//------------------------------// // Downfall // 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. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 9: Downfall "MOMMY! NOOOOOO!!!" a loud, high-pitched voice cried with utmost despair. Samus turned to see a small changeling that looked like a miniature version of the queen, except her hair and horn were a lot shorter. She struggled for a bit, fighting the restrain other changelings had on her, when she freed herself and flew toward the fallen queen. Other changelings looked hesitant to go aid her, for the huntress was still there. The changeling princess wept over her unmoving mother. Samus could only stand there and watch as haunting memories resurfaced in her mind. The small princess then turned to look at Samus with the same green eyes of her mother, eyes that burned with anger and confusion at the current events. Those eyes triggered something in Samus, something far worse that anything she ever experienced. Those eyes, Samus thought, were the same as hers. Samus took a step back in shock. Visions of her mother being cut in half and then being blasted by a monster flashed in Samus's eyes. She saw her father die in an explosion to save the rest of his human companions, only to fail as the massacre around her continued. She saw a proud Chozo, trying his hardest to ensure his brethren's survival, being impaled by a shadowy creature. These memories, however, were not quite those she remembered, for there was a key distinction: instead of a demonic space dragon, she saw a female human grinning evilly. A tall human with blue eyes, a flowing blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and a blue jumpsuit on her body. She saw herself. All the anger, the hatred she felt for Ridley was being directed at her with those green eyes. And she, too, was feeling the same for her own person. She had essentially become the same thing she swore to destroy. She became a Ridley in this young princess's eyes. Not being able to stand the sight before her, Samus looked around. All around her she could see hateful glances belonging to the changelings that had just lost their beloved queen. They all showed intense hatred for her, and yet none of them affected her like their princess did. Samus looked back at the little creature hugging her unmoving mother. She saw how the innocence that once undoubtedly shone in those eyes shattered, never to be recovered. She saw a younger version of herself reflected on those green eyes. Darkly had gotten out of the cage and was approaching the mourning princess. He barely got near her when she embraced him, crying in his chest and asking why. He started stroking her head, trying to soothe her emotional pain. He glanced at Samus not with hatred, but with disappointment. 'Why did you do this?' asked his mere expression. His glance brought Samus out of her thoughts and into the present. As hard as this was to take, she still had a mission to complete. As routine dictated, she scanned the changeling queen for any life signs. She was surprised to see her defeated opponent still alive, though just barely. "Your queen is still alive. Take her away and don't interfere anymore." Samus told the changelings. Her voice was void of any emotion. All the changelings' faces lit with hope, except the small princess. She turned to Samus again and was about to say something, but Darkly beat her to it. "Thank you." Before the princess could say anything else, he turned to her. "Please be strong, Princess Anis. The hive still needs someone to guide them. There is still hope; maybe something good will come from this." "But..." she sniffed. "Never lose hope, princess. No matter what, never lose hope." insisted the older changeling. She stood still for a few moments, before she sniffed loudly and filled her face with resolve. "Ok." She gave Samus one last rancorous glance, before turning to her fellow changeling. "We can't risk losing any more of us, so we'll leave these ponies." She turned to Samus again. "Go. And don't come back!" Samus simply nodded her agreement. She opened the cell and ordered the ponies to follow her. They began walking toward Marelin's direction when they heard Darkly speak. "Wait! I'll go with you." This surprised everyone present. "You can't go!" cried the young princess. "I have to. I'll make sure to discuss things with the pony princesses. We'll come to an agreement." "Let me go with you." begged Anis. "No. You have to stay by the queen's side. I'll come back, I promise." Princess Anis looked at him with fear, but ultimately nodded her understanding. "You better." Darkly turned to Samus. "Let's go." And they did. Samus led the group east, where Marelin was located. She had ordered and threatened anypony to leave Darkly alone; any sign of aggression toward the changeling, no matter how small, would earn a broken leg; after what they saw, no pony dared defy her. After 30 minutes of walking, the group stopped. Samus began charging her Arm Cannon and shot an ice missile skywards, a process she would repeat every hour. The missile flew high in the sky, until it exploded in a big cloud of ice crystals that began raining down, not doing any damage to the life below. The signal was sent; all they had to do was to wait for the royal escort. Samus told the group of ponies to wait for the guards, and that she was going to look around. She also made sure the threat about Darkly and broken legs was still active. After a few minutes of walking around, Samus looked around to see if she was alone. Since it appeared so, she deactivated her suit, walked toward one of the many trees, and let loose a shout of pure ire. That shout was accompanied by a punch to the nearest tree. The punch was strong enough that the wood bent and cracked. Several punches followed, punishing the innocent tree with Samus's anger release. Why? Why was this affecting her so much? She had eradicated countless lives, she had brought extinction to at least 4 different species, she blew up several planets; and none of those events had bothered her nearly as much as this. So, why? Why did one simple insectoid queen, which wasn't even dead yet, cause her so much emotional distress? It was because of those eyes. Those big, green, innocent eyes that belonged to the changeling princess. The same eyes she had when she witnessed the brutal deaths of her parents, so many years back. Samus turned around and rested her back on the breaking tree. She let herself slide down until she was slumped on the ground. She stood still like that for who-knows-how long, just thinking and trying to calm herself. After she had calmed herself a bit, she activated her armor and returned to the group of ponies. The group didn't cause any trouble, thankfully. Ponies and changeling were avoiding interactions between species, which worked fine for Samus. The time was