The Konqueror Rises Again
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asked a male voice that echoed through the dark hall's of the ancient structure.
"Of course I'm sure Tide! The tomes said this was the place and just the fact we found this place means whatever treasure that's in here must be real as well." Spoke another male voice though much deeper and with a hint of annoyance.
These two were treasure hunters High Tide and Gold Hoof. High Tide was a pale blue unicorn stallion with a short green mane and tail who didn't look like much with his gangly build standing at an even six foot. He was currently dressed in a pair of dark brown cargo shorts and a white wife beater with a large sack on his back carrying him and his partners provision's for this little trip. Wringing his hands nervously as his light blue eyes narrowed at every shadow cast from the glow of his horn that lit the two's path.
Gold Hoof meanwhile was busy scanning the map in his hands with calculating grey eyes. He was an Earth pony stallion with bright golden fur and a long silvery mane. His physic was also much more intimidating than his companions as he was even taller than High Tide at about six foot four and was much more muscular. The stallion wore a plain white t-shirt under a dark brown vest and a pair of dark brown shorts. At his waist was a sheathed machete.
These two stallions were currently exploring an old castle ruin at the very edge of Equestria. The castle itself was even larger than Canterlot castle and much more ancient. The architecture was unlike anything seen in modern Equestria and despite it being so large it was a wonder it hadn't been raided before.
"How did you even find out about this place? It doesn't even show up on any maps and I would know seeing as I have looked at every map of Equestria at least once and not even a mention of this place was seen." Questioned High Tide as he wondered how Gold could find a place that wasn't even supposed to exist according to the maps of the world.
"I read about this place in a book once alright Tide. It told of an ancient tyrant who sought to conquer all of Equiss and he nearly succeeded. He was eventually cast down and imprisoned by Queen Galaxia and King Solaris and this was his castle. While it was supposed to be a fairytale I did a little more digging and found some mentions of this place so here we are. Now be quiet, I need to concentrate. According to the map we should be nearing the throne room." Responded Gold.
And just as Gold had said the duo found themselves standing in front of two large doors made of stone with the symbol of a dragon head in a circle emblazoned upon them. Gold quickly pocketed the map he had been carrying and stepped up to the doors placing his hands upon them before he began to push. After a moment of effort the ancient stone doors began to open inward towards the room.
As soon as the doors were opened Gold waved Tide inside who stepped inside and cast a spell to brighten the room. What they saw made them gape in awe. Lined up on either side of the large room were at least a hundred stone soldiers garbed in rather concealing armor that showed nothing of what species they may have been. The room itself was at least twice as large as the Canterlot castle throne room and twice as high with polished marble floors and jade green pillars lined up on either side of the room. In the center was a worn red carpet leading to the end of the chamber where another few statues sat only these ones were garbed very differently from the numerous ones lining the sides of the room.
While Gold walked with confidence and a gleam of excitement in his eye down the aisle Tide followed a bit more hesitantly. The unicorns eyes gazed nervously at the numerous statues they passed feeling as if they were all gazing at him, piercing him with their cold gazes. It was a very unsettling experience.
Eventually the two of them made it to the end and now stood in front of a large throne with an equally large figure seated upon it. The giant being at full height was at least seven foot three and looked like a wall of muscle. Though the species was unfamiliar to the two it was clear the being was male. The figure also wore a warlord helmet with a skull like design and a large crest at the forehead. His attire consisted of spiked shoulder pads, similarly designed kneepads and gauntlets, and a skull medallion embedded in two straps that intersect across his chest. Around his neck sat an amulet similar to the symbols on the doors the duo had entered. All in all the figure was very intimidating even for a statue.
At the figures sides stood six other statues just as unique as the one on the throne. The six were divided with three on the right and three on the left. The farthest figure on the left was obviously a diamond dog due to it's doberman like features. The canine stood six foot and had a lean yet muscular appearance, it also wore black hakama style pants along with a form fitting sleeveless vest.
