stone floor, trying to shake off the evil effects of the attack.
“Is this your best? You are a sad excuse for an alien,” Nightmare taunted.
“I will make you pay for your insolence!” Bison raged.
Bison’s arms began to glow with their own power flowing into the hands. His fists built the power up to their blinding light in bright purple, and began firing his own orbs of Psycho Power at Nightmare. The shots went out very quickly, but not fast enough to make it to their target before she could throw up her own protecting shield, encasing herself and coming out of the exchange unharmed.
As soon as the barrage was over, she launched her own counter, using her magic to hurl large chunks of the broken stone towards Bison. As the rocks hurtled forward, Bison chuckled deviously, crossed his arms, and began to shimmer. Just as the stone crashed into his spot, he vanished into the thin air.
Nightmare Moon had noticed this trick from when he entered the castle, and did a fast one-eighty to see if he was behind her. She turned, but saw nothing at first and looking around her the grounds were empty, it seemed. She was left utterly confused until she heard the devious laugh again.
Looking up, she saw Bison materialize, floating there near the dark roof of the room, legs next to each other in their military stance and arms crossed. Before she could react, he shot straight down, keeping his form, and landing right next to her. The force of the impact surprised her, and the shockwaves sent her slightly off the ground, just enough for Bison to catch her by the horn and hold her there.
“Kneel before my Psycho Power!” he growled, ramming his free fist into her stomach. “Bow!”
He released her horn, allowing her body to rest on the hard, curled up hand wedged into her form. The now free hand charged with its own power and shot forward, and as the other hand moved, this one took its place, causing a great deal more harm than the other regular punch. The finishing touch came when the built-up energy shot out of the fist like a gun, and into Nightmare, who crumpled to the floor in a daze.
“And is that your best?” Bison laughed sarcastically. “You are not even worthy to clean your own blood stains from my boots.”
This seemed to anger Nightmare so much that she shot up, in an angle, trying to impale him again. Luckily for Bison, or possibly her, she was off, instead moving between his legs and past him, the momentum causing him to tumble over her back and onto the floor. Bison tried to deliver a swift punch, but Nightmare beat him to it, kicking one of her back legs and hitting him in the chest hard enough to send him flying across the room.
Bison got up and Nightmare turned again; both were enraged that the engagement had yet to fully go their way. Bison immediately shot forward to close the distance, and Nightmare fired another beam directly at him. Bison immediately turned left to dodge, but the laser seemed to adjust, as if it were homing on him. Again he was caught by surprise, and the shot hit him hard, sending him crashing into a far wall, which partially collapsed on top of him.
“Well, I must say I admire your determination,” Nightmare Moon said, flying over and landing next to a groaning, partially buried Bison. “But it is far more annoying than admirable. Your limit is pitiful.”
Bison immediately shot out of the rubble, giving Nightmare’s head a swift uppercut and stunning her.
“Limit!?” he yelled in a sadistic fury. “My Psycho Power knows no limits!”
He summersaulted forward whilst sticking his legs out, delivering a heavy scissor kick to her head, followed by two more in a quick row. Immediately after, he leaped forward into her, the purple aura encasing him again in the same Psycho Crusher move he gave to Ryu, delivering it directly to Nightmare. Instead of continuing straight, however, he aimed it up, carrying the two vertically into the air before stopping. As the two floated there for a second, he delivered another blast of energy into his foe, sending her hard onto the floor.
Nightmare hoped that was the end of his brutal onslaught, but opening her eyes told her she was dreadfully wrong. Bison was coming down, again in his stomping form, and he was coming down directly on her. There would be no time for her to get out of the way, even if she was still capable of that.
“This place shall become your grave!” Bison yelled, landing directly on top of Nightmare and crushing her beneath his boots.
“Will that be all?” Bison asked the groaning demon. “Measly rat; only a handful of the greatest warriors of my world were able to defeat me. What makes you think you stood a chance?”
“Because I am the same,” Nightmare said weakly, rising up again as if to challenge his claim. “Only a few here have ever defeated me. Ponies fear my name when it was uttered; at least they did.”