spent in silence, except for the missile launched every hour, until the guards and Applejack finally arrived. Upon watching the four armored stallions arrive at the scene, Samus told them that the changeling was requesting an audience with the princesses. She also made sure to warn the guards of any violence directed at said changeling; if she knew the changeling was harmed, she would personally make sure none of those guards would be able to walk for the rest of their lives. While the guards didn't really believe her threat, they still made sure to follow her command. Seeing the guards had everything under control, Samus left the crowd and headed for Canterlot. Applejack was going to follow her, but was ordered by Samus to oversee the escort and made sure the changeling remained unharmed. In truth, Samus wanted to be alone. The huntress continued her way, engaging the Speed Booster to arrive as soon as possible; the sooner she finished her mission the better. OXOXO Samus was being escorted to the throne room, where Celestia currently awaited Samus's arrival. Upon entering the room, the princess asked the guards to leave them. "Welcome back, Samus. Your report?" "Mission accomplished. Your ponies are now being escorted by the guards I requested, with Applejack as their leader. I've confirmed the identity of every stallion and mare, and they match those in the list given to me. A changeling is also being brought here, as he requested an audience with you." Said the Hunter in the most emotionless voice Celestia had heard her speak since her arrival. "I expect my pay near my ship by tomorrow morning." That said, Samus turned around and proceeded to leave. "Is everything ok? You look troubled." asked a concerned Celestia. Even if Samus was covered with her armor and helmet, the sun princess could see something was amiss. Samus stopped for a moment, but then continued her way, ignoring any further prying from the white alicorn. Following the advice Celestia gave her when she first visited the castle, Samus deactivated her Power Suit and went for a stroll in the castle gardens. She still had a lot of stuff to think, and maybe a little walk could help her with that. She reached the statue garden, just like on her chat with Celestia. As she walked, Samus's thoughts went back to the small changeling princess. If she were to follow the ponies' way of acting and go apologize, what would happen? Would she even have the chance to apologize? Her musings lasted for a while, and she didn't stop walking. After some time, Samus arrived at the same statue that had played tricks in her mind: the one of the mishmash of different animal parts. For the briefest of moments, she heard the echo of a laugh. Samus looked around, seeing no one. Deciding that she was going mad, she sat on the ground and adopted a lotus position. Just as her late Chozo caretakers taught her, Samus began to meditate. 'One must train body, mind, and soul to overcome.' Gray Voice used to tell her whenever she blundered in her training. Sadly, her meditation was backfiring, for her mind returned to horrible memories, new and old. She was going to keep trying when she heard a voice; a voice that she instantly recognized to belong to a self-absorbed snob. She opened her eyes and saw a white unicorn stallion, dressed in a fancy blue vest, walking with two visibly annoyed mares and an even-more-annoyed royal guard. He seemed to pay no mind to his subordinates' discomfort. "Ugh. What is that horrible creature doing in the royal gardens?" The stuck-up pony asked. "I believe she is Samus, Prince Blueblood. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna asked for her help with the case of the foalnapped ponies." answered the guard. The mares that were accompanying them stopped looking annoyed and started looking curious when they saw Samus. "Well, tell her that her job is done and that she may stop ruining this beautiful garden's sight with her presence." ordered the prince. Before any other pony could say something, Samus stood up and spoke. "Listen, you little snob, I'm really not in the mood to deal with the likes of you, so shut the hell up and fuck off." "My, what vulgarity. Do you not know who I am? I'm Princess Celestia's beloved nephew, Prince Blueblood. Show some respect, you measly peasant." Samus tightened her fists. Collecting herself, she breathed deeply and exhaled, somewhat calming herself. Samus turned around and started walking. "You're not worth my time." Feeling insulted, Blueblood indignantly replied. "You will show the respect I deserve. I'm royalty and should be treated as such." Seeing the human completely ignoring him, he pressed on. "Well, I'll be! What a brutish savage you are. Didn't your parents teach you any manners? I'm certainly not surprised, given how they're most likely even worse than you are." Samus stopped walking. Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head to face the prince. Her eyes alone were enough to scare off the two mares that had come with the prince. OXOXO A few hours earlier... "Go. NOW!" barked Samus. Rainbow Dash just looked at the two of them, before letting out an angry growl and dashing away back to Ponyville. "Mighty sorry about that. Dash can be a little reckless at times." The apple farmer apologized. After a few deep breaths, Samus responded. "Make sure this to help this town however you can, but keep an eye on the skies for my signal. I'm leaving. Be sure to report to Land Scout every now and then. Later." Samus waved two fingers and left for the woods. "You can count on me!" responded Applejack. She saw Samus leave without another word. "Now let's see what these townsfolk need help with." Applejack trotted back to Marelin, where some ponies could be seen making some cleaning up or some repairs. A fading rainbow trail, however, caught her attention. Instead of going to Ponyville, the trail led to inner Marelin. This soured the farmer's mood, for it could only mean one thing: Rainbow Dash wasn't heading for Ponyville. Applejack followed Rainbow Dash into the town. By the way Rainbow Dash was continuously turning her head, Applejack deduced she was looking for something. And knowing Rainbow Dash, it was Trixie. After some time, Applejack could see Rainbow Dash head for the ground behind a building. She followed her flying friend to the landing point. As she turned the corner, she saw Trixie humoring a couple of fillies with a simple magic trick, wagon on the side. Rainbow Dash began walking with angry steps toward the unicorn. The farm pony decided to stay by the sidelines to see what would happen, ready to jump at the scene if necessary. "All right, Trixie. What are you up to now?" asked an enraged Rainbow Dash. Trixie, upon seeing Rainbow Dash, excused herself to the fillies and asked them to go home. Once they had done so, she turned to the rainbow-maned