Metroid: A Hunter in Equestria

by Cusi

A Day in Ponyville

Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot.

Samus Aran's Log, entry 015:

It is a little unnerving just how much these ponies trust complete strangers. I was invited to a party, welcoming me to their town. I was also forced to attend school. While it may seem like a humiliating experience, I am actually quite intrigued. Besides, what better way to learn about this world than in a school? Today's studies will observe a normal day in a pony's life. I can't help but wonder: How different are these ponies' lives than those of humans'?

Today was the day, Samus thought; she will go to school, along with who-knows-how-many foals. Samus scolded herself for feeling nervous; what was she, a little girl scared for her first day at school, full with strangers? Sadly, that was more or less the truth.

NO! She wasn't a helpless little girl. She was a strong and grown woman on a mission to gather intelligence and information regarding the lifestyle of this unknown planet. She was investigating and learning about other life forms, just like her Chozo caretakers and Jayden and his team would do. With newfound resolve, Samus exited her ship and waited for Apple Bloom's arrival.

Since she was going to the spa later today, Samus opted to remove her Zero Suit and wear 'normal clothes', consisting of an orange tank top and blue shorts. If she had to remove any clothing, might as well be something easy to remove; her Zero Suit could be a pain to take off. Not that she had a lot of clothes, bounty hunting didn't require it. Her hair kept the same style, though.

She was early, it seemed; the sun had just began rising. With a little free time before class, Samus checked her arm. It seemed fine; with a little pain only when she did certain movements. If she kept that recovery rate, she'd be completely healed by tomorrow, she calculated. Once her arm was checked, Samus proceeded to do some flexes and acrobatics. This place was peaceful, but she didn't really want to be out of shape if anything bad happened. And knowing her luck, something would, eventually.

But not today, she hoped. Apple Bloom arrived and saw Samus performing a backflip. Her eyes widened at the show, but more at seeing Samus missing some skin.

"What happened to you?" Apple Bloom sounded worried. Samus stopped her little training and turned to her.

"What do you mean?"

"You skin! It's different, and you're wearing clothes!" It took some seconds for Samus to understand what she meant.

"Oh, you mean my Zero Suit? That's not my skin, it's just a suit I wear when piloting my ship."

"So you don't have blue skin?"

"No."

"Oh... Okay, then. Let's go!"

And so they did. I wasn't long before they were joined by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The rest of the trip was spent by the fillies asking question, to which Samus would answer with 'Wait until class'. Before long, the school was in sight, and butterflies made themselves known in Samus's stomach. She gulped, but her resolution quickly returned.

"Well, we're here."

She followed the 3 fillies to just outside their classroom, where at least 9 different fillies and colts were seated. In front of the classroom was a large blackboard with what Samus could swear was an equation for quantum physics. The 3 fillies took their seats with their fellow students. Her attention quickly went to the older pony, the teacher. She was a fuchsia pony with a lighter purple mane, and her cutie mark consisted of 3 smiling flowers. When the teacher spotted Samus, a look of surprise found its way to her face, but left just as quickly, replaced by a happy one. She exited the classroom to speak with Samus.

"Miss Samus, was it? I'm glad you showed up. Today's class shall be very interesting. I'm Miss Cheerilee, and I am the teacher." she introduced. "I'm sorry, but we are out of chairs. Would you mind sitting on the floor?"

"No problem."

"Oh, thank goodness. I was told by Twilight Sparkle that you would be attending class for a few days. I can only say 'Welcome to Ponyville's Elementary School!'"

"Thank you."

"Now please, come on in. Class will begin shortly."

When they entered the room, all the little ponies stopped whatever they were doing and looked at Samus with a little fear. The dead silence reigned until Miss Cheerilee spoke to her class.

"Now, class, today is a very special day because Miss Samus here will be joining us. I expect you be in your best behavior." the class was still in silence, but the fear was gone, replaced by curiosity. Cheerilee continued "Since she is new, I'll allow her to tell us something about herself first, and then we shall proceed with class. Today is show-and-tell day, so I hope you all brought something to share!" She went to her desk and sat down, leaving Samus in front of the class.

