A knocking on her door raised Rainbow Dash from her slumber.

The rainbow maned mare let out a groan as she glanced up at the clock on her wall. Noon. Far earlier that she was supposed to be up. She couldn’t imagine who was coming to bother her at this hour, but if she had to wager a guess it would be one of her friends. Though a part of her wondered if they were still friends. It had been months since she had last spoken to any of them.

The knocking grew louder and Dash realized the pony at the door wasn’t going to leave until they had spoken to her, so with a tired grown Dash rolled out of her bed and landed on her hooves. Her blinds were drawn, as always, but there was just enough light in-between the cracks for her to see. She stretched her one wing and walked out of her bedroom and into the living room of her small house.

Not wanting to deal with the pony at the door right away, Dash instead took a moment to look around. It had been a while since she had mustered up the strength to clean the place, so dust and cobwebs covered a lot of the room. There wasn’t much for her to look at. A couple of dusty seats. A table with some magazines on it. A shelf that had once held her first place trophies, until she had destroyed them one night in a fit of helpless rage. And then there was a single picture on her wall. One of her and her five other friends all smiling with their hooves around each other. Back when she had two wings. Back when she was happy. Back before Ryu.

The knocking grew so ferocious that Dash figured if she didn’t answer the door the pony would probably beat her door down. Dash walked to the door, grasped the handle, and, with a sigh, opened it. Sunlight poured directly into her eyes, blinding her momentarily and getting a couple of curse words out of her mouth.

“Wow. You’re in even worse shape than I thought.” When Rainbow could finally see again, she found that it was Fluttershy that had come to visit her. The mare had cut her mane and now wore glasses, but other than that she looked pretty much the same.

“Fluttershy? Why are you here and why are you dressed like that?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m dressed like this because I work at the vet now. And I’m here because nopony has seen you in months and somepony had to check up on you,” Fluttershy replied before looking past Rainbow into her house. “Are you going to invite me in or are we going to have this conversation out here?”

Dash grunted and moved to the side, allowing Fluttershy into her home. Fluttershy looked around with a concerned look on her face as she noticed all the dust and cobwebs. She then spied the ruined remains of a trophy near a shelf and her heart sank slightly. Yet she regained control of her composure and sat on one of the couches, ignoring the dust and grime.

“So what do you want?” Rainbow asked as she plopped down in a seat.

“I wanted to see how you’ve been doing. It’s been months since, well, your injury and you’ve dropped off the map,” Fluttershy replied. “You don’t go to the doctors anymore, you’ve stopped training and I’ve had to take care of Tank for you. Rainbow, you can’t keep living like this.”

“Why not? It’s the only way I can live now,” Dash spat dejectedly.

“No it isn’t. Missing a wing doesn’t make you any different from the Rainbow Dash we know and love,” Fluttershy replied.

“Really? Cause it’s sure as hell made a difference to me! I have to live down here, in the dirt, because I can no longer stand on clouds. I can’t go to Cloudsdale anymore in general because, oh look, I can’t fly! I’ve lost my wing, lost my Pegasus magic and lost not only my title as the number one fighter in Equestria, but also any chance I had at joining the Wonderbolts! There’s nothing left for me to do but to stay here and rot.”

“Rainbow, there are plenty of jobs out there for a Pegasus missing her wing,” Fluttershy said. “Celestia has a whole division in Canterlot to help those who are…in your situation. Her R and D department has even had a breakthrough with metal wings and they’re hoping soon that crippled pegasi will be able to fly again.”

“But it won’t be the same,” Rainbow spat. “I’ll never be the fastest flier again. I’ll never be the champion fighter that could take on any being not named Zangief. I’ll never be me again.”

“Rainbow…you’ve been in here too long by yourself. You’ve forgotten that we’re still your friends and that we’re always here for you,” Fluttershy said. “Our greatest strength is no our wings or muscles or magic, but our friendship. The friendship that brought down Tirek. The friendship that saved Luna. We’ve done the impossible not because of our individual skills, but as friends. And we can do so again, if you’ll let us help you.”

“Please, our little group is done. Twilight’s in a mental ward, Rarity’s off in Canterlot promoting her line, Pinkie’s traveling Equestria with Cheese and you…you have other responsibilities now," Rainbow spat. “The Ambassadors of Harmony are finished. Just like me.”

“Actually, Twilight was released from the mental ward a week ago. As long as she stays away from Zangief and his antics, she should be fine.”

“Well whoopie for her. Still doesn’t change my point.”

Fluttershy let out a small sigh and stared up at the ceiling, watching as a spider made a brand new web next to all of the others. “I want to help you, Rainbow Dash, but I can’t unless you let me. Losing your wing was a tragedy, but it isn’t the end of your life. There is so much more you can do, you just need to find the will to try.”

“I did try. And I lost a wing because of it,” Rainbow snarled. “Now do you have any other motivational speeches your read off a fortune cookie or are you going to let me go back to bed and live the rest of my life in peace the way I want to?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to say more, but thought better of it and rose to her hooves. “I’ll leave for today Dash, but you can’t get rid of me that easily. I want to help you, whether you want help or not. I’ve known you longer than anypony else and I know that quitter isn’t in your vocabulary. Eventually, you’ll see that I’m right.”

“Are you still talking? Don’t you have some sick squirrel to take care of or something?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy frowned before she headed towards the door, but once she reached it she stopped to look back at Dash.

“Ryu’s no longer in Equestria,” she informed Rainbow. “He left about a month ago. Apparently, he’s gone to hunt down the metal man who had tried to kill Diamond Tiara. If he’s the reason why you’ve been so scared to go outside, you don’t need to fear him anymore. You’re safe.”

Dash snarled at those words as Fluttershy left, but even though she would never say it she did feel like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She still had nightmares about that day, the day when Ryu had snapped and tore her wing from her shoulders. Ryu, the most boring, slow and uninteresting fighter Dash had ever fought, held a demon within his very soul. Something Rainbow had learned the hard way.

She hated to admit it, but she had been scared of running into Ryu again. Afraid that one moment he would be the dull weirdo he normally was and then he would turn into that monster again. It wasn’t the only reason Dash rarely left her house, but it was one of them. Zangief had spoken with the ponies and explained Ryu’s demon to them, as well as the fact that he had conquered it and the demon in Ryu would never bother them again. The ponies forgave Ryu instantly, because Zangief asked them to and they never went against Zangief, but they hadn’t been on the receiving end of his power. His hatred. They didn’t see his crimson eyes every time they slept or felt the screaming agony of a limb being ripped free. She did. And it wasn’t something one could easily get over.

A knock came from her door once more, getting Rainbow Dash to groan in annoyance. What was Fluttershy back for now? Had she forgotten something? Did she not want to leave Rainbow in the state she was in? Or maybe she read a new fortune from a cookie and thought that it might change the way Rainbow saw the world?

“For the last time Fluttershy, I’m not-“ Rainbow began as she ripped the door open, only to find she had severely mistaken who was on the other side.

A colossal human stood before her, one that, if she had to guess, was as tall or even taller as Zangief. He wasn’t as muscular as the Red Cyclone, but there was a ferocity and intensity to his aura that Rainbow had never felt coming off of the Russian. A nasty scar was on his chest, one that went from his lower abdomen all the way up to his right shoulder. Tape covered his fists and feet, and his shorts were red and blue.

But where Dash’s full attention was drawn was to his face. A face that was so hard set into a scowl that if she had been told his face had been carved from granite she would believe it. The human had only one, pure white eye. The other eye was covered by a black and worn eyepatch.

All this she gathered as she stared up at the human, unable to move under his gaze. It was like if a predator was gazing down at a mouse. The mouse knew that it was dead, the only question was would the predator kill it then or in a moment. That was how Dash felt looking up at this human. She felt like she was staring into the face of a tiger.

“Rainbow Dash?” the human finally asked her.

“Uh-huh,” Dash barely muttered in reply.

“You’re coming with me.” And then he kneed her in the face.

Rainbow’s eyes snapped open in an instant. She shot up and started to look around, only for a wave of pain and nausea to overtake her and nearly cause her to collapse. She took a moment to stare at the ground, waiting for the wave of pain to pass, before she lifted her eyes once more and took a good look around.

She was in the middle of some kind of jungle. The trees that surrounded her on all sides were different than the ones back home and three times as thick, with a mist floating between them that made it impossible for her to see through. Their branches and thick leaves all tangled together overhead, blocking out the sun and the sky.

But what grabbed her full attention was what was in the clearing. Two small mats on the ground, a pool of water and the massive, scar covered man that had knocked her out. He sat with his back towards her, hands on his knees in a meditative position, without his body moving in the slightest. Rainbow wasn’t sure if he was awake or asleep. Heck, she didn’t even know who he was.

“You’re awake. Good,” the man said. Rainbow let out a yelp he stood up at turned to face her. Now that she had a good shot of him next to another tall object, Rainbow realized that this man was indeed taller than Zangief. Not by much, but he still was. “Now we begin,” he said as he took up a fighting stance.

“Wait a moment! Who the heck are you?! Where am I?” she asked as she scrambled away from the man.

“I am Sagat, your new master,” Sagat said with a scowl. “As for where you are, this is the Jungle of Loss. A place that I have taken you to so that we may expedite your training. Now enough talk. It is time for battle.”

“Battle? Newsflash for you pal, but I don’t battle anymore,” Rainbow said as she indicated to her wing. “How can I, when I can’t even-“

In a blur of motion Sagat was on Rainbow, hurling out a kick towards her head. Rainbow let out a yelp before she rolled to the side, just barely avoiding the impact. Sagat read the roll and kicked off the ground, flying towards Rainbow with his knee outstretched. Rainbow took the knee square in the chest and tumbled backwards, gasping for the air that had been ejected from her lungs.

Sagat was on the offensive once more. He hurled a series of punches and elbow strikes at Rainbow, who was forced to block and deflect them with her forehooves. Sagat went low and tried to sweep her legs out from beneath her, but he was a bit too slow and she leapt over the attack. For a brief moment she and Sagat locked eye, before he raised his arm to defend himself from the blow that never came. When she failed to strike him, Sagat lowered his arm and looked down at Dash, who had simply backed away from him.