mare behind her. "That's Beatrix to you. What do you want?" "You may have fooled this entire town, but not me. I know you're up to something." accused Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, her neck glowed magenta and she was pulled down, her face touching the ground. Seeing this act of violence, Applejack prepared to act, but stopped when Trixie began talking. "Listen well, you little saboteur. I was just performing a show, bothering no pony as far as the audience let me know. You just suddenly come and ruin everypony's fun." Trixie walked closer to the pinned mare. "You mentioned payback. I can only assume you are one of the hecklers from Ponyville that is still bitter about losing. As far as I can remember, I challenged the audience, and you accepted the challenge. Well, let me tell you something: you won't win every challenge; sometimes, you'll lose. Now go; I have had enough of your despicable town and its insufferable residents. Your kind has already done enough damage." Trixie levitated Rainbow Dash and threw her toward Applejack, as if she knew the farmer was there. "I'll deal with your town soon enough. Now go! And don't bother me again, because next time, I won't be nearly as merciful with you." Rainbow Dash landed in front of Applejack with the grace of a rock. Both mares gave Trixie hateful glances, which the showmare promptly ignored. She simply continued walking away. "How dare she?" "That's enough, sugarcube. We best not deal with her kind." Applejack scoffed "An' here Ah thought she had turned a new leaf and start clean. By the way..." the farmer turned to the winged mare "Why didn't you follow Samus's orders?" "Are you kidding me? I wasn't going to let this chance go to waste." "Well, Ah suggest you go now. Townsfolk are not looking kindly at you." Indeed, they were receiving ugly glares from some ponies. "Fine." The pegasus said before flying off. Applejack decided to spend a bit more time with her cousin Golden Delicious. She looked for him. After she did, they went to a nearby café to catch up. After some time had passed, Golden excused himself and left Applejack; he had to go back to his farm. With nothing better to do, she decided to go and see if any pony needed help with something. As she walked, she began feeling curious about the whole Trixie incident. Wanting to find out more about the ordeal, she asked the first pony she saw why everyone was defending her so much. "She was bringing enjoyment to this town. We were all eager to see that great finale to Wanda's Magic Show, but your friend had to ruin that for us." was her answer. "Mighty sorry 'bout that. But Ah'm sure you've heard about the 'Great and Powerful Trixie' incident a while back. Sorry to say, but 'Wanda' just played the lot of you." replied the farmer in a solemn tone. "What do you take us for? The whole town knows Wanda is that same infamous Trixie. So what? She was giving us a fun show. What more is there to it? I don't know how you Ponyville ponies handle things, but here in Marelin, we at least give ponies the benefit of doubt. The gal was just offering a show, and she delivered. Or at least she was until that rainbow bully came and ruined it. Now if you'll excuse me..." The pony said in an almost rude voice and left Applejack. "Well, shoot." said the apple farmer. She glanced at the western woods long enough for her to see an explosion far away in the sky. The explosion turned to a cloud of icy wind and a shower of frozen crystals. That was Samus's signal. She wasted no time in informing the guards and heading that way. OXOXO Samus was dragging the beaten body of what could be called a pony. Prince Blueblood's limp body had a battered and ripped vest, two broken legs, a cracked horn, black eyes, a bloody snout, and several missing teeth. The two mares from before were helping her carrying the knocked out guard, who sported nothing more than a bump on his head. They had agreed to help after a short explanation from Samus. They headed for the castle nursery, where the mares gently deposited the guard on one of the beds. Samus unceremoniously dropped the prince on the floor, causing him to whimper. A nurse entered the nursery and gasped when she saw the prince. "What happened?" "He caught me in a bad mood. Lucky for him I held back." "Held back? Just look at him! How is that holding back?" asked the crossed nurse. "Not all of his bones are broken, that's how." Without another word, Samus exited the nursery. She headed for the castle's exit. Equipping her Power Suit and engaging her Speed Booster, she set her destination to Ponyville. More specifically, her ship. As expected, it only took minutes to reach her ship. Given that it was dysfunctional at the moment (and would continue to be until the next day), Samus wasn't able to enter it. Checking that everything was in order so far, she instead opted to unequip her suit and head to Ponyville. Deciding to kill some time and do some research, she headed for Golden Oak Library. Samus arrived at the giant hollow tree and entered. For some reason, seeing Spike put her in a better mood, albeit not for much. As always, he was cleaning the library and doing other chores. Twilight was also there, though she was reading a book and barely aware of her surroundings. At the sound of the door closing, Spike noticed the huntress had come to visit. "Hey, Samus! How you've been?" asked the dragon jovially. Upon hearing Spike's greeting, Twilight looked up from her book to see that, indeed, Samus had just entered the library. "Hello! So how was the mission?" "Completed." Samus answered. Both Spike and Twilight noticed the complete lack of emotion in her voice. Twilight dismissed it as Samus's personality, but Spike didn't. Having spent an afternoon talking with the human, he knew she wasn't as emotionless as she presented herself. "Is something wrong? You seem upset." asked Spike. Samus sighed. "It's nothing you can help me with." She was a bit surprised at the baby dragon for reading her so easily. Either she has been losing her touch, or the recent event had affected her more than she thought. "Anyways, I need all the info on changelings you have available." "Changelings?" questioned Twilight "Were they the ones responsible? Did you encounter them?" "Yes and yes. I need to do a little research on them, if you don't mind." Samus was starting to sound impatient. "I'll help you." offered Spike. He and Samus began looking at the books that might hold some information on the subject. After half an hour, Samus had a pile of 12 books that mentioned the changelings in the indexes. Of those 12, only 4 had real information about them. It was early evening, so Samus decided to stay and read the books; besides, her ship still needed another day to fully recharge. With a plan in mind, her helmet materialized on her head and she began reading. OXOXO Morning