//------------------------------// // 13. Dark Descent // Story: Metroid Equis // by Flammenwerfer //------------------------------// Metroid Equis Chapter 13 Dark Descent Samus opened her eyes after resting them momentarily, revealing her blues to the room once more and just observing where she was. They had been waiting in the intermediary room for some time, but the medical officer had gotten held back, so they were asked to get comfortable in the various chairs in the room… a little small for Samus’s taste but she made do nonetheless. She had let her hair down and had her legs curled up into her chest, a position she found oddly comforting when she felt stressed. Stressed would be an understatement. Samus was really concerned. That… what she experienced outside the hospital was almost terrifying in her vocabulary and not many things entered her mind as ‘terrifying.’ Samus could count on her fingers what she considered terrifyingly chilling to the bone. Dark Samus: the idea of a split entity that she later found out was Metroid Prime mirroring her exact image, in a sense, was indeed chilling. On that note, Metroid Prime, Samus somewhat admitted, was probably “the scariest fucking thing” she had “ever seen in her entire life.” But yet, that headache was equally as terrifying. The pain shot deep into her psyche… hitting the core of her mind almost. She would, reluctantly, consult with Luna later about that. Samus sighed and let her hair down out of the tie. The mares all gave her some space for right now, as the Hunter had demonstrated that she liked to think on her own. She rested her eyes once more, placing her forehead on her knees which were still curled into her chest, tightening her grip around her shins. Still listening, she figured chatter had died down a bit. Everypony was most likely tired anyways, since they had to wake up so early… but she still heard a whisper or two, which gradually was getting louder. She guessed they wanted to be considerate, as they had shown her plenty of that trait during her stay. Samus… Samus shot her eyes open and looked up with a start as a loud whisper shook any remnants of thought from her head. She looked around the room and found all the mares plus the princess either resting their eyes or just getting comfortable. One thing was for certain: none of them called her. The Hunter listened intently and continued to idly gaze around the room. Nothing sounded save for the steady breathing of the occupants, as well as her own heartbeat. Samus huffed in irritation and placed her forehead back on her knees. This is all too weird. One of the doors suddenly opened, startling everybody out of their stupor. The medical officer made his presence known after removing some safety headwear, revealing a grey unicorn who looked like he had some age to him… although much of that age most likely came of recent events. “Good morning, everypony. I’m Doctor Stratus. I apologize to have kept you all waiting, especially you, Princess. Things… came up,” he spoke with a smooth, yet professional tone; his green eyes showing of great fatigue. “It was no trouble, Doctor,” Celestia responded softly with a smile. The doctor nodded in appreciation. “At any rate, since you’re all here to observe the extent of some of this, whatever this is, I’m going to have to ask you to please put on protective equipment. My assistant here is bringing in rubber, full-body suits much like I came in wearing.” On cue, another pony wearing similar protective clothing brought in the garments on her back. They were promptly distributed and the mares helped each other put them on. That’s when the doctor looked up at the hunter, perplexed. “Ummm, I’m not sure we have any protection tailored to your bipedal nature…” “Not a problem,” Samus replied. Her form was promptly engulfed in a ‘scanning’ light and then encased in her Astral Suit. Doctor Stratus was indeed surprised but then pointed to her arm cannon. “I’m going to assume that’s a weapon. Hospital policy dictates no weapons near the patients, so if you don’t mind…?” Samus’s arm cannon lit up briefly and disappeared, leaving an armored arm identical to her left arm in its place. “Happy?” “Thrilled. Let us get started,” the doctor finished, nodding in appreciation. The clothing was distributed and ensured for perfect fit on all the guests as Samus watched attentively. She was glad that the ponies weren’t taking this lightly by any means. It showed, and she figured casualty figures would be horrendously larger if they hadn’t. She would have to ask Celestia or Luna about figures later. “Are you girls all set?” Celestia spoke through her opaque viewing screen of her suit. The others nodded, equally dressed for the occasion. They couldn’t be told apart save for protrusions on the head for Rarity and Twilight, as well as two extra bumps on the back in the case of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Samus