"Changes"


You are doing well, boy.

Tai Lung - legs exhausted from traveling incredible distances, with only minor infusions of food and water - stopped his pace, kneeling to the thick grassland. He had been climbing mountains for the last few hours, and the last thing he wanted to hear was the "voice" backhandedly complimenting him again.

"Why do you insist on talking all the time?" the snow leopard growled. "Get. Out. Of. My. Head…"

You haven't yet completed my plan.

"Revenge against the Palace is my plan," Tai Lung forcibly corrected, eyes watering from the high elevation and cold, windy air. "Killing Shifu is my plan. Taking the Dragon Scroll is my plan."

Whatever you wish, boy.

"I AM NOT A BOY!" Tai Lung roared into the bright, sunny sky. "WHERE ARE YOU, SPIRIT?! GET DOWN FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE - AND LET ME KILL - "

Be silent. I am trying to help you.

"Yet you insist on berating me, calling me juvenile names…"

If you knew how old I am, boy - you would call yourself an infant.

Tai Lung stayed silent, confused and irritated beyond his mind.

It doesn't matter. See the bridge ahead?

Tai Lung turned his gaze downward, seeing a long and wiry bridge suspended thousands of feet above misty fog. It was attached loosely to the mountain he was currently scaling, and the other end roped into a precipice of another mountain far away.

"I see it, spirit," Tai Lung whispered.

There will be five Masters from the Valley who show up at the other end of the bridge.

To fight you.

"Then I will kill them where they stand," the snow leopard proudly declared, unsheathing his claws. "Or even better - cripple them and let them return home, spreading fear into that wretched place…"

You do that, and you lose the Dragon Scroll.

Tai Lung snorted. "Explain, spirit."

Let's assume that you defeat the Five Masters. You let them live, and return home.

"To strike fear into Shifu's heart!" Tai Lung interrupted.

No.

Shifu will evacuate the Valley. He will hide or move the Dragon Scroll far from you.

"I will find it," Tai Lung harshly noted, teeth clenched. "I will find the Dragon Scroll even - "

One of the Masters coming is a bird. He can fly all of your defeated opponents back.

They will reach there well before you do.

Shifu. Will. Evacuate. The. Valley.

You will never see the Dragon Scroll again.

"ENOUGH!" Tai Lung screamed. "What - is - the - other - option?"

This.

Tai Lung gasped.

A flurry of noises.

Energy - bright yet dark at the same time - enveloped him.

A moderate humming noise.

Then nothing.

"Wh - what the - "

Tai Lung's old garbs were gone. A new uniform - black and blue, lined with strong stripes touching the corners - was on the snow leopard. A small emblem, detailing a scroll wrapped with a hammer, was engraved into the front of the dress.

"What have you done to me?" Tai Lung whispered, voice seething with rage. "Why have you - how did you - why am I wearing the same uniform of those that held me IN PRISON!"

The Five Masters coming will assume you to be a guard.

Act like one.

Say Tai Lung has broken out of prison.

Say you're afraid for your life - say he's already on his way back to the Valley.

Ask them to lead you back there.

"I am no coward," Tai Lung spat, beginning to tear off his uniform - simultaneously hearing footsteps approach.

Do things your way - and you will never see the Dragon Scroll again.

Boy.

The footsteps were growing louder. Tai Lung angrily suppressed a growl.

"I will trust you again, spirit," Tai Lung noted. "But I warn you now, when I take the Dragon Scroll - I shall spare no one - not even you."

The footsteps gave way to five figures leaping from the sky and sprinting across the bridge. Tai Lung focused his eyes - the spirit was correct. A bird flew among the others, followed by a monkey, a praying mantis, a snake, and a female tiger.

They were closing the gap quickly. The five Masters were only ten paces from him.

Tai Lung groaned.

"Help!" the snow leopard yelled, voice in a falsetto. "Help! Tai Lung has broken out of prison! He's on his way!"

The five masters stopped, bringing dust to the surface as they stood at the middle of the bridge.

Tai Lung marched forward in the oversized uniform, clutching his leg to fake a limp.

"He - he killed all of my brothers at Chorh-Gom!" he yelled in false anguish. "He - He's already on his way!"

"Slow down," Tigress emphasized, walking to the uniformed snow leopard with concern. "Where was he going? Why did he do this?"

"He - he broke out - we were no match for his incredible might!" Tai Lung noted with the slightest of smirks.

Don't overdo it, boy.

"I - please! You must lead me back to the Valley! We must protect the villagers!" Tai Lung finished.

"He's already broken out - by the Scrolls!" Viper interrupted. "Tigress, we have to move!"

Tigress nodded firmly, looking back at the new individual.

"Can you stand and walk?" she asked, voice gentle and disarmed.

"For the Valley?" Tai Lung whispered. "Anything."

"Good," Tigress immediately assured. "Follow us."

Tai Lung grinned, watching the Five lead him across the bridge. He picked up his pace and gently began pursuit.

Well played.

. . .

"You may rest for awhile, panda."