Next to him stood a dragon of all thing's. It's voluptuous physic identified it as a female and had stood five foot eight. The dragoness had two curved horns on her head as well as a mask that covered the bottom half of her face. What she wore made Tide blush and Gold a little uncomfortable as her garb left little to the imagination. She wore a chain-link bra and bottoms with a sash going down the front and back of her waist seemingly to tease them as it showed much of her toned body but at the same time very little.
The next and closest to the figure on the throne's left side was another male Diamond Dog only this one had a more bulldog like appearance. This canine stood at six foot eight and was another wall of muscle. The only article of clothing the dog wore was a kilt like bottom similar to the one worn by the figure in the throne.
The figure on the far right was a male griffon who had a similar build to the doberman Diamond Dog on the left but was slightly shorter standing at five foot ten. The Griffon's head had a hawk like resemblance instead of the usual eagle with the lion part being replaced with something more akin to a leopard. For attire the griffon wore form fitting pants with armored gauntlets as well as a helmet on his head similar to the figure on the thrones.
Next to him stood surprisingly enough an earth pony mare. The mare was pretty tall standing at five foot ten and had a similar body type to the dragoness with her mane done up in a long ponytail and her tail braided. She wore a face mask as well but instead of the chain link garments of the dragoness she wore cloth with armor pieces.
The last of the six figures the duo couldn't quite place since it was obviously female but they couldn't figure out whether it was a dragoness or a mare. It looked like a combination of both if the two had to be honest. The mare was six feet tall and possessed an even more curvy figure than the other two female's. On the figures back splayed out were two draconic wings while on her head sat two curved horns sticking out of her short mane, also behind her instead of a ponies tail was a long draconic tail. She wore a combination of the last two female's clothing as she wore a chain link bra and bottom combo but also possessed armored shin and forearm guards.
"Wow, can you imagine how long it must have taken to make all of these statues? These guys would make for some intimidating lawn ornaments." Said Gold as he walked up to the figure on the throne to get a better look.
"S-sure. So can we get out of here now? This place is giving me the creeps in a big way, I feel like all of these statues are staring at us." Said Tide as he gulped nervously. He had a bad feeling about this place.
Gold however waved him off as he continued to examine the figure on the throne, more specifically the amulet around his neck. This was the only piece of the statue that wasn't made of stone and as he saw the ruby eye's on the amulet he knew it would be worth a pretty penny. Smiling to himself at his new treasure the stallion reached out to grab the item in question, but as soon as his fingers brushed the surface of the amulet shock ran through his system as he was flung back nearly ten feet landing on the ground in a pained heap.
"Gold!" Cried Tide as he rushed to his partner's side.
The Earth pony stallion groaned as he pushed himself into an upright position while shaking the cobwebs from his head. Looking back at the figure on the throne Gold's eyes widened at what he was seeing. Spreading from the amulet was a sickly green glow that began to encompass the figure on the throne. Wherever the green glow spread stone turned to tan flesh. Tide and Gold could only sit and watch in fear and awe as what was once a statue turned into a living being. When the glow had finally encompassed the entirety of the being on the throne said figure took a large breath as his eyes snapped open to reveal blazing amber orbs with slit pupils.
Slowly the man rose from his throne showing his full height while looking at himself in pleasant surprise. Then the man began to laugh, quietly at first before it quickly grew into a loud roar of laughter. The deep and menacing voice of the being making both stallions tremble as they could practically feel the evil that rolled off of this monster in waves.
As a last act to show his joy at being revived the large man roared out for all to hear, "Shao Kahn the Konqueror has returned!"
The last statement was the final nail in the coffin for the two stallions as they finally realized what they had done. Because of them an enemy that threatened the world centuries ago had returned and the two ponies that had managed to stop him were no longer able to.
It was then that the figure finally stopped celebrating his revival and turned his attention to the two who were responsible for said resurrection. The menacing smile that split his face made the two shiver.