“You had the perfect chance for a counterattack and yet you did nothing,” Sagat said, his voice filled with disappointment. “I know you saw the opening, and yet you did nothing. Explain yourself, if you are able.”

“I’m not fighting you,” Rainbow spat. “I’m done fighting. I’m done with Zangief, with Ryu and with anyone else that comes from his world. Let me go home and back to bed. It’s too early in the morning for me.”

“Pathetic,” Sagat spat. “I had heard of you, Rainbow Dash, from one of the greatest opponents I have ever known. He called you brave, courageous, an incredible fighter, but most of all, one who never backed away from a challenge. Yet all I see is a mare that didn’t deserve any of the praise she had gotten to begin with. If this is all it takes to get you to give up, then you never deserved any of your titles to begin with.”

“Whatever. How do I get out of here?”

“Simply go in any direction and you shall find an exit. This jungle is not that large,” Sagat said. He turned around and sat down, leaving Dash to make up her mind. Dash spat at him before heading into the trees.

“Stupid Street Fighter. Thinking he can show up and tell me what to do, all because he’s so tall and angry,” Rainbow muttered to herself as she walked. The fog grew thicker as she walked, putting the mare slightly on edge. ‘No, it’s nothing. It’s just fog. You’ve faced world ending abominations. Fog is nothing.’

‘Rainbow Dash.’

Her soul turned to ice as Rainbow heard the words. It wasn’t the calling out of her name, but rather the voice of who had spoken. Slowly, while praying she was wrong the entire time, Dash slowly turned to look behind her. Standing there, to her utter despair, was Ryu. But not the white clad warrior that the princesses had pardoned. His suit was a dark blue, his hair was crimson and a blood red aura surrounded him. This was him. Her nightmare given form.

“No…no it can’t be you. You’re gone! Fluttershy said you were gone!” Rainbow screamed.

“I will never leave. Not while my prey still draws breath,” Evil Ryu snarled, slowly walking towards her. He extended one hand towards her, before crushing his grip. “You look so…off balance like that. Come here, little mare. Let me tear out your other wing…and truly cast you out of heaven!”

With a bellow of wrath that shook the forest, Evil Ryu lunged towards Rainbow. She let out a scream of terror before turning and racing through the trees, tearing across the ground as fast as her legs could carry her. She flapped her one wing uselessly as she ran, praying that it would give her enough speed to outrun the demon. But like all demons, it caught up to her no matter how fast she went

Evil Ryu burst through the trees and hurled a kick at her, getting Rainbow to scream as she ducked the kick. The attack sliced through one of the trees and brought it down, nearly crashing on top of her. She took off running once more, while the mocking voice of Evil Ryu echoed behind her.

“Run all you like, Rainbow. Without your wings, you are trapped in hell!”

Purple blasts of plasma burned away the forest all around her as E. Ryu shot out Hadoken after Hadoken towards her. Tears stream down Rainbow’s face as she ran, her eyes glancing around desperately for a way out of the forest or a place to hide. The forest gave her neither. She heard her demons cackle and glanced behind her in time to see a colossal dark blast of Hadoken tearing apart the forest as it tore a path straight to her. She threw herself out of the way of the blast right before it detonated, the shockwave catching the mare and tossing her into the side of a tree.

Pain wracked her body, terror made her limbs quake and the tears in her eyes obstructed her vision as Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves, preventing her from noticing where Evil Ryu was until he was right on top of her. With fear filling every last bit of her soul she gazed up as the demon walked towards her, a smile on his face so disturbing that it contorted his face and made his jaws bleed.

“Rainbow Dash. The fastest flier in Equestria,” E. Ryu mocked as he stalked towards her. “You were once so proud. Of your speed, of your skill, of your title of the lands greatest fighter. And now look at you. Crying and shivering like a babe that has seen true terror for the first time. Killing you as you are now will not be a victory. It will be a mercy.”

His hand lashed out and grabbed Rainbow by the throat, ripping her from the ground with ease and dangling her limp body off the ground. Rainbow squirmed as best she could, but it was no use. She could not escape.

“Twilight…Fluttershy…Zangief…anyone,” she sobbed weakly. Evil Ryu’s smile somehow widened even further and he laughed at her words.

“Begging for help? You truly have gone as low as you can,” Evil Ryu mocked. Then he grabbed hold of her other wing with his free hand and smiled at Rainbow. “Do not worry. I will make it quick. But it will not be painless.”

“Be silent.”

A massive, tree trunk like body slammed into Evil Ryu, driving its knee into the demon’s face. Ryu spat out blood as he tumbled backwards, roaring with rage as he snapped back up to his feet. Dash collapsed to the ground in a heap and weakly looked up to see Sagat standing over her, his eye locked onto Evil Ryu.

“Sagat. Come to be bested by me once more?” Evil Ryu laughed as he glared at Sagat. Sagat said nothing in reply. Instead, he slid his left foot back, rose his left arm and assumed a fighting stance Rainbow had never seen before. Ryu bellowed as he lunged towards Sagat, hand outstretched. Dash wanted to look away, but her fear kept her eyes glued to the humans.

In a single motion, Sagat swatted Ryu’s fist to the side before delivering three, hard hitting fists to E. Ryu’s chest. Ryu staggered backward with a look of both confusion and pain on his face, before he shook his head and bellowed once more. He lunged at Sagat and shot out his leg, diving down with a knife kick. Sagat stepped to the side and allowed the attack to sail past him, before he kicked Ryu in the back of the head and sent him tumbling through the dirt.

“What? How?” Evil Ryu snarled, getting back up to his feet and glaring at Sagat. Sagat had yet to move from his spot. “You are not this strong! I struck you down at your peak with a fraction of my power! You cannot best me!”

“Your words mean as much to me as the swaying of these branches or the wind in the trees” Sagat calmly replied. “As for you…you mean nothing to me. Just a face from my past like a memory. A memory of where I used to be. A place I am so far beyond.”

Evil Ryu bellowed at his words before lunging forward once more, dashing across the ground with such speed that the jungle behind him was set alight with his movement. Yet Sagat never moved. He never even looked up as the Raging Demon approached him. Right as Ryu reached out to claim Sagat’s soul, Sagat reached out with his own hand and placed it on Evil Ryu’s chest, stopping him dead.

“Tiger.”

An explosion of fire the likes of which Rainbow Dash had never seen consumed Evil Ryu, burning him away until he was nothing. Sagat then let out a sigh and rose up to his feet, finally turning around to look at Rainbow Dash.

“That is the true power of this Jungle of Loss. Those who enter into these trees are hounded by their greatest loss, their greatest failure, until they either overcome it…or are slain by it,” Sagat informed her. “So if you truly wish to leave this place. You must overcome him. You must overcome yourself. Now come. There is much to be done.”

And with that, Sagat turned and walked away.

Not wanting to stay in the jungle, in case the spirit of Evil Ryu returned, Rainbow had followed Sagat back to the small camp that he had made for them. Under the protection of the massive leaves that crisscrossed overhead, the camp consisted of two mats, a campfire, a pool of crystal clear water and some vials that she knew nothing about. While it was as barebones as a camp could get, at least it made sense to her.

What made absolutely no sense was the seven-foot-tall human that had knocked her out and dragged her here. Sagat, as he called himself, hadn’t answered a single question she had asked him on the way back to camp. Among those questions were the likes of “why did you kidnap me?” and “why on Equis did you bring me to this place?” Aside from a scowl, Sagat hadn’t responded in any way. Now Rainbow sat on her mat, staring at the mountain of a man who sat with legs crossed, hands on his knees and eye closed, breathing in and out slowly.

She didn’t know what to make of him. Now that she had a better look, she could see even more scars aside from the massive one that was on the front of his body. In fact, nearly all of his exposed flesh was covered in scars. Similar to Zangief. She wondered if they knew each other?

“Are you ready to begin?” Sagat asked. His voice was so sudden and deep that Rainbow nearly leapt off of her mat. She regained control of herself and narrowed her eyes at the man.

“Am I ready? Yeah, I’m ready. Ready for you to explain who the hell you are, why you kidnapped me and for you to take me back home! All that I’m ready for! As for…whatever the hell this place is, I have no intention of spending any more time here!”

“I already told you. If you wish to leave this place, you must conquer Ryu first,” Sagat replied, his voice practically a snarl. “And to do that, you need to be taught from the ground up. Unless you wish to face him again so soon.”

“Like I said, I have no intention of fighting him. Nor do I have any intention of staying here,” Rainbow snarled. “And if you don’t take me home right now, my friends will come to get me and when they do, your entire body will be one big scar!”

“Your friends are not coming. No one is,” Sagat informed her. He rose to his feet and walked over to the mare, towering over her as he glared down. “This is a location that only the beings called Changelings know about. It will hide your magic and your presence so that, if you fail, it can consume both without any interference. The only way out of here is to fight your way out. Now then, kitten, are you ready to learn? Or are you going to continue your mewling?”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, before the image of Evil Ryu flashed through her mind again. The stump on her back began to burn at the thought and she turned away from Sagat, curling up on her mat and ignoring him as best she could.

“Feh, your fear makes you less than a mewling kitten. Even they know when to brandish their claws in the face of a threat. You just lay there and wait for it to kill you,” Sagat spat.

“I don’t care. I’ll just lay here and wait to die,” Rainbow said.

“If that is what you wish for, so be it. Once Evil Ryu finds this place, I have no doubt he will not hesitate in granting your wish,” Sagat said. Rainbow Dash sat up and spun around to face the human, her eyes filled with fear. “Did you think you were safe here? That I made our camp in a place where he could not get to us? No, he will be here. Most likely soon. And if you face him in the state you are now, then I will have to find a new student.”

“Are you crazy?! Why on Equis would you set up camp in a place like this then?” Rainbow asked, before she started to look around. “We gotta move. Who knows how close he is? With his speed and bloodlust he could be here already.”

“Right now the only think keeping the spirit of Evil Ryu back is my presence,” Sagat told her. “If you go into that jungle without me, you will die within seconds. But eventually he will come here to claim your soul. And I will not stand in his way if he does. Either you will best him or he will kill you. There is no in-between.”

