Kung Fu Panda

'Second Chance'

by Shen's General

A/N: Hello there, KFP fans, in case you don't know who I am, I am Shen's General, best known for his first fanfic Between Brothers, critically acclaimed best fanfic in the archive of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (or as said by my friend TearfulFriend18). Between Brothers is still being worked on, but to help get reinspired, I decided to get started on my first KFP chapter fanfic, starring none other than Lord Shen (come on, I am his GENERAL, you should had seen that coming.) and Master Crane (My second favorite). This story came to me when I was discussing possible fanfics to collaborate with Master Crane (the author), and I thought of how awesome it would be once I got started on it. In fact, I got an entire series planned out. But enough about that...now we shall dive into my proposed sequels to Kung Fu Panda, where there is badassery, awesomeness, with a great spice of romance to be had! HERE WE GO...after these disclaimers:

I do not own Kung Fu Panda, wished I did, but I don't.

I would like to dedicate the first chapter to all my favorite KFP authors out there, such as Master Crane, synchronized harmony, Simba593, jjhatter, Classic Cowboy and everyone else that I might have miss.

Prologue: If Only

'Long ago, in ancient China, there was once a great city known as Gongmen City, once ruled by the great peacock clan, which had brought great joy and prosperity to the city for many years, courtesy of their rulers Lord Ti'Phan and Lady Mei Lin, whose grace and kindness became known throughout all of China, for they had brought upon a great invention that would go on to change the course of history forever...fireworks, created through the manipulation of fire and gunpowder into something wonderful and beautiful...'

'However, behind every great invention lied a dark side, a potential that could bring upon darkness and devastation...such a potential that was discovered by none other than Shen...or many of you may know as Lord Shen. Shen was the son of Ti'Phan and Mei Lin, and the prince of Gongmen City at the said time. This boy was special, as instead of inheriting either of his parent's color, he was born as a color of snow itself and with eyes of the purest blood. However, this color was interpreted as a bad omen by many, his own parents included, and after the young peacock had found fireworks' offensive capacity, they feared the worst of what would become of their son. Concerned deeply, they had consulted yours truly, I, the soothsayer, but to prevent confusion with any subsequent people of my position, you may call me Ama. In attempt to sooth their anxiety, I foretold in a prophecy that if the young prince were to continue down this path strifed with darkness and agony, a warrior of black and white would rise up and defeat him...but I had not known that Shen had overheard this ill-fated prophecy. The boy, his heart already succumbing to the darkness, was determinated to not let this fate befall him...and what he done next...I say with a heavy heart...'

'Not far from the city of Gongmen, there lied a peaceful panda village, which served as a export for farming goods for the city, a place that spoke and heard of no evil...but to Shen, he saw them as a threat to his life...with an army of wolves behind him, he razed the village, full bent on eliminating anything of black and white that could possibly end his life in the future. Within a matter of hours, the village was reduced to ashes, no survivors were found. Proud of himself, believing that he had defied fate, he returned home triumphant, hoping that his parents, whose attention he had long sought for, who finally find worthy of carrying on their lineage...but instead...they were mortified by their young one's horrific actions. Faced with no choice that could result in the better good for all of them, the peacock rulers banished their only kin, cut him off of all royal ties, and sent him along with the wolves he had led in the massacre into exile for all eternity. Shen was outraged, of course, but he sworn vengeance, promised that he would return and claim what was rightfully his, disownment or not, and nothing...nothing...would stand in his way.'

'And sure enough, thirty years later, Lord Shen returned to the Tower of Sacred Flames, but with him, he brought a powerful weapon, the offensive capacity of the fireworks I had mentioned before, and with it, he had not only reclaimed control over his home, he had taken the life of one of the three masters, Master Thundering Rhino, that had stewardship over the tower since his parents' death not long after his exile, and soon enough, he was going to lead a conquest that would destroy all of China. However, the prophecy, the one I regretted foretelling to this day, had not changed, for there was a survivor from the village that Shen had decimated, a panda known as Po...'

