//------------------------------// // The Power Suit // Story: Metroid: A Hunter in Equestria // by Cusi //------------------------------// Disclaimer: Samus and Metroid elements belong to Nintendo. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro/the Hub. I own nothing but the plot. A/N: Yeah, it turns out the correct name is Apple Bloom, not Applebloom. No big deal. Chapter 6: The Power Suit Samus Aran's Log, entry 016: I fought one of the ponies. While it is clear their kind avoids conflict, I am under the impression that they know how to defend themselves. I also need to be on the look-out; I suspect something is amiss with Iron Shield's presence, something that somehow involves me. I have no reason to distrust him, but I can never be too careful. OXOXO Saturday, the best day of the week. There was no school to go to, and you could stay up as long as you want (without getting caught). It also meant getting up as late as you wanted. Not that Apple Bloom did; she was up early in the morning to help with farm chores. Today she had worked extra hard and extra fast, just so she could go and do what she had planned to do: invite Samus to an Apple Family-brand apple-based breakfast! Apple Bloom had just finished her duties and was on her way to the crash site, where Samus was no doubt working on her ship. As she kept on walking, she could identify the transport/home of the alien huntress. She could hear the sound of tinkering coming from the back of the ship, so she decided to go investigate what it was. She was about to ask if Samus was there, but a big piece of machinery fell from the ship. It would've squashed Apple Bloom like a bug if it were not for the fact that she jumped out of the way on time. She looked up to see what happened, and she saw an orange metal monster destroying Samus's ship! "Hey! Watch it, pal. You wouldn't like to face the owner of this ship if she saw you destroying her property." yelled the small filly at the offender, who apparently hadn't noticed her presence until then. It then jumped from its perch on the ship and landed in front of Apple Bloom. The being seemed to be made of a orange, yellow, and red metal with one thin glowing green line along each of the legs and arms. The shoulders were large and rounded with three ridges along the top. It's lower right arm just after where the elbow ended, was longer and thicker than the left, and was a shade of greyish green. Instead of a hand though, the right arm ended in some kind cannon like shape. It's head was a red dome with a single green eye that seemed to glow, it also seemed to be missing a mouth, ears, and a nose. It had two tubes coming out from where its mouth was supposed to be that went to the back of its head. The monster turned to see her. The filly could see her reflection on the monster's eye, which was intimidating. And then, it spoke. But instead of a deep and scary voice, it was a slightly echoed and distorted voice that resembled Samus's. "Good morning. Sorry I didn't notice you, I was busy with repairs (at least that's what I tried to do). What brings you here?" In a bright flash, all the metal and glass eyes disappeared, leaving behind a Zero-Suit-wearing female human. "Samus?" asked the filly. She was surprised to see such a scary monster was actually her human friend. "I thought that monster was destroying your ship! I didn't know you could transform into a robot!" "That was my Power Suit. I always wear it in my missions and exploration." "Wow! That's amazing!" the filly beamed, then frowned in confusion "Why didn't you wear it when you fought Rainbow Dash?" "I didn't want to hurt her too bad. The suit is extremely powerful." "Well, it's good to know you know restraint. Anyway, Ah came to invite you for breakfast. Have you eaten yet?" "No. I think I'll accept that offer." "That's great! Follow me; the farm isn't too far away." The filly happily trotted on her way to the farm; it was easy to see she was excited. Samus just followed her with a small smile on her face. OXOXO *BURP* "Sorry, but I haven't eaten that well since... I can't remember" said Samus as she patted her somewhat bloated belly. Anything that could be made with or from apples was served at the table. Samus had a feast like she never had; and who was she to reject such hospitality? "It was delicious. I thank you for your hospitality." "Ah'm glad yah liked it, honey." said a proud Granny Smith, the main cook. "No problem! An Apple never holds back at breakfast, so we expect the same from ahr guests!" Applejack responded. "Ah told yah Granny Smith's cooking was the best!" added the energetic Apple Bloom. "Eeyup." "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Twilight's. Study and all that