Rainbow stammered out a few words before she fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes as terror flowed through every vein in her body. “Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?” she sobbed.

“I am doing this because I owe a debt. A debt which I can repay by training you to be an even greater warrior than you once were. But I never promised that my training would be easy or that you would make it out alive. I promised to train you. It is up to you whether or not you survive my training,” Sagat said coldly. “If you have the motivation to sit there and snivel, then you have the strength to get back up and learn. Which will it be, kitten?”

“You don’t understand. Evil Ryu…he’s not something you can fight,” Rainbow whispered. “His speed, his strength…his ferocity. It’s power the likes of which I’ve never seen. How am I supposed to face something like that! You don’t know what you’re sending me up against!”

“I do not know the power of the Satsui no Hado? I do not know of the darkness that Ryu holds within? Who do you think gave me this?” Sagat asked, pointing his thumb to the massive scar on his chest. “I was at the peak of my power when Ryu defeated me. I was the greatest fighter in the world. And then he came along and toppled my empire with a single uppercut.”

“Do not waste my time whining about the loss of your wing or the loss of your status as champion. I have felt both. I have lost my eye. I have lost my crown. And I too lost my will to fight,” Sagat berated her. “But when you reach as low as you can go, there are only two options. To lay there at the bottom and pity yourself. Or start to climb once again. I chose to climb. All that is left is to see what you choose.”

Rainbow didn’t have anything to say. She was too busy trying to wrap her head around what Sagat had told her. He had faced Evil Ryu and been bested. It made sense, considering how he had known the spirits moves when they fought and had spoken about overcoming him. But the loss of his eye was not the same as the loss of her wing. He lost a little bit of depth perception and the ability to check his right. She had lost a tool of speed, mobility and aerial superiority. He had to change his fighting style slightly. She had lost the entire way she fought.

“You’d just be training me to prolong my death,” Rainbow spat. “Ryu himself was already a tough foe. He beat Zangief, for the love of Faust, the greatest fighter to have ever lived! And his evil form is even stronger than that! How would any amount of training help me to…to…”

Rainbow stopped talking, because Sagat had started laughing while she had been speaking. He threw his head back and laughed a hard, mirthless laugh for a moment, before his scowl returned to his face and he shook his head at her.

“How little you know. Zangief, while strong, is not the greatest fighter in our world. Ryu, even in his evil form, is perhaps second. But there is another fighter, one who makes the both of them seem like children. Akuma.” Rainbow didn’t know who Akuma was, but the moment she heard his name she felt her soul turn to ice and her stump began to blaze with pain.

“When Ryu uses the Satsui no Hado, he is using, at best, fifty percent of what it can actually do. Akuma though, is a true master of the killing intent. His form is perfect, his strength is unmatched and he holds no regard for his opponent’s life,” Sagat said, a smile crossing his face. Not one of joy or excitement. But one of fear. “There are none who can match him. He is a true demon in a fight. I have only witnessed him once. I hope never to do so again.”

“So Ryu, even Evil Ryu, isn’t the best?” Rainbow asked. Her voice shook like her whole world was coming down and she started curl up into the fetal position once more.

“Why does that upset you? If anything, what I have told you should make you happy,” Sagat said.

“Happy?! How on Equis can I be happy after you just told me there is a fighter who can kick around Evil Ryu like he’s nothing?!” Rainbow screamed. “Evil Ryu was the most powerful foe that I’ve ever faced and now you’re telling me he’s only second fiddle to the true master! What in that scar covered brain of yours would think that telling me that would make me feel better?”

“Simple. You believed Evil Ryu to be unbeatable. But I have just told you that he can be beaten,” Sagat explained calmly. “You cannot best him through raw power or might. But Akuma, from the little I saw, did not beat Ryu with power. He beat him with technique. With skill. By making all of his might worthless. And that, Rainbow, is something that you can do. It is something that I have done.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened in disbelief and she gazed up at Sagat with something growing in her heart that she thought she have never felt again. Hope. “You…you beat Evil Ryu?” she asked.

“I defeated Ryu. I bested Evil Ryu. And I held my own against Akuma himself,” Sagat told her, a true smile crossing his face. “That is why the being who wishes to help you came to me. Because only one who has overcome the Satsui no Hado knows how to best it. And just as Dhalsim taught me, so shall I teach you.”

Rainbow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A warrior, probably the only warrior, to have defeated Evil Ryu was before her, read to teach her how to do so. And for a moment she remembered herself in all of her glory, winning match after match, tournament after tournament, being hailed as the greatest in all the land. That was the her she wanted to be again. And it was time for her to reclaim her title.

“So are you ready, little kitten, to be pushed to the point where you wish for death, only to be driven beyond that?” Sagat asked her.

“Yes. I’m ready,” Rainbow said with a wicked smile.

“We shall see. Now then,” Sagat started, before he brought his arms close to his face and lifted one knee off the ground.

“BEGIN!”

Everything on Rainbow hurt. Her arms hurt. Her legs hurt. Her head hurt. Her body especially hurt. She was certain that even her bruises had bruises from all of the abuse that she had taken in the past three days. She should be relaxing in a hot sauna to cure her aches and woes. Yet here she was, staring down the seven-foot man with her forearms raised in a defensive stance, ready for him to make his next move.

Sagat didn’t keep her waiting. His leg lashed out and aimed a kick straight for her head, forcing Rainbow to duck down low to avoid being hit. Sagat snapped his leg back and planted it down, using it as an anchor so he could step forward and drive his knee towards the crouching mare. Rainbow leapt back to avoid being hit, hating how much ground she was giving up. She never retreated, never gave up. Always fought to the bitter end. Yet n their first day of training she had tried that and ended up the bruised mess she was now.

‘He has no openings,’ Dash thought grimly. That was what she had learned about Sagat. He never left himself open, never revealed a moment when he could be counter attacked. Once his knee attack missed, she lunged forward to try to counter, but Sagat’s other leg came up and nearly kicked her head off. She rolled to the side to avoid the blow, but when she got back to her hooves he had already guarded again.

His limbs were the problem. With their length and precision he could strike her every time she tried to get in close to hit him. His arms were twice as long as hers and his legs were even longer, forcing her to get through them before she could get to him. And each time those limbs hit, they hurt. A lot.

‘He’s different from Zangief. Hell, he’s way different than Ryu,’ Dash thought. ‘He doesn’t want to get close to me. He’s perfectly fine at keeping me at a distance. And without my wing, I can’t get in close. Geez, this is so unfair. If only I could fly, I would-‘

In a blur of motion Sagat lunged towards Rainbow Dash, who had been so focused on her thoughts that she had never expected Sagat to go in. She raised her forehooves to defend herself, but it was too little too late. An elbow crashed into the side of her head before a rising knee ripped her off the ground. Rainbow Dash had just enough time to process how bad the blows hurt before a palm strike connected with her back and drove her into the dirt below.

“You were feeling sorry for yourself again, weren’t you?” Sagat asked. Rainbow Dash spat up some blood in response, getting Sagat to narrow his eye. “How many times must you learn this lesson? If you keep your sight on the past, you will never see what is right in front of you. All of this pain you feel right now could be avoided if you simply focused on the here and now.”

“Thank you sir, may I have another?” Dash spat with a laugh. Sagat snarled before he grabbed the back of Rainbow’s neck and hoisted her onto her hooves. He then returned to his starting position and took up his stance, waiting for Rainbow to do the same before he spoke.

“This time, do not focus on the past or the future. You try too hard to predict my movements and because of that you are easy to fool. If you cannot adapt to my attacks in the middle of battle, then you shall never be able to defeat your demon. Now come kitten, let us try this again.”

‘What should I do?’ Rainbow asked herself. ‘I can’t get past his limbs and every time I try I get beaten for it. It’s like this guy can counter anything in his line of sigh…sight. That’s it. That’s how I’ll get this punk. Can’t hit what ya can’t see!’

This time Rainbow didn’t wait around for Sagat to start. She kicked off the ground and hurled herself at him, watching his body careful. She saw the sigh escape his lips, a slight shake of his head and then his leg lashed out, ready to knock her into the dirt once more and be done with her. Yet this time Dash pushed off and leapt to the side, dodging the kick, before she flapped her solo wing with all she had. It wasn’t strong enough to create rainbooms like it had once had, but it was more than strong enough to blast a wave of dust and dirt into Sagat’s one good eye. The human snarled as he staggered back, Dash delighted to see that his one eye was now closed. With nothing standing in her way, she hurled herself at Sagat, ready to finally bring him some pain.

“Nice try.”

Sagat sidestepped as Rainbow descended, causing her to miss her strike and tumble across the ground. She snapped back up to her hooves and turned to face Sagat, whose eye was still closed. With a snarl she resumed her attack, throwing punches and kicks with a speed that would be hard to keep up even if you could see her. Yet even with his one eye closed, Sagat easily dodged and weaved around her moves, with the same precision and grace he had even when he could see. Rainbow let out a roar of frustration and leapt into the air, bringing both hooves over her head as she planned to crack his bald head open. And then Sagat smirked.

“TIGER UPPERCUT!”

A fist consumed with fire struck Dash in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her out of the air. With agony searing her body she tumbled head over hooves, before she crashed onto her back. Her strength left her as she lay there, with only the agony that was burning in her chest to keep her company. Sagat opened his eye and walked over to her, looking down at her with the same expression he always wore.

“Can you move?” he asked her. When she shook her head, he sighed before crossing his arms. “Trying to blind me. Not a bad idea, but you are hardly the first person to have tried it. As such, I have trained myself to be able to still fight even without my ability to see.”

“That’s not fighting while not being able to see. What you did there was fight better than you did when you could see,” Rainbow spat weakly. “You danced around me like I was standing still and then somehow you managed to knock me out of the air despite being blind. And what the hell was with that flaming uppercut?”

Sagat closed his eye and seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment, before a smile crossed his face. “In truth, I could not see you with my eye closed. Your physically attacks were a mystery to me. But I could still sense you, your intent, your desire to harm me…and all of it allowed me to figure out what your next move would be. As such, I was able to counter and dodge with the same skill as if I could see.”

