//------------------------------// // Tenna's Master Plan // Story: The Red Cyclone // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// Zangief had been sitting alone on the outskirts of a muddy swamp filled with frogs when he felt the first waves of a powerful energy wash over him, snapping him out of his own depression and turning his gaze towards the sky. The air was filled with rainbow colored streaks that all seemed to be coming from Ponyville, as well as what little of Canterlot he could see of in the distance. "What manner of magic is this?" he asked with confusion as he realized all the streaks of magic all seemed to be flying off in the same direction, far off into the horizon. He didn't know what was happening, but he did know that I couldn't be good. He turned to leave when he saw a Pegasus fall out of the sky and crash into the swamp in front of him, saved from certain doom by the germ infested mud. "Are you alright comrade?" Zangief asked with concern as one of his metallic arms pierced through the mud and yanked the pegasi back to the surface, where she began to spit out mud while trying to breath again as Zangief set her down. "What happened? Why did you suddenly forget how to fly?" "I...I didn't! I was just flying along when all of a sudden my wings couldn't support my weight and I fell!" she said as she flapped her wings quickly, yet could not provide the lift needed to raise her off of the ground. "It's like...somepony has stolen my pegasi magic!" At her words Zangief slowly turned to look off to where all of the rainbow streaks were heading, the scanners in his eyes telling him that indeed all of the streaks in the sky was pony magic. "But who could possibly steal...Tenna." As if summoned by Zangief speaking his name, a dark laugh could be hear echoing all across the land. The pegasi besides Zangief shrieked and ran for the hills as a massive image of Tenna-Gief appeared in the sky, but all Zangief could do was stare dumbfounded up at the image as his own eyes looked down across the land with evil mirth within them. "Hello, you pitiful ponies of the great nation of Equestria," Tenna began with Zangief's voice as he let loose an evil laugh that infuriated the Steel Tornado, for he would never laugh or speak like that. "As many of you have already noticed, your magic all seems to be vanishing into thin air, flying off into the unknown for reasons that can't be explained. But allow me to comfort all of you with an explanation for what has happened. I, General Tenna, the strongest being in the land, have built a machine to steal all magic in the land." Tenna let out another Zangief laugh once again, sending chills down the mecha-Giefs crossbeams and support systems as his emotionless eyes glared ahead at the image that looked down on all with evil eyes. "That is right, my little ponies and changelings, all of your magic now belongs to me. Be it dragon, pony, changeling or zebra, all who are connected to magic in one way or another are now stripped of their magic. Tell me, have any pegasi fallen to their deaths yet when they realized that they couldn't fly?" Tenna asked with a soulless laugh that caused steam to whistle from the holes in the Steel Tornado's head. "All magic, that is, expect for my army that is protected from the device. That leaves nearly a thousand changelings all of who can use magic to fight against a number of weak, dumb ponies that can't even defend themselves now," Tenna continued with a change in his tone as his eyes narrowed in a far more menacing way, with a wicked smile to compliment the glare. "So that means if I so wished, I could send my changelings upon the capitol of Equestria and destroy the city, bring down the princesses and take the land for myself! Doesn't that sound delightful?" "You mad man," Zangief whispered as Tenna let out another laugh, with a far more jovial smile on his face now. "But some of you smarter types may be asking "Tenna, if you can simply waltz into Canterlot or the hive and conquer them without breaking a sweat, then why are you talking to us instead of doing just that"? Hahaha, nice question and thank you for asking," Tenna said with a burst of laughter as he threw Zangief's head back and laughed before regaining control of himself. "And the answer to that question would be because it would be boring. I myself am so strong now that I can crush any foe that I fight and without magic there is no force that can stand up to me, meaning that simply walking in and crushing weaklings would mean little. If I am to take all of Equis to be mine, then I want a battle, one last fight that will allow me to show all of you that my power is absolute." "And if any of you have a brain stem, then you know who I wish to combat. But since the person I am speaking of does not have said brain stem, allow me to make it clear. Zangief! I challenge you to a one on one, in the very same place that you conquered an Element of Harmony and tricked both pony and changeling into believing that you are strong!" Tenna demanded as his voice echoed all throughout the land incase Zangief wasn't listening, yet Zangief could hear the words with a cold clarity. "Yes, without their magic both pony and changeling will not provide a challenge. But even though I bested you once before, I know that you are the only foe out there who can hope to combat me. And since the princesses and Chrysalis like to make wagers, here's one for them. When I win, the throne and the hive belong to me and the three of you are to be banished to the ends of the planet," Tenna said with glee in his voice, as if his victory was already assured. "But I am not unfair fighter, for if, against all odds, you manage to defeat me Zangief, I will return magic to the land and cease my attack on the ponies and changelings. Hell, you might even get your body back," Tenna said with a laugh before he glared back down with menacing eyes once again. "And I hope your answer is yes, because if refused, then I will simply wipe out both Canterlot and the hive with my armies and not give any of you the chance to fight back. I guess you could say that your only hopes of winning rests with Zangief now, even though you all know he can't win. I expect your answer soon princesses, because tomorrow is when we fight. I will be at that stadium, along with my machine and my entire army. All are welcome, be the changeling or pony, to watch the final fight. To watch their last hope fail once again. Farewell for now." The image of Tenna vanished as he let loose one last laugh to echo within Zangief's ears before once again Zangief was left alone with his thoughts. 