came, and with it, the last pages of the last book Samus was reading. While she was not surprised at her findings, she was still disappointed. Out of the four books she read, three had basically classified the changeling as 'evil parasites that fed on love'. The other book did go a little deeper, mentioning several theories about their nourishment and the possibility of coexistence with them. It was interesting to see how they need not 'leech' the feeling if it was given to them voluntarily, according to one of the author's theories. Samus recalled Darkly saying something along those lines, though she wasn't sure. Samus finished reading the book and reported her findings on her research logbook. Her helmet vanished, and she went outside. Twilight and Spike had both went to sleep late at night, so they were still asleep. Samus saw it was early in the morning, so she decided to walk around town and see if anything interesting happened. Since it was still early, few ponies were up, but Samus spotted Big Mac walking around town, pulling a wagon with a couple of barrels. She waved a hand in acknowledgement, and the stallion did the same with his hoof. Neither said anything and continued with their day. Given that the town was still pretty much asleep, and it was still a few hours before her ship became usable, the huntress had a little change of plan and started exploring Ponyville. She still wasn't all that familiar with its layout, and she wanted to see if something caught her attention; something that didn't interest Twilight enough to consider on her tour through Ponyville. As she walked by, she spotted a shop that sold quills and sofas. It was unusual, but nothing too interesting. The next shop, a clock shop, wasn't unusual at all, but somehow caught Samus's attention. She went in, glad that it was open at that hour. She looked around, taking in the peculiar style of some of the pieces there. Most clock were what anyone would expect, but others were made from recycled materials and made for some unique designs. While clocks were simple machines, Samus had always had a certain fascination with the inner workings of machines; cogs and gears and all that. The style that dominated most clocks in the shop made her remember Sky Town in Elysia. Sadly, memories quickly went toward Ghor, and how she had to kill him. Same for Rundas and Gandrayda. That last was especially horrible, seeing her extend her arm in help just to die not two seconds later with her face contorted in fear. "May I help you?" The voice interrupted her train of thought, and Samus turned to see a brown earth pony with spiky backwards mane and an hourglass cutie mark. "Oh, you're that... What was it?... Human! You're the human the mayor introduced the other day! Sams, or something. So, anything caught your fancy?" "Samus." she corrected "I was just browsing. Did you build these?" "Yes I did. I sometimes go to Ponyville's junkyard and look for some pieces that I can use in my clocks. It makes for the most exotic pieces, doesn't it?" "Yeah... May I ask where this junkyard is? I think I'll look for some pieces myself." asked an interested Samus. "Of course. It is a mile and a half northeast from Ponyville. It is not overly big, mind you. You'll only find some scrap metal and wood. Maybe some old building materials" "That's okay. I'll see what I can find." "Most excellent. Maybe we'll see each other! My name is Time Turner, by the way." the stallion offered a smile. "Samus Aran." said the huntress. They gave each other a hand/hoof shake. "I think I'll be leaving. Thank you for your help." "Come back anytime!" Samus exited the clock shop and decided to go explore the junkyard. Who knows what she could find there? As always, her walk was uneventful. She arrived at the junkyard, which was a bit bigger than what she would expect from a village like Ponyville. She wandered through the junkyard, picking up something and examining it every now and them. There were some pieces she could use in case her ship lacked the materials to fully repair the boosters, as well as enough metal to build a small robot (she had wanted to build her own Tinbot ever since she first visited Elysia). This place definitely deserved a second visit. After spending enough time in the scrap-filled place, Samus decided to go check if her payment had arrived. She walked while thinking on how to build her robot and trying to forget yesterday's events. Once she arrived at the crash site, she spotted a couple of chests decorated with the royal insignia. She opened them and verified they were full of golden coins. Payment received and secured, Samus returned to Ponyville to find something to eat. She found the café she visited while briefing Land Scout and Applejack of the mission. She made a mental note to visit Applejack tomorrow to make sure everything was fine. She ordered some fries and a strawberry smoothie. After almost choking on her fries, Samus asked if the hay could be replaced with potatoes. The waiter reluctantly took her order. This strange suggestion earned her some weird glances from other customers, which she promptly ignored. Samus liked potatoes. After she finished eating and paid for her food, Samus headed for the library. Her ship would finish recharging after a few hours, which would be spent in her studies. When she reached the library and told Twilight of her plan, the purple mare wasted no time in gathering books and handing them to Samus. Twilight also warned Samus that she will make some tests for Samus to answer. The huntress didn't complain, actually grateful for the distractions; she wanted to forget the events with the changelings. OXOXO "And the 'Come to Life' spell was mostly designed by...?" asked Twilight. "Starswirl the Bearded. Just like the past 8 answers have been 'Starswirl the Bearded'." deadpanned Samus. "Oh... Really? I haven't noticed." "I'm done. My ship finished charging an hour ago. If you need anything, and try not to, look for me in my ship." Samus stood up and left, ignoring any comment from Twilight's part. Spike had gone over to help Rarity with gem hunting, so he wasn't present. After arriving at her home and mode of transport, Samus opened the hatch and entered her ship. The first thing she did was check the systems. Everything was in order, so she went to the next thing, damage report: not as good as she hoped, but not as bad as she expected. The Medical Bay still needed some more minor repairs, as did the boosters. The Ammo Factory was in top shape, at least. Check-up done, Samus reloaded all missiles and ammo to top capacity. She instructed the ship to commence the Auto-Repair functions, which should be finished before sundown. She gave the Medical Bay top priority. After that, Adam made himself known. "Welcome back, lady." "How long until the Medical Bay is functional? The suit took a beating and needs to refill its energy tanks." "It should take 51 minutes to become usable again. Damages aren't that severe, and the repairs you made helped accelerating the process." "Good. I'll go outside. Call me when it's ready." "Roger." Samus went outside. Things were finally looking up for her ship. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for her psyche; the look the little changeling princess gave her was almost enough to shatter her spirit. OXOXO Samus Aran's Log, entry 019: The mission was a success, but it came at a terrible price. The possible death of the changeling queen brought a lot of distress for the young princess. Princess Anis -I think that's how Darkly called her- made quite an impression in me. From what I could see, she is a strong character with a lot of love for her people, and yet she is still a child. A child that may or may not have seen her mother killed in front of her. The eyes she looked at me with were the same eyes I had when Ridley murdered my entire colony. I have become what I swore to destroy, and I honestly fear how this will affect me in the future. I wonder... What would Gray Voice do in my situation? OXOXO Samus sat, once again, in the lotus position. Meditation was a technique she rarely used, and yet she had attempted it twice in two days. The legendary Hunter was at a loss of what to do. Should she try and get over it? Should she try going to apologize to the changeling princess? That last question brought on other questions. Just how forgiving were the changelings? The queen mentioned something about their species being almost gone; were the changelings on the verge of extinction? How will they cope with the loss of their queen? Has Samus eradicated yet another species? As she continued with her inner debate, Adam's voice sounded in her ear. "The Medical Bay is ready. You may use it whenever you wish, lady." "Thanks, Adam. Prepare it immediately; I'm going in now." "Roger." Samus stood up and entered her ship. She equipped her armor and entered the Medical Bay. The energy tanks in her suit were being quickly filled. Once her suit was in optimal conditions again, she exited the bay and deactivated her Power Suit. All that was left was for her ship to finish repairing the boosters and she would be able to do some flying tests. It was still early, but Samus was both physically and emotionally drained, so she decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow she would visit Applejack and ask about the rescued ponies. Hopefully, everything went well. She would also go to Canterlot to visit Darkly and maybe even sort this whole event. OXOXO Samus awoke with a jump, breathing heavily. She had a horrible nightmare, but with the exception of a pair of misty green eyes, she couldn't remember what it was. Whatever it was, though, it was dreadful enough to wake the Hunter. Looking outside the ship's window, she deduced it was early morning. "Oh good, you're awake. Welcome to the waking world, [hunter name here]. It is [time and date here]. I wish you had a restful and sleepful sleep. Should we begin testing the ship?" Adam's voice sounded wrong. Instead of the masculine voice her A.I. companion had, this voice sounded like a female instructor of sorts. Somehow, Samus could detect a slight psychopathic tint in the ship's new voice. "I'm going out." The Hunter declared with a confused frown. "Fantastic. Have fun with your testing. Do try the cake. It's moist and delicious." Samus exited the ship, still confused over what just happened. As she planned yesterday, her first destination was Sweet Apple Acres. She took the road to the apple orchard, which wasn't far from her ship. As she neared the farm, Samus could hear the frustrated and angry voice of Applejack. "AH, FOR PETE'S SAKE. WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON HERE?!" Samus quickened her step, ready to help the farmer. She when arrived, she had to pause and make a double take at the sight that awaited her. Instead of an apple orchard, as she expected, Samus came to what could only be called a cucumber orchard; every apple the trees were supposed to have had been replaced with cucumbers. And as far as Samus knew, cucumbers weren't supposed to grow on trees. "What happened here?" asked the dumbfounded huntress. "That's what Ah wanna know. My precious apples..." mourned the apple farmer. Before any of the blondes could comment further, a rainbow-maned pegasus fell just in front of where they were. "Oof. What the hay?" murmured Rainbow Dash as she picked herself up. Samus noticed one of her eyes was starting to swell. "What happened to you? Did you crash in a building?" asked Applejack. "Not quite. More like crashed with a cloud. A cloud made of lead." "wut?" "Yeah! I was going to clear this cloud, but it was made of lead. It then started to rain bolts and screws." "You guys are not making any sense." commented Samus. Just then, Twilight materialized beside them. "Girls, it's an emergency! Princess Celestia needs us in Canterlot as soon as possible. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy are already on their way to the train. You should come too, Samus." "Hold up, sugarcube. What's happening?" asked an increasingly worrying Applejack, as if she already knew the answer. "It's... It's..." struggled Twilight. "Yes?" "It's Discord. He's back." Samus tensed a little when she saw the color all but drained from both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. OXOXO A Hunter-class gunship flew toward Canterlot. Having been briefed by the ponies about this Discord character, Samus wasted no time in ordering Twilight and Rainbow to summon the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to her ship. All six ponies and human were now riding the gunship and heading toward Canterlot Castle, where Celestia awaited. The ship was now a bit crowded, but Samus was glad the repairs had ended in optimal results. As the ship neared the castle, a group of guards gathered to face the new threat. It wasn't until Spearhead arrived that he recognized the ship and ordered the guards to stand by. The ship landed, and one by one, the ponies exited via the hatch. Once all six mares and one armored human were out, Spearhead motioned for them to follow. They wasted no time in reaching the throne room, where Celestia was anxiously pacing around. Once she saw her heroes, she calmed a bit and greeted them. Spearhead left the room on the princess's orders. "I have terrible news." the Sun Goddess started "I'm afraid Discord has been freed once again. I summoned you here to ask for your help. Equestria needs you to wield the Elements yet again. Please follow me, there's no time." Celestia walked out of one of the doors, quickly followed by six mares and one human. Their destination was Canterlot Tower, home of the Elements of Harmony. They walked along a corridor, which was