“So you can see the future?”

“I can see what you’re going to do next. You are too direct, kitten. You think in a straight line so therefor you fight in a straight line. Even without my sight, I know what you will do. Thus I am able to counter it.”

“So I can’t stop you when you can see more or when you can’t. All I can do is get my flank whipped. Tell me again how this is training?”

“Because you are soft. I will make you strong,” Sagat replied as he uncrossed his arms. Then he brought those arms back, before thrusting them forward with a yell.

“TIGER SHOT!”

A colossal burst of fire erupted from his fists, roaring with power as it sailed over the trees. The fireball then exploded with an intensity and heat that Dash felt despite how high up it was. She gulped hard at the explosion, before she looked over at Sagat, who was staring down at her.

“First I shall strengthen your body. You have spent so long in grief and self pity that you have allowed yourself to go soft. Then we shall strengthen your skill. Create not a mewling kitten, but a fierce tiger that can defeat any foe. Finally we shall strengthen your spirit. Remind you why you used to be called the best in this land. That is what I have instore for you, Rainbow Dash. Now then, can you move?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Dash grunted as she stood back up.

“Good,” Sagat said, before taking up his fighting stance. “Again.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow muttered, before a blast of fire sailed past her head.

“No mewling. Evil Ryu will not tolerate you whining and neither shall I. If you have the strength to complain, you have the strength to fight,” Sagat snarled. “Now then, come!”

Rainbow had barely gotten back to her hooves before Sagat was on her once more, throwing out elbows and knees that could easily send her to dream land. She dodged and weaved as best she could, but every time she got clipped or stumbled back she felt her strength failing. He was pressing far harder than he had before, not even giving Rainbow Dash a chance to breathe.

“You are weak. You are a quitter. You spent your days bragging about how great you were and then gave up when the universe decided to knock you off your throne! That is who you are!” Sagat scorned, striking harder and faster. “A mare who thought she deserved it all and then quit when she realized she was owed nothing. It’s pathetic.”

“Shut up!” Rainbow roared in reply.

“Finally, some defiance. After what I have seen from you, I thought you might jut roll over and allow me or Ryu to kill you,” Sagat snarled. “Too bad that defiance did not come when you needed it most. Like when you gave up.”

“Shut…UP!” Dash bellowed.

“Do you hate me for speaking the truth? Do you have what the universe has done to you? Or do you just hate yourself for being so weak?!” Sagat roared, kicking Dash hard in the chest and sending her skidding backwards. “Which is it, quitter? Which part of this do you hate the most?”

“I…hate…all of it!” Rainbow bellowed, rage fueling every part of her body.

“Yes, I can see that. You feel that rage burning in you, do you not?” Sagat asked. “Now take that rage, take that anger and helplessness and channel it. Channel it to where you most desperately need it.”

Despite all of her rage, the piercing tone of Sagat’s voice got through to her. She used what little concentration she had left to channel her rage into her arms, planning on using what strength it gave her to beat Sagat to a pulp. Sagat noticed what she was doing and nodded in reply.

“Yes, it seems you understand this rage all too well. Now take all of that rage in your arms, thrust it towards me…and then let it go. Let it leave your body.”

Dash, who could barely think straight, let out a roar as she thrust her arms towards Sagat. Every part of her wanted to destroy him, wanted him to burn in the same fire that he used. But the fighter in her knew to listen. That he was trying to teach her something. So right when she felt she could no longer control her rage…she let it go. Let it go through her arms.

A blast of rainbow energy erupted from the ends of her forehooves, sending a rainbowball of destructive power towards Sagat. The human sidestepped the attack and watched it sail into the forest, where it exploded with the roar of a tiger. Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock at what she had just done, while Sagat turned back to look at her with the hint of a smile on his face.

“To be able to duplicate it after seeing it only twice. Yes, there is a great deal of potential in you,” he said with approval.

“What just happened?” she asked.

“You have taken the first step. For too long you have allowed anger and pity to fuel your thoughts and actions, making you weak,” Sagat said. “You angrily lashed out at friends, you allowed pity to chain your spirit and in doing so, you became a caged beast. Today, kitten, you have tugged against that chain for the first time.”

“Was that…all of my anger…?”

“This is the true power of the tiger spirit, as I call it,” Sagat continued. “Anger is not evil nor something to be avoided, as a certain headband wearing wanderer believed. When we allow it to control us, it weakens us, obstructs our thoughts and makes us sloppy. But when used as power, and nothing more, it makes us strong and gives us the strength that we may not have otherwise.”

“All of my tiger techniques come from taking all of the anger from the pain and anguish I have suffered and expelling them from my body,” Sagat told Dash. “The tiger shot you just performed was you doing the same. Taking all of your anger and releasing it as pure power. Anger does not control us. It is our greatest weapon.”

“So that’s why…you never let up on me,” Dash gasped, before she fell to a knee. “You wanted me to build my anger…so that I could learn how to be rid of it.”

“No. I wanted you to be angry so you could so how being controlled by anger would cause you to fail, just as I did years ago,” Sagat corrected. “Anger is your tool. It is not you. And when you use it properly, it can best any foe.”

“Okay…I think I get it…can I take a break?” Rainbow asked, falling onto her face. “My body’s going number.”

“Five minutes.”

“Only five minutes?!”

“Two minutes.”

“Okay. Yep. Two minutes sounds good to me.”

Rainbow brought up her forearm to deflect an elbow strike, her whole body shaking as she just barely managed to redirect the powerful blow. She shot back with a kick of her own, but Sagat stepped back, just out of range of her strike. A snarl started to escape Rainbow’s lips before she took a quick breath to stop herself. Do not waste a single ounce of anger. Channel it and use it, but do not waste it.

Sagat, sensing that she was lost within her own mind, pressed his attack, advancing on the mare with a flurry of strikes and kicks. Rainbow backpedaled, dodging around each attack as best she could. Sagat was far from the fastest fighter she had ever battled, but each attack was precise and thrown in a way that made it nearly impossible for her to deflect them. She could only dodge and that gave him the advantage.

If only she still had her wing. If only she could fly, this fight would be over in an instant. Those thoughts caused rage to boil within Rainbow’s veins, fueling her muscles with their wrath. But Rainbow did not use the rage to increase her strength. She knew that would be pointless against Sagat. So she let her rage build, locking it away for the time being until she truly needed it.

Pain flashed across her mind and the next thing Rainbow knew she was face down in the dirt, tasting the new flavor of the ground. She spat out mud as she pushed herself up, trying to get her eyes to see straight.

“You lost yourself too deep in thought,” the biting words of Sagat rang out. “Focusing your anger is important, but not as important as making sure you do not get kicked in the head. Unless you can manage both, you will never achieve the strength you seek.”

“Noted. All you did was fuel my rage further,” Rainbow spat. She faced Sagat once more and brought up her forearms, Sagat doing the same. There was no point in her trying to drag this fight out any longer. She had enough rage stored up that even Sagat wouldn’t be able to stand against her. So she brought her arms back and summoned forth all of the rage she could muster. Her mind blazed like an inferno, her blood boiled and she felt the desire to destroy the entire world. Then she focused that might into her forearms, feeling the rage leave her mind and instead enter into her body. Once it was where she wanted it to be, she locked her eyes onto Sagat and thrust her arms forward.

“Tiger shots!”

Rainbow blasts of energy erupted from her forearms and rocketed towards Sagat, who smirked at the oncoming projectiles. His face then warped into one of rage before he began to slash through Dash’s projectiles with his hands, knocking them away before they could strike him and in some cases straight up punching them out of existence.

Yet as he knocked the very last projectile out of the air, Sagat’s eye widened as he spotted the rainbow mare trailing right behind it. He started to bring up his hands at the sight of her attack but, just as Rainbow noted earlier, Sagat was a little too slow. She lashed out with a kick and caught the tiger master in the side of the head. She felt like she kicked a brick wall and Sagat’s head barely moved at all, but as Rainbow hit the ground and came up with a roll, there was only a smile on her face. She had finally scored a hit.

Sagat reached up with his thumb and wiped the side of his mouth, looking down at his thumb for a moment before he threw his head back and began to laugh. His laugh was so deep and powerful that several flocks of birds took off in surprise, like they had just heard the roar of a tiger.

“Yes, that is what I want to see. Not a kitten fighting like it is scared out of its mind, but the heavy and deliberate blows of a tiger. It is amazing how far you have come in this past week,” Sagat praised, a toothy smile on his face.

“I know. I’ve never felt this strong before. I may not be as fast as I once was, but this power…this raw might…it’s intoxicating,” Rainbow Dash noted. She looked down at her own hoof and summoned forth a slight bit of rainbow fire, a smile crossing her face at the sight of her new power. “Maybe after a couple more weeks I can even be the fighter I used to be. Going to be completely honest, my technique is incredibly rusty.”

“Feh, that is what you get for laying around feeling sorry for yourself. In fact, thank you for reminding me. Go practice your technique and stance,” Sagat ordered. Rainbow let out a grumble before she walked towards a corner of the clearing, taking up a stance and holding it. Sagat watched her for a minute, to make sure she didn’t try to cheat, before he rubbed his thumb against the side of his mouth once more, surprised to see he was still bleeding.

‘To think that she has come so far in such a short period of time. It seems that her skill never truly left her,’ Sagat thought as he watched Rainbow train. ‘To learn the tiger style so quickly without ever having seen it before is impressive, but to be able to integrate it into her own fighting style so quickly shows what a genius of combat she is. Ryu, how did you ever manage to hold your own against her without the Satsui no Hado?’

A breeze blew through the clearing, but not like one Sagat had felt in a while. He turned his eye towards the sky, noticing that the leaves above had parted to reveal the black thunderclouds that rumbled overhead. The animals had gone silent and there was a chill in the air, the kind of chill that was only followed by something dangerous. Rainbow sensed it too and started to walk towards Sagat.

“Who said you could stop? Back to your stance work,” Sagat barked. Rainbow stuck out her tongue at him before she returned to her stance, but she was nervous now. It was clear on her face. And if he was about to arrive, Sagat didn’t blame her for being nervous.