“Hmpf, what a sad species,” Bison claimed, trying and failing to cover up his own tiredness. “Still, I suppose I can make something of them with a little… training.”
“What training is this? Your powers are incredible; unlike any I have witnessed,” she said. “And you are unlike any creature I have ever witnessed. Most every creature immediately falls to my attacks, and yet you could fight so well.”
“Do they now,” Bison asked, gaining an evil new thought. “Perhaps Gods like us have more in common than I previously thought.”
“Indeed,” Nightmare Moon said, trying to move forward, but hurting a bit much to do so.
“Tell me more of your planet and its beings,” Bison asked. “I believe we have a lot of work to do.”
As the clouds continued to cloak the sky, a tall, muscular man charged his way through the darkness quickly, his feet trampling the grass of the plain. The wind from the coming storm was pushing in the opposite direction, though he refused to allow it to hinder his progress. Other than the occasional lightning, it was nearly pitch black, but that would not stop him either.
He knew that his friend was somewhere around here, and regretted not arriving sooner. Every minute that passed could be another minute closer to Ryu’s defeat, and possible death; he could not let something like that happen. He was not horribly worried, as Ryu could defeat Bison, and most others he fought. Still, the odds were against him; he wanted to help his friend, he had to.
However, when he arrived at the site, Ryu was gone, and Bison was nowhere to be seen either. In their place, there was an unconscious Rose and a barely-standing Guy; and along with that, an odd, circular contraption glowing in the back. Guy wearily went over what he could remember in a grim manner, properly matching the nature of the scenario.
The summary of it was simple: Ryu was lost in another place, possibly another world, in an unknown condition. So too was Bison, which made things worse rather than better. Regardless of the odds, he would be going through as well. Someone had too; there was no one else around, at least none that were not already thoroughly crippled by the fighting. But regardless of where it went, or what was there, he was planning on following anyways. His friend was in danger, and Ken was not going to leave him to die.
“Alright,” Ken pondered, looking over an abandoned stone structure of what looked like some kind of winged animal, unrecognizable from the decay and overgrowth of foliage. “A jungle, some ruins… Mexico?”
That was his best guess, based around the area he was in. Since he had fallen into wherever he was, he had been wandering about trying to find any sign of civilization, or life in general. Other than some odd animal noises, those ruins were the closest thing he had seen to it. They looked a good deal like the abandoned ruins in pictures of southern Mexico, and the jungle area around was similar to such jungles; thick, but not too thick.
But Bison’s machine was supposed to be a transporter to another world, not other countries. But the key to that was that it was supposed to; there was never a guarantee that it would. Perhaps there was some kind of malfunction, or maybe it was just not built correctly; though that seemed unlikely with Bison. Either way, nothing could be done about that now. The main objective for him was to find Ryu, or something that could lead him to Ryu in turn.
“Well, no point in sight-seeing,” he thought. “I’m only going to find answers if I keep moving.”
Despite being totally lost, he was not without some kind of guidance. He had made his way here after walking about in the jungle for a few hours, and to his luck there was a small, but noticeable, dirt path that led from the somewhat cleared area the statue stood at. In fact, there were several paths, but Ken chose to follow the most obvious choice, and picked the most obvious path. The one that was largest and clearest, stretching and turning back into the forest like a snake.
He took a moment to ponder what could happen here, if this really was a new world. What would its population be like? And what would they do to Ryu if they found him? And if it turned out to be something bad, what would fighting them be like? Would he be able to beat them?
“Course I will!” he mentally reminded himself. “I have to try. Whatever this place has, I’ll find a way to beat it like anything else.”
Not much else was going on in his head as he traveled. The only thing on his mind was the task at hand. It had control over much of his focus, and time seemed to slip by much faster thanks to that. Despite this he was still on alert for being in an unknown land; not totally on edge for every movement, but he was paying some attention to detail at the least. But there were not many details worth looking into as he continued along his journey. Not until he reached another small, circular clearing similar to many others he had passed.
He had just moved across to the other end and was going to continue when a loud noise caught his attention. There was a loud snap from the direction of where he had come from, as if a tree had just been cracked in two. And it did not end with that; sounds of rustling and trampling could be heard, getting louder and closer, quickly approaching his position.
