Disclaimer: I do not own KFP.
Chapter 5: They Won't Save You
"Someone help! Invaders are destroying the city!" A cry from a pig under the rubble of a burning house. A sheep, mangled and bloody from falling fragments of rock, ran past the pig and onto the bridge to the other half of the Valley of Serenity. She ran and ran, but couldn't seem to outrun the incoming devastation. A flying, fiery piece of debris flew into the bridge from atop the clouds, and absolutely decimated it. Having no way back and no way to really escape, the sheep kept running with the receding hope of reaching the masters Kazeno and Tsukino. Without the rebuilt tower in sight, the sheep had begun to lose hope faster now.
She stopped and looked back. All she saw was approaching doom, in the form of a masked, armored demon, launching these balls of… blue stuff. But it wasn't water; it consumed everything it came across, ruining buildings and taking lives. Smoke arose from behind the masked demon, mostly from destroyed buildings and fires. She turned back, but found herself confronted by another one of the invaders, and this one was truly someone you didn't want to come across in a dark alley. Or anywhere, for that matter. He had a large, metal suit that enveloped most of his body, and it was highly detailed everywhere, with lines running down that indented in the bulkiness of the suit. Only the eyes and above were shown of his head, and the head was nothing but a skull with glowing eyes. He had a giant blade, looking like a silver fireball at the hilt, but growing into a blade nearly instantaneously. The blade curved and ribbed as it reached the tip. The hilt was a striped pattern of gold and garnet, and curved to the front at the bottom.
"Where might you be going?" the monster said. He had a metallic voice, and that added to the horror. "Such a pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be all bloodied and worried and running."
She was at a loss for words, but she finally worked up the nerve to speak.
"I'm trying to reach masters Kazeno and Tsukino. They'll be the ones to stop you, and save us." She finished with a bit of a choke in her throat. After all, she had been wounded and running for her life. Who wouldn't be choking up at this point, staring into the face of a monster?
He gave a big snort, and then laughed. "Save you? That's not very accurate, woman… That's, in fact, the opposite of what is going to happen." He pointed to the intact half of the city. "Do you see this? This will be nothing but a memory in less than an hour. So will you, along with it. And don't put false hope in your masters. They have fled, they had no choice."
The man who had been launching the blue spheres earlier had now caught up to her. "Ruthenium! Why are you scaring the villagers? We need this town wiped, no survivors. Stop socializing and get to work."
The iron beast stamped his foot down at the man, and complained. "Zane, have a little fun in your job! Putting fear in people's minds will let them know we are serious."
The steampunk figure replied quite sternly. "I think they get the exact same message from the smoldering ashes of half the town. Resume your work now, Ruthenium."
The beast sighed, and raised his sword over his right shoulder. "Sorry, lady. Business is business."
The sheep screamed in terror, and the sword came down. Even Naozane had to look away from the gruesome murder. "Good. Now then, back to the task at hand," Naozane said. He hopped to a rooftop, and then flung another energy sphere into a nearby courtyard.
In the Jade Palace...
Po was not very enthusiastic about facing off with himself, but he was the Dragon Warrior; he couldn't let that show!
Of course, it did show. A lot.
"Um, Hunter, is there any other way to enhance your fighting ability? I mean, I'm not sure about this particular method, and…"
Hunter looked Po in the eyes, and spoke with reassurance. "Po, you will be fine. Repeat after me. I."
"I."
"Will."
"Will."
"Be."
"Be."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Good, Po. Now… Are you ready?"
Po then manned up, and shouted in his most bodacious voice: "You bet I'm ready! Let's do this! Kiyah!"
Hunter put his index and middle finger to Po's forehead, and voiced the chant. They were now in Po's inner world, and boy was it a sight. There were statues of the Five and the masters of the valleys everywhere, and the ground was cracked and splintered, and there seemed to be lava beneath the cracks. The ground looked like dried lava. And the sky… Oh, the sky. White clouds covered the sky with a thick fog, and when a slight opening showed up, there was nothing but void black. Yet somehow, the world was lit.
"Okay, this is creepy," Po said. "Can we leave, and come back later?"
"No, we can't. We have to fight your inner self, so you can enhance your Dragon Warrior powers and fighting ability. It's the only way to be able to save China, and probably the rest of the world. The only way to protect the ones you love."
"Well, who do we have here? My younger self? What a surprise! Hello, my brother." The voice came from nowhere, and everywhere at the same time. The panda appeared before their very eyes, and he looked nothing like Po. Sure, he was a panda, but he was… different. He had the straw hat and the cape, but the cape was torn and the straw hat was ripped in several places. The shorts were now pants, black with dragon patterns going down the sides. He removed the straw hat, and revealed his scarred and old face. He had one scar running down through his eyelids and to his chin, and he was blind in the same eye. The other eye was an intense jade green color, but it looked aged and tired.
"Who… Who are you?" Po asked.
"I'm not going to be all dodgy like the other things that inhabit your mind, so here is your revelation. I'm your future self."
Po was mind-blown! He just met his future self, which to him was way cool.
"Woah. That's totally awesome. But why are you in here, and not an evil clone of me or something?"
The future Po looked grave all of a sudden, and much to Hunter's concern, he had a good reason.
"I bare a message, from Oogway. And yes, I can speak to him. I'll retell his message for you, exactly. 'In these next few months, you will find a hard decision in front of you. This will set the mantle for the rest of your life, and forever after, in spiritual world. Life hangs in the balance, Po. It's up to you to either cast away those lives for your own needs, or make a sacrifice to keep those you hold dear. Do not take this lightly, Po. I believe you can do it.'"
Awe. Shock. Astoundation. Even though the last one is not a word, he thought of it. It's not just cities or valleys that are in danger anymore… It was now people he cared about. More specifically, his dad. Not to forget Tigress, too. He quickly came up with a question.
"Well, you're from the future! Why can't you tell me what happens now so I wouldn't be so worried?"
"Because, me. Your fate would change, and I am bound by the great spirits to not let that happen. Now…"
A sword appeared from nowhere. "…Cut me down with a very powerful slash. When you defeat me, you will achieve access to your Dragon powers and fighting enhancements."
Po looked at the sword, and picked it up. He slowly brought it over his head, but let it drop with a heavy sigh. "I can't do it… I can't kill! That's not me!"
The older Po took Po's sword hand. "I'll help you start." He then proceeded to thrust the blade into his chest, and Po nearly screamed in terror.
Before he faded into thin air, the Future Po said a noteworthy saying…
"It is necessary to take a life for the ones you love. Remember that, Po."
And with that, they were back to the real world.