stuff." said Samus. "No problem. Say 'hi' to the bookworm for me, will yah?" "Sure thing." Samus lifted herself from the table. When she opened the door to leave, she spotted a giant three-headed black dog running toward Ponyville; it didn't look too happy. She returned inside and asked calmly. "Are giant three-headed dogs a normal sight here?" "Uh, no. Wait! Three-headed dog? As in Cerberus? What in tarnation is he doing here? Come on, we hafta get to town!" without losing any more time, Applejack rushed past Samus. The huntress followed without hesitation. "Stay here." Big Mac said to his youngest sister. "They got this." "Aww. Ah wanna go too..." OXOXO Both Samus and Applejack ran to Povyville, where the giant beast was headed, as fast as they could. Samus noticed that for a town with a giant dog running loose, the villagers were not as panicky as she would expect; in fact, the seemed almost oblivious to the looming threat. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie materialized between Samus and Applejack. "Oh hi! Did you come here to pet Cerberus? Too bad, he only lets Fluttershy pet him. Ooh! You should come see her; it's like watching a shy pony petting a monster. Oh, silly me, that's because it is a shy pony petting a monster. Anyways, you should come!" and disappeared just as fast as she appeared. Samus and Applejack looked at each other and shrugged, then proceeded to the town's square, where dog noises were coming from. True to Pinkie's word, the scene was a bit bizarre to Samus, who wasn't overly familiar with Fluttershy's ways: the shy pegasus was rubbing the monstrous dog's belly while said dog wiggled its foot on the ground in delight. Twilight was nearby, but she didn't seem as relaxed as the other ponies; in fact, she looked quite distressed. Samus approached the lavender unicorn. "I'm new here. Care to explain why there is a giant, three-headed dog acting like a happy puppy in the middle of town?" "That's what I'm trying to find out! This is bad! Really bad! Cerberus is supposed to be guarding the Gates of Tartarus! Why is he here?" Twilight continued to walk in circles, trying to think. Samus decided to ask Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, what's going on? Isn't the dog supposed to be guarding something?" Samus asked the yellow pegasus with an annoyed voice. "Oh, um that's because..." she stopped to think a bit and then turned to Cerberus "Not that I mind, but, um, why are you here?" The pleasant expression on all three heads changes to that of anger. He stood up on all four legs and began to bark. Fluttershy hovered in front of the heads. "Mhmm. Yes. Continue. Oh my!" Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Cerberus says that two evil creature escaped Tartarus. He tracked one of them here." Upon realizing what that meant, all ponies within hearing distance panicked. Only Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack remained calm (as calm can be for Twilight). "Oh no. This is terrible! What kind of creature escaped? We need a plan to prepare for an attack! I should probably call the princess. SPIKE!" While Twilight planned a strategy, two skeletal talons slowly rose from Cerberus's shadow without anyone noticing. When they were positioned one beside each left and right head, the talons grabbed their respective head and forcefully slammed them with the center head. The triple headbutt was enough for the guardian dog to fall unconscious. Everyone turned their attention to the boney limbs coming from the shadow. Samus noticed the shadow was unnatural. Then, a big figure rose from that same shadow. As the mysterious body rose, the shadow shrank; it was logical to assume the creature was the shadow. When the shadow was no more, Samus saw that the creature floated in the air, as it apparently lacked legs. It was a tall being, covered with a dusty black robe and hood that hid its head, arms and torso, revealing only the long skeletal talons it had for hands. The robe that covered it ended in a smoky black cloud, as if was made of smoke. Without a second to waste, orange, yellow and red armor covered Samus in a flash. Everypony who saw her stood catatonic. "Whoa, nelly..." That is, until the spectral being let out an ear-piercing screech. Twilight recovered her movements and began yelling orders. "Pinkie Pie, I need you to go fetch Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and... Where is Fluttershy? Spike, you send a letter to the princess immediately, there's no time to lose. Applejack and Samus, you two distract it while I go to the library to find out about what that creature is." Twilight and Spike rushed toward the library, while Pinkie Pie galloped toward town. Samus and Applejack