The Red Cyclone

by Onomonopia

The Match To Decide Everything

Whilst the stadium that had recently been added to the majesty that was Canterlot was able to hold a large number of both changeling and pony, even it was nearly filled to its bursting point with all of the creatures from far and wide that had come to witness the fight that would decide everything. Yet there was a new sight to the stadium and that was a massive machine in the center of the arena that was surrounded by changelings who had made it clear that they still had their magic, as they were not affected by the column of crimson energy ascending into the sky.

Tenna's message had spread across all of Equis along with the magic draining powers of his machine, leading many to come to Canterlot as fast as they could so they could see what the future would hold for them or if the legendary Red Cyclone could defeat this foe. That was a similar question that three princesses were asking themselves as they sat in the box seats in the stadium with worry permeating their faces.

"So...here we are. The big match," Luna said while suppressing her fear and concern as much as she could. Celestia nodded slightly in response, yet her eyes betrayed what she was thinking as they glanced quickly at all of the ponies and changelings that were in the arena. Yet she found it hard to tear her eyes away from the diabolical machine in the center of the battlefield that was the cause of so much unease.

'It would be suicide for myself or any other magic based creature to attack it head on,' she decided when the thought teased itself in the back of her head. 'Our only hope right now rests with a man of does not even believe in himself. I pray that I am wrong, but for once I truly see no way out of this. I can only hope that Zangief can find a way.'

"Do you think he can win princess?" Twilight asked from her side, almost as if her student was reading Celestia's mind once again. "Because I have a number of concerns regarding this fight."

"I...I believe that he has a chance," Celestia responded with as much confidence that she could must, but her feeble attempt at conviction was quickly drowned out by a bellowing laugh that spun all three sets of heads towards the entrance to the box, where the possessed body of Zangief stood with Tenna's glowing, evil eyes.

"Yes Celestia, a chance, much as a parasrite has a chance of bring down an Ursa Major on the grounds that the bear has a heart attack before they fight," Tenna said with such cruel mirth in his voice that sent chills down the ponies spins as they heard those words uttered in Zangief's normally kind voice. "I am surprised that you did not surrender immediately, but you have always been a stubborn princess. You should really let your student take over for you and go off to one of those retirement homes, where you can't do any more damage."

"Tenna, you of all beings should know better than to underestimate Zangief," Luna reminded the controlled giant, but another wave of laughter overtook the three as Tenna found amusement in her words.

"I have not underestimated him. I have studied his moves, broken his spirit and stolen the source of his strength and added it to my own. Now tell me, does that sound like I have underestimated my foe?" Tenna asked with a wicked smile that froze the blood beating through the ponies hearts. When none of the ponies answered him, he shrugged his bowling ball like shoulders and turned to leave. "I hope you do enjoy the seats that I saved for you, since I want to make sure that you have the best view of the defeat of your last hope. But tell me, where is Chrysalis? Has she given up before the fight has even begun?"

"She went to speak with Zangief," Twilight answered back when Tenna gave them a very dangerous look at their silence. Her words erased the angry look from Tenna and he began to laugh once again.

"Forgive me if I laugh so much, it seems to have come with this oafs body," Tenna apologized. "But I suppose it is fitting that Chrysalis should say her goodbyes to the only creature dumb enough to tolerate her before the fight, for I promise you that there will be nothing left to even identify him with when I am done. Enjoy the show."

And with that promise Tenna left the room with one last chuckle, the ponies glaring at him until he was out of sight before their eyes fell. They all shared the same look of worry and defeat before they looked back to the machine that had taken away any chance of them defeating Tenna and his forces, leaving them with no chance.

←↙↓↘→↗+H

Zangief's silent pre-match vigil was interrupted when he heard the sounds of hooves walking towards him, causing him to activate his sensory units to find that he was no longer alone in the small locker room that he had been preparing for the match. Yet when he saw who was walking towards him he deactivated his eyes with a small dip of his head, getting Chrysalis to smirk at his response.