decorated with majestic windows and fancy pillars. At the end of the corridor was a double door with a slot in the middle. As they walked, Samus noticed the stained glass windows and how they portrayed some of the legends she read in her studies. The one that caught her attention was one where crude pictures of Celestia and Luna circled a weird creature, a creature that seemed familiar to her. "We're here." said Celestia "The Elements are just behind this door. I'll open it for-" "Honey! I'm home!" a bodyless male voice interrupted the Sun Princess. Every pony present in the room jumped in surprise at the voice. Samus began looking around, searching for the source and ready to blast anything remotely resembling a threat. "Discord!" Celestia was the first to recover. She rushed to the doors and attempted to insert her horn in the slot. Her attempt failed when something obstructed her magical bone. The princess looked to see what was happening, and barely contained her anger at seeing her attempts stopped by a simple, non-magical, ordinary cork lodged in the slot. Any further attempts were forgotten once that same voice laughed at her expense. "Ahahahahaha! Oh, the look on your face was priceless!" The voice said again. From nowhere, a mismatched creature materialized; the same creature depicted in the statue that unnerved Samus. "Really, Celestia, only you pull off some of those- GREAT GLIDING GRIFFONS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Discord yelled in an alarmed voice. This brought confusion and even more anxiety to everyone present... at least until the spirit of chaos continued speaking. "Your flank has gotten wider, like twice as wide. Slacking off more now that little Luna is here to help, huh?" Celestia's face turned redder and redder with each word Discord said. "I will not let you run free once again!" The embarrassment and anger the Sun Princess felt became too much, and she blasted the draconequus; or tried to, before Discord winked out of existence and reappeared beside Samus. "Ohohoho. Really Cele-" Discord was interrupted by his head freezing. He lifted his eagle talon and lion paw to feel his frozen head when a missile exploded on it, shattering it and sending frozen head fragments everywhere. Discord's limp body fell to the ground. It wasn't long before the headless body sprang back to its feet. The eagle talon reached for its neck and grasped something. With a 'pop', the talon pulled another head, identical to the one before. He snapped his fingers and all the frozen bits turned to marshmallows, which he ate. "Ahh... That's why I like you, my little chaotic woman. Such ferocious power hidden behind such a calm and stoic face. Such raging maelstrom of emotion perfectly disguised as cold and calculating calm. Such subtle form of turmoil. How could I not feel attracted to you?" Samus fired her Power Beam at the spirit of chaos as response. He simply floated to his side and avoided the shots. "Relax." said Discord, suddenly teleporting beside Samus. She leapt backwards and landed with her cannon aimed at the creature. "You need to be more laid back. All that stress is going to tense your neck stiff. I should know, I was trapped in stone for who knows how. Now..." he bowed to Samus "...to thank my beautiful Discordette! I am grateful, my dear, for your hand in my freedom. Seeing you beating that posh unicorn was very fun! Seriously Celestia, how come you still keep that annoying nephew of yours walk in the palace? His voice is so bleck." All ponies now gasped at the news. They all looked at her with betrayal in their faces; even Celestia seemed confused at the statement. Samus, still aiming her cannon at Discord, didn't move a muscle. "Samus, explain." ordered Celestia. "I did beat some stuck-up unicorn, but that's it. I've never met this thing before. You explain." said the Hunter, looking at Discord. "But of course, my lady." Discord said with a bow. He then turned to Celestia. "Please try to control your jealousy, Celestia. This lovely woman here has sparked that -" he got cut off again when he noticed a black orb with a purple glow slowly moving toward him. He curiously touched it and it quickly expanded, swallowing the spirit of chaos. The black portal lasted another three seconds before collapsing on itself, leaving no trace of the draconequus. A few seconds passed in which not a dust particle moved. Then, being the first to recover from the bizarre event that had just happened, Celestia asked Samus what she had done. Samus lowered her Arm Cannon and faced the ruler of the day. "I sent him to a dark dimension. He won't be able to bother us anymore." answered Samus as she took off her helmet. "Was that dark magic?" asked a somewhat dumbfounded princess. "No. That was Luminoth technology." "Did you really beat up my nephew?" "Yes, he caught me in a bad mood. And instead of going away like I suggested, he said the wrong words. Now, may I ask why you have a statue of your worst enemy in your garden?" Samus had an almost accusing frown in her face. "That would be because I was that statue." Discord's voice answered before Celestia could. Again, Samus frantically looked around trying to spot the fiend. This would be the first time anything returned from the dark dimension of the Darkburst. A zipper appeared out of nowhere, and with a zipping noise, it opened a hole in the fabric of reality, from where Discord emerged before closing the tear in the air and eating the zipper. He was now wearing some shades, a cap, and a blue shirt with palm trees printed on it. "Ahh! I needed that vacation. I met this delightful guy with different personalities; he was so crazy! We would've hit it off if he weren't trying to kill me. Will you ever stop surprising me?" said Discord as he pinched Samus's cheek and patted her head. She batted the offending paw away and opened fire again. He blinked out of existence and reappeared some distance away from the huntress. "I forgot to tell you! I met some friends of yours, Samus. They came to say 'hello'." said Discord as several mechanoids materialized behind him. One of the mechanoid consisted in three metallic orbs floating in the air with several holographic panels surrounding the bigger orb. Another was a robotic gorilla with wrecking balls serving as its fists; it also had a cannon mounted on its back. The last two were four-legged mechanical spiders with a central body and a head mounted in a long sleek neck; their legs also consisted on sharp-looking spikes. Samus cursed as she now faced a Rezbit, an Ingsmasher, and two Quads; all looking ready to destroy the famous bounty hunter. She wasted no time in replacing her helmet on her head. "Now, my dear, catch up with your friends while I discuss our future with princess grumpy." Discord told Samus. He turned his attention back to Celestia while the Rezbit and two Quads