The Legacy of the Z-Fighters

by Dragonman461

Chapter 1: The Tale

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The Dawn of the Alicorn Sisters brought forth a time of greatness to Equestria. Harvests were always prosperous, the weather was easily manageable, and the wounds of Discord's reign were finally receding into nothing more than memories. It seemed as though the Sisters had brought salvation for all the land, and peace was achieved.

However, beneath the lowest depths of Tartarus, a wizard had broken free.

A Wizard with unmatchable magical prowess.

A Wizard, known as Babidi.

He had broken through the barriers between worlds, and unleashed an army of what many could only describe as demons.

The Alicorn Sisters sought to terminate the wizard before his armies could encompass more than the gateway to Tartarus.

When the Wizard's army fought the Princesses, Celestia and Luna, they showed no mercy.

The Alicorn Sisters were beaten senseless within minutes, and were cast aside by the Wizard, and began to move for Equestria.

Entire villages fell to their onslaught in seconds. The armies were as ruthless as they were plentiful. The skies seemed to darken as thousands upon thousands of bloodthirsty, unstoppable monsters ravaged the entirety of Equestria, bent on destroying everything.

Just as it looked as though all hope was lost, a massive dragon erupted from Tartarus.

Everypony had began to panic at the sight of it. The sky blackened, the Moon and Sun invisible from the eyes of the world as the dragon glowed a golden aura. Then, something happened.

The demons and their Wizard simply stopped.

They stared at the event with fear dominant in their eyes as the dragon roared into the sky.

As the roar began to die down, seven voices cried out in a war-like rage.

Seven powerful auras made themselves known as each one went to a different part of the demon armies, surrounding them in the midst of the Old Country. The Wizard commanded the most powerful pawns of his armies to attack at once.

In the blink of an eye, thousands became dozens, and dust poured from above.

More armies charged at them, and lights danced across the skies of the world.

Spiraling beams of death destroyed hordes of demons, discs of might cut through their ranks like they were wheat to be harvested, and deep, square craters dug them mass graves that would never be full. Blue and purple beams of energy obliterated mountains as the Wizard tried to escape. Before he could, however, a second, golden dragon erupted from nowhere, and sent the Wizard tumbling into the Abyss of the Damned before destroying the Valley of Shadows, sealing the Wizard away forever.

When the dust finally settled, and the planet ceased to shake, the seven warriors were gone.

Instead, seven orbs, each with a specific star pattern, held their places in the sky.

The mighty dragon, gathered them together and waited for three days as the demons fled, and the Alicorn Sisters woke.

They thanked the dragon, and were told to ask for one wish by the dragon himself.

In a flash, those that were lost were standing again, the lands that were ravished were restored, and the damage done by the demons was gone.

The next moment, the dragon spoke to the Sisters that should they desire another wish, they are to find all seven orbs, known as Dragon Balls, and speak the name of the Eternal Dragon: Shenron.

Shenron faded from view as the seven orbs that were once the brave warriors flew high into the air, and scattered out in different directions faster than the eye could see.

Since then, many have sought to find the seven mystical orbs, trying to have their wishes granted to them.

Some legends say, however, that the orbs themselves hid the power of each of the seven warriors, and that if one were to be blessed by any of them, they would be granted a power beyond anything the world has seen-

"Scootaloo!"

The pegasus filly quickly shut the book and stuffed it under her pillow as she grabbed the covers and threw them over herself. On the opposite end of her room, the door opened just as she was making fake snoring sounds. The clop of hooves on the floor came up to Scootaloo's bed as she felt the entire thing shift under her mother's weight.

"You know the lights are still on, right?"

With a sigh, Scootaloo came out from under the covers and smiled to her mother. The mare smiled back, brushing her purple mane out of her face as she brought her right hand up to Scootaloo's face.

"What were you reading this time, Scooty?"

Scootaloo reached underneath her pillow and pulled out the small, hard-covered book of legendary tales. Her mother grasped it in both hands, and examined the cover.

"You really love this story, don't you?" her mother asked.

"I really do, mommy!" Scootaloo cheered. "It's the bestest story of all time!"

Her mom smiled warmly as she ran her hand along Scootaloo's smiling face.