took her place in front of the Elements and right next to Celestia and Doctor Stratus. Celestia took one last measure of caution and cast a form-fitting barrier spell on all the occupants, which would limitedly protect them from airborne and physical toxins. The Hunter then turned to the Mane Six as they were about to open the door into the Quarantined Room. “Girls,” Samus spoke softly but very firmly from behind her violet visor, leaving no room for objections. “What you are all about to see may very well scar you. While you are not required to be here, it was brought to my attention that you six agreed to accompany Celestia and I. If you need to leave the Quarantine Room, please do so. If you follow us through this door, you know of the consequences. Do any of you wish to stay behind?” None of the facial expressions of the Elements could be seen, but their confidence seemed fairly resolute. “No, Samus.” “I’m not backin’ out of this.” “Right behind ya, RD.” “Nope!” “Not a chance, Darling. I feel we all need to see this.” “I guess if you’re all going, I’m going too.” Samus stared at the six of them for a few moments before nodding. “Very well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though.” Samus let the Princess and Doctor lead the way and the door was soon opened up. Celestia and Stratus continued onward, but Samus stopped and observed, nodding to herself, before continuing down the middle of the endless rows of beds. Samus then stopped once more and turned back to Twilight and the others, who had all entered and were standing deathly still at what they had initially witnessed. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies were all lying randomly distributed among the rows of beds. Many were unconscious… or probably dead, to be honest. Phazon was leaking out of some of them from orifices… others were violently vomiting with the help of hospital staff. Many of the others were writhing and crying out in agony, often times completely unintelligible. Samus spied a few pegasi with overgrown, Phazon encrusted wings which were completely and utterly deformed almost beyond the point of recognition. Unicorn’s horns had to be forcibly removed to prevent subconscious magic discharge… or they disintegrated on their own. What even got to Samus a tad was that she spied a few foals that had been exposed. One was even just taken out, having died naught two minutes before. The moment Fluttershy laid eyes on the first few rows of terminal patients, she broke down in hysterics. Rarity, Twilight, and Applejack quickly rushed to her side. Pinkie stood there, saying absolutely nothing, and Rainbow Dash had to leave the room. Samus swore as the door closed that she heard heaving and retching. The Doctor was explaining things to Celestia so they continued forward. However, Samus felt compelled to retreat towards the breaking-down pegasus. “No! No no no no no no…! I.. I can’t…” “Shhh, it’s okay Fluttershy. It’s gon’ be okay sugarcube…” Applejack cooed. None could see the hysterical pegasus behind the face protection of the ‘hazmat’ suit, but she just continued ranting and shaking her head, undoubtedly continuing to sob. “I’m sorry, Shy… this was a bad idea, but it’s gonna be alright,” Twilight attempted to nuzzle the poor mare however she could. Samus gently strode up to her and knelt down so she could be eye-level with Fluttershy: faceless visor meeting faceless visor. “Fluttershy,” Samus began to speak. “No… no… NO!” “Fluttershy…” “They can’t… I can’t… N-No just…” “FLUTTERSHY,” Samus firmly spoke, but didn’t yell. For emphasis, she cusped the mare’s face in her hands, forcing Fluttershy to look at her. She shut her rambling up, only heavily whimpering. “Do you want to go back outside?” Fluttershy didn’t answer, but just kept softly shaking her head in Samus’s grasp. This incident somewhat reminded her of when she, years ago working for the Federation Police, blindly ran in and saved the little girl from being killed out of pleasure by the Space Pirates, and how she comforted her and protected her. With that image in mind, Samus felt there was only one appropriate thing to do. “It’s okay… it’s okay.” Samus gently (and admittedly, somewhat awkwardly) wrapped her arms around the mare and pulled her into her armor-clad chest. Fluttershy responded immediately and just let the sobs come out. Twilight, AJ, and Rarity said nothing, but inside, they were all very touched by the gesture. “Why…?!” the others were able to somberly understand from the pegasus’s slurred words. Samus had no real answer for that question, and her tone delivered a pang of pain into her friends’ hearts. The Hunter said nothing behind her visor and comfortingly patted Shy’s neck. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Fluttershy,” Samus whispered before standing up once more, making her way to the Celestia and Stratus. “Doctor, Samus here has had extensive knowledge of Phazon and its properties. What can you tell her, as well as I, about what you’ve seen here?” Celestia spoke once Samus joined up with them. “It’s spreading almost like a disease. It doesn’t appear to be airborne, but I refuse to take any chances. Direct contact with the material is enough to cause instant… ‘effects.’ Yet I’m sure you’re aware of all of this, Samus.” “The effects of contact seem to vary, although they all tend to have a common factor of becoming slowly more and more violent and addicted to the Phazon; at least the ones that survive initially,” Samus added. Stratus nodded. “We’ve observed that. And on that note, we’ve had quite a few… ‘corrupted’ individuals result from what seemed to be mere sickness from exposure.” The doctor had to find his next words, as they seemed to pain him to a certain degree. “We had to often call the Guard when restraining proved futile and all cases of extreme corruption like that had to be put down.” “My condolences, doctor. It shows that you care for all your patients,” Samus offered some words of consolation from behind her helmet. He nodded to her in appreciation. At that moment, two hazardous-suit-clad ponies entered the room, each bearing linen and other tools on their backs. Turning towards the new event, Samus and Celestia noted that the Elements indeed took Fluttershy out of the room. Only Twilight remained for knowledge and note-taking. “Ah, my assistants have arrived. We can start some examinations of certain individuals in the room,” Stratus spoke, eager to get on with the show. He beckoned one of the ponies over while the other tended to a victim on the far side by the exit. Samus paid this no mind and continued to gaze over the nearest victim, who happened to be an earth pony with Phazon deposits in her swollen neck. Celestia stood between the two. “Hoof the toolkit over if you don’t mind, Glimmer. Let’s get started.” The female assistant gave a firm “mhmm,” no facial expression able to be seen behind the reflective plastic visor, and rummaged through the equipment on her back with her magic. “AAAHHH!!” The ‘assistant’ instead pulled a large knife in her magical grasp and swung hard at the doctor, inflicting a large laceration right up his chest and forcing him to stumble backwards. At that exact moment she lunged for Samus with a war cry, while her back was turned. Samus immediately turned around as she heard the blood-curdling scream and, by impulse, shot her left hand out and ended up finding her target: the Hunter grabbed the suit-clad assistant by her neck before Celestia could even think about intercepting. Surveying quickly, especially because the large knife was still in the magical grasp of the now struggling pony, Samus acted just as fast and delivered a swift right jab to the muzzle of the suspended pony. The magical grasp wavered and to seal the deal, Samus went straight for her horn, grasped it, and bent it backwards with no mercy, fracturing the appendage, nearly shattering it. “AAAAHAAAAHHHHHH!!!” The blade fell immediately as the pony screamed in agonizing pain and suffering. Samus then threw her into the ground hard and stepped on her side, preventing the assailant from moving as she writhed in pain. All was not done, as the other ‘assistant’ was in a battle stance and charging its horn. Knowing it would take too long to equip her cannon and aim, Samus scooped the fallen blade up and threw it at the second attacker. Three quarters of the knife embedded itself into the second assailant’s upper left chest, eliciting a struggled scream of pain before he fell to the ground, frantically clutching his profusely bleeding wound. Celestia ran straight for the doctor as Samus equipped her cannon, aiming it at the head of the attacker below her. Twilight ran over to the exit of the door, where the rest of the elements had busted in to see what the hell went down. “What in tarnation?!” AJ exclaimed disbelievingly as she spied a severely wounded unicorn with a knife in his chest and Samus with her weapon aimed at the head of another. Not to mention the doctor, who was helped up, with a bleeding gash in his chest. “Oh my gosh, doctor!” Fluttershy shouted as she ran to Celestia and Stratus, her adrenaline kicking into overdrive and seeming to do a complete 180 from her episode several minutes ago. The others followed her and joined them. “Thank you… I’m… ach! I’m fine, but damn this is just painful… uhhh…” Doctor Stratus, struggled to say. His wound wasn’t bleeding profusely, thankfully, as the blade didn’t cut deep. “Rainbow Dash, get help immediately!” Celestia ordered. Rainbow nodded and zoomed out the door, returning about twenty seconds later with other hospital staff in hazard-suits and pushing a stretcher. Samus, while concerned with Stratus’s status, was more concerned with the assailants still in the room. “Thank you, thank you all,” Stratus said while in pain. Before