Specter of Equis

Written by BioBoy619

One Month Later

One year. One whole year had passed since Scorpion had been freed from the control of his vicious master, Quan Chi. For more than a year, Hanzo had been living amongst the citizens of Equestria, in the realm of Equis. In time, he was revitalized by the Thunder God, Raiden. Scorpion was once again human. Once more, he was Hanzo Hasashi.

Having been revitalized, Hanzo remained in Equis, universally accepted across the realm. He sought to act as the Protector of Equis, given his immense power and knowledge of the realms. With a high recommendation from the Princesses of Equestria, the many rulers across Equis agreed; Hanzo would be their Protector. His duty was to keep the realm safe from all evil.

Naturally, the various nations of the realm had their own armies, not to mention the powerful rulers themselves. Hanzo worked on a higher scale. He would protect the realm as a whole, mostly from foreign threats, such as creatures of the Netherrealm, or bounty hunters from Outworld. And Hanzo rarely acted alone. His friends, the Elements of Harmony, were always ready to stand and fight with him.

Since Hanzo had been living in Equestria, much had changed. The most important change was Twilight’s new status as a Princess. After a strange mishap regarding an ancient, unfinished spell, Twilight appropriately finished the spell, and was turned into an Alicorn. Thusly, she was pronounced as the fourth Princess of Equestria. Shortly after that, she adventured to a parallel dimension to retrieve her stolen crown. Twilight was always busy now.

As for the rest of the group, life went on as usual. Rarity was busy with her boutique, Applejack was managing Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash had Wonderbolt training and weather duties, Fluttershy tended to her woodland friends, and Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie. And of course, Spike always kept himself busy somehow.

Hanzo’s life became tumultuous. Though he cared deeply for his friends, his responsibilities as Protector took up a large amount of his time. When his residence in Equestria first began, he was always with them. Now, he hardly saw them. Equis was in greater danger than he could have imagined. Every other day, invaders or unannounced travelers from other realms somehow made their way to Equis. When Hanzo happened upon them, he found them bearing ill intent, and thusly, he would properly deal with them.

All threats are dealt with through Mortal Kombat, as is the law of the realms.

Given his position, Hanzo saw more and more Kombat each passing day. And every time, he would win, either sending his foes back from where they came, or killing them. It wasn’t a hard decision to make; being the Protector allows for little hesitation or doubt, both of which Hanzo had little. He was a swift and valiant Protector, if there ever was one. His justice was firm and relentless. After the damage he had caused, he vowed never to allow harm to befall Equis again.

Yet, time was still made to see his friends. Hanzo promised himself to see them at least twice every week. Unless a cataclysmic threat arose (which it never did), Hanzo would always have time for his friends. And the more time he spent with them, the more compassionate and kind he became. Though his heart had been lifted of tormented evil, Hanzo still had a coldness about him. It’s what made his job so simple. But his friends helped alleviate that stress. And he welcomed it gladly.

Recent events, however, had caused Hanzo to pay closer attention to Ponyville and his friends. He had discovered a dark artifact in the Everfree Forest, which he left in Twilight’s care. Speaking with Raiden on the matter, he was told to keep it safe in Equis until more information could be uncovered surrounding the issue. And so, Hanzo visited Ponyville with a higher frequency, checking in on Twilight and the artifact every once in a while.

He made a special visit two days before the Summer Sun Celebration. His timing couldn’t have been better. Or, perhaps it was poor timing.

Hanzo arrived in Ponyville from a fiery teleportation. He found the town bustling with ponies getting ready for the coming ceremony. There were decorations strewn all over the place. One might say it was overkill. As Hanzo made his way through Ponyville, he gave short waves and greetings to the ponies he knew. It wasn’t long before he was tackled from behind by a rainbow-maned Pegasus.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow cheered from atop Hanzo.

The man was quick to thrust her off and stand in a mock fighting stance. “Only a coward strikes from behind!” Hanzo jeered, a grin plastered on his face.

Dash giggled. “Is that why cowards win so often?” she questioned as she hovered above him. She was taken by surprise when he teleported behind her and knocked her to the ground.

“I suppose it is,” Hanzo retorted.

Rainbow continued to laugh as she stood back up. “It’s great to see you again, pal!

“It is good to see you as well, Rainbow Dash.”

“Here for the Summer Sun Celebration?”

“Of course. The realm has been quiet lately, so I thought I would have some time to spare. That, and I thought I was past due to see my friends.”

“Yeah, other than popping in on Twilight to check on the amulet, you haven’t been around much. I hate that. We never get to spar anymore. And you live right on the outskirts of town! How is it we never see you?!” Rainbow questioned.

“Protecting the realm is a heavy burden, and I do not bare it lightly. I requested the role personally. To not act on it appropriately would make me a fool. Besides, it certainly can’t be so bad that you don’t see me,” Hanzo said.

“But it is!” Rainbow complained. Hanzo laughed. The two continued to walk through Ponyville, eventually finding the rest of the gang. All except for Twilight and Spike. The group informed Hanzo that the two were away in Canterlot, helping the Princesses prepare for the Celebration. So, they decided instead to head to Sugarcube Corner for a snack. After spending most of the day wandering around Ponyville, the group went to Hanzo’s home for a late dinner. In the living room, Hanzo began to regale the group with a tale of his latest adventure.

“How is it this terrible beast came to be in Equestria?” Rarity asked.

“In truth, I’m not sure. I figure it’s the same as it always is. Kotal Khan could have banished it to a random realm, or perhaps the creature discovered a portal on its own. It gives me pause to wonder how new threats continue to arise at such an alarming rate in Equis. I worry what may have happened before I started acting as Protector,” Hanzo spoke.

“I’m sure nothin too bad happened. I mean, we’re still here, aren’t we?” Applejack inquired.