Sagat sensed the arrival of Evil Ryu before he saw him. A surge of murderous intent washed over the clearing and Sagat turned to face the arrival of their foe, narrowing his eye as the black and red clad warrior emerged from the trees, a wicked smile on his face while his eyes glowed with a crimson hatred.

“Sagat. So this is where you and that failure have been hiding,” Evil Ryu snarled. “You should have known it would only be a matter of time before I found you and struck you down like the wounded animal that you are.”

“Do not let your confidence become arrogance. A wounded animal is often the most dangerous,” Sagat warned Evil Ryu. “But I have nothing to fear. I know that you are not hear for me. I have already conquered you.”

“You are right about that, wounded tiger. I am not here for you,” Ryu snarled, before he turned his gaze upon Rainbow Dash. “I am here for her. The one who escaped me. I took a wing the last time we fought. This time I will take much more.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Rainbow spat back, yet fear still poisoned her voice. Sagat walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, noticing she was trembling. “I haven’t completed my training yet. Do you think I’m ready for this?”

“You have no choice but to be ready,” Sagat replied coldly. “Remember what you have learned and focus on what you have been taught. He may be powerful and bloodthirsty, but he is still a warrior of flesh and blood. He will fall just like all warriors eventually do.”

Rainbow swallowed hard to calm her nerves, yet even with fear starting to bubble inside of her, she stood across from Evil Ryu and took up her fighting stance. E. Ryu cackled as he took up a stance of his own, smile malevolently at the rainbow mare. Sagat stood off to the side, knowing that he could not enter this fight no matter what happened. This was Rainbow’s demon to face. She would have to be the one to best him. And if she failed, then she failed.

Evil Ryu let out a bellow and lunged towards Rainbow Dash, whose entire body tensed up at the sight of the oncoming demon. Her training kicked in at the last possible second and she rolled out of the way, just barely avoiding a kick that would have taken her head clean off. Evil Ryu didn’t let up the pressure and clawed at her once more, throwing attacks that were more like claw slashes than punches. Rainbow ducked and weaved as best she could, but the combination of Ryu’s offensive pressure and her own refusal to fight back slowly gave Ryu the upper hand.

A low sweep caught Rainbow’s attention too late and she was knocked off of her hooves. She had barely begun to fall before Evil Ryu slammed a palm strike into her chest, sending her crashing across the jungle floor. She coughed in pain as she shakily tried to get up, only to watch with horror as Evil Ryu leapt into the air and descended upon her with his foot aimed at her head. She threw herself to the side in time to avoid being decapitated, yet the monster of Hado was on her in an instant. She crossed her arms as a flurry of punches and kicks was launched into her, before an uppercut to the chest broke through her guard. Evil Ryu let loose a bellow before he slammed his foot into her chest, rocketing her into the side of a tree and dropping her to the floor.

“I…can’t. He’s too…” Rainbow stammered as she tried to get back up. Fear started to flood her eyes as Ryu stalked towards her, his hand reaching out for her remaining wing.

“How long are you going to let him kick you around, kitten?” Sagat called out. Rainbow glanced at Sagat with Evil Ryu doing the same, bringing the fight to a halt for a moment.

“I can’t beat him. He’s too strong,” Rainbow panted in pain.

“No. He is no stronger than you or I. The difference is that you are allowing him to be this strong!” Sagat corrected her. “Where is the mare who nearly mastered my tiger style? Where is the mare who successfully got a hit in on me? Because if that mare was the one fighting this battle, then this fight would have ended long ago. He is only stronger than you so long as you allow him to be.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed at Sagat’s words, but when she turned to look back at Evil Ryu he noticed that the fear that had once been there was now replaced by doubt. Not doubt in Sagat’s words, but doubt in the foe who she was facing. Evil Ryu snarled at Sagat before turning his attention back to Dash.

“Time to die!” he roared, lunging towards her with arms outstretched. But this time Rainbow did not move. She instead closed her arms, brought her arms down to her side and began to glow with a rainbow power. “You cannot best me! I am your demon! The beast that makes you tremble in fear! I am your death!”

“Tiger.”

An unholy fury roared from Rainbow’s mouth as she thrust her arms forward, unleashing a colossal blast of rainbow fire that made even Sagat raise an eye in amazement. Evil Ryu’s roar was lost amongst the explosion, which shaped itself to look like a roaring tiger. The explosion consumed Ryu in a roar of the king before it faded away, leaving Dash standing all by herself. She panted heavily while looking at the spot where Evil Ryu had been standing, before she collapsed to her back.

“He was never here, was he?” she asked Sagat. “Evil Ryu. This was an illusion created by the forest. One that was only stronger than me so long as I allowed it to be. When I overcame my fear of him, I overcame him. That sound right?”

“Correct and also wrong. This is a jungle, not a forest. But yes, that vision of Ryu was nothing more than the jungle bringing your worse fear to life. And so long as you feared him, he would have power over you. But once you overcame that fear, well, he was nothing in the end.”

“Still, that was probably my most impressive tiger shot to date,” Rainbow bragged. Then a thought crossed her mind and she glanced up at Sagat. “Hey, how’d you even know about this place? You’re not from Equestria, or at least I’ve never seen you. How’d you know?”

“Simple. I was told about this place by the same being how brought me here to help you. They called in a favor I owed them and so I came here to help you overcome your fears while returning you to the warrior you used to be.”

“Really? Who would want to help me that badly that they’d bring you in from across reality?”

“Your world’s greatest champion. Zangief.”

Dash took in a deep breath of fresh air as she and Sagat exited the jungle. Her eyes were drawn towards the sky where she could see the pegasi at work shifting the clouds, managing the weather and making sure everything worked as it was supposed to. Normally she would never pay these pegasi a second glance, but after being in the jungle for what felt like forever, the sight of her fellow pony was enough to-

"DODGE!"

Five toes cracked themselves across the back of her head and a moment later Rainbow was laying face down in the mud with pain blazing in the back of her skull. Through the dull throbbing that now blazed in the back of her head, she could hear Sagat laughing to himself.

"Did you think that you could lower your guard just because we are out of the forest? Fool! You must never lower your guard and always be ready for attack. For if you are not ready for your foes, then they shall defeat you before you are ever aware they are there," Sagat informed her with a snarl.

"What the hell do you mean defeat my enemies?! You and I are the only ones out here!" Rainbow screamed at the madman after she picked herself out of the mud. "And what the hell is wrong with you?! Who throws a kick at full power from behind like that?!"

"Make no mistake, mewling kitten. I may be your teacher, but I am also your greatest enemy," Sagat informed her. "I am in charge of you. I am the one who will decide when and where you fight. And if I do not believe you are ready to fight, then you will not."

"What? I thought the plan was for you to help me overcome my demons and then I'd take on Zangief to reclaim my title?" Rainbow asked.

"Take on Zangief? The way you are now? You are a fool, kitten. Do you believe a warrior the caliber of Zangief, who beat you at your best when you had both wings, would lose to you just because you can mimic my tiger shot?" Sagat asked. Rainbow Dash nodded slightly and Sagat sighed. "Rainbow, allow me to inform you of my shame. I have lost only three fights in my life. One was to Ryu, arguably. Another was to Bison. There is no argument who won there. And the final loss was to Zangief, who pulled out a miracle to defeat me."

"And what's the point of telling me your win-loss record?"

"The point, kitten, is that if you wish to have any hope of defeating Zangief, you must first prove that you can overcome me," Sagat informed her. He took some small delight in the way her eyes widened at his words. "That is right, kitten. The only way I will allow you to face Zangief is if you can first defeat me. We can try now, if you are in a hurry."

"No thanks. I'm good," Rainbow muttered. She then looked to the left and then the right, before turning back to Sagat. "So, what's the plan? I mean, my plan was to head straight to Zangief and kick his ass, but since you've put a stop to that I've got nothing."

"You are aware of the tournaments that this land holds, correct? That is our plan. We shall enter you into this tournaments to rebuild your skills against opponents that I believe you should be able to handle," Sagat replied. "And if you prove satisfactory to me by the time the Tournament of Champions comes around, then you will face me. Should you prove triumphant, then, and only then, can you face your second greatest demon."

"Guess he would be my second greatest demon, since I did conquer Evil Ryu," Rainbow shrugged, but then she caught Sagat's smirk and narrowed her eyes. "What? Evil Ryu was my greatest demon and I conquered him back in that jungle!"

"If that is what you believe. But he was never your greatest demon."

"Then who is?"

"Think on that as we head to our first destination. It is a long road and we have much land to traverse," Sagat replied, blowing off Rainbow. She snarled and started to walk after him, but stop when Sagat held out a hand. "And what do you think you are doing?"

"Um, walking? Since I can't fly."

"Correction. I shall be walking. You shall be moving forward step by step in a defensive stance," Sagat corrected. Rainbow's jaw hit the ground in response. "With each step you will block high, low, left or right in that order. If you mess up, lose concentration or start to slack, then I will test how strong your guard actually is."

"Are you kidding me?! If I have to do that one step at a time, then it will take us forever to get to the next town!" Rainbow screamed, starting to tear out her mane.

"Then it will take us forever to get there. Stance. Now," Sagat said. Rainbow let out a few curses that Sagat pretended not to hear before she took up her defensive stance, taking a step and blocking in the pattern Sagat had told her.

"So how'd you lose the eye?" Rainbow asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Your eye. It's gone. I want to know how," Rainbow repeated, but slower. Sagat hurled a kick at her head for her tone, but she was ready and ducked under the blow. "Don't get all angry with me, if I'm going to be stuck with you as my master, I want to learn more about you. Or you can just keep throwing kicks at my head."

"Hrmn...you wish to know? Very well. I lost my eye to a man named Go Hibiki. I went to his dojo to see if he would bow to M. Bison's will. He would not. He and I fought. He kicked the eye out of my head."

"Ouch. Sounds painful. But considering he wasn't on that list you gave me earlier, I take it you beat him?"

"Something along those lines," Sagat replied, thought his voice was quiet. Rainbow waited a moment for him to elaborate, but when he did she pressed on.

