That night, Mulan didn’t sleep. She cut her hair with a dagger, donned her father’s armor, and stole his conscription notice. Under the name “Ping,” she rode toward the encampment, her ancestors’ ghosts wailing in disapproval. Even the tiny, disgraced dragon Mushu—awakened by accident—couldn’t stop her.

But Mulan only asked for one thing: to return home.

As he lunged, Mushu fired a rocket straight into Shan-Yu’s back, sending him flying into a tower of fireworks. The explosion lit up the night sky like a thousand phoenixes.