Celestia could say anything, he was immediately carted off, as staff needed to make sure he was not mortally wounded. Internally, Celestia was fuming. Her initial plan for assessment of victims had completely turned for the worse, which reminded her that there were unknown assailants in the room. She turned to the first one, under Samus’s boot and barrel, with her ire in full force. The Elements quickly got out of the way and she got right in the pony’s face. “Who. Are. You?” Celestia asked with extreme malice. The Elements had a chill sent down their spine from the sheer amount of venom in their ruler’s voice. No response was heard as the mare was still whimpering and crying behind the visor. Samus said nothing but pressed more of her weight into her boot, squeezing the assailant’s chest against the ground even harder, causing her to yelp and cough. “I’ll ask again: WHO ARE YOU?!” “L-L… I-In.. T-T-Tart-arus…” she was able to gag and whisper out. Suddenly, she deliberately casted a large spell, but since her horn was broken, it backfired immediately, sending the pure magic firing straight into her conscious and brain. Her neck and head went stiff and she gasped before her body relaxed, all remaining life seeping away. Samus checked her vitals and confirmed her death, deducing that the mare had taken her own life. She removed her boot from the lifeless pony and stood next to Celestia, who looked like she wanted to cry and bang her head against the wall at the same time. Other hospital staff had tended to the other assailant and confirmed, as well, that he was killed and/or had taken his own life. Samus sympathized with the co-ruler. Just when she thought things were starting to get on track, it is confirmed without a shadow of doubt that unknown agents were at work. However, it wasn’t for nothing, as the operation in with the Weather Factory was still a go. Celestia sighed once more and addressed the whole group. “Let us leave. Twilight, you and your friends please proceed to wherever you’re staying. Eat, get some rest, or do whatever you wish to prepare for your missions and roles tonight. Go now please,” she spoke somberly yet firmly. “Yes, Princess,” Twilight affirmed. “You got it, Your Highness,” Applejack followed suit. “Okie Dokie, Princess.” “Of course, Princess.” “See you later, Princess.” “O-Okay, Princess Celestia.” They were all on their way, after giving a small wave to Samus on their way out, the latter of who returned the gesture. Celestia then turned to the Hunter. “Samus, I would like you to station yourself in the weather factory as well, however, I want your presence completely secret… not even Rainbow Dash and Twilight are to know you’re there until the night ends or something happens, and I have a feeling something will. I’ll throw in a bonus for your troubles.” “Understood, Celestia, but the last part really isn’t necessary,” Samus countered, but the Solar Alicorn would have none of it. “Your original job was to be the task of hunting down a potential assailant, and while that is still the case I’m also putting you in the Weather Factory so you can help protect Twilight and Rainbow Dash if it comes down to it. They cannot be seriously injured. Since that is outside of what I had offered, I’m adding a bit extra,” Celestia affirmed. “Very well. Thank you.” “Now, let us go. We need to prepare for tonight, as whatever happens with Rarity and Applejack will also determine our course of action,” Celestia said as she started walking to the exit. Samus nodded and followed her, ready to start preparations for the main operation. Evening came and went, giving away to full-blown nighttime over Cloudsdale. The regular workers and supervisors of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory all came and went, yet Rainbow Dash stayed. She surveyed familiar records of weather patterns and expected precipitation levels while Twilight was helping her archive. A messenger had arrived not too long ago, delivering crucial information from the Princess. Celestia had received information from Rarity and Applejack, who were in some run-down, underground tavern, that something big was rumored to happen at the Weather Factory tonight. What was interesting, however, was that no mention of the Wings of Glory cult… not one. Nevertheless, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were expected to be on the lookout for any unusual activity in the now deserted weather factory. The observation deck, where Twilight and Dash were stationed, overlooked the main cloud churners, so if anything malicious were to happen, it would almost certainly be there, and it wouldn’t get by the two mares undetected. For an extra precaution, the two ‘worked’ in as little light as possible. “Hey Twi, you think anything will happen tonight?” Dash asked, breaking the silence in the observation room. The lavender mare turned over her shoulder. “I’d like