Work Text:
“Huh,” Shifu said, surveying the panda’s chamber, “He’s gone.”
Perched on Monkey’s shoulder, Mantis stretched to take a look. Sure enough, the panda’s room was empty. Immaculate even. It looked like it hadn’t been touched.
“Master Shifu-”
“Come. Let us not waste time. You must continue your training. All of you.” Shifu turned to leave. It was instinct to follow. They stepped around the crater in the hall.
It was funny. Everything the panda did had been a public disaster, even walking down the hallway had been a boisterous display of incompetence, but his exit had been made in perfect silence.
The courtyard was empty. The great doors were pushed open and nothing was there but training equipment. Some bamboo staffs for use in combat. Some clay tablets for use in target training. Complete silence. An ordinary morning.
“Well then.” Shifu was smiling. “Let us begin.”
-
“Do you think it was our fault he left?” Viper whispered.
Mantis had his mouth full. Monkey hummed a note, but didn’t answer. Crane began to mumble something, but Tigress cut him off with a glare.
“He’s gone,” she said, “It doesn’t matter anymore. He was not the dragon warrior. It was a mistake.” There was no room for discussion. For Tigress, there was no reason to think about it anymore. It was in the past.
-
Somewhere in the Valley of Peace, a panda tried to go home. He made it down the steps of the Jade Palace and through the village, but when he reached the little soup kitchen, he couldn’t make himself stop.
What was left for him there anyway? A future he didn’t want. A kitchen that he didn’t fit in. A lineage of fathers who dreamt of noodles and nothing more. Po had spent an entire day living what he dreamed of, and he - he couldn’t cut it. He wasn’t built for it.
He kept walking.
-
Somewhere beyond the Valley of Peace, Tai Lung escapes Chorh-Gom prison.
-
Shifu tried to bring Oogway the bad news, but his old master was nowhere to be found. Shifu found his staff in its place in the Jade Palace. There were peach petals everywhere.
“Master,” says Tigress from behind him. He doesn’t turn around. “If Tai Lung is really coming, we can’t just wait for him here. We need to fight him on our terms. We can catch him off guard before he gets here.” She sets a paw on his shoulder. “We need the dragon warrior. The real one.”
-
Tigress opens the dragon scroll. Her eyes narrowed as she read. The other four exchanged glances. Finally, she returned it to its case with a click. She didn’t tell anyone what it said.
Shifu knew that Tigress would keep the scroll’s secrets. He sent the five of them to intercept Tai Lung’s path as soon as he could. The dragon warrior will lead them to peace. Shifu’s fingers curled around Oogway’s staff. He hoped that he had made the right decision.
-
Tigress wasn’t the dragon warrior. It was the only explanation. Why else would the scroll appear blank to her? Only the dragon warrior could read it. Oogway was right from the beginning not to choose her. She was a disgrace. A failure.
-
Somewhere beyond the Valley of Peace, a panda was lost. Po didn’t know where home was anymore. He found a long rope bridge between two cliffsides. He knew there was no way the bridge would support him. The floor could barely support him. It was a bitter thought and it made his stomach growl.
What did Mantis say about him? Even the ground trembles before him.
He couldn’t go forward, but he couldn’t go back either. He started climbing down. Down the side of the cliff and into the unfathomable mists below. It was dark. For a moment, a thought entered Po’s mind. What if I fall? He dismissed it quickly. It didn’t matter. He would reach the bottom either way.
-
As they raced to meet Tai Lung, Monkey kept cracking jokes at Tigress, even though he’s always said she has no sense of humour. (“Even Shifu smiles more than you!”)
Mantis rode on her shoulders the whole way, even though he always complained that she moved too fluidly. (“It’s like trying to hold on to a rock in the rushing river!”)
Viper gave Tigress her widest, most toothiest, smiles. (“Not having fangs makes it hard sometimes, but it’s worth it if it make my friends smile, too.”)
Crane kept a watchful eye from above, and didn’t complain once about having to use more energy to fly. (“I have to work twice as hard to get half as far up here!”)