"Well I suppose I have you two to thank for my return to the world. Now I can finish what I started so long ago before those damn royals imprisoned me. This time my Konquest will not be stopped!" Announced Shao Kahn.
"Y-y-you won't succeed you monster!" Declared Tide in a show of bravery.
"Oh? And who is going to stop me? Certainly not you pathetic mortals." Said Kahn with amusement.
"The Princesses will stop you! Them and the Element's of Harmony!" Shouted Gold as he and Tide stood to their hooves growing more confident nowat the thought of Equestria's saviors and leaders.
Shao Kahn on the other hand was not amused. He knew of the Element's as they were what was used to seal him away to begin with. When he had first become the Emperor he had gained the man's arrogance and overconfidence which lead him to be trapped inside that infernal stone prison for so long. A mistake he would not make twice.
As for the Princesses, he could care less about them but if they stood in his way he would make them bow to his power willingly or not. But first he had two annoyances to deal with. He couldn't have these two exposing him to the world before he had regained his full power after all.
"I care not for your pathetic royals or elements. As for the two of you your usefulness to me has expired."
Before the two of them could react Shao Kahn had summoned a light spear which he had thrown at Gold impaling him through the gut and pinning him to the wall. As the stallion wailed in pain with blood spilling from his lips Tide was left wide open for Kahn's shoulder tackle which sent the unicorn tumbling along the ground and ending up in a heap near his still pinned friend.
Shao Kahn shook his head in disappointment as his heavy footsteps echoed through the room as he approached the duo. Summoning his Wrath Hammer he watches as Tide struggles to his hooves cradling his left arm as blood seeped from a gash on his head. He had truly forgotten how annoyingly weak the mortals of this world were.
Tide started to charge up a spell to try and defend himself but was stopped cold as Kahn's large hand wrapped around his head and lifted him off the ground. As the stallion flailed helplessly in the warlord's grasp Kahn gave a snort of disappointment before throwing the stillion into the air.
As the unicorn came down Kahn brought back his Wrath Hammer and swung. As the hammer connected to the airborne unicorn the stallion exploded in a shower of gore sending blood and body parts everywhere. The Emperor took a moment to savor his kill and absorb the stallions soul before turning to the only remaining stallion who upon seeing his friends gruesome death was struggling even more to remove the spear from his gut in an attempt to escape his fate.
Realizing he still had his machete Gold drew the weapon and held it in front of an amused Shao Kahn who smiled menacingly at the stallion. With a simple backhand Kahn sent the weapon flying across the room leaving Gold defenseless.
"You won't win you monster! The Princesses will stop you!" Cried Gold praying his words weren't just full of false hope.
"Let's agree to disagree." Responded Kahn as he swung his hammer sending the stallions head flying from his shoulders.
Releasing his light spear Kahn watched the body fall to the ground before turning and walking back to his throne. Sitting down on his throne Kahn looked over the still imprisoned forms of his soldiers and then to his elite warriors who stood on either side of him. Soon they would live again and Equestria, along with the rest of the world would fall to him.
"This time, nothing will stand in my way."
After his resurrection due to the stupidity of the two stallions Shao Kahn had done nothing but sit in his throne regaining his power. Once his full power had returned to him only then would he free his army to once more lay claim to the world. As he sat upon his throne, however he couldn't help but remember back to when he first came to this world all those centuries ago.
At one time he had just been a simple teen on Earth called Jason. A guy who played too many videogames and was always a bit of a shut in at the best of times. There was nothing that stood out about him at all and that was both relieving and annoying to him. That all changed when he went to that con that changed his whole life into what he was now.
Flashback
Two months.
Two damn months is what it took to make the costume. From gathering all of the materials to actually taking the time to put it all together it took quite a while. Not counting the times where he had screwed up and had to start all over again, but in the end it was all worth it just to see and wear his finished product.