"Well, please get some sleep. We're moving to Ponyville tomorrow, and your father and I need your help getting everything into the carriage."

"Alright, mommy."

Scootaloo began to curl up under the covers as her mother began to tuck her in.

"Goodnight, mommy."

"Goodnight, Scooty."

Her mother gave a kiss to the filly's head as she made her way to the door and flipped the light switch off, darkening the room instantly. As the door to the room shut, Scootaloo began to fall asleep, and muttered to herself as her eyes closed.

"I wish... I could see one of those... Dragon Balls."

\\\//////

In the midst of a forest, an old stallion walked through the darkest parts of the Everfree Forest. The creatures of the forest watched as the old Earth Pony hefted a large bag across his shoulder, using only his left arm to hold it. He wore a light-blue, faded fighting gi, with a black belt across his waist that stood out brilliantly against his white fur.

The old stallion shifted the weight of the bag a bit, making the metals inside clang a bit, scaring away several birds. The amount of metal in said bag was too much for a fit, young stallion, let alone an old one like him. However, he didn't mind as he simply smiled at the strain against his muscles.

He looked down the path in the trees, expecting to see a small village on the opposite end. However, instead of seeing the gates of the village, something horrible was waiting for him. The bag of metal clanged against the ground as the Stallion broke into a sprint for the wrecked piles of wood that were once a barrier to the village. On the ground, the sign of the town's name was broken apart into splinters.

The stallion stopped in the center of the village and gasped in horror as he looked around and saw the state of the once great Dragon Hoof Village.

The houses around him were all battered and filled with holes, a few coated in blood. A few were broken down into piles of scrap, while some looked like they weren't touched. So far, there were no bodies.

Throwing caution to the wind, the stallion shouted.

"What happened!? Where is everypony!?"

Seconds passed on in silence as the stallion continued to look about the village. He shifted downwards in stance and prepared to jump into the air when he heard a response.

"H-help!" a familiar mare's voice called.

The stallion shifted his weight as he burst into a sprint towards the sound of his daughter's voice.

"Tulip!"

Dust clouds were kicked up into the air as the stallion burst around several corners to find the Medical Hut crumbled into a pile, his daughter sticking out of it like a bloody statue. His daughter's blue coat was running with small rivers of blood, and her green mane was burned and torn in several places. Her eyes were filled with tears as she held a small object in cloth wrappings.

"What happened!? Are you alright!?" he asked as he rushed to Tulip's side.

"T-t-t-they c-c-came out of n-nowhere," she barely managed as blood flowed from her jaw. "W-we tried t-to hold them off. But they w-w-were too s-strong... B-Breeze... he d-died."

The old stallion began to cry as he heard of his son-in-law's fate.

"Why? How?"

"T-they came from a-above, and... snapped his n-neck... snuck u-up on him... I... I-I can't..."

The stallion's eyes went to the bundle of cloth and widened as realization struck him.

"No... no, they couldn't have..."

Tulip slowly and shakily held out the bundle of cloth to her father, who took it softly in his hands.

"I... s-stopped them... b-but..."

The father slowly looked away from the bundle to see a large metal rod sticking through his daughter's chest.

"No... no, no No, NO!" he cried as tears flooded from his eyes.

"I... I can hear him, d-dad," she spoke softly. "Breeze... I'm... right behind... y..."

With those words, Tulip went limp upon the metal rod as it snapped and tumbled to the ground, lifeless.

The stallion could barely keep from falling to his knees as his daughter died before him.

The ground around him began to tremble as his rage and pain fused into a blinding inferno.

Before the stallion could lose himself, he heard the bundle in his arms cry.

His rage and pain were replaced with concern and fear as he looked down into the bundle. Carefully, the stallion moved the cloth around to reveal what his daughter had died to protect. To him, it was supposed to be the most wonderful thing in the world to him. Even now, amongst a dead village, the sight brought him hope. The dark-orange fur, the black, spiky mane, and small, delicate frame of a foal kept the old stallion from collapsing right then and there.

A smile began to creep onto the stallion's face before seeing the foal stop crying and curl up in the cloth. Its breaths were fast and shallow, threatening to end the colt's life before it could truly start.

The stallion held the colt close to his chest. He won't let his grandson die like this. Not now.