"Uh... Hello, my name is Samus. I was given the assignment of studying the pony lifestyle by Celestia..." this caused some murmurs like 'she's important', and 'she didn't say princess'. Still, she carried on "I'm a human, a creature I don't think exists here. I was flying my spaceship when something malfunctioned and I crashed here." This time the students 'ooh'-ed. "So, yeah. Nice to meet you all." That said, Samus went to the corner of the classroom and leaned on the wall.

All the little foals began bombarding Samus with questions and more questions. But, before she could answer any of them (or give any kind of response), Miss Cheerilee silenced them to start the class.

The class today would consist on the different types of ponies. Cheerilee explained the different types of ponies there was. Pegasi, who were identifiable for their wings, could fly and control the clouds and the weather; and were the only ponies that could stand on clouds without the aid of spells or tools. Unicorns were able to use their magical horns to do magic that somehow related to their special talents and jobs. Most of them had developed telekinesis, so they rarely used their hooves or mouth to manipulate things. Earth ponies had neither wings nor magic, but they had more physical strength and endurance than their winged or horned counterparts. Also, they seemed to do a lot better at growing plants than either Pegasi or Unicorns for some reason; Cheerilee mentioned something about them being closer to the earth, hence the term. She also mentioned Alicorns, who shared all the previous' traits: they were bigger then most ponies, and had both horn and wings. They also had a lot more magic than the average Unicorn, and their wing were more powerful than the normal Pegasus. However, they were extremely rare; so far only three Alicorns were known, although Cheerilee said she was sure there were more.

The class then proceeded to the show-and-tell part. Most foals showed a toy or drawing they did, and explain why that made them happy, or how that was their family's pride. One of the fillies, Diamond Tiara or something, who was a lilac-and-white-maned, pink filly, showed off some gems, which her 'daddy' bought for her. Samus could quickly identify her as a 'daddy's girl' kind of filly. After all the little ones showed their stuff, it was the 3 fillies' turn. They didn't hesitate to grab and pull Samus to the front of the class again. Scootaloo was the first to speak.

"Behold the unique and mysterious human! We found her when her flying spaceship crashed on our fair land..."

"Actually, mah brother found 'er" interrupted Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, but we helped him carry her to the barn!" Samus rolled her eyes at the orange filly's story. "It was there that she woke up and tried to eat us! But Rainbow Dash was able to subdue her!"

"It was Fluttershy." this time Sweetie Belle interjected "And she didn't try to eat us."

"Yeah, but Rainbow Dash was there!"

"I suspect there's admiration for the rainbow egomaniac?" Samus asked the other crusaders. They nodded.

"Hey! She's not... whatever it is you said. She is the coolest pony ever!"

"Yeah, so cool I outmaneuvered her with a broken arm." Samus said in a cocky tone. All the class gasped. Scootaloo gasped harder, her idol's reputation was in danger.

"You did not!"

"Ask her. See what she tells you." Scootaloo hesitated for a bit, before shaking her head and continuing.

"Whatever! The point is the Cutie Mark Crusaders, that's us..." she said to Samus while pointing at Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and herself. "...befriended an alien monster from space!"

"..."

"It makes sense, doesn't it? That the blank flank outcasts befriend an alien outcast." said one of the fillies. Samus noted it was the rich brat, Diamond Tiara.

"Wow, and I thought Admiral Dane had a sharp mouth." began Samus, talking to the tiara-wearing filly. "You know, kid, you really shouldn't talk like that to strangers, much less sentient creatures you don't know. You never know when said creatures might want to eat you for making them mad." Samus said. She licked her lips, as if expecting a feast, and then gave the filly a feral grin, which made Diamond Tiara cower in fear.

"Now now, kids. Miss Samus is just joking; no need to alarm. But she's right, Diamond Tiara. It's not nice saying rude things to other ponies, or creatures... Apologize now." intervened Cheerilee.

"But, Miss Cheerilee!" whined the pink filly.