“Guess the welcoming party’s here,” he said to himself, keeping his arms close to him and ready to strike or block whatever came out. “Better make a good first impression.”
He quickly prepared himself for whatever was coming, stretching for a second and getting into his fighting stance. He was not sure if the strangers would be friendly or not, but he was not going to take a chance with it. And the chaotic noise seemed to indicate that things were not calm. Even if they were hostile, he was confident in his skill; he would fight, and beat, whatever was about to charge out at him. And judging from the noise, it would not be long before the locals that he had been pondering over arrived.
Finally, the culprit burst into the area from a part of the jungle wall in a flurry of leaves. To his surprise, it was not human, not even close. But, at the same time, it was not threatening enough to be called a monster or beast. As it stood up quickly, it gave off the impression of a small horse, though it was certainly more than that.
Its coat coloring was a light brown, not unusual in itself; but the hair was a dark black and styled in a fashion that looked almost human. To add to that, it was fully dressed in a jacket and hat, much like a person would. It did not seem at all threatening; in fact, it looked to be running from something, and it continued to do so until it spotted Ken and quickly screeched to a halt just in front of him.
Ken was too bewildered to strike at the animal, but it did not seem to hold anything against attacking him. It quickly drove one of its hooves forward, only for it to be caught by one of the fighter’s hands. Ken pushed it back, with enough force to send the horse tumbling to the ground. But when it did not recover, he refrained from following it up. It did not look like it wanted to fight, and he was right in that assumption. But he did not anticipate the animal to talk in response.
“Get out of the way!” it yelled in a half-demand, half warning.
It fluttered its wings, the first time Ken noticed these, and flew ahead, looking to get by; the man stopped it with ease and held it in place.
“Whoa whoa, hold up!” he warned, guessing that this would be the first, maybe only, chance at help he would get. “How can you-”
“Are you one of Ahuizotl’s minions?” the pegasus demanded. “Did he hire some new creature from a faraway land to catch me or something? Cause it’s not going to work!”
“Hey, back off! I’m no servant!” Ken responded immediately.
He was unsure of exactly who or what the pegasus was referring to, but he knew he was no one’s servant.
“Yea? How do I know you’re not lying?” she asked quickly, obviously in a hurry.
“Cause I haven’t pummeled you yet.”
“Then get out of the way! Don’t you know he’s coming after me!?” she rhetorically asked, trying to move around him.
“No, I don’t know what’s coming after you,” Ken replied, side-stepping to block her path. “But I would like some help, cause I’m kind of lost-”
“I can tell, but you’re going to end up way worse if we don’t keep moving; at least I will.”
She tried once more to get around Ken, succeeding this time and almost taking off before something he said caught her attention.
“I doubt that,” he predicted. “In fact, I think I can help you with your little problem.”
“What? How is some weird… thing going to help me? Why even?”
“Like I said, this isn’t my neck of the woods,” he joked, not being caught by the pegasus. “So I’ll ‘persuade’ whatever’s coming after to back off, and you help me find out where I need to go. Deal?”
“Fight Ahuizotl!? Do you even know who he is?”
“No, but I do know that I’ve beaten guys with a lot scarier names than that,” he said, not giving much assurance to her.
“Ugh, fine!” she relented, knowing the pursuer in question was close. “But if you can’t handle things, I’m out of here; I’m not sticking around and getting captured again because of some hot head.”
“I won’t expect you to,” he replied, turning back to face the rustling noise. “And I won’t be needing it, either.”
Despite what he said, Ken was still not sure of just what he would be fighting against; not after that short encounter. Perhaps it was another horse, or something else entirely. Regardless of what it was, he was sure he could beat it; just how difficult that fight would be was not as clear. But he would win all the same, he had to. He did not want to think about what would happen otherwise.
The foliage began to shudder again, much heavier this time, until large beast jumped clear through it and into the clearing. It was far stranger, and more threatening, than the small horse, and seemed more like a giant, bluish dog with hands in the place of its forelegs. Landing on all fours, it let out a growl, during which Ken noticed that its eyes seemed to be lowered down to almost above the mouth. Despite it being an intimidating image overall, he found that particular detail to be outright ridiculous, easing his anxiety to the point of near hilarity.
