Author's Note

Made some edits to chapter 28, and have recently gotten my shit together enough to crap this out, thank to some advice from PopCross Studios and their recent video on their own writing process and advice to other writers based off of his own experiences.

It's actually helped me a lot.

Anyway, see you guys next time.

Chapter 29: The Constable's Chance.

Making their way through the temple, Sweetie Belle and Rota kept stealing glances toward the pillars of soul magic in the distance. If those were Soul Stealers, then they needed to get to Liu Kang and do something. Finding the Fire God near his portal to Outworld, he explained what was going on without prompting.

“It would appear the Devourer was correct in that there are more than one timeline running together,” he explained as he opened the portal. “And I have a suspicion that the true benefactor of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi comes from beyond that veil. At this point, I have no choice but to bring my concerns to Empress Sindel.”

“Wouldn’t that mean revealing your role as the former Keeper of Time for this timeline, though?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“The circumstances have left me with no alternative, I’m afraid,” Liu Kang responded in a tone of acceptance. “I will not ask you to stay here, but I must ask that you both remember that this is intended to be a peaceful visit. And you, Rota, can also help to prove my claims.”

“Understood,” the Saiyan-Filly Duo said from behind the FIre God.

With an appreciative smile to them both, Liu Kang stepped through the portal, Sweetie Belle and Rota following right after.

Stepping through the portal in Sun Do, the trio were immediately met with Li Mei and the rest of the Constabulary of the city. The First Constable stepped forward to address the arrivals.

“Return home, Lord Liu Kang,” she said with a slight glance at Rota and Sweetie Belle. “Even disregarding these two’s prior disruption of the Lantern Festival, I am to let no-one pass.”

Liu Kang stepped forward. “We must see Her Majesty. She must call off her attack on Earthrealm.”

“Her decision was unwise… but she no longer seeks my counsel, and I doubt she’s interested in yours.”

“The Empress has been deceived,” Liu Kang responded. “Shang Tsung and General Shao have fomented this crisis as a means of stealing her throne.”

“General Shao!? I knew that shinobi was right about him hiding his true intentions.” Li Mei exclaimed. “But join Shang Tsung?” She gave a sigh of disbelief. “I knew he couldn’t be trusted. Were I still Umgadi, he never would have breathed the same air as the Empress. My palace sources told me he arrived out of nowhere, and immediately had the Empress’s ear.” Li Mei noticed that that last statement caused both of Liu Kang’s companions to look… a mix of angry and distraught.

“He gained her trust by treating Princess Mileena’s condition,” Sweetie Belle whispered on the verge of tears.

“Condition?” Li Mei questioned.

“Tragically,” Liu Kang explained quietly, “Princess Mileena is afflicted with Tarkat Disease.”

“Tarkat!?” Li Mei exclaimed in quiet shock. “The Empress must be beside herself. If Shang Tsung found a treatment, no wonder she embraced him.”

“We have told no-one in either world who didn’t already know before now.” Liu Kang explained. “I trust that you, of all people, will keep this secret.”

With a sigh, Li Mei responded. “Of course. Were it made public, it would bring down the royal family.”

“Li Mei, Empress Sindel needs our help.” The Fire God beseeched the First Constable. “Will you join my friends and I in aiding her?”

Li Mei responded with no hesitation.

“Emperor Jerrod’s death, the pain it caused Empress Sindel, has always haunted me. I failed the royal family once,” She said with determination. “I won’t do so again.”

Within the next few minutes, the group was in a small carriage of sorts, being escorted by the Constabulary through the streets of Sun Do while they talked through the situation.

“Everything now makes sense,” Li Mei said. “My Umgadi contacts had said the General’s soldiers had been encroaching. But I still can’t fathom it. General Shao committing treason?”

“Knowing just the fact that Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are in on it already tells me they’re the ones to blame for that,” Rota said. “Probably played to his vanity like they always have, the damn snakes.”

“He may be unstoppable,” Li Mei confessed. “The Umgadi don’t have numbers and my constables aren’t trained for war.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help protect the Empress, as well.” Sweetie Belle said from next to Li Mei. Before the conversation could continue, the carriage stopped with the beast pulling it letting off a whinny like sound as it reared.

Looking out the window behind her, Li Mei addressed one of her constables. “Driver, what is it?”

Getting no response, she then stood up and opened the door to see what was going on. A group of soldiers had cut off their route and were standing off against the constables.