"No buts. Apologize to our guest. Now." her tone was firm.

"Yes Miss Cheerilee." Diamond Tiara turned to the huntress, but her tone was filled with spite "I'm sorry I was being rude. It won't happen again."

"Whatever..." Samus shrugged, and quickly dismissed Diamond Tiara. She was glared venom by the spoiled brat.

Soon after, the bell rang, indicating class was over, and everypony (and human) went outside. All foals went to play with their friends or toward their homes, and Samus went to a nearby tree and sat down to relax a bit. She was interrupted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, more specifically, Scootaloo.

"What do you think you're doing? We're going to find Rainbow Dash and ask her if you really beat her."

"Can't you do it yourself?" Samus was visibly annoyed by the filly.

"Scared?" Scootaloo said with a taunting tone. It failed.

"Not really, just not in the mood." sighed Samus. She wasn't lying, she was a bit tired.

"Oh, come on! I want to see some action" Scootaloo said while making some boxing motions.

"Sorry." Samus rose and left "Maybe later, if I feel like it."

"Hey! Come back!" yelled Scootaloo, but her words fell on deaf ears; Samus was gone."I'll show you. Nopony ridicules Rainbow Dash."

Samus found herself relaxing in a big tub with hot water. She was accompanied by Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight, who had decided to join her in her spa treatment and hoping to have a 'girls talk' with her. Sadly, said 'talk' was very awkward because Samus wasn't the chatty type. The fact that Fluttershy was cowering behind her mane and whispering instead of talking didn't help. So far, the bath consisted on Rarity and Twilight asking Samus's life and getting vague, if somewhat satisfying, answers, and Fluttershy giving Samus curious glances at Samus's breasts and quickly turning away. Samus took notice of this, but had remained quiet. That is, until the 15th or 16th time.

"Is there something on my chest, or do you have something you want to ask?" Samus asked the shy mare. Fluttershy cowered behind her mane again, blushing. This little question brought Twilight's and Rarity's attention.

"Say..." began Twilight, as if reading Fluttershy's mind "...you are a girl, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I was just wondering, are those your mammary glands? Why are they so big? Are you expecting or something?" Samus looked at her with a neutral expression, before answering her.

"No. That's just human anatomy." Her tone requested a change of topic.

"Oh, well, that's very interesting." began Rarity "But have you ever..." she was interrupted when Rainbow Dash entered the spa, ignoring the employees' protest. She seemed to be looking for something. When she spotted Samus, she flew right to her face.

"Hey! I heard you wanted to fight 'the Dash'. Well, here I am. You think you can beat me? Then you're up for... a..." began the rainbow pony, until she gave a better looks at her surroundings. "What are you doing in the spa? I thought you were a tough bounty hunter, not a sissy little princess!" she then proceeded fall to the ground and laugh. Samus sighed and leaned her head back and closed her eyes, intent on returning to her relaxation. Said relaxation didn't come when Rarity spoke again.

"Rainbow Dash! That's rude behavior. Why don't you join us instead? It feels wonderful, I tell you. I'm sure a nice, hot bath will do wonders on those tense muscles of yours." Rainbow Dash stopped laughing and looked at Rarity as if she had grown two heads.

"WHAT?! Me? In a lame spa bath? Sorry, got better things to do. Besides, I came to challenge Samus. I have a reputation to keep. My fans are eager to see me kick flank."

"Tough luck." said Samus without interrupting her relaxed posture.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not in the mood to fight right now."

"Scared? Come on! Let's go at it! Right here, right now!"

Samus groaned loudly "Tomorrow. I'll let you prepare for tomorrow. I suggest you do, because I have no mercy in fights." Samus looked deep into Rainbow Dash's eyes, intimidating the mare a little. "Meet me in outside my ship at 8 a.m." she leaned her head back again "Feel free to bring an audience."

"We have a date, then. I'll look forward to it." Rainbow Dash recovered her enthusiasm and courage. "Just don't be sore loser." And she went away.

