//------------------------------//
// A Cyclone in Canterlot 
// Story: The Red Cyclone 
// by Onomonopia 
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Two stallions leaned against the train station stop with bored expressions on their faces, each of them staring at the clouds as they each tried to think of a way to pass the time. The one with the yellow mane looked at his reflection in his helmet for the fifth time in a minute, staring dumbly at before sighing and placing it back on his head. The other guard leaned against his spear and slowly began to drift off into sleep, only for the spear to slip and he fell on his face, quickly getting back up and looking around to make sure that nopony had seen him.

"Ugh, this has got to be the most boring job that I've done in my three years on the force," the yellow maned one muttered as he slid down the wall and groaned, looking across the empty train platform with boredom. "Noponies taking a train today since absolutely nothing is going on and the next supply train that we're waiting for doesn't arrive for another. Faust this is boring."

"Tell me about it, I could be at home actually enjoying my day or be overseeing that new sports arena that Celestia had set up," the other groaned as he rubbed his face, checking to see if his nose was bleeding. "But no, we get stuck on train duty, the most boring task in the kingdom this side of cleaning the latrines."

"At least with the latrines there's a sense of adventure. You don't know if you're going to die or not," yellow mane laughed dryly as he remained on the ground, tilting his helmet over his head and preparing to doze off. But then a sound reached their ears that neither of them expected. It was a train whistle. Both of them lifted their bored eyes to see a train approaching the station from down the lines, causing the two ponies to slowly get up and reach for their weapons. The train slid to a stop in the station, confusing the two guards greatly as they saw that there was only the engine and a single car.

"Think it's a trap? Maybe an ambush?" one asked the other as they both approached it with spears drawn.

"Doubtful, it's way too small to be a ambush. Maybe it's an arrival that we weren't informed about?" the other suggested. "Either way, let's see what's inside." The two of them opened up the car door, looking inside to see two large boxes sitting in the center of the car. The two nodded at each other before walking up to the two boxes, both of them placing their spears into the cracks before prying at them with all their might. The sides of the boxes fell to the side to reveal...

"Cakes and party supplies?" they both said at the same time after looking at both their and the other ponies box, which was indeed filled with party supplies and a massive cake.

"But I thought that there was going to be a large train carrying the supplies?" the yellow mane asked. "Maybe the other train cars fell off."

"Hey, be grateful that it's just this. I'm glad that it wasn't a-"

"SURPRISE!" The two never had time to cry out as the cake exploded and sprayed frosting everywhere. The guards leapt back in shock before two frosting covered fists caught them in the jaw, knocking both to them to the ground. The two guards were too dazed and confused about what was happening that they barely registered the massive boot that stepped out of the cake, revealing a monster that had a huge smile on it's face and pink frosting all over the rest of it.

"HAHA! Never let your guard down around the assorted sweets or the next thing you know you'll be flat on your back and unable to move!" Zangief laughed, both at his own might and at the joke he made. "That is why I held my breath the entire time I was in there, so that I would not breath in any sugar!" He climbed out of the train car and thudded onto the platform, holding a hand above his eyes as he looked off into the distance at the castle on at the top of the city. 

"It seems that is where the creatures that will be able to help the changelings reside. I must go and convince them to help. Fortunately, no one can say no to my muscles!" he laughed as he took a couple of steps forward, before stopping and looking back at the two guards that he had knocked out. "Hmm, they do look like ponies, just as Chrysalis said. But that cannot be, beast of burden like horses do not eat cake. Beast of burden only eat borscht and drink vodka, like me. I must be mistaken. Now then, onto the castle!" 

Zangief then began to lumber into the city on the mountain, not knowing what kind of unstoppable foes he would face, as Chrysalis had said many a times that the place was impossible to take by force, yet the answer he found was not the one that he was expecting. The buildings may have been larger than what he had expected, but the citizens confused him greatly, as all of them looked like rainbow colored ponies. He had just taken his first steps into the big city when he heard a scream of panic. Immediately Zangief looked around for whatever was causing the inhabitants to scream, but no threat met his gaze.

'Why are they screaming? There is no danger here!' Zangief turned to see who had screamed to find that cowering beneath him in his shadow was a blue green pony, who looked up at him with absolute fear in her eyes as she shielded herself with her forehooves. 'Did a pony just scream at me? No, ponies do not scream they whinny. These must only look like ponies and I shall call them as such until I know their true names. I do not wish to be rude.' He lifted his giant leg and stepped over the creature, who managed to make herself even smaller as he did so, and continued his march towards the castle on the hill. As he marched through the streets ponies all around him began to scream and run around, annoying the Russian greatly.

"Why are they all screaming and getting in my way?" Zangief growled in frustration as he picked up one of the ponies that had ran in front of it and dropped it besides him, covering his ears with his hands at all of the screaming that was going on around him. "I am used to fans cheering and screaming for me, but this does not sound anything like that. Ugh, these creatures are bizarre." He had just finished walking through a small shop where a number of fancy ponies had been drinking tea when he came across more armored ponies, all of them carrying spears and giving him glares of rage.

"Halt creature! If you're looking for a fight, then you've found it!" Zangief threw back his head and laughed at the pony's words, the guards all looking at him with shock as he lowered his head with a massive grin on his face.

"So you wish to wrestle then! Good! Let us begin, but know that I shall not go easy on you!" With a yell of comradery and bravery the guards threw themselves at the monstrosity known as Zangief with spears pointed at his head, expecting dark magic or some sort of magical blast. What they were not expecting was for Zangief to leap into the air and crush them all under his pectorals, stopping their charge and crushing them flat. 