'Having been hidden in a radish crate by his mother before her death, the young panda was shipped away to a faraway place known as the Valley of Peace, where he was cared for by a goose who owned a noodle shop. In the course of the thirty years Shen was in exile, the young child grew into a man who cherished one thing…kung fu, his idols being the Valley's protectors, the Furious Five, and dreamt of a day where he would become one of them and joins them on, as he would put it, 'awesome' quests and adventures. One day, however, that dream became a reality, for Grandmaster Oogway was to choose one of the Five to be the Dragon Warrior, a warrior of great strength and honor. As if through fate, and a bit of help from the inventions the peacock rulers had invented, Po was chosen, much to everyone's shock, to be the warrior. The other warriors and their master Shifu did not believe this, and had attempted to break his resolve, but the panda refused to give in. It was not till when Tai Lung, Shifu's first student, not to mentioned adopted son, corrupted with dark power much like Shen, broke free out of his prison that the red panda realized that it was Po's destiny to defeat him. After many weeks of training, and discovering the secret behind the Dragon Scroll, the Dragon Warrior's key to unlimited power, the panda confronted the snow leopard, and after a great battle was fought, Po had triumphed over him, and was declared a hero to the valley.'

'Years later, upon hearing news of Thundering Rhino's death, Po and his friends venture to Gongmen City to bring Lord Shen to justice. But they were captured almost instantaneously, and were brought to the tower where they first met Shen. The peacock, upon sight of the panda, immediately scoffed at the prophecy that was foretold, not believing that a panda of his…'girth' could pose a threat upon him, even though he had so much time to 'plot his revenge'. But Po did not know of the acts Shen had done to his village, in fact, he did not know that his father (a goose, mind you) was not his father shortly before heading off to Gongmen. It was then, through a constant chain of events that Po and his friends were able to escape the tower as it got shot down by Shen's weapons, but not before Po learned of his involvement in his past. In search of answers, despite the order to stay behind by his concerned friends, Po confronted Shen in the factory, where the peacock, whose mind was demented by the darkness, toyed with his mind like a plaything, and blasted him with a cannon.'

'Po would had perished in that blast, had I not intervened and treated him in the remnants of the village he once called home. It was not till then that I told Po to embrace his past that he was finally able to remember what had happened that night and was able to attain inner peace. Hours later, Po returned to Gongmen City, just when Shen was ready to begin his ultimate quest for dominance, and not willing to let Shen win, he freed his friends, and allied by the two remaining masters and their master Shifu, the group of heroes fought valiantly against Shen's fleet, to a point where it would seem that they would win…but the lord, growing desperate with fear, was not willing to go down, and blinded by his fear and hate, he even struck down his commander, the one you know as the Wolf Boss, who refused to fire on his own pack, as the peacock took matters into his own hands and unleashed his weapon upon them…'

'The blast had a great effect, for his fleets were now out to harbor, and the warriors were scattered…and all that remained in the lord's path was Po. Shen, believing that he had won, was ready to finish what he had begun, as he had his men fired at the panda, all set on smiting him off the face of the world…but then, something amazing had happened. By utilizing his inner peace, Po was able to capture the burning orbs that were launched at him and were able to redirect them, leaving all except his paws unscathed. Horrified, Shen ordered more attacks upon the panda, but his weapons were moving no match for him, as the panda took cannonballs after cannonballs, catching them and throwing them back at his fleet, destroying them with their own weapon…and it was not till Shen unleashed his own cannon's ammunitions that Po finally redirected his own invention right at him, once and for all putting an end to his insane designs.'

'Shen, distraught by his defeat, could not help but wonder how he had failed, as he asked the panda, who confronted him, not out to seek vengeance but to offer solace, how he was able to find peace, given how he was the one who took everything away from him…and the panda just answered that scars heal (despite how politically incorrect that would be) and that he should let go of the past and focus on the present. Unfortunately, despite all that had happen, his darkness still claimed ownership over his heart, and with the last of his strength, the peacock fought against the panda, his only focus on ending what he though was the source of his pain, so focused that he did not notice himself severing the ropes that held what remained of his own creation, and before he realized what he had done, the cannon began to descend upon the ship…and in that moment, the peacock accepted his fate that he worked so hard to prevent, and the cannon crashed down onto the ship…'

'With Shen gone, Gongmen City and China were now saved, our panda Po had found inner peace in himself, and even went on to reconcile with his adoptive father, and all was well in the world…but alas, this was not the end of the tale…for when I foretold the prophecy, I stated clearly that Shen would be defeated by a warrior of black and white…and may I remind you, there lied a great difference between defeat and death. Now that I had told you of the tale thus far, I shall now tell you a brand new tale…a story of love forgotten, new darkness uprising, friend and foe uniting, and ultimately, a story of redemption…'

Somewhere far up in the mountains, location unknown, there lied a hut, built into one of the great peaks' faces, plaid and simple, something that would not be worth noting, for inside the house, there are shelves stocked with items of medicinal value, and foods that were imperishable. Aside from these simple pantry items, the place itself was nothing special…with the exception of the resident that resided in this abode. In the middle of the house, sitting a meditative position was an elderly goat, draped in many clothing, with a walking staff to her left, and a bowl right in front of her, her eyes closed as if she was deep in concentration.