menacingly approached the huntress. "Stand back! These things are deadly." yelled Samus when she noticed the ponies trying to get near her and help. The Ingsmasher, on the other hand, put its attention on Celestia and the door guarding the elements. Following some of its original programming, it stood in front of the door to guard it against anything that came near. "We need the Elements!" yelled Twilight as she and the rest of the bearers rushed toward the princess and villain. Celestia and Discord had met in combat. Or more accurately, Discord would mock Celestia while she tried to trap him in a magic bubble and failed at it. Twilight and Rarity would provide magic support, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie provided melee combat. Fluttershy could only provide moral support from behind one of the columns. "Princess! We'll distract him; go get the Elements!" "Genius, Twilight. Yell your plan at the enemy." sarcastically commented Discord. He dashed to Celestia, hoping to cut her off, but stopped to avoid getting blasted in the face by one of Twilight's magic bolts. He then smiled when he saw the Ingsmasher send Celestia flying to the other side of the room. "Ooh, that bouncer does pack a punch." Celestia recovered in midair, shaking her head to clear her vision. Her eyes widened and she barely avoided the energy bursts that the Ingsmasher fired at her from its cannon. She then fired her own beam at the robot, only for it to raise a white-glowing arm and deflect the attack. Samus, meanwhile, was charging her Power Beam. She took aim and fired a Super Missile at the Rezbit. Being able to infect her suit with a powerful computer virus made it the biggest threat of the four mechanoids. The fact that they could also fire devastating lasers didn't help. The missile hit just before the Rezbit could create a barrier. Samus then leapt to her side, avoiding a swipe from the Quad's leg, and switched to the Dark Beam. As soon as she saw the barrier protecting the Rezbit disappear, she shot frenetically. The Rezbit didn't last long after that. Her victory, however, couldn't be celebrated yet, for the Quads still presented a problem. Samus fired an ice missile and trapped one of the Quads. Her Arm Cannon switched to the Magmaul and she fired several shots at the trapped mechanoid. The explosion, albeit powerful, barely did any damage to the Quad's body, but it Head Module didn't survive. She quickly entered Morph Ball mode and slammed against the cooling device the main body extended when it overheated. The destruction of the device brought the destruction of the mechanoid. As soon as she exited the Morph Ball, the other Quad struck her. The robot pressed its advantage, not giving the Hunter much room for a counterattack. As she evaded another swipe, Samus took noticed that Discord, the Ingsmasher, and all the ponies were distracted fighting each other. She gave a back jump to get some distance. The Quad started spinning on the tips of its legs and rushed towards Samus, who once again entered Morph Ball and collided with her enemy. As every time before, the Quad lost balance and stopped spinning, revealing its cooling device. Samus slammed against it and destroyed the body. She returned to normal as fast as she could, switched to the Annihilator Beam, and blasted the Head Module. Discord was kept busy with the six ponies while Celestia took the defensive against the Ingsmasher. So focused on their own fight were all of them that none of them noticed neither the powerful explosive projectile heading for the door guarding the Elements nor the dark alicorn arriving at the scene. The explosion did a good job at catching the attention of everyone present. The dark bolt of magic striking Discord also contributed to it. The door was destroyed, revealing the box that contained the Elements of Harmony. Princess Luna wasted no time in trapping Discord in a magic bubble, with Celestia quickly joining her. Twilight and the other bearers quickly donned their respective element and began gathering magic. Finally, Samus tackled the Ingsmasher before it got on the way of the ponies; she then spared no ammo in shooting down the robot. Discord, instead of cowering like the time before, actually laughed at them. "This time was even shorter than last time. Oh well, better not break up the new pose." he said while adapting the same pose he was in before being petrified. Samus watched the spectacle with mild interest. It wasn't until the rainbow-colored wave of magic surged forward to the draconequus that she gasped at the sight. Some painful memories flashed again in her mind. The 'Harmony Beam', as she decided to call it, looked awfully similar to the Hyper Beam the baby metroid gave her when it died protecting her. The screech it gave just before dying vividly sounding in her ears. Samus fell on her knees, too stunned to move. Suddenly, it was all over. Where Discord was now stood the same statue she saw before. All ponies were on the ground, sighing and collapsing in exhaustion. Princesses Celestia and Luna stood tall and proud at their victory. Samus deactivated her suit and lied on the floor for a few moments, before standing up and making her way toward Luna and Celestia. "Is it over?" she asked. "It is." answered the lunar alicorn "Sorry for the delay." "It is fine, my sister. We were victorious in the end." Celestia said. "For now, we should all rest." They all agreed. Well, almost. "That was a little anticlimactic..." commented Pinkie Pie. OXOXO After having a small meal and a good rest, Samus had a handful trying to deal with Pinkie Pie. Turning into a ball while within the pink mare's sight might have been a bad idea. "You have to teach me how to turn into a ball! That's, like, the most awesome superpower ever!" Eeyup, definitely a bad idea. Doing her best to ignore the hyperactive party pony, Samus was heading toward the throne room, where the princesses were supposed to be. Sure enough, Celestia sat on her throne, relaxing with a cup of steaming tea. Two Royal Guards stood on both sides of the throne. "You wanted to talk with me?" asked the Sun Princess when she noticed Samus and Pinkie Pie enter the room. "Yes. I request to speak with Darkly, the changeling I entrusted your guards with." Samus answered. Pinkie Pie gasped loudly at this. "You brought a changeling? Those things that eat love? Why?" Pinkie Pie asked. She was ignored. "Of course. My sister has gone to talk to him to the dungeons. Princess Cadance has joined her." answered Celestia. Her response infuriated Samus. "What do you mean dungeons? I specifically ordered your guards that he would NOT be harmed." said the Hunter in a misleadingly calm voice. Pinkie Pie just looked back and forth at the human and the alicorn. "He was not. You would do well to remember the Royal Guard serve Luna and myself, not you. And until