Maybe Tigress was a failure, but the Furious Five were the stuff of legends. Together, they could defeat Tai Lung. They were ready.
-
“You are not the dragon warrior, none of you are!” the leopard proclaimed.
Tigress bristled, feeling angrier than she had felt in a long time, since she was a child. It’s hot and raging in her arms, in her claws. It’s impulsive and quick. It’s anger that makes her reveal the dragon scroll to him.
“You’re wrong,” Tigress growls, tilting the scroll back and forth. Looky, looky. “I am the dragon warrior, and I will bring peace to this valley!”
Tai Lung laughed. He lounged across the rope bridge like he was in his own home. Here he was, suspended above bottomless mists with a team of warriors ready to stop him, facing the dragon warrior, and he couldn’t be more relaxed.
Tigress couldn’t stand it. She didn’t wait for the others. She stashed the scroll away and pounced.
-
Somewhere below, hidden by mist, a panda kept climbing.
-
The dragon scroll falls. It happened in the middle of the battle. Tigress was upside down on the rope bridge, keeping herself suspended by strength of legs alone. She was on the attack, rage fueling each punch, each strike. She was pushing Tai Lung back. She was winning.
He sent one punch her way, aimed right at her chest. She didn’t see it coming until the last second. She dodged, but it was sloppy. She could hear Shifu tsk in her mind. That was uncoordinated and slow! If this had been real- But it was real. And her claw snagged on fabric. And the scroll fell.
Crane was high above, carrying Monkey. There was no way for them to reach it in time.
“No!” Tai Lung’s anguish was clear on his face as the scroll was swallowed by the mists. “The scroll!”
He’s distracted, Tigress thought, Scroll or no scroll, this is my chance.
Tigress launched herself through the air, claws outstretched, a powerful finishing blow.
“Tigress!” Viper warned, but it was too late.
Tai Lung caught her by the throat. He didn’t even have to look up to do it. She felt his grip tighten, and her vision became spotted with blue.
She knew Viper wasn’t strong enough to hold her. Crane couldn’t get to her in time, not without dropping Monkey. Mantis was holding up the bridge through force of willpower alone. She was suspended in the air by the worst villain China had ever known. This was the end.
When Tai Lung finally looked at her, his eyes were red coals.
“You stole my destiny from me.”
He jabbed her gut, once, twice, three times. Tigress felt her entire body stiffen. She felt grey and very, very, cold.
“My reckoning will be unmatched,” he said, “All of China will burn.”
It’s so cold.
-
Tai Lung lets them go. He froze four of them. He beat the crane with an inch of his life. And then he let them go. He watched the crane fly away, desperation and exhaustion in every wing flap.
He will destroy everything they have ever loved. It will be an event like no other. Not one soul in China will ever feel safe again. He will make sure of it. He will make warriors cry like children. He will make -
-
Somewhere below, a panda’s grip falters and he feels himself fall. Uh-oh, he thinks, and starts screaming.
Loudly.
Like, really loudly.
-
What is that sound?
-
Po had never felt more terror in his life. The screaming helped though, so he just put all of his energy into that. In fact, he was focused so much on screaming, he almost didn’t realize he wasn’t falling anymore.
“Huh?”
He looked left, right. There was nothing but mist and blue-darkness.
“What the heck?”
There’s a little hum from just above Po’s ears. He looked and -
“Hey Master Oogway,” said the panda. He went back to looking around, trying to figure out why he wasn’t falling and then realized - “Master Oogway!”
The old tortoise was below him on a rocky ledge. He was holding a red lantern in one hand, and in the other, pinched between two reptilian claws, was the dragon scroll. His staff was nowhere to be seen. Oogway gave him a slow smile.
“It is good to see you, dragon warrior.”