“Is this the thing that’s chasing you?” Ken asked, despite the answer being rather obvious. “Heh, alright; I’ll take care of the big bad wolf for you.”
Despite the desire to run down the pegasus, the creature held back. The strange biped, standing between him and his target, was a development that could not have been predicted. Ken, on the other hand, was ready to get the battle started and finished, or preferably avoid it and save some time.
“You’re the one she’s talking about, right?” he asked, motioning to the pegasus behind him. “Ahu… something… what was it?”
“Ahuizotl,” the answer came, with a noticeable hint of pride. “And I would suggest you move aside at once; I have business to attend to with Daring Do.”
“Who? My new friend?” Ken guessed, keeping his place as the pegasus shimmied away to the other end of the arena. “Sorry, can’t do that; I need her help. Can’t let you kill my only guide.”
“I don’t think you understand the consequences of what you’re-”
“Look, I’m kind of in a hurry, so just run back home before I have to hurt you, alright?” Ken asked, somewhat hoping he would listen, but knowing better. “Go on, maybe I’ll toss you a bone if you do!”
Ahuizotl, who had very little patience from the beginning, lost what little he had after this, flaring with anger at the insult. He was close to capturing his rival, and did not intend to fail this time. And the only thing in his way was an odd brute with a big mouth.
“Do you think you can stop me!? I will tear you to shreds!”
“You’ve got a temper, don’t you? Guess I’ll have to teach you how to behave,” Ken taunted with a smug grin, pointing at him. “And it’s going to be more than a slap on the nose!”
Ahuizotl gave off another growl, far less impressive than the initial one, as the human had heard it already.
“You’ve wasted enough time already! I will not let you off all things stand in the way!” he stated in a fearsome voice. “But if you’re so intent, fine! I’ll defeat you and you can share a brutal end with that annoying pegasus, and we’ll see how smug you are in agonizing pain!”
“Just try pal! There’s only one guy who can beat me, and it isn’t you,” he replied, returning to his fighting stance. “So, bring it on!”
Ahuizotl pushed off with his hind legs and lunged at Ken, intent on grabbing and tearing him apart at once. Ken reacted quicker, and countered immediately. He turned, aimed, and shot his right leg out in a stiff kick that, as it reached its peak force, collided with his opponent, ramming into him like a thrusting spear. Ahuizotl was driven backwards, and fell onto the ground on his back before slowly recovering.
“You gotta try harder than that!” Ken called out, motioning with his hand for the dog to try again. “Come on, at least let me warm up!”
Ahuizotl did not bother replied, but jumped once again; though this time it was only to close the distance, rather than a direct attack. He was close enough to the human to strike again, and as soon as he was within range, he brought his hand up to swipe down at him. Ken raised his own arm to deflect this, and sent it back just as another one from the beast’s other limb was coming at his center. This, too, was halted by his own block. Ahuizotl jabbed a few more times which, though quick, made no progress in breaking his defense.
Ken kept his focus and control the entire time, reacting to each movement and moving to stop it. He was ready to counter-attack when something caught him by surprise. Ahuizotl, failing to hit him yet again, dropped to his fours as his tail shot over his back, with a hand of its own forming into a fist, aimed directly at Ken’s head. Ken quickly threw up his own hand and intercepted the surprise assault, throwing the tail back. Though it quickly shot back down to strike again, like a lunging viper.
Ken elected to avoid this one and just barely ducked out of the way. Closer to the ground, he took the opportunity to go on the offense and swung his leg in a circular kick towards his foe. To his credit, Ahuizotl’s reactions were getting sharper, and he yanked his forelegs up quickly, forcing himself onto his hind legs and allowing the kick to hit nothing more than the air in front of him. Ken too noticed this, and was surprised that he could avoid it, but also saw his follow-up move before the first strike was even done.
As the leg went around, completing its seemingly futile circle, Ken quickly pushed up from the ground and brought his fist forward, aiming up and out. The reflex stalemate ended as Ken’s uppercut pushed forward, hitting the standing adversary in the chest, and running all the way up to strike his chin. Ken pushed up from the ground, driving all the force upwards and sending Ahuizotl flying backwards. He also went airborne, but in a far more controlled, stylish fashion, returning the extended arm to his side as his body completed the spin before returning to the ground.