"Well sorry for coming to check up on you before the most important match in your life. Glad to see that you value friendship as much as the ponies," she teased with a smirk, but the levity in her face left when she was met with silence as cold as the metal that made up Zangief's body. A small sigh escaped her lips as she tried again. "None of your usual boasting before your match? Got to admit that a week ago I would have paid any sum to shut you up for five seconds, but now that you've actually done it it's...unnerving."

"Have you come here for a purpose or have you come to simply mock me?" Unbeknownst to Zangief, Chrysalis's whole purpose for coming down into the locker room was answered when he spoke that one sentence. Despite his best efforts to conceal his true feelings, Chrysalis heard no confidence nor desire to win in the voice of the Steel Tornado. All she heard was the bitter ringing of defeat. Another sigh escaped her lips as she looked up at Zangief with slight hints of sympathy in her eyes, not sure how to progress.

"Look...just do your best out there, okay." Zangief gave her a cold stare at her words that caused the changeling queen to avert her eyes for a moment, but then a sigh of despair escaped the Russian's lips as he looked down at the floor sadly.

"I am sorry for my coldness, but...I cannot see a way to win this fight," Zangief admitted with the panged sounds of hopelessness echoing in his tone. "He has my moves, he has my body and for the life of me I cannot think of how to get this machine to work for me," Zangief growled as he clenched his fist with great effort.

"Come on, you've pulled off miracles before. I think I saw Rainbow's skull imprint still in the stadium floor," Chrysalis joked, but Zangief was barely listening to her at this point.

"Yes, but those miracles were not performed alone. Those were performed when I had the voices of the children to strengthen me, when I had the belief of others to fuel me and when my own courage and confidence ran strong through my veins," Zangief bitterly grieved as he looked down at his arm. "Now their voices are silent, their belief is dead and I no longer have veins for my courage to run through. Do not expect a miracle Chrysalis, not this time."

"So what you're saying is that they're is no hope, you're going to lose and that Tenna will soon rule us all while using your body to crush us?" Chrysalis asked, shaking her head slightly as Zangief nodded weakly before a snicker crossed her face. "Well I guess that settles it then. Congratulations Zangief, you're making me speak words that I'd never thought I'd say. I believe you'll win."

Despite his face being completely robotic, Chrysalis could still see the sudden surprise upon the Russian's features as he swung his head to look at her. "But...but you said it yourself! There is no hope, I will lose! After all the great feats that I have achieved, after everything that I could do with all the odds in my favor, why do you pick now?"

"Because...I have a nasty habit of putting my belief in losers," Chrysalis admitted with a small laugh as she looked out at the crowd through a tunnel that lead into the stadium. "You're one of them. My husband is another example."

"But I thought that you said your husband was kind, noble and always putting others before himself?"

"Like I said, a loser, at least by changeling standards. And you aren't that different from him, at least at this moment you two aren't. He used to get down on himself, believe that nothing he did would matter and that the world was simply too strong for him," Chrysalis reminisced with tears misting up her eyes as her own guilt began to show on her face. "And back then, even with the entire changeling empire believing in him, I still didn't. I loved him and said I did, but in reality I didn't believe in him. And to this day I wonder if I had, if I had truly believed, would he have had the strength to defeat that wizard and save our lands? If my belief would have given him the power to win. If my daughter wouldn't have had to lose her father before she could meet him." Chrysalis went silent for a moment before she gave Zangief the saddest smile that he had seen upon her face, but true to her words their was belief in it. Belief in him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I...even if they don't believe in you, even if all of those ponies and changelings believe that you're going to fail and that Tenna will win, I want you to know that I do believe in you. For the first time in my life, I'm going to believe in another." Chrysalis then looked to the crowd where loud booing could be heard and then her eyes rested upon Tenna, who stood silently in the center of the arena, next to his machine. "I guess it's time to start the fight. Best of luck."

"Chrysalis," Zangief said to stop her before she could leave, his words getting the queen to turn back to look at him.

"Oh that's right, there is another reason that I'm putting my belief in you. And it's because no matter what you look like on the outside, be it machine or a monster made of steroids, you are Zangief," Chrysalis reminded him with a small smile before turning to leave. "And that's how I know you'll win."

There was nothing Zangief could say in response to her words, so instead of trying to find an answer Zangief turned and began to walk out into the stadium, where the fight that would define this lands future awaited him.