to hope something won’t, but I’m sure you know our track record for ‘things not happening’ isn’t the most sterling one,” Twilight replied sarcastically. Dash snorted a bit in humor. “You can say that again.” She blew a strand of her hair away from her face. “I just hope that, if something does happen, that you and I can stop it…” “Dashie, you’re one of the fastest fliers in Equestria, and I don’t like to brag by any means, but I think I’m more magically capable than the average unicorn. I think we’ll be alright, wouldn’t you agree?” Twilight pointed out. “Yeah, but your magic hasn’t always saved us on its own. Realize, like me, or like any of us, you’re still a pony. Weird things happen sometimes that we can’t explain but they… ummm…” “Hinder?” “That’s the word. Once in a while it’s caused problems. Sometimes I think you’re too powerful for your own good Twily,” Rainbow quipped in retaliation for Twilight using Dashie. Twilight rolled her eyes but giggled nonetheless. “Yeah I suppose you’re right. But compared to some of those incidents, I’d like to think this is a tad more important. There’ll be no room for screwing up. I still feel we’ll be just fine,” Twilight reiterated. Dash shrugged in acceptance. “Yeah I suppose you’re right. Either way…” The silent conversation between the two continued on, while on the other side of the large cloud facility, Samus was gingerly patrolling the hallways and grounds while the mares were none the wiser. So far, everything was abandoned, as she expected, at this time of night. Samus crept silently through the shadows, taking easy steps while her hand was placed comfortably on her arm cannon, which was aiming forward… a typical walking stance for the Hunter. What she was not fine with, was that her headache had returned. Not in the force that it had hit her earlier today, but it was now a constant, irritating pain in her head that was refusing to go away. She even took a break and injected some painkillers which helped for only about an hour. She could have sworn she would hear someone calling her, but chalked it off to magical side effects or the painkillers. Nevertheless, Samus felt like this headache was getting worse. Her footsteps were muffled due to the cloud ‘floor,’ allowing her to forego some more complex stealth axioms, but nevertheless, she remained vigilant. She entered back into the main facility and made a right turn down what looked like a run-of-the-mill hallway, lined with a few doors that lead into supply closets. As she was about halfway down the hallway, she saw a figure quickly move through the orthogonal hallway that lay straight in front (as the two hallways made a T-shape, with Samus looking down the middle one at the crossed hallway) from right to left. Well, hello there… Samus increased her pace ever so slightly, reaching the orthogonal hallway and making the left turn, finding the figure (with the help of her thermal visor) thinking about which way to take, as this particular hallway opened up to a full intersection a little ways up. Samus decided to hang back and examine: this figure was definitely a pony, a unicorn for that matter. What was odd was that her thermal visor wasn’t detecting much heat from it… Let’s try the new toy... Samus equipped her Aura Visor and this unicorn lit up like holiday lights. Recovering from the instant shock, she deduced, from the obviousness of the situation, that this unicorn was fairly magically adept, and proceeded forward as the unicorn decided to continue right. According to her maps, down that right hallway and all the way down to the left is where the main entrance to the cloud churners were. Bearing that in mind, Samus quickened her pace once more, evolving from a steady walk to a light jog. Rounding the right turn, she noticed the unicorn just hang a left. It was heading straight for the cloud churners, like she suspected. With that, she took off into a run down the hallway and made the left turn. She spied the double doors leading into the main room and gently stacked against them, listening for anything that might be on the other side. “Who’s there?!” Samus was able to hear what sounded like Rainbow Dash’s voice. They must have really been vigilantly watching over the area… especially for that long of a time. Samus inwardly commended them for their patience. However, her thoughts were cut out when she heard magical fire erupt. Without hesitation, she busted through the double doors, cannon aimed out to find a dark blue unicorn shooting volley after volley of green magic at the observation deck to the upper left. The Hunter was able to witness Twilight and Rainbow Dash take cover quickly and she chose that time to strike. Equipping her Night Beam, Samus fired a charged round straight into the back of the unicorn, striking him with enough force to send him crashing into one of the metal canisters that were lining the large churners. When the