“Master Oogway! What are you doing here? And, uh, why am I not falling?” Po’s mind was racing with Kung Fu knowledge. “Are you using a super-secret-awesome Kung Fu magic force to hold me up here with your mind? Am I dead? Or wait! Are you dead? Is this the spirit realm? Oh no, it’s totally the spirit realm! Oh man!” Po dragged a paw across his face. “I thought it’d be way cooler than this! And like less cold. And dark. And like, with some ground to walk on. Honestly, you’d think they’d make the place a little more welcoming for, like, you know, spirits and... stuff.”
Oogway chuckled. “Perhaps, you are right, this could be the spirit realm. But then again,” He raised the lantern, illuminating the tree branches that have snagged Po’s pants by the waist. “Perhaps the mortal realm still has need of you.”
“Oh man. This is totally embarrassing.” Po tried swiping at the branches above him, but no give. He was stuck. “Here you are being all wise and mystical and stuff-” Swipe. “-and I am literally-” Swipe. “-hanging-” Swipe. “-by my butt-” Swipe, swipe. “-by a big,” Swipe. “ pink,” Swipe. “tree!”
He groaned and let himself slump down. What was the point anyways? Besides, all the swinging around made him woozy. When was the last time he ate?
He looked at Oogway. “Some dragon warrior I turned out to be, huh?”
“Hmm,” Oogway hummed, “It is funny, isn’t it? The universe can be very strange.”
“Ha! You’re telling me! One day I’m selling noodles, and the next, wham! Dragon warrior! Meeting my heroes! Finding out they all completely hate me! So I leave, and now here you are! It’s totally insane!”
“Totally.”
Po paused. “So what are you even here for anyways? Gonna take me back to the Jade Palace? Make me read that scroll? Because I won’t do it. I’ll just leave again. I don’t belong there.” He tried crossing his arms, but right now the force of gravity was stronger than him. Matter of fact, the force of gravity was always stronger than him. “Besides, the food there stinks.”
“It does not matter why I am here,” Oogway said, “Why are you here?”
“Why am I here? I’m here because Shifu and the Furious Five wanted me gone! They knew I wasn’t the dragon warrior all along!”
“Interesting,” said the tortoise, “And what do you believe?”
“Huh?”
“They believe that you are not the dragon warrior, but you cannot control what others believe. You can only control what you believe. So tell me, are you the dragon warrior?”
“What? I don’t know. You were the one who told me I was! Shouldn’t you know whether I am or not?”
Oogway shrugged.
“Oh come on!” Po tried one more time to shake himself out of the tree. Nothing. “This sucks!”
Oogway chuckled again. “Yes. Well, ” He set the lantern down beside the trunk of the tree. “I’m sure you will figure it out. Goodbye, Po.”
“What?” Po twisted around to look at the old master. “You’re just going to leave me like this? At the bottom of a cliff? Hanging upside down?”
“Some things can only be accomplished alone.”
“I’m in a tree!”
“And only you can get yourself out.” He pressed the dragon scroll into Po’s hands. “You must learn to believe that you can.”
He started walking away, the mist collecting around his feet. He was going to disappear.
“Master Oogway, please! I can’t do this alone! I’ll be stuck here forever!”
The wind was picking up. The mists were swirling, swirling, swirling, green then blue then yellow. Po could barely make out his silhouette.
“There is an old saying,” said Oogway’s voice, “It does not matter how quickly or slowly you move,” The lantern light flickered green against the fog. “So long as you are moving forward.”
And Oogway was gone.
-
It had been three days since the fight with Tai Lung. Crane hadn’t stopped once. He was exhausted, his toes felt bent out of shape from carrying the weight of his friends for so long, but he had to keep going. He had to warn Shifu. He had to warn the valley. He had to keep flying.
-
It had been almost a week since Tigress and the others had gone after Tai Lung, and Shifu found himself unable to meditate. He had tried sitting by the pool of sacred tears, but found the wind distracting. He had spent hours in the Dragon Grotto, but was plagued by falling droplets of water. He could not bear to be near Oogway’s peach tree.
The silence of the training hall was unnerving, but seemed his best option so far. At least there, he would not be interrupted.
“Master Shifu!”
Perhaps he should bury himself beneath the ground.
“What?” he snapped, “What could possibly be the matter?”