Her name was Ama, although many had called her the soothsayer, and a pretty good one at that. But it was not her skills as a soothsayer that had defined her; it was the fact that she once served as a caretaker for Gongmen City's rulers' son, Lord Shen. Concerned with Shen's well being when he was first born, they feared that if they were to grow attached to the child, he would succumb to his illness and break their hearts…so they turn to Ama, who was the court's soothsayer at the time, who unlike them, fell in love with the child, and requested that she take care of him. Although she was hesitant of the fact that they wouldn't want to care for their child, she could not help but agree. So for many years up till the ones leading to his exile, she was like a second mother to him, caring for him when he fell ill, scolded him if he misbehaved, and giving him the love that a child deserved. Unfortunately, the goat knew that her love could not replace the kind of love that Shen needed…from his own parents. The boy tried nearly everything to make himself heard and worthy of his parents' attention, and when that did not work, he worked hard to prove himself to them, be it kung fu (courtesy of Master Rhino, Ox, and Croc, who had served at the tower before his birth) or fireworks…but his efforts were all in vain.

Eventually, he stopped trying to prove himself to them and tried to make them see themselves that he was capable of carrying on their legacy…and his attempt leaded him to experiment with the fireworks his parents created, and before anyone knew it, he became obsessed with making such a joyous creation into a weapon of militaristic design that he believed would make them a stronger country, and would finally make them proud of him…unfortunately, his parents instead saw something dark growing in him, and their fear for him grew alongside it.

Ama sadly remembered when she was summoned into the parent's chamber, and asking her what was to become of their son. Admittedly, she too was deeply concerned for her child, especially how distant he had grown with her. So, with a feather she kept from Shen and few assorted powder, she looked into her clay bowl, and saw a image of a white peacock, surrounded by haze and smoke, rising over China, and then it swirling into the universal symbol of yin and yang…the message becoming clear in her mind:

"The peacock, if he is to continue down his path of darkness, shall be defeated by a warrior of black and white."

Of all the ill-fated prophecies she had foretold over the years, this was the one she regretted ever telling the most. For because Shen had overheard her telling his parents of this message, and because of that, he went off and committed genocide and was exiled forever. This prophecy was the cause of pain for not only her, but Shen's parents, all the pandas that lived in the village, and most importantly for Shen…whose one desire was to finally be accepted in the eyes of his parents, twisted by his hate, anger, and agony. Even more so, this prophecy was what led Shen back to Gongmen City thirty years later, with his weapons in tow, what led to Master Rhino's death, the desecration of his parents' memories as he shot his ancestral home to the ground…and it was what ultimately led Shen to his death.

The soothsayer knew that when he died, that he would find the peace he ultimately deserved, and she was happy for that…at least, she was. Despite all his selfish actions, she loved the peacock dearly as if he was one of her own, and she herself believed that he did not deserve death, for she knew in her heart, that he was not evil…confused maybe, but not evil. But what she thought and believed did not change fact; Shen was dead, crushed under his own creation, the image of Shen accepting death as the cannon fell atop him running through her mind. If only she could hold him once more…if only had she was able to steer him from the path of darkness…if only had she not told that damned prophecy-

Ama's eyes immediately darted open as she felt a shiver throughout her body. Whenever a soothsayer felt a shiver within their body, it was portrayed as a sign from the gods, asking them to tell a prophecy, be it for someone or for the soothsayer him or her self. But this feeling…it caught her deeply by surprise, as if the gods had a very important message to tell her right now…not wasting time, the soothsayer immediately pulled out some of her powder she kept in her bag and placed it into her seeing bowl, and as a result of the catalyst, smoke began to billow from the clay bowl, as it prepare to reveal to the beholder it's message…

At first she saw nothing…but then, in a sense of déjà vu, an imagery of China and a peacock appeared above it…

"Shen?" Ama whispered, her shock present in her voice, "But how-?"