stood where they were, ready to fight. Or at least, that's what Applejack thought. "Stand back." ordered Samus. "What?! You think ah'll stand aside and let that monster destroy Ponyville?" replied Applejack, offended by the assumption. "Yes. I have a lot of experience with big creatures. Now stand back." "The nerve..." the hat-wearing pony got shoved aside by Samus, and noticed the creature had attempted to crush her with its massive talons. "I told you to go. Help protect the villagers if thing get out of hand." Applejack simply nodded and left. Samus distanced herself and activated her Scan Visor. It took a few seconds of dodging claws and swipes to scan the creature; and when it did, the results weren't too encouraging. "Shadow Reaper: A creature able to merge with and transform into shadow. Life signs were unable to be read, but it seems to live on life energy it sucks from prey it finds worthy." Upon reading the scan results, Samus charged her Arm Cannon, aimed, and fired. The shot connected, and the Reaper recoiled from the force of the shot, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Its attention, however, focused on the bounty hunter. It lunged toward Samus, swiping with its sharp skeletal talons. Samus saw this coming and dodged. She fired a few more shots, all ineffective. While the hunter and specter fought, Applejack went around town to help ponies escape the violent confrontation. Her herding skill came in handy to round the ponies up and lead them to safety. Once she saw no more ponies in danger, Applejack rushed to the fight scene once again. After dodging another swipe, Samus changed her Power Beam for the Wave Beam and shot twice. The creature tried to avoid the electrical projectiles, but it didn't count on their homing properties, receiving both shots on the chest. They seemed to do nothing, since the beast seemed unfazed by the Wave Beam. Samus opted for the Plasma Beam, so with a quick change in her Arm Cannon, she fired again. The creature saw this, and quickly rushed to the ground, where it became an unnatural shadow. The shadow moved erratically on the ground, trying to confuse Samus. It briefly worked; the huntress lost sight of it and saw no more shadows. Instinct, however, took control over Samus, who jumped sideways just as a bony fist crashed where she had just been. She quickly spun around and aimed, but the Reaper was already going for the shadows again. This tactic gave Samus an idea: if the creature used shadows, light-based weaponry may be most effective against it. Needless to say, her cannon was set for the Light Beam. The Shadow Reaper moved its shadow until it was below Samus's. She saw this and attempted to jump out of the way, but a talon grabbed her foot, keeping her in place. With the other talon, the shade dweller forcefully punched the hunter. The blow sent her flying onto a house, where she left an indentation on the wall. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, Samus raised her vision in time to see and avoid an incoming fist. Acting quickly, Samus got out of the way, aimed, and fired her Light Beam several times on the cloaked creature. The damage done was visible; the Reaper caught on white fire and thrashed about, trying to extinguish the light-based flames. After a while, the fire had consumed the cloak, and the creature was revealed: a big skeleton that resembled an anthropomorphic antelope, but it had two rows of sharp teeth and lacked the back legs. It also had spikes on it back, and black smoke came from its empty eye sockets. The creature rose to the air, steaming with the afterburn of the beam. It gave a loud screech, obviously furious, and charged at Samus at high speed. She rolled to the side and fired at it again. The Reaper dodged and spun so fast it gave Samus no time to react at the backslap she received. The attack threw her to the ground; she was down, but not out. The floating skeleton prepared to charge again, but was stopped when an apple hit it hard on the head. It turned to see its attacker and found an orange pony with a hat, ready to buck more apples from a pile. "Come get some, yah ugly vermin'." It roared and charged at the pony. This gave Samus enough time to charge her Light Beam. The creature swiped at Applejack, but she barely managed to duck and avoid the sharp claws. She gulped when the creature slammed its fists on her apples, destroying her projectiles. The skeleton raised its arms to attack again, but Samus jumped and landed on its back. Before the creature could react, Samus unleashed the Sunburst at point-blank range. The damage caused was great; the creature fell to the ground while still burning white. It tried to rise, but a large blob of very dark