'His plan is foolproof. He knows that I cannot defeat him, not as long as he has my body. But if I do not fight, then he will simply wipe out all of the ponies and changelings. What do I...what can I do?' He turned his head back to Ponyville with a sigh of hopelessness before he began to walk towards the town. Even if he didn't know what to do, maybe Chrysalis or Celestia would. He hoped they had a solution, because if they placed their faith in him, he would fail them once again. ←↙↓↘→↗+H The doors had yet to be repaired as Zangief walked into the crystal castle where he hoped still housed the princesses within, his hope being rewarded as he entered the room where he had awoken to see that Celestia, Luna and Twilight were still there, but their faces were dark with worry as they turned to face him. "Zangief, we were just talking about you," Celestia revealed as Zangief lumbered up to the three, able to see from their eyes that the worry was far deeper than he had first believed. "I take it you heard the...ultimatum that Tenna has just issued to all of Equestria...no, all of the world?" "Yes, I have heard his words. I am so sorry princesses, had I been able to defeat him at the hive..." Zangief began, but Celestia held out a hoof to stop him before he could continue to wallow in his failure. "That is in the past. We must now focus on the future, or to be more precise, tomorrow. If you heard his words then you know that he wishes to face you once last time before he conquers the world and without our magic I am not sure we even have a chance to stop him," Celestia said with bitter resentment in her voice at their own weakness. "I am not even sure that the Defenders of Harmony would be able to summon their Rainbow Powers to fight back." "Whatever Tenna has done, it seems to have messed with our Harmony," Twilight added in gravely once Celestia had finished. "And even with our power, there's no way for us to defend all of the cities and towns while fighting Tenna at the same time." "So that leaves us only one option," Luna said as she looked at Zangief, who did not need her to finish her statement to know what she was asking of him. "Zangief, you have shown that you can beat Tenna before, but what I want to know is can you fight your own body to beat him this time?" Zangief opened his mouth to answer before doubt began to fill his thoughts once again. Tenna had already defeated him once with his body when all had believed he could win, so how could he hope to win without his body and without the support of all of his fans? How could he win alone? "The answer to that question is no Luna. No he can't." All eyes turned towards the entrance to see Chrysalis entering the room, hobbling along while using her wings to support herself as best she could without magic. Princess Insectum rested upon her back, but avoided eye contact with the others as Chrysalis marched in-between the four. Her answer caused Celestia to narrow her eyes at the changeling queen. "Out of all of the beings in this land, you are the last one who I would believe that Zangief couldn't win," Celestia said with a calm anger that got her a bored look from Chrysalis. "After everything that Zangief has done for you, after all the battles he fought to keep you and your nation safe, I thought that you-" "Would blindly send him into battle without a second thought? Shut the hell up Celestia, since you clearly don't know what you're talking about," Chrysalis snarled with such a fury that Celestia was snapped out of her own rage state. "Yes, Zangief has done a great deal for me and my nation in the short time he has been here and me and my daughter are closer than him than anyone else. That is why I know he won't win." "Do you wish to elaborate or will you simply insult us like you usually do?" Luna asked with some heat that gained her a cold stare from the queen. "I will do both Luna, you idiot. Yes, Zangief might be stronger that Tenna, he might have the skill and the moves to out wrestle him, but there is a question that none of you have asked him yet," Chrysalis began before she turned towards the massive machine with emotionless eyes. "Zangief, do you believe you can win?" The silence that followed her question answered for him and Chrysalis turned back to the others with a shake of her head. "See, even he himself does not believe he can win. The changeling don't believe, the ponies in the streets don't believe and even my own daughter doesn't believe that Zangief can beat Tenna. If Zangief can barely move in that body, how do you expect him to fight, let alone win?" "And what about you Chrysalis? Have you given up on him?" Twilight asked with rage in her tone. "Twi, I never started believing in him, so how could I give up on somepony I never rooted for?" Chrysalis asked in a sarcastic tone as she rolled her eyes at the princess of friendship. "That is so like you Chrysalis, always being the uncaring jerk," Twilight snarled back at the queen with a face that Chrysalis didn't know she could make. "Even after all Zangief has done for you, for your daughter, you still treat him like dirt, still refuse to believe in the one being crazy enough to be your friend. You make me sick sometimes!" "I'm the bad guy here?" Chrysalis asked with a mock chuckle before narrowing her eyes at Twilight. "I'm not the one who wants to send Zangief to his death, o princess of hypocrisy. I have half a mind to-" "I will face him." The cold, metallic words ceased the arguing between the queen and the princess, turning all attention to Zangief, who had been staring at the floor while trying to decide what to do. "I will face him tomorrow. It is the only solution." "Did you not listen to a word I just said you oaf?!" Chrysalis growled at him as her rage found a new target to unleash itself upon. "You're confidence has been shattered nearly beyond repair and you still struggle to walk in that shell, so why do you think you can-?" "Because it all I can do," Zangief answered with rage, gut only Chrysalis could hear the defeat already within his voice. "All of the other solutions would involve innocent being hurt by Tenna and his army, being crushed without a hope to defend themselves. But if I were to face him...then there may be only one death tomorrow." Chrysalis and the ponies were stunned by his words, but before any of them could speak Zangief spoke once again. "Please. Let me fight one last time." Chrysalis snarled as she turned her eyes to the floor, trying to seek out another answer in a sea of hopelessness. But when she raised her head once again with no other solution to the problem at hand, she let loose a snarl of rage before muttering, "Fine. It's your funeral."