His Shao Kahn costume was perfect down to a capital T. He used real leather to for the armor pieces while using aluminum for the metal spikes, the helm was the pretty difficult as he had used styrofoam for the skull feature but had to carve it by hand. Yet the most difficult part of the costume had to be making the muscles which were made from stitched fabric stuffed with cotton and more styrofoam to give it some definition.
Jason in actuality was a tall, pale, scrawny guy with long brown hair, dark brown eyes and basically didn't look intimidating at all. He was actually pretty pathetic all things considered.
But on this one trip he could be what he wanted and not have to be ashamed of it. What was he going to be? The ruler of Outworld Shao Kahn that's who! Sure all of the Mortal Kombat characters had their quirks and badass moments but to Jason, Shao Kahn was the king of badass. He was everything Jason could never hope to be, strong, confident, commanding and took shit from no one. Even if it was just for a day Jason was happy to play the role of the Emperor.
The con was amazing for the teenager. He got to talk to so many people with the same interests as him and not be looked at like a total weirdo for it. The only problem was he couldn't find anything to buy that would make this a day to remember, that was until he saw a guy dressed like the Merchant sitting at a stall selling stuff. And boy was there a lot of stuff! the guy had just about everything from every videogame or anime Jason had ever seen and/or heard of and then some!
There was only one object that caught his eye though, a small amulet in the shape of the Mortal Kombat dragon. It looked to be made of polished silver with ruby eyes and Jason knew then and there he had to have it price be damned!
"Hey how much for the Mortal Kombat amulet?" he asked while turning to the man who was reading something.
"Twenty bucks." answered the Merchant dressed man without looking at him.
The price was a little surprising for Jason but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and immediately paid the man. Holding up the amulet Jason let the light hit it and smiled at the deal he got on the thing. He carefully put the amulet over his head so as to avoid getting it snagged on his helmet.
When he finally had it on Jason was about to thank the man and bid him goodbye but stopped as he felt a tugging sensation behind him. Turning around the teenager was shocked to see a glowing green and white portal that seemed to be pulling him in. He tried calling out for help but when he looked at the people around him he saw them frozen in place as if time had stopped. Then all at once he was sucked into the portal and blacked out.
Jason didn't know how long he was out only that when he came to he wasn't at the con like he should have been. Instead he found himself in some creepy forest and feeling very different than before.
When he made to stand he stumbled a bit due to his, now known, new height. The major height difference from before was a surprise to him but not as much as the sheer feeling he had over his body. He now felt stronger, more confident and overall better than he had ever been in his entire life! On curiosity he grabbed his bicep and felt that the fake muscles he had made were now real and his!
"What the hell is going on?" he asked himself as he looked his body over finding himself drastically changed. Even his voice had changed!
It was then he realized what had happened, he had become Shao Kahn!
At that revelation Jason didn't know what to think as his mind tried to process the mere fact he had become his favorite fictional character of all time. It just didn't seem possible yet here he was in the body of the Emperor himself. He was broken from his thoughts though by the rustling of the bushes as out came five beings that Jason could only describe as Minotaur's. They certainly fit the name with a bull head human body and hooves for legs.
Then the tallest one stepped forward but he only at most came up to chest height of Jason's knew form.
"Well what do we have here? A freak alone in the middle of our territory? You better be able to pay the toll buddy or else we'll take the payment out of your hide." said the leader in a gravelly voice as he hefted a large mace in his hands.
Normally Jason would be scared at this point seeing a bunch of mythical creatures wanting to hurt him over some money he didn't currently have and for apparently trespassing, but this was not one of those normal times. Instead Jason found himself flush with rage at the audacity of these....mortals, acting as if they were his betters! He would not stand for it!
"You dare command me mortal!? I am Shao Kahn! The Emperor of Outworld, Deifier of the Elder Gods and Konqueror of Realms! I will have your souls!" Exclaimed Jason as he summoned his Wrath Hammer. Jason didn't know where all of this was coming from but he didn't care. He has spent his whole life on the bottom and now that he had the body of Shao Kahn he wasn't going to bend knee to anyone ever again!