Looking back to the group, the First Constable said, “I may need that help right now.”

Opening the doors wide to exit the carriage, the group saw Reiko and Motaro walking up to the front of the soldiers.

“Return those three to the portal gate, Li Mei.” Reiko ordered, seeing Liu Kang, Rota and Sweetie Belle. “They aren’t welcome in Outworld.”

“I won’t support the General, Reiko.” Li Mei retorted. “Nor his plot to usurp the throne.”

“Then you won’t live to see the new regime,” he responded before giving Motaro a look.

At which point, the Centauren grabbed the contable in front of him and tore his arms off before rearing back and kicking him away as the soldiers and constables engaged in battle.

Li Mei closed the door to give a situation report. “They have us surrounded.”

“Liu Kang’s no stranger to kombat, Li Mei and you saw Sweetie Belle fight at the Lantern Festival,” Rota snarked in reply.

“And what about yourself?” The First Constable retorted.

“I can handle myself.”

“Then let’s get out there,” Li Mei affirmed before shoving open the doors, immediately charging into the fray with a pair of kicks to two soldiers, sending them to the ground, followed by sweeping the next soldier’s legs out from under him.

Liu Kang engaged a Soldier that charged at him, kneeing his sword arm and then grabbing him and tossing him to the ground while Sweetie Belle, in her natural form, tackled another guard trying to attack Liu Kang from behind, grabbing him around the torso and flipping in the air before slamming him into the ground.

Rota, meanwhile, decided to send a message upon noticing Reiko and Motaro were the only ones actually using enhancements of any kind among the soldiers. As her first opponent swung for her neck, she simply crossed arms and craned out her neck.

The blade met her flesh…

Only to snap as if it were a wooden stick swung against a steel pole.

With reflexes quicker than any save Sweetie Belle could see, Rota grabbed the broken sword tip, threw it into the soldier’s foot, pinning it to the ground, then finished the poor sod off with an uppercut that nearly took his head off.

Reiko saw this as he threw another constable to the ground and snarled. “I knew you were going to be a problem. Should have just killed you myself.”

Rota glared back at him. “We’ll see how your bite compares your bark, lapdog,” she retorted as she took on her fighting stance. Reiko immediately threw a set of shuriken and charged forward. Rota simply flared her aura, sending the shuriken bouncing to the ground without even touching her. She then flicker-stepped to above and in front of Reiko and slammed a punch into his head, driving it through the dock below, and knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle had teleported to each soldier individually and knocked them out quick and easy, typically with a metal hoof to the jaw. Although the last one she managed to spook into jumping into the water, which was a little funny for the bystanders observing.

As the constables gathered the soldiers and placed them under arrest, Li Mei, Liu Kang, Sweetie Belle and Rota gathered back in the carriage, the First Constable noting the reinforcements will be arriving for the soldiers at some point as Rota closed the carriage doors.

As the group made their way through the palace and into the garden, they were confronted by the two Umgadi women who were at the Lantern Festival.

“Word of his arrival precedes you,” the dark skinned Umgadi said, pointing her weapon at Liu Kang. “Surrender if you wish to remain unharmed.”

“Let us pass, Tanya.” Li Mei pleaded with the Umgadi woman. “The Empress and her family are in danger. He brings word that Shang Tsung and General Shao plot against her.”

Tanya sneered in disbelief at her words. “The General? Have you been so easily taken in by lies?” She then got into a combat stance as she finished speaking. “Once again, you prove incapable of protecting the royal house.”

Before Li Mei could assume her own combat stance, Sweetie Belle stepped forward, shifting into the anthro form Tanya had seen her in at the festival, making the Umgadi pause in shock as the Alicorn put her hands in front of her in surrender.

“We just want to talk to the Empress. We don’t want to fight.” She spoke in a calm if pleading tone.

Tanya stared at Sweetie Belle for a moment. Then her companion spoke.

“The Empress said that if the Alicorn from the lantern festival were to step forward, she would hear them out.” She said with an accent not dissimilar to Syzoth. “This is the Alicorn from then, you and I both know it to be. And Princess Kitana can confirm it, she dueled her personally.”

Another nearby Umgadi confirmed the statement, a whole squadron of them arriving.

Tanya looked Li Mei in the eye, who seemed as shocked by the Alicorn’s shapeshift as the Umgadi had. She then addressed Liu Kang.

“It would appear the Empress will hear you out after all.”