unicorn finally (and surprisingly) got its footing back, it form was flashing green before the form of the unicorn disappeared entirely, leaving a modestly sized dark creature, lined with holes and bearing insect-like wings, in its place. Twilight and Dash had peeked over the observation window and saw the monstrosity below. “Changeling!” Twilight shouted with some venom in her voice before charging her horn. The Changeling snarled and did the same thing but before either of the parties could attack, Samus fired a super missile straight at the creature, the concussive blast blowing apart the insectoid exoskeleton, dismembering two of its legs (surprisingly not blowing them off entirely), and sending the creature careening into another hard metal canister with a sickening squish, as there was no exoskeleton anymore to protect the soft insides. The two mares peeked over the cover of the observation deck again and spied Samus with her cannon aimed at the lifeless looking creature. “Samus?! When did you get here??” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Samus didn’t even look at her but raised her left hand to her. RD shut up immediately as Samus advanced forward, investigating. Seeing the creature was not moving, she equipped her scan visor. “Recorded to Logbook” [Morphology: Changeling; Status: Terminated] [Changelings are crafty creatures, capable of enormous amounts of magical prowess. Their name comes from their inherent and infamous ability to change their physical appearance to anything they wish within reasonable size constraints of the individual Changeling. Due to your sheer size and suit modifications, your form is completely immune from being mimicked. While Changelings are formidable on their own, their real power comes from gaining certain knowledge and limited use of the powers of those they mimic. Extremely adept espionage agents, they can be detected with your Aura Visor.] As Samus disengaged her scan visor, Twilight and Rainbow Dash had joined her on the ground by the dead Changeling, with its broken exoskeleton and insides for all the world to see. Dash was able to hold her stomach contents in this time… though nothing could really compare with what she saw earlier today. Upon investigation of the body, however, Twilight levitated something that lay under the corpse. “What’s this?” she asked as she levitated what looked like a glass vial to their faces. Inside was a bright blue material. Samus took the vial from Twilight’s grasp and examined it, confirming its identity. “Yup! This is definitely Phazon, and this confirms that there are other powers at work here. Where we go from here though… I’m not sure, as I recall reading that the Changelings were all forcefully and violently expelled,” Samus commented. Twilight, however, wasn’t fully satisfied. She grasped the vial once more and examined it more closely. She then made a realization and gasped. “What is it?” Dash asked. “This isn’t a glass vial, girls. As I’m holding it in my grasp, I can feel my magic being reflected in small but detectible quantities. Glass doesn’t do that. “Well, even I know of only one thing that has the ability to reflect magic…” “Crystallian Quartzite,” the two mares said in unison. Samus unequipped her suit and looked to them for an explanation. “What is that substance? And what does that mean?” “Crystallian Quartzite is a very abundant crystal found in the Frozen North that has many uses in constructing magic-proof vials, containers, glass, et cetera. There’s only one place it can be effectively mined and carved skillfully: The Crystal Empire,” Twilight concluded. Samus was fairly impressed by the development. “This is a definite breakthrough. Well done, you two. We need to get this information to Celestia immediately,” Samus suggested, partially out of urgency, but also due to her head… which she swore she heard a voice. Samus felt it was getting completely ridiculous now. Twilight nodded in agreement. “Definitely! Let’s go!” The three made haste out of the weather factory and back to the military base, eager to catch some rest and start on the next step in ending this whole mess. It had been a long day and a long night. Today, Samus felt it wouldn’t be any different. Her encounter with the Changeling (and only one. An immediate follow up by Equestrian military showed no further tampering with the weather systems and no other unauthorized individuals within the weather center) in the weather factory only proved in her mind that there was an even larger plan at work, and while she had suspected that was the case anyway, she silently hoped it wasn’t. With the Space Pirates undoubtedly on course for Equis and, by her estimates, arriving in a few days, she didn’t need to fight a war on two, possibly three fronts at the moment. Not to mention she didn’t get much sleep last night. And her head was killing her. Being honest with herself, Samus felt