The Admiral entered the dimly lit meeting room. The long table's chairs empty and the only occupant being a mysterious man in a suit, back turned with his hands folded across, staring out of the high window. The sun was perfectly angled for an identity masking silhouette.
"So you think you're up to the challenge Admiral Hollander?," asked the man indifferently. "You should know that this is no easy task by any means. Not even the one hundred percent rated bounty hunters would accept this job."
"Yes," replied Hollander confidently. "Everyone knows how I became leader of the 52nd Fleet."
"I know of your spectacular victories in the NH-231 system campaign," commented the man. "Your ingenious strategies and superior commanding abilities led the Federation to victory against the heavy Space Pirate holdings there."
Admiral Hollander smiled as the unidentified man complimented his work. The campaign sent his ship and crew to the depths of hell and back, him keeping it in one piece. For such death defying feats, he was promoted to Admiral and given the reigns of one of the Federation's smaller fleets.
"How ever, this mission requires the utmost ruthlessness and care," the man told Hollander, his voice cool and distant. "Your foe is a one woman army, armed to the teeth with devastating weapons and abilities, not to mention training more rigorous than even our most specialized troopers."
"So?," Hollander held firm against the intimidating description. "What could she possibly do to a ship in orbit or an entire fleet?"
"You're underestimating your opponent Admiral," scolded the silhouetted man annoyed. "Aran is incredibly resourceful. Remember her report on her second Zebes mission?"
A chill ran down the military official's mind as he recalled the footage captured by the hunter's helmet, the logs and data she recorded, and ultimately how it only took her nearly 4 hours to accomplish the stupefying feat.
"Do you now understand the true danger of this mission?"
"Of course," responded Hollander. "I'll prep my fleet---"
"No," commanded the man. "Sending a fleet, even a small one, is an unnecessary drain on resources. Take only your most elite troops and your best ship. Dismissed"
"Yes sir," Hollander answered. He turned around to exit the room.
"One more thing before you go Admiral," the man had apparently decided to mention last minute. "Your secondary objective is to bring back Aran's power armor mostly intact and recover any Chozo technology on the planet she currently inhabits."
"Yes sir."
With out further interaction, Admiral Hollander walked out of the meeting room, selecting his most elite crew and ship in his mind.
Samus blasted another one of the wooden wolves away with a Super Missile. The beast's body exploded into small flying wooden splinters due to the explosive's epic punch.
"How many of these things are there?," she called out to the ponies as she fired a Super Missile once more at a new target.
"I don't know," responded a worried country accent amid the chaos of running and attacking ponies, wooden wolves, and bounty hunter. "This must be a large pack."
"Don't worry there can't be more than a few left, we've already taken out a dozen of them," the purple pony shouted through the roars, hoof steps, and explosions. "Well you've taken out a dozen."
"A few left? One of them must be an alpha male. That should be an interesting fight."
"You're enjoying this a bit too much."
Samus paused for a moment to look for the dark blue pony. One of the remaining wooden wolves used the opportunity to pin the distracted bounty hunter down. The rabid animal was heavier than she expected, her struggle for freedom futile. The beast tried to sink it's teeth into the bounty hunter's neck. Fortunately for her a destructive beam of dark blue incinerated the rabid wooden entity before it could do so.
The Hunter gave her savior a thumbs up for the assist, resulting in a confused look as a response.
"That's the last of them," reported the blonde pony. "Now let's leave before they piece themselves back together."
The rest of the group collectively agreed.
"Don't think you're out of trouble because you assisted us in combating a pack of timberwolves," the taller dark blue equine told Samus rather cordially.
"We can talk about my "punishment" later, but right now I need to take care of a couple small details," the Hunter said to the lead pony
The bounty hunter again dashed to the gravity lift of her ship, but this time, to recharge instead of trying to make an escape.
"Back again I see," the computer greeted, though if it had emotion it would most likely be somewhat angry.
"Well I do have to recharge," the armored lady replied. "You're the only recharge station on the planet."
"Don't make a habit of visiting me to recharge," the computer scolded. "You need to be as far away as possible from this ship. The Federation isn't likely to sit around and wait for you to be ready."
Samus brushed off the computer with a distracted "Okay" while she recharged her missiles and energy.
"This is serious!," it said with increased volume.
"Don't worry Adam," the bounty hunter told the computer cheerfully as she headed for the gravity lift after renewing her energy and missile reserves. "I think I've started to smooth over the rough patches with those ponies. Forced teamwork usually does that."
"So you believe this... alien ... is hiding something?," Celestia asked her sister concerned.
"Yes I do," Luna confidently replied.
"What makes you think so?"
"The fact it changed it's disposition so quickly. When it was captured, the alien was silent and rather hostile. After it disappeared into it's..." The lunar alicorn couldn't think of a suitable word for the large, metal object the creature led her and the other ponies to. "Anyways afterwards it was rather friendly and talkative. Such changes in behavior do not happen with in minutes."
"Pinkie Pie has been reported to do so," countered the elder sister.
"Pinkie Pie is Pinkie Pie, no pony is sure how she works," argued the younger sister. "Please you have to understand." Luna was now getting a little desperate. "There is something sinister about that being, I don't know what it is yet but my mind is screaming to me that something is going to happen."
"Your plea isn't falling on deaf ears," Celestia soothed. "We should investigate further about who this alien is and why it's here. Do you know where it's lodging, if at all?"
"Your student Twilight Sparkle said she would provide a room for it," Luna informed her sister nervously. "She appeared to express interest in it. More so than the rest."
Celestia put on a grave face. She didn't like the idea of her personal student housing an unknown and possibly dangerous entity.
"Don't worry Luna," the solar alicorn again tried to calm her sister. "We're going to try to unravel this mystery as soon as possible."
"Thank you," the alicorn of the moon said gratefully before trotting off to raise the moon.