purple energy forcefully slammed it back to the ground, from where it no longer moved. "Zank you. I'll take it from here." said a male, echoed voice. Samus and Applejack turned to see another skeleton, except this one was that of an alicorn. He was tall as Celestia, with a long, boney horn, and he lacked any kind of flesh. He only had two small pink dots of magical energy serving as pupils in his otherwise empty eye sockets. He was wearing black pieces of armor on his chest, forelegs, wings, and a Roman helmet on his head, not unlike those of the Royal Guards. "I appreciate ze help. I'm Bonez, gatekeeper of Tartarus. Pleazure to make your acquaintance." Bonez bowed to the two blonde girls. Samus aimed her cannon at him, but she was paralyzed with the same dark purple energy that took the Shadow Reaper down. "Relax, girl. I'm on your zide. A couple of beasts escaped Tartarus and I'm here to return zem, but you zeem to have everyzing under control. Zank you for doing my job. I vill zimply return zis pest back to Tartarus and be on my way." His magical grip on Samus began weakening, so he released her. "My,my, you are an interesting one. No wonder you attracted zis parasite; Shadow Reapers hunt for strong prey because zose are ze ones viz more energy to steal. Now, if you'll excuze me..." Bonez was interrupted when Twilight arrived with Spike on her back, as well as the rest of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. "What just happened here?!" yelled Twilight when she saw the scene before her. "Ah! You must be ze Elements of Harmony! It'z an honor to officially meet you all. My name iz Bonez, Gatekeeper of Tartarus, and Cerberus's mazter; vich reminds me..." Bonez walked toward the unconscious form of Cerberus and began poking him with his horn. The Elemets just looked at each other, confused. "Wake up, you lazy bag of flesh. Ve ztill have a job to do." said pet rose up groggily, until all three heads saw Bonez, then Fluttershy. He immediately turned on its back and prompted Fluttershy to come near. Fluttershy obliged with a smile and began rubbing his belly again. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?" she said with her baby voice. Cerberus just relished the loving gesture. "Vould you look at that. Big and scary Cerberus iz actually big softy. I have to zay I'm imprezzed, mizz. Azide from me and my brozer, nopony haz been able to tame Cerberus. I hope he vasn't a nuisance to your fair town." Bonez complimented the shy mare. She squeaked and hid behind her mane. "Forgive her, she's shy. And what are you, anyway?" asked Rainbow Dash, eying the talking pony skeleton. Bonez was about to answer, but was interrupted by Twilight. "Look! Princess Celestia is coming!" yelled Twilight. And indeed it was Princess Celestia who came flying and landed beside Twilight. "Twilight, I came as soon as I got your letter. What happened here?" Princess Celestia watched the scene with anxiety, until she saw the pony skeleton. "Bonez?" "A pleazure to zee you again, Celestia." "Bonez! What a pleasant surprise! It's been ages! Trouble with the gates, I presume?" "Literally ages. Ha ha. Yah, zomezing made ze creatures in Tartarus uneasy. And as you can see, a couple of zem escaped. Vorry not, zese ponies made my job already, and Skullz is tracking down ze ozer one." "That's a relief. We can't have ancient evils running around." Celestia said with an unnerving calm. She turned to the Elements. "I would like you to meet Bonez." "Already have! Ha ha. Vell, it's been a pleazure meeting you all, but zis troublemaker haz to go back to Tartarus." Bonez said pointing at the Shadow Reaper. "Farewell." Bonez lit his horn with dark energy and a black portal opened on the ground below the unmoving Reaper, swallowing it. Cerberus and Bonez stood on it and disappeared along with the monster. After they disappeared and the portal closed, every one present stood silent. A few moments passed before the silence was broken. "What was that all about?" Twilight asked. "That was Bonez. He's an old friend of mine. It's his duty to guard Tartarus and capture any evil creature that escapes; though it is extremely rare for that to happen. He has a brother named Skullz that helps him with that job. Now..." she turned to Samus, who was still wearing her Power Suit. Everypony followed their gaze at the human. "I think I have to thank you for saving Ponyville from a dangerous creature. I'm also impressed, not everypony can survive an encounter with a Shadow Reaper, much less defeat it. Care to explain how you manage to defeat one of the most dangerous creatures in existence?" "Who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked the armored warrior. "Oh silly, that's Samus! " answered