like she was getting sick, although it was more of the malaise and not any concrete symptoms. She used the silence in the gunship to ponder this while she piloted the ship back to the Library in Ponyville. The knowledge of Changelings at the heart of the plot put everypony in a somber mood, especially since they would all have to return to the Crystal Empire on less than amicable terms once again. Samus’s head began throbbing again, and any painkillers she administered by injection or consumed by tablet weren’t aiding her head’s recovery. What was weird was this ‘headache’ was almost hurting her mind, if that made any sense… because Celestia knows that didn’t make sense to the Hunter at all. Yet it was the only explanation or analogy, rather, which she could use, and until a better one surfaced, that would have to do. Not to mention she was hearing voices again... more frequently. “Are you okay, Samus?” Fluttershy spoke up, startling the Hunter out of her pained stupor. She was breaking into a light sweat and had to remove her Astral Suit just to get a bit more comfortable. Samus rubbed her eyes and nodded. “Yeah… head’s killing me though.” “You should see a doctor about that. Or at least let me look at you when we get back, okay?” Fluttershy offered with one of her sincere smiles. Samus, with all her willpower, couldn’t refuse the gesture. Seriously… it’s Fluttershy. It simply isn’t done. Samus gave a pained half-grin and nodded. “Okay.” Her head pain worsened and she let out a hiss, but it soon died away, leaving just the throbbing sensation. Thankfully, Ponyville was in sight and they began their descent, softly landing right in front of the Library where Samus’s ship rested the day before. Once the ponies and the Hunter exited the hatch one by one, Samus once again helped remove the luggage so the mares could sort out what was their own and what not. Baggage was sorted out promptly and that was good news, since Samus just wanted to try and sleep, hoping her headache would go away. She buried her face in her palms and rubbed gently before something caught her hearing. “Samus!!” She quickly perked up and looked to her right, where Luna had just landed and started trotting up to her with a quick pace. “What is it, Luna?” the Hunter asked. “You and I need to talk. NOW!” Luna exclaimed with extreme urgency. Luna had to spill the beans now, as the symptoms her sister relayed to her had indeed gotten worse. “Can it wait until a little later? I want to claw my own head off right now…” “But that is just it! Samus this has to do with your headaches and that discoloration of your attire,” Luna spoke. Samus just looked at her at the same time her head decided to pound painfully with one of her heartbeats. Samus oddly felt like her vision had blurred. She shook her head and her vision returned to normal. However, her ability to process rational thought at the moment was impeded so she just looked at Luna curiously. “What…?” Luna became frustrated as she wasn’t able to convey her words straight. “Samus, in using my magic to help regain and replace your lost abilities, there’s a high possibility that you have—” “AAACH!!” Samus clutched her head immediately, all ten of her fingers digging into her temples as she screamed in pure agony. The piercing of the peaceful air by her beleaguered voice drew the entire Mane Six out of the Library as soon as they had gone in. “Samus! No… No no no no no no no no no…!! NO!” Luna began frantically repeating as she rushed to the Hunter’s side. “What the hell is going on?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, all six of the mares rushing to the two of them and forming a circle around the blonde-haired Hunter, who had fallen to her knees in so much pain. Her breathing was labored and she struggled to maintain consciousness. “Hah…. HAH!! Haaahh!!” “S-Samus?” Fluttershy cautiously stepped forward, but Luna stomped hard on the ground. “No! Stay back! All of you get back, NOW!” she commanded with her voice an octave lower than her Royal Canterlot tone. Samus continued to writhe and she dropped one of her hands to the ground, still clutching her temple. All the commotion stopped when the seven mares witnessed Samus’s Zero Suit slowly turn jet black. It emanated from her left forearm, and the blackness spread as the molecular color changed magically, Samus attempting to fight whatever was consuming her the entire time, if any of her grunts, screams, and snarls were anything to go by. The mares all backed up even more, the Elements especially getting legitimately frightened at what was transpiring before their very eyes. Soon, the Zero Suit was completely black, but it didn’t end there. Her Zero Suit accents immediately lit up in a brilliant display of pulsing dark blue. Luna, magically, wouldn’t be able to intervene as it could possibly worsen what was happening. So she, with great pain, watched helplessly as, what