"So you got all of those scars from different fights, huh. So who's that M. Bison guy you keep mentioning. He was on the list of people that beat you and-"

"OPEN!" Sagat roared as he kicked Dash in the back of her leg, sweeping her off her hooves.

"Faust dammit that hurt!" Rainbow snarled as she rolled back up to her hooves and glared at Sagat. "Oh you do not know how tempted I am to fight you here and now."

"Then what is stopping you. I am ready whenever you are," Sagat growled in reply. Dash narrowed her eyes and seemed to be considering it for a moment, before she snarled and took up her stance once more. "But to answer your question, M. Bison was a tyrant and a madman who sought world domination and would do anything in order to achieve it. Mind control, murder, an army of clones and wiping out all life on the planet were just some of the plans he tried while he was alive. It would not surprise me if he had many more that we never saw."

"So he's dead huh? How did that happen?"

"Well, the first time he was killed Akuma was the one that murdered him. Once he came back to life, don't ask, I don't know how, Ryu was the one to finally defeat him once and for all," Sagat explained. "Though it would not surprise me if he came back to life in the near future. Evil never seems to stay dead."

"And you worked for this lunatic? What is wrong with you?"

"Bison paid well and provided me the chance to test my might against an endless stream of the best fighters. At the time, I was happy," Sagat said, but his voice was anything but happy. He then looked back at Rainbow Dash, who quickly adjusted her stance. "We have all done things that we regret, Rainbow Dash. Some, like you and I, wear the scars of our mistakes on the outside. I know many who are scarred within. But scars can either strengthen you or bring you down, depending on the kind of being you are. We shall see what kind of pony you are."

"Guess we will...so, you never did tell me just where we're going. I have no idea where in Equestria we are, so I'm leaving the directions...up to the blind guy...this is going to work out well."

"We are heading to a quarry on the outskirts of Stalliongrad. There is a fighting tournament there that will be a good place to test your skill. It is a five day journey from here if we were running."

"Five days! You mean we have five days to get there while I'm doing this stupid stances?!" Rainbow roared. "How are we supposed to get there if I have to move slowly like this?

"Hmm, good point. Alright, kitten, time to move double time. Faster hoof work, precision and technique. But don't you dare sacrifice form. I am always watching your form."

"Considering you're missing one eye and all but blind in the other I seriously doubt-"

"OPEN!" Crack!

"DAMMIT ALL!"

"Here we are," Sagat said with a smile.

Before him stood a massive coliseum that was covered in chains, spikes and an air of filth and villain that no upstanding pony of society would have dared to tolerate. It was like a second home to him. Sagat could see that there was already a crowd of ponies gathered in the shady looking stadium, yet the lack of fights going on in said coliseum informed him that they had made it just in time. The tournament had not yet started.

"Yes, this will be the first place to test your skills, kitten," Sagat said as he glanced over his shoulder. Behind him stood Rainbow Dash, who was punching her legs in an effort to regain feeling in them. "Are you ready to face your first true test in this land?"

"READY?! I can't feel either of my legs! Not to mention that I've barely had any time to rest! All I've been doing is stance training these past five days! How am I supposed to be ready to fight?!" Rainbow screamed at Sagat.

"Hopefully with less whining. Come, we must get you entered," Sagat said. He walked down a wooden ramp towards a pony behind a counter, with Rainbow following him while grumbling under her breath. The pony who was manning the counter started up at Sagat with awe as the seven foot monster approached. "I wish to enter my student into this tournament. I trust we are not too late?" As he said this he pressed his hand against the counter, cracking the wood with his weight alone.

"N-not at all, sir! All we need is the name of your student and we can...hey wait a second, you're Rainbow Dash!" the pony exclaimed. "The former best fighter in Equestria! Wow, nopony has seen you in a long time! I thought you gave up fighting after the whole incident with Ryu."

"So did I. But here I am. So am I in or not?" she asked.

"Of course. Your reputation and the fact that the crowd will lose their mind seeing you more than gets you a spot," the pony said, making some changes to a bracket on the wall. "All right, you're all set. You'll be the first fight tonight, so go into the locker room and get ready."

Rainbow nodded to the pony and followed Sagat to the locker room, where she opened the door to find a whole assortment of creatures in a filthy room. All of them snapped their heads towards Rainbow, some eyes widening when they saw who stood before them. Then they spied her missing wing and smiles shown on their faces. Then they spied Sagat and quickly found other places to look at.

"I don't know about this, Sagat. This place doesn't seem...professional," Rainbow muttered.

"You have fallen all the way to the bottom. Did you think that you could simply return and get prize fights with the greatest in the land? No kitten, you will have to claw your way from the bottom. Underground rings and street fights will be where you start. Eventually, though, you will find yourself back on top."

"You're not afraid I will fail?"

"You will not fail. Your pride will not allow you. Whether or not you win is up to you," Sagat replied.

"Fighters in the first block to the arena. You both know who you are," a voice called over the intercom.

"Go. Show them not the sniveling kitten, but the roaring tiger," Sagat smiled. Rainbow nodded to him and headed for the exit, ignoring all the looks she was getting from the other combatants. She bit back a frown when she saw a dragon that was nearly three times her size join her at the exit. The dragon had one eye, numerous scars on its body and a mouth filled with sharp teeth, all of which it showed to Dash as it smiled down at her.

"So yer the legendary Rainbow Dash that Ryu decimated. I look forward to finishing you off."

"Those are some nice teeth you've got there. Be a shame if they got knocked out of your mouth," Rainbow spat back.

"And for our first fight tonight, do we have a doozy for you. Up first, you know him, you love him, ladies and gentleponies, give a round of a applause for the dragon of destruction, Scald!"

The crowd let out a roar and the dragon pushed past Rainbow, raising his arms over his head and drinking in the applause. Rainbow sighed and started to bounce in place, trying to warm herself up and calm her nerves.

"He is a dragon. Like Ryu. You are a tiger. Like me. And a tiger can best a dragon. I have done so. And so will you," Sagat said to her.

"And our second fighter, returning to the ring after nearly six months of being gone. The rainbow wonder, the loyal warrior, the one winged angel...give it up for Rainbow Dash!"

The crowd roar could have been confused for an explosion with how loud they got at the announcement of Rainbow Dash. Dash swallowed the last of her fear before she walked out with her head held high. The crowd whistled and cheered, getting her to wave at them in return. As she entered the center of the ring she noticed that the floor had blood stains on it and that there were pits on all sides of the arena. That didn't bode well.

"Alright everypony, here are the rules. First to be knocked out or give up loses. No killing. Anything else goes!" the announcer roared. "Combatants ready?"

"Ready to lose?" Scald asked her.

"I've had enough losing to last me a lifetime," Rainbow spat. "I'm here to win."

"GO!"

Scald let out a bellow and lunged towards Rainbow, his four clawed limbs pounding the ground as he charged at her. Rainbow went to throw herself out of the way as muscle memory took over, but only one of her wings flapped and she was yanked off her hooves. She slammed onto the ground in such an embarrassing way that Scald stopped his charge just to laugh at her. Rainbow gritted her teeth as she got back up, brushing off the dirt and taking up a fighting stance.

She wouldn't be able to get out of the way. All of her muscle memory, the way she used to fight, she wouldn't be able to rely on any of it. She couldn't fight like a pegasus. She would have to fight like a tiger. She would have to trust Sagat's teaching.

"What's the matter? Aren't you coming?" Rainbow asked. Scald smirked at her before lunging towards Rainbow, closing the distance between the both of them in an instance.

While Rainbow Dash might not have had her old speed, she still had her reflexes. She raised a hoof to intercept the dragons slash, blocking at the wrist so the claws wouldn't hit her. Yet the moment her hoof made contact with the wrist, electricity ripped through her body. She let out a screech before she was hurled backward, collapsing to the ground as the electricity caused her body to twitch.

"Ooo, it seems that Rainbow didn't know about Scalds electric body. That's what happens when you stay out of the scene for too long," the announcer said. Dash spat the taste of copper out of her mouth as she got back up, her body slightly twitching as she turned to face Scald.

"And here I thought you were supposed to be one of the best," Scald taunted, electricity crackling between his fingers. "But now I see that yer nothing more than a pony who thought she was all that. Well you spent too long on yer throne made of sand. It's time you wallow in the mud like the rest of us. And let me tell you how happy I am that I get to be the one to drag you down."

She couldn't touch him, she realized. Electricity wasn't just crackling through his claws, but every part of his body. There was no place for her to attack. And even though her being a pegasi would give her some immunity to electricity, ever since she had lost her wing her pegasi magic had grown weaker and weaker. She couldn't do anything like this! All of that training and it wouldn't even-

"Mewling. Kitten."

Dash glanced over her shoulder towards the locker room. There was nopony standing there. Yet she was certain that she had hear Sagat. Then she thought of him with his crossed arms, the look of disgust upon his face that he wore every time she complained about how unfair the world had been to her. And it pissed her off.

"Well if you're not going to do anything, then I'll finish this!" Scald roared as he lunged towards Rainbow, his body flashing like a thunderstorm. He lashed out with a punch aimed right at Dash's chest, yet once more she whipped her arm up in time to defend herself. His fist struck her limb, yet she remained rooted in place. "Block all ya want, pony, but you can't stop my electricity! How's that for..."

Scald stopped talking when Rainbow slowly raised her head so that he could look into her eyes. Her eyes weren't filled with fear, despair or even pain. There was only fury. The fury and rage of a tiger. And in the back, even though he wasn't watching the fight, Sagat smiled.

Rainbow let out a roar before she swung with her free hoof. She slammed her hoof into the jaw of the dragon and snapped his head to the side, the rainbow colored fire that was burning from her hoof drowning out the electricity that his body generated. Scald staggered and raised his arms to defend himself against the next attack, but when the next attack came it wasn't a punch or a kick. It was a massive, rainbow fireball that burned the very air as it rocketed towards it target.

"Tiger shot," Rainbow snarled.

The shot exploded with the roar of a tiger as it impacted, hurling Scald into the air before he crashed to the ground flat on his back. Pain the likes of which he never felt before racked his body and his electrical defense, which normally was never penetrated, had failed him. He tried to shake the stars out of his eyes before he felt a hoof on his chest, a hoof that belonged to Rainbow Dash.