Pinkie Pie. "WHAT?! Wasn't she supposed to be smaller and not metallic?" "Well duh! She's just wearing a suit!" "True." said Samus. She deactivated her Power Suit, revealing her human form. This calmed the nerves on all the present. "Cool!" commented Rainbow Dash. "I knew it was you. It seems you really are a veteran warrior." Princess Celestia said. "Is there any way to repay you for what you've done?" "I want money." Samus answered. All ponies and dragon, with the exception of Celestia, gasped loudly. "What? As a bounty hunter, my services aren't free. They're quite expensive, actually." "I see. Name your price and you shall be rewarded." "Give me enough for a week worth of food and some other small luxuries. I'm still not familiar with this place's currency." "A fine deal. You shall get your money before sundown." "But Princess!" interjected Twilight. "Hush now, Twilight. It's only fair. Besides, a few bits are nothing compared to the well-being of my subjects." "Yes, princess. Sorry." "Good. Now, Samus, I'll have Iron Shield deliver your payment this afternoon." "Excellent. But I have a question. Not that I needed any more help, but where was he? Isn't he a guard, supposed to serve and protect?" Samus inquired. It was a valid question, the town folks were in danger and he was nowhere to be seen. "He was called to Canterlot. There were urgent matters and he was needed there. Don't worry about him." answered the sun princess. "Right." was Samus's only answer. She knew Celestia was hiding something, but prying with her subjects present would only cause trouble. She opted to let thing go their course; she needed more information before acting. "Now, if there are no more matters to discuss, I'll take my leave. They need me in Canterlot." with that, the princess took off. "Well, everything seems fine, so I'm out." said Rainbow Dash before dashing off to some cloud. "And ah'm gonna fetch the townsfolk. Their homes are safe an' sound." Applejack exited the scene as well. So did Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, leaving Samus with Twilight and Spike. "Now that's everything's in order again, we can continue with our studies. Follow me." Twilight led Samus to the library. Samus sighed and followed. "Wait for me!" Spike ran after them. OXOXO "I told you to read those books, not just give them a peek and throw them aside!" Twilight complained to the armored woman sitting in the library's reading table, which was full of books of all sorts. "And why are you still wearing that armor?" Samus gave an audible sigh before answering; it was obvious she was annoyed. "I keep telling you that I did read them. And without the armor, I wouldn't be able to read at all; I need the suit's translator to do it. Maybe if you listened instead of reading the same book over and over again, you'd understand what I'm saying." "I'm not reading it over and over! I just take my time to read." "It's been four hours! Four hours and you haven't even finished half of it?!" "Well sorry for not being able to read 4000 words per minute. Besides, this piece requires deep detail attention..." "It's 4200 words per minute. And you said it was a sappy romance novel. How much 'deep detail attention' could that require?" Twilight blushed at the question. "It has a deep and complex setting! And stop arguing; you're supposed to be reading about ponies!" "And how do you expect me to do that if you KEEP ARGUING?!" "I'm going out." informed a very annoyed Spike said with a very annoyed expression. He was completely ignored. "Girls: crazy on their own, crazier with company..." He exited the library, leaving behind the two arguing females. "NOW SHUT UP AND CONTINUE READING!" "I WILL WHEN YOU SHUT UP!" OXOXO A pink explosion boomed in a forest somewhere, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. The smoke slowly began dissipating, revealing the broken and battered form of a snow-white bird, with a curved sharp beak, four wings, and a long flowing tail; the bird would look regal, were it not for the fact that it was badly burnt. It was a Frostwing, a bird roughly the size of an average pony, whose feathers are made of ice. Tales say these evil birds would swoop down and snatch ponies, and proceed to freeze them with the chilly winds they produced with their frozen wings to eat them. This particular Frostwing had just escaped the dreaded depths of Tartarus, but had the bad luck of encountering one of the most magical unicorns in Equestria. This unicorn was an azure coated mare, with platinum mane and tail, a horn, and a triumphant smile. Trixie stood nearby, panting, but a victorious grin plastered on her sweaty face. The dark forest gave her face a sinister expression. "Hah! You have