Before she could ask, the white peacock's colors immediately faded into black, the peacock's red eyes becoming a brilliant gold, and then it let out a vicious caw, as metallic sounds began emanating all around the room, and what seemed to look like chains began to shoot upwards around the peacock…

"What in gods' name?" The soothsayer said, dumbfounded and anxiety building up in her body at the vision.

But suddenly, two other figures sprouted out of the smokes, both of them of the color white, and both of them were of the avian family. Their wings spread as they began spiraling all around the black peacock, cutting through the smoke-like chains, closing in on the dark figure in the middle at a increasing rate of speed, and when they finally met, a sudden burst of light was created, blinding the soothsayer for a moment. As soon as the goat's eyes recovered, the vision had disappeared, with no traces of smoke anywhere. Then, as usual upon telling a fortune, a voice whispered in her mind, but there was something...awfully peculiar about it:

'Darkness shall rise...chains of oblivion spreading wide...two sides of morality unite...with wings of the holiest flames, there shall be redemption...'

Ama was baffled, in her career as the soothsayer, she had never heard the voice sound so...mysterious, even more so than usual, and the way it spoke. But that was a question that she would consider later, for there were many more questions pertaining to the prophecy...who was that peacock that she once thought was Shen? What were with those chains? And more importantly, who were the two white birds within the vision? Never in her life as she ever recieved a message that seemed so encrypted. In fact, the only words she understood in that sentence was 'darkness shall rise', but all it did was made her more anxious, was China in trouble once more? She pondered it even more, as she cited the words, 'two sides of morality unite...' Morality, the differentation between good and evil...was what it saying? That good and evil will be joining together? That doesn't seem to make such sense. Deciding that part was a dead end, the soothsayer then thought of the last few words... 'With wings of the holiest flames, there shall be redemption.'

Upon uttering those words in her mind, she recalled the two birds circling the dark peacock in the middle...it would not take the thinking of a intelligent man to figure that the 'wings' were referring to those two beings...but what did they mean by 'there shall be redemption'? Who is it that need redeeming? Ama let out a frustrated groan, so many questions she had, and she could only answer a few of them...

Suddenly, a strong breeze blew through the rafters of the hut, prompting the goat to shiver once more in a natural manner, winds up where she lived were common, slicing through the air and anyone in the vicnity like knife through butter. However, given how she was related to the mountain goat family, it was natural to her...but due to her old age, the cold air still stung. Another gust of wind blew threw throughout the house, much stronger than the previous one, so strong in fact that it blew one of the patched-up window open.

"Oh dear..." The soothsayer sighed, as she quickly got to her feet (well quickish, her age impeding her movements), and immediately worked to seal up the window once more. It was only a few moments later that the elderly goat had succeeded in her task, letting out an exhale of exhaustion. She then turned to the center of the room, hoping to find answers to her perturbing vision through meditation, but before she could take a step forward, her eyes saw something...something that immediately illuminated most of her prophecy and reigniting her hope, as she felt tears struck her eyes...

What it was that she had seen was nothing on a grand scale, but possessed a value far greater than all the riches in the world...the object of such value is nothing more than a feather...of black, red, and white...

A/N: ...Geez, that has to be the slowest chapter I had ever written for a story ever. Well, anywho, there you have it, the first chapter of Second Chance. For any questions that may arise, Shen and Crane will be in this story...eventually. For this story, I am going to try and make my chapters of short to below average length so I can update more frequently on this one. As for the Soothsayer's name, Ama, according to KFP-DW1 (His story is good by the way), that is her official name according to the art gallery found on the Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD, so I am going with it. Also, I used Shens' parents' name from Synchronized Harmony's story series, and as you can tell from the summary, I will include a character from his series as well (Who will it be will be revealed next chapter). Anywho, I hope this first chapter was good, and I hope you will READ/REVIEW/FAVE/FOLLOW IT upon reading it. So...again, READ AND REVIEW!

NOTE: If you are interested in a KFP M-Rated oneshot, I had written one of Crane and Mei Ling, which is actually the very first lemon of those two...ever. I would deeply appreciate it if you were to come by and read it, that you will leave a review, I cannot emphasize that enough!

NOTE II: There will be a forum set up, meant for discussing this story and all future ones for my series, which I dub 'The Wings of White Flame Saga'. If you have questions, predictions, or comments (that you didn't put in your reviews of course) about anything, be sure to post!

Artworks stuff is appreciated, deeply appreciated.