←↙↓↘→↗+H

He had been expecting either cheers or boos upon his entrance into the arena, but the dead silence that greeted him was new to the Russian wrestler as he marched towards his final battle, doing his best to shroud his weakness as he struggled to move his legs forwards. The shroud was pierced by Tenna's evil green eyes and he let out a laugh as Zangief came to a stop across from him.

"I am actually a bit surprised that you bothered to show up, considering that we all know how this will end. But you mustn't disappoint your loving fans, can you?" Tenna asked with a wicked chuckle as he looked around at the crowd, none of whom were showing any emotion of any sign besides concern. Zangief looked around the arena as well, for a brief moment spotting Insectum sitting next to Chrysalis amongst the crowd, but then he turned his full attention back to his foe as he took up his wrestling stance.

"Are you going to try to defeat me by talking me to death or are you going to fight?" Zangief asked with the last shred of his courage, getting another laugh out of Tenna as he hunched over as well and mirrored Zangief's wrestling stance.

"A fair enough request, but I do not see why you would wish to hasten to your own death," Tenna taunted with a laugh, the two Gief's beginning to circle each other as the crowd went even quieter, all eyes waiting to see if their was even a chance of Zangief winning.

Much to the shock of everypony in the stadium, the metal titan took the first attack as he leapt into the air and drove his fist into Tenna's face with as much force as he could muster, snapping Tenna's head to the side as he knocked the wall of muscle that used to be his home to the floor. But his moment of glory was short lived as Tenna rose to his feet laughing, using his wrist to wipe away the small trickle of blood that oozed out of his mouth.

"What is the matter Zangief, your blows used to do twice as much damage?" Tenna laughed menacingly as he began to march forward towards Gief, who slowly shuffled back. "This is how you attack!" Tenna leapt into the skies and performed the very same move that Zangief had just unleashed, slamming five knuckles into the metal face of his foe. This blow, however, sent Zangief twirling backwards as he slammed to the ground, groaning as he struggled to push himself back to a vertical base. He had just stood up when two monstrous arms wrapped themselves around his midsection and the next thing Zangief knew he was looking at the floor.

"One and TWO!" Tenna maliciously laughed as he leapt into the air and delivered a double suplex, leaving his metallic foe laying spread eagle upon the concrete floor. Instead of pressing the advantage Tenna threw back his head and laughed, laughing as Zangief slowly began to push himself back up. "Behold, your mighty Zangief!" Tenna roared to the crowd as he walked forward and grabbed the metallic skull of Zangief with a bear paw like hand, yanking him to his knees as Tenna laughed at the crowd. "Your hero, everypony."

Tenna then drove another fist into Zangief's skull and hurled him back into the ground, where Zangief struggled to rise to his feet once again as Tenna slowly began to march forward, cracking his knuckles as he smiled with assured victory.

"Do not yet give up Zangief. The fun has just begun."

Comments

[Quasar4000]

Here we go

[JakeAndDollars]

Dis gun be gude!

~Dollars.

[Argo Invid]

>"You're hero, everypony."
"Your hero, everypony."

[Una]

Get him Zangief! You know his weaknesses...your own body's weak points

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6QdHYlp6bYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6QdHYlp6bY

[DeltaOsprey]

I.. I want to see the bears show up and support him. Mr. Bear, the Ursa Minor and its mother, and any other bears that he may have encountered need to show up and grant him their belief.

That is how it should start. First the bears, then Flutters, the rest of the girls, then to the princesses and all the rest of the ponies. Let the bears be his strength once again.

Because belief is the oldest form of magic. Magic so old that everyone has forgotten that tiny piece of information.

Now comrades let us cheer for our mighty Russian.
URRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Trevor12300]

5857524 AAAAAEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!

[Telaros]

Zangief, you've done the impossible before. Don't forget who you are!

Chrysalis, I done waited to hear those words for a long time now. Don't let that fool forget them!

[Europa]

be it machine or a monster made of steroids, you are Zangief," Chrysalis reminded him with a small smile before turning to leave. "And that's how I know you'll win."

Awww!

[Razzy]

D'awwww at Chryssie's pep talk.

Cya
Raziel-chan