I've confirmed the changeling poses no threat, he shall stay in the dungeons. If you wish to speak to him, go ahead. But he will not be released until I consider it wise to do so." said Celestia sternly. Samus stood still and quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "I will check up on him. Pray he is well." She turned to leave, but was interrupted by the Sun Princess. "Samus, did something happen during your mission? You have been acting rather aggressively ever since you came back." "I may have damned an innocent child with the same curse I have." was Samus's simple response. "What do you mean by curse?" "That's none of your business." With that, Samus left for the dungeons. Princess Celestia looked curiously at Pinkie Pie, but only got a shrug as a response. The walk was a short one. Samus, however, felt like it took ages. She was anxious. Afraid, even, of the reaction she would cause on Darkly. When she reached the cells, two alicorns could be seen. Samus noticed Luna deep in conversation with Darkly. Judging by her expression, Luna did not openly dislike the changeling; she even gave a small laugh. The other alicorn, however, looked a lot more contemptuous at the prisoner. This was Princess Cadance, Samus supposed. A deep frown adorned her features, and the hate she felt for the creature was almost palpable. "Stop talking to it so casually, Princess Luna. He is a danger to ponies and should be-" Princess Cadance stopped talking when she noticed the human approach them. "Who are you?" "I'm Samus Aran. Princess Cadance, I presume?" "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza... Yes, Cadance is fine. What are you doing here, Samus Aran?" asked the pink alicorn. "I came to make sure Darkly was fine. Judging by your attitude towards him, I would think you may present a threat to him. Before you say anything else, I promised to break the legs of whoever harms him in any way." Princess Cadance was taken aback from the sheer... rudeness this character addressed her with. While not really a fan of formalities, Cadance had yet to meet someone talk to her so boldly. In the back, Luna was just as surprised at the Hunter's outburst and threat. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Princess Luna is actually a lot nicer than I thought." Darkly said from behind bars. "He can't be trusted. Something that feeds on love can't be good." insisted Cadance. "I don't care. Anyway, I see Darkly is well. I trust you will do a good job, Luna." Samus said, giving a nod to the Moon Princess. She turned back to Cadance. "Remember: harm him and I'll beat the shit out of you." "As the Princess of Love, I can't allow changelings to roam free! Don't you understand?" "Princess of love... ugh. Look, I understand. Really, I do. But I'm a very selfish person, so whatever your reasons may be, I'll still brutalize you if you lay a single strand of you mane on him." Princess Mi Amore Cadenza just stood there, gawking, as she tried to process what was just said to her. Finally, she erupted. "THE CHANGELINGS RUINED MY WEDDING! THEY LAUNCHED AN INVASION ON CANTERLOT THE SAME DAY I WAS TO WED! I WAS HELD PRISONER WHILE THEY ALMOST STOLE MY HUSBAND FROM ME! CANTERLOT ALMOST FELL WITH THEIR ATTACK! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MEANS?!" "You'll do what you must for your subjects. They say the road to hell in paved with good intentions." Samus sighed "As far as I know, you are happily married to Shining Armor, bless his naïve heart. This means your wedding ultimately was a success, right?" "Yes." "Tell me, have you ever witnessed the ones you love and hold dear murdered right before your eyes?" "No..." "Then shut up." Samus turned back to Darkly "I'll be seeing you." Darkly just looked at her with a mix of hate and gratefulness. Princess Cadance just barely contained the anger this human made her feel. Samus left the dungeon, intent on returning to her ship and back to Ponyville and eager to leave this day behind. OXOXO Samus's ship landed gracefully in the same clearing it crashed in. Adam's voice had returned to normal after Discord's defeat. Judging by what the ponies said about the draconequus, it was safe to assume Adam had been affected by his chaotic influence. They arrived at Ponyville almost at dusk. The ponies had insisted on staying to visit Canterlot, given that they were already there. Samus joined them, but spent the entire time thinking about her situation. To say she disliked the new 'princess' would be an understatement, same with the imbecile that called himself Blueblood (even if she acted out of line, she didn't regret beating the bloody idiot). And Celestia was not far behind them; who the hell leaves the petrified form of their enemies in the garden for all to see when all it takes is a little fight to free them? Anyway, they were landing now. One by one, the ponies exited the ship, saying their 'goodnights' and going home. Once she was left alone, Samus made one last check-up on her ship. As expected, the ship was now in top condition. Samus opted to refill her ammo and missiles, as well as her suit's energy tanks. That done, she lay on her comfy chair in her Zero Suit. Not long after that, she fell asleep. OXOXO Darkness. All around her, darkness. Suddenly, the black gave way to a grassy field. Human architecture was visible in the field. More and more buildings became visible. Samus recognized this place as the colony of K2L, her home planet. Samus was still floating while looking at her former home. The landscape was just as she remembered it. But something was amiss; there was something missing. Ah, it was empty. That was it. There were buildings, but not a single living creature was within sight. She briefly wondered if this was going to be another nightmare regarding the worst and most traumatic day of her life, until she remembered they always started with her in her mother's embrace. So if this wasn't a dream, or nightmare, what was it? "Hello." a voice said behind her. Samus turned around. She didn't startle nor jumped into action, as she would normally do; and she took notice of that. Whoever or whatever spoke did it with a voice she never heard before, but radiated familiarity nonetheless. Her shape, however, did not. Before Samus stood a pony. She was a strong pink and had a purple mane with white streaks in some parts of it. On her flank was her cutie mark, which consisted of a baseball and a screw. She was wearing a yellow and white beanie with a green propeller. But her most distinctive features were her eyes. Instead of the normal pupils she had seen on other ponies, this one had purple irises, but spirals instead of corneas. Somehow, it seemed to look good on the mare. "Who are you?" asked the human. "I'm you. Or part of your. Or part of your mind. I guess this is kinda confusing... I know! You can call me Screwball."