There came a heavy thump behind him.
“Master Shifu,” breathed Crane, “We were no match. Not even Tigress… We all fell quickly to his nerve attack.”
Shifu looked upon the petrified bodies of his students. They’d failed. Even with the secrets of the dragon scroll, even with the dragon warrior. Shifu was grateful for Oogway’s staff. Without it, he felt that he would fall to the ground.
“He has gotten stronger,” he said.
Crane nodded, and turned his beak to the ground in sorrow. Shifu sighed. One by one, he began reviving his students.
-
For the first time in years, in decades, Tai Lung’s mind was totally clear. He looked nowhere but the path in front of him, and felt nothing but the dirt beneath his paws. He knew now what he was meant to do, and felt a focus unlike anything he’d ever felt before.
He was going to kill Oogway.
He was going to destroy the Jade Palace.
He was going to set all of China to ruin.
And then, once he’d achieved all of this, he would kill Shifu too.
-
“We must evacuate the valley,” said Shifu.
The Furious Five listened closely from where they rested on the ground. They looked to each other, but offered no argument.
“We must protect the villagers from Tai Lung’s wrath,” he continued, “Tigress.”
Her ear twitched. She did not look at him.
“Tigress, what of the dragon scroll? Are you still able to use its secrets?”
“I lost it,” she said.
Shifu’s ears fell back. “You what!”
“Over the Cliffs of Great Awakening, while I fought Tai Lung. It fell.” She was expressionless.
“That…” Shifu dragged a hand over his face, “That is fine. You were able to read it first before losing it. All is not yet lost. Perhaps if you were to face Tai Lung alone-”
“No. I could not read it,” she said, “When I looked upon the scroll, I saw nothing. I am not the dragon warrior.”
Of the Furious Five, four sets of eyes widened with panic.
“That can not be true!” Shifu barked, “You are the dragon warrior. Oogway chose you!”
“No,” Tigress’s head turned, slightly, just enough for Shifu to see the orange glare of her eyes. “Oogway didn’t choose me. Oogway chose the panda.”
“I - No -” Shifu shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “That-”
“It’s true, Shifu. The panda was our only chance, and we sent him away. We all did. That is the truth. Accept it.”
There are no accidents, said a voice in Shifu’s mind.
“We will protect the people of this valley,” said Tigress, “You may join us, and hope that you will not have to face Tai Lung.”
“No,” said Shifu, “No. You are right. You are not the dragon warrior. No one here is. Do what you must. I will… I will stay here. At the Jade Palace. I will fight him.”
“Master-” said Viper, but he would not let her continue.
“Every second spent here discussing it is a second wasted! You are all too weak to fight him now. I can buy us enough time for everyone to escape.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“Then I will have finally paid for my mistake.”
-
“Do you think Tigress is okay?” Mantis asked into Monkey’s ear, “She doesn’t seem to be handling this very well.”
Monkey looked to his shoulder where Mantis stood.
“Would you be?”
Mantis’s antennae drooped. “No, I guess not.”
“Come on, friend. We must gather the farmers of the North.”
“I’m with you.”
-
He was close now. He could smell the valley. It smelled like fear.
-
Shifu stood at the entrance of Jade Palace and waited. There was a storm incoming. Tai Lung would be here soon.
-
Somewhere in the Valley of Peace, a father and son reunited.
-
In a flash of lightning, Tai Lung arrived.
-
Somewhere in the mists of the Spirit Realm, a wise old tortoise hummed to himself as he settled down to meditate.
I’m glad I came here when I did, he mused, Or else I might have been very worried right now.
A peach blossom fell and floated just in front of him, and he smiled. He’d always had a soft spot for peaches.
-
The fight between Shifu and Tai Lung hadn’t lasted long. Shifu hadn’t been prepared for it, not really, not to do what needed to be done.
Tai Lung on the other hand.
Well.
Once he realized Oogway was dead, he knew there was nothing to stop him.
Shifu had always told him he could achieve whatever he set his mind to. This was no exception.