faced defeat. You were certainly powerful, but not powerful enough to hope to best Trixie. Trixie is yet to be defeated by the likes of you. Trixie would pity you, but it is clear you didn't come in friendly terms. Trixie hopes you have learned your lesson." boasted the showmare, garbed in a dark purple cloak on her back. "I hope zo too. Zis bastard has been giving me trouble zince its escape." said a tall pony with horn and wings, or rather, the skeleton of a pony. "I zank you, ma'am, for your trouble and help." Trixie turned to see who spoke, and yelped when she saw a living skeleton wearing dark red armor approaching her. It had small, green orbs of light for irises where its eyes should be. All in all, it was the armor-wearing skeleton of an alicorn. "W-who are you? What business do you have with Trixie?" "Pleaze, forgive me for my rudenezz. My name iz Skullz, guardian of the Gates of Tartarus. Zurely you've heard of Tartarus?" inquired Skullz. "Of course. Trixie likes to think she is well read." said the mare, eyeing the skeletal being. "Zen you vill know zat Tartarus holds ze most dangerouz and evil creaturez in Equestria prisonerz. It iz vit no zmall amount of awe zat I tell you I'm imprezzed. Even I have difficulty keeping zome of zem under control, yet you battle a Frostwing and not only live to tell ze ztory, but end victorious in zaid battle. You have my respect, ma'am." Skullz bowed to Trixie. "Now, I have to take zis bastard back from vhere it came. I bid you farewell." "Wait. You say this bird escaped. How, exactly, did that happen? Trixie feels a great amount of power coming from you, so she assumes you are a most powerful magician. How could somepony as powerful as you let a petty bird escape?" "I humbly appreciate your complimentz, ma'am." Skullz bowed again "Yah. My brozer and I, az vell az our partner Cerberus, pride ourselvez in our abilitiez and zkills az guardianz, az vell az our vatchful eyez... zo to zpeak. Ze reazon zis bastard escaped vas becauze of a disturbance. A Shadow Reaper uzed zis opportunity to escape, and vhile busy with it, ze Frostwing also ezcaped." "A Sh-shadow Reaper?!" panicked Trixie. "Pleaze vorry not. My brozer is vith Cerberus hunting it down. Zey should be enough to return it to Tartarus. Just like I should vith zis one." he said, pointing at the unmoving Frostwing. "I shall take my leave. It vas nice talking to you. Farevell." And just like his brother, he summoned a black portal that took swallowed him and the fallen beast. Trixie was left alone when the portal closed. "Trixie shall be on her way, then." she said to nopony in particular. She walked to where she left her saddlebags, from where she took out a map and read it. "That way." she continued her quest for the meteor. OXOXO "Your highness, I bring news." said Iron Shield as he galloped with hurry into a dark room. There was a hawk perched on his back. "There has been another incident. I'm afraid we can't stall for much longer; we must make our move soon!" "I am well aware of that, Lieutenant." answered the voice. There was a brief silence, but it was broken by the voice again. "What about Samus, have you managed to gather any new information on her?" "Yes, my lady. According to Looker..." the hawk cawed "...she was able to defeat a Shadow Reaper without much difficulty." "A Shadow Reaper?! How did a Shadow Reaper get to Ponyville?" "It appears it escaped when her ship crashed. But there is no need to worry about that. It has been returned to Tartarus. It was, after all, defeated by the hunter." "That's good to hear. Another threat of that level is the least we need now." there was another brief silence "It appears Samus is a lot more powerful then she first let on. Do you happen to know how she managed to best the shadowy fiend?" "Looker reports that she is able to summon some sort of magic armor. This armor has powerful weapons, which she used to overpower the fiend. He also said she has instincts and reflexes of the like we have never seen. She is very quick-minded, cunning, and clever. I also have the regret of informing she suspects something; she may be onto us soon." "Hmm... I do think that was inevitable. She does seem to distrust everypony. Do you have any more news for me?" "Yes, your majesty. I will return to Ponyville. Princess Celestia has ordered me to deliver a payment. It was requested by the hunter." "Well, she's not shy. Thank you for your help, Lieutenant. You may leave. I shall call for you if I require your assistance." "Yes, your highness. I shall take my leave." Iron Shield bowed again and left the room. "You're proving to be quite the spectacle, Samus." the voice said to no one in particular. "I'm curious to see that armor in action."