"Why are you two so intent on fighting? That's barbaric, if you ask me." complained Rarity. Twilight and Fluttershy showed their agreement by nodding. Samus simply gave a little smirk before answering.

"In my line of work you see many things. Each creature has a way of defending and attacking. To be honest, I'm curious to see what kind of fighter Rainbow Dash is."

"I understand your curiosity, but please don't underestimate Rainbow. She's a natural athlete, and probably the best flyer in Equestria. She even stood up to a dragon! She know how to handle herself." Twilight warned, seeing how confident Samus was on her abilities.

"Don't worry, I never underestimate my opponents."

The next morning, Samus was warming up outside her ship, waiting for her opponent to arrive. Yesterday's hot bath had worked wonders on her muscles; she couldn't remember the last time her body felt so relaxed, and her muscles were no longer tense. Her arm had completely healed by now, so she could equip her Power Suit any time she wanted. She decided against it, however, because this was a friendly match; besides, it had been ages since she last fought hand-to-hand combat (or hand-to-hoof, in this case), what with her enemies using plasma rifles and whatnot, and she kind of missed it.

Everything was calm around her; the skies were clear of clouds, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the grass rustled along with it. Samus took a deep breath and prepared for her upcoming fight. Not much later, ponies started coming. One by one, the Elements of Harmony and Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived, along with Big Mac, who looked calm and indifferent. They all took their place near Samus's ship, some eager, others not-so-much, to watch the match. The last to come was the challenger: Rainbow Dash.

The pony and the human stood across each other, silently evaluating their opponent. Finally, after some tense minutes, Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Let's see what a pirate hunter can do against Equestria's best flyer." Rainbow Dash had a confident grin on her face; she was sure this fight was hers. Samus, on the other hand, stood silently, waiting for her foe to make the first move; she first had to see what Rainbow Dash was capable of.

Pinkie Pie got between the two of them and started talking through a megaphone. "Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to Ponyville's first, and probably only, friendly fight between two of its residents! Or is it one resident and one guest? Come to think of it, doesn't Rainbow live in Cloudsdale? Does that make it two guests? Hmm... Well, these two fighters will fight to determine who is the fightiest of fighty fighters! Medical attention will be given to any injury after the fight by our veterinarian Fluttershy." At this Fluttershy shrank a little. "Are the combatants ready? FIGHT!" Pinkie Pie gave a small jump while moving her foreleg in a chopping motion, then got away as quickly as possible, taking her spot between Applejack and Fluttershy and materializing a bag of popcorn.

The speed at which Rainbow Dash rushed to Samus was, to put it mildly, astonishing. Samus, used to dodging bullets, barely had time to jump to her side to avoid the powerful tackle; the pony was a lot faster than she appeared. With a quick roll, Samus was back on her feet, but again had to jump out of the way. Apparently, not only was Rainbow Dash fast as lightning, but extremely agile as well.

Rainbow Dash changed tactics some seconds after missing for the fourth time; she had to admit Samus's reflexes were even better than her own. Tackling wasn't working, so she instead opted for a double back kick. She dashed toward Samus, only to stop inches before her to turn around and attack; the change of attack would certainly catch Samus off guard.

It didn't. As soon as Rainbow turned to kick Samus, the huntress did a front somersault, going over Rainbow Dash, and punched her on the left side of her head. The punch stunned the pegasus long enough for Samus to land and quickly deliver a strong roundhouse to her side. The force threw Rainbow to the ground, but didn't knock her out. Samus attempted to stomp Rainbow, but she quickly jumped out of the way and up to the skies.

Rainbow Dash hovered out of Samus's reach, trying to determine the best course of action. And what else would that be if not to charge recklessly at the human? She dashed toward Samus at breakneck speed to punch (kick?) her with her forelegs, but the huntress was more agile than she seemed; she dodged her again. Another try was proven futile, as Samus not only dodged the attack, but threw herself back to the ground and kicked Rainbow Dash in the stomach. The kick knocked the air out of the pony, but she still managed to get to the air. So far, none of her attack had connected, and she had been hit more than twice!