Tai Lung held him by the throat now, against the jade steps of the moon pool, crushing his throat. He was speaking, saying something about having grown more powerful than the dragon scroll, more powerful than any Kung Fu master in history, but Shifu could hardly hear over the sound of his own heart beat growing weaker and weaker in his ears.
This was it. He was finally paying for his mistakes. He only hoped that the valley had evacuated in time. There was nothing in Tai Lung’s way now.
-
“Hey!”
-
There was a panda in the entryway of the Jade Palace. And he appeared to be completely out of breath.
Tai Lung squinted at him. “Who are you?”
“Just a minute, buddy, hold on.” He bent over, his hands on his knees, still struggling to breathe. “Stairs! They’re - hoo! - There are so - so many stairs.”
Tai Lung glanced at Shifu as if to ask is he with you?
Shifu gave a weak little shrug. Kind of.
“Okay! Aaagh! Okay, okay!” The panda shook himself and patted his cheeks. “I’m good! I’m cool! I’m ready for this. What’s up? What’d you ask me?”
“I said,” Tai Lung took a menacing step forward. “Who are you?”
“Oh yikes, buddy, do you mean like my name or? Like is this a universe question? Like who am I in the universe? Because that, I do not know!”
“He’s the dragon warrior,” Shifu gasped out.
The panda winced. “You can just call me Po, actually, if that’s alright with you. Not really big on the whole dragon warrior thing. Just still kinda… getting used to it.”
“You’re the dragon warrior?” Tai Lung laughed, “You? I knew it wasn’t the tiger, but you? The panda? You can’t be serious.”
“Well, yeah. You’ve got a point. You know honestly, I’m still not totally sure about it all myself.” Po started twiddling his fingers as he spoke. “Don’t get me wrong! I was like totally ready before, but then these guys were all like ‘No! We hate you! And you’re fat and bad at everything!’ and I was like ‘Really?’ and they were like ‘Yeah!’ and so I left and then I fell off a cliff and got stuck in a tree-”
“Is there a point to this?”
“See, that’s exactly what I was asking myself! ‘Cause like Oogway was all, ‘you must learn to believe in yourself’ and I was like ‘huh?’ but then he was totally right! ‘Cause once I stopped struggling and thought about it, getting out of the tree was super easy-”
At the mention of Oogway’s name, Shifu’s eyes widened.
“Oogway?” he rasped, “You spoke with Oogway?”
“Yeah! That’s what I’m saying! That’s how I got this!” To Shifu’s utter astonishment, Po was holding the Dragon Scroll.
I told you, old friend, a voice laughed in Shifu’s head, There are no accidents.
-
Tai Lung dropped Shifu and lunged for the scroll.
-
Po stepped out of his way.
-
Tai Lung fell down approximately fifty flights of stairs.
-
Po waited for him to come back.
-
“Po,” said Shifu from where he lay weak on the floor of the Jade Palace, “Po, I am sorry. I am so sorry.”
“Hey, it’s alright,” said Po, “I mean it’s not like alright alright, but you know, I’m over it. Well, like not totally over it, but hey, apology accepted.”
“Have you - “ Shifu trembled and wheezed. “Have you opened the scroll?”
“Yeah, actually,” Po sounded very proud of himself. “That was like most of my trip over here. Apparently the lid doesn’t twist, it just pulls right off. Go figure.”
“And, did you read it? Did you learn its secrets?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t read it.”
Shifu’s expression fell. “Did you at least learn Kung Fu? With Master Oogway?”
Po chuckled nervously. “Ha! No. He was only there for like two minutes. I still don’t know any Kung Fu. Well, except for this one move I've been practicing-”
“Then you must run! You were lucky to avoid Tai Lung just now, but you will find that a flight of stairs will not prove the same obstacle to him as it is to you! Go! Take the scroll and-”
“And what? Leave you to die?” Po shook his head. Outside, the storm was passing. Sunlight was beginning to break through. “No way. You’re mean, but not that mean. I think I’m just going to talk with him.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I think I’m gonna show him the scroll and talk to him and he’ll figure it out, you know? And if he doesn't-”
“But you can not read the scroll!”