"Yield," she demanded.

"I won't-" Rainbow then pointed both of her forehooves at the dragon, rainbow fire blazing along both of them. "I give. I give up. You win."

"And it's over already! The winner...is Rainbow Dash!" The crowd exploded into a roar once more, with ponies losing their minds over not only Rainbow's return, but her victory. "I can't believe it folks, I've never seen anypony other than Zangief defeat Scald that fast! It seems that even after six months, she's still one of the best in the land."

Yet while all this praise was going on, Rainbow didn't hear any of it. She was looking down at her hooves, hooves that still burned with rainbow fire. This power she had used to defeat a dragon in a single hit. Something she couldn't have even done when she had both her wings. This power would allow her to defeat Ryu. This power would allow her to defeat Zangief. This power...would make her number one again.

And for the first time in a long time, she smiled with her old confidence.

"Tiger uppercut!"

With a blow that sounded like a roaring tiger, Rainbow uppercutted the griffon she had been facing into the heavens. Rainbow Dash let out a cocky laugh before she spun around to face the rest of her foes, knowing better than to let her guard down during a battle royal. Another pegasi and a deer stood across from her, the both of them having made an unseen pact to deal with her before they would fight each other. They nodded to each other before they lunged towards the pony. Rainbow wouldn't let that happen.

While she had nowhere near the speed she once had, Dash was still pretty quick on her hooves. Her hooves pounded on the concrete as she dashed towards the oncoming threat, a wild smile on her face as she closed the distance. The deer lowered his horns to ram Rainbow while the Pegasi wound up for a punch, but neither of them scared Dash in the slightest.

"Tiger knee!" she roared as she leapt over the deer before driving her blazing knee into the face of the pegasi. The pony let out a gurgle before he collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before going limp. Dash took a moment to make sure he was still breathing before she turned to face the deer, who was glaring at her with rage and fear in his eyes. Dash raised a single hoof and motioned for the deer to bring it, unable to hide the smile that was spreading on her face.

The deer let out a bellow before he charged towards Rainbow, tearing across the concrete to close in on his foe. Rainbow shook her head slightly at the oncoming threat before she channeled her rage into her forehooves, knowing this fight was over.

"Tiger shot."

With an explosion mimicking the roar of a tiger, Rainbow unleashed an eruption of rainbow fire towards her oncoming foe. The deer had just enough time to register what was coming towards him before the flames consumed him, ripping him off of his hooves and hurling him across the arena. He bounced once as he landed before he skidded to a stop, barely moving as the flames went out.

"And it's over! The winner and the pony moving onto grand finals is...Rainbow Dash!"

"That's right! I'm the best! Or I will be, once I beat Zangief!" Dash cheered. The crowd roared with approval at her words and stamped their hooves in applause. Dash spun around, taking in the cheering crowd like it was the first time she had drank water after being in a desert. This is what she longed for. This is what she needed.

She waved to the crowd one last time before she headed towards the back, noticing that the locker was now far more empty than when she had first came in. In fact, the only being back there now was Sagat, who had his eye closed as he leaned up against the wall.

"So you won," Sagat said.

"Of course I won. With this power, I can best anyone!" Dash smiled, before staring down at her hoof. "And this is only the beginning. Once I've mastered this power, I will be unstoppable. Zecora, Ryu and even Zangief...none of them will be able to defeat me. I'll be the greatest once again!"

"Hmm, so you will," Sagat replied, but his voice was too calm for Dash's liking.

"You got something to say?" Dash asked.

"Nothing that you will listen to. Once you have won this tournament, we will be heading out to our next destination," Sagat informed her. "But seeing as we have a quick break in between now and the finals, I believe this a good time to teach you about a few of the tiger styles flaws."

"This style has flaws? You've got to be joking me. I've swept every foe I've fought and you have no openings. This style has no weakness," Dash laughed, only to be silenced by a glare from Sagat.

"Every style has a weakness. Do not trick yourself into thinking otherwise," Sagat warned. "The weakness of the tiger style is that each move has a purpose. When used for that purpose, my techniques are near unbeatable...but if used wrong, you leave yourself open for a world of hurt."

"What do you mean?"

"The tiger shot. Powerful, all consuming and capable of ending a fight on its own. However, its weakness is that is takes a moment to start up and launch. It may only be a moment, but if your opponent takes advantage of that moment you are at their mercy. Believe me, I have been caught once or twice myself."

"Don't use it wildly. Got it."

"The tiger uppercut. Raw, merciless and stops all approaches from the air and makes for a great surprise counterattack. However, the move has a long recovery. If you miss or your opponent can summon the strength to block it, you will be vulnerable to whatever attack they can think of on your way back down."

"Okay, knock em out of the sky or just straight up knock em out."

"Finally, the tiger knee. Good for ending a fight or pushing a foe back. But just like the other two, spacing in everything. To close and your opponent can counter. To far and you'll miss, leaving yourself open. The difference between victory and death can come down to a single step."

"Watch where I'm standing and knee them in the face. These are the weaknesses? I thought you were going to say something like if I use these too many times my arms will blow up. Just have to be careful and watch where my opponent is. Please, I can handle that no problem."

"Hmm, I see that your arrogance has returned with your confidence," Sagat noted, before the sound of the crowd roaring alerted him to the finals starting. "Go. Show me that you understand what I told you. If you win, perhaps I will allow you to walk to our destination. Lose and you walk on your hands."

"That's fine with me. I don't have hands," Rainbow smirked at Sagat. The Master of Muay Thai gave her a look, but she was already heading towards the entrance towards the arena. She drank in the roaring of the crowd, before turning to face her opponent. Standing across from her was a zebra who wore nothing but a bandanna. The zebra narrowed their eyes at Rainbow as she entered, before they took up a fighting stance.

"This is going to be a slobberknocker, folks! Rainbow Dash verses Whisper! The Ambassador of Loyalty verses the silent striker! i have no idea who's going to win this one, but I know it's going to be good. Combatants at the ready? Of course you are, so let's get this fight started!"

"Ready to get your face kicked in?" Rainbow Dash asked. Whisper, who had been dubbed the silent striker, lived up to his title and said nothing in reply, opting to take up a fighting stance that Rainbow Dash didn't recognize. But it didn't matter. She would win this.

The zebra started the fight by leaping forward and doing a twirl in the air, before sticking out a hoof and coming down with a high jump kick. Rainbow smirked at her foes foolish move, before her hoof crackled with fire before she leapt up with a roar of, "TIGER UPPERCUT!" her blow slipped past the kick and caught the zebra straight in the chest and sent them tumbling backwards, before they crashed onto the concrete.

"Let's end this!" Rainbow roared, bringing both of her forehooves back and filling them with rage. Whisper got back up to his hooves and narrowed his eyes at the mare as she charged her final attack. "Roaring tiger shot!" she bellowed as she thrust both hooves forward. An eruption of fire launched from the end of her forehooves and tore across the concrete towards Whisper, who had just enough time to realize what was about to happen before the fire consumed him. The explosion generated by Rainbow's tiger shot launched him clear out of the ring and down into the murky water below, which worked out well for him since it put him out.

"Mares and Gentlecolts, we have confirmation that Whisper is indeed alive! That means your winner. Is. RAINBOW DASH!"

"Yeah! I'm the best!" Rainbow roared along with the crowd. She pumped her hooves into the air, firing off tiger shots towards the heavens. "Nopony can best me now! Here that Ryu and Zangief?! I'm coming for you and there's nopony on this planet that can stop me! I'll be the best once more!"

The crowd roared in a frenzy, most of them glad that they were there when Rainbow started to reclaim her title. The announcer's words, Rainbow's cheers and even her own thoughts were drowned out by the roaring of the crowd. All Rainbow could hear was the crowd cheering for her, praising her. This was what she had needed.

And yet, for a brief moment, even over the roaring of the crowd, she could have sworn she heard Sagat sigh.

Sagat stared up at the starry sky, his eternal frown on his face. He had failed. Or, at the very least, he was close to failing. Not himself, but Rainbow Dash. She was arrogant. Incredibly so. When he had first been called to Equestria, he thought he was being brought there to repair a broken bird. Not a cocky one.

He turned and looked down the hill towards the small clearing where Rainbow Dash slept. Even in her sleep he could see her limbs twitching, throwing punches, kicks and blocking. And all the while the same smile plastered her face. A smile of strength. A smile of arrogance. A smile he knew all too well. This would not be a problem he would be able to solve on his own. She barely listened to him now. And she was growing stronger at an alarming rate. It wouldn't be long until she reached the peak of the tiger style...and then hungered for more.

There was no denying her skill. She was one of the greatest fighters he had ever met. It was her soul that concerned him. Sagat had never been one skilled in mending emotional wounds. The one time he had tried to make up for what he had done, he had accidentally created the fighting failure that was Dan Hibiki. And Dash would only become a stronger and more arrogant version of him. Sagat could not allow that. But he would need help. He would need...

"GYAH!"

Sagat turned to his right just in time to see a mass of Russian fall past him, faceplanting into the ground at his feet. Sagat looked up in time to see a green portal close, with the snickering face of some bug creature vanishing with it. Within a moment Zangief hopped back up to his feet, his eternal smile on his face as he looked into Sagat's eye. Sagat smirked at that thought. Zangief was one of the few men in the world that could see eye to eye with him.

"Sagat, my sour old friend, it has been too long!" Zangief laughed as he went to pull Sagat into a hug. Sagat stepped back out of range, having been caught in a few of Zangief's hugs before. He knew what the Red Cyclone was capable of. "i barely got a chance to see you the first time you came to Equestria! And now it has been what, three months since we last met?"

"Forgive me for my cold demeanor, but I have been busy with your...problem," Sagat replied, motioning to Rainbow Dash.

"I see! Well you are clearly making good progress, as I have only heard positive things about her!" Zangief replied. "She took first at the underground tournament, then first again at the Gardens, before managing to take down the griffon prince! No small feat! Only I have managed to defeat them all, but I had both arms and legs chained behind my back! Not to take away anything from your student. She has grown fast in such a short time."