Hearing Jason exclamation the leader snorted before nodding his head at his subordinates who all rushed him. Two carried some claymore style swords, one carried a battle axe and the last an iron tipped spear.
The first to reach him was the spearman who tried to drive his spear into Jason's mid section but had his spear swatted aside by Jason's hammer. Then before the spearman could regain his balance Jason used his free hand to grab him around the throat and throw him into one of the approaching claymore wielders. All of this in a matter of moments.
Seeing how easily the two of their comrades were tossed aside the remaining sword wielder and axe man rushed him at the same time with the sword man going high and the axe man going low. Jason surprised them both as he threw his hammer at the two of them! The axe wielder managed to dodge the incoming weapon but the sword wielder wasn't so lucky and had his head turned into a bloody mist as the weapon sailed by.
The axe man became enraged at the death of his comrade and seeing Jason now unarmed tried to end him with a vertical slash of his weapon. He had only a moment to realize his fatal mistake as Jason rematerialized his hammer and swung taking the complete top half of the minotaur's body off of his waist and having some blood spray across Jason's chest.
Now the remaining three had become wary of this monster before them who looked highly unamused at their attempts to attack him. Yet they would not be deterred, the fools.
By now the last swordsman and the spearman had recovered and were slowly circling Jason as he just stood there with his bloodied hammer resting easily on his shoulder. Yet the man quickly became bored at the attackers cowardice and decided to go on the offensive at last. He rushed forward in a blur of speed that didn't fit his size for a shoulder tackle to the swordsman, the force of which sent him hurtling into a tree where the snapping of bones was heard from the mans now broken back.
Taking the chance the spearman tried to run Jason through from behind but was stopped cold as Jason turned around and forming a light spear threw it straight through the charging spearman's head and impacting into the tree behind him. The spearman's body took two more steps before finally realizing its death and collapsing to the ground.
Dispelling his hammer Jason walked towards the broken swordsman as said minotaur tried to crawl away from this monster they had dared to challenge. He didn't make it far though as Jason soon stood over him. Jason then proceeded to grab the minotaur by his throat and lift the struggling creature into the air so he could looks into the minotaur's terrified eyes with his blazing amber orbs.
"Now. YOUR SOUL IS MINE!" roared Jason, no, Shao Kahn as he ripped out and absorbed the soul of the minotaur leaving the body nothing but a lifeless husk.
Tossing the body aside Shao Kahn then turned to face the leader of the group but quickly had to lash out and grab the head of the mace that was aimed for his head. The leader struggled to pull his mace away from the monster that had slain all of his subordinates but was having no luck as Shao Kahn's strength outclassed his immensely.
"W-w-what in Gaia's name are you!" screamed the minotaur leader in hysteria.
"The Konqueror of this world." was Shao Kahn's answer as he tore the mace away from the minotaur's grip and tossed the weapon aside.
Then before the bull man could even think of running away Kahn had thrust his hand forward, impaling them into his gut. He didn't even have time to scream in pain before Kahn violently ripped him in half vertically spraying blood all over himself yet he did not care as he absorbed the souls of the fools who dared to challenge him.
And Shao Kahn knew that this was just the beginning and soon he shall rule over all of this world.
flashback end
Shao Kahn's eyes snapped open as he was broken from his past musing's. He felt that his power had finally all returned to him and knew that it was time to awaken his army. An army that he gained through loyalty and showing his strength. Every soldier here had sworn their loyalty to him and would gladly die for him to live at a moments notice. He would prove that their faith in him was not misplaced.
"Now it begins once more." he said to himself as he let his power flow through the large chamber and then through the castle silently watching as the stone prisons of his allies started to chip away revealing the living flesh beneath it. Yes it wouldn't be long now.