“True. Though, when my duties began, I did find in my travels a few stray demons from the Netherrealm. And, of course, since then, other realms have discovered this one. I’m thankful that none have decided to try and lay a claim to it yet.”

“Yet?” Fluttershy asked shyly. She looked a little frightened.

Hanzo looked to her with a comforting smile. “I didn’t mean to worry you, Fluttershy. As long as I am Protector, you have nothing to fear,” he said. She smiled at him.

“Yeah! Not to mention, we’ve got the Elements of Harmony to help us kick some major flank!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“And cake!” Pinkie added.

Applejack looked at her quizzically. “Cake?” she questioned with a smirk.

“Yeah! Why not?” The group joined together in laughter.

“Anyway, you were telling us how you slayed the foul beast?” Rarity asked Hanzo.

Hanzo nodded. “Of course. So, I throw my spear, latching it to the beast’s throat. I then vaulted over him, wrapping it around. I continued this until my spear was completely wrapped around its neck. With a pull, I brought it to the ground, and with a quick thrust of my blade to its heart, the beast was defeated.”

“Why do you get all the fun?” Rainbow whined.

“Because, Rainbow Dash, I’m Protector of the Realm, and you’re not,” he joked. She stuck her tongue out at him, to which he laughed. “Following that was the matter of disposing the body. Nothing my Hellfire couldn’t deal with. And with that, the beast was sent back from where it came.” The ponies cheered, and Hanzo gave a bow of his head.

“Good thing you got to keep those fire powers of yours, huh Hanzo?” Fluttershy mentioned.

“Indeed. It certainly makes my job easier. It was kind of Raiden to preserve them for me.”

“How’d he do that, again?” Rainbow asked.

“He learned a set of dark magics that would allow him to remove my demonic connection to the Netherrealm while maintaining my added abilities. He knew I wanted to act as Protector of Equis, and he thought my Hellfire power would be useful in that regard.”

“Some foresight on Raiden’s behalf, I say,” Rarity said. Hanzo nodded in agreement. AJ let out an audible yawn at the same time. “Applejack. Manners, please,” Rarity whined.

“Sorry, y’all. Guess I’m just tired. I think I’m gonna head on home,” she said.

“Yeah, I’m with AJ. I’m out,” Rainbow added.

“Perhaps we should all be heading to bed,” Hanzo said. Rarity and Fluttershy nodded, while Pinkie moped. “Now, Pinkie Pie…”

“Oh, come on! How can you girls be tired when the Summer Sun Celebration is just one day away now! We’ve gotta get excited!” the pink-maned pony cheered.

“We can get excited in bed. How bout that?” Dash joked.

Pinkie shrugged. “Eh, sure, sounds good. Night, Hanzo!” Pinkie hopped out of Hanzo’s home with the rest of the girls.

Hanzo stood at the doorway, waving them goodbye. “Until tomorrow, my friends.” He shut the door behind them, letting out a pleasant sigh. As his friends departed for home, Hanzo made his way to his bedroom. He looked around the room for a moment. He noted his Earthrealm relics, his various cabinets and dresser, his mannequin which held his gear, his Shirai Ryu banner, and his bed. He sometimes enjoyed reminiscing of his past. But now, he craved sleep.

Another sigh escaped him as he started removing his clothes. His belt, vambraces, arm straps, yellow tunic, and black shirt and under armor all fell to the floor. Finally, he removed his yellow headband, then stood and looked at himself in the mirror for a moment. His first thought was about how he needed to shave. After that he thought about how he’d shave after he showered. And then he thought about how he was going to sleep so soundly and wake up the next morning, feeling refreshed and ready to be with his friends and enjoy the day.

Hanzo stepped into the bathroom and removed his sandals, leg straps, and pants. A moment later, he was under the warm water of his shower. When that was finished, he looked in the mirror again. He really did need a shave. He grabbed his knife and began cutting away at his facial hair. When he was finished, his beard and goatee were smooth and gentle, giving him a much nicer look. He dried off his hair and tied it back into a ponytail.

Before he went to sleep, he went to his bedroom window. He wanted some fresh air as he slept. It helped him focus, allowing him to dream peacefully of his fallen family and clan. Often, those were his most wonderful dreams; he would see them, and it wouldn’t hurt when he woke up in the morning without them there. It was okay for him to just see them briefly in his dreams. As he opened the window, he looked up into the night sky. Luna’s moon was glimmering brightly that night. And so was the sun.

Hanzo jolted in surprise. The sun and moon shared the sky. To his left was day, and to his right was night. This didn’t make sense. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He then heard a scream from Ponyville.

Hanzo didn’t hesitate. He hurriedly moved to the mannequin holding his armor and weapons. He started gearing up, pulling on his combat pants and strapping up his boots. He put on his under armor and lightly armored yellow tunic, tightening the leather straps to secure it. He then put on his belt, followed by his leather gauntlets and arm straps. He sheathed his swords on his back and secured his chains and spears around his arms.

Finally, he pulled up his leather hood. Looking himself in the mirror again, his eyes quickly flashed with fire. He felt his hands heating up with Hellfire. He was ready to act. He grabbed his detailed yellow mask from his nightstand and put it on. He let out a deep breath as he looked in the mirror for one last moment.

His voice echoed demonically as he spoke.

“Time to go to work.”

Author's Note

Welcome, my friends, to Specter of Equis!

For clarification, I'll explain the timeline for you guys:

All events from MK9 are canon in this story. The first chapter of MKX (Johnny Cage's chapter) is also canon. When this story starts, Season 3 of MLP has already happened, hence Twilight is now a Princess. The Prologue happens just before the start of Season 4. The Prologue is also roughly the one year marker for how long Scorpion's been in Equis. If you think anything else needs explaining, please leave a comment.