"Oh right - now I can rest - oh man…"

Po was out of breath. After Shifu had forcibly dragged him out of his dorm, refusing to speak on anything except silently motioning for Po to follow him - the panda was lead up a transverse section of rocky mountain. Shifu had additionally burdened Po with carrying a massive amount of gear in a backpack straddled to him, and still expected the panda to keep his pace while walking up the steep, winding road.

Po wasn't even sure why he was here, in such a remote location. Around him, elevated hundreds of feet above the Palace and seated well into a secluded cliff - a pool of water was around him. The surface was crystallized and opaque, with almost disturbingly clear reflections permeating the gentle top layer. And in the bright midday sunlight, the reflection illustrated one flabby panda, completely at a loss of what to say.

I don't want to be here.

I can't beat Tai Lung.

I can't be the Dragon Warrior.

Po sighed, realizing he couldn't fight Shifu on this. He scooped some water into his paws, washing his underarms.

"Panda," Shifu interrupted, sitting on the ground meditating. "We do not wash our pits, in the Pool of Sacred Tears."

Po gulped and moved away, flicking the remnant water off his paws while retreating from the pool.

"Pool of Sacred Tears," Po grumbled. "Am I standing on the Grassfield of Holy Rain? Or maybe I'm breathing the Winds of Amazing Fury?"

"You still joke, panda," Shifu emphasized, standing up. "Instead of confronting what's inside."

Shifu prodded the center of Po's belly annoyingly.

"Nothing's inside," Po stressed. "I told you that last night, when you told us Oogway was gone."

"What I saw that night," Shifu gently began. "Was a student desperate for direction."

"Yeah, I sort of got that direction," Po fired back. "The direction away from Tai Lung!"

Shifu groaned. "Panda - we don't have much time. Oogway believed in you. And just for that, I'll choose to believe in anything - even the impossible."

Po chuckled. "Nice vote of confidence…"

"Let's get started."

Po tried to groan again, but his attention was suddenly averted to the appearance of a small white dumpling - held comfortably in Shifu's slender fingers.

"Have a snack first," Shifu advised.

"Great!" Po squealed with joy. "Because I am hungry…"

Po reached for the dumpling.

It moved back several inches.

"What the - " Po began. "Come on Master, just - "

Po tried again, but the hand moved even further back this time.

"Shifu!" Po let out, dropping the respect with annoyance. "Give me the dumpling!"

"Take it," came the simple reply. "If you can."

Po waved his arms quickly. He jumped over Shifu. He spun his legs around and twisted his body, contorting every inch of his physique to reach the dumpling before Shifu's hand could move it away.

Yet he failed. Every time.

"AUGH!" Po vocalized, falling onto his face. "What gives?"

"I cannot train you - the way I have trained the Five," Shifu stated. "But now I understand what Oogway meant - a peach, will always be a peach."

Po felt confused. "What?"

"Again." Shifu demanded.

. . .

The Valley of Peace was a splendid area at evening. This unique time frame in the day occupied a specific niche - when villagers were well inside the constraints of their houses, just beginning to perform daily chores - when guards were lax, little movement in the village, but still enough sunlight to navigate pathways into and out of town. So, in a fitting occasion, Po and Alf had designated times like this to be truly the best times to interact with each other in public - with little fear of retaliation, thrown pots or pans at Alf, or any minor botherations.

But now, the feeling was flipped. Yu and Alf sat in a corner of Mr. Ping's noodle shop, tables empty and restaurant closed as the excitable goose napped behind the counter.

"I feel sorta nervous," Yu began, oscillating on her wooden chair. "Is he nice?"

"The chillest," Alf noted, smiling. "Po's pretty much the only guy I know to get along with just about everyone."

"Well, it'd be an honor to meet the Dragon Warrior," Yu emphasized, returning with a grin. "I just wonder how much longer he's gonna keep that up."

"Hopefully not long," Alf remarked. "We made a plan to sorta get some autographs and bail."

"Hey Alf!" Po's voice broke in with a boom. "Sorry I'm late! What the - "

Alf smiled, looking at Yu struggle to fight back a grin.

"I'm Yu," the fox introduced, getting up from the chair and extending a hand.

"Dude…" Po began, sighing but still shaking her hand. "Noodlefest is supposed to be our thing."

"What's Noodlefest?" Yu interrupted again, sitting back down as Po pulled a chair for himself to the table.

"We get the tastiest noodles and see who's the feistiest of eaters to win victory over the rowdiest of China's best!" Alf and Po screamed in unison.

Yu chuckled, watching both of them sit down next to her.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"We just get together and eat as much noodles as we can until one of us passes out," Alf translated. "Po usually wins."

"Mhm," Po rejected, wagging his finger. "I always win."

"Nah," Alf countered, leaning back into his chair. "There was that one time that you ate two dinners before Noodlefest. I managed to edge you out."

Po silently went to the shop's counter, unearthing two small boxes from behind a large barrel. With another few steps, he plopped them both down on the table - thin chopsticks sliding out from behind his paws.

"That's so - weird!" Yu emphasized. "I - I didn't realize people even do that."

"Yeah well - we're sorta weird, I guess," Po agreed. "So what's up with you? You're the caterer, right?"