she knew as the Nightmare, slowly and painfully take the Hunter over. Samus’s skin complexion grayed a tinge and her blonde hair also slowly turned to jet black. The magical potential within Samus continued to rise throughout the whole ordeal, and soon enough, Samus’s own mind lost the mental battle with the unseen entity. She lost consciousness, and at that exact moment, a shockwave of pure magic exploded outward, blowing over the Elements and Night Princess like a forceful gale, forcing them to dig their hooves in and avert their faces. Luna turned back first, to find the grayer-skinned, black-clad now black-haired hunter still hunched over and breathing heavily, eyes completely shuttered as air filtered into her lungs. When Luna was about to speak, Samus moved. She set her foot forward, and used that footing to stand up completely. Her eyes were still closed. Soon enough, her eyelids slowly opened... revealing brilliant sapphire eyes in place of her normal blues. With pupils like a cat. As well, her mouth etched itself into a grin, which became a full blown smile, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth and modestly elongated canines. When the Elements laid eyes on the Samus before them, it awoke a familiar fear in their hearts, sending severe shivers down their spine. Luna, however, just stared with a glare that could topple governments. Samus closed her lips and looked around her, stretching her back muscles and then turning straight to Luna, grinning once more. "The redeemed Princess Luna of Equestria graces my coming with her presence... this is most satisfying," the Nightmare-controlled Samus spoke out eerily in what could best be described as her own voice, 'layered' with a distorted, deeper version of her own voice on top like a voice mask. Luna felt nothing but disdain rising within her. Her newest friend, and the hope for Equestria, consumed by this usurper... it would not stand for one minute. “Nightmare…” Luna spoke with seething rage. Twilight gasped audibly, as did the others, when that word made itself known. ‘Samus’ chuckled sardonically. “Born into apt body and mind," she replied. Luna snorted and took a step forward. Samus raised her eyebrow. "You have no place in this realm or this body." Luna knew her next words would mean nothing to her adversary, but anything was worth a shot. "Relinquish control back to Samus, or be forcefully removed, Nightmare!" The Nightmare chuckled darkly. "A dignified attempt, but I shall have to pass on that offer. This body is just too perfect in every aspect!" She looked down at herself and examined her body. She raised Samus's hand in front of her face and had it light up in her magical aura, smiling evilly. Nightmare returned her gaze to a seething Luna. "A hellish fate awaits you, your sister, and the pathetic Elements of Harmony... and with this form, I, Nightmare Hunter, shall implement it." “I'm afraid that shan't happen... for I WILL PURGE YOU WHERE YOU STAND!!” Luna yelled out in her most aggressive use of the Royal Voice. “Twilight! You and your friends find the elements! Go!” she commanded with no room for question. There was none, and the girls all split up frantically to get their respective Elemental adornments. “No!” Nightmare Hunter yelled gruffly and lifted her left arm to fire a magical bolt at the nearest mare, only to have it intercepted by a massive, blue-hued force field dome that was immediately erected around she and Luna by the latter. She turned to face the Night Princess, who had just finished erecting the temporarily impenetrable haven. She smiled smugly. “And what do you hope to accomplish?” “When this is done, I will restore consciousness to Samus, and I will have my revenge for all the pain and suffering the Nightmare has caused my subjects, my sister, and me! You will feel all one thousand years of pure tartarus that I was forced to endure in solitary confinement in the form of my boot and my horn...” Luna seethed out as she got into a battle stance. Hunter was not phased. “So be it. I need not your cooperation. I am fully capable of crushing these Space Pirates upon their inevitable arrival, single-handedly wiping the pitiful Changelings from this planet, and bringing Equestria under my banner. And if you happen to come out on top, I will only return in time,” Nightmare smiled darkly. At that moment, her entire figure was eclipsed by a blinding light which left as soon as it came about, revealing her in the Astral Suit, save the fact that the navy blue was now completely jet black with dark blue accents, the latter color being the one her visor took. Luna charged her horn to blinding luminosity and aimed it straight at Samus, while the latter raised her arm cannon straight at the former’s head. Luna was never given the privilege to fight off the Nightmare in her own body. Luna, as well, smiled darkly. And now she would have every pleasure of it.