“Yeah, no, I know! But I don’t think anyone can. Plus I was talking with my dad earlier, and I think I figured it out.” Po smiled and said, “There is no secret ingredient.”
-
Tai Lung reached the top of the stairs. Shifu and the panda were talking to one another. The panda’s back was turned. His claws glimmered with blue energy. It worked on the five, it would work on the panda. Once again, he lunged.
-
“Ow! Stop! I’m gonna pee!”
-
It.
It didn’t work on the panda.
-
“Hey, hey! I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but like if you want the scroll-”
Tai Lung roared. “It belongs to me! It is my destiny to read it!”
“Okay well then, take it.” Po held it out to him. The sunlight made the red of the canister sparkle.
Tai Lung was suspicious.
“It’s okay! You can have it. Just take it.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah!”
“You’ll just give it to me?”
“You’re like an evil Kung Fu master! I can’t exactly stop you.”
Tai Lung snatched the scroll and stepped back. He put his paw on the lid, but didn’t open it yet. He looked towards Po once more.
Po showed him his palms. There’s no trick. Go ahead. Nothing’s stopping you.
From the ground, Shifu mostly looked confused, and a little terrified.
Tai Lung opened the lid easily, and with a triumphant flourish, he opened the scroll. Golden light reflected across his face. Po smiled.
Tai Lung scanned the scroll, his expression turning from triumph, to confusion, to rage in a matter of seconds.
“It’s nothing!” he thundered.
Po took an open step towards him. “It’s okay. I didn’t get it the first time either.”
“What?”
“ There is no secret ingredient, ” Po said again, “It’s just you.”
Tai Lung went through very many things in a very short amount of time. He felt everything there was for him to feel, reflected on every act he’d ever partaken in, remembered every insult he’d ever hurled, every life he'd ever taken or destroyed, all the fear and hurt he'd spread. He felt the weight of all of his years in one fleeting second, and he made a decision.
The scroll was a lie. And nothing had changed, except that the panda would die first.
Tai Lung snarled, and Tai Lung roared, and Tai Lung struck, and Po caught his finger with ease.
“Woah!” said Po, “It does not look like you processed that well at all.”
“You-” Tai Lung’s eyes went very, very wide. “How could you-”
“Oh, this?” Po raised his pinky. “I don’t know much Kung Fu, but I got to see this move up close. Plus, I had a lot of time to myself recently.”
“The Wuxi finger hold!” Tai Lung dropped to a knee.
“Oh, so you know this hold?”
“You can’t possibly know! Unless. Did Oogway teach you? Shifu?”
“Nope!”
“You’re bluffing! You’re bluffing! You can’t know!”
“Well, you’re not the first person not to believe in me…” Po smiled and stretched his pinky a little more, causing Tai Lung’s eye to twitch. “But I can’t say you didn’t have it coming!”
And Po brought his pinky down.
Skadoosh.
-
In the Jade Palace, Shifu finds peace.
-
On the outskirts of the Valley of Peace, five warriors turn to see golden light spread from the Jade Palace. They turn to one another, and decide, as one, that it was time to return.
On the outskirts of the Valley of Peace, a father smiles and begins to waddle back to his kitchen, ready to welcome his son home once again.
-
In the Jade Palace, the dragon warrior lies beside the one who finally learned to believe in him, but he cannot stay still for long.
“So, I am the dragon warrior?” he asked.
“Yes, Po. It is as Oogway foretold. You have brought peace to this valley, and peace to me. Thank you. Thank you.”
“Cool.”
“...”
“So, um. I know I know how to do the Wuxi hold and everything, but-”
“Yes, Po, I will teach you the ways of Kung Fu. I believe in you now, and I imagine you will be a fast learner.”
“Awesome!”
“Yes. Awesome.”
“...”
“...”
“You wanna go get something to eat?” asked the dragon warrior.
Shifu sighed.
“Yeah.”