"Too fast, if you ask me," Sagat muttered, causing Zangief's smile to fall.

"Come, tell me your troubles. You would not summon me out to the middle of nowhere at this time of night for no reason," Zangief said.

"Her arrogance is astounding, more so than her physical capabilities," Sagat said. "She believes herself to be invincible and no longer takes my training seriously. Which is fair, as there is not much more I can teach her about martial arts, but her cockiness will be her undoing. But what I fear the most is her hunger for more power. There is only one thing she will find going down that path."

"The Satsui no Hado," Zangief whispered.

"It is my fault. I thought that she was a bested warrior in need of strength and purpose. It was only after my strongest techniques and conquered her demon that I realized I should have worked more on her soul than her body. Truly I am a terrible teacher," Sagat smirked.

"Do not be so hard on yourself, I have played a part in her arrogance as well," Zangief admitted with a smile. "Perhaps I should have consoled her more or maybe gone easier on her. Crushing her so many times could not have been good for her spirit."

"Since when do you ever go easy on a foe? You're just as much of a battle fiend as Ryu or myself. Actually, that is one of the reasons I asked you here," Sagat said. Zangief raised an eyebrow at the reply, but his smile grew wider in anticipation. "I cannot be the one to topple her throne. If I do, she will simply resent me and refuse to listen to anything else I try to teach her. But since she already resents you..."

"Sagat my friend, you wound me. Do you truly believe that I would use all of my power upon a former Ambassador that has confidence issues?" Zangief asked. Sagat gave him a look and Zangief smiled. "I jest comrade, I understand what you are trying to say. You need someone that isn't you to take her down a peg, show her that being physically the best is not always enough to guarantee victory. That there is always someone better. Very well. Today, I shall best her."

"Zangief my friend, you misunderstand me. I do not want you to best her," Sagat replied with a wicked smile.

"I want you to crush her."

XXXXXXXX

"Wake up!"

Rainbow snapped to her senses just in time to raise her forehooves to block a kick from Sagat. The moment his sneak attack was ruined she flipped onto her hooves and took up a fighting stance, blinking her eyes quickly to clear the sleep from them before she focused on Sagat. The seven foot tall, monster of a man was glaring down at her, what else was knew, but there was something different about him. Something she couldn't place.

"You are awake. Good. Today you will be facing an opponent," Sagat said. Rainbow raised an eyebrow, surprised this was what he was greeting her with. She had gotten used to fighting all sorts of foes that Sagat deemed would be good opponents for her, but there was something off in his tone.

"Fine with me, it will be a good way to wake up," Rainbow smirked, throwing a few punches before creating a tiger shot that blew away the campfire. "So who's the lucky stiff? You got another zebra for me to fight or are you actually going to let me fight you today? With how strong I am now, I think I'm good enough to take you on."

"Perhaps you are. But the foe you will be facing is not me. I told you that I would help you to conquer your demons. Well you have conquered one of them. Now for the other."

Rainbow didn't have a moment to respond. The moment Sagat was done speaking a mass of muscle fell from the sky and crashed into the ground in front of her, forcing her to cover her eyes for a moment. Yet when she could see, her eyes widened at the foe who stood before her.

"AHAHAHA! Hell there, little sparrow! It has been a while, has it not?" Zangief asked with his usual laugh. Rainbow couldn't believe this was happening. Six months ago she had thought she would never fight again. Now she was standing before the one foe she could never fell. But she felt no fear for the Russian who stood before her. In fact, she had gotten tired of waiting to face him. A wicked smile crossed her face as she glanced down at her hoof, which burned with a rainbow fire, telling her that she could win.

"Yeah, it's been a while. And I hope you've enjoyed keeping my throne warm for me, because today, I'm taking it back," Rainbow snarled, taking up a fighting stance. "And don't think for a moment I'm the same fool you fought months ago. I'm stronger, I'm tougher and I've done nothing but win since I've come back. Today is the day that you finally fall, big man. And when the rest of world feels the earth shake when you fall, they will know that my dream, my dream of crushing you, has finally come true."

"I am glad to see that you still dream. It is good to have aspirations in life. But all dreams must be tempered with reality, or else they lead only to ruin. So today, little sparrow...I shall be your reality check." Zangief then threw his arms out to the side, creating a blast of wind so powerful that Rainbow Dash was nearly blown away by the force. But that wasn't what scared her. What scared her was Zangief's face. For, for the first time since she had met him, she saw a different expression on his face. Zangief wasn't smiling. He was dead serious.

"Time to wake up."

Rainbow didn't wait to make the first move. She thrust her forehooves back, channeled her blazing power into them and hurled them forward to create a massive ball of fire that sailed towards Zangief. Zangief moved out of the way of the blast and began to charge towards Dash, but the moment he started to move forward Rainbow was ready with another volley of tiger shots. Zangief frowned as he started to move back and forth, avoiding the hits but being unable to move forward.

"This is it, Zangief!" Rainbow laughed, keeping her volley up while standing her ground. "Today is the day you finally lose to me! I have all of Sagat's skill and his most powerful moves! Even you, with all of your might, needs to get in to grab me. But with this new power, I can just wear you down, much like how Ryu did all those months ago! I finally have something nopony else did! I have a way to-"

Mid-sentence Zangief swung his arm forward with his palm bathed in a green fire. His palm banished Rainbow's tiger shot out of existence and stunned her for a moment. She recovered and threw another one, but Zangief swung forward again with his whole body flashing. Dash blinked and missed it, but for a moment she was certain that her shot had passed right through Gief. But then she realized she had a bigger problem. The problem was that Gief was now in on her.

"What is wrong, sparrow? Where is all your bluster?" Gief asked as he towered over her. Rainbow snarled as she crouched down, preparing a knee strike.

"I don't bluster. I roar!" she roared. Rainbow hurled herself forward and extended her knee, aiming right for the center of Zangief's chest. Zangief had just a moment to register her attack. He knew what she was doing, as he had been on the receiving end of Sagat's many a time, but he had never been able to counter. Not until now. So Zangief did what he always did. He flexed.

Rainbow felt her knee connect and was about to start bragging, but then she realized that Zangief hadn't been staggered by her blow...and that his entire body was now red. Zangief's body went back to normal and he reached out with his arms for a grab, but Dash was still fast enough to leap back to avoid Gief's signature move. She threw another tiger shot, but once more Gief flexed and his whole body went red and the fireball dissolved against his body.

"What the heck is this?" Dash asked.

"Muscles stronger than steel! My training has allowed me to harden my muscle to the point that not even bullets would harm me!" Zangief laughed. Sagat flashed him a look and Zangief dropped his levity, narrowing his eyes and crouching down slightly. "Which bears ill tidings for you, my young sparrow. Now prepare. This fight is over."

"Like hell it is!" Rainbow said. She threw out another blast towards Zangief, but this time he didn't go for the Banishing Flat. This time Zangief flexed, turned his entire body red and then he began to spin with the force of a cyclone. Dash was ripped from her hooves and sucked into the cyclone, his massive arms, pecks and shoulder blades bludgeoning her with the force of a tornado.

But Dash was used to tornados. While she might not have been able to fly, she knew how to get out of a tornado. She kicked off of Gief's body and staggered back, barely able to stand. Gief lunged forward, knowing this fight was his. But he was going to attack. Dash knew this. So it was time to bust out her strongest move. She tucked a forehoof in, channeled all of her might into her arm, and then exploded upwards with all of her might.

"TIGER UPPERCUT!"

This was her finishing move. Her strongest attack. A move that even Sagat was wary to use...and it missed. Gief had simply backed up and allowed Dash to throw out her move to hit nothing. She felt her soul go cold as she realized that she was now open, before her entire sight was filled with a jumping Zangief.

"I am sorry, friend," Gief whispered. Then he grabbed her, tucked her into a piledriver position and decided to end the fight as they spun towards the ground. "BORSCHT DYNAMITE!"

All Rainbow saw before she was knocked out was the ground rising up to meet her. She had a brief thought of disbelief, of how easily Gief had beaten her, and then there was nothing but darkness.

"Hahaha! I win once more, little sparrow!" Zangief cried in delight. He then looked down at the ragdolled Dash and started to poke her with his foot. "Um, sparrow? Are you alright? Huh, the last time we fought, I remember her being able to take far more than that. Perhaps she has not eaten enough? She does look a little thin."

"She lost because she is a fool," Sagat snarled. He joined Zangief and stared down at Rainbow, a scowl on his face. "She spent the entire fight using only my moves, moves that she has yet to master and moves that you know all too well. What did she expect to happen when she fought a seasoned warrior like yourself?"

"Do not be so harsh on her. It is amazing she has gotten so much of her old strength back after such a horrendous wound. In fact, I would say that it is a cause for celebration!" Zangief laughed, until a look from Sagat silenced him.

"You are not harsh enough. This is not her old strength. The only reason that she has gotten so far is that she has been solely using my strength. My techniques and skills that I taught her. If she had incorporated her own techniques into the fight, like she did against me, you might not still be standing. But she was so sure of this new power that she forgot of the weaknesses I taught her. Does this kitten never learn?"

"Her desire to win is strong. Throughout the fight I could feel the desire, the desperation to best me. Much like another warrior I know," Zangief sighed, giving Sagat a look. "There is only one place this path leads. The Satsui no Hado. And I will not let her go down it. I know that you do not like to listen to me, but this may save her soul."

"You may save your breath. I know what you are going to say and...you are right," Sagat replied. Zangief blinked twice and then cleared his ears, certain that he must have heard Sagat wrong. Sagat then bent over and picked up Rainbow, tucking her under an arm and turning to leave. "She is consumed with winning. She is consumed with the quest for power. I cannot change this about her, just like my master Dhalsim couldn't change that about me. But maybe if I can show her something greater than winning and greater than power...perhaps she can be the warrior we both know to be."

"That will be quite the trying task, my friend. She is one of the most stubborn mares out there," Zangief warned him. "Perhaps you will find yourself driven to the Satsui no Hado just to beat some sense into her."

"Yes, she is a stubborn one. But something she will find before our training together is over," Sagat began, before flashing Gief a dangerous smile. "Is that I am far more stubborn."