"Yes," Yu simply restated. "I'm officially Alf's second favorite friend."

"His only two friends," Alf mentioned, smiling. "Both of them seemed to have saved me from getting beaten up."

"Oh, so you guys aren't dating?" Po broke in. "Thought you were a couple all this time."

A silence.

Alf nervously tapped his fingers against the table, looking inside the boxes Po brought. Freshly made noodles sat in the middle.

"We're um - not together," Yu forced, avoiding Alf's gaze. "We um - "

"Just friends," Alf reiterated.

Po seemed to realize his mistake. "So - LET'S START NOODLEFEST!"

"Yeah, we should," Alf agreed, thankful to move away from that topic. "What's with the scratch marks, bro?"

Po made an intriguing, unreadable face. He realized Alf was pointing at his elbows.

"What, these?" the panda mentioned. "Just from my last training."

"Training?" Yu questioned, prodding at the large box of noodles. "You mean - "

"Yeah, I've got to get strong to beat Tai Lung."

Another pause, but it was less awkward and more tense.

A burst of laughter.

"Oh my - ha! Po!" Alf joked, grinning from ear to ear. "So that's who Tai Lung is! Is he some sorta training technique Shifu put you on? Like jumping jacks?"

Po frowned. "Tai Lung is real, bro. And I've gotta get strong if I'm gonna beat him."

Alf kept up his grin. "Whatever you say - Dragon Warrior."

Po put down his chopsticks. "Something funny to you?"

Yu shot Alf a highly confused look. The latter returned the same.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Alf queried. "You get the autographs yet?"

"Yeah, I will," Po elevated. "But only after I train hard enough to beat Tai Lung."

Alf was growing more irritated. "What happened to our plan?"

"What plan was that?"

"You know - when we get the autographs and run? Maybe convince someone to get this collar off?"

Alf gasped mildly after uttering that. He had almost forgotten he was wearing it.

That was a bad sign.

"Plans change," Po noted.

Yu stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. "It's fine guys, let's just get back to this Noodle thing."

"What do you mean, plans change?" Alf remarked, taken aback. "You're actually going through with this?"

"Oh my - of course I am!" Po spat harshly. "The Scrolls forbid that I actually, yanno - become something other than a noodle chef!"

"Po," Alf attempted, leaning closer. "If this Tai Lung is as dangerous as people are making him out to be, just let the Five and Shifu handle it."

"But I'm the Dragon Warrior!" Po yelled. "What, you're saying what Oogway did was a mistake?"

Yu frowned at hearing the name again. Alf grew more incredulous with every word Po uttered.

"I thought we're both on the same page, man," Alf tried. "I mean - we're not obviously kung fu material or anything…"

Po stood up angrily, throwing his chopsticks down. "Maybe you aren't. But I - "

"I know you!" Alf threw out, growling. "Come on, Po! Don't be serious! You're gonna get yourself hurt!"

"I've been hurting my entire life!" Po forced. "Every day - just cleaning pots and pans, then making noodles, then watching everyone else do amazing things… and now - the Universe gave us a chance to get something real, and you want to throw that away!?"

Po stopped, huffing.

Alf started to understand more. Po's breaths were coming out heavy and shaky, and he seemed deeply upset with things that he wasn't necessarily talking about. Alf had always known that the panda was never keen on being a noodle-maker all this life - but this seemed so out of the ordinary…

Yu gulped. "Guys - let's just all calm down, okay? Come on!"

"I didn't know," Alf let out finally. "I didn't know how you really felt, all these years, okay? I get it. I get how our situation sucks - I - I just don't wanna see you get hurt, that's all?"

"I'll be fine," Po noted, turning away. "I - I have to go train, okay?"

Po got up, ignoring Alf's mumbled pleas and Yu's soft calls to sit back down. The panda took another moment to stare at the young boy, frowning for a second before making his way out of the restaurant. Alf heard his footsteps grow quieter until he was completely out of earshot. Dusk had given way by now, entering full moonlight as it washed over the open space.

"Maybe he's just in a phase or something," Yu interjected. "He's just - "

"I've never fought with Po before," Alf retorted, frowning sadly. "He's my best friend. This is different."

Yu pursed her lips, gently touching Alf's arm on the side.

A moment of silence.

He held her gaze for a while, until something completely subconscious happened and she removed it from him.

"Um - I'm sorry," Yu apologized. "Didn't mean to get all awkward…"

"HEY!" came a small, squeaky voice behind them. "YOU PAYING FOR THOSE NOODLES, BOY?!"

Mr. Ping had just woken up. The goose made his way over to the table, snatching the boxes of noodles off the table with livid rage.

"What do you even need so much food for?" the goose angrily questioned.

Alf sighed, turning his head down. "Noodlefest."


A/N

The plot gets thicker and thicker! I've planned out a bunch more story material, and ofc - I'm always excited to write new chapters! We've finally reached that iconic "half-way" point in KFP - but now, the plot is somewhat different! I urge you guys to stay tuned... things only pick up from now...

I don't even need to say how amazing support has been. You guys rock. 'Nuff said.

~TW