The stallion rushed through the barren streets as he focused on the one artifact that might help. Upon reaching the smallest hut in the village, he broke down the door and went inside. The interior was incredibly simple, only a futon to the right, a bathing room on the left, and in the center, a pedestal. Atop the pedestal, however, was an artifact that held more value than the rest of the village. It was a small sphere, about the size of a pony's fist, and shone a brilliant orange. Inside the sphere, four red stars seemed to float freely, yet were fixed perfectly in place, always visible from any angle.

The legendary Four-Starred Dragon Ball.

The stallion knelt before the alter of Shenron, and held his grandson towards the mystical orb.

"Shenron," he spoke to the alter, "I beg of you to grant my wish. Our village has been decimated, my daughter dead on a pipe, and all I ask is that you keep her child, my grandson, from dying this night."

He waited for something, anything, to happen. Minutes passed as he held his grandson like an offering to the orb before he looked towards the Dragon Ball and spoke again.

"Please, I'm on my knees, begging you to save this child."

Nothing, still.

"Shenron, please! Please, don't let my grandson die here like this!"

Nothing.

The stallion stood up before the Dragon Ball, rage flooding over his senses.

"You stayed here and watched as our village was assaulted! You did nothing to help then! All I ask is that you save one life! Why are you ignoring me!?"

The ball remained inert as tears streamed down the stallion's face.

Just then, he felt a massive power coming from the Dragon Ball.

A blinding aura of golden energy blew a mighty wind in all directions, bending or breaking parts of the hut as the Dragon Ball began to float off of the pedestal. The stallion watched in awe as the orb of unrivaled energy began to hover towards his grandson, and thought he saw a hand reaching towards his head. Then he felt a tap against his forehead, and saw... truth.

Flashes of battles against tyrants, abominations, and monsters alike seared the stallion's eyes as images of a warrior in orange fought against thousands of foes. Fighting styles, techniques, and names of all kinds filled his head as the wisdom of the universe's most powerful warrior was gifted to him.

More than that, however, he saw what was happening to his grandson. The aura of the warrior filled his grandson's form, bringing almost God-like levels of energy into the body of the foal. In a flash, his grandson's mane became golden, and faded away in an instant. The moment the winds faded, the visions stopped, and everything was quiet. The Four-Starred Ball fell to the ground before them and began to dim, but stopped when it seemed like a simple gem.

The stallion blinked a few times as the information he was given sunk in. Before he could begin to comprehend it all, however, he heard a cry in his arms. He looked down to see his grandson, now crying and flailing like any other foal. His mane became far spikier than before, and his fur was tinted slightly darker.

He smiled at the foal in his arms before looking to the floor to find the Dragon Ball. Right in front of his feet laid the Four-Starred relic. He concentrated on the relic before it began to float in front of him. Without hesitation, he snatched the ball out of the air and held it close to his grandson's face.

"Thank you... thank you," he praised the inanimate object.

His grandson's crying stopped suddenly. The stallion looked to the foal to see him staring up at the Dragon Ball with wide eyes. The foal laughed a bit as he reached up and grasped the orb. The stallion smiled warmly as he made his way over to the futon. As he sat down with his grandson in his arms, he spoke.

"Hello, grandson," he spoke slowly. "My name's Boulder Barrier. But, you" he emphasized with a boop on the foal's muzzle, "can call me, 'Grandpa Boulder'."

The foal laughed as he tried to reach up to Boulder's face to return the gesture. His laughter proved to be powerful as Boulder raised him up so that the foal could reach. When the foal's hand struck, however, Boulder heard a loud slapping sound as he felt pain burst in his cheek. Boulder looked down to his face to see a large mark where his grandson had smacked him. Looking back, Boulder saw his grandson continuing to giggle. Boulder chuckled as he tried to ignore the sting on his face.

His grandson decided then, apparently, to nuzzle against Boulder's chest and began to fall asleep. As Boulder looked down at his grandson and the Dragon Ball, a name rung in his mind. The warrior that died and gave his soul to Equestria, and what little was left to keep his grandson alive. He would do the only thing he could now to honor him.

"And I'll call you Goku," he said as he kissed his grandson's head.

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