"Where is your guard? Do you plan to leave yourself open to all my attacks?" Zangief asked one guard as he hurled him into the ground, helping him to take a nap before another guard lunged at Zangief. Zangief spun and kicked him out of the air, turning the pony into a projectile that knocked down nine other guards. "Darn, almost a strike! If I played that game I might have hit all ten of you!" he said with a laugh.

"Fall creature!" another guard yelled as he thrust his spear at Zangief's chest, the Russian barely dodging the blow before backhanding the weapon away from the guard. 

"You bring weapons into an honorable wrestling match? I have fought heels with more dignity that you. Away with you!" Zangief picked the guard up over his head as he said this and threw him far over his head, smiling as he watched him sail across the way and land in a fountain. "Maybe that will help him clean up his act! HAHAHA!"

"You...monster!" one of the fallen guards yelled as he forced himself back to his hooves, panting heavily as he held his injured ribs. "You think...that you can just walk into Canterlot...and make a fool out of the royal guard?!"

"Perhaps I can," Zangief said with a smile as he took up his wrestling stance. "Come then brave warrior. Prove to me other wise." The guar roared as he charged straight at Zangief, tackling him in the gut and driving against him with all of his might. To both the surprise and happiness of Zangief, the guard managed to begin pushing him back. "Yes, you fight with courage and conviction. The next time we wrestle, let us focus on your stamina, because it seems you've just run out!" Zangief picked him up on his shoulders as he said this and suplexed him into the streets, knocking the pony into dreamland for a while.

"That was fun my comrades! We must do it again sometime!" Zangief said with a laugh while the guards he was fighting picked themselves out of the dirt, shakily getting back up with none of them daring to attack Zangief again. "Train some more and they maybe we can have a proper match!" he advised them with a wave before continuing his march to the castle, reaching the golden gates that were already open. With a shrug Zangief began to walk towards the castle, wondering how he would talk to those in charge and convince them to help the changelings.

'I should inform them of the children that starve daily and how much suffering they go through on a daily basis,' he mused as he walked, entering the castle and walking through some of it's hallways without paying much attention. 'Only one who is truly evil would refuse the request to help children...and if they do, I'll throw them until they agree! Although I wonder how I will get the food for the changelings, as I have been told they feed off love. How does one even eat love? Or do you drink it? I wonder if it tastes like vodka?'

Zangief was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice the doors to the large hallway he found himself in open and three strange bat pony hybrids walked out in front of him, each of them extending their wings to block the exit that he was walking towards.

"Halt creature! If you want to get to the princesses and their friends then you'll have to go through us!" all three of them shouted at once, causing Zangief to shake his head as their screeching tone snapped him out of his thoughts. Their words confused the Russian, stopping him in his tracks as he pondered what they had told him.

"Princesses? More than one?" he asked in confusion, the bat-ponies sharing a confused look before they all nodded at him. "Why would a nation be ruled by two rulers?" he pondered as he placed his chin in his fingers and looked at the ground. "That does not make any sense. How would they get anything done? The more I learn about this land the more I long for the motherland that is my home, where everything is simple."

"You leave yourself open!" one of the bat-ponies yelled as it lunged at him, fangs extended as it aimed at the back of Zangief's neck. But with the speed of a Russian cyclone Zangief outstretched his arms and spun around quickly, his biceps and triceps slamming into the bat-ponies face and sending it from flying through the air to face planting the wall.

"And you would attack an opponent from behind! Are all of your warriors cowards?!" he roared with disappointment, wishing he could fight better. One of the other bat-ponies began to advance towards him, but the other held out it's hoof to stop them, both rage and pride on it's face as it step forward to meet Zangief.

"Alright creature, you want a real warrior? Take me on," it snarled as it took up a fighting stance, Zangief looking down at it for a moment before a smile broke out on his face.

"Come then, let us see how you fight!" Zangief roared as he charged forward, arms outstretched to grab the bat-pony. The being opened it's wings and took to the skies, landing behind Zangief and kicking him the back of the knee. To it's horror Zangief barely even budged from the strike and instead spun around and grabbed the bat-pony's body, lifting it up before slamming it back into the floor. "You had courage comrade, but not the skills nor muscle to back it up. I applaud your attempt however. Now let us see how your ally fares."

The last of the bat-ponies let out a scream as it charged at Zangief, flying right towards him with reckless abandonment. With a small sigh Zangief caught the missile out of the air with his massive hands and hurled it back the way it came, sending the bat-pony crashing through the door into the throne room, the same door that Zangief walked through a moment later. What he found on the other side surprised him.

There were a multitude of the ponies and each of them was a different color and size and all of them confused Zangief. There was an orange one with a hat and a blue one with a rainbow mane. Another was white and had a horn while the one next to it was yellow and hid under the formers legs. A purple one with horns and wings glared at him (and confused him greatly) while the pink one bounced up and down with a smile on it's face as it observed him. 

But the last two that gained his attention were the tallest of the group and even at that statement they were hardly that big compared to him. But they were both regal and radiated power, but Zangief did not fear their power. The shorter of the two was bluish-black and had a moon on her side, while the tallest one was pure white with a sun on her rear. Yet something they both had in common was that they glared at Zangief with both confusion and rage.

"Alright human, you have fought through our guards, entered our home and destroyed our personal protection," the white one said with a calm fury as her horn began to glow. "You clearly wanted to talk to me and my sister, so what do you want?" Zangief's eyes moved up to the crown that he saw on her head and found that he only had one question left.

"Are you the ruler of this land?" Zangief asked the white one, who nodded with slight confusion. "I am Zangief. And I am here to challenge you for your love."