“Now that’s a move!” he exclaimed, obviously satisfied. “A little less predictable and you might even make average.”
“Enough of this!”
He attacked with both hands stretched out again, which Ken stopped with his own. But Ahuizotl held them there as his tail reached out again, grabbing the man’s head before he could react, and flinging him full over to the other side of the clearing. Ken landed hard in a roll, but recovered quick enough to see the tail reaching out to him again. Only this time, he caught it.
“What!?” Ahuizotl shouted, outwardly showing a sense of sheer surprise for the first time.
Ken yanked forward, grabbing another part of the tail with his other hand, and pulled hard. Ahuizotl was yanked from the ground violently, and flew in his direction. Ken pulled with all his strength and tugged the tail, and the thing attached to it, full on in his direction, a bit to the side so he would not be in the way. The momentum was enough to send Ahuizotl flying directly into a nearby tree-trunk, back first, and hitting the ground with an audible groan.
“Heh… nice try, but not nice enough,” Ken panted out before recovering. “So are we done now? I got a friend to find.”
To his surprise, Ahuizotl not only regained his footing but, after a few seconds charged him again in a rough, blind rage. But it was plain to see he was using up whatever energy was left in him for one last attack. And Ken was planning on using that to his advantage so his enemy would not make this mistake again. He waited until Ahuizotl was in the final lunge jumping directly at him with regard for caution. Ken pointed at him with a smug grin, twisted himself back, and prepared his own attack.
“This’ll hurt!” he warned, though not nearly with enough time for the attacker to react.
Ken spun the other direction of his twist like a top and launched into an angled hurricane kick, with his foot not only ramming into Ahuizotl, but becoming enflamed in the process, along with the target. Ten flaming kicks were landed in one continuous roundhouse pushing back a fair distance in the opposite direction, with the last one catching onto Ahuizotl and launching him upwards. With the end in sight, Ken twisted backwards and delivered a final, flaming reverse roundhouse at the falling victim, hitting him hard in the neck and sending him flying back almost to the starting point of the move.
Ken was winded at this point, but not hurt. Ahuizotl, on the other hand, was clearly disabled, and would not be getting up to challenge the man again. All the same, Ken made the effort to head over and check him, to ensure no further surprises; the vanquished foe was badly beaten, but still breathing. He would live, but he was too hurt to continue, and that was perfect for Ken.
“You’re stubborn, I’ll give you that,” Ken commented, looking over Ahuizotl. “Any last words before I get back on the road?”
“Curse… you,” the beast mumbled in a groan.
“You can curse me with the seven plagues; I’ll always be the better fighter,” Ken stated before turning back around and looking for his new companion.
Daring had been watching from a safe distance, not wanting to interfere with the brutal battle. But even as he returned, Ken could tell she was surprised from outcome, shocked even. Of course, he always did like to pull off a victory with some style to make the match a show, but he guessed that was not the only reason.
“Alright, a deal’s a deal,” he reminded her, walking back up to the pegasus. “You think you can help me?”
Daring had watched the entire battle, and still did not believe the outcome. She could never beat Ahuizotl in a one-on-one brawl, and yet this warrior had made it look so simple, as if he had no real power to begin with. She was at a loss of words, so she chose to simply reply and move along.
“A-alright… how did… how did you beat him?” she asked.
“I just did,” Ken replied simply, as if it were common sense. “I trained harder, and I fought better… and I guess he didn’t.”
“Oh… ok,” she agreed, thinking it was best not to dwell too much on it. “I guess we should-”
Daring stopped herself, realizing something important she had forgotten.
“Sorry, but I didn’t get your name; and I guess I should know that if we’re going to be travelling together,” she said. “I mean, you know mine, cause… well Ahuizotl kept yelling it.”
“Ken Masters,” he said, happy to have finally found someone, or something, he could work with. “Hope you don’t mind if we chat a little on the way; I’ve got a few questions I’d like answered.”