Rainbow Dash was, Samus concluded, a lousy fighter. She had all the speed and power to pose a threat, but she was too reckless. Her attacks were easy to follow once she adjusted to her speed, and she also left herself open to counterattacks. When the flying mare dived for her again, Samus simply sidestepped and punched her in the gut hard. The blow messed Dash's coordination and she crashed to the ground. She attempted to get up, but Samus did a front somersault to perform a powered up axe kick, which Rainbow dash couldn't avoid.

Seeing her opponent down, Samus approached the fallen mare to deliver the final blow. She raised her fist and was about to bring it down when she felt a sharp pain in the top of her head. The pain was followed by a rock falling from Samus's head. She looked up to see what hit her, but she lost all focus and only managed to see a green blur, then she saw black and passed out.

With a groan, Samus opened her eyes. She was reclined on a tree, and she was surrounded by the ponies that helped her earlier. The first thing she saw was an apologetic-looking tortoise on her lap; it even offered her an apple (she refused). As she looked around, she saw the six mares that took care of her, the three fillies, the big red stallion, and the baby dragon.

"Oh, she's coming around! Thank goodness." Fluttershy seemed to taking care of her. Again. Rainbow Dash wasted no time to get in front of Samus to start explaining.

"I guess I need to apologize. Tank can get a little overprotective of me sometimes." she motioned to the tortoise; who, Samus noticed, had pilot goggles on his head and a propeller attached to his shell. The tortoise simply bowed his head slowly, as in to apologize again. "I wasn't expecting him to drop a rock on you. Heh, but that's why I love him so much!" Rainbow Dash grabbed Tank and cuddled him before realizing they were not alone. She quickly put him on the ground and continued talking. "Um, yeah... But whatever! You were the one that blacked out first, so that makes me the winner."

"Whoa, there, nelly. Wasn't it supposed to be one-on-one? You got lucky Tank came to your rescue." intervened Applejack. "Besides, you were getting your flank kicked all over." she added with a mocking grin.

"What!? No way! Besides, we never said we couldn't receive help." countered Rainbow Dash. She was obviously desperate to be called the winner.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo added.

"They're right." conceded Samus. "We never specified the rules. And it was my mistake; I should've been able to tell I was being attacked from above." She wasn't lying; if that would've been a real battle, she could be dead, all because she wasn't careful enough.

"That's the attitude of a veteran fighter. I have to say I'm impressed." said a new voice. Everypony, human, and dragon turned to see who was talking. It was none other than Iron Shield, one of the guards that escorted Samus to see the princess. "I saw the whole thing. Your reflexes are the best I've seen; not everypony can keep up with Rainbow Dash."

"What are you doing here?" Samus asked a bit rudely.

"Straight to the point, eh? I've been sent by the princess to watch over you. I'll be staying in Ponyville, if you ever need me"

"Watch over me, or make sure I don't hurt anyone?"

"Watch over you. I know how difficult it can be to adapt to a new lifestyle, especially to you, considering your circumstances. The princess just wants to make sure everything is fine, and to tell you that if you ever need help, I am here to assist you."

"Well, thank you. For now, I'll head back to my ship. There are repairs to be done." that said, Samus left to her ship. Soon after, everypony left to their respective homes.

Iron Shield entered a dark room. He was walking when a voice was heard. "So? How did it go? You do think she'll be useful to our cause?"

Iron Shield frowned. "I'm not sure. She's an excellent battler, but I can't confirm her usefulness. I need to see what else she's capable of. As far as I can see, Samus can't do magic, nor can she fly. She's strong, and her reflexes are the best I've seen, but I doubt that alone can be of help in our situation."

"Hmm... Perhaps more observation is required." the voice proposed.

"Yes. I suggest we keep an eye on her. Who knows, maybe she'll surprise us."

"Very well. You are dismissed, Lieutenant Iron Shield. Return to Ponyville and report to me if you see anything else."

"As you wish, your highness." Iron Shield kneeled before he exited the room. The voice was left talking alone.

"Samus... I believe you have a lot more to show us than what you let on."